Kisses and Warfare: A Enemies to Lovers Standalone Romance.
Page 17
Turning my head to the side I see a picture of a woman on his nightstand. She’s standing next to him looking up at him as if he’s everything to her.
Has she slept with him? Because I’m sure if she had she would change her mind.
He collapses on top of me. I have to push at him to move and get him off of me. I no longer want his body near me let alone touching mine.
He rolls over and places his hands on his face before he speaks, “You are amazing.”
I huff an answer because it’s all he deserves while I stand and reach for my dress, and slide it on.
I need to get out of here.
That was terrible.
Turning back to look at him, I find him watching me with intent. “Stay. We can go again.”
No fucking way, that dick of his is never coming near me again.
“I have to go.” I reach for my purse as a door clicks open in the apartment.
He gets up on his elbows and scrunches his face as he looks to the bedroom door.
“Michael…”
Ah, so that’s his name. I never asked. Didn’t care. Never do.
“Fuck!” He jumps from the bed naked.
Yeah, he does look good, it’s what had me fooled. But looks aren’t everything, obviously. Unless your game is vengeance, then you need to look good to carry it out successfully.
“Get in the closet,” he says with a look of terror on his face.
I laugh as he opens the door, expecting me to get in. “Not happening,” I say turning away from him and opening the bedroom door. When I do, I see the blonde from the photograph standing there, her face has that classic shock written all over it when she sees me. Then when she looks behind me and notices Michael she starts to cry.
“How could you?”
I turn back to look at him. “You cheated?” I ask him.
He nods his head.
Turning back to the girl, I smile. “Do you really want to get fucked by someone who doesn’t know how to please a woman for the rest of your life?” I give her a small smile. “I would suggest leaving. Honestly, there’s no loss here.”
Her mouth opens in shock as I walk past her to the door.
“You bitch,” he yells after me. “I fucked you so good.”
“Arghhh,” I repeat his groan before walking out into the cool night air.
Walking back to my shithole of a place, I wonder if she will stay or will she leave him. Will she accept having the worst sex of her life, forever?
***
As a little girl I never saw myself where I am right now, never thought this would be my life. Yet, here I am standing out the front of a building I was never even allowed to look at as a kid. Dragging my hand along the metal rail as I make my way up to the strip club where I was hired over a month ago. It’s one of their places, I haven’t seen them around yet. But I am a very patient woman.
Who are they you may ask? Well let's just say they’re the men who made me who I am today. The woman who only wants one thing, and is doing everything in her power to achieve that end game.
Kill the Moretti Mafia.
“Issy.”
Turning my head I notice Heather, who’s been at the club not much longer than me, she offers me a wave and a smile. Walking past security and her, I enter the dark club. The place needs a damn good cleaning and possibly disinfection. The private dance rooms need some air fresheners at the very least. Unfortunately, though, I don’t think the owners care much.
“Best behavior tonight, Issy. The bosses will be in.”
I salute Benny, the DJ as well as manager, of this shithole.
“You got it, boss.”
He shakes his head and slides his headphones back on as he adjusts his playlist. The shithole isn’t open yet, but it soon will be.
Most of the girls are already here and undressing when I walk out the back to get changed and ready for the night ahead of us.
The girls who go on stage wear extra makeup and less clothing than us. We serve drinks and take orders dressed in a mini skirt with a pink bra. Our bodies are tanned, toned and sparkling to match the club name.
Sparkling—a shit name for a shit club.
But one thing I can’t complain about is the pay.
“Issy, you work way too much. Do you ever take a day off? You’re making us look bad,” Sharon yells out as I slide out of my jeans and pull on my tiny skirt with difficulty because the damn thing fits like a glove.
The club is open seven days a week, all night. I don’t want to miss a shift, so in the last month, I’ve only taken one day off per week. And I make sure the day is one that’s going to be slow. A day I hope the owners won’t come in. And so far I’ve been right on the money and they haven’t.
Tonight, excitement runs through me as I brush on my bright red lipstick and pull a fake pink wig over my head. Usually, I’d put in some colored contacts, but I don’t bother changing my green eyes tonight. However, I work on my tits by pushing them up as high as they will go with my push-up bra and a couple of chicken fillet helpers even though they are huge, then spray glitter over the top.
I paid for a great set of tits when I was eighteen, it was one of the first things I did when I received my inheritance. That was six years ago now, and they have served me well, getting me into the places I need to be for tonight to be possible.
Everything I’ve worked toward has led me to this point. Close enough where I will be near these men and none of them knowing who I am.
“Girl.” One of the girls winks at me as we walk out.
I spot Heather straight away. She wants to go on stage one day but hasn’t quite worked up the courage to strip, so she’s getting her practice in with serving the men and watching the girls every night.
Some of the girls on stage have confidence others wish for, while the other half drug themselves up so much they don’t know their left from their right and that’s enough to give them the confidence they need to be there. I don’t want to see Heather like that, she’s a baby, just turned twenty-one. I realize she’s out to conquer this life, while I’m out to destroy it. We couldn’t be any more different if we tried, and I think that’s why I like her. She’s a light to my dark.
“One day soon, Issy. You wait.”
I tap her shoulder softly. “Or, you could leave this place and travel the world,” I say back to her.
She raises an eyebrow. “We come from the same background. Do you think girls like us belong out in that world?”
She’s right, but she doesn’t realize all those lies I feed her about me aren’t true. She believes that I come from a trailer town just like her, when that isn’t true. I come from a very loving family, one that I cared for more than anything. I trusted and adored them, and that’s what makes my vengeance all that much sweeter. Because the people who took that away from me own this club.
And one by one I will kill them, each and every last one of the fuckers.
“You can. You can do anything, Heather.” I kiss her cheek and walk away. She never had any sort of positive reinforcement growing up. I did and know how it feels. She needs to know that she is enough, and she’s more than what this life can provide for her. Heather’s goals shouldn’t be how she can get rid of stage fright so she can dance for more money, they should be school or travel, something better than this. Anything is better than this shithole.
“Issy, wait up.” Heather walks up behind me with a tray in her hand as the club doors open. Guys filter in quickly. This club’s never dead, and the mixture of patrons that come through the doors are interesting, to say the least. It’s not just old guys, it’s also some very attractive younger guys, which makes Heather happy.
“The owners pick two to three girls to go back to their place to serve their guests. I want to be one of them. Be on the good side of them, you know? Can you help me?”
Fuck! I want to scream at her that it’s the last place she should be hanging around, but I don’t. Instead, I smile and nod my head.
“Yes, now go before Benny puts you out back.” I wink at her. I lied, of course, I will do anything to make sure she isn’t picked tonight.
Going to my first table is easy, and the night seems like any other. When time flies by to two a.m. I’m starting to think they won’t come in. We close in two hours and tonight isn’t as busy as most nights.
“Issy, I need to speak to you.” Benny nods his head in the direction of his office, so I follow and shut the door behind me once we’ve entered. He sits at his desk, his pen in his hand as he writes something on the paper in front of him. “Their cars have pulled up out front, I need you to serve them. Give them whatever it is they want, I don’t care what it is. You’re one of my best waitresses, you pull as many tips as the girls on stage. So dazzle them with your brilliance, okay? With your best smile.”
I give him a simple nod.
He looks at the camera feed showing on the screen next to his desk. “Okay, go.”
Spinning around to walk out, as I touch the door handle he calls my name again, so I wait to hear what he says, “Don’t fuck this up.”
I walk out smiling. I’ll show them the best time. And maybe one will even meet his maker tonight.
“You aren’t fired, are you?” Heather grabs my hand as she pulls me to the bar. “No.” She makes a ‘phew’ sound and then continues, “It’s fine, I can see that’s not the case, your smile is too wide. Why are you smiling so big?” I shake my head not wanting to say anything. “Anyway… Oh. My. God,” she yells in my ear, I have to cover them from the screech that follows. When I go to say something to her, her eyes are glued on the door. I spin around and watch three men walk in. Each one as dangerous as the next. All covered in tattoos. All killers.
These are the men who murdered my family, and tonight, I’m going to take one of them to the grave as retribution.
“Stay away from them,” I say. Pulling my arm free from Heather, I grab the tray as they all take a seat.
“Issy,” she calls my name, but I ignore her.
Walking over to them, I place on the best fake smile I can muster as I reach them. They all look at me, but only one keeps his eyes on me—he’s the one that makes you think about making a dental appointment to ask for teeth as perfect as his.
“What can I get you, gentlemen?”
One snorts, one speaks and it’s the one who happens to have a great smile, and the other keeps quiet. “We’re anything but gentle, missy.”
I’ve never seen the three of them to this day. My uncle didn’t want me to know what they looked like. He believed going in blind’s my best option because that way my face can’t deceive me. My uncle has known what I want to do since I was old enough to realize it. He was the one who put the idea in my head, and helped me make it a reality.
“That’s okay, we don’t do gentle in this place anyway. So, what’s your poison? Whiskey? Tequila? A beer perhaps?” I ask.
The one who didn’t snort and said nothing looks up at me, his eyes are dark brown with a hint of black to them. He assesses me then smiles. His teeth are crooked, but even so, he’s still beautiful. All of them are, in their differing ways.
“Whiskey, neat,” he finally says.
I offer my best soft smile as I turn away and step to the bar. I reach for my pocket mirror to check my makeup, and when I do I notice he’s still watching me, his eyes trained on me. Just the way I like it.
“Issy, what do they want?” Benny appears at my side.
“Whiskey.”
Benny reaches for the top shelf and hands me a bottle of Macallan with three lowball tumblers.
“Dazzle them,” he says, pushing me away.
“What’s their names?” I ask as he’s glancing over my shoulder.
“The first one, that’s Ace. The one with the bald head is Gabe, and the one with the dazzling smile is Carter. He isn’t in charge, but he’s pretty close to the boss.”
I nod, smiling at all that glorious free information. This is the closest I’ve been to them since I figured out who they are, which I only discovered two months ago. My uncle didn’t want me to know too much information too quickly, he said it was best that I find out at the right time and in the right place. The only thing I know about is a tattoo on each of their hands. It has meaning.
The police won’t go after them.
They’re too powerful.
They own the whole town.
And soon, I plan to bury them in it.
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