by Nicola Jane
Storm glares at me, his nostrils flaring. “I need some air,” he growls, storming from the room.
“Wow. I thought he was gonna explode,” whispers Leia. “He looks murderous when he’s mad.”
I take a seat at the table, my whole body trembling. After a few seconds, everyone gets back to their conversations, and I glance at the door, wondering if I just did the right thing.
It’s my first official night working for Vinn and I’m nervous for two reasons. One being it’s always nerve-racking to get up on stage and dance, and two, because I haven’t seen Storm since he went off at breakfast in a mood.
I half expect him to be blocking the doorway when it’s time for me to leave, but he isn’t there, and I’m not sure if that makes me happy or worried. Lake’s watching as I pass. He eyes the heels I’m holding in my hand. They’re my favourite pair to dance in. “So, you’re going ahead with it?”
“Yes,” I say, pushing the door to open.
“I was against you and Storm, but after seeing he agrees with me on this, I’m more inclined to agree to whatever is going on between you.”
I stop and turn to face him. “There’s nothing going on anymore. And I don’t know why you think you have a right to control my life,” I say. “I was doing just fine before I found you.”
Lake scoffs. “Didn’t you fuck your way through other MC clubs?”
I gasp. “No, why would you think I did?”
“Impression I got. Weren’t you hanging out with Cobras when you got brought back here?”
“That doesn’t mean I was a whore!” I snap. “I was looking for you.” I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh. “I don’t wanna fight. I’m so glad I found you, I really am, but stop interfering in my life. I don’t like it.”
“If you’re hooking up with a biker, then get used to it. No man wants his woman getting naked in front of a room full of men. Storm will likely be waiting there for you.”
Lake’s right. As I pull into the carpark, I see Storm’s familiar figure leaning against his bike. He approaches my car before I have a chance to get out, then he opens the door and braces his hands on the roof. “Don’t step out of there,” he mutters.
“Storm, we went over this. It’s just a job. I love dancing and I’m good at it. You can watch and see I don’t let anyone near me.”
“Don’t make me lock you up, Lottie. It’ll break me to see you sad.”
I narrow my eyes. “Are you drunk?”
“I told you we aren’t good for each other,” he slurs.
“That’s where you went? To drink yourself stupid because I wouldn’t do as I’m told?” I snap. I’m mad he’d turn to drink as soon as things got heated. I pull out my mobile and call Riggs.
“What are you doing?” he asks, trying to take my phone.
“Riggs, you need to come and get Storm. He’s at Vinn’s club really drunk and he’s been driving. He’ll get hurt or kill someone,” I say. Riggs tells me he’s on his way, and I check my watch, noting I have twenty minutes before I have to be on stage.
Getting out of the car, I feel around in Storm’s pocket, confiscating his bike keys. He smirks. “You ever done it out in the open like this, somewhere this busy?”
“You’re drunk. Riggs is coming to get you, and I need to get into work.” I take his hand and pull him towards the club. Vinn can watch Storm while I do my thing.
Vinn looks mildly annoyed when I explain, handing him Storm’s bike keys. “Riggs is on his way. I’m really sorry,” I say.
“Go and change. I’ll keep this arsehole under control.”
By the time my first dance is up, I’m so anxious, I feel sick. I’m the reason he drank today. I’m the reason he got himself into a mess. Guilt eats away at me, and I practically run off stage to change and head back to Vinn’s office. Riggs is there already.
“Are you okay?” I ask Storm, but he turns his head away from me. Riggs gives me a sympathetic smile. “Storm?”
“You did it,” he mumbles. “I asked you not to, and you did it anyway. I’m done.” He stands on wobbly legs as Riggs steadies him. “Let’s go,” he adds.
“That’s it?” I snap at his retreating back. “Just like that?”
“Looks that way, butterfly.” And then, he’s gone.
I turn to Vinn, who’s smirking. “You made a good choice,” he says, shrugging. “An independent woman will go far. You don’t wanna be relying on a man for money. And, once you give in on one thing, he’ll have you giving in to everything. Before you know it, you’ll be stuck at home with six kids hanging off you, wondering when you stopped making your own decisions.”
“Would you let your girl dance?” I ask, and he laughs, throwing his head back.
“Not a fucking chance.”
Anna curls her legs underneath her. She was awake when I finally finished work at three a.m., tending to her baby. I drop down beside her. “I don’t know how I finished my shift,” I say. “All I could think about was Storm.”
“These men have a way of getting inside your head and heart without you knowing.”
“He ended it, and I don’t blame him,” I mutter. “It’s been nothing but drama since we got together, and even then, he never really said the words. I told him to give us a chance, and then I went and got a job I knew he’d hate.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s your life and you can choose what you do with it. If he truly likes you, he’ll find a way to work past this.”
“It’s a lot to ask, though, isn’t it,” I point out.
“Your relationship is still very new,” says Anna. “Does he have a right to make demands?”
“I really like him,” I admit.
“Then dance in a nightclub with your friends, leave the stage. It’s not like you can’t go back if things don’t work out.”
I nod. “It was the principle—I don’t like being told what to do,” I admit. “But when it comes down to it, I’d rather be with him than dance, I guess. And I hate that I made him sad enough to reach for the bottle.”
“I’m sure we have bar work available if you want to make your own money,” says Anna, and I smile gratefully. “And Sara is always looking for extra hands at her place.”
I head upstairs feeling much better. I’ll make things right with Storm properly in the morning, but right now, I just need to feel him beside me, so I head straight for his room. I push his door and stick my head in, freezing as my eyes land on the figure next to him. I flick on the light, and he covers his eyes with his arm, groaning. One of the club girls sits up, the covers falling away to reveal her naked chest. I arch my brow. “What the fuck?” I yell.
Storm bolts upright, his eyes falling to the girl and then to me. “Shit,” he mutters.
“I was gonna pack the job in. I was coming in here to apologise,” I shout. Anna comes rushing up the stairs. She observes the scene before her and takes me gently by the arm.
“Come on, it’s not worth it,” she whispers.
STORM
I lift the sheets and see I’m naked too. Groaning, I flop back onto the bed. “You said you two were done,” Trudy says, running her fingers over my chest. I still her hand. I haven’t turned to a club girl in months. Damn the fucking drink.
“We’re done,” I mutter. “But that don’t make this right. Get out.”
“After the things we just did,” she snaps, “that’s how you’re gonna be?”
“Get out!” I yell, and she jumps in fright, throwing the sheets from her naked body and storming from the room, leaving her clothes behind.
I feel like history is repeating itself. If Laura could see me now . . . I shake my head, laughing with disgust. I’m a fucking mess.
I wake suddenly from the banging at the door. “What?” I yell.
Taya storms in. “I’m done. Get up, get showered, and come take care of your kid. I’m going shopping.”
“Huh?” I mumble, confused.
“You have to start taking care of Seb becaus
e I can’t do it alone. You’re his dad. I found out you were drunk again last night. I’m here watching Seb, and you’re hitting the bottle and fucking whores. So, take this as your warning—start helping or I will take him away and you won’t see him again,” she snaps.
I glare at her. She has legal guardianship over him, so she can take him if she chooses. “You’re threatening me?”
“Damn right, I am. Now, get up!”
Seb lines his colouring pens up in rainbow order. I used to find those quirks so irritating, but as I watch the concentration on his face, I find myself smiling. He eventually chooses the red one and colours in the picture of a bike. We walked to the park and had some lunch. It went smoothly, and I realised how far he’s come since those early days where he’d spend all our time together screaming. I never knew what to do to make him stop. His sock wasn’t on right, or his shoe rubbed, then he hated the buzzing sound of the light that only he could fucking hear, I just couldn’t cope with all his demands, so I just gave up. My phone flashes up a text, but when I open it, I see it’s from Laura and I frown.
Laura: Stop calling me. I had twenty missed calls. I will tell Tommy if this continues. You’re breaking your order and I will send you back to prison.
I delete the message. I must have called her when I was drunk. I got my phone back from Riggs after getting with Lottie, like I was somehow fucking cured. Glancing up as Lottie passes, she looks hot in jeans and a tight top. “Can we talk?” I ask, but she ignores me.
“Is Lottie mad at you?” Seb asks, and I nod. “Draw her a picture. Malia loves my pictures,” he says, handing me a pencil. I smile. If only it was that simple. But Seb stares at me until I put pencil to paper, so I write a quick note, asking her to give me just five minutes of her time to explain. Seb folds it extremely carefully, lining up the edges, before excitedly running over to give it to her. She smiles brightly at him when she takes it, giving me some hope, but it’s soon dashed when she reads it and rolls her eyes.
“I don’t think it worked,” whispers Seb as she stuffs it in her pocket. “Malia always kisses my cheek when I give her my pictures.”
“Maybe I need to try harder?” I suggest.
“Balloons,” says Seb. “Every girl likes balloons.”
I love the way he’s so invested. “Looks like we’re going to buy balloons,” I say.
He claps happily as we walk to the florist a few streets away. The young girl behind the counter hands me a dozen foil balloons tied together by a small heart-shaped weight. As we head back to the club, I get some strange stares. I feel like a fucking idiot, but if it makes her talk to me, I’ll gladly look an idiot.
“She’s in her room,” mutters Anna coldly.
We place them outside, knocking on the door and rushing to hide. She looks at the balloons, rolls her eyes again, and closes the door. We watch sadly as the balloons dance in the backdraft. “That didn’t work either,” mutters Seb.
“We won’t give up, kid,” I say, ruffling his hair. “It was a great idea, and I’m sure she’ll talk to me eventually.”
“I have a job on,” announces Riggs in church. “Vinn needs a man in front of the stage tonight. All you gotta do is sit there when the dancers are on—”
“I’ll take it,” I say quickly before anyone else can jump in.
Riggs’ eyes narrow in on me. “You sure, brother? I don’t want any drama with you and Lottie.”
“It’s all good, Pres.”
He nods. “Okay, fine. Don’t let it become an issue.”
After church, it’s time for me to head straight to Vinn’s club. It won’t be easy watching Lottie up onstage, but if it means I’ll be close to her, then it’s what I have to do. Maybe she’ll even start talking to me again.
The club is a hive of activity when I arrive—girls are walking around half-naked, security is doing radio checks, and Vinn’s at the bar tapping away on his laptop. He glances up and rolls his eyes. “You,” he mutters.
“The one and only.”
“And Riggs thought you were the best man for the job?”
“I offered, he accepted.”
“I wonder why you offered,” he says, closing his laptop. “Are you gonna cause me any problems?”
I shake my head. “No, sir.”
“Lottie is one of my best girls. You cause her any problems tonight, I’ll kick your ass out myself.” He stands, getting the attention of the barman. “No one is to serve this guy alcohol, understand?” The barman nods.
I take a seat on a stool next to the stage. It’s facing out to the crowd, so I don’t have to watch Lottie do her thing for other men. I’m thankful for that, at least.
Chapter Seven
LOTTIE
“What?” I almost yell with surprise into my phone.
“Yep, Riggs just told me now,” says Anna. “Apparently, Storm’s there tonight. I just thought you’d want the heads up so it’s not such a shock when you get out there and see him.”
“Thanks, Anna,” I mutter. Suddenly, my nerves are off the scale.
I take a deep breath in and release it slowly. I have to focus on the crowd, not him. I can do this. I step onto the brightly-lit stage. The music starts before I’m ready, and I almost stumble my first few steps. I glare at the backstage team and the music stops. Taking a seat with my back to the crowd, I spread my legs, placing my hands on my knees and lowering my head. I push all thoughts of Storm from my mind as the beat begins once again.
STORM
With the music stopping and starting, I turn to see what’s going on. My breath catches in my throat. Seeing Lottie in a purple corset and tall heels is breathtaking. But then I remember everyone else in here can see her, and as she takes her position, I grip the edge of my stool to keep me from pulling her offstage and locking her away. I focus back on the crowd, but somehow, that’s worse. Seeing men’s eyes glued to the stage where my woman dances half naked, I shake my head. I can’t blow this, or she’ll never speak to me again.
I fix my eyes to the ground because it’s the only place I can look without wanting to rip someone’s head off. Some of the guys at the front table begin chanting the word ‘off’. It looks like some kind of stag party. I glance to the head of security, and when he nods, I approach the table. “You gotta keep it down, boys,” I say firmly.
“Sorry, we’ll behave,” says one of the guys, who then proceeds to shush the others. See, I can do this. I can act like a grown man.
When I turn back to my seat, Lottie is closer to the edge of the stage than I realised. She’s now in panties, stockings, and suspenders, and her hands are covering her breasts. I lock eyes with her. She doesn’t get fully naked, she told me. There’s a twinkle in her eye and a smirk on her lips as she removes her hands, placing them in her hair instead, and pouts sexily at the group of men. They all go wild, whistling and cheering as the music dies. She turns and heads backstage, her ass wiggling with each step, while my jealous eyes burn holes into the back of her head.
LOTTIE
“Shit, Lottie, you made a killing,” says Raven, handing me a bunch of cash. “I thought you didn’t like to get naked,” she adds.
“There was a drunk group up front. I knew they’d tip more.”
“They certainly did. Even asked if you do private dancing,” she says.
“Really?”
“They seemed keen. You wanna do it?” I chew on my lip. I hate private dancing in case they get too hands-on. Raven senses my dilemma. “The no touching rule applies, and security can watch through the one-way mirror if you feel they’ll be too much.”
“Okay, why not? I have twenty minutes until my next show.”
“I’ll set it up. Red room in two minutes.”
“Not Storm,” I say to her retreating back. “Get someone else from the security team.”
I dance my ass off. All the guys are given the rules by security before they come in, so they’re all sitting on their hands like good little boys while I shake my ass for all it’
s worth. I don’t know when I became so into dancing—I just remember always doing it. I frown as a flashback of me as a kid enters my mind, but as quick as it comes, it disappears. I shake the memory away and continue to dance. “This one’s getting married next week,” says one of the guys.
I smile at the groom-to-be and move closer, placing my hands on his shoulders. “Don’t do it,” I joke.
“I said yes so I could have the stag party,” he admits, and the other guys laugh.
The dance comes to an end, and even though the guys have already paid up, they stuff notes in my hand. I agree to see them at the bar for a drink.
STORM
The stage light goes out, and I stand, stretching my legs. There’s a five-minute interval before the next dance, so I head towards the bar to order a Coke. I spot Lottie at the end in her underwear, chatting to the rowdy group. She sees me glaring and turns her back to me, which only pisses me off more. “Ouch, she’s really testing you,” says Vinn. “Getting naked onstage, private dancing, and now at the bar with a groom looking to have one last night of freedom.”
“Private dancing?” I growl.
“Yep, she just took that whole group in the red room for a five-minute show. Man, she made almost five hundred for five minutes of work.”
I make a move towards Lottie, but Vinn pulls me back. “Should I get someone to fill in for her? She’s next up.”
“No, I’ll have her back in time,” I grit out.
“Remember what I said—no drama,” he adds.
Lottie looks at me, her expression bored. “We need to talk,” I say.
“Take the hint,” she mutters. The men shift uncomfortably.
“Lottie, don’t make me carry you outta here,” I warn.
“Hey, man, relax,” says one of the guys, tapping me on the shoulder.