Either way, last night had been a well thought through effort to drink myself into oblivion and forget them, and I was pretty sure it had worked too. I didn't have any memories of dreaming about any of them. Or having nightmares either. Nope. It was nothing but a void of darkness for me last night and I was thinking that I might make it a habit. That said, the pounding in my skull did not agree with me there.
"It isn't early," Lyla called back. "It's past lunchtime and there's a huge party going down at Paradise Lagoon today."
"I'm partied out," I protested.
"Not today you aren't," Di called back. "We got you a job working it and I know your broke ass needs the cash."
I cursed. She was right, my broke ass did need the cash. I may have been so pissed about the fact that Luther was back from the not-so-dead that I'd dumped the cash I'd stolen from Harlequin House in a homeless dude's hat a few nights ago and I’d spent a lot of last night complaining about my need to pay my rent tomorrow with a total of zero funds.
I felt it was totally justified though. I hadn't been driving their stupid car either and I hadn't been spending time at their stupid house. I didn’t want anything from them. Least of all their guilt money.
I had seen them though. Mostly Fox, coincidentally hanging out nearby while supposedly giving me space.
I'd told him that I needed a few days back here to just chill out, get my head straight and figure out my options and at the time he'd seemed to be understanding, but I was getting the feeling my time was running low and I was going to be summoned back into the fold soon enough.
"Alright," I called, stumbling out of bed and rubbing my eyes as I headed to the door to open it for them.
Bella was there too, looking fairly lucid for once which meant she also looked kinda sad and was generally being a lot quieter than the other two.
"What's the job then?" I asked, leaving the door open so that I could talk to them while I made coffee and Mutt could go pee.
"Chester and Jolene Granville who run The Dollhouse are putting on this huge party for the rich assholes who have come here on their college spring break this week," Di explained as she came in and took a seat at my little table. "They need escorts filling the place to make sure it's not a total sausage fest."
"I'm not fucking frat boys for cash," I said grumpily, glancing back out onto the porch where Bella and Lyla were sprawled out and making themselves at home.
"That's the beauty of it," Di explained, taking the coffee I handed her. "They need girls to just dance and keep the party going. They'll want you to encourage the assholes to keep spending their money at the bar and to take part in the games, but you don't have to suck any dicks unless you wanna earn the extra. It's a hundred bucks for the day and if you happen to win any of the contests then you can keep the cash prizes too. We basically have to make sure the party goes off and keep them spending."
"That said, I charged fifty bucks per BJ last year and twenty for a handy and I made almost two grand in one day," Lyla said, raising her brows like that might tempt me.
"Fuck me, didn't you get lock jaw?" I laughed and she grinned.
"I could barely even chew solids the next day, but I didn't have to work the whole rest of the month, so I felt like it was a fair trade off." She tossed her blonde hair and winked at me and I could only laugh in response as I tracked down some painkillers and took them for the hangover.
"I bought wrist splints for her in case she needs them tomorrow too," Di cackled and I couldn't help but fall apart with them.
Bella smiled but she had that kinda dead look in her eyes and I frowned as I looked at her.
"If you don’t wanna hook up with frat boys for cash I bet JJ would give you more shifts working the bar," I said casually. "I could put in a good word with him if any of you were looking to get out of the sex trade or wanted to have a break for a bit?"
Lyla and Di glanced Bella's way but she just shook her head. "I'll just fuck it up. At least there's not much to get wrong when it comes to fucking. I just have to lay back and wait for it to stop."
"Jesus, Bella, if you hate it that much then why-" Lyla began but Bella waved her off.
"I don't hate it. I don't care," she said and that just made me feel worse for her somehow.
"Honestly, Bella," I said. "JJ would take you on full time, I'm sure of it. I think you could be really good behind the bar and-"
"Nah. Like I said, I'd fuck it up. But thanks." Bella stood up and wandered off, her scarlet hair trailing down her spine as she moved a little way away from my porch, still waiting for us but clearly ending the conversation there.
"I've got it," Lyla said, pushing to her feet and heading after Bella as I frowned, wondering if I'd offended her or something.
"Forget it, Rogue," Di said, moving to stand beside me and giving me a little nudge. "None of us can help Bella until she's ready to help herself.”
I shrugged and let it go. I'd certainly never had anyone try to help me fix shit in my life. I knew all too well that it was on each of us to make the best of this life that we could manage and never to make the mistake of relying on anyone else.
"What do I need to wear to this thing then?" I asked, leading the way into my room and Di followed me eagerly.
I let her have a free run at my small closet and took up position on the bed as there wasn't much floor space left.
"Ah-ha!" Di said triumphantly, grabbing the tiniest bikini I owned from my drawer and tossing it at me. It was navy blue with a thong bottom and fitted top which gave the girls some serious boost.
"You're sure no one will assume I'm for sale?" I asked warily as I stripped out of my pyjamas and changed into it. "Because I've got nothing against your line of work, but when I was a kid, this guy tried to-"
"Hey, I get it," Di said. "Your body is your own and you wanna make the choices about who you share it with without any ulterior motives clouding your judgement. If it makes you feel better, these douchebags always have pockets full of cash and get utterly wasted. Stealing from them is like stealing candy from a baby. A sleeping baby. A sleeping baby who’s in another room. And they’re just rich kids looking to get their dicks wet, most of them aren’t even thinking about paying for it until it’s offered, so don’t worry about having to fight them off."
I laughed, liking the sound of robbing them blind a whole lot more than the idea of sucking strange dick for cash.
"Perfect. But you'll have to give me an alibi if they catch me. Also, where exactly am I supposed to hide all of that cash in this outfit?" I asked.
She tossed me my shortest, most ass-cheek-revealing booty shorts and I caught them in the face before getting up to pull them on. I had to jump a few times to force the denim over my ass, but once I was in, I had to admit that my butt looked good enough to bite and I now had pockets for the cash.
I grabbed my fancy makeup out of the bag I kept in my nightstand and Di hopped up onto the bed behind me as I applied it, combing her fingers through my hair and weaving it into a fishtail braid which she pulled around to hang down over my left shoulder.
"Maybe we need to find you a seashell bra to match your mermaid look," she said as she finished up and I got done painting my lips bubblegum pink.
"I don't think mermaids have asses that hang out of the back of their shorts," I pointed out as I grabbed a white lace cardigan and pulled it over my arms to finish the look.
"No. But they have a tail that guys would chase for miles..." Di raised her eyebrows suggestively and slapped my ass as I laughed again and we headed back out to meet the others.
I paused to leave a bowl of food and water out on the little porch for Mutt and he licked my hands excitedly as he scrambled to get close enough to eat it.
"Be good while I'm gone," I warned him as I locked the door to my trailer, leaving him outside. It was too damn hot for him to be cooped up in there all day and even though he had a home now, Mutt was a street dog born and bred. He much preferred to have the freedom to wander while I w
as out than to be locked up somewhere and he already had the woman who ran the cafe down on the beach wrapped around his little tail. He'd be begging scraps from her before I even made it to the lagoon no matter how much food I'd just given him.
"Have we got a ride or do you guys wanna go in my car?" I asked as we caught up to Lyla and a decidedly cheerier looking Bella. Though as I took in the width of her pupils, I could hazard a guess as to what had perked her up. I figured I could offer them a ride despite my aversion to using the guilt-Jeep seeing as they’d sorted this job out for me and all.
"I was gonna suggest we walk but I will take you up on that ride in a heartbeat," Lyla announced excitedly.
"Okay, but no promises about being the designated driver for the return trip," I warned them. "I'll get us there, but I'm in the mood to party so I'll probably ditch the car and go get it tomorrow or something when I sober up."
"Sounds good to me. I'll probably finish up the night by letting one of the frat boys pay for the full deal and take me back to his hotel. They always stay up in those fancy ass resorts on the cliffs with the nice pools and free breakfast spreads. I can probably work my way around a few more of them before I even have to leave in the morning and then I'll have enough money for the month and then some," Lyla announced proudly and I could only commend her on her work ethic.
"You're definitely committed to working all those long, hard hours," I teased and she grinned, looking the picture of seduction in her micro skirt and bikini top.
"You know it, baby."
"Last year I ended up spending the whole weekend with this dude who paid me to teach him how to make a woman come so that he could go back and use it on his girlfriend," Di said. "It was so sweet and he worked really hard. I bet that bitch is out there thanking me right now."
"For spending a weekend fucking her boyfriend?" I laughed. "If she is, she's a better woman than me."
"Oh come on, you can't seriously expect me to believe you've never had a dude cheat on you?" Bella asked. "That's just what they do."
"Sure I have," I replied with a shrug, remembering the time I'd come home to find my boyfriend balls deep in my roommate back when I was living in Greendale. "And I packed up my shit to the backing track of him begging me not to go and blaming the girl then walked the fuck out of there and never looked back."
"Wow. I think I love you a little bit for that," Di said. "Were you just stone cold bitch face while he cried?"
"Pretty much," I admitted with the hint of a smirk. That one had hurt a little though if I was being honest. Miguel had been the kind of guy who was always telling me how beautiful I was, always touching, kissing, flirting and promising me the sky. I'd known he was a flirt and a common douchebag, but he'd been growling ti amo into my ear every time he fucked me over and over again for months before I found him cheating. I was just glad I hadn't given in to the urge to try and let myself love him in return for the declarations he'd been making to me, but it had still stung. Even a guy who called me his whole world and professed his love over and over hadn't really wanted me in the end. He'd wanted Linda with her big tits and come fuck me eyes. And that bitch had always drunk my milk. I made sure to go into her room and pour plenty of it on her carpet before I left so that she’d have the joy of that smell lingering alongside the feeling of my ex’s dick rutting between her thighs.
"I took his car too," I added. "Sold it for two hundred bucks and a coupon for a free grilled cheese. Best sandwich I've eaten in my entire life. Fact."
We headed out of Rejects Park and around to the parking lot where my shiny new Jeep stood out like a sore thumb and I led the girls over to it.
"You have got to be shitting me," Bella breathed as I unlocked it.
"How is that your car?" Lyla demanded.
"It's not." I shrugged. "It's Fox Harlequin's. He got it for me to drive, but I don't want shit from him so mostly it just sits here."
"Girl, if a man wanted to sugar daddy me this hard, I'd be on my knees worshipping his cock like it was the holy grail, even if he was old enough to be my grandpa and had balls hanging down to his knees," Di announced. "So why the hell are you rejecting all that cash from a guy as hot as him?"
"Yeah, I'd ride Fox for free without him even buying me a car," Lyla added. "He’s hot as fuck and he's got that whole dangerous vibe going that says when he was done with me he could just kill me and no one would ever even find my body. I dunno why that's getting me wet, but if you don't want him then I wanna make a play."
"No," I said a little harshly, colour pinking my cheeks as I tried to fight the gut reaction to tell her to back off because he was mine. He wasn't. Hadn't been for a long damn time. "Believe me, that man is much more trouble than he's worth. And I don't wanna hear about you washing up in the bay because he got bored," I added with a grin that said I might be joking. But who knew really? Fox was cut from the same cloth as his father and men like that believed they ruled the damn world. Luther would happily see me dead if he caught me back in town just like Shawn had been more than happy to dispose of me the moment I saw something he hadn't wanted me to. The biggest injustice in all of that was that I hadn't even really heard anything he'd been saying. I'd just seen him talking with some couple I didn't recognise and had been dumb enough to linger by the door to take a closer look at them. The woman had spotted me and before I knew it, I was being choked out, tossed out and forgotten. At least I was used to that last part by now.
We all piled into the Jeep, putting the top down and blasting the music as R.I.P by Sofia Reyes, Rita Ora & Anitta played and we sang along. The girls threw their arms in the air and stood up as we drove down the streets and I laughed at them, real smiles filling my lips in their company which felt pretty damn good.
When we pulled up at the parking lot on the hills outside Paradise Lagoon, we found it full of cars already and the thump of music playing in the distance called us to the party which was clearly already underway. There were narrow footpaths that led down into the natural basin which held the crystal blue water which really did look like a slice of paradise on a normal day. I preferred it when there was hardly anyone here and the sandy beach that surrounded it was undisturbed with the little island at the heart of the water tempting people to swim out and relax on its shore. But I guessed partying here would be cool too.
Right now, however, speakers had been set up to blast music out, there were pop up bars and food joints all around the edge of the lagoon and flashing lights gave the place that tacky, plastic vibe which apparently the rich assholes on spring break just freaking loved.
"Let's go and find Chester and get our passes and cash for showing up," Lyla announced as we made it down to the crowd of partying douchebags and I took in my surroundings.
"Hey, baby, you wanna drink?" some asshole asked, his gaze skimming over all of us as he held a red solo cup out like he hadn't even decided which one of us he was talking to yet.
"No thanks," I brushed him off and Lyla laughed as she led us through the crowd to a large bar that had been set up with a marquee behind it to serve the drinks.
We headed into it and I ignored the couple of gropers who grabbed my ass while mentally preparing to punch a fucker if it kept happening.
Lyla ducked away behind the bar, but the other girls just moved over to grab some drinks and I recognised Carter as he hurried to pour us a row of tequila shots.
"Hey, gorgeous. Are you working today?" he asked and I didn't miss what he meant by ‘working’ as his freshly healed face morphed into what I was guessing was an attempt at a smoulder and he checked me out super obviously.
"I'm just here to amp up the crowd," I replied, taking my tequila and tossing it back. "I'm not selling anything else."
His smile only grew at that like it was an invitation for him to try his luck and I rolled my eyes. Why was I always attracting guy drama? Though I had to admit it wouldn't be the worst idea for me to find someone a whole lot less Harlequin to get my kicks with if I wanted to survive those
boys while I was in town.
Lyla reappeared with a big grin and a handful of hot pink lanyards which she handed out to each of us. The words ask me for anything were emblazoned across them in black lettering and I raised an eyebrow at the less than subtle suggestion that anyone wearing one might be up for sale.
But any protests I might have had about wearing it died on my lips as she handed me a crisp hundred dollar bill next and I realised that this was easy money.
"Let's go party then," I suggested, tossing the lanyard over my neck and turned back out to face the sunshine. If someone wanted to pay me to get the party started, then I was all in.
“I’ll come find you for a dance when I’m on my break,” Carter called behind me and waved in his vague direction, not really agreeing and not entirely blowing him off.
I strode back out through the crowd, weaving my ass left and right to avoid the pinchers before they got a chance to grab at me while slipping my fingers into unsuspecting pockets and liberating dollar bills to join the feed-the-Rogue fund. Then I headed down the sandy beach towards an area that had been set up with various games and attractions.
My gaze instantly fell on the mechanical rodeo bull in the centre of the attractions on offer where a dude was clinging on by his fingertips as the thing rocked and swung all over the place.
There was a sign hanging above it saying that every hour one rider won fifty dollars and a tray of shots for being the contestant to hold on for the longest. The timer hanging beside it said there was only ten minutes left before this hour was up.
"I'm gonna win me some money," I announced, pointing it out and the girls whooped excitedly as we pushed our way through the dude heavy crowd to the front just as the guy currently riding the bull was thrown off of it.
"When you say win, are you actually gonna be able to stay on for longer than six minutes and thirteen seconds?" Lyla asked, pointing at the leader board where a guy called Collin was currently in the top spot.
"Easy," I agreed. Collin was going down.
Sinners' Playground Page 50
