Page 61 of Poison

Beau got to his feet, fixed his pants, and reached into his pocket for his wallet.

When he pulled out a wad of sinders and placed them into my hand, I objected. "I told you this was on the house, Beau. You don't have to pay me."

"And I told you that I want to spoil you." He kissed me, then turned and walked out the door.

My heart sank. I couldn't feel shittier about myself if I tried. I was leading the man on hard, knowing I was going to break his heart into a thousand pieces. Beau deserved so much better than what I was going to put him through.

"You have to do this, Isaac," I muttered. "For Alex, for Vic, and for yourself."

Chapter 43

Beau meant it when he said he was going to spoil me. He never gave me gifts but gave me plenty of sinders. For three weeks, he showed up nearly every night I worked. He did come in with Lucien twice, but I was smart enough to keep my distance. The following nights after, Beau would apologize profusely.

Within two months, Vic, Cherry, and I had saved enough sinders to get the hacker guy into Top Hill. Cherry immediately introduced him to Hobbs and me as her adoptive brother, Mitchell. She gave Trevor an entire song and dance about how Mitchell was dying, and it had always been his dream to visit Top Hill.

My sponsor was visibly disturbed by the man who held his hand out for a handshake. With a cringey smile, Trevor took it, always the gentleman in public. I gave Mitchell a false smile but didn't shake his hand, too. Cherry was right; the man stank! I was standing at least three feet away and could clearly smell the stench of BO mixed with garlic and moldy cheese.

When I looked at Trevor, I could see in his eyes that he knew he had nothing to worry about. The man was no threat to him, so there was no reason to worry about me going up to Cherry's apartment after work.

As the night died down, I headed over to the bar, watching the few remaining customers slowly make their way out of the establishment. The only people left in the club were Trevor and a few rich assholes he was entertaining.

"You ready for this?" I asked, anxious heat rising in my stomach, threatening to unleash a flood of acidic juice all over the counter.

Vic nodded, placing a few drinks on a tray. "The one in the middle."

Every drink was bourbon on the rocks except for mine. Naturally, I stuck with my Poison Apple. It had sort of become part of my branding. With a deep, calming breath, I picked up the tray and went to the table where Trevor and the other men were sitting. "Last call, gentlemen."

I began passing the drinks around, ensuring that Trevor got the glass in the center. He had already been drinking, which made it a perfect night for our plan.

Trevor held out his arm for me, so I set the tray down and slid into the booth next to him. When he held up his glass, I accepted the gesture by clinking my drink against his before taking a sip. I wished mine was stronger, considering what I was about to do. The men casually sipped their bourbons while I finished my cocktail in a few gulps. As I watched Hobbs swallow, I prayed I wouldn't give myself away. I was a nervous wreck. So much hung on this plan.

"So, Mr. Hobbs, how much for the little redhead?" inquired one of the men as they all collectively stood. When Trevor tried to do the same, he swayed, catching himself on the edge of the booth.

"Cherry?" he asked, slurring a bit.

"Yeah. I'd like to spend the night with that one."

"Cherry Pie is off the clock, sweetie." I held onto Trevor's shoulder as I carefully escorted him from the booth. "Besides, we don't do overnighters, do we, baby?"

Rubbing his face, Trevor gave a slight headshake. "Right. Cherry is off the clock."

"You can't bring her back?" The man was getting a little too pushy for my tastes.

"She's not his servant. He can't make her do shit," I snapped.

His face twisted into a sneer. "But you are. Those are some pretty pink bracelets. And you have a smart mouth. Maybe we should fill it with something. After all, a mouth is a mouth, be it a man or a woman. I could teach you how to use that sassy little tongue of yours."

"If I could find that little pencil dick."

The man puffed up, snapping his head towards Trevor. When he didn't speak up, the asshole yanked a wad of rolled-up sinders from his pocket. "You forget, you little puk, that you're for sale. I've never fucked a man before, but I guess it's all the same in the dark. How much is it for an hour, Hobbs?"

Trevor staggered a bit, crashing into me, and I did my best to hold him up. The drug was kicking in too fast. If I didn't shut this down quickly, Trevor would be on the floor, and I would be in big trouble.

Hobbs blinked a few times, rubbing his face. Eventually, he stated, "Starburst is right. This establishment is closed, gentlemen. If you want to partake in all the wonderful things we have to offer, I suggest… suggest you come back during normal operating hours."

Frantically, I waved down one of the bouncers, who hurried to our side. It didn’t take much for the men to turn around and leave. The one who wanted Cherry was cursing the entire time.

Turning to the bouncer, I said, “Help me take him upstairs.”

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