by K. Michelle
“Yeah, not going to work as I need a pole,” I say, and his eyebrows raise as if I’m the stupid one. The look in his eyes telling me he already took care of that problem. “You already got a pole at the house. Nice, Cohen.”
“Whatever, let’s just go.” He turns and walks away, not caring if Evan and I are coming or not.
“Someone is pissy,” I mutter under my breath to Ev.
“Nah, he’s just in his feelings because I’ve seen his girl in a lot less than he’d like.”
“Yeah, well, he can suck it.”
“Atta girl. Let’s go, boo.” He throws his arm around my shoulder, and I laugh as we follow behind a brooding Cohen.
He’s a crazy, moody asshole. But I love him for it.
The three of us are about to have dinner. I’ve been practicing all day, and my thighs already have bruises.
“Hey, I’m going to call Sal really quick and let her know I won’t make Bingo tonight.”
“What? Ugh, I want to go to Bingo. Tell Sally I’ll go with her, and I won’t let her down,” Evan chimes in, and I flip him off as I laugh at him. He’s so weird, but you have to love him.
Cohen nods as he gets the plates, food, and drinks ready, and I walk into his bedroom and dial Sally. She answers on the second ring.
“How’s my girl?
“I’m good, Sal. How are you?”
“Oh, we’re okay. Got a bad case of food poisoning, I’m afraid,” rustling comes through the phone, and Sal whispers, “I think it was Nancy’s casserole. She’s always trying to one-up me. Well, the wench poisoned me!” I laugh when Dennis hollers at her in the background.
“You two crack me up.” We laugh together before I continue, “Well, I was calling to apologize. I can’t make it to Bingo, but I take it you weren’t going to make it either?”
“That’s right. It wouldn’t be a pretty sight, that’s for sure.”
“Gross, Sal.”
“Just the truth, Sweetie. How’s that boy treating you?” she asks, and I smile, remembering telling her about how much I hated Cohen because he was a jerk back in school.
“He’s treating me good, Sal. You know me, I wouldn’t tolerate anything less.”
“That’s my girl. Any luck with your sister?”
I sigh. “Actually, yes. It’s kind of crazy. We found a folder full of information on her, maybe even answers about her abduction.” Sally gasps into the phone. “I know.”
“My girl, your life is busy right now.”
“Trust me. It isn’t always like this. Normally, I’m covered in paint and chain-drinking coffee. That’s about as exciting as it gets.”
“Drink more water. Otherwise, you’ll get wrinkles.”
“Thanks, Sal,” we both chuckle, “Hey, I wanted to tell you something …”
“Anything, Sweetie. What is it?”
I lick my lips, nerves grabbing ahold of me. I take a deep breath. “I just wanted to say thank you. I’ll never be more grateful for you taking me in. For choosing me. For loving me, even when it wasn’t easy.”
“You didn’t make it easy, that’s for sure,” she scoffs. “But the moment I saw you in that alley, cold and sick, it was never a thought in my mind to go about my day and leave you there. You became my daughter right then and there. You’ll always be my girl, Dessa. Your home is always here with us, no matter what happens or what you do. You always have us. You always have me.”
“Dammit, Sally. If you make me cry, I’ll never go to Bingo with you.”
“Can’t have that now, can we?”
I chuckle, wiping a small tear from my eye. “Love you, Sal. Thank you for everything. You’re the best a girl could ask for.”
“Anything, Sweetie. Anything. I love you, too.”
“Tell Dennis, ‘hi.’”
“I will. See you soon.”
“Okay, bye.”
I hang up the phone and look down at the screen. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath and think of how lucky I am. Even through all the crap in my life, I wouldn’t change a thing because somehow, Sally picked me. The girl who’s never known the love of a mother, yet the best one she could’ve ever asked for, was a stranger, and she handpicked me.
You can’t be luckier than that.
My body is experiencing the grueling effects of not doing this in so long and immersing myself in it non-stop for over twenty-four hours. My thighs have bruises, and my muscles are aching, but I feel so good at the same time. I loved the strength dancing built up in me, and I think I’m going to find a pole class after this for the exercise alone.
Everything goes down tonight, and I’m honestly nervous as fuck. The possibility of things going wrong is monumentally high. I don’t know how I’ll react, partly in fear of what could happen to me, but also what could happen to Rory. I don’t know if these men have her or not, and I’d hate for anything to fall back on her.
Cohen somehow knew somebody who knew somebody who had a studio, and they set me up with a pole so I could practice because his set up was not working. The pole fell loose, and on the fourth time, I gave up. But he found another option which was the studio, and honestly, it worked out better anyway. Luckily, I still remember my routines for the most part, and I was able to easily fill in the gaps to make my routine for tonight.
I pause the music and plop my ass on the floor, kicking off my heels to rub my achy feet. Once you stop wearing heels, it’s hell trying to get used to them again. I’m stretching when the door opens, and I turn around, expecting to see Cohen, but I’m unpleasantly surprised with who’s in front of me.
I stand up, crossing my arms. “Can I help you?”
“Not the friendly type, I see,” She-demon says through a huff. “I’m really not sure what Cohen sees in you.”
“Probably everything you couldn’t offer. That would be my guess. I mean besides the fact you’re a leech,” I say with a sweet, sarcastic smile.
Tessa bares her teeth at me. I have claws too, kitty-cat. She stalks toward me in her expensive Jimmy Choo’s, and I lift my chest to stand my ground as she tries to threaten me. “Listen here, Whore. You need to leave Cohen. For. Good. If you—”
I’ve had enough and snap back, “No, you listen here, Bitch. You do not tell me what or who I get to do. You don’t scare me, nor do you intimidate me. If anyone should be nervous, it’s you. Because, Tessa, I am not afraid to rip you apart, limb from limb, and bury your sorry carcass. So, you’ll leave not only me, but also Cohen alone, or so help me.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“No, Cupcake. I’m promising you.”
Her eyes widen when we hear a slow clap from the shadows in the corner as Cohen slowly steps out from them. His eyes don’t spare her a single glance because they glue to mine.
I give her a sarcastic smile, and she mutters under her breath, “You’re going to regret this.”
Cohen beats me to it, still looking at me, though. “Get the fuck out, and stay away, Tessa. You don’t belong here, nor are you wanted.”
“You’ll come to your senses soon enough.” Tessa turns and struts out of the studio.
I roll my eyes. “I fucking hate her.”
“Me too, Little One.”
“How much did you see?”
“Baby, I’ve been watching you since you started. I figured I should be able to see the show first.”
I feather my finger down his nose. “Hold that thought.” I break away and grab a chair from the corner and dim the lights a little more, placing the chair by the pole. I motion for him to sit. His mischievous smile is in place, and he takes off the hair tie around his wrist, knotting his hair on top of his head. He’s fucking delicious all the time, but I love him like this.
I pick a song, one specifically for him. “Needed Me” by Rhianna plays through the speakers, and I climb the pole. This isn’t a love song for him. This is me telling Cohen why I’ve hated him. That if he thinks he’s better off without me, he’s wrong. Cohen needed me—needs me—and d
espite everything he’s put me through, I keep coming back, and I always will for one simple reason: I need him, and I hate him for it. But in between every hateful word, I fell in love with the bad guy. Every time I pushed him away, my heart pulled him in. Cohen is a monster among men, but only a toy to a girl who preferred the demons over angels. It’s what hooked him, the fact I crave the foul taste of all his wrongdoings rather than the artificial sweetness of the mask he wore.
I slide down the pole and slowly make my way toward him, every beat vibrating through my body and raising the sexual tension we can practically taste in the air. I straddle him over the chair and grind against him. His hands grab my ass, and I flip my hair over to the other side, repeating the movement. I slide my way down his body, touching every hard and soft curve. I turn around and sit on his lap, repeating my movements once again before standing and walking behind him. My hands work their way down his chest to the top of his pants, undoing his button. I finish my walk around him, teasing with my touches and enticing him with every move of my body. By the time I’m back in front of him, the song comes to an end.
“Are you going to finish what you started, Little One?”
My eyes don’t move from his as I slowly shake my head. “No, Cohen. If you want me, then you need to earn me.” If there’s anything I know about this man, it’s that he fucking loves a challenge, and I’ve delivered his favorite kind. He jolts out of the chair and grabs my throat, pushing me backward until I’m awkwardly against the pole. He fuses his mouth to mine as his hands feel every inch of my body as if they can’t get enough.
His growl echoes into my mouth, “I don’t need to earn what’s already mine.”
I lean forward, biting his lip, and it spurs him on. He picks me up, takes several long strides, and slams my back against the wall.
My eyes connect to his. “What are you waiting for?”
“The words. I want your words.”
I grab the back of his head and pull his forehead to mine. In all of our frantic, hate-fueled lust, there’s something so familiar that hits me in my chest every time. It feels like home. It feels like Cohen.
“Every broken piece of you interlocks with every broken piece of me. You’re always mine, but even when I try to deny it, I’m always yours, too.” My words make him greedy in his kiss, and now it’s a battle of who can take off their clothes the fastest.
“Yoo-hoo, chitlins!”
“Motherfucker,” Cohen and I both mutter out, but he continues, “Get the fuck out, Evan. You’re like a leech I can’t get rid of.”
“Nice try, love-birds. We have a show to get ready for. No time for dilly-dallying.”
“Seriously, Evan? You couldn’t have waited at least five minutes?” I ask, then Cohen slaps my ass as hard as he’s able to from where he’s at, glaring at me.
“Fifteen minutes. Don’t insult me,” Cohen says with a grimace.
Of course, that’s all he picked up on.
“Whatever.” If there’s a female equivalent of blue balls, I now have them. I walk to grab my bag, throwing on my sweatshirt and sweats over my tank-top and shorts. “Alright, since we’re all here, we need to go over how tonight is going to go,” I head towards the door, “but I need coffee first.”
“Are you ready?” Cohen asks before I walk out.
“Yep,” I say in a clipped tone.
“Now she’s pissed at me, Dickhead.” I hear Cohen punch Evan.
“What’s new? She’s always pissed at you. And, hey, you like it when she’s mad, don’t act like I’m the bad guy,” Evan defends himself.
“I swear you two are worse than toddlers. Can we go?” I ask with a sigh, ready to leave.
I walk out first with both of them following closely behind, and after a coffee stop, we’re back at Cohen’s house.
“Okay, you’re going to go on at nine, like planned, then after is when they can request the rooms. The good thing about this club is that you get to pick from the list for your safety. Then whoever doesn’t get picked is told there wasn’t enough time or some bullshit.”
“So, I choose Vex first?”
“That’s the tricky part. Vex won’t go first. We’ll have to go with a couple of the lackeys. Then him.”
“And where do you guys come in?”
“We will follow you in. There’s a coat closet hidden behind a corner in the room. About one to two minutes after you go in with one of the guys, we can make our move on that one. Then the same with Vex, who you’ll choose next. And at that point, we want you to grab your shit and come back to my house.”
Evan speaks up, “We can’t risk you getting in the middle of this. Especially with nerves on high and Henry on the lookout for you. Vex will snap your neck the minute he feels inclined to do so.”
“What?! No! I’m staying with you guys,” I say. There is no way I’m leaving this club alone.
Cohen nods. “Evan’s right. You need to leave the moment we make our move on Vex, and you need to bust ass. I don’t want you around this shit tonight. It could very easily turn into a bloodbath.” He gives me an apologetic smile.
Evan scoffs, “You can plan on that. Eighty percent of the fuckers there with Vex won’t be going home tonight, as in they will die. Aiden and his guys are coming to help on the back end with the rest of them. But you will not be meeting him.”
“Who’s Aiden?” I ask.
“Someone who I don’t want laying his eyes on you. At. All. So, I mean it when I tell you to leave, I need you to go. For your safety. I promise we have it handled,” Cohen says with a stern face, not willing to compromise.
I scoff, “That’s not ominous at all. Seriously? How many times do I have to say I’ve been handling my shit all my life? I can handle this.”
Cohen steps toward me, banging on his chest. “I don’t want you to fucking handle this, Dessa! That’s my point. How many times do I have to say that?”
“What is the big deal?!” my angry voice rises with each word.
Cohen gets in my face. “I can’t lose you, Dessa! Do you want me to spell it out for you?” He rubs his hands down his face, and this is the first time there’s apprehension in his demeanor. He takes a deep breath, calming himself down. “I need you back here, where I know you’re safe. I can’t be distracted worrying about you.”
“Well, when you put it that way,” I mutter as I sit next to him. His arm falls behind me, and he pulls me in, so I’m leaning on him.
Cohen kisses my forehead, whispering so only I hear his confession, “I’m messy and complicated, and you’re the only thing to make me feel complete. And I feel like I just got you back, so I need you where I know you’re safe.” He ends it with a kiss to my head. I nod and take a deep breath, completely unable to argue back, for once. But for the first time, a horrible feeling sets into my bones. And I’m never wrong about those.
We’re en-route to the club with the trunk stacked full of enough shit to land us several years in prison. “Cry on My Guitar” by Miles Kane is playing through the car, but we’re all quiet. Dessa has a strong front on, but I know she’s nervous, even if she insists she isn’t. It’s about a thirty-minute drive outside of town, but once we make it, we all take a deep breath. I know this is going to not only get messy tonight, but it will change everything. I’ll have Henry on the gun for my ass. If he doesn’t know it’s Evan and me burning his temple down from the inside out, he will after tonight, which will bring me an entire slew of issues. We pull into the back of the club, so Dessa can go in where the dancers enter and get ready until it’s time, and Evan and I pull around slightly off to the side, enough to look like customers, but close enough to the club’s side exit so we can leave quickly.
“Alright. Let’s do this,” I turn to Dessa, “After we get done with Vex at the warehouse, I’ll meet you back at my place.”
“Deal. Got it. Let’s go.” She’s out of the car and checks in with the security for the dancers. He lets her in, and I exhale a deep breath.
“T
his is the wildest, weirdest fucking plan.”
My eyes flit over to Evan. “What are you talking about, Evan?” I ask, blowing out a breath.
“I’m talking about using your girlfriend as a stripper as bait to lure out the sadistic psychopath of Sanctum. Excellent plan, my man.”
I chuckle under my breath. “Yeah, well, Dessa’s resilient and can handle herself. She’ll be just fine. She’s dealt with plenty of shit in her time. I’ve no doubt she can deal with this.”
“Yeah, except when something goes wrong. Then you’ll blame yourself and take it out on me. I’m telling you right now,” he exhales a cloud of smoke, “I’m not sitting around and taking your shit.”
“I take your shit every day. You’ll be fine.”
He changes the subject, “So we grab Vex when he’s least surprised. Drag his ass back to the warehouse. And then what. What are your plans for when Henry has your ass in his sights?”
“Easy. Henry is next. That was always the plan.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be as easy as you’re thinking, brother.”
“Henry is careless. You’ve witnessed it lately. He’s sloppy and unaware. I don’t think it’s going to be as complicated as you’re thinking, brother.” I crack my neck, rolling the stiffness out of my shoulders. “But we can’t give him time, that I know. So, we move on Henry in the next day or two. Him and David are meeting tomorrow evening. Ergo, we too have a meeting tomorrow.”
“Dessa coming?”
“She’s made it clear she’ll have my balls if she’s not there,” I look over at Evan, “I like my balls.”
“Noted.” He cracks his neck as if he’s switching on his murder mode. I chuckle when he looks back at me. “Let’s get this bread.”
“You’re fucking stupid.” We’re out of the car and walk up to the one-story club before Security checks our fake IDs. I’m plenty old, but when shit goes south, and people try to backtrack us, it makes it a little harder. We walk over the red velvet carpet into the main room, dim lighting showcasing cigarette smoke swirling through the air as men drool over the current girl on stage.