by Liza James
Meeting Hawk and Bethie I felt like I was thrown a life preserver. I didn’t realize I was drifting through life until I met them. I thought they gave me purpose, a social life, they helped me get out more and were always around when I crashed. When something went wrong, or one of my ideas failed miserably, they were my soft landing. They knew how badly I wanted to act out after growing up the way I did, and while I’ve been nervous about some things, others I’ve been wanting to dive into headfirst. And when those moments went wrong? I could count on them to save me.
Now, I’m not so sure that was ever actually a good thing.
"Yes, because you're here and that's all we can fucking be, Aura." She has to be the voice of reason, because my emotions are too invested in this now. So, the reminder stings as it breaks through the clouded regions of my mind and I step away, heeding her warning and doing what I have to do. "No more touching, okay? Nothing else, not anymore."
She watches me through the reflection, and I meet her gaze as well, accept the line she's clearly drawing between us. I don't want to, even though I've been the one yelling about friendship this entire time. But just like before, I know it's the right move when I think of the possibility of Malin keeping an eye on her.
I want her safe just as badly as she clearly does for me.
I nod silently and she drops her eyes so that she's no longer watching me. "Go to the back of the stage, Sal will be announcing you soon. I'll be in the front, but don't fucking look for me, Aura. Promise me, you won't look, okay? Don't look at anyone. Don't make eye contact with anyone, I don't give a shit what Sal wants you to do."
"I get it, I won't look for you, or anyone for that matter." My words come out on frustrated lips. I want to be excited for this, so I decide to actively push all of this bullshit to the back of my mind while I turn and walk out the door, down the hallway to where I'll be entering the stage.
Sal is already waiting for me and gives me a quick, impersonal pep talk before he disappears behind the curtain. I was allowed to choose my song for this short dance, so I wait to hear the beginning beats of Girls like Girls by Hayley Kiyoko before I drop my silk robe behind me and step out underneath the flashing neon lights.
I halt my steps for a single moment, letting the subtle thumping of the stage reverberate underneath my feet. I feel the vibrations as they work up through my legs, course through my stomach and extend outwards through my fingertips.
It's exhilarating—almost immediately. I continue moving forward and do exactly as Ruby told me, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. If she is out here, then she already knows what I'm wearing. She knows what I'm saying without actually speaking, what I'm gifting to her even though we can never be together.
It's a visual, hopefully one that will consume her thoughts so that she's only thinking of me when she's alone. When her fingers slip between her legs and she's laying in her bed, it's my hand she's envisioning. When she's moaning and writhing under her sheets, her legs spread wide while she fucks herself with her vibrator—I want to be the name she's screaming.
The tight black leather straps of the bodice I'm wearing bite across my body in countless places. I've never worn anything like this before, never for Hawk or anyone else. I continuously surprise myself with the next step I'm willing to take, and I can only blame the confidence on what I've experienced the last couple of weeks.
The liberations. The freedom. The obsession.
My bra is an array of buckles and straps that barely cover my breasts. From the center spans two straps that move down and wrap around my waist, only to meet back in the front in a cross. From that point, two more straps drop from the center and wrap around my hips. My panties are actually another piece of the leather harness, littered with more buckles so that each strap can slip and connect to the other piece.
Needless to say, I'm dancing for my first time in several binds of darkness, accepting and reveling in who I'm searching to become. My own identity, my own fucking thrill. And God, I hope Ruby is watching.
I hope she sees this and knows that it's for her. The darkness she's pulled out of me when I didn't think it existed.
My hair is down and laying in thick waves across my upper back, so I casually lift my hands and drag them through the strands, lifting and arching my back while I wide step around the pole. Ruby reminded me countless times to keep it simple tonight, not to acquire any extra attention. So, I wrap one hand around the chrome and swing outwards in a simple beginner's move, my eyes automatically scan the room of their own accord.
Don't look for me.
Her words replay in my mind over and over again. I should listen, I'll be disappointed if I can't see her. I don't want that to ruin the empowering energy that's literally ripping through my body right now.
Every beat of the song, every word I let drift through me. Let it consume my mind and my movements while I completely give myself over to the vibe of it all.
But I look again, scouring across the faceless people ahead of me for the only eyes I actually want to connect with. Black, lethal eyes that awaken my demons. Those are the ones I want to devour me.
I keep moving, jumping into a simple fireman spin around the pole when I notice several dollars being thrown at my high heeled feet. Someone must be enjoying this, but I don't actually care about that. I just love this control, this power.
Something inside me draws my eyes upwards and I don't know exactly what it is until I finally find her in the shadows. I didn't even realize it was possible for Ruby to be where she is now, as she sits on the edge of the scaffolding that hangs near the bright lights dappling across the stage floor. She's above me, hidden away from everyone else while she watches me dance for only her.
I drop my gaze immediately, a sudden burst of nerves and excitement billowing in my mind. But I keep dancing as I slowly lift my hands and trail my fingers along the straps of my outfit, letting them pull and tug on the binds that are already reddening my flesh in desire.
I look back up, meeting her nightly gaze when I notice her lifting her legs and spreading them on the scaffolding.
Shit. What the fuck is she doing?
I keep moving, rolling my body against the pole as I raise my hands and wrap them tightly above me. I widen my own stance, dropping low before slowly standing back up and letting my gaze travel upwards again. I'm trying to be inconspicuous but fuck it's hard when all I can think about is her.
Her hand has slid down and in between her legs. Her new white fishnets—she told me she had to buy a new pair after whatever had happened with her tormentor—are concealing far too little as I realize she isn't wearing any panties.
Fuck. Fuck. My feet stumble just slightly, but I quickly catch my own mistake and subtly move in a slow seductive circle around the pole. Arousal wets my inner thighs when I glance back and see that's touching herself, her thin, long fingers diving deep inside her pussy before slipping back out to play with her clit.
My blood ignites, her own desire acting like gasoline to my flames. Everything picks up speed while my mind slows down completely. God, it's hot in here and now I just want to be naked. I can't even believe where my mind, my actions are taking me, but I don't want to stop. I don't want to think about it too closely. So, while I keep dancing, my fingers slip to the buckle in the center of my chest that holds the front of the harness in place.
I unclasp it. Letting it fall to the sides of my shoulders while I expose my tits for Ruby. In this moment, I'm not thinking of anyone else. I'm not thinking of the customers that are shouting or hooting while I arch my back and my nipples harden at the sight of my dancer.
The cold air blows across my chest, sharpening my tips into painful points that beg to be touched, sucked and played with. Ruby's hand is moving faster while she continues touching herself and I almost lose it when her head falls back and her chest rises and falls with her rapid movements. She's so wet, so fucking turned on that I can practically see her glistening pussy from here. But the shadows obscure
everything just slightly, and I have to use my imagination to really envision her. For some reason though, that makes this moment even hotter, even more forbidden.
I lift my own hands, grasping my chest and grazing my thumbs over my aching nipples while I watch her. Fucking flawless, that's what she is. A perfect downfall to everything I've been manipulated to believe. My own spark of hope in a past that’s consumed me.
The timing is immaculate as well, because just as my song ends, my eyes stayed glued to Ruby while she comes. I've never seen it before, never watched her release like she is now. It's mesmerizing, the way her back bends and her chest pushes forward, her hard nipples piercing through the thin fabric of the white tank she has on. Her hand slows completely until she pulls her fingers out of herself and slips them into her mouth, letting her tongue trail paths from the bottom to the top.
I watch as she quickly stands and walks to the right, moving off of the scaffolding and disappearing into a back area I've never seen before.
Everything starts shifting back into focus as my mind clears. I quickly grasp the buckle of my bra and snap back into place, realizing the ground is completely littered in dollar bills after my dance.
A wave of pride washes through me, that I did something so powerful that other people enjoyed. I did it. I fucking did it.
I turn around, remembering that Sal said any earnings tonight would go to him as payment for my first announcement. I don't mind though, I never did this for the money.
I did it for the freedom.
I walk back off the stage and hurry through the curtains, hoping to find Ruby waiting for me on the other side when I suddenly rush into a very hard and strong chest. Large hands land on my hips as the person catches me before I fall completely, and I step back out of his grasp in order to see who it is.
"Hi, Aura," his deep voice vibrates through my skin in sickening pricks of caution. "I really enjoyed your little performance out there. I thought it would be wise to introduce myself before you got the wrong idea from some of the other women here." He pauses, stepping his large frame forward and into my space before I can back away. "I'm Dominique."
Shit, every fucking time I try to put some goddamn space between us, she has to pull something like that.
Are you fucking kidding me? How the hell am I supposed to say no when she emerges from the shadows in an outfit like that? She's my literal wet dream, all wrapped up in sensual leather and handed to me like the fucking goddess I know she is.
And her dance? I've been watching her dance all week and it was never like that. She became something new, something electric. She pulsed through the room, drowning the crowd in her enticing darkness. It swallowed everyone completely, all eyes were glued to her curvy hips and round tits while she moved. But it wasn't just her body that drew everyone in.
No. It was so much more than that. It was in every shift of her fingers and step of her feet. It was in the way her hair bounced and billowed around her shoulders. It was in every fraction of a glance she graciously gave the crowd.
It was her in her energy, her confidence. Her vibe.
She didn't make solid eye contact with anyone—except me. But she didn't have to, everyone in this damn club knows who she is now.
She wasn't supposed to garner that much attention.
Instead, she's made it perfectly clear to every single person that she's about to flip this place upside fucking down.
So, now I'm racing to the back of the stage in hopes of catching her before everyone else gets their greedy fucking hands on her. No doubt some of the other girls will be in the back and waiting for her.
Just as I hurry down the metal staircase that leads to the tech room overlooking the club, I round the corner and my eyes immediately crash on the one person I wanted to keep away from her. Tall and strong. Powerful and poisonous.
Dom is standing seemingly casually, but his chest is flush against hers while he towers over her small frame. His hands are already gripping her hips and my mind flashes with a vision of those hands being torn from his body. His blood spilling on the floor while I maim him for ever fucking touching her.
She steps back, her eyes traveling up to meet his as they narrow just slightly. Her body tenses and I can literally feel how cautious she's being as he introduces himself.
Fuck, his voice. It's that dark, husky wash of something that promises danger. I used to think I liked that in him, but I know all too well what his danger actually consists of.
He steps forward, directly into her space as she's forced to tilt her head up to maintain eye contact. God, she's fucking amazing. She doesn't even look afraid, even while her body stands stiff and apprehensive, she radiates power.
I fucking love it.
But Dom lifts a hand and gently brushes back a stray lock of her hair. I lose it, the sight of his fingers even barely touching her. He doesn't get to do that, no fucking way.
She belongs to me.
I step forward, intentionally avoiding Aura's eyes as I move towards Dom. He notices me, and steps away just barely. But it's enough to leave an opening for me to slip through and distract him. I step between them, my back flush against Dom's chest while he slips an arm around my waist and drags me against his chest.
"Ah—My Ruby. Did you enjoy Aura's little show?" His question scrapes across my skin and I'm worried that he saw me somehow. That he knows exactly how much I did enjoy it.
"Aura's so-called dance?" I scoff, "No. She's an amateur. I hope she didn't win you over with a few poorly executed pony tricks, did she? That'd be sad for you, a bit embarrassing honestly. Lowering your standards, Dom?" I don't look at Aura while I say the words because I don't want to see the pain they inflict. She has to know that I'm lying, obviously. But even well-intentioned lies sting all the same.
Dom laughs bitterly and Aura doesn't actually say a word. I still can't look at her, can't force my eyes to meet her own. So, I laugh as well, joining Dom in our mutual humor at Aura's expense. But suddenly his hand shoots forward and he grips my jaw so tightly that I worry he'll leave visible bruises. I'll have to apply more makeup to that area, disguise it a little better if he does.
He twists my head back roughly and towards him as he crashes his lips against mine. He kisses me harshly, something so much more aggressive than he ever does in public. He forces his tongue into my mouth and I willingly take it, hoping this will somehow distract him from Aura. Maybe she'll sneak away while he claims what is his.
He bites my lip and pulls back, so I moan in response while I internally try not to throw up all over him. His touch is vile, his taste sickening. I fucking hate it, but I'll take it completely if it keeps him away from my Vibe Girl.
However, my skin ices over when I realize Aura still hasn't left. In fact, she's standing ahead of us, her arms now crossed loosely over her chest while her head tilts to the side. My eyes fall to hers just briefly while Dom continues kissing me, my gaze locked onto her while my tongue is in someone else's mouth.
"Is this how you treat all of the girls here, Dominique? Like they belong to you?" Her words flow freely from her lips and I want to fucking hit her. Anger boils inside of my stomach as I think about what she's just done. Instead of slipping away and out of his mind, she's making herself an intentional target.
Dom slowly breaks the kiss and turns his eyes toward her. His arm cinches even tighter around my waist and I flinch without control for a moment, the pain against my ribs being inflamed from our last encounter. I've almost completely healed, but I'm still sore and achy in some places.
"Excuse me?" he asks, his voice calm and resilient while my eyes plead with Aura not to push this any further.
But she does, she fucking steps forward and against me. Her chest flush against mine while her head leans closer to Dom's. "I said, do you treat all of the women here like this? I don't believe I stuttered, but if you'd like me to expand, I can. What I truly mean, is do you wait for the women to say they want you? Or do you fucking take it without asking?
"
"Fuck, Aura," I mutter under my breath as I place a hand against her chest and attempt pushing her away from us. Get the fuck away.
But Dom laughs, this time deep from his belly as his hold on me relaxes and he stands up straight.
"Dear girl, I am impressed with you." His voice drops into a whisper, almost as if he's in awe of what Aura has said. Confusion lines my mind as he mumbles, "We could use someone like you. You'll be perfect." But he's speaking to himself and I doubt Aura even caught what he said.
"I take anything I want, when I want it, because I can. I've worked for years to be able to acquire that privilege and I don't actually care what you or anyone else thinks about that. Besides, Ruby here? She's always belonged to me and she will give me whatever I desire. Correct, Ruby?" He’s addressing Aura even while he asks me the question. He wants her to hear it, fuck. He already fucking knows now that she's important. In whatever fucked up way he found her important before, he knows she's important to me in some way.
She's fucking ruined this.
"Yes, Dom," I say because it's the only answer he'll take from me. Now that Aura is already a target, the only thing I can do is keep him distracted or happy enough with me to never need her.
My heart sinks at the realization, and rage rips through my veins at the situation I know we're stuck in.
"Who the fuck do you belong to?" he pushes farther, his teeth gritting against my cheek while his hand wraps around my throat and he forces me to look at Aura. "Say it, Nov—"
"You. I belong to you," I spit the words out quickly, just before he reveals my birth name. I'm not ready to give that up and fuck if I want to give it to her while I'm this fucking angry.
He answers with another kiss, punishing me with his lips and his touch as his hand falls to grope my chest once before he releases and steps away from us. "So nice to meet you, Aura. I'm sure I will see you again soon."