Page 8 of Poison

My eyes widened in shock. "I just want some Bliss to make it through the night. I'll pay you back for it later, I swear."

Alex pulled out a small, clear bag of blue crystals from the box. "No need. You do me favors by getting patrons to spend their money. The least I can do is give you this for free… You have a clean needle?"

I nodded.

"Be careful with this. If you do it too often, it can be addictive. It is also one of the easiest drugs to overdose on. If it weren't for the fact that many servants are ex-users, I'm sure they would have outlawed the stuff by now." He shrugged dramatically. "But, of course, the rich up on Top Hill can't go without their servants, so they keep the drugs legal."

"Is Cherry here?"

"Not that I've seen."

Taking the bag from his hand, I sighed, "Thank you, Alex."

"You're welcome."

As I walked out of the office, I thought about his offer. What would it be like to work for Mr. Alex Freeman? Would it really be only dancing? No porn? No private clients? Just me and the pole? I chortled internally. Yeah, right. The moment Alex had his hands on me, he would be the same asHobbs.Why would he settle for less? Even with all of the extra money my influence helped him get, selling me off to private clients could make him so much more.

As I walked towards my booth, I stopped and surveyed the dancers. Only one of them had shackles; the rest were paid employees. I could ask the dancer how she was treated, but would she tell me the truth? Her eyes locked on mine, and she offered me a flirty smile. I looked away and continued to my booth.

No sooner had I sat down than a man walked up to the booth with a large grin, holding some type of blue drink. "Fuck off," I growled in a tone so dark it shocked even me. The man stopped dead in his tracks, scowled, and left.

With shaky fingers, I flicked the lighter, creating a small flame under the spoon, gradually melting the crystals into a bluish liquid. The drug swirled inside the clear barrel as I drew back the syringe plunger and squirted a bit back out to remove any air pockets.

I hesitated; I hated needles. I despised feeling like I had to do this, but I hated feeling anything more. Running my tongue over my swollen lip, I carefully slid the needle into my skin and pushed the plunger. The relief was almost immediate. A euphoria spread through my blood, making my body tingle and wrapping me in a cozy warmth.

In a haze, I tossed everything back into the green case and sat back. A blissed-out smile spread across my face as I observed the lasers dance across the ceiling.

"Can I take your order?" asked a voice.

I grinned at Vic, soaking in every inch of his form. He was so handsome; it wasn't even funny.

"I don't know, can you?" I giggled.

He shook his head but kept his professional smile in place. Somehow, I got to my feet and walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder and plucking an olive from the tray he was carrying.

"I could drink you." I thought I saw him blush, and that made butterflies swarm my stomach.

His eyes found mine, and the smile dropped from his face. "Are you okay, Isaac?"

I shook my head, the rush of Bliss making my head spin with the motion. I liked the feeling of his shirt and wanted nothing more than to keep touching it. As my gaze drifted down his body, I realized I wanted to see what his skin felt like, too. "I'm great."

He pulled away, scrutinizing me as if he were trying to figure me out. "Do you need a drink?"

I rolled my eyes. "No money." I walked backward until my legs hit the bench, where I collapsed in a drugged heap.

"You're just going to sit here? All alone?"

I nodded, giving him a toothy grin. My lip didn't hurt anymore! "You can keep me company."

"I'm working."

Jutting out my lip, I pouted dramatically. "Your loss, sugar."

Vic started to leave but stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. "I'll be back to check on you." He held my gaze for a few moments before walking off.

I sighed heavily as I arranged my limbs on the bench. The lights above danced and flickered about at a pace that made me sleepy. My eyes grew heavy, and that wasmy sign to getback to the apartment. Slowly, I forced my body up; it felt much heavier than normal. Every step I took was like walking through wet concrete. As I stumbled down the two steps to the main floor, I paused. I couldn't hear the words of the song playing. It was nothing but a distant thumping in my ears.

Wrapping my arms tightly around myself, I forced my feet to move, swaying dangerously. I should rest. I need to rest. I stopped walking. Like a switch being turned off, my eyes began to close, and my body slumped. Someone bumped into me, and I violently jerked back from the foreign touch. But they were long gone. I moved forward again, stopping every so often to rest my eyes.

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