by Chiah Wilder
Anger pricked at Shadow’s skin. “That was your only chance for the night. Next time you say or do something stupid, you’ll be joining your buddy.” He turned around and stalked away, heading to the area behind the stage. He pushed the black curtain aside and squinted against the bright florescent lights.
“Hey, sexy,” Kitty said as she adjusted her sequined bra.
“Hey. Are all the girls back here?”
“I think so. What’s up?”
“I just want everyone to know that if any of those fuckin’ frat assholes say rude shit to any of you, come find me or any of the other Insurgents.”
Kitty ran her hand over her thigh-high stockings. “Uh … okay. Are my seams straight, sexy?”
She turned around and he glanced at the back of her legs. “They look fine. I meant what I said.”
“What’s going on?” Destiny wrapped a flimsy robe around her nakedness.
“Shadow’s just tellin’ us not to take any shit from the frat boys. Can I borrow your garter belt—the silver one. I forgot to bring mine tonight.”
“Sure—second drawer in my dressing table.” Destiny turned to Shadow. “Those guys are generous as hell. I’ve already made some good money from them, and Honeysuckle and Diamond have several private dances lined up with them.”
“Just don’t let them disrespect you. I’ll be watching, but the place is jammed tonight, so I can’t see everything—none of us can.”
“I can handle them. I got a dance with one of them now, so I gotta get my outfit on.” Destiny ran her hand over his. “You’re so sweet with the way you worry about us. I mean, all you guys make us feel safe and respected, but you go the extra mile. We all notice that and appreciate it a lot.”
Shadow stepped away. “Yeah … well, just pass the word along to the other dancers.”
The night passed quickly, and an hour before closing, Jax came over to Shadow and told him that his old lady called and their kid wasn’t feeling very good so he had to leave. Shadow took over Jax’s duty of watching the monitor in the private rooms to make sure the men behaved during their lap dance.
“Any problems?” he asked Danny, who was also watching the cameras. On busy nights, two people were needed to monitor the rooms since they always stayed full.
“Not really. Emma’s telling me the dancers are making a small fortune tonight.” Emma was Danny’s old lady, and she used to be a dancer until the club promoted her to manager several years ago.
“Here you go,” Honeysuckle said as she gave Shadow a bottle of beer. “I thought you’d be thirsty.” She looked down then back up until she caught his gaze. “How’ve you been?”
“Good.” He picked up the bottle and tipped it toward her. “And thanks for this.”
“You’re welcome. Maybe we can talk some after the place closes? I’ve got to do a private right now, but you’re sticking around ’til the end, right?”
“Yeah.” He took a few swigs of beer and watched as she left the small room.
“She’s got the hots for you, dude.” Danny chuckled. “Too bad Banger and Hawk have this ‘no fuckin’ the dancers’ rule. I’d kill to fuck Destiny and Kitty at the same time.”
Danny and Emma had an understanding that he could fuck any of the club girls at the club parties a couple of times of month, but hang-arounds and other citizen women were strictly off limits. It’d worked for them for over fifteen years.
“It’s a good rule because business and fucking don’t mix.” Shadow stared at the monitor and watched Honeysuckle walk inside the Boudoir Room with Warren Huntington following behind her. As Honeysuckle did her thing, Warren watched in fascination and everything seemed to be okay until Shadow spotted the dude pulling his cock out. Honeysuckle shook her head and said something, but Warren just laughed and yanked her to him.
“That’s it,” Shadow muttered.
“You want me to buzz Rock?” Danny asked as he craned his neck to see Shadow’s monitor.
“Nope—I’ll take care of this one myself.” He jumped up and stormed down the hallway.
When he burst inside the room, Warren had his dick against Honeysuckle’s thigh and his one arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tight.
“What the fuck are you doing?” he said as he advanced toward the couple.
“What? What’s wrong?” Warren asked as his erection went limp.
“You can’t be taking out your cock and touching the dancers. You fuckin’ know this.”
Warren zipped up his pants and Honeysuckle stood off to the side. “I didn’t know that, dude.”
“Bullshit.” Shadow pointed to a sign that stated the rules for the private room. “You can read, can’t you, college boy?” He glanced over at Honeysuckle. “The dance is over. Did you get the money up front?” She shook her head no. “Then I’ll take care of the money.”
“Okay,” she said as she walked out of the room.
“You expect me to pay for a dance that was interrupted?” Warren rose to his feet and zipped up his pants.
“That’s right, unless you want your fuckin’ face rearranged.” Shadow crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s your choice.”
“You’re threatening me.” Redness flushed across Warren’s face.
“Nope. I’m just stating a fact—if you don’t pay, I’ll beat your ass. You got choices here, man.”
Warren glowered at him as took out his wallet then took out a fifty-dollar bill.
Shadow jammed the bill in his jeans pocket. “No tip for Honeysuckle? I mean, you were groping her and shoving your cock against her.”
Warren opened his mouth as if to say something and Shadow crossed over to him, his face inches from Warren’s. “Don’t even fuckin’ say it. The dancers aren’t hookers—they’re honest women who are doing their job.”
Warren snapped his mouth shut and dug out forty bucks. “This is the last time you’ll see me in this dump.”
“No worries ’cause you’re gonna be put on the ‘banned list’ anyway.” He gestured for Warren to leave the room.
“It’s trash like you who give bikers a bad name,” Warren muttered as he walked out of the room.
Before he made it down the hallway Shadow was on top of him, wrestling the frat boy to the ground.
“I guess you missed the fuckin’ class on respect,” he said, then turned Warren over on his back and punched him in the face. All of a sudden it came to him where he’d seen the asshole. Eli and Brooke’s party. The image of Warren kissing Scarlett stirred up dark feelings inside him … feelings he had to reluctantly admit were jealousy. What the fuck? Shadow punched Warren once more in the face for good measure and jumped up.
Warren pushed up to his feet, his hand cupping the side of his jaw. “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.” He huffed as he walked away.
“I look forward to that.” Shadow clenched his teeth. Asswipe.
He walked to the women’s area and handed Honeysuckle her tip. She circled her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly.
He smiled as he gently pushed her away. “No worries.”
“Can we talk for a bit?” she asked.
“Is it about work?”
“Not really.”
“Then I’m gonna have to pass. Why don’t you take off? It’s almost closing time. Rock will walk you to your car.”
“Okay.” The dancer’s voice was flat.
Shadow patted her on the shoulder then strode over to the back door and went outside, smiling wryly at the colored lights the women had strung around the back fence. He leaned against the brick wall, lit a joint, then inhaled deeply. He exhaled smoke into the air and watched the wisps curl and dissipate. A light, warm breeze blew in from the east, carrying the perfume of roses, and he let it wash over him. The scent took him back in time to a vivid evocation of summers past. Roses had always been his mother’s favorite flower, and even though the trailer park they’d lived in was rundown, dirty, and smel
ly, his mother had planted two rose bushes at each side of the steps leading up to their front door. How she’d loved them and taken pride in those bushes.
“‘Beacons of hope,’ Ma used to say,” Shadow whispered.
A soft rustling of the leaves as crickets chirped brought a smile to his face. As a kid he used to catch crickets and fireflies, but his mother always made him let them go so they could live like “God intended them to.” His mother’s voice was as clear as day in his mind.
The screen door squeaked behind him and he glanced over and saw Bones coming toward him.
“You got an extra one?” his buddy asked, pointing to the joint between Shadow’s teeth.
He handed one to Bones, and the two stood in silence, smoking and looking at the swaying branches of the oak trees in the yard.
“Honeysuckle’s singing your praises,” Bones said.
Shadow grunted as he tried to push down the jealousy he’d felt when he recognized the douchebag. The feeling had surprised the hell out of him because he’d never experienced that before when it came to a chick. What the hell is she doing to me? He didn’t know the answer, but all he knew was that he wished Scarlett were here with him now, watching the strings of colored lights swing slowly back and forth in the soft breeze.
Brows knitted into a frown as he realized that she had burrowed in his brain nice and tight. No woman had ever affected him this way before, and it angered and intrigued him at the same time.
Yeah … there was no doubt about it: she was getting to him.
He took another long drag then dropped the roach on the ground; he stubbed it out under his boot heel and went back inside.
Chapter Seven
Scarlett stood at the corner of the window in the second-floor study, watching Shadow as he lifted the sledgehammer over his shoulders and then slammed it onto a wooden post. The defined muscles that ran between his shoulder blades and down his arms flexed and bunched, their contours glistening with sweat in the bright sunlight. He was magnificent … hypnotic.
The now familiar clench between her legs made her shift in place as she continued to watch him and remember their stolen times together. For the past week or so, her whole focus had been on Shadow, and it frightened and excited her at the same time. Scarlett knew she should give him up, but she craved the rush she got from him. She’d been hooked from the start, and she laughed dryly at her foolishness in thinking that just one quick hookup with him would ever be enough. She was just like an addict now, jittery and unfocused until the next fix.
Scarlett pressed her forehead against the glass pane and wondered how she would ever get off the carousel. Shadow did things to her no man had ever done, and she felt free and alive when she was wrapped in his arms or moving in sync with his powerful body as he thrust inside her. The crazy thing was, she knew very little about him besides what a wonderfully delicious lover he was, and she wanted to know him outside of their sexual encounters.
As if he sensed her, Shadow looked up at the window and she turned away quickly. Scarlett hated that he’d caught her spying on him, especially since he’d been keeping his distance from her for the past few days. Her rational mind told her it was for the best, but her body wildly yearned for him: his touch, his lips, his taste. She never imagined herself capable of such ferocious passion, such desire to open herself up wholly to a man to do with her as he liked.
Scarlett balled her hand into a fist and pounded it lightly on the wall. He was so damn good that she was sure he ruined her for all other men. “Damn you,” she mumbled under her breath. Against her better judgment, she peeked out the window again and saw him disappear behind the wall that the men were building. Why was he pushing her away? Was he already tired of her?
“Damn you,” she said again, only this time louder.
The sound of her phone ringing pulled her away from the window, and she hustled over to the end table and picked it up.
“Whatcha up to?” Kiara asked.
“Nothing much,” Scarlett replied as she sank down on the leather wingback chair. “How about you?”
“Waiting for my lunch break. Do you want to come over and we can go to the French Bistro. I’m craving paté for some reason.” A small chuckle came through the phone.
“I can meet you there. It’ll give me an excuse to get out of the house. I’ve been going crazy with this upcoming fundraiser.”
“Is that why you’ve been so distracted for the past week or so?”
Scarlett stiffened. “Yeah. So what time is good to meet?”
“One. I like taking lunch after the crowd goes back to work. I guess that’s one of the perks of working for my dad.”
“I can’t even imagine working for mine—it’d be a disaster. I’ll meet you at the bistro at one.”
Scarlett gripped the phone and glanced over at the window. As tempting as it was to stand there and watch Shadow all day, she had to stop acting like a pathetic girl with a crush. The whole thing was ridiculous anyway and totally unsustainable. I guess Shadow figured that out too. An empty feeling wrapped around the thought, but she quickly pushed it away, stood up, and made her way to her bedroom to change her clothes.
When Scarlett walked into the dining room, she was surprised to see her father sitting at the head of the table and eating a sandwich while reading a document. He glanced up and a small smile skipped across his lips.
“Hi, Dad,” she said as she crossed the room to retrieve the briefcase she’d left in the corner the night before. After lunch, she’d planned to stop by the Palace Hotel to talk to the chef about the food for the gala.
“How are you?” His gaze skimmed over her face as if he were trying to discern something in her features.
“Fine. What are you doing home for lunch?” Her father rarely came home during the work day.
“I was in the area, so I thought I’d grab some peace and quiet while I went over this contract.” He pointed to the document on the table. “Your mother’s worried about you.” His eyes kept her gaze.
Scarlett shrugged. “I don’t know why—I’m fine.”
“She thinks you’ve got something on your mind that’s keeping you from committing to Warren.”
Here we go. Shit. “I don’t. I’m meeting Kiara for lunch, so I have to run.”
“You stay right where you are. How long have you and Warren been dating?”
“I don’t know.”
“A year,” he said.
“Why did you ask if you already knew?” She sighed and looked down at her phone. “I really do have to go.”
“A year is long enough to get to know someone. I expected a ring on your finger by now. What’s the problem?”
Scarlett inhaled deeply then exhaled. “I guess I don’t like him. No … as a matter of fact, I know I don’t like him.”
“Why not? He comes from a good family, the women seem to take to him, he went to a good college, he’s personable … What don’t you like about him?”
“He’s a snob, a phony, and I don’t think he’s very sincere. He plays whatever part a situation demands. And if I’m going to marry a man, I want to be in love with him.”
“Love is over-rated. You need a solid foundation to build a family and a life.”
And have young mistresses to scratch your itch or make you feel loved? God, how I wish I could say that. “I don’t agree. I really have to go, Dad.”
Her father stared at her with pursed lips, then nodded. “We’ll talk later, and stop upsetting your mother.” He picked up his sandwich and took a big bite as his eyes wandered down to the contract. Their talk was over—she’d been dismissed.
As Scarlett sped down the hill, anger sparked through her. The last thing she wanted was a marriage like her parents. Her mother filled her time with luncheons, golf games, and the occasional committee, and business preoccupied her father. Her mother found solace in a bottle of gin, and her dad found it in the arms of his latest girlfriend. The only time her parents went out together was when pr
otocol demanded it. Occasionally her mother would go on one of her dad’s business trips, and she always seemed to choose the cities that had the best shopping. Scarlett couldn’t remember the last time she saw her parents kiss or hold hands—they lived a marriage of convenience.
Scarlett waved at Kiara, who sat at a round table in the corner of the eatery by the large window looking out on Spruce Street. She maneuvered her way through the small bistro until she reached the table, then plopped down on the blue paisley cushion on the white wrought-iron chair.
“Sorry I’m late. My dad was home for lunch and wanted to talk about his favorite subject—Warren.” Scarlett rolled her eyes and picked up the menu.
“What’s going on with you and him? I saw Warren at the club the other day, and he said that you’ve been avoiding him.”
“I have.” She motioned the waitress over. “Can I please have a glass of water with two slices of lemon?”
The young waitress smiled. “Sure. Have you decided on what you’d like to eat?” They gave her their orders then she dashed away.
“Why have you been avoiding him?” Kiara asked as she broke off a piece of bread.
“Because I’m done with him. I know I have to tell him, but I really haven’t been in the mood for that talk. I figured he would just get bored and move on.” Scarlett looked down at the blue-checked tablecloth then glanced back up. “I know—it’s a coward’s way.”
“I don’t get why you don’t like Warren. He was so funny at the club, and Melody was pushing her boobs into his face. She’s shameless, really.” Kiara spread butter on her bread then took a bite.
“She can have him. Oh, Kiara, I want something completely different for my life. I don’t want to be going to lunches at the club or playing fucking golf or waiting home to please my man after he’s had a hard day at the office. I mean, don’t you feel like we’re stuck in the damn 1950s or something?”
Kiara cocked her head. “Not really. We go on trips to wherever we want. I have a good job. I can do what I please. And if I don’t marry, it’s no big deal.” She wiped the corners of her mouth with her napkin. “I do want to get married and have a family, but the important thing is that it’s my choice.”