“You know, Rick said you could work for him.”
I roll my eyes and look away from her.
“It’s good money. Eighty-twenty.”
“Well, call the fucking government because that sounds like a great deal when a lying pimp says you can have ten bucks from sucking dick. What do you get if you take it up the ass? Fifteen dollars and a lollipop from your daddy?”
“You’re such a bitch,” she growls at me.
“I don’t think that’s a shock. How long you been working for him again?” I hate she’s going back to her old ways. I thought for a moment that when she left jail the last time, she was going to try. This is why I don’t hold on to hope.
“About a week.” Mom shrugs. “It’s hard for me, Jade. I’m thirty-six years old and my rap sheet is longer than my damn arm. What else is there?”
I shake my head.
“Maybe if I hadn’t had a spoiled fucking brat when I was fifteen, I could have made something of myself, but instead, I got you.”
It’s the same story that she tells over and over again. Any time there’s something wrong in her life, it’s because of me and the fact she was a teenage mother.
“You could have gotten rid of me and saved us both some trouble.”
She doesn’t answer me as the bus pulls up. I shouldn’t be surprised she doesn’t have any money and walks right past the machine to pay. I debate on whether I should pay for her or not, but there are people waiting behind me and I slip money in for both of us and sit next to her.
When the bus drops us off at the Greenwood Projects, the crack heads are in full force, walking up and down the sidewalk. I rush off the bus and head straight to my place. I don’t care which way Mom goes, or at this point, what happens to her. Because of her ass, I’m going to have to walk to work. I need to make some serious cash in the next two nights to make rent.
I slam my door and make sure it’s locked. I have about two hours before I need to head to work and I lay out on the couch. I flip the TV on and there he is.
Valo Manner.
His blue eyes are piercing and when his thick Finnish accent comes through the speakers, it almost makes me smile. He seemed like a great guy and terribly sweet when he approached me last week at the bar. Poor guy, he doesn’t have a clue.
He’s a great player and leader on the ice, but I would eat him up and spit him out. I mean, he thought I was a teacher. No part of my black hair, fishnet stockings, or leather skirt said teacher.
Valo’s the type to marry a Victoria Secret model, have blonde babies, and vacation in Fiji. I can barely spell Fiji or pick it out on a map. I don’t see me going there for a vacation anytime soon.
I listen to the interview and how the Eagles might actually make the playoffs this year. Ha, doubt that. The new general manager just cleaned up the roster about two years ago and the team still isn’t connecting.
Fuck, I have to stop listening to Big Mike when he talks about hockey. He’s trying to brainwash me.
I flip off the TV and close my eyes.
~
“Fuck, what is with all the damn glitter?” I yell at the other girls. I need to change into my outfit and get on stage in about ten minutes when Big Mike comes to the dressing room.
“Jade, you need to help out waitressing tonight.”
“Hell no,” I bark at him. Big Mike is about 6’10” and four hundred pounds. People don’t usually mess with him, except me. Of course, I’m not scared of him. All men can come down to my level with one quick kick in the balls. I’ve done it more than once in my life.
“I’m not playing. I’m short-handed and there’s a bunch of guys out here. You’re the only one who can do it.”
“Fuck,” I mumble and adjust my lace boy shorts. “Fine.” I’m going to have to flirt my ass off to get tip money; most the guys would rather stick it in a G-string than give it to the bitch bringing the drinks. I adjust my bra and make sure my boobs remain high and perky. My white thigh-highs with red bows match the tiny bow on the back of the boy shorts.
I head to the bar, grab a tray, and look around the dark room. The only lighting is small, dimly lit lamps on the tables and the bright, almost blinding lights that point to the stage. I start at the back of the room and begin to flirt with every drunken frat boy and old geezer who grabs my ass every chance they get. I just giggle and pretend to swat them away. This is going to be a long ass night. I go to the corner of the bar and give out the orders when I feel someone standing close to me.
Great, another fucker who’s going to hit on me.
“I think I just won a bet.”
My mouth falls as I hear the thick Finnish accent of Valo Manner.
Chapter Four
Valo
I searched high and low for this woman, finally gave up, and now, here she is in the last place I’d ever think to look. I can’t believe it. Jade slowly turns around to face me. She looks as if she can’t believe it either.
“What the fuck are you doing here?”
“A teammate is getting married and this is a stop during his bachelor party.” A few of the guys said it wouldn’t be a bachelor party without strippers, so here we are.
“So, a bunch of multimillionaire hockey boys came to the hood to see some tits and ass? I’m sure you could have had some higher end shit downtown.”
“Well, they wanted to come here,” I say. “I guess you were really hoping to never see me again, huh?” I can understand her wanting to lie about her job, but to send me on a chase when she knew I’d never find her is worse.
“Um…” She doesn’t have a comeback, but she quickly recovers. “I’m surprised, that’s all. I bet you were searching every school all over Liberty looking for a good, wholesome teacher. Sorry to burst your bubble; I’m a stripper.”
“I searched, more so to find the girl in the bar, not a teacher. But don’t worry.”
“Listen, Valo,” she leans in closer. “You seem like a really nice guy. I meant it when I said you’ll find a great girl someday, but it’s not me. If the news grabbed wind of you taking a stripper out on a date, you’re sweet Finland ass would be traded or on a plane back to the other side of the pond. So, let’s just forget it, okay?”
I shake my head at her. It’s unbelievable how disappointed I am. “I’ll go back to the party and stop wasting your time. Hope you find something worth smiling over.”
“Have fun tonight, Valo. I’ll send some girls to your table, okay?” As if that’ll make up for this.
“Yeah, sure.” I turn and walk back to our table. Unbelievable. Did I really waste all that time for nothing? My eyes keep making their way back to Jade. A stripper. I should have known something wasn’t right; I have never been good at guessing games.
This only opens the door to more questions. How in the world did she become a stripper? What does her family think? Does she have a daytime job, too? So. Many. Questions.
She walks around this place with an ease that speaks of familiarity. She almost seems comfortable here. I’m trying my best not to judge because I’d be pissed if someone judged me based on my job. I’ve watched this girl every time she happened to be in the bar when I was. And she’s right; she doesn’t smile often. Maybe she’s stuck in a rut with no foreseeable way out? I don’t know.
This is why she made the deal with me. Because she knew I’d never find her here, and if I did, I would walk away. And I did. I just proved whatever point she was trying to make. The hell with that. She made a deal. I found her.
There’s a freaking giant of a man walking around, looking as if he’s in charge. When he goes to pass our table, I stop him. “I want a private dance.”
He nods. “With who?”
“Jade.”
He smirks, and for some reason, it feels like a bad sign. “C’mon then.” He takes me away from the main area and over to the room.
The room isn’t that big. It is barely big enough for a black couch and a pole. I sit on the couch and wait. I wonder if she’ll b
e pissed about this. There’s only one way to find out. I calmly wait until the doorknob turns and Jade finally enters.
“Okay, cowboy, are you ready?” Jade stops, her lips parted with surprise for two seconds when she sees it’s me. “Oh, come on, Valo. What the hell do you want?”
“It should count for something that I did find you. Doesn’t matter how; I found you.”
She sits next to me on the couch. “You can’t be serious. I’m a stripper. You’re a hockey player. Why could you possibly want to keep this deal? Are you that horny?”
“This isn’t about sex. I want to keep the deal, that’s it.”
I can tell she’s skeptical, and she’s quiet for a few moments. “Fine, but just remember you’re paying and I’m going to stuff myself full of whatever food you put in front of me. Deal?”
“I make six million dollars a year. Eat all you want, plus take home leftovers, I don’t care.” Normally, I wouldn’t bring up my salary so casually, but she already knows.
Jade sighs deeply. “When do you want to do this?”
I try to hold back my smile. “I’ll be on the road soon, and I’ll be gone for three days. When I get back?”
“Fine. I’ll write my number down and you can text me. I’ll meet you at wherever you want to go. I’m sure you drive a nice car and in my hood, it’ll get jacked in a heartbeat. Now, do you want this dance or are you just a nice guy who wants to talk about his feelings?”
I shake my head. “I don’t want a dance, but since I took up your time, I’ll give you some money.” I reach for my wallet while she eyes me, thumb through the bills, and pull out six hundred dollars. Normally, I don’t carry that much cash, but the occasion called for it. I fold it in half, take her hand, and fold her fingers over it. Then, I pull my phone from my pocket and hand it to her. “I’ll find you again if you give me a fake.”
“Valo,” her voice catches with emotion. “I can’t take this money. It’s too much.” She holds her hand out to me, waiting for me to take it back, but that’s not happening.
“It’s not too much. Take it and I don’t know, get a really expensive manicure or something.” Her nails are different from the yellow, so she must get them done often.
Her face turns to stone again. “Fine, I will.” She quickly enters her number. “Here, it’s the real number. I’ll see you soon.”
I take my phone back and stand. “Bye, Jade.” Then I leave.
~
I used to love playing in the arena in Indiana. It was my first as an NHL player, the fans were great, and I had good teammates. While I have many good memories, I have some bad memories, too. This is the place where I fell in love and the place where my heart was broken. The girl I thought was the one for me, turned out to be in love with her male best friend. I never stood a chance. It was why I was happy when I was traded away from there.
However, once I was able to get over it and put it behind me, I enjoyed my trips back. Some of the same guys I played with are still on the team, like their captain, Brody Ross. I’m still familiar with some of my old teammate’s way of playing, so it’ll be a fun game.
After our morning skate, we speak with the media, who ask mostly about how this is my first game here as captain and how I feel about it. Sometimes, I think they believe we ponder such questions more than we really do. The best answer I could think of was how it’s exciting and being here brings back a lot of memories.
Gus sits next to me at lunch, and I’m tempted to tell him to socialize more. Sure, he interacts with everyone when they approach him, but he sticks near me most of the time. I don’t mind him though. He’s almost like a little brother. I just think it’s important to talk with everyone, too.
“So, what’s it like playing against your first team?”
I groan. “You sound like a reporter.”
“Hey, I’m a curious rookie. You have to answer.”
“It feels a bit more competitive, like when we’re playing my brother’s team. Otherwise, there’s no difference except I’ve played with some of those guys before.” My brother started playing with the Vegas Gamblers last year.
He nods in understanding, takes a bite, and then asks, “Does that mean you have tips on how to win?”
“Yeah, play hockey. Whoever plays better will win.”
He shakes his head. “That’s a suck answer, but I’ll take it.”
Gus is probably one of the hardest working kids I’ve seen. His mind is focused on hockey and nothing else 24/7. I don’t know how he does it because my mind wanders a lot. Tonight, I’m thankful for his focus because it shows. We’ve been feeding each other shots every shift and have scored a goal each. This has been a goal-frenzy kind of game, and when the third period starts, the score is 5-3 in our favor.
In the third, it’s as if each team loses the ability to keep the puck. We move from end to end repeatedly without anyone converting on a shot and scoring. My legs are burning by the time the buzzer sounds, ending the game. Sometimes, there is no better sound than the buzzer. I’m tired, slick with sweat, and ready to fall into a bed.
I’m walking with Gus on the way to our bus when I hear Brody call out my name. We turn to see him jogging toward us. There’s a girl with him, but she’s walking a few paces behind him before she reaches him.
“I’m glad I was able to catch you. I tried calling you, but got a message about the number being out of service.”
“Oh, I had to change it,” I tell him and give him my new number.
Brody nods. “I just wanted to tell you congrats on your new title,” he grins. “You’ve earned it. Plus, I wanted to introduce you to my wife, Selene.”
“I heard you got married. Congratulations, by the way. Nice to meet you,” I tell her as I shake her hand. “Thanks for catching up with me before we left. It was good to see you.”
“You, too, Valo. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
A few other teammates exit and it’s time to head out, so I say my goodbyes and get on the bus.
Chapter Five
Jade
It’s my one vice. It’s the one thing that I’d go broke for and save to have done. It’s my weakness.
I slip into a pair of red skinny jeans and a black, vintage Aerosmith t-shirt. I slip on my combat boots and toss my hair into a messy ponytail. I touch up my makeup and race out to the bus stop.
I take the bus all the way to the other side of Liberty. It’s almost like going into another country sometimes, but it’s where I play pretend.
Just for an hour.
I walk into the salon and am greeted by a pretty blonde.
“Welcome to Love Spa. How may I help you?”
I smile brightly at her. “I’m Jade Patterson. I have an appointment with Mona.”
“Of course, she’ll be right with you.” The blonde points to the chairs in the lounge and I walk over where two older women are talking and take a seat.
I look at them in their perfectly pressed tan and beige pants suits. Their pearl necklaces and bright diamond wedding bands scream they have more money in their wallet than I’ve made all year. Their fake laughs and freshly Botoxed faces makes me wonder if they’ve ever known what it was like to dumpster dive for their dinner.
Don’t think about it, Jade. This is your hour. This is the hour for you.
“Excuse me.” I turn as the ladies are staring at me now. “May I ask where you got your boots?”
This is your hour.
“Of course you may.” I smile brightly at the old hag whose purse is worth more than all the money I made last night. “I got these in New York City last week when I was shopping for some fall clothes. The salesperson said that the scuff marks brought character.” I fake giggle. I’m lying my ass off to the lady. I got these fucking boots at Goodwill for five bucks. I used a black Sharpie to cover up most of the marks.
“My granddaughter is going through her rocker phase and she would love your outfit. She’s about your age. She’s nineteen.” She smile
s at me through her capped veneers.
“Aren’t you so sweet?” I laugh. “I’m twenty-one.” Well, that’s the first truth I’ve told so far.
“Jade,” the blonde behind the counter calls my name.
“You ladies have a lovely day.” I stand and follow her in the direction to Mona’s station.
I’ve been coming to Mona since I was eighteen. I found Love Spa by accident when I was walking back from the police station after one of Mom’s arrests. I was at my wits end with her and I refused to bail her out. I had been working at Big Mike’s for a couple weeks and my life was shit. Well, it still is.
I watched the perfectly styled ladies go in and out of it for almost an hour. Their lives seemed as perfect as their clothes, cars, jewels, and shoes. They walked past me as if I was dirt on their Prada’s. I was nothing to them. Fuck, I am nothing.
However, their lives aren’t that great. Shit, I see businessmen, lawyers, and everyone else in between at Big Mike’s. Almost all of them are married to these blonde, arrogant bitches. Now, here they are, as fakes as their breasts and noses, and think they’re better than I am.
I vowed at that moment I would come to this salon and I would pretend with them. For one hour, every couple of weeks, I make an appointment with Mona and she does my nails. It’s money I shouldn’t be spending, but I do.
It’s my escape.
For the time I’m here, I’m not some hungry, broke ass stripper from Greenwood. Here, I’m Jade Patterson, the girl who giggles and gets her nails done in the middle of the day. I make up these elaborate stories about shopping sprees and places I’ve been. However, I’ve never even stepped foot out of Liberty. Most of the shit I spit to these ladies, I saw on PBS or the Discovery channel when I could afford cable.
“Jade, darling.” Mona kisses both of my cheeks. “I didn’t think I would see you so soon.”
“I’m in need of your help, sweetie.” I kick up the charm. “I have a big date tonight and I need my nails done again.”
Tainted (Oh Captain, My Captain #7) Page 2