Page 5 of Pink Poison

“W-What?” she hiccups, roaming her gaze over my body like she doesn’t know who the fuck I am.

“You heard me,Stephanie.”

Her shattered gasp sounds around the now quiet club, piquing the interest of the hot little redhead behind the bar to her rescue. “Are you recording a dancer, fuck face?”

My lips quirk as I end the video and quickly send it to my dad and Marissa without context. They’d love to know their daughter wasn’t even going to school, but whoring herself out for Dad’s associates instead. “I just needed spank bank material for later, red.” I laugh. Backing away from the stage, I pin my little sister with a deviant glare. “I’ll be seeing you,Stevie.”

Spinning on my heel, I walk towards the exit of the strip club, ready to feel the cool night air on my heated skin. I hear my brothers clammer out of their seats, knowing I just fucked us over from Mo’s by recording. “Mack, you better have a good fucking reason for that shit!” Prez yells sloppily. “I was enjoyin’ the show.”

“That was a prime piece of pussy up there, Mack,” our roadie gruffs.

Nausea coils through my stomach the further I walk away from their chatter. Jameson stands by his truck with a knowing look, a look that pisses me the hell off. His nonchalance replaces my nausea with rage.He fucking knew.“You rat fucking bastard.” I shove him back against his truck. “You knew?”

His hands push against my chest, forcing me to take a step back despite my dire need to lay into him. “I told you there was someone here you wouldn’t want to see.”

“Is she the one you’ve been fucking?” I seethe. I’m not entirely sure why I’m so pissed about the idea of his dick in Stephanie, but I am.

“She’s just a whore, remember?” he spits, confirming she’s who he’s been seeing rather than the club’s pussy.

Footsteps scuff lightly behind me like Jameson’s words forced them to pause quickly. I turn my head over my shoulder and see my stepsister looking more like her usual self in a pair of baggy sweatpants and an old t-shirt. “I’m n-not a whore,” she stammers as she looks right through me and towards my best friend, instead.

Brushing his hands from my chest, I turn to face the little nightmare I’ve been burdened with for the last five years. “Whoreenough to spreadyour legs for Jamie,” I bite. “Whoreenough to drop out of school and take money fromDaddy’sclients.”

Her eyes widen, not out of fear like earlier, but out of surprise at my words. “Jamie?” She pales. Honestly, it would be funny how much color she lost if I wasn’t so fucking pissed. “I didn’t—I wouldn’t.” Her chest heaves as she tries to make an excuse for her actions.

I throw my thumb over my shoulder in Jamie’s direction and let out a derisive snort. “Pretty sure he just said you did,Bimbo Barbie.”

“She didn’t know,” Jamie grumbles, kicking his boot against the dirt. “I also didn’t know, not until today.”

The smirk falls off my face at his confession, hating that I can’t use this against her. “Doesn’t excuse that she was practically fucking the suits on the floor, knowing they work for her daddy.”

My anger hits its mark as Stephanie takes a step away from me. A loud ringing sounds from her pocket, making my smile reappear. “You’d better answer that, sis.” I laugh, dismissing her and my friend by walking just far enough away to overhear the call.

Chapter two

Stevie

Max walks away from me with a swagger in his step before I pull my phone from my front pocket. With a shaky finger, I swipe to answer the call. “M-Mom?” I croak, fighting to keep my tears at bay.

“Stephanie Morrigan Waters. What the hell did your brother just send to me and your father?” she screeches against my ear. My bottom lip trembles as she continues her rant, making sure to shame me for every choice I’ve made since I begged to leave home. “Is that you topless in a fucking strip club? What happened to college, Stephanie? You had a future, a chance to do something great for this family.”

“Let me talk to Stephanie, Marissa,”Senior commands. My heart stutters in my chest, knowing that I am about to be fucked to high hell. “Is it true, Stephanie? Did you purposely go after my clients,my associates, for their money? Are you a gold digger, now?”

Gold digger?He says that as if I’m not working for this money. As if I’vealwaysbeen like this. His assumption, his disapproval hurts worse than I ever could have imagined. “I didn’t! I swear, Senior,” I choke out before the burn behind my eyes gives way.

“Bullshit. I watched the video, Stephanie,” he barks. “You have made a mockery of this family and me. You are lucky that Maxwell put a stop to this before it went too far.”

Anger, in all of its bitterness, swarms through me. Max didn’t do shit. I saw him and the obvious dick print in his jeans. He wasstillhard when he confronted me on stage. He can deny it all he wants, but he liked what he saw. Iknowhe did. “Maxwellis a selfish asshole,” I spit.

I shouldn’t have said that. IknowI shouldn’t have. Senior will do many things, but he won’t ever choose me over his son despite what Max thinks.Shit.“You are done. Do not call us. Do not claim us. Do not ask me for a fucking dime. If you want to act like aslut, then you can get paid for it since you’re so good at it.”

An aching chasm cracks my chest wide open for everyone in the parking lot to see. My knees buckle underneath me, sending me to the rusty dirt, kicking up a cloud of debris in my face. Each breath hurts more than the last as my lungs scream for more air.

There’s not enough oxygen in the world.

“D-Dad, please,” I beg.

“You don’t have a father, Stephanie. Lose this number.”

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