Page 8 of Killer Kiss

As the night rolled on, a few more people entered the room, grabbing drinks from Echo at the bar and settling in to watch me dance. But it was Victoria I paid the most attention to. Even when I was giving a lap dance to one of her friends, it was Victoria whose gaze I continually sought out, even though she nervously turned away.

But by the time the club closed, and she was one of only two people left, I knew I had her. I waited for her friend to go to the bathroom and then slid into the seat she’d left empty.

“Did you have a good night?” I asked.

She nodded. “You were great.”

“Thank you. So were you.”

She stared down at her hands, twisting her fingers. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You didn’t need to. I liked that you were here.”

She looked up and drew in a stilted breath. “Can I tell you something?”

“Yes.”

“I came here with an ulterior motive. I’ve seen you here before. You probably didn’t notice me…”

I hadn’t.

“But I heard that sometimes you do…uh, private events after your shift.”

“Who’d you hear that from?”

Her eyes widened. “Oh my gosh, you don’t? I’m so sorry!” She grabbed her purse so quick she knocked over a half-drunk glass of wine.

Shit. There I went, being an asshole again. I swear I didn’t even mean to. It was just a force of habit.

I put my hand over hers and pulled her to her feet. With a little tug on her fingers, I drew her in and put my lips to her ears. “Get rid of your friend. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”

She cleared her throat. “Um. You mean for…for…”

I leaned back and grinned at her. “Yeah, sweetheart. For that. Five hundred for the night. Your place or mine. The car. A park. Whatever you want. Let me know when I get out there.”

I let go of her and walked away into the locker rooms.

The second I made it through the doorway, the smile I’d forced onto my face all night fell.

Eve was wrapped in a towel, her face scrubbed clean of makeup during her shower. She leaned on the lockers. “How’d you go tonight?”

“Dead as fuck.”

She sighed. “Me, too.” She cocked her head to one side. “You want to hang around for a drink? On the house. We can drown our sorrows.”

“No, thanks.”

“Come on, Aug. We miss you. And it’s Fawn’s birthday in a couple of days.”

I stiffened. I didn’t want to think about Fawn spending her birthday with a man who beat and tortured her. Because I knew men like Eddie. If Fawn was even still alive, she wasn’t soaking in a bubble bath, being cooked nice meals, or showered with birthday gifts.

She was tied up. Hurt. Praying that one of us would walk through those damn doors and save her.

I didn’t deserve to sit around the club, enjoying a drink at the end of a shift. How could I do that when everything she was going through was my fault?

I shouldered my gym bag and moved past Eve. “Not all of us are done with work for the night.”

It was a low blow, and I knew it. Though sleeping with clients was strictly forbidden on the club premises, Eve had always turned a blind eye to what I did outside the club. It didn’t mean she liked it though. As the owner and self-appointed mother hen, she felt responsible for those of us who worked for her.

---