Chapter 3
"Bam! Open the fucking door." I jerk awake and blink my eyes, trying to get them to focus as I hear more pounding on my bedroom door. "Bam! What the hell?" I grab my glasses from the side of the bed and put them on. I'm blind without them unless I have my contacts in.
"I'm coming," I call, stumbling out of bed, my feet tangling on the strap of my bag. I trip over it but luckily land on the bed as I get my feet free.
"I don't have all fucking day," my brother Jero barks out.
"Sorry!" I shout back, although we both know he doesn"t have a job. Where the heck does he have to be all of a sudden? I blow my hair out of my face as I yank the door open. "Can you calm down? I was sleeping."
"It's three in the afternoon."
"What!" I turn back to look at the clock in panic. "My alarm didn"t go off. I was supposed to be at work at ten." I am so fired.
"People want strippers at ten in the morning?" I flinch, but I guess I am a stripper after last night.
"The movie theater."
"Why the hell would you keep that job?"
I stare up at him, wondering what the hell he means. I have to work.
"It's my job." I shake my head at him before I turn around and grab my purse off the ground. I know why he's here. "Here, it's three thousand."
Angus paid for his dance, but my cut was only half of that. I didn"t tell the bouncer or Vivian about the giant tip. I was scared they would want a cut of that too.
"Damn. From one night?" He starts counting the money. "For one fucking dance?"
"Yeah, he tipped me." I don't mention that he didn"t want to let me go.
Jero looks up from the money at me. "You dancing again tonight?"
I nod. That's the plan since we still need more money, and I'm guessing he hasn"t come up with any of it on his own.
"We're still short two thousand," I point out. I'm sure he already knows that.
"What about after tonight?" He lifts his eyebrows at me.
"I'm going to beg them not to fire me for missing my shift at the movie theater today."
"Are you fucking nuts? Three grand off one night. Was it that bad? Really, Bam?"
No, it hadn"t been that bad, and that's what's bothering me. I enjoyed the way he looked at me way too much. No one has ever looked at me with such heat and possession in their eyes. It made me feel sexy and wanted.
When he pulled out extra money and wanted more, I should have been disgusted. But the truth was, I've never been more turned on in my life. He wanted to pay to have his way with me, and suddenly the idea of taking the money and giving it to him felt good. I'd been so close to getting off right there on his lap, and he hadn"t even touched me.
"Earth to Bambi." My brother snaps his fingers in front of my face. "He must have liked the outfit I picked out for you." He smirks.
This is getting creepy. Angus didn"t like the outfit because I couldn"t bring myself to wear it. There was no way I could wear underwear that goes up my butt crack.
"Yeah," I say noncommittally, not wanting to talk about it with Jero.
"But it was all safe, right? There was a bodyguard. No big deal?" He's pushing me to see how easy it was to make this kind of money.
"Yes, it was safe."
I thought there was only one bodyguard there until the others showed up. I found out afterwards they'd been dropping off dancers in other rooms and my security must have called for them as backup. I think Angus could have taken on several of them, but too many jumped on him at once. Not that he didn"t give them a run for their money. Why had that been so hot too? There"s something wrong with my body. I thought I was asexual because nothing ever turned me on. Until him.
Romance books and hot pictures have never worked. I even looked up porn one night and nothing sparked. Then there he was, with a handful of money, paying me to dance and then fighting over me. Yeah, something is wrong with me because I've never been more turned on in my life. And the worst part is, I can't stop thinking about him.
"Then I don't understand why you'd quit."
I shift on my feet. Shouldn"t he want me to not do this? Where is the older brother who always watched out for me? I think Jero lost part of who he was with his gambling addiction. I'm not so sure he's in there anymore.
"Let's focus on getting the last of the money you need. Then we can think about what's next."
"About that." He runs his hand through his short brown hair, something he does when he's got terrible news. My stomach starts to turn as he looks me in the eyes. "The interest went up because they aren"t getting it all at once."
I close my eyes, trying to calm my nerves. "How much more?"
"Well, it will be another thousand for today and a thousand for tomorrow."
"So if I get four tonight we'll be done?" He nods. "Then I guess I have to get it all tonight." I have no idea what Vivian has booked for me. A couple of dances aren"t going to cut it with the company taking half.
"You can do it. Like you said, last night went fine."
It went fine because I was with Angus. The idea of dancing for someone else feels weird, which is stupid. I think it's the comfort I felt with him, so who knows what I might get next?
"You need a ride?"
"No, they're sending someone to pick me up."
"Cool." He kisses me on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he's gone.
He didn't ask about how I'd get home or even say thank you for the cash. This is so messed up, and I'm really starting to see it now. I sit down on my bed and put my face in my hands. I'm trying not to cry, but this whole situation is horrible. I was willing to do more with Angus and he's freaking engaged! How can I have this guilty feeling about dancing with someone else tonight when he would have paid for me to sleep with him? At least I think that's what the extra money was for, but I didn't stop to ask.
My phone rings, and I see it's the agency. "This is Bambi," I answer, trying to sound like I'm in a good mood.
"I heard you caused quite a scene last night," Vivian says.
"It wasn"t my fault." I rush to explain that I can't control other people's actions.
"I never said it was." I can hear her clicking on her computer. "You passed your first day. The client was so satisfied he didn"t want to let you go." She chuckles at her own joke.
"Did he book another night?" I really shouldn"t have that kind of hope. Angus went nuts, but he's getting married.
Vivian laughs again. "No, he's in a jail cell, I would imagine."
A knot forms in my stomach, and I feel guilty. I led him on at least a little, and I would have kept going without the money. Then he pulled the cash out, and it sparked some dark fantasy I didn't know I had.
"I've got you lined up for another dance. You think you can handle that?"
"How much? I"m really looking to make four thousand tonight," I admit. Maybe she can book me a few dances? If they're only an hour, I could do a handful and be done with all this.
"Greedy, I like it. I'll see what I can do, but Robert will be there at six to pick you up."
"Thanks," I say before she ends the call. I flop back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. It's peeling and stained with dark splotches. I close my eyes and focus on getting this done. "Tonight. I can do this and then it will be over."
Until Jero gets in trouble again, my brain reminds me, and I know it's only a matter of time. I'm already wondering if he lied to me about the whole interest thing. It sounds crazy high, but what do I know about loan sharks?
I make myself get up and shower so I can start getting ready. I decide on the same kind of outfit as last night, but this time it's a sheer pink. The only thing I have that matches it are white panties and a bra. They seemed to work last time, and when I stare at myself in the mirror, I can't help but wonder what Angus would think.
When I left the room, Robert laughed at my dancing. He said I looked untrained and told me if I gave him a dance, he could point things out and show me how to do it right. I passed on his offer. If he wants a dance, he needs to talk to Vivian and pay for it. I pray he doesn"t because I don't think I could follow through. He gave me the creeps.
I put on just a little makeup as Vivian suggested before slipping on my shoes and finding my coat. I head into the kitchen to get a snack before it's time to go. I run my finger along the cracked vinyl on the counter, and my mind drifts to Angus.
My body starts to heat as a slow throb builds between my legs. I look down at myself and see that my nipples are poking through my thin bra. I wonder if I should go back into my bedroom and touch myself before I leave? Before I can make up my mind, there's a knock on my door. I glance at the clock on the microwave—Robert shouldn"t be here for another thirty minutes.
When I look through the peephole, I see it's him and open the door.
"You're early. I need to grab my stuff." He steps inside and closes the door behind him. Yesterday he waited in the car, so I'm not sure why he's coming inside now. "Can I get you a water or something?"
His eyes scan down my body, making me remember I don't have my coat on yet. "I'm your first client." He smirks at me.
"That can't be right. You have to book an appointment and pay." He pulls out his wallet and tosses some money onto the counter. When I see the bills lying there, I don't get that same excitement as I did when Angus did it last night.
"Vivian didn"t say it was you." I wring my fingers together, trying to buy time.
"Vivian doesn"t give a shit who it is as long as they pay." He licks his lips. "Besides, I'm the hero that saved you from the fucker last night." He rubs his knuckles, still red from where he punched Angus. My stomach turns with the urge to throw up.
"I really don't think this is a good idea. We have to work together." I take a step back.
"You really do play up the innocent act, don't you?" He reaches down and adjusts himself. "It fucking works. Makes me think you got a tight cunt."
I gasp and take another step back. Did he really say that to me? "I don't want to do this." I put my hands up to try and keep space between us.
"You don't want your money? All of a sudden you're a fucking prude? I watched you on that fucker last night. You gave him way more than he paid for." Robert clenches his fist at his side.
"I'm going to call Vivian." I turn to walk into my bedroom to grab my phone. Robert"s hand wraps around my wrist, and he yanks me back. I fall against his chest, and it knocks the air out of me for a second.
"I paid for the whole package. You'll get your four grand." The smell of musty cologne fills my nose. I try to push away from him, but his hold on me tightens. "We can play rough."
He grabs me around the waist and lifts me off my feet. I try and knee him, but he's quicker and tosses me onto the sofa. Before I can try and run, he's on me again. I scream as his hands wrap around my neck to make me stop. I scratch at his hands, trying to get them off, but it's no use.
"Stop fighting me," he seethes, but I don't stop.
I try harder until black spots dance in my eyes and there's no air left in my lungs.