Dear Diamond

by Walls, Stephie

  Sam didn’t pull into a parking place. Instead, he stopped in front of what I guessed to be the entrance and killed the ignition. “Out.” His command grated on me, but I jerked the door open anyhow.

  Nothing like looking the part of a prostitute in front of men who’d gladly pay for company. The guy who opened the door slapped my ass when I walked by. The glare I gave him only earned a chuckle in return. Bastard.

  I grabbed Ma’s hand, pulled her behind me like a reluctant child, and followed Sam. My heart beat faster than it should, and I tried to steady myself with deep breaths when I got on the elevator and rode to the third floor. Down the hall and to the left was a wall of glass blocks with a door in the middle, also glass but clear. I guessed glass was easier to clean than brick when Jesse Silvano offed someone who’d crossed him. This should be fun.

  As if my mother could read my mind, she yanked me toward her and hissed into my ear. “Don’t get smart with him. Understand? He’s not playing games.” Said the woman who continued to steal coke and smack off the most powerful drug lord in Illinois.

  “Ladies, sit.” Jesse Silvano reminded me of Tony Soprano. He could have been his double if HBO ever needed one. “Please,” he softened his tone.

  I chose a seat nearest to the door, which was still too close to him, and crossed my legs. I hadn’t realized I’d groaned out loud when I took in my attire.

  “Is there a problem, Ms. Wilson?”

  I assumed Jesse was talking to my mother, but when I glanced up, his stare remained cast on me. And then he raised his brows.

  Might as well be honest. “I would have chosen a more appropriate outfit had I known we were coming to visit.”

  His eyes narrowed, and he tilted his head to the side just slightly. “I assure you that your attire is the least of my concern. I’m aware of where you came from.” Yes, that would be because he whored me out to his goons. “We have a bigger issue to discuss than your stockings.”

  No one in the room missed the evil stare I gave Ma. It was as menacing as Jesse’s presence.

  “It appears that Tabitha”—that would be my mother—“hasn’t learned anything from her mistakes.”

  My nostrils flared as I waited for what came next. It took every ounce of self-control I had to keep my mouth shut and wait for him to give me the information he wanted me to have.

  Jesse took a seat behind the large desk in front of us and crossed his ankles on the top corner. He didn’t speak again until he’d folded his hands on top of his round belly. “She stole product from one of our vendors this evening.” He acted like this was a legitimate business with legal inventory.

  I shifted my attention from Jesse’s belly to his face. “Sounds like you should train your vendors better.”

  He cocked a brow, and my mother slapped my arm from the chair next to me. “That issue is being handled. We’re here to talk about your issue.”

  I loved how this had become “my” issue. And by loved, I meant I thought it was utter bullshit. I’d agreed to his terms already which was why I’d stripped for a room full of men less than an hour ago. “How much did she add to the total?” The words were as dull and lifeless as this conversation.

  “A grand.”

  Fine, that meant I’d have to dance eleven days instead of ten—assuming I brought in a thousand dollars a night. I’d have to hustle. It would take me a couple of months since I could only dance three nights a week per club rules, but I’d get it taken care of and pretend this had never happened. “Okay. I’ll add it to the tab.”

  Jesse rubbed his belly. I’d all but forgotten anyone else was in the room until Sam’s cell phone rang, and he stepped out to answer it. The door behind me closed before Jesse resumed speaking.

  “I thought you might like to…work it off a little quicker.” Mischief glimmered in his eyes, and I prayed I didn’t vomit when he told me what that might mean.

  I already knew I didn’t want the answer, although I asked anyway. “How?” My field of vision narrowed as he began to move.

  He stood, came around the desk, and dismissed Ma with the jerk of his chin. She hesitated to leave me alone, but only for a fraction of a second when her sense for safety overrode her instinct to protect her only child. Then she did as he had silently commanded. Again, Jesse waited for the door and then sat on the corner of the wood. The two of us occupied the enormous office alone. Foolishly, I wasn’t intimidated, even though I should have been. “On your knees.”

  “Is that an order or a proposition?” It didn’t matter, neither would happen.

  A sly smile rose on the left side of his mouth, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and the other side of his lips couldn’t be bothered to participate. “An offer.”

  I folded my arms across my chest and waited. He held what he believed to be the position of power in front of me, forcing me to tilt my head to see him. But I was as naively arrogant as he was confidently cocky.

  “You’re a beautiful girl, Nikki. There’s a reason I gave you the stage name Diamond.”

  I kept a straight face. “It wasn’t because my nipples could cut glass?”

  “Cute, but no. You’re a precious gem. We both know you have no business being in Swank, much less on the stage. Unfortunately, you were born to trash who doesn’t mind letting you pay her tab. I just want to give you the opportunity to do that as quickly as possible.”

  “By allowing me to suck your dick? How thoughtful.”

  “Don’t be so quick to dismiss the offer. There are perks to being in the service of a Silvano.”

  The guy was old enough to be my grandfather, literally. He was a grandfather. I wouldn’t have considered the offer if he were twenty-five, but I sure as hell wouldn’t entertain saggy, old man balls. “I appreciate it, but I’m going to pass. I have no interest in being anyone’s whore.”

  I reached for my bag, and he stood quickly. I wondered if he thought I packed a weapon in my clutch. Even if I had, the biggest thing I could have had in there would have been a .22 or a knife. A .22 would bounce off him like a BB gun and do nothing more than piss him off. I’d never get in a swipe with a knife, much less do any damage. He had at least a hundred pounds on me and probably six inches. I wasn’t any sort of physical threat.

  I produced the wad of cash I’d gotten dancing tonight. It was only a few hundred dollars, but I’d thought for my first time on stage and only having one song, I’d done pretty well. “Payment number one.”

  “You can triple what’s in your hand. All you have to do is wrap those gorgeous lips around my cock and let me fuck that pretty mouth.” He wagged his brows, although I wasn’t sure if he meant it to be seductive or merely suggestive. Either way, it repulsed me.

  With the bills in a vise grip between my fingers, I shoved my hand his direction. “Here.”

  He grabbed my wrist with one hand and took the money with the other. He leveraged his grasp to pull me up and flush to his swollen stomach. His breath smelled of onions and garlic, and there was the slightest bead of spittle on the corner of his mouth. Even if I had been willing to consider his offer, that alone would have been enough to change my mind. Jesse set the money on the desk and then grabbed my ass. He pushed his hips against mine, and when I jerked away, he let me go with a sinister chuckle.

  I shouldn’t have done it, but spit flew from my mouth to his feet. “I agreed to dance at your club. I agreed to pay you what I made the three nights I performed. That is where my obligation stops. I didn’t steal your drugs. I didn’t do your drugs. I’m not one of your minions. I’ll uphold my end of the agreement for my mom’s sake. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

  He held up his hands, and surprisingly, he didn’t press. “Fair enough.” He raked his eyes down the length of my body, and I’d never been so grateful for the leather that hid my shape. When he met my stare again, he licked his lips, leaving behind a glistening sheen that made my stomach turn. “If you change your mind, you know where to find me.” Then he stood, walked to the door, opened it
, and waited for me to pass through.

  Which I did. Although, not quickly. I didn’t trust Jesse Silvano any farther than I could throw him. And since I doubted I could even pick him up, I kept a close eye on him until I was on the opposite side of the glass. My mother stood a few feet away with Sam, who looked like a big teddy bear without the jacket he’d had on earlier. She bounced from foot to foot, and I couldn’t tell if she needed to pee or if she was geeked out. I realized it was neither when she began to pester me for information on the offer Jesse had made.

  No one else in the place needed to hear about his proposition. “Jesus, Ma. Chill out. I told him no,” I muttered under my breath.

  Her hold on my arm was so tight the leather pinched at my bicep, and her nails dug in. They would have pierced the skin had I not had on the jacket. “You told Jesse Silvano no? What’s wrong with you?” My mother had zero decorum. Everyone within a ten-block radius had just heard her declaration.

  We had stopped outside the elevator where Sam clearly overheard every word between us and seemed amused when he pressed the down button. Thankfully, he kept his opinion to himself.

  “It’s bad enough I have to work at Club Swank to fix your mistakes. I’m not sucking some guy’s dick or spreading my legs, regardless of how much money you owe him.”

  With her fingers still firmly wrapped around my upper arm, she turned back toward Jesse’s office and attempted to take me with her. “You’ll do what you need to do.”

  I ripped my arm free. “The hell I will. If you want to fuck for money, be my guest. I’m at the max of my give-a-shit right now.”

  The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and I proceeded to get in. She could walk home for all I cared. Unfortunately, Sam held the car and waited for her to join us. I loved her; I really did, but she tried my patience these days. Never in a million years would I have imagined my mom turning out this way, much less letting me pay her debt with my body. I hated what drugs had done to her, and even worse, I hated that she had yet to see it. She was still beautiful and young at thirty-six. There was still a chance for her to pull out, but I’d seen this neighborhood steal countless young lives and marry them with drugs, sex, and gangs.

  3

  Ryker

  Saturday night, I’d hoped to get to Swank earlier than I did. Chase and Tessa’s wedding had started late—not that they ever did anything on time—and gone well into the night. The affair was huge and well attended, which also made it difficult to leave. I’d grown up with Chase, and by default, I became a surrogate family member. Aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings—they all came out in droves, as did every member of Union 21 and their significant others. There were more people there than the last concert I’d been to. As a groomsman, I hadn’t felt right leaving before the bride and groom. Subsequently, I didn’t escape the reception until nearly one in the morning.

  I’d hopped on my Harley the moment the newly married couple had been safely tucked into their limo. Swank closed at two, which didn’t give me time to go home to change if I had any hope of seeing Diamond. Not that I had a clue why she intrigued me or how she’d managed to plague my thoughts for the better part of twenty-four hours. If she had made it onto Swank’s stage, she was up to her ass in Union 21—not my scene—but I couldn’t shake her.

  The club glowed like a beacon with all the lights illuminating the front of the building. I should have heeded the warning; lighthouses warned sailors away from rocks—Swank held the same power for devastation. Nevertheless, I parked, killed the ignition, and removed my helmet. I was off the motorcycle in seconds, moving toward the same door I’d dreaded opening last night. Once inside, the familiar scene would accost me: pink neon, black furniture, and trashy women.

  Hank stood from the stool he kept by the entrance. “Ryker. Twice in one weekend?” He stuck his fist out, and I reciprocated his greeting. “What’s with the digs? The ladies will be drooling.” A devilish smirk rose on his lips as he assessed my attire.

  I shook my head at his innuendo and returned his grin. “Chase’s wedding.”

  “Good luck in there.” He nodded and waved me through.

  The roar of the music had my head in a vise less than sixty seconds after walking into the club. I’d already had several drinks and hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. Exhaustion weighed down my mind and body; the last thing I cared to do was search through inebriated men looking for one tempestuous woman. I didn’t have a clue what I’d say to the girl even if I found her. After surveying the floor and not immediately spotting the Taylor Momsen lookalike, I took a seat at the bar.

  The bartender slid a napkin my way and leaned in. Fruit wafted from her mouth when she spoke, and I imagined it came from the gum she chewed. “What’ll it be?”

  “Macallan on the rocks.”

  With one hand, she reached for a glass and used the other to pull the bottle from the rack. I was by no means a connoisseur of fine liquor, but Macallan 12 shouldn’t be top shelf, yet there it sat. She stretched to reach the scotch, exposing the delicate lines of her torso and individual ribs. And when she faced me, it was easy to see a light in her eyes. It was a shame this girl had gotten caught up here; she was attractive, and it had nothing to do with her being topless. “Do you want to start a tab?”

  I didn’t have any intention of staying long enough to have more than one drink, so I pulled a ten from my wallet and swiveled the barstool to the stage. Cherry danced to some old Guns N’ Roses song I hadn’t heard in ages, but she couldn’t keep my attention. There was just something indecent about watching girls I’d grown up with taking off their clothes for money. And sadly, just about every entertainer in the place had gone to the same elementary school I had.

  The lights flashed with the beat of the music and, at times, made it difficult to see. Everything became segmented and broken instead of fluid. Even still, it didn’t take me long to figure out Diamond wasn’t here. Or if she was, then she had a customer in a private room, or she was behind the curtain. Neither made me happy, but one had me seeing red.

  Patience wasn’t a virtue I had in spades; in fact, it wasn’t one I possessed at all. So after three songs with no sign of Diamond, I tossed back the last of my scotch, set the glass on the bar top, and thanked the girl who’d served me. It was difficult to move through the room without touching or bumping into someone. The dancers wanted to make money, and they did their best to attract anyone they believed could put it in their pockets. But I wasn’t here to have some chick from the neighborhood grind on my cock, tease me into a sexual frenzy, and then stick her hand out for cash, leaving me with an empty wallet and throbbing erection. That shit didn’t appeal to me in the slightest.

  I managed to get outside of the tables and find my way to the stairs leading behind the curtain without having to say “no” more than three times. And it was much easier to find my way backstage than it had been last night. Unfortunately, once I got to the dressing area, I realized the hypnotic blonde had eluded me again. There was no one around to ask, and I doubted any of the veteran workers knew her name anyhow, much less her schedule.

  My reflection shown like a clown in funhouse mirrors when I stood in the middle of the dressing stations. When I turned in a circle and raked my hand through my hair, the round lights distorted my view from a distance. Friday and Saturday nights were huge money makers. I couldn’t imagine why she wouldn’t have showed. And Swank was closed on Sundays. I had a meeting with my parole officer Monday night after work, meaning it would be Tuesday before I could return. Even then, there was no guarantee she’d be working.

  Frustrated, I stomped toward the exit, yanked open the door, and left.

  * * *

  My meeting with my parole office had been status quo. I had answered his questions, peed in a cup, and made an appointment for the following month. I couldn’t wait to be out from under that fucking requirement. It was like having a damn babysitter. Each one left me pissed off, and afterward, I always went back to work to take out my frus
tration on an automobile instead of in the streets. Yesterday had been no different. I’d gone back to the shop. By the time I had finished the car I worked on, it was late, and I was beat. It never failed. My monthly meetings with a PO ignited a flame of irritation and anger that stayed with me late into the night. Jeff wasn’t a bad guy; I just resented being forced to meet with him, and the drug tests were a joke. I’d never done drugs—despite what people believed based on my appearance—and I never would. I’d merely been at the wrong place at the wrong time, and I would pay the price for the rest of my life. Maybe that was what infuriated me so badly. Either way, it was best that I steered clear of people in general the first Monday of every month.

  Today had proven to be a better day, although that had little to do with the actual quality and more to do with the blonde gem that I hoped to see tonight. I’d taken the time to go home, shower, shave, and change clothes before I got on the bike. Not that the chicks at Swank cared if I reeked of motor oil and my hands were stained. Hell, they’d pretend they enjoyed it if they thought I might buy a lap dance or get a private room. I shouldn’t have cared what she thought since I knew nothing about her. Even if she were underage, it wasn’t my problem. I wasn’t a knight in shining armor, and I sure as hell wasn’t a snitch. Which meant, my motivation wasn’t pure or humble.

  The chick was hot as fuck, but more than that, she didn’t give one shit about anyone in that audience. Even on her first night, she had put the other girls to shame. Her confidence rivaled veterans, and she could have owned the floor had she bothered to step foot on it. If I didn’t play my cards right, some regular would get his claws into her before I even knew her real name. Hence the reason I was about to step into Swank for the third time in less than a week. I prayed the stench of indecency didn’t root itself into my skin and ooze from my pours. There were few things I hated more than this club and the people who attended it. I never cared to be associated with Swank or identified as a regular.