Page 5 of Lily
"You should stay here with us," another of the men told her with a leer, "it's cold out tonight, baby."
Lily said nothing in response and slipped out the door before anyone else could speak to her. The voices at her back were drowned out when she shut the door firmly behind her. Relief washed over her as she continued down the hallway toward the stairs. The silence of the stairwell was a welcome relief after her run in with her roommates. She crossed her fingers and toes that she heard from Ashley before the night was over but found no new messages when she hit the bottom of the stairs. It was early yet, only six o'clock.
"Plenty of time to hear from her," Lily told herself, stepping out onto the sidewalk. She shivered when a blast of cold wind hit her and pulled her coat tighter around herself as she walked toward the subway stop. It was easy to get lost in the crowd of people who were on their way to their own individual destinations. Lily put her earbuds in, the music working to soothe the thoughts and nerves that were buzzing, thanks to her living situation. She made a mental note to move "finding a new apartment" to the top of her list. Things would be calmer once she had a safe place to live, somewhere that didn't fill her with worry the moment she set foot in it. A place like that seemed like a dream, and Lily was determined to make it her goal.
She paused where she stood and glanced over her shoulder toward her walkup. Her heart felt heavy even just looking at the building, and she sighed heavily. She would not be staying there tonight.
No matter what, Lily wouldnotbe walking back into the threat of the unknown of her apartment and the people inside of it. Her hand went to her jacket pocket, closing around the bills tucked inside. Her shift at the diner had been a profitable one, with easy tables and generous tips. She'd made more than enough to afford a hotel room for the night. Even if she'd been hopeful in putting the money toward a new apartment, getting a peaceful night's sleep was worth more than gold to her. It was no secret that she'd been slightly manic, her thoughts racing, breath coming too fast and short, no matter her best efforts at calming herself. But what could she expect after the earlier stress of being dumped by someone she had only begun to see as her Daddy?
She swallowed hard, pushing back the dark thoughts surrounding her time with the Dom. He had dropped her when she had needed him the most. After months and weeks of him working to earn her trust, the moment she'd handed it to him, he had walked away from her.
"Stop," she told herself, fingers moving to crank up the volume of the music pumping through her earbuds. He was not her Dom, never had been, never would be, and Lily had to focus if she wanted to perform well tonight. She pushed forward, walking into the crowd on the subway, and let her mind wander on her way to Brooklyn where the venue she was slotted to perform was located. Before long, she was exiting the subway and turning the corner to the familiar sight of Burgundy's dark brick facade. A heavy wooden door gleamed dully in the light of the setting sun, and she felt a flutter of excitement in her chest.
Excitement was good. Lily could work with excitement. She sped up her pace, welcoming the familiar rush of adrenaline the sight of the club brought to her. The high of taking the stage was exactly what she needed to feel more in control of what was happening to her.
Lily entered the club and smiled at the familiar surroundings. It had been months, but nothing had changed and she raised a hand in greeting when the bartender waved at her. Since she'd signed up for a late slot, she would have plenty of time to stow her things and maybe get a drink. The club was already busy; it was just after seven which was when the 9-5 crowd was finally free to unwind.
"Lily!"
She stopped in her weaving in and out of club goers to see a familiar face. Jordyn, the booking agent for the club, was waving at her.
"Jordyn, hey." Lily gave her a smile. Jordyn had always been kind to her and had made sure that Lily always had a spot open at the club, which had made it a dream, considering regular gigs at high paying clubs weren't easy to lock down.
"Long time, no see." Jordyn grinned at her and threw her arms around her in a hug. "We missed you here, girl."
"I missed it here too," Lily said and realized she meant it. The club was humming with an infectious energy that made it hard for her to wallow in her melancholy. Yes, she was sad, but that didn't mean she was going to stay that way. There was a light at the end of the tunnel. There always was.
"Are you ready to go on?" Jordyn asked, nodding at the stage where a band looked to be winding down.
"Yeah, but I thought I'd have a drink first. Loosen up, you know?"
Jordyn raised an eyebrow. "A drink? You don't have time for a drink. I was starting to get worried."
"What do you mean, get worried?" Lily asked. She didn't understand. She had shown up a solid three hours before her start time just to get out of the house safely. What did Jordyn mean?
"No, you go on in 10."
"10 what?"
"Minutes, Lily Bell! What else?" Jordyn laughed, and Lily might have protested except for one thing. Jordyn had called her Lily Bell, her stage name. She hadn't been called that in so long, too long to remember, in fact, and she had missed it even more than she'd missed the club.
"I signed up for a ten o'clock slot…"
Jordyn waved a hand. "That slot sucks and everyone knows it. You deserve the best for your comeback."
Lily's eyes widened. "A comeback? But it's just one show."
"No way, girly. Now that you're back, don't you even think I'm letting you go again, which means put your number into my phone now. I had no way to reach you; otherwise, I would have told you that I switched things up as soon as I saw you'd signed up." Jordyn thrust her cellphone into Lily's hands, and she only had a second to process the other woman's words before she was punching in her phone number.
"Perf! Now get your cute butt back there and get ready. Here, give me your coat and stuff. I'll stash it in the back room while you get ready to kill it!" Jordyn made grabby hands that had Lily springing into action. In what felt like a few seconds, she was standing coatless and clutching her synth and computer bag to her chest.
"Break a leg, sweet cheeks!" Jordyn called over her shoulder before bouncing away.
Lily blinked. "Uh, thanks?" Jordyn was a tornado, an excited, bossy tornado, but it made her effective at her job of booking and keeping fresh talent for the club. New and exciting acts meant that Burgundy was always a must-stop destination, even on a Monday.
Lily knew her new slot was a better one, especially if she was trying to make performing a regular event in her life again. Jordyn had done her a favor, but it was a favor she wished she'd known about. Although, that was her own fault. She'd always kept to herself, but when she'd started to fall, she'd isolated herself, and not having Jordyn's number was a direct result of that isolation.
A text buzzed on her phone, and Lily laughed when she saw it was Jordyn.
