by Mae Doyle
Pops caught Ricky telling Ma one time that he’s glad she’s a girl because she can’t get too involved in the family business. I’m not sure how the conversation went after that, but ever since then, Ricky’s been at the far side of the table, so that tells me something.
“So, how was the weekend? Anyone get into anything good?” Ma starts passing platters of food around and we all begin to load up our plates before speaking. Arlo catches my eye and winks, and I think about kicking him under the table.
Probably not a good idea, though. Doesn’t really scream future leader to my pops. It’s just that the thought of anyone – even my brother – looking at Eva makes me want to kill them. She’s mine, even though she may not know it yet. Even though she practically ran out of the back room last night after we fucked.
The thought makes me frown for a moment. I guess that it’s fucked up of me to think that we had something great after just one fuck, but I swear, Eva’s already gotten under my skin a little. The way she refused to clean up and just marched herself out of the bar as soon as we were finished? There was something about that that hurt, even though I didn’t want to admit it.
“Just spent some time at the Claw and Crown last night, Ma,” Arlo says finally, before tearing into his bolognaise. He stuffs his mouth and groans, making Ma blush. She knows that we love her food, but what woman doesn’t like being reminded of it?
“And what about you?” Pops looks at me and tears off a bite of garlic knot. “Did you get into anything good this weekend? Or run into any problems?”
Yeah, I got into something good. My mind immediately goes to Eva’s sweet little cunt. That was easily the best thing that I’ve been in in a long damn time, and the look on Arlo’s face tells me that he knows exactly what I’m thinking.
“Not much,” I finally tell him. “The Claw was pretty quiet last night because of the rain.” Even though shop talk at the table is forbidden, I know that my dad is asking if I saw anything from my cousins. None of us really thought that they’d attack us at the bar, but then again, I’d never had someone kill my dad.
Not quite sure how I’d react.
“That’s good.” Pops nods and the conversation moves away from me. He knows that my uncle’s family and associates didn’t come by to pay respects to him last night, but that’s something that we can talk about later. It’s definitely not something that Ma would approve of us talking about at the table.
Even though I know that I should pay attention to what’s going on around me, I’m having a hard time focusing on what people were saying since I can’t stop thinking about Eva and her magic little pussy. I know her first name, and I know where she lives, but that doesn’t tell me a lot about her.
Oh, and I know about her sloppy drunk little friend, but she doesn’t interest me, not in the least. I guess I should thank her for dropping Eva off in my lap, but that seems to be about all she’s good for.
After dinner I stop my cousin. The women are all in the kitchen washing dishes and I’m hoping that I can get some info from him without everyone knowing what I’m looking for. “Ricky, you still any good at looking people up?” As much as my Pops may be mad at Ricky right now, there’s no way that he’ll kick him out of the family. Not only is he blood – kinda – but he’s got a real knack for finding out who people are. Nobody in our family would deny that that’s not a useful skill to have, especially when shit’s going down.
His particular skill of getting all the information on people that you need? That’s what happens when you have blackmail on half of the police department. They may be in our pocket, but the person they seem to respond best to is Ricky, so he’s usually the one that we go to when we need intel on someone.
This isn’t official family business, but I know that there’s no way he’ll turn me down. Not when I sit at Pops’ right hand.
“Who you need to look up?” He pulls a phone from his pocket and I immediately recognize it at his burner. We all have them – phones that work just as well as our regular ones but can easily be destroyed or ditched without repercussions. When you stay in contact with questionable characters and ask people to bend the law for you, it’s a good idea to be able to lose a phone quickly.
“Her name’s Eva,” I tell him, and then I give him the address. He punches all of the information into his phone and enters a number by memory.
Snapping the phone shut, he nods at me. “Sit, cousin. It won’t take very long for them to get back to me.” We lean back on the sofa and Kelly brings around some after-dinner whiskey for all of us before she retreats to the kitchen with Ma. Even though I’m sure she’d love to sit in here and listen to what we’re going to talk about, she’s learned.
Good for Valentino.
“So,” Pops says, leaning back in his recliner. “What’s really going on?” Even when we’re not at the table, he commands the room. He’s not a huge guy, but he’s roped with muscle like I am and has dark eyes that can easily cut through you and tell when you’re lying. When he’s dressed down, like he is right now, he’s not so scary, but when he’s in a full suit and packing, he’s a fucking holy terror.
“Things are mostly quiet,” I tell him. “I didn’t see any action at the Claw last night, and I didn’t hear anything about retaliation. You already know that they didn’t come to make the drop. I don’t know what they’re planning, but the fact that they wouldn’t come for the pledge is a little worrisome.” Even though my Pops is the undisputed ruler of the family, his brother had caused some shit. Since the cousins didn’t come last night to pledge to Pops, things could get ugly really fast.
That’s why my uncle is dead – because he couldn’t keep from being fucking greedy. That’s why we’re being a little extra careful with security. It would be fucking stupid for my cousins to retaliate right now, but everyone knows that grief makes people do stupid fucking things, especially since they were obviously interested in sending a message last night by not showing up to meet us.
Pops nods. “What intel are you looking for from Ricky?”
Fuck. He really knows everything, doesn’t he? Ricky glances up at me and raises an eyebrow, waiting on me to tell Pops what’s going on.
“It’s a girl I met last night,” I tell him.
“I thought that you said that things were quiet at the Claw.” He doesn’t sound angry, but I know that that emotion is always simmering just below the surface. Fuck, family is complicated, and anyone who tells you different is a goddamn liar.
“They were.” I don’t really want to get into my night last night, but as always, Arlo is happy to help.
“Things were quiet, but his little piece of ass wasn’t.” He grins at me and swirls his whiskey before taking a sip.
“Fuck you, brother, you’d already left. What the fuck do you know?” I’m squeezing my whiskey glass so tight that my fingers are starting to ache, but I manage to keep my face calm. There’s no way that I’m going to let on how pissed I really am, especially not in front of Pops.
“I heard.” Arlo leans back in his chair and grins at me, but before I can respond, Ricky’s phone buzzes. Everyone looks at it, even Pops, which surprises me, because he doesn’t usually take interest in who his kids are fucking.
“You want the info now?” Ricky asks as he looks at his phone
No. I fucking want it when we’re by ourselves so that nobody else gets to hear about my sweet little Eva. My goal is to keep her to myself for as long as possible.
“Read it.” Pops’ voice cuts through my thoughts. “I want to hear about this little piece of ass that has my son all twisted up and not thinking straight.”
Fuck.
Chapter 5
Eva
Fuck. I do not want to go to work tonight. Hell, I don’t even want to get out of bed today if that means that I need to look in the mirror and come to grips with what I did last night. My phone alarm is buzzing incessantly at me and I reach out to smack it but only succeed in hitting my hand on my dresser.
/> “Son of a bitch!” I yell, sitting up and holding my wrist. It’s throbbing, but I’m now awake enough to actually reach over and grab my phone without more injury. I’ve been snoozing for a while now, and the snooze button has disappeared, so I turn it off and slide out of bed.
Shit, my pussy is sore. I stretch, leaning over and grabbing my ankles and trying to work out some of the tightness in my hips. Last night was…not like me.
Okay? It was amazing, and yeah, I went to bed last night thinking about that guy and what he’d done to my clit and my cunt, but it simply can’t happen again. It was the first time I’d had sex in almost forever, and I’d told myself that when I was with another person again that it would be special.
Not that that wasn’t special, but…I shouldn’t have done it. The memory of his dark eyes and the way his tattoos peeked out from his shirt cuffs makes me moan and I squeeze my thighs together before dropping down into a sun salutation.
I have to wake up. Normally, a little yoga gets my blood pumping and helps me shake any funk that I’m in, but right now I can’t seem to shake the feeling of his hands on my body. And I don’t even know his name. What the hell is wrong with me?
Shaking my head, I stand up and stretch once more before heading to the shower. I hate my apartment, and it’s so small that I’m afraid to have friends over, but at least it’s mine. After getting married when I was still in high school and then staying with him well after when I should have left, it’s just exciting to have something that I can claim is really mine.
The hot water feels great on my back and I arch under the spray, trying to ignore the fact that when I stand up straight, I hit my head on the shower head. I swear, I’m going to have a permanent bruise there from all the times that I’ve hit it.
Without thinking about what I’m doing, I start to sing. I’m not great, by any means, but it’s late enough in the afternoon that my neighbors will all be up. If I sing in the morning, I usually wake someone up and have to deal with them pounding on my door to make me shut up.
Two o’clock seems like a fair time to start singing. My shift at the strip club is in two hours. I shave my legs and shampoo my hair, enjoying the suds dripping down around my shoulders. They slide down my body and I follow their tracks with my hands, enjoying the way my hands skim and slip over my curves.
A flush of heat between my legs reminds me of last night. If I put my hands on my hips, I can almost remember what it felt like to have his fingers dig into me. He’d held me in place and…taken me. Hell, I don’t think I’ve ever had sex like that, especially not with my ex.
What the hell am I doing? My fingers flutter between my legs, but I pull my hand back, my face burning bright. I don’t even know the guy’s name, and here I am ready to touch myself just thinking about him?
My face still burning, I turn off the shower and step out, toweling off quickly. I have to get out of my shower. He’s never been here, and it’s going to stay that way, but right now it feels so constricting that I don’t think I can breathe.
Going from a lawyer’s salary to that of a cocktail waitress was hard, and there were a lot of sacrifices that I had to make. One thing that I refused to sacrifice on were my towels, and after I got my first good night of tips from waiting tables I’d gone to the store and bought new, fluffy towels. Now, wrapped up in one and sitting on my bed, I feel like I can breathe again.
The good thing is that nobody knows what happened last night. I keep meaning to text Cherie and make sure that she’s okay, but I’m more worried about what I did. I’m not on the pill, and the sudden realization that I could be carrying his child makes me want to throw up.
Fuck.
My body runs cold and I panic for a moment, sitting completely still on my bed. There’s only one thing to do, even though the thought of doing it fills me with dread.
Without giving it much thought, I grab my phone and fire off a quick text to Cherie. She’s a good friend – hell, she’s my only friend – and I know that she’ll come through for me.
***
I was right. The intercom on the wall buzzes just half an hour later and I hit the button to let her up without even checking that it’s her. Nobody else knows where I live. Well, except for the driver last night, but he looked to be so young that I doubt he even knows what to do with his cock.
The thought makes me giggle, and I open the door for Cherie with a smile on my face.
“You look happy. You got some ass last night, huh?” Cherie bursts through my door and hands me a bag. When I open it and see the Plan B inside I can’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
“Seriously, thank you,” I tell her, ripping open the package. “I, uh…made a questionable choice last night.” She hands me a glass of water and I swallow the pill before continuing. “It didn’t seem questionable at the time, but right now? Yeah.”
“The hot guy at the bar?” When I nod, Cherie continues. “Good for you, Eva. He couldn’t keep his eyes off of you, and it sounds like it was a great way for you to celebrate moving on from your ex. You gonna see him again?”
I choke on my water and Cherie pounds me on the back until I can breathe again. “Not a chance. No way. It was a one time thing and I’m not going down that road again.” I don’t want to admit to her that I don’t even know the guy’s name. A flush tears through my body and I feel my cheeks start to heat.
She smiles, like she can see that I’m not totally convinced myself. “Okay, but was it any good?”
Was it good? Fuck, yeah.
Just her innocent question makes me think about what it felt like to have his huge cock slamming into me. He wasn’t just big, he actually knew what he was doing. He hadn’t given me a choice of orgasm, he just ripped it from my body like he’d had it planned all along.
I take another drink of water. “It was…okay,” I lie. Actually, though, okay doesn’t even begin to describe what it was like to have him filling me. When I squeeze my legs shut, I can almost feel him stretching me out and the way my walls shook. I feel a throbbing low in my core and I look up at the ceiling to distract myself.
“Something up there?” Cherie glances up and then hits me on the arm. “Listen, Eva, there’s nothing wrong with a little mystery sex. You’re fine, okay?”
My lip trembles. I love Cherie, and she’s been good to me, but she doesn’t know the whole truth of who I am. The old Eva – the Eva with a law practice and who sat on boards back in her old town – wouldn’t have a one night stand with some guy, no matter how sexy he was.
I don’t want that Eva to be dead. I just…I don’t mind what happened last night, either. I’m not entirely sure how those two Evas can live together without me going crazy.
“Oh, and I brought you something to eat. You didn’t have as much to drink as I did last night, but I figured that you’d want something to soak up whatever’s left in your stomach.” Cherie rummages in her oversized purse and pulls out a squished bag.
As soon as she hands it to me, my mouth starts to water. I smell biscuits and sausage and something else that’s a little sweet, and I pull them out, piling them on the kitchen counter. The last thing that I pull out of the bag is a small apple pie, and it’s still steaming hot and fresh.
“Pie? For breakfast?” She laughs at the look on my face.
“It’s almost dinner, girl, eat up. Then you and I need to go make some money.” Cherie grabs a second pie from deep within the greasy bag and took a huge bite, moaning as she rolls her eyes back. “I swear,” she says around a bite, “I don’t know what they put in these things, but they’re so damn good. I would eat one every single day if I didn’t have to worry about fitting into my outfits.”
I’m just a waitress but Cherie strips at the club where we work. The owner asked me to consider stripping but I just don’t think I can. Not that I don’t think I would look the part, but really? I can’t imagine taking off my clothes for complete strangers. I’m much better just taking them something to eat and drink, I think
.
After we eat, I change and the two of us hang out for a bit before heading off to work. Cherie offers to drive me, and at first, I balk. The last thing I want to do is depend on someone else for a ride when I want to leave, but I finally give in.
Maybe there’s some part of me that likes having someone else take care of me. it still feels weird, though, and I spend part of the ride wishing that I had driven myself.
I don’t have long to think about that though. As soon as we arrive, she’s off to the back to make sure that she’s dressed and ready for her first set, and I’m on the floor waiting on tables. A few times during the night I catch myself pulling my shorts down or tugging my shirt so that I’m a little more covered, but most of the time I’m okay.
We all know that sex sells, and if I ever want to move out of my shitty little apartment, I’m going to have to bring in more tips.
The middle of the club is where the strip stage is, and there is a ring of tables set around it so that people can eat while they watch the show. These are the tables that often cause the most problems, generally because they’re the ones who drink more, and also because they seem to think that all of the girls there are there for their entertainment.
As much money as they spend, I know that I should be more willing to work the inner tables, but I like the ones around the outside of the room better. These tables aren’t nearly as well lit, which bothers some of the girls, but I find that that simply means that the people there are much less likely to want you to stay and talk.
They want you to deliver their food, shake your ass a little, and get out. The money isn’t as great, but at least they don’t want you to stand around and talk to them. Tonight, though?
Tonight is different. Each time I walk by a dark table, I can’t help but look into the shadows. At first, I did it without really thinking about what I was doing, but now I know. I’m looking for the guy from last night.