by Erin Osborne
My nerves are through the roof because my only thought is it’s Jeremy. That somehow, he’s found me and he’s here to either take me back to his house or he’s here to kill me. Or he’s come to get Zoey to make good on his threat of killing her. I’m shaking uncontrollably as I unlock and open the door.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly release it when I see Gloria standing on the other side of the door. I take several more deep breaths before I can say anything to her.
“Are you okay, honey?” she asks, concern filling her voice.
“Yeah. I was just scared for a minute that you were him,” I tell her honestly.
“I’m so sorry,” she says.
“Don’t be. Please,” I tell her. “Is there something you wanted?”
“Oh, yes. I wanted to know if you needed anything,” Gloria tells me.
“Um, well, I was wondering if you have a paper or anything I can use to look for a job?” I ask her, my cheeks flushing.
“Sure, honey. Give me just a minute and I’ll grab it for you,” she responds, heading back to her place to grab it.
While Gloria heads to her apartment to grab the newspaper or whatever she’s letting me use, I go into the bedroom to grab Zoey. She’s awake now and in need of a diaper and a bottle; in that order. By the time I’m done changing her, Gloria is knocking on the door, letting me know it’s her this time.
I pick Zoey up and head over to the door with her in my arms. After opening it, Gloria comes in and hands over the paper. She holds her arms out, silently asking if she can hold my daughter. Nodding my head, I hand her over to the sweet woman who seems to worry about what’s going on with me.
Gloria sits on the couch with Zoey in her arms and feeds her the bottle while I scan the paper. I’m immediately frustrated because it looks as if you need a diploma or college degree for all the jobs listed here. What the hell am I supposed to do?
Turning the page, I see a larger ad for dancers at some place called Legacies. There’re no qualifications other than needing to know how to dance. From the sounds of it, I believe it’s a strip club. Maybe Gloria knows what it is.
“Gloria, what’s Legacies?” I ask her, staring at the ad.
“It’s the local strip club. Why?” she asks.
“There’s an ad for an audition here in the paper,” I tell her. “Is it a bad place to work?”
“Oh no, honey. The club that owns it helps out in the town. I’m not one to listen to gossip about the illegal things they get up to. But, from what I hear, it’s not a bad place to work at. My niece happens to work there. Her name is Heaven,” she tells me. “I see her all the time and she’s not strung out or anything like that. She’s in good health and hasn’t quit working there since she started.”
“Oh. Well, could I bother you to watch Zoey for me so I can go try out?” I ask her, not expecting her to take on my child while I go in search of a job.
“Oh heavens no. This sweet angel is precious, and I’ll be happy to watch her for you. Anytime you need me to,” she answers.
“Okay, thank you. I think I’m going to hop in the shower and then head over to the tryouts. Is it far to walk to?” I ask her, putting the paper down on the small table.
“You can borrow my car,” she tells me. “Once you’re ready I’ll grab the keys and you can head out.”
“Oh, um . . .” I begin to say.
“I’m not taking no for an answer. You’re not moving the way you need to and walking there before trying to dance is going to spell nothing but trouble. Take the car and I’ll be here with Zoey,” Gloria tells me, using her ‘mom’ voice on me.
“Okay. Thank you,” I say with a small laugh at the end.
As soon as I get in the bathroom, the tears silently fall from my eyes. Gloria reminds me of my mom, and it makes me wonder if she’d be proud of me or not. If having a baby and becoming a single mom because of Jeremy’s abusive ways would make her proud to call me her daughter still. I have my doubts about it, and I want to make her proud of me more than anything. Even if she’s not here to tell me she is. Somehow, I don’t think stripping is the way to accomplish that. At this point, I don’t see any other way to save up enough money to get my GED and then go to college so I can make something of myself.
I’m ready to head to Legacies after taking a long, hot shower. I’ve got workout clothes on which consist of a sports bra and a pair of shorts that mold to my body. It’s the only thing I can think of to wear for something like what I’m about to do. Before walking out to the living room, I put on a pair of sweatpants and a large tee shirt. I’m not sure where it came from, but I’m happy for it now.
While I’m in my room, I grab the diapers and wipes for Zoey along with a pair of clothes in case she has an accident. The formula is already in the kitchen on the counter and the bottle of water Cooper got me is sitting on the counter next to it. Once I have everything Zoey could need ready and by Gloria, I set it on the small tabl in front of the couch and look down at my beautiful baby girl falling back to sleep in Gloria’s arms.
“Please, before I go, don’t let anyone in the house. My ex has threatened to kill my baby girl and I don’t want you hurt either,” I plead with her.
“We’ll be fine, Emersyn. I’ll lock the doors and make sure nothing happens to this precious little girl,” she tells me.
“Thank you. I’ll see you as soon as I get done with the auditions,” I promise her.
Gloria runs next door to grab her car keys while I sit with my daughter. As soon as she gets back in my apartment, I decide to pull the playpen out of my room so Zoey can sleep in the living room while I’m gone. The sweet neighbor I have places her in the playpen and makes sure she’s covered up with the light blanket Cooper got her.
“Get going. They won’t hold the auditions up for anyone,” Gloria reminds me as I look down at my daughter sleeping.
I nod my head and walk out the door. Gloria locks it behind me as I listen before walking to the small parking lot of the dilapidated complex. There’s only one car parked out here and I make my way over to it. After unlocking the doors, I slide in behind the wheel as carefully as I can and get ready to head to Legacies.
Glancing down at the directions in the paper for Legacies, I leave the parking lot and head that way. It’s been a long time since I’ve driven anywhere so I take my time and use caution as I make the mile and a half trip to the club. Cars pass me by and the only thing I see is the green on the sides of the road I’m travelling down. There’s no houses or businesses out this way.
It doesn’t take me long to get there. As I pull in the lot, there’s a huge truck, several motorcycles, and four other cars. Gingerly, I get out of the car once it’s in park and I’ve shut it off. After shutting and locking the doors, I head into the club.
As I walk to the door, I realize you can’t see inside. Not that the owners would want anyone to see the performances from the outside. I’m sure it’s enough for the huge sign showcasing a woman on a pole and the loud music that’s sure to be heard from within the walls of the building. Honestly, from the outside, it looks more like an upscale warehouse than a strip club.
“Can I help you?” an extremely large man with a vest on asks me.
“I’m here for an audition,” I respond, shuffling from one foot to the other.
Instead of saying anything else, he opens the door and lets me inside. I let my eyes adjust to the dim interior and then take in the appearance of the place. It’s definitely a lot nicer inside than it looks from the outside.
Looking straight ahead, I see the other women auditioning waiting to audition. There’re three other men sitting at a bar and one younger man serving them drinks. He doesn’t even look up as I walk closer to the group of women. They look at me and I can see the competitiveness in their eyes along with the accompanying glare. What the hell did I do to them? Other than showing up for an audition.
Just before I stop walking, I look over at the younger man behind the bar. He looks a lot
like I imagine Colt would look because of his dirty blonde hair. I can’t tell for sure because I can’t see his eyes. Not to mention, this man has tattoos completely up the length of his right arm and has muscle packed on top of muscles from hard work and not working out.
A woman and man walk toward the front of the club from the back and I immediately stop in my tracks. Walking toward me are Axel and Tonya. They haven’t really changed all that much in the last few years. My eyes bug out of my head and I internally debate what to do. My feet are telling me to turn and run out the damn door. However, my heart stops in my chest that I would end up in the same town as Axel and Tonya after all these years.
“Emersyn? Is that really you?” Tonya calls out as she comes to a stop while Axel keeps walking.
I nod my head as everyone in the club goes quiet. Everyone is staring at me and I can feel the blush on my face as I face scrutiny and even worse glares than before.
“Emmy?” Axel asks, his deep, comforting voice washing over me and breaking me free from the thoughts in my head.
“It’s really me,” I answer quietly.
“What the hell are you doin’ here?” he asks.
“I’m here for an audition,” I reply, standing as tall as I can with the pain I’m still feeling.
“The fuck?” I hear from behind me and turn my head slightly to see the guy I thought was Colt staring at me.
“Everyone out!” Tonya yells. “Auditions are done for the day.”
The other women grumble as they brush past me. When the last one gets to me, she shoulder checks me and I can’t help the gasp leaving my mouth and small scream that erupts. Tonya immediately rushes to my side and helps me walk over to a table.
“Take the shirt off,” Axle demands from me.
I don’t even hesitate to follow his order. This man is like a father to me and I know he’s only trying to figure out what’s wrong with me. As soon as the shirt is off, I know I’ve made a grave mistake based on the swear words flying out of the mens’ mouths and the tears sliding down Tonya’s face.
“Honey, what happened to you?” Tonya asks as Axel and now Colt sit on either side of me while Tonya takes a seat across from me.
I take a deep breath and realize I’m going to have to tell them everything. My mouth becomes dry and I feel as if I’m going to be sick, realizing they’re about to hear the worst of me. It’s not a pretty tale after they left, and we lost my mom. I’d rather not tell them about my partying and shit, but I don’t have a choice if I’m going to tell them what’s been happening with me. I just never thought I’d ever see the Johns family again in my life.
Chapter Four
Colt Johns
GOING TO LEGACIES today, I had a weird feeling in my gut. It was like something big was about to happen and I had no clue if it was going to be a good or bad thing. In the end, I tried to block it out and just worry about getting there to set up before the women came in for auditions.
My favorite part of the job is when Mom and Dad hold auditions. The women aren’t all covered in glitter and whatever else they put all over their bodies. Their hair isn’t covered by a wig that’s teased beyond repair, and eyes that aren’t their true color. Essentially, they’re fake as hell once they get hired on. I mean, most of them are fake as hell anyway with their fake ass tits and shit.
When a small woman comes in last, I keep looking at her as if I know her. She’s familiar to me and I know I should know her; but I can’t seem to place her. This woman has brown hair with caramel highlights in it. She has cuts and bruising on the parts of her arms that are exposed and it looks as if she has a black eye. There’s also a splint on one of her wrists. I know she’s not a drug addict because the bruising is from her being fucking beat on. Who the fuck would put their hands on a woman as small like this?
“Emersyn? Is that really you?” my mom calls out after coming to a complete stop, while my dad keeps walking to the table they normally sit at.
She nods her head as everyone in the club goes quiet. We’re all staring at her and I can see the blush creeping up her face. This is a problem Emersyn had when we were growing up and she hasn’t seemed to lose it as she’s gotten older. The other women here for auditions are glaring at her and I want them to get the fuck outta here before I tell them to get the hell out.
“Emmy?” Dad asks, as he makes his voice a little deeper because it’s the one that will comfort her the most.
“It’s really me,” she answers quietly.
“What the hell are you doin’ here?” he asks, his voice going slightly rougher.
“I’m here for an audition,” she replies, standing as tall as she can even though I can see she’s in pain.
“The fuck?” I say when I realize my Emmy has had the shit beat out of her and she’s here to become a stripper.
“Everyone out!” Mom yells. “Auditions are done for the day.”
The other women grumble as they brush past her. When the last one gets to her, she shoulder checks Emersyn and I hear a gasp before a small scream erupts. My mom immediately rushes to her side and helps her walk over to a table.
“Take the shirt off,” Dad demands.
Emersyn immediately takes her shirt off. I know if it weren’t my dad doing the telling, she wouldn’t have. Em can be stubborn as hell, but she’s always loved my parents and she’d do anything for them. Including divulge information she’d rather not share.
I can tell she’s not ready to divulge her past to us for some reason, but I don’t see what could be that bad. Other than being beaten to hell. When we last saw her, she was living with her parents and was upset about us leaving, but that’s it. Emersyn always had dreams of going to college and following in her father’s footsteps as an investment banker. What the hell happened to those dreams?
Motioning for Vanish to bring her over a bottled water, I sit down next to her while my dad sits on the other side of her. Mom sits directly across from her and I can see the tears in both women’s eyes the longer we sit here. Emersyn actually looks like she’s going to be sick and I want to comfort her, but I’m not sure if it’s something she’ll allow right now.
“What happened to you?” I ask, my voice sounding rough, even to my own ears, as emotions overtake me looking at her bruised and battered body. Including the black eye I thought I saw earlier.
“Well, it’s a long story,” she says nervously, her voice low and barely audible.
“We’ve got all the time in the world, sweetheart,” my mom says to her, reaching across the table to take her hands in hers.
“Not long after you guys left, my mom was killed by a drunk driver. She went to the store to get a few groceries and never made it back home. My dad lost his shit and started drinking. Especially the day we buried her. He would go to work and come home, locking himself in the bedroom they shared. I paid the bills, got groceries, cooked, cleaned, and did whatever else I had to do to take care of him and the house,” she tells us, tears streaming down her face.
“How old were you, baby?” my dad questions her.
“Still fifteen. I had to drive him home the day we buried her because he couldn’t do it. Hell, no one was even there except for the two of us. Anyway, I started partying, drinking, and smoking weed. I met Jeremy at a party and we became a couple. Things were good in the beginning until he started to change,” she says, taking a deep breath while keeping her head down so we can’t see her face. “He began to take everything away from me; including school. I never graduated or got to go to college.”
“I found out I was pregnant and knew there was no way I could ever stay with him because of the abuse and drug use. When I tried to leave, he found me at the bus stop and took me back to the house. He beat me to the point I had to go to the hospital. The only spot I wasn’t hurt was my stomach. I learned to stay out of his way and avoid any parties he had; which were nightly. Until I was cooking one night, and he thought I was flirting with his friend. He made me lose the baby that night.”
> “Oh no!” my mom gasps out, tears truly spilling down her face now.
“Then what happened, honey?” Dad asks her.
“I ended up getting pregnant again and he beat me again. This time, my friend Kari had the baby because she took her from the house when he was passed out and grabbed all my important things. Some guy she knows, Cooper, took us from the hospital and here I am. My daughter is with my neighbor right now,” she tells us. “They got the doctor to release me from the hospital early because of the situation with my ex. I swear I tried to get away from him so many times and he always found out and beat me worse for it.”
“You have a baby girl of your own?” Mom asks her.
“Yeah. Her name is Zoey and she’s just about four months old,” Emersyn responds, still not lifting her head.
Rage fills me. Not only because of some asshole putting his hands on her to the point she had to be hospitalized, but my Emersyn has a daughter. A child of her own that should be mine; not some asshole’s who beats on women.
Where the hell did that thought come from? I ask myself.
“That’s not the worst part though,” Emersyn suddenly says, catching us all off guard.
“What do you mean?” I ask her, barely containing my rage.
“He started threatening Zoey. Saying he’d kill her and make sure I lived the rest of my life without her or being able to have any more children,” she answers me.
I stand up from the table and my chair slams to the floor beneath me. This man is a dead man walking and my dad has the same rage I’m feeling in his eyes. We’re going to take care of this problem for Emersyn and make sure she doesn’t have to worry about this asshat coming after her or her daughter. Who will eventually be my daughter.
What the fuck? Where are all these thoughts coming from?
“Honey, where are you staying?” Mom asks her when we’re all silent for several minutes.
“Um, an apartment complex a mile or two from here,” she answers. “A woman named Gloria, Heaven’s aunt, lives there. She’s actually watching Zoey right now for me.”