by Kali Brixton
I hear a loud crunching sound like she’s eating an apple or a carrot. “I didn’t say anything.”
My surprised gasp gets the attention of Greta and Luca again. “No, it’s okay. You can pick me up in five minutes.”
She laughs. “I’m not getting out in this Atlanta traffic.”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be waiting outside. Let me text you the address.” I give Greta the eyes, hating that I’m lying to her, but this wouldn’t be happening if someone hadn’t been invited to our lunch date.
Eden pauses. “I’m serious, Ev. It’s raining cats and dogs out there.”
“Okay. Be careful. It’s storming pretty hard right now.” The sheets of rain coming down outside of the huge window right now match my mood perfectly—and most likely Eden’s mood now.
A sharp huff comes through the receiver. “You owe me for this.”
“Of course. See you soon.” I end the call and text her the name of the restaurant. She’s going to murder me, but maybe I can buy her some lunch and soothe the savage beast a bit. Grabbing my purse, I rummage for my wallet.
“Everything all right, honey?” Greta’s concern breaks my concentration.
“One of the girls has an emergency and needs me to help.” I place some bills on the table where my plate should be, more than enough to cover four meals and a generous tip. “I’m sorry to cut this so short.” I lean over to kiss Rory on the head and walk around to hug Greta.
“I hope everything’ll be okay.”
“I’m sure it will be.” I smile at her, thankful that she’s not pressing for more details.
She pats Luca on the hand as she sits back down. “Nonsense. Luca and I can have our chat and I’ll fill you in later.”
“That’ll be just fine. Enjoy your meal, everyone.”
Luca stands as I walk past him, a curt nod thrown his way as I weave through the tables and out the door. The late-September rain pummels down on the traffic passing by. Thankfully, Eden’s big truck appears just slightly over the five-minute mark. I rush to get in her behemoth of a vehicle, still getting doused by the torrential rainfall.
Of all the days…
Eden says nothing as I buckle in, so I decide to smooth things over. “Thank you for being a good friend.”
She merges into traffic, then cranks up the heat to defog the windshield. “You owe me a pair of Louboutins, by the way.” Her hair is drenched as is her beautiful dress. “I broke my damn heel on the curb trying to get in here without getting soaked.”
“Sorry about that,” I offer with a wince. “I’ll get you a new pair and see if Bruce in midtown can repair those.”
She silent for a moment, contemplating my offer, then finally relents. “I’ll take it—plus lunch.”
“Deal.” Because I don’t care how much money it costs me, my sanity’s worth more than every dollar of mine that’s stashed in the bank.
She drives for a bit before addressing the white elephant in the cab. “Well, now that I’ve rescued your cute ass, who’s the dickface that caused all this mess? I have a couple of lashes with his name on them in my Garden if you want to send him an anonymous invite.”
My sardonic laugh earns me a side glare. “So, I go into the meeting today and meet Jarrett, the senior partner overseeing the case.”
“Jarrett, Jarrett…” Her brow bunches together. “I don’t remember you ever mentioning a Jarrett before.”
“Jarrett’s not the problem. The lawyer he brought in to do the paperwork and shadow the adoption is.”
“Well, who is it? It can’t be any worse than walking in and seeing Luca sitting there.” When I don’t respond to her joke, she gasps loudly. “No!”
I shake my head.
“Holy shit, Ev!” Her shocked face says it all.
“Yelp,” I reply, popping the “p.”
“Wait, how did he end up on your adoption case?”
“Who the hell knows? Although I’m starting to wonder if I did something terrible in a past life because karma loves to ream me when it comes to him.” A dry-reaming with no lube or mercy, at that.
A sharp whistle pierces the humid now circulating in the truck. “Damn. I’m sorry, Ev.” She heads off on the next exit, the truck slowing as we get to the yield sign. “I wonder if Lia can talk him into stepping down.”
As childish as it was to bail out on lunch, I can’t keep piling the selfishness higher. “I don’t want to cause them problems. They just reconnected and for all his stupidity, I think he’s trying to make up for lost time.”
“Yeah, but you know Lia’s got your back.” Eden’s point is valid, and I know Lia would do it, but I don’t want to put her in the middle.
“I know, but she has Aliana and Landry to think about, plus her family’s starting to come back around. After all the garbage she’s had to wade through, I don’t want to pile on any back on her. She deserves some happiness in her life.”
“Yes, she does…but so do you.” Her earnest look matches the way she reaches over and squeezes my hand.
I squeeze back, loving that I have her in my life. “Thanks, Eady.”
“That’s what sisters are for, my love.”
Nodding my head, I sigh. “It’s just temporary, anyway. Once all this is settled with Rory, I can hopefully go back to avoiding him at all costs.”
“That’s the spirit!” she cheers. “Now, since this was my day off at the library, I was planning to go get in some extra rounds at the gym. Know anyone in the mood for beating the shit out of some punching bags?”
I smile brightly at her suggestion, my fists already aching for some carnage. “Let’s swing by RISE. I’ve got a change of clothes there.” Mentioning the club pushes another damn complication to the forefront. “Fuck, I just remembered…”
“What?”
“The lawyer mentioned needing financial information, which means I’ll have to disclose about RISE.” My head shakes in defeat. “How am I gonna explain that?”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Her painted nails glimmer as she waves her hand. “All those documents will say is that you are part owner. There’s nothing in the paperwork about you actually being employed there.”
“Yeah, but Luca doesn’t even know I’m part owner there.”
“That’s true.” Her lips twist as she does sometimes when she’s mulling over a problem. “But here’s the thing, though. You only perform with us as a group or the occasional solo on the silks. Hell, you’re the only one of us who’s never even taken a man back to your room unless it’s to give him a well-needed dose of reality. Plus, you don’t do private performances there or on the floor.” Her reasoning is sound and gives me an inkling of hope.
I can’t stand the thought of me losing my chances at getting Rory and letting down Greta because I’ve not worked up the nerve to leave the club behind.
“And don’t forget—we all wear masks, wigs, and contacts, so for all the lawyer knows, you really are only an investor.”
“That’s true.” Except in my heart, I know it wasn’t. There was one time when I took a man back to my room and it had nothing to do with teaching him a lesson…
24
Everleigh
Twenty Months Ago
This night has gone to shit. I’ve already had to deal with a customer who got too handsy with one of the girls. Now, I’m sitting in a corner, watching the only man I ever loved celebrating his engagement. Well, it looks like my idiot brother and his buddies are the ones celebrating with the girls on the floor. Luca’s been camped out at the bar since he walked in here, his muscular back to the floor and the stages, nursing his second glass of whiskey which seems to be making him sway a little. Odd for someone who can usually hold his own at the bar. Even more confusing is how any of them got past the door without a RISE membership.
I’ve known for years that Luca would eventually have his number punched and have to enter into a marriage arrangement orchestrated by his father and one of his less-than-savory associates, but seeing him
sitting there, knowing why he’s here, doesn’t make the ache in my chest go away.
I decided a long time ago to bury my feelings for him, knowing he never loved me the way I loved him...or at all. However, this recent reconnection between him and Lia has thrust him back into my life as well, and hurts. I can pretend it doesn’t, but it fucking hurts and I don’t know how to remove the shards of my unrequited love for him from my broken heart.
Maybe once he’s married and has a family of his own, I’ll be able to exorcise these ghosts and move on with my life.
And where has that gotten you these past few years?
“Madam Isis?”
My creeper stare with the man who cut me loose a long time ago breaks, only to find Maxine with joy in her expression. “Hey there. What’s with that big grin?”
Since Max started working at RISE, I’ve taken her under my wing, much like how Lia took Quinlin, who’s currently working my brother into a tizzy with her lap dance, under hers. Gross. Max has a similar backstory to many of the girls who come here—abuse, isolation, destitution.
“There’s a man who wants a private dance, but the front rooms are taken.” Her bright smile exudes a lot more excitement than I usually see from her. It must be a guy she’s really into if she’s this eager because she typically never uses a room.
“Just take him to one of the back rooms. Let security know I gave the okay.”
The back rooms are closest to our shared office, so we try to keep everyone near the front of the club. Some nights are busier than others, though, which means our guys have more ground to cover as far as watching the girls, especially if we have to use all the rooms available.
She nods and thanks me, damn near skipping as much as a girl in six-inch heels can skip toward a brunette in a sharp gray suit. I can’t see his face, but when she saunters up behind him and whispers in his ear, he quickly rises from his seat and follows her to the back rooms.
At least one of us is enjoying herself tonight.
I glance at the stage and see two of our girls giving their audience a good show. Eden and Addy are having a good time with the men they’re chatting up, but Lia is missing. Huh. I scan the floor to see if I can spot her, but my eyes ultimately pause on a now-vacant seat at the bar and the sight of Luca stumbling into the hallway our rooms are in.
A harsh punch to the gut gets my ass out of my own seat, then moving toward the hall. Addy catches me striding quickly and gives me a worried look. I shake my head at her to stay put as I keep moving. This overwhelming sense of dread swirling in my stomach may have tendrils of jealousy wrapped around it, but it’s not my main motivator.
It’s fear.
Turning the corner I hear a familiar voice telling Zeus, our head security guy, that I okayed the use of a room.
Only it’s not Max.
It’s Keisha, another one of our girls—the one who just so happens to bristle me in every way possible. Halfway holding up an obviously drunk Luca, she moves toward the now unlocked door with him in tow.
I pass by Zeus, who quirks a heavy blond brow at me. Keisha rocks back on her left heel when I grab her shoulder. “I did what now?”
Surprise is evident in her gaze, obviously not expecting to see me standing here. She schools her features, trying to hide her embarrassment at being caught. “I overheard you giving permission to Morrigan, so I thought it would be fine.” I get ready to call her out on her bullshit when she uses Maxine’s club name, but a swaying Luca crowds my anger out with concern.
He seems to be having trouble standing, so I glance at Zeus, who hung back in the wings to see what was going on. I don’t know where Lia is and I can't tell Kieran his friend isn’t doing too hot because he’ll recognize my voice. Against my better judgment, I give the word. “Take him to my room.”
Keisha’s eyes narrow as she reluctantly releases her hold on Luca. Zeus takes him into my newly cleaned room from the last client interaction, leaving us standing there alone.
As owners, we all have our own rooms, but the girls working here took turns using the other rooms as needed. Even though working at RISE isn’t what I secretly want, I love having my own room because I can go there if I just need to escape club life for a few moments. It’s also been tailored to the special…services that I offer, much like Eden, or Madam Roxie’s room of pain. Only, her room is meant for those who enjoy her brand of torture. Mine is for teaching a lesson to any man who gets too fresh with one of the girls. Her clients typically come out with a smile on their face; mine usually have soiled britches and a new attitude. That is if they don’t have their membership revoked. Those penalties are a bit harsher.
Not at all like the leniency I’m about to show Keisha. “The difference is that Morrigan asked. You didn’t.”
She shrugs and purses her lips. “Well, I didn’t want to disappoint a paying customer.”
Even though it feels like a knife to the heart, I steer this conversation back away from my pain to the topic at hand. “He asked you to bring him back here?”
Her hand brushes her purplish wig over her shoulder. “He didn’t have to… I offered.”
Her smug arrogance burrows deep under my skin. I take one step toward her to assert some dominance because this is mine and the girls’ kingdom. She’s merely a citizen who’s about to have her passport revoked if she keeps it up. “In case you didn’t notice, that client is three sheets to the wind and can barely stand. Do you honestly think it’s okay to bring someone back here who didn’t ask for it in the first place?”
“Pfft. Like he was gonna complain about anything I was planning on doing to him.”
The ice melts within and gives way to the fire now raging through my body. I keep a tight lid on my temper because if it blows, we’re going to have a lawsuit on our hands. Or possibly jail time for me. No, most definitely jail time for me. “Go to the locker room and get your stuff. Your shift is officially over.”
I brush past her to enter my room, when she makes the mistake of grabbing my arm. Have the dumbasses of the world not yet learned their mistake of doing that? “Why do I have to go home?”
You can’t teach from prison, Ev. Keep your cool. I cover her hand with my own and press down on a pressure point, causing her to turn loose. Holding my grip on her, I step forward until I’m toe to toe with her. “Because I don’t give a rip-roaring fuck if it’s a person who works here or is a client. No one—and I mean no one—gets taken into these rooms without their consent.” I release her and she stumbles back on her heels, cradling her hand like I really hurt it.
Fucking pansy.
She narrows her eyes at me, like she actually has the balls to do something right now. “Like men don’t do that to women all the time.” I know the type too well, though. All bark and no bite.
But this anger seething beneath… “Not here at RISE, they don’t!” My voice raises for a moment before I get a hold of my senses. Clearing my throat, I bring my voice down to a flat tone. “The madams and I don’t run that type of establishment, nor do we allow that type of shit to go on. If you have an issue with how things are run around here, you can lodge a formal complaint with HR or find somewhere else to dance. Now get your things and go home.”
She goes to open her mouth, but I shut her down with a raised finger. Aw, hell no. This girl doesn’t suffer fools. “Go now, or you can clean your locker out permanently.”
With a loud huff, she storms off in the direction of the locker room, leaving me fuming and still having to deal with him. Rolling my shoulders back, I loosen the tension that she always brings out in me with her presence. If she doesn’t drop that bitchy attitude, she’s going to be kicked out of RISE with my foot forever lodged in her ass.
If only you could cut a bitch and line her ass out without having to stamp license plates.
Entering my room, I see that Zeus has put Luca in the chair I use for our worst behavior issues and cuffed him to it. “Is he that out of it?”
Zeus shakes his head. “I c
ouldn’t get him to stay in the seat without slumping over.”
I grab Luca’s face and see it’s pale—too pale with a greenish tint. “Zeus, hand me that waste can!”
He gives it to me just in time to get it in front of him before the retching starts. “Hold it for me.”
Grimacing, he does as I ask, while I get to the side of Luca and hold his forehead. He continues to empty his stomach contents for what seems like several minutes. Being a kindergarten teacher has helped me to build somewhat of a tolerance to bodily fluids, but my helper is looking a little worse for wear. I rub Luca’s back in circles and continue to hold his head as he dry heaves a couple more times before collapsing back. “Can you take care of that, then bring me a damp washcloth and some Sprite with a straw, please?”
He grumbles as he leaves, his I didn’t sign up for this shit statement filtering through the room before the door closes, leaving Luca and me alone. I fetch a towel from my cabinet and try to wipe his mouth off as much as possible. Feeling of his head, he’s a little too warm, so I unbutton his shirt a bit to let in some air since he’s restrained and use my hand to fan him. “Lu—“ I still, realizing I can’t call him by his real name. “Sir, are you okay?”
His head rolls slightly from side to side, causing his shirt to separate the slightest bit. Lines of black ink are visible, as if there’s a tattoo hiding beneath his undershirt. A tattoo he got after we were no longer “we” anymore. My fingers itch with curiosity to see the whole picture, but I stop myself. There’s no point in knowing what lies beneath.
Zeus reenters with the items I requested and sets them down near Luca and me. “Madam Isis, is it okay to leave? The smell…” His greenish tint tells a story all its own.
“I’ll call you if I need anything.”
He thanks me, then bolts out the door, making me chuckle. I guess I’ve figured out our own god of thunder’s weakness.
For the next hour or so, I tend to Luca and try to get some fluids back in him. His forehead doesn’t feel as hot, but he seems so woozy. It’s unlike him to have a little more than one drink to put him down, making me wonder if we have some tainted alcohol at the bar.
