Page 36 of Jagger

“Jag?”That’s Paulie as he pokes his dark head into the dressing room the following night.

Taking another sip of my Red Bull, I tip my chin from the couch not so far away in response, prompting him to step inside. He shuts the door behind himself, drowning out the blaring sounds of Pretty Ricky from one of Ronin’s routines.

“Sin needs your help in VIP. There’s like six of them in there,” he explains, looking extremely fucking uncomfortable considering he knows what my answer will be.

“Seriously?” I bark and he nods thoughtfully.

Goddamn it.

After my break up with Vida…I couldn’t do it.

I didn’t want to.

I didn’t want to because now I understood—in great fucking detail—why Betty didn’t want us fucking in there. Not only was this place not licensed for that, it could also make shit very complicated should we decide to get involved with a client. Still, we did, and up until now it’d been easy breezy for all of us.

All good things must come to an end though.

So while I’m barely fighting the aftershocks of such chaos, the boys cover for me on the regular, even if they don’t know why. Betty hasn’t noticed, but I know it’s only a matter of time before she catches on.

I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t already. That woman—as batshit crazy as she is—is typically so in tune with everyone and everything.

And when she finds out, she might fire me for real this time.

With a begrudging groan, I shoot from my seat and toss my can into the trash, following Paulie out of the room.

He glances over at me as we fall into step and claps me on the shoulder, a thoughtful smile hitching one corner of his mouth. “I’d do it but he says they keep asking for you.”

That’s his story and I accept it because, honestly, it’s not his fault. These chicks might’ve been here to see us, but they call the shots in VIP. They ask, we deliver, and if they’re adamant for me to join in, Sinclair is going to make sure my ass comes into that room, whether they have to drag me in there or not.

Stepping out from the behind the curtain, we wade through the slight mayhem of the main room. It’s packed but my vision tunnels on the clear path leading to VIP. I brush past any and every hand reaching out for me, ignore the sounds of my name being called. I just want to get this over with and take my ass home.

The faster, the fucking better.

At the mouth of the hallway, Paulie and I fist bump before heading our separate ways. Just being in this corridor holds memories I don’t want to think about.

But I push them aside and curl a hand around the knob, throwing the door open. I expect to see Sin huddled around six rowdy women as per Paulie’s story.

But what I find awaiting me is anything but.

“Vida,” I rasp.

Idly, I hear the door shut behind me as I stand there, motionless, shocked to absolute shit. My feet root to the floor beneath me as I take her in. I can’t even possibly tell you what she’s wearing because I’m convinced this is some kind of fucked up nightmare I’m about to wake up from any minute now.

“Hi.” She smiles, running a nervous hand through her hair.

“What are you doing here?” I blurt, expecting to blink her away.

“To see you,” she answers.

“Why?”

“Because… Because I don’t want to lose you.” Her voice is so hushed I would’ve missed it had I not been watching her.

“What did you just say?”

“I-I don’t want to lose you.”

Speechless. I’m speechless. Unsure of what the fuck to do. Am I supposed to just believe her? Am I supposed to just fucking forget this shitstorm between us ever happened?

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