Page 3 of Tops
“I don’t want to spend my evening watching your tits bounce around, Hannah,” I sighed as I sat back. “Plus, I don’t want someone getting all handsy with me.” Hannah and I have had this conversation many times. It didn’t bother me she got naked for money. I didn’t like attention on me like that.
“I’ll set you up in the loft. Drinks on me all night,” Hannah smiled, leaning forward to spread her infectious cheer. “You get to make sure I talk to my boss and make it back safely.” She winked at me before backing off and giving me more space. I took a moment to consider her counteroffer. She should have been a lawyer.
Fuck. Hannah finally found a way to break my self-imposed ban on accompanying her to work.
“Fine,” I sighed, completely defeated. I had held firm to her pleading before, but everything had to have a line. Didn’t it?
No matter how hard Hannah tried, I would not be wearing anything she picked out for me tonight. Comfortable leggings and a loose t-shirt would have to be good enough. I did not want to risk someone believing I was a dancer.
I’d admitthat walking into Tops didn’t look like anything I expected. Hannah dropped me off at the front door, whispering something into the ear of one of the bouncers. He took to escorting me as she went around to use the staff entrance.
Crossing the threshold, the first thing I was greeted with was a white wall with glittering lights that sparkled like diamonds. A doorway sat to the left with an arrow pointing toward it that said “Bottoms.”
I raised an eyebrow as I looked back at my hulking escort. He was built like the kind of man you want to guard a pretty woman. Even his muscles had muscles, which somehow fit into the extra small black t-shirt. His dark hair was cut just a millimeter from his scalp.
“Want to help me out here, buddy? First time.” I fluttered my eyelashes and smiled.
He gave a short chuckle, pointing to the right where the arrow for that door read “Tops.”
“So, what’s in ‘Bottoms’?”
His giant arms crossed over his chest as he moved to block the hallway toward Bottoms. Dark eyes stared at me as he waited for me to decide to get out of the building or go into Tops. Apparently, I wasn’t a Bottoms kind of gal.
I opened the Tops door, releasing a thunder of heavy bass into the tiny hallway. Peering inside, I saw smoke and lights filling the air. People were jumping around like they were in the middle of a nightclub. Several cages hung down from the ceiling. Women of various stages of undress danced outside of reach while patrons slipped money through the bars.
I entered the room as if called, like a siren to a song. Looking around, I saw a long bar running across the sidewall where women mixed drinks, also in various states of undress. I was shocked by the sheer number of women in this place, and I didn’t mean the workers. The clientele was my age or older, a mix of males and females. It was more like a club with nudity than a nudity club. The nervous flutters I felt whenever I thought about coming to Hannah’s work finally evaporated as I decided this place was intriguing.
“The loft is this way, miss,” the bodyguard rumbled, suddenly appearing at my side. He might be a mountain of a man, but he could move silently. I’d give him that. He pointed to the wall opposite the bar, where I noticed a doorway with two more guards standing watch. I headed their way, hoping my escort would do all the talking, and thankfully, he did.
I stood before them with an awkward smile as my escort whispered something in the ear of one of the guards. He nodded sharply before sliding a thick curtain to the side for me to enter. This place had a lot of drama with doorways; I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
It was much darker inside the next space than in the other room, but Hannah seemed to think this was the best place for me. I only took a few steps in before reaching the bottom of a staircase. The walls and ceiling were painted dark, with little lights embedded. They looked like stars in the night sky. Each step had lights pointed down, but they didn’t interfere with the ambiance. At the top, I reached a small landing and a door. I turned the handle slowly, wondering precisely what it was I would find on the other side.
It led to a curved hallway with doors around the opposite wall. The area was dark, with more twinkling lights on the ceiling, as if I had entered a room open to a clear night sky. Downward-facing beams sat at the top of each doorway. I looked back. The door at the top of the stairs had closed already. My escort was nowhere to be found. Taking a hesitant step, I heard the dull thud of my tennis shoes as they hit the carpet. It was so quiet in here.
I walked up to the first door. Now that I was closer, I could see a little light by the handle. This light was red, which I guessed meant locked. Trying the handle confirmed my suspicions. I looked at the rest of the doors. There were eight total. Of those eight, only two were lit in red. The rest were green.
I picked a green door at random, finding it unlocked. Inside was a small room with a glass wall opposite the entrance. Venturing in slowly, I felt all the hairs on my arms raise as a trickle of anxiety opened inside me. I took a deep breath before taking a good look around. There was a sofa and a bed in the room. There was also a small sink area and a mini-fridge full of drinks. I guessed this was a VIP lounge area. The sight of the bed opened my internal anxiety faucet a little more.What was Hannah required to do with her clients?
A spotlight turned on inside the space beyond the glass wall. A person stood in the middle of the room; a man. The single light cast him in harsh shadows, and my heart started to race in my chest. His gaze was hard on the floor as his fists were held close to his sides. He looked like he was ready to fight.
A door opened to the side, and a naked, blindfolded woman was shoved into the room. She had blonde hair, messy and half-knotted in the strip of fabric covering her eyes. She barely caught herself with her hands before her face hit the ground. I heard her give out a whimper. Before she could even bother to get up, the man was on top of her, grabbing at her. She screamed, and my stomach bottomed out. I ran out of the room.
I needed to find someone to help. I needed to find a police officer or something.
I ran back to where the door downstairs should be. My hand desperately grabbed onto the first object I came across. I pushed down as my momentum continued forward. The door opened as I toppled into the room. Barely avoiding falling to the ground by hanging on the handle,which was now positioned above my head.
The room I was in wasn’t the stairwell. It was a brightly lit office with two attractive, startled men glaring at me.
“Sorry, wrong door,” I said breathlessly as my heart continued to run a marathon in my chest. As I scrambled to stand, my feet acted out their best impression of a baby deer.
Secret rooms, secret meetings. That poor girl.I need to get out of here and get help.
My feet finally found purchase, but before I could escape, large hands grabbed me. I was spun and pushed up against the wall, pinned in place by my shoulder.
The man standing before me was at least six-foot-five. He may have been a foot taller than me, but he was at least three times my size in muscle mass. His hair was cropped short, with a bit of a military edge. There was some gray dotting his beard. His hand was still on my shoulder as he pressed me against the wall.
I heard a lock click. Turning my head, I saw the man behind the desk standing near the door. He had dark hair and piercing blue eyes, a bit lighter than Hannah’s. His strong jawline sported a short beard. I felt like the wind was knocked out of me as I immediately knew whose office I had stumbled into.
