Page 76 of Buried Betrayal

“I understand.” He released me. “But I can’t have a backup dancer who won’t go on stage. You can get your things and leave. Good luck with everything, Lola.”

Well, fuck. He waited, as if he was going to watch me leave. I hadn’t even had a chance to snoop. I swallowed around the lump in my throat and looked at the pole again. How hard could it be to dance for five minutes? There were so many lights, I wouldn’t even see the audience. I’d rather be on a damn basketball court.

“I’ll do it,” I choked out. “I’ll dance.”

“You are a lifesaver.” Ed wrapped me in a hug. “You’ll get paid double tonight.”

I didn’t care about the money. I really hoped whatever I found after I danced made this all worth it. Going back to the mirror, I checked my makeup, and fear was staring back at me. Unless I was on a court, I hated attention. There was no part of me that wanted to do this. But I needed to if I wanted to look in the back office.

“Wait, Lola. Don’t forget your prop.” Ed slid something heavy around my neck, and I looked down to see handcuffs hanging down on either side of my chest. I trailed my fingers along the chain that connected them. The chain was about three feet long and was wrapped in a soft, thick cloth, making it sit on my neck comfortably.

“Do whatever you want with them. But just a warning: they really lock, so make sure you don’t trap yourself on stage.” With a wink, he walked away.

I lined up with the girls near where we entered the stage. I trembled in my silver heels as the music started up and the lights dimmed. The girl behind me pushed me forward, and I raised my chin and stepped onto the stage. My stomach swirled with nausea as I plastered a seductive smile on my face.

I gripped the pole, not sure what to do. Once every dancer was on stage, the beat of the music changed, and they all started to dance. They had metal chairs with cloth on the seats. They moved with the chairs as if they were one. I began dancing around the pole. I wasn’t much of a dancer, but I could roll my hips and move to a beat.

I was stiff at first, but watching the other dancers helped my confidence, and I started moving with a better flow. My grin became real once clapping and whistling came from the crowd. I slid down the pole, dropping low before slowly raising back up. Once it got to the middle of the song, I slid the handcuffs off my neck and locked one around the pole. I gripped the other one as I danced. This wasn’t like playing ball, but I could admit it was fun. As well as terrifying.

Suddenly, the music stopped. The dancers around me froze, not understanding what was happening. Until a voice came over the loudspeaker.

“I am so sorry, everyone. We’re having technical difficulties and need to close early. Please head to the front, and once outside, you’ll be issued a full refund.” The nervous voice continued to speak, stumbling over more apologies.

Disappointed murmurs filled the room as all the guests made their way to the door. Ed was waving at us to leave the stage, and I moved to follow the other dancers until the security guard stood in front of me.

“Sorry, ma’am,” he said gruffly. “You need to stay here.”

“Excuse me?” My voice was high, and my heart was beating out of control. I had checked to make sure William and Richard weren’t going to be here tonight. “Why?”

“Orders, ma’am.”

I tried to step to the side, but he moved in front of me again and backed me up until my spine hit the pole behind me. Knowing I needed to get the fuck out of here, I let my eyes grow cold.

“Orders from who?” I asked, my voice sharp. “Do you know who I am?”

“No, he doesn’t,” a voice murmured. “But I do.”

My stomach twisted when Eli stepped up next to the security guard. What the fuck was he doing here? I didn’t think I’d need to check their schedules. If their dads weren’t going to be here, I didn’t think they’d be either. I glanced around, looking for West. The room was almost completely emptied out by now.

“And what does that matter?” I asked, raising my chin. “I’m free to do what I want.”

Eli faced the security guard. “Make sure everyone is out of the back and lock up before you leave.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Fuck off, Eli.” I turned to go to the other exit, and I sucked in a breath when he grabbed my hips. I grabbed the pole to steady myself on my tall heels.

“You didn’t finish your dance.” He moved forward until his chest pressed against my back. I kept my hands on the pole, debating what to do. I wasn’t a match for him in these damn heels. And I could bet his guard was up after I’d pulled a knife on him.

“Because you stopped the show,” I gritted out as his fingers dug into my skin.

“What were you doing, Kat?” His voice was low and gruff.

“Living out my dream as a burlesque dancer.”

“This isn’t the stage you love.”

I swallowed. “I can enjoy more things than just basketball.”

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