by Romi Hart
He’d never seen Charlie like this, but he liked that the guy wanted to protect Skye. She needed it, and Harrison had to admit that, if he didn’t clean up his act, she would need to be protected from him, too. “You’re right. And I’m on it.” He shook the bartender’s hand and strode back to the office, feeling a lot more like his old self. He could handle this, whatever it was. It didn’t matter if she told him to eat shit and die or to strip her down and plow into her right there in the office. He’d do whatever it took to make her happy, to rectify everything he’d messed up before the house of cards tumbled down around him.
Just as he reached the door, it flew open, and he ran headlong into Skye. He grabbed onto her, as much to steady himself as to assure she didn’t topple to the ground. She turned red, seeming embarrassed, but there was that heat in her eyes he recognized, her pupils dilating and her nostrils flaring as her breath quickened. She backed away after a few seconds and smiled sheepishly. “We’re going to have to talk out here,” she said, sounding apologetic. “One of the girls is going home sick, and we need to have enough girls out here available for lap dances.”
It wasn’t what Harrison wanted to hear, but he wasn’t about to make a peep about his loathing for the idea of other men with hands on her. He’d made that mistake one too many times already, and he had at least learned that lesson. With a shrug that was more casual than he felt, he motioned for her to lead the way back to the bar, and he followed with a possessive hand at the small of her back. She didn’t flinch or protest, and he took that as a positive sign.
Of course, liquor still ran thick in his veins, despite having cleared his mind. And that could be completely altering his perception. Did he even dare to hope this was going to be a good conversation, one in which he might come out on top? Probably not, but he couldn’t quite squelch the glimmer of sadistic optimism that rose within as he sat down across from Skye and met her troubled but beautiful gaze.
14
Skye frowned at Harrison. She’d never seen him like this, not even when she’d collected him from the hospital. He looked like he’d been on a weeklong bender and hadn’t slept the entire time. But his eyes were focused on her, with an expression she could read through the puffiness around them. So, she brushed it aside, not wanting to start a fight by asking him if he’d been getting trashed and if that was why he hadn’t been here in nearly a week.
She’d thought it over today after the time she’d spent with Rory, and if there was one thing that woman was good at, it was inspiring the need to go after whatever you desired before it was too late. So, she’d planned to hunt down Harrison tomorrow to talk to him about everything – the fight, his proposition and why it offended her, her perspective on things, and ultimately, her feelings for him. The last part would be the hardest, she knew, and she worked hard to try to find words that would slide more easily off the tip of her tongue.
And failed.
She’d considered putting off the conversation until she could come up with the right thing to say, but his having shown up here tonight made that impossible. Staring at him, she could see he wasn’t himself, but she wasn’t quite sure what was wrong. She hoped it had nothing to do with the things she’d said, but she had a very bad feeling that’s exactly what plagued him. And why he’d been away for so long.
He didn’t look thrilled to be here, either, and that bothered her immensely. But since they were both here, and she had things to address, she felt like the burden would only get heavier if she continued to put it off. And if she ignored him or had a casual conversation with him and didn’t mention the falling out, he’d assume she didn’t care about him. That was the last thing she wanted to portray.
So, she took her usual perch on her barstool and waited for Charlie to bring her drink, giving him a smile, and she watched curiously as Harrison sipped from the coffee cup. He hadn’t had a drink when she’d first approached him, and when he’d literally run into her on her way back out of the office, he’d nearly caused third degree burns on one of her arms with coffee and frozen the other with his glass of water. Had he put himself on some sort of alcohol detox? She hadn’t caught wind of that, and she was sure that, with the way Rory gossiped, she would have mentioned it. After all, she had brought up Harrison’s celibacy, so it wasn’t like she was hesitant to talk about personal issues.
Assessing him, she couldn’t quite gauge his mood. She didn’t know where to start, though, so she tried to make some small talk to break the ice. The tension was tangible, and her chest ached from the pressure, giving her anxiety about this whole conversation she’d tried to plan ahead. That was an epic fail.
“You’ve been missed around here,” she commented, hoping it would bring a smile to his face.
Instead, he scowled and shrugged. “The other guys handled it alright, didn’t they?”
Skye sighed. Obviously, he wasn’t over their spat. And to be fair, it had been more of a lecture and attack on her part than a spat. “It’s not just about the security. People are used to you being around, and it’s one thing for you to be off one night. It’s a little offsetting when you’re out for several days.”
He scoffed. “To who?”
She rolled her eyes. “A lot of people. Including me. It’s comforting to look over and see you sitting here when I’m on stage, to know that if something really does go wrong, you’re here to take care of it.”
He stared at her for a moment, then turned away, sipping his coffee. When he spoke, he told her, “I didn’t think you’d notice. And if you did, I thought you’d be relieved.”
Frustrated, she threw her hands in the air. “Come on, Harrison. Don’t play this game with me. You know better. I didn’t tell you to get out of my life. I told you to get a clue. What’s wrong with you? If I can’t even have a light conversation with you, how am I supposed to have a serious discussion about—”
“Hello, gorgeous.” The interruption was unexpected and made her jump as she turned to see one of her regulars, a man she hadn’t seen here in over a month, striding toward her with a drunken grin on his face. She hadn’t expected him. He hadn’t come around since the night Harrison went ballistic on her other big tipper. And she didn’t like the lecherous look on his face, the one he got when he drank too heavily. But she could use the money, so she smiled sweetly at him. “Hi, Donny, baby. I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
“Yeah, I’ve been missing my sugar,” he told her, his eyes roaming her body openly. “I got a bank roll for you tonight. I just need some attention from you, mama.”
Ignoring the way Harrison tensed beside her, Skye nodded and held up a finger. “Give me just a minute, darlin’. I’m finishing up a little chit chat over here, and I’ll be all yours.” She wanted to finish this discussion before she walked away, and she also needed to be sure, that Harrison wouldn’t interfere with the time she needed to take with Don. She could make a fortune in the next hour, if she could get the solitude she needed. And every penny of it could go in the high yield savings account she had going.
“Now, it’s not polite to make me wait. I’ve got to be your highest paying customer,” Don argued, that smile fading. “I want what I want, and if I have to wait, I’m sure there are plenty of girls who’d like to make a little extra money.”
Panic swept through Skye. The man actually had the nerve to threaten her like this? And the worst thing was, she would have to give in. She’d have to react to his childish tantrums because she couldn’t afford to lose him to someone else.
She managed to maintain a pleasant face, a bright smile, and twinkling, teasing eyes, despite her anger and disappointment as she turned to Harrison. “I’m sorry, I really need to work right now. Can we pick this up when I’m done here?”
Harrison gave a short nod and clipped his words. “I’m not going anywhere.” He eyed Donny with a warning glance, but the other man didn’t even notice, his eyes fixed on Skye with expectation and the usual lust.
Sliding off the stool, she tried
to ignore the sense of unease that swirled in her gut, arising from a combination of her concern over Donny’s drunkenness and her worry for Harrison. And the fact that Harrison watched her with his eyes burning into her back as she slid an arm around Donny’s waist and they walked away didn’t help in the least.
She led Donny to the far end of the lounge area, in the back corner away from the bar, wanting to be out of sight of anyone who might be seated there. She wasn’t about to admit that, for the first time, she was desperate to be out of view of Harrison. She didn’t know if it was guilt or embarrassment, but she couldn’t stand the idea of him seeing her and what she did for the money Donny kept in a fat wad in his wallet.
It was dark in this corner, and Donny was very handsy when he’d been drinking this much. But she managed to pin his hands down with her knees as she straddled him and gyrated her hips, giving him a lap dance that seemed to please, if she could gauge by the feel of something swelling beneath her. She slowed down, not wanting to egg that on, but he got a hand free and made a grab at her breast.
She pushed him away and waggled her finger at him, pasting on that smile. “Oh, no, big boy. You know better than that.” He chuckled, and the hand landed on her hip. She didn’t protest, feeling that was at least less personal. She continued to move against him, forcing herself to feel the music, to pretend this was something enjoyable, something intimate. But for all that this job wasn’t so bad, never felt demeaning, she had this greasy, dirty sensation that crawled over her skin, especially as Donny’s hand crept up her side toward her breasts again.
She grabbed his wrist, pinning his arm over his head so that her breasts were almost pressed against his face, and she shook her head. “I want to have some fun with you, Donny, but you have to behave yourself and follow the rules.”
He grunted. “Come on, baby girl. You and I both know there’s more between us than that. We’re special together. You know you want me all up inside you.”
His blatant come on and misguided belief had her reeling, and while she normally handled these sorts of things with grace and skill, she was off her game and a more than a little nervous about it. She pulled back and gave him a warning look. “I appreciate your business, Donny, and I like you just fine, or I wouldn’t work for you like this. But that’s all it is, sweetheart. I’m not interested in anything else with you or anyone else in this place.”
His face contorted with rage, and suddenly, his hand was on her wrist, yanking her hand down to his crotch and pushing it against his erection. “You come over here and get my cock twitching, dance all over it, and then tell me you don’t want me? What are you, some kind of cock tease?” He shook his head as she tried to pull her arm away, his grip tightening painfully. “Feel that, Skye. Feel how ready I am to fuck you right now. And I bet you’re all kinds of wet for me.”
She nearly gagged at the idea, but she tried to keep herself from freaking out. She knew better than most that, the more upset she got, the more out of control a desperate man would get. Controlling her reaction was the first step in gaining control of the situation.
“Donny,” she said in a clear, calm voice, but with as much authority as she could muster, “let go of me. I am an entertainer, and I’m sorry if you got the wrong idea about what I have to offer. I get paid to make you smile, but I’m not a sex worker. If that’s what you’re looking for, there are plenty of planes, trains, and automobiles to get you to Vegas.”
He just snorted. “Are you implying I should pay for sex? Not on your life!” He let go of her, and she was off his lap, scrambling back from the couch in a heartbeat, her own pulse thundering in her ears. “Here,” he snarled, tossing a hundred dollar bill at her that fell at her feet. “Get out of my face.”
She’d probably just lost him for good, but at the moment, Skye didn’t care. She couldn’t handle this sort of behavior, having to deal with this type of patron. Donny had always been a bit much, but she’d never felt threatened by him, and now, she tasted the bile in her throat, rising with the fear roiling in her chest. She considered leaving the money where it lay, showing him she couldn’t be bought. But this was her job, and she had performed for him. He owed her, and to be honest, that much money for five minutes was too much to turn away, especially with the torture she’d endured.
She bent to pick it up, and she cried out as arms wrapped around her, throwing her to the couch. Suddenly, Donny was straddling her, her chest bare and her lungs seizing in terror. She flailed and kicked, but Donny was a big guy, and even drunk, he was strong enough to hold her down. He pinned her wrists over her head, and she bucked against him, but that just made him laugh and excited him further. He bent and licked her face, and she whimpered against her will, unable to hold it back.
“You whore! You dance up there like some horny little bitch, and then you take my money like a kept woman, but you deny me the one thing you know I want. The thing that you flaunt up there, in front of everyone, just to see who’ll buy it for the most money. Is there someone else paying you bigger bucks?” He shoved a knee between her legs, forcing them apart and pushing against the junction. “I’ll find out who it is, and I’ll kill him. Or, you can just give me what you’ve been promising all this time.”
He’d lost his mind. There was no other explanation for the way he was acting. She’d thought she was prepared for this, had planned her moves and how to escape. But she’d underestimated the strength of someone off his rocker, and she hadn’t calculated the rawness left behind by the claws of dread and horror that would clutch so tightly at her.
“Donny, come on. Please be reasonable. This isn’t the right thing to do. We’re in a public place, and I’m not into it.” Try as she might, she couldn’t get the tremor or the plea out of her voice. She didn’t want to raise an alarm, not yet. She didn’t need the whole place in a riot, which is what would happen.
“Shut up,” he grated out between his teeth, holding her arms down with one hand while reaching for his belt with the other. She pushed against him but still couldn’t get the leverage against him to break free, and as his belt fell to the floor and he reached for his fly, her anxiety got the best of her. She screamed, and he slapped her, silencing her. She flinched, the sting bad and the taste of blood at the corner of her mouth worse.
“Get off me, Donny!” she yelled louder, and then she screamed again, wordlessly, wishing she hadn’t been so adamant about being this far away from Harrison. He would have come running instantly. The other boys…well, they barely noticed anything, and it would take too long for them to respond. She screamed louder, risky and receiving another smack. She whimpered but refused to give up.
He put his hand over her mouth, but she bit his middle finger, determined to get free, and he pulled back with a wince. She saw the fist coming and braced for the pain. But maybe she’d gotten enough attention from somewhere to get the help she needed before he broke every bone in her face.
15
Gritting his teeth, Harrison turned away from the view of Skye’s ass swaying as she disappeared into the dark crevices of the space to pander to that son of a bitch who couldn’t seem to wait his turn. Skye had been on the verge of saying something important. He had no idea what, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know at the time. But now, he would give his left arm to have her back over here, under his watchful eye.
He’d nearly screwed up again and was just grateful he’d become a pro at pulling himself out of that place, the dungeon of no hope, where tomorrow didn’t exist. Otherwise, she would never speak to him again at all.
With a sigh, he told himself she could handle this. He was a regular, albeit one that had been missing for a while now. But he had a bad feeling about it and didn’t like that she’d gone off, seeming to specifically hide from him. There was no other reason she would have taken her client so far away.
Over the sound of the music, he heard a bit of a scuffle, but he ignored it. It didn’t sound like a big deal, and that’s what these guys got paid to do, break
up a tiff between drunk men and keep them from fondling the women. If they couldn’t handle that, he was about to start tossing them out and finding new detail. Corey would be pissed, but he had to have people who did what they were told and took the job seriously. And they didn’t need members in the Devil’s Flames who didn’t take orders and slacked on the job.
But the next scream was louder, and he tensed. Charlie’s head popped up, too, and the way his chin set as his eyes blazed prompted Harrison to turn around. The next cry was silenced almost instantly, but he honed in on the corner and knew the voice, even in its desperation.
He launched himself off the barstool and shoved men and women alike out of his way as he rushed across the big space, ignoring their indignant shouts. He could apologize later. Why weren’t any of his boys moving to help? It was obvious Skye was in trouble, but none of them even turned around. He was going to have patches for that, but first, he had to get to Skye before something terrible happened to her.
As he neared the couch, he saw that creep pull his hand back, Skye thrashing beneath him as he held her down with his body and one arm. He covered the last of the distance in two long strides, grabbing the asshole’s shoulder just before he plowed a fist into Skye’s face. He wrenched the arm and twisted, using his leverage to pull the man’s entire body from the couch, freeing Skye.
His vision red, with blackness closing in around the edges, Harrison threw the jerk to the ground, using his own fists to pummel the guy’s face, making his head bounce against the carpet. His eyes rolled back in his head, but Harrison wasn’t done. He stood, planted a boot in the man’s ribs, over and over. He felt hands on him, trying to pull him away, but he shoved them off, even threw one man aside who tried to catch him under his arms and pull him away.