Page 72 of Knot Happening

Candy did explain that she employs over fifteen bouncers, and on a busy night, there are no less than five roaming about. They’re all very intimidating, a mix of both Alphas and Betas, from what I have seen, and that just brings the comfort level up. I like knowing that there are strong men and women all around us, ready to protect whoever needs it. Maybe I’m a little over paranoid sometimes, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

I didn’t want to leave Haze Instincts, but after what happened on Declan’s birthday, I ran for the hills. I might have stayed, but my pay will be about the same here.

I had asked Hayden for a ride home, and stayed silent the whole way to the apartment building. Obviously, they all sensedsomething was wrong, but none of them pushed me when I chose to bail. That probably has more to do with me whispering Broken through the bathroom door before finally coming out of it.

I shake away the fog of heartache and confusion before turning back to the redhead leading me around.

Candy is explaining the rest of my duties to me, as she shows me to the lockers.

“Our girls, and the few guys, do it all. Dance, serve, strip. Whatever they want. Most of our patrons like a preview before getting a private show. You have a sweet girl next door vibe going for you. Customers like that. Sunshine capitalizes on that look every night.”

I don’t know much about Sunshine yet, but she did introduce me to a few of the girls already, and Sunshine definitely gave off a happy girl vibe.

“If you don’t want to dance on stage, or strip in a Velvet room, no one will ever make you. You are in control. So long as you do the job I hired you for, you and I will get along great!” Candy gestures to the woman behind the bar. “This is Lady, she’s here most nights. She’ll show you the ropes, and if you have a question, ask her,”

A pale-skinned girl with black hair and black lipstick smiles at me brightly. She’s wearing fishnets and a skirt, with a tight black top. Her overall vibe is goth girl. Very cute.

“Lady, this is…” Candy pauses, turning to me, and waits for my response.

“Oh, Um... Baby?”

“Baby, Lady. Lady, Baby.”

After that Candy leaves me to get the lay of the land, and after six hours of learning the ropes, I have two very sore feet, and it's time to make the long bike ride home. I may have been initiallymad about the missing bike, but this replacement from Hayden makes the trips around the city a lot more manageable.

It was overall a good night. I made decent tips, and even though a few of the customers kept their eyes on me my entire shift, none of them were aggressive about it.

“Want a ride?”

The deep voice from behind me startles me, but I recognize Bernard, the bouncer. He’s stoic. Goes by the name Chaos. Lady spilled his secret name. I shake my head, gesturing to my bike. “It should only take me half an hour.”

“Whatever.” He shrugs like he doesn’t mind either way. “Just thought your feet might hurt. At least you brought extra shoes.”

I let out a little laugh, but when I look over my shoulder, he’s already heading back inside.

I don’t love how far away this club is from my apartment, but I can’t say I’m not grateful for its existence. Hayden has no idea what my schedule is now either, so he can’t stalk me… at least until he tries to give me a ride.

I sent Declan an email with my resignation, and told Dream she could have the stuff I left in my locker, but she said she’d bring them by my apartment instead.

I refuse to ask about the men I ghosted. I fucking refuse to think about Hayden, and what a hypocrite I am. I never made him any promises, though. Never said I’d be his again…

Chapter Thirty

Tatum

Friday passes much the same way as Thursday did. I wear a tight red dress that shows off my curves and cleavage, along with my black combat boots and thigh-high fishnets.

Throwing my hair up in a bun, I line my lashes in smokey black. It makes my blue eyes pop.

So far I like it here at the club. The girls are amazing, and the guests are mostly well-behaved. Anyone who gets too handsy gets booted by the bodyguards.

There’s a man here that I recognize from my first day. He watches me more closely than I’d like, but he never says anything. It gives me the heebies, but I ignore him. As long as he doesn’t do anything to get kicked out, he’ll be fine.

There are lots of guests since it’s a Friday night, and I’m grateful I have Lady to help if someone asks for anything outside my wheelhouse. Thankfully, I’ve always been able to get the hang of things quickly, and this is no different.

Halfway through the night, Sunshine rushes into the locker room while I’m on my break.

“That fucking bastard!” she snaps, and I look up, blinking at her. I don’t know her that well, but when she starts crying, I get to my feet and walk over to her.

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