Page 58 of Pulled Away

I’m about to head to the kitchen but freeze before turning to him. “What other job?”

“I don’t think you’re going to like this.”

His gleaming eyes and wide, toothy grin fill me with dread, signaling that he's going to relish telling me.

“Just fucking tell me.”

“She’s waitressing.”

“That’s not so bad.”

“At The Silver Stiletto.”

I stare at him for a few beats, trying to process what he just said. Then I explode. “What the fuck, Carter?”

“Can’t say I blame her. If I was a gorgeous girl, I’d be doing the same. She needs money fast, and from what I hear, the tips there are outrageous.”

“It doesn’t matter! It’s a fucking strip joint!”

He shakes his head, his grin still in place. He’s fucking baiting me. “It’s a gentlemen’s club, not a strip joint. A few steps up, don’t you think? I’ve never been there, but Aspen showed me her outfit, and I’ve gotta say, man, I’m rethinking that decision.”

“Strip joint, gentlemen’s club, it’s the same damn thing. And what fucking outfit?” I bite out, my face feeling like it’s on fire.

That place is not safe. It’s one town over and I shudder at the thought that she’s having to do that drive at night. By herself. But that’s the least of it. I’ve heard stories of that place. Calling it a gentleman’s club is being kind.

It’s the type of place where if you have enough cash, they turn a blind eye if you want more than a private dance. Or so I’ve heard.

Aspen doesn’t belong in that world. She’s too trusting. Too kind. Selfless. In a place like that, she’ll be out of her depth, and I shudder at the picture of sharks circling that my mind conjures.

My heart thudding in my chest; I race to the kitchen—I have a vague memory of throwing my keys on the counter—Carter hot on my heels. I’m getting her out of there. Even if I have to throw her over my shoulder.

“It’s really not,” he says, leaning against the wall, his hands in his pockets. “I know someone who works there, and from what she says, they take good care of their girls.”

Their girls? Aspen has become a “their girl”?

“And this friend of yours,” I sneer. “Is that how Aspen got the job?”

He shrugs. “She might have set her up with it.”

I fucking knew her staying with Carter was a bad idea.

“Going there will be a mistake, bro,” he says, correctly guessing my intentions.

“Don’t fucking care.”

“At least wait till you’ve calmed down,” he calls after my retreating back. “You’ll just make things worse.”

Chapter twenty-one

Aspen

“Do you remember everything I told you?” Alice asks with a smile.

I nod. It was a pretty long list, and I wrote everything down.

“Tell me,” she prompts.

“Don’t shake my ass and tits at customers. That’s your job. Customers are here to see dancers, and I’m here to serve drinks.”

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