Page 81 of Stripped

“Ooh, yes,” the other woman in our cubicle, a curvy blond in slacks and a blouse, said. She spun and faced us. “I've always been curious about strippers. They seem so glamorous and brave. I could never stand on a stage and dance, much less take all my clothes off while I did it.”

“It takes a special kind of bravery,” I said. “But I think the experience is different for everyone. Everyone has a different reason for dancing and motivation is a huge part of any job.”

The woman, Mary I think her name was, nodded. “I'd have to have some major motivation, like the mafia threatening to kill all my cats if I didn't dance.”

Ron rolled his eyes, but his expression was fond. “Mary, you read way too many novels.”

“Probably,” Mary said cheerfully. Her phone rang and she spun back to her desk.

“How do you like working here?” I asked Ron.

“It's a good company. The benefits are awesome and most of the people are nice. You should come out with us after work on Friday, get to know everyone.”

“That sounds great,” I said.

He spun back to his desk to get back to work and I turned back to my computer screen. My mind immediately wandered to Zane. I wondered what he was doing, if he was thinking about me.

My phone dinged with a text from Julie like she was reading my mind. She said Axel had sold one of his big sculptures for two thousand dollars. I texted back a huge congratulations, but I was still worried. The pack needed more income to avoid being vulnerable to the council's plans for them. They needed a claim to the land that no one could contest.

I shot a quick text to Doc to ask her about her progress on figuring out what was in the water that made the vamps so powerful. I didn't expect to hear back for a while. She'd survived the vampire attack, but she'd been badly injured. Once she'd healed, there'd been a lot of people needing her expertise and there'd been the village to clean up. Julie said she'd only seen Doc once since Daisy was born and that was a quick visit to cut the umbilical cord.

Since I'd moved to Denver, I'd been checking in with a couple people from Aspens Whiten to make sure everyone I still cared about was okay. Rixton was my best source of information, but I also talked to Emily every few days. She really did seem to be doing well.

“Abigail,” a male voice pulled me from my reverie. I turned to see a tall, slim, older man at the entrance to my cubicle. He stretched a hand to me. “I'm Howard. I run the warehouse. Are you ready for me to show you around?”

“Of course.” I got to my feet and followed him out. My life was in Denver now. I needed to focus on my new job and forget Mule Creek and the pack. This was my dream and I needed to start living it.

***

“How was the first day?” Gage asked when I walked into the apartment that evening.

I kicked off my shoes and sat next to him on the couch. “Aren't you supposed to be at work?”

He shrugged. “I stuck around to see how your first day went. You've been so down lately, I was hoping this new job would put a smile on your face.”

I had been down, but I hadn't realized it had been obvious to anyone but me. I forced a fake smile. “There, how's that?”

“Bad day?”

I sighed. “It was fine. I mean, I should be grateful. I found this job insanely quickly, my co-workers are mostly nice, the benefits are so good I'm going to feel like a billionaire compared to what I had before.”

“But you aren't feeling grateful?”

“It's just… Did you know I get half an hour for lunch and two fifteen-minute breaks? I had nothing to do today, except get the hang of this new job and I had to sit at that desk and stare at a blank computer screen because of some rule about break times. It's like I'm a kindergartner.”

Gage nodded. “Corporate life, babe. That's one of the many reasons I've avoided those sorts of gigs.”

“I guess it'll just take some time. I'll get used to it.”

He nodded. “Want to hang at the club tonight?”

“No, thanks. I think I'm going to try that restaurant on the corner and get to bed early tonight.”

He hugged me and left. I changed out of my work clothes and walked the half block to a Greek restaurant on the corner. The street was busy, bustling with people out, laughing and talking. The night was cold and the crisp air smelled of stale coffee and gas fumes. Thanksgiving was only a couple weeks away and already there were Christmas decorations out. It was weird to see holiday decorations and no snow. I'd get used to it. This was where I wanted to be. It was great being able to walk to any sort of restaurant I could imagine and to be among so many people at a moment's notice.

It was also the loneliest sort of hell. None of the people knew me or even seemed to see me at all. I was invisible and surrounded by concrete. Aside from the Rockies in the distance there was no scenery. I'd never appreciated how much I loved nature and the outdoors until I was encased in concrete and steel.

I sighed and walked into the restaurant. This was my dream, it was everything I'd ever wanted. If it felt empty because Zane's hand wasn't in mine and his easy smile wasn't in my line of sight, it was because I was new to town. Everyone felt lonely in a new town.

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