She’s too young. Too innocent. Too precious for the likes of the regulars in this place. The likes of me. That final thought is a sobering one as we greet Gary who’s on the door tonight and enter the club like we would any other night of the week.
We go straight to the main room—it’s where I saw her last night, so I have no reason to think she’d be anywhere else. Heaven forbid Dakota allows her to spend time one-on-one with guys in the private rooms. A shudder runs through me at the thought. Those girls in there can be… rule breakers, shall we say, and I’ve no doubt that Dakota knows every single thing that happens under this roof.
I squint as I step into the darkened room. Unlike usual, I forgo a trip to the bar in favour of checking out the girls on the stage, but again, unlike usual, it’s not them I’m really interested in. I don’t see the way their hips roll or what they're wearing, I just need to find her. But she’s not here.
“I can’t see her,” D says when I find him back by the entrance.
“Me either.”
“I need to find Dakota.”
Stalking toward the bar, I lean over when the barman comes over and I shout in his ear.
“Where’s the boss?”
He shrugs. “In her office. Why, who’s asking?” I’ve not seen this guy before, and he clearly doesn’t know who I am.
“Spike. Get her down here. I need to talk to her now.”
His eyes widen a little in shock, but thankfully it seems to do the trick because he pulls his walkie-talkie from his belt and says something into it.
“She’s coming. Drink?”
“Vodka, neat.”
He looks to D who’s standing beside me and he quickly adds a whisky to the order.
The second the glass is in front of me, I lift it to my lips and down it in one. It burns, but I need it right now.
“Well, well, what a pleasant surprise,” Dakota shouts, making me spin to look at her.
“Where is she?”
To be fair to Dakota, she does a great job of trying to look like she has no idea what the fuck I’m talking about, but she knows. I can see the truth in her eyes. We may not have been friends all that long, but I can read her.
“Where’s who?”
“Dakota,” I warn, taking a step toward her. Not that it’ll faze her, she’s nothing if she’s not a hard-arsed bitch. There’s not many women I’d admit I’m scared of, but she’s one of them.
“Spike,” she sasses back with a smile.
“Tell me where she is, and I won’t cause a scene.”
“What are you really going to do?”
Honestly, I’ve no idea, but I don’t want her to know that. “Test me and find out.”
She pales ever so slightly, and I know I’ve got her. This place is her baby, there’s no way she’d willingly risk losing out on a few customers because of me.
“If you tell me you’ve got her working one of the back rooms, I’ll—”
My words are cut off when she starts laughing. “You really need to stop threatening me.”
“Tell me what I need to know, and I will. She shouldn’t be here, and you know it.”
“I’m sure there are people out there who’d say that about every one of my dancers, Spike. But no one forces them to be here, and I pay them well for their work.”
“I don’t care about your other dancers. I just care about her.” That admission rocks me slightly, but I tell myself that it’s in a sisterly way because I’m such a loyal friend to Zach.
“Fucking hell. Follow me.”
I look at D who nods at me to go. I spin and follow Dakota in her insanely high heels to the staff only door at the back of the room.
The second we’re through it, the music instantly quiets down.
She takes two more steps before turning on me.
“Why do you care about this girl?”
“She’s my best mate’s sister and she’s in trouble. Trouble I don’t think you’re going to want to bring into your club.” Dakota narrows her eyes, encouraging me to continue. “Not my story to tell. I just need her out of this place and somewhere safe.”
“You care too much about this one, Spike,” she points out like I wasn’t already fucking aware.
I haven’t put this much effort into a woman since… nope, not going there.
“I just need her safe.”
“Suuuure. I’ll take you to her, but it’s going to cost you.”
“You want me to fucking pay?”
“You want one of my girls during working hours, and after the scene you caused last night, yeah, I want compensation.”
“Fuck you, Dakota.”
Her eyes run down my body and her lip curls in disgust. “I hear what the girls say. Apparently you’re not all that.”
My chin drops in shock before she starts laughing and walks away from me.
“Pay for her for the night and she’s yours to do with as you wish. And,” she adds, “should you not leave the room for a while, I won’t even tell her brother.”
7
Kas
“Well, well, well, I didn’t think you’d be stepping back in this place,” Dakota says the second I step into the dressing room at the club after my less than glamorous escape from Spike’s flat.
“He doesn’t own me,” I mutter, dumping my bag on the bench and shrugging off my zip-up hoodie.
“Are you sure about that?”
“Ugh, he’s my brother’s mate who thinks he can ‘fix’ me or whatever.” I wave her off, really not wanting to go into this. “I need this job, Dakota, no matter what his opinion might be about it.”
“I know you do, kid, but I can’t risk him going all alpha on your arse like he did last night. It’s bad for business. If the men start thinking they have a right to manhandle my girls, then I’m fucked.”
“I get that, I do, and I’m really sorry he did that. But I need this. Please. Put me in one of the back rooms until he gets bored of trying to be my keeper.”
“You know I can’t do that.”
“Why? Because I’m young? That’s bullshit and you know it. I’m just as good as the rest of the girls, if not more desirable because of my age. Wasn’t that what you said to me when you hired me?”
“Damn it, Kas.”
“Just give me a chance. If you get any complaints about my… services, then you won’t see me again after tonight.”
A ball of dread explodes in my stomach at knowing what I’m offering. I know what some of the girls do in the back rooms, but fuck, I’m desperate, and it’s either the guys who are paying for the privilege or it’s Jet’s guys. I know which is the better end of the deal, so I’ll take it with both hands, thank you very much.
“I’m not happy about this.”
“I don’t need you to be happy, I just need you to let me do it.”
She blows out a frustrated breath. “Alicia,” she shouts to one of the other girls, “I need you out on the main stage tonight. Kas is taking over your room.”
“What?” she barks, clearly pissed off. It’s understandable; the back rooms are where the real money’s at.
“Suck it up, Alicia. Now let’s get sorted. Showtime in thirty, ladies.” With that, Dakota flounces out of the dressing room, leaving hard, angry eyes on me.
“What?” I bark. All the women in here might be older and more experienced in this line of work than me but I’ve no doubt I could take each and every one of them if they were to try something. They look like the kind of bitches who’ll slap and scratch with their fake arse nails. I bet they’ve never punched someone in their lives.
I make quick work of getting ready. I pull on a white lace underwear set, complete with stockings and suspenders and my heels. I always go for white, it helps to show off my ‘innocence’. I laugh to myself. Innocent, what a fucking joke. I’m pretty sure my innocence was stolen before I even knew what the word meant with the life I’ve been forced to live.
“You got what it takes to be what the guys in that ro
om need, kid?” Alicia asks, stopping behind me where I’m topping up my make-up in the mirror.
“More so than you, I’m sure.” Her eyes narrow, but I don’t give her the time of day and focus on my red lipstick.
“Watch your fucking back, kid. That room is mine, and everyone knows it.”
“You do realise how that makes you sound, right? We all know what you do, in there. Just because it happens in a warm room with security on hand, it doesn’t make you any better than the girls on the street corner.”
Her face turns tomato red. “What the fuck did you just say to me?”
Pushing the stool out behind me, I turn to her. She’s taller than me, no shock there, so I tilt my head to look into her eyes.
“Watch your back, Alicia,” I seethe before throwing my stuff in my locker and heading toward what she considers her room.
The room in question is dark. The walls are covered in black flocked wallpaper, the bench style seating wrapped around two of the walls covered in black velvet. There’s a pole right in the centre up on a small stage, and the ceiling is mirrored.
But it isn’t the decoration that I pay much attention to, because the second the door shuts behind me, a trickle of apprehension runs through me.
Being up on stage with loads of eyes on me is one thing, but being shut in a room with just one guy really is another.
Suddenly, I understand Dakota’s reluctance to allow me to do this.
It’s safer, I tell myself. I’m more likely to get through an entire shift without Spike—or worse, Zach—causing such a scene that Dakota does fire me.
After a few seconds, the low bass of the music fills the room, telling me that the night is really getting started outside the door.
I guess all I do now is wait for my first client.
I run my slightly sweaty palms down my thighs—not that it does much as I hesitantly perch my arse on the edge of the seat.
The lighting is so dim in here that I can hardly see the door at the other side of the room. I guess it’s meant to heighten the sense of anticipation or whatever, but right now, all it’s doing is making my heart gallop.
I have no idea how much time passes. It feels like a fucking lifetime, but the reality is that it’s probably no more than ten minutes when the sound of the door opening cuts through the room.
My spine straightens as I push to stand. I give myself a talking to and take a step forward, waiting for the guy to show himself.
My lip curls in disgust as I think about the fact that it’s probably some old, fat and smelly man who’s coming in here for a special Sunday night treat.
My stomach turns over, but when the guy steps into the light, I realise just how very wrong I was.
Our eyes lock and his mouth opens, probably ready to rip me a new one, but before any words pass his lips, his eyes drop down my body.
“Motherfucker.”
It might be dark, but I don’t miss how his pupils dilate at the sight before him or the way his fists clench in what I hope is a move to stop him reaching for me.
“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue, old man?” I ask, taking a seductive step forward, putting as much swing into my hips as possible.
“Tiny,” he warns. By some miracle, he keeps his eyes on mine, but I know it’s killing him not to drop them once more. It’s clear in the tightening of his muscles.
I step right up to him, delighting in the movement in his jaw as he tries to restrain himself.
“What’s wrong, Spike? Is the temptation suddenly too much for you to handle?”
“I-it’s time to leave.” His voice is deep and husky despite the fact that he had to clear it before he managed to get any words out.
“And what would be the fun in that?” I forget all about my earlier hesitation when I was in here alone. Seeing his reaction to me has given me all the confidence I could need.
“We’re leaving.” His hand wraps around my forearm and he tugs—only he’s underestimating me, because when I move, it’s to press the length of my body against his.
The feeling of his hard planes against my softness is enough for the temperature of my body to spike.
Reaching up on my tiptoes, I brush my lips against his ear lobe, enjoying the feeling of him shuddering beneath me. “It would be such a shame to waste the room, don’t you think?” I whisper.
His fingers tighten for a beat as his eyes shut.
“You know what they say? What happens in the back rooms stays in the back rooms.”
“Tiny,” he warns again, his voice so deep it causes goosebumps to prick my skin. His restraint is starting to slip, I can sense it. If it weren’t, I’ve no doubt I’d already be dragged behind him to the dressing room like I was last night.
He lowers his face, his breath tickling across my neck and down my back, making my entire body shudder.
“She made me pay for the room,” he admits, making my breath catch.
“Well then, it would be rude not to use it.”
As if someone is watching—to be fair, they probably are—the music increases, the sexy beat of the song unable to be ignored as it pumps though the darkness.
When his eyes come back to mine, they’re blown with desire. I know there and then that I’ve won.
Taking a step back, he surprises me by releasing his grip on my wrist, but it’s only for a second. The next thing I know, I’m moving and my back is pressed up against the soft wall.
With his height, he totally surrounds me as he steps up to me and looks down. I’m pretty sure I’ve never felt so small in my life, yet so powerful at the same time.
I want to smile in accomplishment, but the intensity in his stare stops it from happening.
His chest heaves as his breath fans my face.
“Spike?” I ask when I start to wonder if he’s in some kind of daze when he just stands there staring at me.
My voice must drag him from wherever he’d gone, because his eyes flash with awareness before he moves forward.
His lips brush my ear, and I swear my knees are a second from giving out.
“You’re playing with fire, Tiny. And you are going to get burned.”
“It’s okay. I’m already going to hell. I like it hot.”
He groans as if in physical pain, and after a beat, he pulls his head back but doesn’t move far. His lips gently graze my jaw, his eyes finding mine and holding them as he moves.
“I-I’m meant to be the one teasing you,” I stutter when he begins to hover over my own lips, close enough that I can feel his heat, but too far away to actually give me what I need.
“Oh, baby. Trust me, you’re doing that.”
“Spike,” I moan, my body sagging back against the wall as my core floods with heat. My need for his touch is all-consuming. “Please.”
His eyes harden for a beat.
“Why would I do anything you ask of me, Tiny? All you do is defy me. Did you think you were clever, sneaking out of that window?”
“Yeah, actually. I thought it was kind of genius.”
“Did you really think we wouldn’t notice?”
I shrug. Honestly, I’d not really thought much further than getting here and begging Dakota for my job back.
“You’re trouble,” he states.
“I could have told you that myself,” I admit with a roll of my eyes. “So what are you going to do about it? Are you going to punish me? Show me what a bad little girl I’ve been?” I bite down on my bottom lip and roll my hips, ensuring I make contact with his groin.
His eyes darken and he growls once again before pushing away from me.
Coldness surrounds my burning skin and disappointment races through me.
I had absolutely no desire to do any of the usual things that happen in this room when I first begged Dakota to allow me back here. Hell, the first thing I wanted to do when I stepped foot inside was to run back out as fast as my heels would allow me. But now, surrounded by his woodsy, addictive scent and the memory of how hot his bod
y is beneath those clothes, I’m suddenly more interested than I think could be deemed as healthy.
“Get a good look around, Tiny. This is the last time you’re ever going to be in here.”
“But, I–”
“No. The time to disobey me is over.” His voice is harder than before, and I can’t deny that it does make my argument die on my tongue. I don’t think anyone has ever told me no before. It’s kind of thrilling.
“But I hoped my first time back here would be more… satisfying.”
I watch him as he spins around the pole before locking his eyes on mine once again.
“You mean, you’ve never worked one of these rooms before?”
“Nope. And guess what, you’re my first client. So… boss, what’s it to be?”
I push from the wall and stalk toward him, looking at his pained face through my lashes.
“You didn’t really get to see me in action last night, did you? Did you just want to see if I’m up for the job, or…” Reaching out, I cup his already hard length though the fabric of his jeans. He gasps in surprise, his eyes going incredibly wide for a second. “Or would you like the full experience? This must be all kinds of uncomfortable right now.”
Backing away from me, he falls down onto the bench and drops his head into his hands.
It doesn’t escape my notice that he doesn’t just bolt for the door.
As I stand and watch him, I realise he’s fighting an internal battle with himself.
His body is screaming yes, that much is obvious. But his head, that’s in a whole other place right now.
“You look tense. You should probably sit back and relax.”
I gesture to the camera that I know is pointing at us and request that the music be turned up. I think our time for talking is over.
8
Spike
I keep my eyes locked on the floor as I ask myself why I didn’t just walk out, dragging her barely-clad body behind me.
Some fucked-up part of me wants this torture to continue, although fuck knows why.
I shouldn’t be in a room alone with her dressed like that, let alone one that’s filled with low, sexy music and a fucking stripper pole.
Defy You: A Brother's Best Friend/Age Gap Romance (Rebel Ink Book 3) Page 6