by S. L. Siwik
My smile falters. “I just like to keep my heart protected.”
Trent runs his finger tip along my lips. “Marry me. I’ll give you whatever you want, all that I have. I’ve loved you for ten years now. I’ll always want you.”
I smile, touching his cheek. “Let me think about it.” The problem is that Trent doesn’t know how to love. He’s always been broken beyond repair.
“In that case, dance with me before you go.” I finish the rest of my drink and casually glance at my watch. Kendall isn’t home yet. “One dance won’t kill you.” Trent stands up, slipping off his sports jacket.
“What are you doing?” I ask curiously, “There’s no dancing in the VIP lounge.”
Trent pulls me into his body. “My club. I’ll dance wherever I want.” He holds his hand up to the bartender. “Another Mai Tai for the lady.”
With his hand on my lower back, Trent pulls me close to his body as I straddle his leg, and we move as one. He rolls his hips into me the way that only a professional can. He not only knows how to dance, but beneath that finely cut suit is a whole lotta bad boy and arm tattoos. A place I really do not need to revisit. Been there. Done that. Gotten the t-shirt…and the empty heart.
The bartender brings me over the drink. Trent slows down our dancing so I can take a few sips.
With our bodies pressed firmly together, I feel his breath tickling my neck. He moves my hair away as his lips brush against my skin. I pull back smiling as we continue dancing. With my arms around his neck, I check my watch again.
“Need to be somewhere?” he asks.
I smile at him. He has the most mesmerizing eyes- an icy green that enchants anyone who looks at him.
“I have to get back to my life, and you have to get back to yours,” I tell him.
“You’re never going to think about it,” he says, frowning.
“Honestly, it’s not you, Trent. It’s…” I place my hand on my hip, sighing. “I just don’t want Kendall around this world. And if I married you, there’s no way to shelter her from it.”
“You can’t shield her from the world forever,” he says.
“I know. But, you also will never care for her. Kendall deserves a man in my life that’s crazy about her.”
He caresses my cheek. “If she were your kid, I’d love her like she was my own. But, she’s not. And that doesn’t mean I won’t be good to her. Plus, in five years, she’ll be in college or wherever she’s going. What will you have, Tori?”
I smile. “You’re a practical guy, honest, and you’ve always treated the girls here well. But, I want romance. Marriage proposals shouldn’t be like business propositions, they should happen because two people are in love.”
“You’ve never given me a chance, Tori. I can be that guy.” He pulls me tighter to his body. “Let’s go back to my office where it’s quiet and talk.”
I’ve known Trent long enough to know that talking isn’t what he wants to do.
“Sure,” I reply, sighing, “Let’s go in the office.”
I sit in the plush lounge chair as the naked woman grinds herself into me. Nothing. I feel nothing. From just that one little scene in my limousine where I watched Victoria trace the edges of my condom with such heat in her eyes and my cock no longer functions for any stripper. Unbelievable. I bet she gives the best hand jobs; I bet she gives the best everything. I glance up to order another drink as the stripper grinds her ass against me.
At first, I think it’s a hallucination. I think I’ve fantasized about her for the last five years so many times that now she’s like a mirage before me. I blink, wiping my eyes, and I realize she’s here, looking sexier than any woman has a right to. Her hair is down, her make-up playful with hints of glitter, her black leather dress showing the barest amount of cleavage wanting to make a man rip it off her body and see more. And those stockings just highlight how endlessly long her legs are. I swallow hard.
“Well, well, it seems he’s finally excited,” the stripper in my lap purrs.
I watch Victoria walk by unnoticing. I smell my perfume as she walks by and I smile. I see a man sitting on another couch, smiling, and I realize it’s who she’s going to see. She wore the perfume I bought her to go see another man. Take a deep breath. I sit there pinned to the couch, watching her sit down with the guy, hugging him. A lingerie clad server comes over, and Victoria looks up at her, not blushing in the least. When the server walks away, I see the asshole putting her hand on Victoria’s thigh. Take another deep breath. She’s allowing it. Is this the guy who has her heart?
“Do you want me to keep going?” the stripper asks. I glance up, forgetting that she’s still on my lap.
“Keep going,” I say. I need weight on my legs to hold me down from doing something reckless.
Victoria leans in, her fingers trailing down his chest. The pit growing in my stomach is making me sick. It’s hushed whispers and suggestive body language, and I want to go through the roof. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. I have never been such a possessive jackass before. In fact, my estranged wife wanted me to give more of a shit about what she did.
Victoria sips on a drink, while casually glancing at her watch. There’s somewhere else she’d rather be. The man stands up, sliding his jacket off. Victoria has a strange smirk on her face as he grabs her, practically dry fucking her right there…the stripper is almost knocked to the floor.
“You have to sit and relax,” She says to me, “This is supposed to be enjoyable.”
I clench my fists, nodding, as I stare on helplessly. With the way he’s dancing, he’s trying to take her home tonight. And she’s letting him grind against her. The knot in my stomach grows bigger. A waitress brings over another drink, and Victoria sips it, while he dances slower with her. As she finishes the drink, she smiles, beautiful and brilliant, and her head falls back as she loses herself in the music and starts to really dance. Her beauty and grace captivate me as I watch her, unable to take my eyes off her.
He slides her hair off her neck and kisses her skin. I catch the stripper in time before she hits the floor.
“Please relax!” Her eyes beg me. “My boss is right there. I’ll get in trouble if he thinks you’re not enjoying yourself.”
I glance at the scantily dressed woman. “That’s your boss?”
She nods. “And the owner of the club.”
“What do you know about the woman he’s dancing with?”
She glances over. “That’s Tori.”
“And how do you know Tori?” I ask. She bites her lower lip. I sit back down, pulling my wallet out, fanning out fifty dollar bills. She sits down on my lap.
“Tori used to work here as a bartender. She quit five years ago.”
“Why?” I ask.
“It’s actually kind of sad. Her childhood friend died. Tori took in her kid. Didn’t want to work nights anymore. She got a day job at some office being a pencil pusher.”
“Does she come in here often?” The woman bites her lip again. “You can have everything in my wallet if you answer my questions.”
She smiles brightly. “Actually, this is the first time I’ve seen her in here since she left. If she sees Trent other times, it’s not at the club or when I’m working. So, hardly ever. But, I don’t think she’s been seeing Trent.”
“Why not?” I ask.
“When she left, she kind of cut ties with everyone. Said this life was too racy for the kid. The only one she held onto was Dre.” She sees my confused face and clarifies, “Andrea, she was another bartender. Actually, she just got cut yesterday.”
“So, her friend loses her job and suddenly she shows up to the club.” I frown.
I glance up to see them talking, his fingers trailing down her arm. Suddenly, his hand is on her back and he’s ushering her away.
“Where are they going?” I ask.
“Looks like to Trent’s office,” she says.
“What’s back there?” I ask.
She winks. “Privacy
… and a couch.”
Fury takes over again. She’s not going to be blackmailed into fucking him just to help a friend. “Wait five minutes, then go get him. Say a customer in the VIP lounge is unhappy and wants to talk to him.” She glances up at me nervously. “Don’t worry. I’m going to complain about the food.”
“Why?” She asks.
“Just do it, and I’ll give you the two grand in my wallet.”
We sit down on Trent’s couch, and he pours two shot glasses of Patron.
His eyes hungrily gaze down my face, and I know what he wants. I knew that I’d likely have to sleep with him to ensure he help Andrea and myself. I prepared myself for that…with a trip to the pharmacy beforehand. In this environment, business revolves around the cyclical relationship between sex and money. If a person wants one of those two things, they better be prepared to pay with the other. Sleeping with Trent is old business. It’s how every girl here got her job. But, when I realized that Trent had a ‘thing’ for me, I used it to my advantage, helping me and Andrea get the best shifts, the best nights to work, at the best bar in the club- The VIP lounge, where only high rollers are allowed.
We clink glasses and down the shot. He uncaps the bottle and refills my glass.
“You gonna take it easy on me, right, Trent?” I purr, “You were the last guy I was with.”
He stares at me wide eyed. “That was five years ago.”
I down the shot, then wipe the corner of my mouth. “I know. I wasn’t kidding when I said I was devoting my life to Kendall. I haven’t dated, nothing.”
He sits next to me, his hand caressing my cheek. “Let’s go to my place. We can relax.”
I smile. “Why not here? We had some fun nights here on the couch.”
“Sure. But, I want it to be better than those times.” His hands massaged down my neck. “I want to take my time with you.” I hold my glass out, and he pours me another shot glass. I’m pretty sure I’m going to need it. “I miss you, Tori. I don’t just miss…whatever it was between us, but I miss just seeing you, just having you around in the club. Five years is a long time.” I smile at his honest admittance and hold my glass out for him to pour another.
A few drinks later, I’m comfortably numb, my whole body warm and relaxed, and I’m curled up in Trent’s lap while he strokes my hair and kisses my forehead. I’m not entirely sure how I got here. All I know is just how incredible it feels to be held like this. I forgot how great it feels to be pressed against a man’s hard body, to have strong arms wrapped around me. It’s such a comforting feeling.
“Do you want something tonight?” he murmurs in my ear.
“What do you have?” I reply back not even thinking about the question he’s asking me.
“Special K and Ecstasy. You interested?”
When in Rome…
Knock Knock
“Yes?” Trent asks.
“There’s a fattie in the VIP lounge who says he wants to speak with you. Says he’s unhappy about something,” a female voice answers.
Trent kisses my forehead before picking me off his lap and placing me down on the couch. “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
I sigh, knowing it will probably take a while and pour myself another glass of Patron.
***
I tap my foot against the floor, glancing at my watch again. Though the numbers are a little blurry, I’m pretty sure twenty minutes have passed. I stand up in search of Trent.
Walking out of the office, I see a stripper walking by. “Have you seen Trent?”
“He’s at the steakhouse with a fattie.” In this club, that term refers to a man’s fat wallet. It lets you know on what level the man’s wealth is. If he’s a fattie, he’s a billionaire.
I walk to the second floor of the club where the Steakhouse is. Seeing Trent’s jacket, I walk over to him. “Excuse me for interrupting, but I just wanted to say good-bye Trent.”
I glance up in shock, to find a gorgeous pair of bright green eyes watching me, a strand of wavy black hair fallen in front of his eye….Lips pressed in a tight frown that I have wanted to kiss since the moment I first saw them.
“Mr. Townsend,” I squeak.
“Miss Wright,” he replies.
“You know this gentleman, Tori?” Trent asks, layers of hidden questions behind his one innocent-sounding one.
“Yes, Trent, this is my boss, Mr. Townsend of Townsend Realty Corporation.”
“Ah, now I understand,” he replies softly.
Two steaks are brought out then by a scantily clad waitress and placed down in front of both men. “Enjoy, gentleman,” she purred while placing down steak sauce retrieved from her breasts.
“Well, I should be going. Trent, I’ll talk to you soon. Mr. Townsend, I’ll see you on Monday.”
I turn to leave, but hear Mr. Townsend say, “Miss Wright, please sit and eat with us.”
I flash him a tight lipped smile. I’m not sure what is going on between these men, but in this business, you become astute at reading body language. The tension in the air is so thick it could be cut with a knife.
“Okay…”
Mr. Townsend stands up, moving over a chair. He pats to where he had just been sitting.
I sit down, and Trent runs his hand through my hair, leaning over and whispering, “Are you okay?”
I nod, flashing him a bright smile. A million feelings are running through me at the moment. Okay is definitely not one of them. Most people are not comfortable with the idea of their past meeting their present.
“Eat,” Mr. Townsend commands and has a piece of filet mignon on his fork held out for me.
Hesitantly, I lean in, sliding the meat off the fork with my teeth, his eyes watching me the entire time.
“Is it good?” he asks. My insides melt at his question. So, deep, so sincere, so suggestive. Chewing, I nod. “Well, Mr. Preston, it seems this steak is acceptable.”
Trent looks up, nodding curtly. “Glad to hear it. Here at Night Life, we always like our customers to be happy.”
“Keep Miss Wright smiling, and you’ll have a loyal customer out of me. It is one of the many office perks received working for me.”
I smile tight lipped. If I could, I would crawl on my hands and knees out of the club and this situation right now. I really shouldn’t have drank so many shots of tequila.
“Eat some more,” my boss commands. I lean in, eating off his fork as he watches me with hungry eyes, licking his lips. A shiver runs down my spine at the sight. How the man can set my belly on fire without even touching me will always confuse me. I gasp at a strong hand sliding across my leg to rest on my inner thigh. I glance at Mr. Townsend…both hands are in sight. I glance at Trent who winks at me. Despite Trent’s hand on my thigh, staking his claim to me, my boss’ eyes pull me towards him, making me captivated by the slightest move he makes. The pull…it’s always there, drawing me in.
Mr. Townsend cuts up more steak, his moves tight and controlled as he slides the knife across the meat with perfect precision. Picking up another small piece, he holds it out for me. I place my hand on his, steadying the fork, and my eyes watch him as I eat. The electricity that runs from his hand into mine nearly shocks me to death, and I feel as though I’ve placed my finger in an electrical socket. His touch leaves me breathless. Rein it in, Tori. Way too much flirtation.
“Trent, this steak is amazing. The chefs seemed to have stepped up their game since I ate here last,” I say.
He smiles proudly, cockiness rolling off him in waves. “Yes, we’ve made many new improvements to the club.” I’m not sure if he’s speaking for my benefit, or Mr. Townsend’s, but I suddenly feel as though I’ve just walked into a cock fight. I wonder how I can use this to my advantage. I think about all possible ways, and nothing plays out well without pissing both off. Trent also hasn’t touched his steak; he doesn’t eat when he feels he needs to be at the top of his game for something. I need to pacify the situation, so I have a job on Monday.
/> I smile politely. “I think that’s it for me, Mr. Townsend. Thank you. If you’ll excuse me, gentlemen. It’s getting late. Time to go home.”
“Tori, don’t leave yet,” Trent says, “Stay,” he says in his sweet voice, “I’ll take you home.”
“I think you should have more steak,” my boss says.
Fuck. Neither man is going to let me out of this mess easily.
“Yes, Mr. Townsend.”
He cuts another piece, a sliver of a smile gracing his lips. He watches me while he feeds me. It occurs to me at that moment that at any time I could have just taken the fork and fed myself. I realize that I don’t want to. I enjoy a man of his stature and importance, feeding me as though I’m worth the attention and fuss. I am worth it, just glad he seems to realize it. But, maybe it’s time to spoil him a little.