Of Bishops And Pawns (Ridge Rogues Book 2)

by Renee Harless

  Slowly I scrolled through the listings, scoffing at the offerings available. It seemed like I was going to have to huff it on foot to see if any place close by was taking on new employees. At least I knew that I could learn a new task quickly.

  Just as I was about to close the screen to my computer a small ad at the bottom of the listings caught my eye. It wasn’t an ideal situation, but considering the current circumstances, I knew that I couldn’t be overly picky.

  Clicking on the ad, I read through the description, trying not to cringe at the details. I needed to remember that my choices were limited and I needed a lot of money and fast. Outside of prostitution, this seemed like my best option. My father would have a field day with the knowledge of what I was about to do. Writing down the address, I plugged it into my phone's GPS and noticed that the location was nowhere within walking distance. I would have to use public transportation, but if I made the promised funds, I wouldn’t have to worry about the expense. There was even a chance that I could buy a cheap car to get around.

  Glancing down at my outfit, a loose-fitted T-shirt and frayed denim shorts, I rushed to my closet and grabbed the single sundress that I owned, hoping that I’d at least make a good impression visually. Or as good of one as I could. As long as I didn’t trip or stumble, I should be okay.

  The bus ride into the next town didn’t take long, but it dropped me off in an area I was unfamiliar with. I was thankful that the sun was still hanging high in the sky and that I’d had the forethought to have the directions available on my phone.

  Walking for two blocks, I found myself in front of a non-descript building. At first, I thought I was in the wrong place, but then a small woman pulled up in an expensive car and parked in front of where I stood.

  “Hi, can I help you?”

  “Yes, I saw an ad online. I was looking for Alice Sullivan.”

  “Well, you’ve found her. Let’s go inside and chat.”

  I dutifully followed the woman into the building and I gasped in shock when the doors closed behind me. The walls were covered in deep purple and black fabrics, giving the open space a luxurious feeling with the brass accents on the table and lights. A bar lined the far side of the room, facing a stage with multi-levels.

  The glamorous woman spun around as she placed her designer handbag on a table in the middle of the room. “You’re pretty enough, with some work, of course. Now, there is one thing I need you to do so we can get it out of the way.”

  My hands shook. I knew what was coming and my nerves were at an all-time high. Nervously I wiped my sweaty palms against the fabric at my thighs.

  “Yes, ma’am. What is it you need me to do?”

  With a gentle nod and smile, Alice angled her head toward the stage. “Dance.”

  Chapter Two – Sarah

  My body ached as I set out for an early morning run. When Alice hired me, she immediately put me on a new exercise routine. She said that I needed to increase my energy and stamina. She also sent one of the other employees to my apartment to teach me how to apply the makeup I would wear on the stage. The other dancer, Stephanie, was a student at another university working her way to a law degree. We had talked and found that she and I had found ourselves in similar predicaments and needed money fast. Of course, for her, that had happened a few years prior and she enjoyed the dollars she brought in.

  Stephanie also made sure to mention that Alice was a tough but fair boss. She didn’t let customers take advantage of her employees, male and female. To her, it was a business, and she ran a clean one. As long as I worked my scheduled shifts and kept my nose clean, Alice would keep me on the payroll. She had also explained that Alice’s club didn’t allow the dancers to strip completely down. She had a thong and panty rule that she was very strict about.

  I had been so nervous about taking the stage for Alice that day last week; it wasn’t often that I found myself the center of attention willingly. But she had made sure that I felt at ease as I suggested a song to dance to.

  The moment I took the stage, lights had illuminated the apron and I could no longer see the tables lining the floor. My heart had been pounding in my chest, but when the first chords of the rock song had filled the room, my tension had fallen away. My parents hadn’t had much extra money growing up for me to do all of the fun things most children did. Extra sports, field trips, and vacations? Those were off the table. But my mother had put me in dance class the moment I learned to walk. I was skilled in ballet, jazz, tap, pretty much any form of dance I could find myself in. She had worked overtime to help afford the classes.

  But when she died, I had stopped dancing. My heart was no longer in it. Dancing had been something that I did to make her proud but without her smiling face in the audience for every recital and practice, I found that dancing no longer held any appeal.

  I also worried that my father would suffer in agony watching me do something that would remind him of my mother.

  But when I took the stage, all of it came back. Every movement, every sashay, every toe kick. I felt nothing but the music as it pulsed around me.

  Before that day, I had never stepped inside a strip club and I was certain that I had found myself in what someone would call an upscale gentleman’s club. I wasn’t naïve enough to know that there weren’t seeder clubs where I could have found myself.

  Alice had clapped after my performance and I was surprised by her praise before doing my best to school my features. Thankfully she hired me on a trial period giving me a more than generous salary and explained that tips and cash left on stage would be mine as well. I had asked what the typical dancer made each night and she shrugged her shoulders, saying that it wasn’t her business.

  Stephanie had filled in that blank by saying that she easily brought home around two thousand dollars on a slow night. That would quickly help cover my expenses and my tuition if I did my best.

  My first night dancing was tonight and I was both nervous and excited. I’m sure my nerves would rattle my bones until I actually took the stage, but I knew that my hands were tied if I wanted to stay at Wellington.

  Finishing my run, I hopped in the shower then threw on an oversized T-shirt and shorts before heading toward the animal shelter to see my friend Jolee. She was in charge of the fundraiser at the local animal shelter where she volunteered all of her free time.

  If there was anyone that had a heart of gold, it was Jolee. We had met in a general education class last year and had quickly formed a friendship as newbies at the school. The two of us and Keeley stuck out like sore thumbs amongst all of the other well-off students.

  Ford had been in our class and spent the majority of the time antagonizing Jolee until one day, they showed up as a couple. The rest was history.

  Jolee and I didn’t get to spend much time together outside of classes, but I hoped that would change once I was able to move into my new apartment in her building.

  Walking the few blocks to the shelter, I was surprised at the growing crowd out on the lawn. From Jolee’s text yesterday, it didn’t seem like the event was supposed to start for another few hours. As I got closer, I noticed a group of guys moving carnival-like equipment around.

  The ridge rogues.

  It was unfair to have that many good-looking guys in one area. I didn’t know much about them, except they were all adoptive brothers. Their mother, Dr. Fincher, was a professor at the university and had adopted all of the troubled boys before her husband had passed away a few years ago.

  The rumors about the boys traveled far and wide around campus. Even the one still in high school had his name mentioned a time or two. I didn’t believe most of what was said, liking to form opinions about people on my own. Exceptions could always be made, though, and I had learned that there was always some sort of truth to a rumor.

  I knew of Ford, who stood in the mass of guys looking like the broody male that he was. If I hadn’t known that he loved Jolee so much, he would be the first one I’d stand clear of. He gave off a v
ibe that threatened anyone that got too close. All those days and weeks of being on the receiving end of his hatred must have taken a toll on Jolee.

  Link, the eldest of the brothers, stood back with his muscular arms crossed against his chest. He walked around campus with an air about him that said he was better than everyone else. Once he had substituted for another graduate student in my economy class and I was pretty sure not a single female remembered anything he discussed in class, their hormones blocking any information to their brain. He reminded me of royalty with his dark blond hair neatly tied back behind his head and his neatly pressed dress clothes, even though he was outside working on setting up the fundraiser.

  Recognition alluded me as I stared at three of the other guys, all varying in age. One I vaguely recognized as a player on the baseball team, but the other two I had never seen on campus before.

  Off on the side, I noticed Jolee directing some people where to place a dunk tank while a small fenced-in area had a bunch of puppies yipping for her attention. Something must have caught her eye because she glanced in my direction, waving at someone past me before she noticed me standing in her peripheral.

  “Sarah!” she called out, waving me closer as she finished directing the dunk tank placement.

  “Hey, this looks great. You are definitely going to have a big crowd today. The weather is perfect too.”

  “I’m really hoping everything goes okay. It was so nice for all of these vendors to donate to the fundraiser. Of course, I’m also hoping we find a few families to adopt some of the animals.”

  “You know I’d take as many as I could, if I could.” I had begged my parents growing up for a pet, even something as small as a fish, but pets were an expense that my family couldn’t afford. I understood, especially as I got older and realized how much having a pet would cost just in food. But it never stopped my yearning to come home to something that loved me as much as I loved it. “Maybe one day,” I added. With the new job, I could give thought to adopting a dog or cat. I wasn’t picky. Though the small beagle mix that was howling to get Jolee’s attention definitely caught my eye.

  “I’m so glad you could make it and help out today.”

  “You know that I wouldn’t miss it. I’m sorry I can’t stay for very long. Tonight is my first night on the stage and I want to rest up,” I told her, watching as Jolee’s eyes grew double their size.

  She gripped my arm and pulled me to the side, using the building to block us from everyone on the front lawn.

  “Are you sure that you are comfortable doing this? You know that I would try to help you out. I could ask Willow.” Her concern for me was palpable, but I didn’t want the pity. I knew what I was doing, and I was prepared for the consequences, whatever they may be. Even my father understood when I told him how I planned to get the funds. He had been upset at first, but when I assured him that Alice treated her employees with respect, he seemed to be a bit more at ease. I wanted Jolee to understand as well. This was how I was going to be able to stay at school.

  “I’m fine. I promise it’s not what you’re imagining. It’s classier than I thought and my boss is great, so are the other dancers.”

  “But stripping, Sarah? It just doesn’t seem like you, that’s all.”

  Anger bubbled up under my skin at her accusation and I had to work hard to squash the feeling. She meant well and I understood what she was trying to say. I was just an average-looking girl behind my baggy clothes and ball cap that hid behind my surroundings, preferring to hide in the shadows. Dancing tonight would put me front and center with a spotlight that would follow my every move.

  “I’m coming off as a bitch,” she added as she shook her head, gazing down at the ground. “I think it’s great that you’re doing whatever you can to make money to stay in school. It’s admirable, Sarah.”

  “I feel like everyone would do the same if they were in my situation.”

  She shook her head, strands of her wavy brown hair caressing her cheeks.

  “No, they wouldn’t, Sarah. Most would head home without a backward glance.”

  I thought she was wrong. It seemed to me that most people would do whatever they could to achieve their dreams, even strip to make money to pay for their school’s tuition.

  Wanting to change the subject, I asked Jolee what she needed me to do to finish helping to set up the fundraiser. She directed me to the small kitchen inside the building to gather the bottles of water and place them in the large coolers sporadically placed around the lawn.

  An hour later, a food truck arrived just as the fundraiser was slated to begin. Local news crews, including the university paper, were mingling around the property and I was doing my best to stay away from them all.

  On the other hand, the ridge rogues were hamming it up for the camera, all except the eldest one. Bending down to refill one of the coolers with bottles of water, I glanced by the dunk tank to find the same guy that had laughed at me the week before when I had tripped on campus. He was extremely attractive, with his hair falling across his face in a way that seemed both deliberate and a mistake at the same time. It was no wonder almost all of the news crews were surrounding him; she was certain that the camera would love him, just like the gaggle of women waiting for him to take his turn at the tank.

  I couldn’t deny that I wasn’t the slightest bit tempted to watch him strip off his shirt and take his place in the acrylic tube. Even from afar, I could see how well he filled out his white T-shirt and lime green swimming trunks. The shorts would look ridiculous on just about anyone else, but not him.

  “Hey,” a deep voice said from beside me, and I startled, causing the lid of the cooler to fall down onto my fingertips.

  “Ouch!” I cried out after prying my fingers free from the plastic lid.

  “Sorry!” the newcomer said as he took a step closer to me while I cradled my hand against my chest. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just wanted to grab a bottle of water.”

  “It’s okay. I was lost in my own world,” I explained as I turned my attention to him. I recognized him from one of my classes, but I couldn’t remember his name to save my life.

  “I’m Trey. You were in my business ethics class, right?”

  “Yeah, I think so. I’m Sarah,” I replied as I reached out with my injured hand to shake his.

  As he reached for a bottle of water, I took in his thin but muscular frame. He was built like a swimmer or a runner with lean muscles and a trim waist. As he stood back up, I did my best to hide the fact that I had been checking him out, but I knew I was failing since I could feel the blush rising on my pale cheeks.

  “Are you here for business or pleasure?”

  “Excuse me?” I didn’t understand what he meant and cocked my head to the side.

  “I just meant, are you here for the fun or to adopt?”

  “Oh, well. . . my friend Jolee is the one that organized the fundraiser. I’m just here to help and support her.”

  “Hm. . . that’s very friendly of you. Maybe I can show you some fun later?”

  If it wasn’t for the cocky smile he was sending in my direction, I would have thought he meant to enjoy the festivities. But it seemed like the only festivities he planned to enjoy were the kind that took place in his bed.

  “Um. . .thanks for the offer, but I need to stay and help clean up when the fundraiser is over.”

  “That’s a shame. Maybe another time,” he said before turning around and heading toward a group of women that were petting the puppies.

  I’m not sure why I was surprised to find his attention so easily moving on to someone else. Hadn’t I witnessed it time and time again that I wasn’t pretty enough or interesting enough to hold a man’s attention? At least, that was what my high school ex had said. My attempt at relationships ended there. I had no time for them anyway.

  Ignoring the pang of hurt in my chest I headed back to the kitchen to fill the coolers with the last bottles of water. Keeping my mind on a task helped me forget a
bout what I had to do that evening. I wondered what Trey would think if he saw me dancing instead of the shimmy of pain he witnessed.

  Finishing the task Jolee assigned, I went in search of her until the smell from the food truck assaulted me. The charred burgers and salted French fries caused my stomach to growl loudly. It took just a few minutes before I found myself moving briskly to join the line.

  I should have known that even waiting in line for some lunch would be eventful. Just as I approached the end of the line, I tripped on my own feet. The movement caused me to fall into the man that would be ahead of me in line.

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I tried to tuck my chin against my chest, shrinking myself against the onslaught of hate-filled words that I expected to come. I had learned many times before that people, in general, didn’t like to be run into. Especially the boys at Wellington University.

  At first, I didn’t notice whose back I had slammed into, but as he turned around, I peered up beneath my lashes and was astonished to come face to face with the ridge rogue that had laughed at me a week ago. Why couldn’t he be neck-deep in the dunk tank instead of standing before me as I embarrass myself again?

  His green eyes bore into mine and I was bracing for him to lash out at me. Instead, he fell silent, his tanned skin growing ashen by the second as he stared at me. I wasn’t sure what he was seeing as he looked me over, but his eyes showed fear as if he had seen a ghost.

  I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his as we stood in silence. It wasn’t until Jolee approached that the spell we were in seemed to be broken. She was barely able to say hello before the man in question dashed away, leaving a trail of confusion in his wake.

  “What just happened?” Jolee asked as my eyes followed his retreating back.

  “I literally tripped and fell into him by accident, and then he stormed off.”