by Laura Day
“Don't let Sherry see him back here,” she whispered, grabbing my arm and pulling me away. “We aren't supposed to get up close and personal with the customers if you catch my gist.”
“If he wants private time, he needs to pay for a private room, just like anyone else,” Angel said, scowling at me.
“I know, I know, I was just telling him to get back out there.”
Back out there. As if he'd actually been out there, to begin with.
“Angel and I won't tell on you, Val,” Trinity said.
She was so sweet and naive. It was hard not to like her. She flashed me a genuine smile. Angel, on the other hand, just shrugged. It wasn't an agreement, but it wasn't a disagreement either. Maybe she could look the other way. But would she? It was hard to tell.
“I'm sorry, ladies,” Mercer said, walking out to the club floor opposed to the parking lot where he’d come from. “I just got lost on my way to the restroom.”
“Sure,” Angel said. “And I'm fucking Colonel Sanders.”
Trinity giggled, but I didn't find any of this very funny. This was my job.
“Go,” I said, pushing Mercer out or at least pretending to be pushing him out. It wasn't like I could compel him to move if he didn't want to.
He looked amused, which only made me more irritated. Yet, seeing him smile with that sparkle in his eye…I couldn't say I didn't like it. And honestly, on the inside, I smiled a bit too. If I kept managed to keep my job intact, hell, maybe I'd laugh about it later. But right now, I needed him to leave before Sherry caught a customer back in the dancers’ dressing room.
Once he was out the door, I quickly closed it and fell against it. The weight of my problems was heavy on my shoulders.
“He really likes you,” Trinity said in a singsong voice.
“Yeah he does, which means you need to keep your distance,” Angel added.
“Don't be so negative, Angel,” Trinity replied, turning toward the mirror and adjusting her lipstick.
“I've lived and learned, doll,” Angel told her. “Men like that are bad news.”
I was afraid Angel was right – not that I'd ever admit it out loud. Trinity winked and mouthed, “Go get 'em” at me, which made me laugh. It was nice to laugh out loud for a change. It felt like it was the first genuine laugh I'd had in…I don't even know how long.
I hurried up and got ready, trying my best to ignore the other girls who came and went. I changed into a shimmery silver bralette and panty set, covering my body in shimmery glitter. Maybe it was overkill, but I wasn't called Queenie for nothing. I was meant to sparkle and shine like a diamond while on stage; it was my signature. Tonight would be no different. I was going to put on a show worthy of my regal name.
I put on some purplish lipstick, feeling a bit more goth than usual. Probably my mood, who knows? I was feeling stressed about everything that was going on with Mercer, and potentially Ricky too. It seemed pretty damn normal for my mood to lean on the darker side.
“Wow, girl, you look awesome,” Trinity remarked with another wink.
I beamed. “Thank you.”
I did look pretty damn hot. My shimmery body powder added just a hint of sparkle like light fairy dust rather than glitter. It was as if I was naturally glowing from the inside out, and as I stared into the mirror, I managed to accomplish that.
Trinity took me by the arm, and we walked out into the club. Tonight would be my first night as a stripper with a bodyguard. Hopefully having Mercer there wouldn't be too much of a distraction. After all, I had bills to pay.
Chapter Nine
Mercer
I ordered my usual, and sat in the same booth – tucked away in the corner, away from most of the action. And more importantly, away from prying eyes, while still giving me a good vantage point of the whole club. Given that I had a clear view of both the front and back entrances, I was going to see who was coming and going. If one of my guys tried to show up and take care of Val themselves, I'd see them coming.
Not that I thought it would all go down like that. Bates still thought I was on the job. He didn't know that I'd already decided that there was no way in hell I was going to kill her, and protect her instead. But I still needed to be cautious until she was safe.
When Val stepped out of the back, arm-in-arm with another dancer, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. While the glitter was a little overkill – she was already a very attractive woman and didn't need that sort of decoration – I thought she was even more stunning than usual.
With long, caramel colored hair that fell in waves over her shoulders to the perfect angel’s bow of her mouth; she screamed sexiness and femininity. She saw me and our eyes met for a brief moment before she turned toward the other dancer and whispered something. I couldn't make it out nor could I read her lips, but I got the feeling she was saying something about me. What could she be saying?
Not that I gave it too much thought. It was hard to focus on anything but Val’s naked body as she stood there. She had an amazing body, maybe a few more curves than the usual dancer, but that wasn't a bad thing. Those curves accentuated her beauty, and I liked my women to have some meat on their bones.
My women? I shook my head. I couldn't think of her like that. She was too young, too fragile, and too naive for a man like me. She wasn't and could never be “my woman.”
But then her gaze fell upon me again, and as she walked toward me, her hips swished back and forth. My heart stuttered drunkenly in my chest. She should be working the room, raking in the cash and not paying attention to me. But I would have been lying if I said that I wasn't happy to see her coming my way.
I took a long swig of my drink as she sidled up to me. I looked up at her and gave her something I thought passed for a smile.
She leaned against the booth, and me, and grinned. “Are you gonna hang out here all night?”
“Yep. You ain't going to get rid of me.”
“In that case, just know that Sherry will likely send girls over to you as long as you're sitting here because non-paying customers aren't good for business. And then she will either try to bribe you to start paying up or annoy you with girls until you leave.”
Her laugh was soft and sweet, like a child's almost. Hell, she was practically was a child – at least, compared to me.
“Are you saying I should start paying for some lap dances then?” I asked.
“It wouldn't hurt,” she shrugged. “Besides, it would help you blend in more. Because honestly, when you sit over here by yourself all angry and brooding, you sort of stick out.”
She had a point.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a wad of bills and tucked them into her hand. “Lead the way, darlin'.”
Her mouth opened, making a large O as she looked down at the cash in her hand. “I didn't mean – well, I didn't mean you had to pay me.”
“I wanted to. You're the only woman worth my time in this place, to be honest with you.”
I stood up and motioned for her to lead the way. I knew where the private rooms were located; she'd taken me to one before. She took my arm in hers, and we walked to the private champagne room out the back. The man standing guard nodded at Val as she walked past, and she gave him a smile. She pushed the swinging door open and stepped inside the near dark space.
Val wasn't her usual self – or at least, the self I'd been exposed to thus far. She was more human, less stripper. And I had to admit I liked that about her.
“Sit, please,” she said, her voice soft. “What music would you like? I can pick a song?”
“None, please,” I said.
I didn't sit; I stood there, facing her instead. As I reached out to cup her face with my hand, she smacked it away.
Her eyes grew wide as she realized what she'd done. “I'm sorry – it's just.”
Winking at her, I did as I was told. I sat down. “It's okay. You're not the first woman to slap the shit out of me, and I doubt you'll be the last.”
“I still should
n't have,” she said, biting her lip. “It's just – all this stuff with Ricky, and you, has me on edge, not that it's any excuse, but – ”
“Shhh,” I said, motioning for her to come over to me. When she did, I placed my fingers on her lips to silence her apology. “No apology needed. Maybe I like being smacked around sometimes.”
A hint of a smile formed on her perfect lips as she straddled me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “You like it rough, baby?”
She was trying to get back into dancer mode. I could tell. But she was still Val, and in a way, I liked that even better. Underneath all the glitter, the costumes, and the makeup, she was still just a girl.
A girl in trouble.
As she ground her body into mine, I was reminded that she wasn't a girl at all, but a woman.
“I do actually,” I told her, enjoying the sensation of her body against mine.
I was enjoying it more than I probably should have, which was evident from my hard on. Just a bit of fabric separated our bodies, preventing us from uniting. Which, although not as fun, was for the best, all things considered.
Val's head went down to my neck as she breathed in my scent. Her hands ran over my chest and up my shirt.
“I can be rough,” she said softly.
“I bet you can.” I nipped her in the ear.
She let out a small yelp, staring me deep in the eyes. She beamed, and this time, it was full and true. She leaned down toward my neck again, dotting kisses along the collarbone. My head fell back against the wall, and my eyes closed, as her mouth touched my flesh. Her teeth dug into my skin, biting down hard. A girlish giggle came up her throat as she looked back at me, pleased with herself.
It was on.
With my hands on her hips, I pulled her tiny little frame down into my crotch. She gasped, obviously feeling the outline of my cock coming oh so close to pushing into her sweet slit. Her body moved against mine, rocking back and forth, dry humping me. It was more than a lap dance. The look on her face as she rubbed herself on my dick was of pure ecstasy. Her eyes were half closed, and she was biting her lip, moving more naturally against my body than a dancer would.
While she was distracted, I removed her bra, letting it fall to the floor. I'd seen her breasts on stage before, but up close in the flesh – that was another story. They were glorious. Perfect. Feeling like I could push the limits, I took her nipple between my lips. Val let out a sigh of pleasure, but it was brief because I bit down gently, causing her to squirm.
“Asshole,” she said, but she was laughing. “That wasn't very nice.”
As she spoke, her body kept moving up and down on top of me, moving to her own rhythm, to a rhythm that felt so fucking amazing. I needed our clothes to be gone, I needed to be united with her – our bodies as one – and just as I was reaching to remove her panties, she reached for my belt.
Then she dropped to her knees in front of me, spreading my knees wide. Looking up at me, she removed my belt, unzipped my pants and reached into my boxers, her soft, fragile hands cupping my cock. Again, my head flew back in pleasure. She stroked me, up and down, her eyes wide as she watched me. Her lips were an inch away from my dick. I wanted to feel those lips around my shaft, sucking me.
Grabbing her hair, I yanked her closer to me. “Don't be a fucking tease.”
“Look who's talking?” Her breath was warm against my cock. “At least I get paid to be a cock tease.”
“But I'm not paying you for this,” I growled. “You're not a damn hooker, Val. And I'd never treat you like one either.”
“Good,” she said, giving my cock a squeeze. “And don't you forget that.”
She removed her hand and stood up. Turning around, I assumed maybe our fun was over. If she said it was, it would be. But I really, really didn't want it to be, and I got the feeling she didn't want it to be either.
Chapter Ten
Valencia
I had to clear my head. Was this the right thing to do? As much as I wanted to go further, to be with Mercer, I knew that once I did, there was no going back. I knew so little about this man, yet I was drawn to him.
Even as I faced the wall, and closed my eyes, trying to clear my head, I saw him. I saw him naked from the waist down, perfect in every way. Long. Hard. And oh so big. He was waiting for me. I knew he wouldn't ask me to do something I wasn't comfortable with, but I couldn't get the image out of my head. The harder I tried to forget about Mercer, the clearer the image became.
Something touched my side, drawing my eyes back open. I turned and there he was with his pants pulled up but unzipped. It would be so easy to keep going.
Even as I debated my next move in my head, my body was betraying me. I reached for Mercer, wrapping my arms around his neck and lifting myself up on tippy toes. My mouth was pressed against his, and as soon as we were kissing, he grabbed me by the head and pulled my face closer.
Shoving my hand down into his boxers again, I gripped his cock – so much larger than Ricky's, the only man I'd ever been intimate with. Would it hurt? Would Mercer hurt me? He was so much bigger, in every way, would our bodies truly unite together without pain?
It was hard to imagine, but at the same time, I needed it.
I needed this.
Mercer slipped a finger under my panties and found my slit. He knew exactly where to touch me, and how - a soft, gentle flick on my clit before plunging a finger inside.
“You're so tight,” he mumbled against my lips.
“You're so big.” My heart hammered in my chest as I realized just how tight of a fit it would be.
His finger slid all the way in, and I gasped, my head falling forward on his chest. My hands were now balled up, gripping his shirt as I stared down at his cock, my pussy, and his hand – working my opening, preparing me for what was about to come.
He chuckled. “Don't worry. I'll fit.”
It was as if he could read my mind. Was the fear on my face that obvious?
Of course, he'd fit; he knew it because I wasn't the first girl he'd been with. Or even the second or third, I'd wager. Mercer knew what he was doing, which was proven by the way his finger moved inside of me.
His finger glided out of me, and I watched with widened eyes as he took it to his lips and licked it clean with a content smile. “Yummy.”
He moved my body with both hands so that my opening rested just above the tip of his cock. As he pressed me down, I felt the very tip of him entering me in an explosion of sensations.
“Oh God,” I murmured.
My heart was still racing, and I couldn't believe this was happening. Here at the club. With him. What had gotten into me? I was half afraid the bouncer outside was going to come in and see what was happening. Although, I was sure worse had happened in those rooms.
But I didn't tell him to stop. I didn't want him to stop.
And just like that, my body stretched open wide to accommodate him. There was a tinge of pain mixed in with a hell of a lot of pleasure. Every inch of him slid inside me slowly, and with a purpose. He was being gentle, holding back; I could tell from the look on his face. He guided my body down on top of him until he was fully sheathed inside of me, my pussy stretched to the max.
I rocked back and forth, savoring the feeling of him, as I got used to his girth. Taking a nipple into his mouth, he sucked on it gently, causing my body to spasm more in response, my pussy clenched tighter around him.
“Fuck me,” he gasped as I rode his dick.
His hands were back on my waist, guiding my movements, as I bounced up and down on his cock, sliding him in and out of me. I lost all control of my body.
I buried my face in his shirt, biting down on his shoulder to muffle the sounds coming out of my mouth as he fucked me. Faster. Harder. My own body moved uncontrollably yet with a purpose – and seemingly, a mind of its own. My heels were on either side of Mercer on the seat, and I found myself bouncing more and more, taking more control away from him, and finding my own rhythm while he kept his hands on
my ass.
His hair was coming loose from his ponytail now, and it covered me like a blanket. It helped smother more moans and groans. Mercer's face was buried in my hair too, but I could still hear his grunts, an animalistic sound that was growing wilder by the second.
He was close.
As so was I.
His hands gripped my ass tighter, his movements more deliberate. I ground myself harder against him, burying him deeper inside of me until I felt him press up against my cervix. It was at that moment that he yanked on my hair and lifted my head so I was staring into his eyes.
“Come for me, Val,” he demanded, gritting his teeth.