Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Dahlia

I s it possible for this many emotions to be inside of me right now? Jack’s date day was the perfect first date. He didn’t make a big deal about it, which is what I needed, to be able to enjoy it without overthinking it.

Or exploding into tears.

The only first date I’ve ever had has been with Bronwyn. We went to the mall and saw a movie. We held hands the entire time and giggled at the comedy. Unfortunately, I was under the haze of Gareth’s threats even then.

God, I hate that man so much.

“Penny for your thoughts, Dolly?” Jack asks as he drives. We convinced Bronwyn to stay home and sleep since she has work in the morning. He’s cutting it close to drop me back off at the club, but doesn’t seem too worried about it.

My backpack is still at the apartment, and I’m coming back feeling a little lighter. I was so nervous and scared when I was in the car at the beginning of the weekend.

“I think inflation should be brought into consideration, Jack,” I tease him. “A penny seems way under the going rate.”

His lips twitch as he shakes his head. “You’re asking for a red ass and dripping wet cunt, baby girl,” he grunts, making me start to pant.

I am not at all used to Jack’s mouth. Holy shit. How does Bronwyn get anything done around him?

“Your face is priceless,” Jack says with a chuckle. “Seriously, what’s going on in that pretty little head?”

“A lot,” I admit. “Right now? I had no idea you had such a dirty mouth. I mean, probably with good reason, but damn. I also don’t know how Bronwyn manages to get anything done around you.”

Quiet for a moment, Jack blows out a breath. “Bee and I have been the equivalent of fuck buddies when we’re sad or drinking since she turned eighteen. It changed over the last few months,” he says.

“Neither one of us is proud of it, least of all me. We were both holding onto you so tightly. I wasn’t treating her right.”

“You decided to let me go when you decided I’d come find you, huh?” I ask, beginning to put things together. “I told you, I?—”

“I didn’t know that,” he sighs. “I want to explain that we didn’t just hook up and forget about you, because we never did. I still was stalking you through security cameras and systems, always looking. I didn’t want to hurt Bee anymore.”

“She’s amazing,” I growl, surprising myself. I’ve always been protective of her, and that hasn’t changed. “Bronwyn isn’t someone you can use to get over your pain or regret, Jack.”

“I know,” he murmurs, reaching over to squeeze my bare thigh. I’m still wearing shorts from earlier today, and he rubs the skin absently.

“Bronwyn somehow managed to get past my walls, despite how hard I tried to simply be her friend. I worry when she’s at school or work, call her throughout the day just to chat. It’s why I told her I wanted to figure things out, go on dates, do ‘couple things’, since we were already doing it anyway. I was tired of the push and pull between us.”

“How grown up of you,” I say, smirking. “I’m glad you did. You may not have been the one to buy me this weekend otherwise.”

The frown he makes is priceless as he pulls into the club parking lot.

“Please don’t joke about that,” he grunts. “I can’t tell you how close we were to losing the bid. I just kept urging Bee to continue to hit the button until we won.”

I still can’t believe they paid three million dollars for me. I had tunnel vision toward the end, so I didn’t even pay attention to see whether or not the ending bid was announced or not. I still wouldn’t know if Bronwyn hadn’t told me.

“You did, though,” I remind him.

“We did,” he says, eyes piercing and possessive. I’ve never been stared at quite this way before. “Go on, baby. I’ll be following you back.”

Leaning forward, he captures my lips in a fierce kiss as he unclips my seatbelt to both encourage and discourage my departure. God, why is it so hard to get out of the damn truck?

A few minutes before midnight, I get out of the vehicle and talk to the people I need to check out. I set up a bank account specifically for this purpose, which Jack has his team moving to an account in my new name as soon as it clears.

Once I’m done, I slide into the back seat of the town car, knowing that Jack is following. The ride to Belmont goes by quickly, since there isn’t much traffic tonight, and soon I’m getting out in front of Percy’s strip club.

I had the weekend off because I made sure to tell her I couldn’t work it. While she gave me a funny look because I usually pick up as many shifts as possible, she didn’t say anything.

Jack’s truck parks in the lot, making the coiled nerves in my stomach release. Biting my lip, I begin walking toward him. His smile feels as if it’s mine alone as he gets out of the vehicle, closing the door behind himself.

His long strides carry him toward me and I run across the parking lot to jump into his arms. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to this.

“It felt like we were apart forever, huh?” he says, his lips slanting over mine as he reminds me he’s here and not going anywhere. Jack Katz can claim me over and over, I’ll never get enough.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “I just want to pop inside to talk to Percy, and then we can go.”

“I want to go up to your apartment,” he says, in a voice that says it’s not for discussion.

“My roommates will definitely be home,” I mutter as I slide down his body. “They’re nightmares, especially if they’re getting high or strung out, which is most of the time.”

“That’s fine,” he grunts, but not in a way that makes me believe he’s letting me win anything.

Sighing, I take his hand and walk to the front door, where there’s a tall bouncer with thick arms and tree trunks for legs, standing guard.

“Hey, Lucius,” I say with a nod. “Can I get in to talk to Percy real fast?”

“Who the fuck are you, and how do you know my name?” he snarls, lip synced with his words. “You’re too good for this place if you’re looking for some fun. Go away.”

It’s amazing how a haircut and change of eye color can make such a difference. Idiot doesn’t recognize me.

“Really? It’s Dee,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I change my hair a little and you forget who I am? Typical man.”

“Oh. Well, you look really different now. I noticed you didn’t work all weekend,” he says, shifting his weight. I don’t have a problem with anyone here, but Lucius must have a special asshole bone in his body. He enjoys making things more difficult for people when Percy isn’t around.

“No, I was busy and couldn’t work. Are you going to let me in or not?” I ask. I have the number to her cell phone memorized even though I don’t have a phone. It’s the first thing she insisted on when I started working here.

I’ve never used it, but I appreciate it just the same.

Lucius’ eyes move to Jack, who simply smirks. The man standing beside me has nothing to prove, and knows it. He’s not going to start a fight unless I’m in danger and this is clearly a pissing match.

“Who’s the rich guy?” Lucius asks, brows raised. “Did you finally decide to open your legs to make your life a little easier by getting a sugar daddy?”

“Ew,” I say. Technically I joined the auction to be able to do just that, but it feels wrong for him to say it.

“That’s not what she’s doing, but you sound a little jealous,” Jack says in a dark and sultry voice that makes everything clench inside of me. “Do you feel the need to suck a rich guy’s cock before I get her name tattooed on it?”

The sharp inhale I make is loud enough for Jack to rub the small of my back.

“We’ll talk about that little sound later, baby. Now, Lucius, was it? It’s late and I’d like to get home before the sun rises.”

Rolling his eyes, Lucius opens the door for us. God, I really thought he’d be more of a dick about this. Walking inside, I wave at the woman who checks people in, and she simply nods, while watching Jack interestedly.

His hand remains on the small of my back as we make our way through the club, and he kisses my temple, easily staking his claim.

“Are you peeing on me?” I tease him, the loud music ensuring that my voice won’t carry past him. “I may have forgotten to name that as one of my hard limits, Jack.”

Throwing his head back, he barks out a laugh. The women all check him out before going back to lap dances, and one is mid blowjob in a shadowy corner of the club. Fucking awesome.

“I will make sure to claim you in every way possible,” he says, his lips now against the shell of my ear. My lips curve in a self-satisfied way, completely okay with that.

Percy is leaning against the bar, her shrewd eyes on me as I walk toward her.

“Good weekend?” she asks, taking a slow sip of the whiskey she’s drinking. “Did you come to quit, doll?”

“I did,” I say with a wince. “Thank you for taking me in when you did. Pretty sure I would have frozen to death if you didn’t give me a job. Living on the streets sucks in the winter.”

“I had a feeling you were living on the streets, maybe a runaway,” she murmurs. “Come with me.”

Taking her glass, she turns and leads the way through the back hallway to her office.

“You’re a lot older than she is,” Percy says conversationally to Jack as she flicks on the light and steps inside.

“I’ve known her since she was a baby,” he says with a shrug. “Take that however you want, I don’t need to know what you think about it.”

“He’s been looking for me since I disappeared,” I interject, shrugging.

“Is he going to look down on you for dancing in my club?” Percy asks, sitting on the corner of the desk. “Or shame you for anything you may have needed to do to survive?”

“Never,” Jack snarls. “I don’t fucking care about any of that, other than to wish she didn’t have to experience it. As long as she’s alive, standing here beside me, that’s what I care about.”

Percy gazes at him for a long while, before blowing out a breath.

“Now I’ve seen it all,” she mutters. “Thank you for coming by, kid. How old were you really when you started working here?”

“Ah, the truth?” I ask. Her glare makes me sigh heavily. “Seventeen…”

“I had a feeling, I just lied to myself about it,” she groans. “Alright, troublemaker, you’re fired.”

Giggling, I shrug. “I was going to quit, but okay.”

Jack grins as he starts to tug me out of the office. “Guess we’ll be going then,” he says.

As we walk out, I jerk my head toward the back door of the building. “If you’re serious about going to the apartment, we should walk. Your truck is safer here than it is in front of my building. Percy secures her property well.”

“She’s very interesting,” he says wryly as he follows my advice, pushing the door leading outside open for me. I’ve walked this way a million times before it seems. This time though, I have someone with me.

It’s less scary than it would usually be. It’s almost two in the morning now, and I feel so much safer as I loop my arm through Jack’s.

“Dolly, this neighborhood makes me glad I have my stun gun in my back pocket,” he mutters. “We just passed at least two groups of gangs, and I saw a drug deal go down just now.”

“That’s probably pretty tame for a Sunday, well now Monday morning,” I tease him. “I walked this way because this is the safer route. It was even creepier in the snow though.”

Jack’s fist clenches as he struggles to breathe. “That’s not helping me, baby girl,” he growls.

“I don’t think it was supposed to,” I tell him. “This is it.”

The door is broken again as I walk up, and Jack shoves it open, so we can get through. He’s quiet as we go up the stairs, and I pull out my key. I shoved it in my back pocket, just in case Jack insisted on coming over here.

I can hear loud music coming from inside, and I already feel exhausted by my roommates. Unlocking the door, I have to shove it open, because the wood is slightly warped. They’re all turned away, and there’s company over. It appears they found someone else to whore out, and someone also brought them drugs.

Rolling my eyes at the sad reality in front of me that these people will eventually overdose or go to prison, I turn away to walk to my room with Jack.

“Dahlia,” Frankie croons when he sees me as I open the door. “It’s been ages, and you haven’t brought us any money. See all this? It’s your fault we had to find a new little whore.”

“I was never your whore,” I mutter, walking into the room and flicking on the light. As expected, my mattress and blankets are trashed, and there’s also dried cum on the dark sheets. “Fucking gross.”

Jack peers inside, scowling. “You couldn’t leave her room the fuck alone?” he asks. “This is fucking disgusting, man.”

“Eh, she’s sucked my cock before. I may as well remind her that she’s a whore,” Frankie says.

This man is going to get himself killed. Fuck.

“I’m just here for my things,” I mutter, walking to the closet. The clothes are all cut into pieces, piled on top of the safe and smell like urine. A tear I wasn’t expecting escapes as I kick it away, gagging.

Jack crouches beside me, watching as I squat by the safe to open it.

“Is that Frankie the dick?” he asks softly, kissing my forehead as I nod. “Perfect. I’ll be right back, baby.”

“Why, what?” I cry out, turning to watch him, just in time for me to witness the punch he throws against Frankie. “Fuck.”

It takes me three tries to open the damn safe, because he’s making me nervous. I’ve been hit often enough by Frankie to know that his punches hit true, but they’re not as powerful when he’s high. Right now? He’s high as a kite.

I still don’t want Jack to get hit by Frankie though, so my blood pressure sky rockets with every wild punch that Frankie throws, despite the fact that Jack outweighs him by at least fifty pounds.

Gathering my laptop and cash they managed not to steal out of it, I stand, shoving money into my pockets. It doesn’t really matter now, since I now have more money than I’ve ever seen hidden in a bank account.

“You got everything?” Jack asks, shoving Frankie back into his own cum stains in my sheets. He yowls, but Jack calmly ignores him as he pulls out the stun gun. At my nod, Jack grins in an eerie smile as he arms the weapon, shoving it into Frankie’s limp dick. My now ex-roommate screams as he convulses, piss quickly staining the front of his sweatpants and sheets.

The people in the living room are having a blast fucking and getting fucked up, and the music is loud. No one is coming to help Frankie. Poor fucker. Jack shoves the stun gun into Frankie’s ballsack, and I wince as Frankie screams before passing out.

“Now I’m done,” Jack grunts, putting the stun gun away.

He doesn’t even look or sound out of breath. Holy fuck, why am I so turned on? Seeing my parted lips and wide eyes as I pant, he wraps his large hand around my throat, telegraphing the move, so I can safeword if needed.

Instead, I raise my chin so it’s the perfect necklace, walking back with him until my spine hits the wall. At least I won’t lose this one.

“Did watching that make you wet, baby?” Jack growls in my ear as my thighs rub together, his hand tightening enough to ensure he has my attention.

“Yes,” I whimper. “Jack…”

“Dolly, I swear to fucking God if you say anything else, the first time your blood stains my dick will be up against this wall. I have so many fun plans for you, but fucking you in this apartment isn’t one of them.”

“That’s just no fun,” I breathe, whimpering as his erection digs against my stomach.

“Are you telling me you want to be my dirty little slut?” he asks, pressing what could be trauma buttons. Jack’s mismatched green and blue eyes are blown wide with desire, and he’s watching me carefully.

“I want to be your everything,” I confess, and he rewards me with a kiss that makes me want to climb him like a tree.

“Good answer. Let’s get the fuck out of here,” he murmurs. “We’ve had quite the adventure as it is.”

His hand drags down my body, snagging my laptop to tuck it under his arm as he escorts me from the room. I force myself not to look at anything else, though I catch a glimpse of the girl they’re fucking.

Her eyes are glazed over, and I realize she’s also high.

Belmont is where dreams come to die for most people. I’m ready to get out of here.

“Take me home,” I say softly, leaving with Jack, but not bothering to relock the door. I keep the key with me, because my fingerprints are on it, and say goodbye to my old life.

Things will be different now. They have to be.