I should call Lawson. I know that. I just don’t know how. Thankfully, I’ve got other things to distract me. I need to get to the office and make sure Jack’s check is going to clear. I’ll be scraping to make payroll if it doesn’t.
Yeah, I’ll take the easy way out. Avoidance. It may be the first time in my life than I haven’t ran headfirst at a problem with every intention of wrecking what stands between me and the solution. Is there a solution to a problem like this? It’s going to cause heartbreak if he doesn’t know. If he does, and has come to terms with it, then I would just be reopening a wound.
I think it’s time for some hair of the dog.
“Good morning, Mr. Ward.” My secretary, Joanna, greets me as I walk into the office.
“Morning…” I say with a sigh. “I need you to call Dan and have him come to my office as soon as possible.”
“Yes, sir!” She nods and reaches for the phone.
Dan is in charge of our biggest accounts. Jack has just become the largest stakeholder, so it will be Dan’s responsibility to build a portfolio. Jack strikes me as the type who will invest his money poorly without Dan’s guidance, and probably still have too much input than needed, but it’s the boost my company needs to get things going.
Every time I look at a financial report, I’m reminded how much shit Lawson left me knee deep in when he cashed out. He was the one who was good at investments. He would have gone to college for it if he hadn’t knocked up his girlfriend in high school and joined the Army so he could take care of his family.
My path to the service wasn’t one fueled by obligation. I wanted to be my own man, and eighteen seemed like the right age to buck the future that was decided for me the day I was born with the last name Ward.
Funny thing is, I still ended up at the head of a company with my family’s name on the building, even after my detour through the desert.
“You wanted to see me, sir?” Dan appears at my door and waves as he enters.
“Yes.” I reach into my pocket and pull out Jack’s check. “I closed the deal last night, so you’re in charge of the account.”
“That easy, huh? I need to go with you one night when you entertain future clients—you make closing deals look easy.” He smiles and takes the check from me.
“Consider yourself lucky that you got to skip this one.” I exhale sharply.
Maybe Dan would have been better company than me, but I doubt he would be able to walk into church with a straight face on Sunday if he had to cater to Jack’s whims for the evening. The important thing is that the deal is closed. Everyone will keep getting paid, and Jack’s money will grease the wheels so we can finally push past the hump we’ve been stuck behind since Lawson left the company.
“Mr. Ward, I’m so sorry to interrupt…” Joanna gives my door a light knock before pushing it open.
“I’m talking to Dan,” I reply with a cold tone, and a hint of annoyance sweeps through my veins; she knows better.
“Yes, sir, but you have a visitor.” She steps into my office and closes the door. “It’s Mr. Brooks’ daughter.”
“I can come back later…” Dan’s face reflects almost as much surprise as mine does.
“Yes, I’m sorry,” I say apologetically.
It appears that Kiana isn’t the kind of person to run from her problems. She shows up to handle them personally. It’s admirable, but I don’t really want to deal with it myself; not at my office in the middle of a workday.
I should have called her father. That’s obviously why she’s here—to beg me not to do it since she has figured out I haven’t made the call yet.
Dan vacates my office, and Joanna goes to retrieve Kiana. I’m not sure what I will say when she walks through the door. Should I apologize for being at the strip club in the first place? For seeing her? I certainly won’t breathe a word about the reaction I had to those gorgeous curves before I realized who they belonged to.
“Thank you for not having me thrown out of the building.” Kiana walks through my door with a timid look of concern on her face.
“I would never do that.” I look up at her and shake my head. “Please, have a seat.”
She’s nervous. I used to see so many emotions in her blue-green eyes. They were like windows into her soul—still are, but now they’re beautiful. I shouldn’t even be thinking that. It’s inappropriate. So is the image of her that flashes through my head—her on the stage, naked, with curves that would tempt any man with a pulse.
“I’ll just kill the elephant in the room rather than exchange pleasantries.” She sighs. “I know you saw me last night.”
“I saw someone named Lavender Rose,” I say. “She looked an awful lot like you under that wig.”
“Yeah.” She nods, and another sigh crosses her lips. “I expected my father to come through the door five minutes after you left, and since he still hasn’t called, I have to assume you haven’t told him what you saw.”
“That’s a very difficult conversation to have.” I lean back in my chair.
“Not as difficult as walking out on that stage…” She looks down, and her eyes flash with turmoil—a hint of pain as well.
“Then why are you doing it?” I tilt my head slightly. “Surely you don’t need money. Your father would break the bank if you needed it…”
Lawson always spoiled his kids. Often to his wife’s dismay. The day we turned a profit and were able to pay ourselves a little more than the bare minimum was like Christmas at his house.
“You haven’t talked to my father in a while, have you?” Kiana’s eyes dart, and her eyebrows furrow.
“No…” I admit, and instantly feel a twinge of guilt.
“Then you have an awful lot to catch up on before you can even think about telling him what you saw last night.” She tenses up. “What I’m doing? I don’t have a choice—it’s my only option.”
“Come on, Kiana. There has to be another way, even if your father can’t bail you out like he’s always done.” I narrow my eyes, studying her, trying to read below the surface.
“There isn’t.” The look in her eyes tells me that she believes what she’s saying, which makes me wonder what exactly it is that I don’t know. “If you tell my father, he’ll react exactly how you think he will, and…”
“And what?” I tilt my head in the opposite direction.
“And people will get hurt!” She slides her chair back and immediately stands up. “Please, Bram. Forget what you saw last night.”
That’s impossible. I wish I could, but it isn’t an option. Things I should’ve never seen—never thought about—they’re burned in my thoughts.
“If you’re in trouble and you can’t go to your father, then talk to me.” I stand up and lean forward, pressing my knuckles into my desk. “You used to…”
“That was a long time ago.” She shakes her head. “None of this concerns you. Not anymore.”
Kiana tries to end the conversation by walking to the door. I’m not ready for it to be over. I close the distance between us and put my hand on the door before she can open it.
“Tell me what’s going on,” I demand with a tone that is a lot heavier than I intend.
“It’s really complicated. I didn’t come here for help. I just came to ask you not to tell my father what you saw.” She looks up at me, and tears form in the edges of her eyes.
I don’t want to see her cry. I never could stand being the guy who deduced a woman to tears—not the kind that are about to pour down Kiana’s face.
I let go of the door and take a step back.
“I won’t tell him.” I sigh. “But if you need something, anything, you know where to find me.”
“Thank you,” she squeaks out and opens the door.
I choose the coward’s way out for the second time in two days. I could’ve pressed, even forced an answer out of her. Maybe I should’ve called her father while she was trapped in my office and told him the truth.
I’m not at peace with m
y decision, but I can’t change it. I gave her my word, and that’s one thing I always keep. I won’t tell Lawson that I saw his daughter dancing on a stage and taking off her clothes for money, but I’m not going to ignore it.
She told me she doesn’t have a choice. That doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t know what kind of trouble she’s in, but I’m going to find out. People may still get hurt, but she won’t be one of them. I’ll make damn sure of that.
I’ll burn that fucking club to the ground if I have to.
Chapter Five
Kiana
I almost told Bram the truth about why he saw me on that stage. If he pressed a little harder, I would’ve let the secret spill along with my tears. I was prepared to do it, if that was what it took, but I’m glad that I didn’t have to.
It’s better this way. I’ve got things under control. I don’t need his help or his sympathy. He’s not going to call my father. That’s all that matters right now.
There was a time when I was close with Bram. The meaningless crush of a teenage girl who saw him as my father’s cool friend. A cool friend who was so smoldering hot he brought things to the surface I’d never felt before. But that part of me was invisible to him. He probably thought I was just an annoying kid.
Some things haven’t changed, though. Bram still does something to me. The way he stormed across the room to stop me from leaving. I knew I was safe as long as I was in his office, trapped in his enormous shadow, and it was hard not to feel that same rush I used to feel when I was younger.
But I’m not that girl anymore. I see the world differently now.
The harshest truths are the ones you wish were lies.
“It’s time.” Max walks into my dressing room as I’m sliding on my skirt.
“Okay.” I nod and pull the zipper tight.
I don’t even flinch when Max walks into my dressing room while I’m getting ready, even if I’m mostly naked. There’s nothing he hasn’t already seen. I never thought I’d have a feeling that lackadaisical, and it’s barely been more than a week since I took the stage for the first time.
I’m definitely losing a piece of myself every time I do it.
Maybe I’ll even learn to enjoy it one day; doubtful, but that hope stokes the flame. If it was easy, I could sleep better at night.
I walk from my dressing room to the stage. I immediately make eye contact with the DJ who gives me a nod.
“Gentlemen, most of you already know her, but every time you get to see her is a treat! She comes to us from Sin City and trust me—she craves every sin you can imagine. Give it up for…” The DJ hits my music just like he does every time I’m ready to take the stage. “The beautiful, vivacious, Lavender Rose!”
He usually introduces me the same way every night. Sometimes there’s a new flair, but it’s rarely noticeable. What is noticeable is the fact I have fans. Guys who are in the club all of the time. They cheer before I make my entrance—before I even walk out into the light. Is it weird to be happy about that? To expect it? To soak in the admiration like I’m a starlet gracing the silver screen?
At least I’m not a disappointment to them.
Their fantasies.
Their desires.
I take the stage, and they pay me for my time, one dollar, five, a ten from someone who doesn’t want to flip money my way for the entirety of my dance. If there’s a twenty, it’s probably from Bill.
I barely look around the club when I dance. I entertain the ones that are close to the stage. The rest of them are just scenery, background noise. I don’t care enough to find out who is watching me anymore. I’m still timid, and the butterflies in my stomach haven’t gone away, but the need to throw up has subsided.
Mainly because I know Bram isn’t going to call my father. If he’s pacified, the rest of it doesn’t really matter that much. I probably won’t even see him again.
I dance until my clothes are strewn around the stage. I give them a glimpse of what they want to see but never more than a tease. I’ve learned enough to keep things interesting so that they still pay to see the girls who come after me.
My trip to the dressing room gets harder every time I leave the stage, because I realize I won’t feel that rush again until the next night.
“Damn, girl…” Rhonda meets me behind the curtain. “You’re getting popular.”
“Hopefully that means more money.” I smile and shrug.
“The real money is going to come when you can take them behind the curtain.” She winks. “Trust me, you’ll understand soon enough.”
“When do you think Max will let me start?” I tilt my head inquisitively and raise my eyebrows. “He said a couple of weeks…”
“Yeah, don’t worry—it’s going to happen,” she says with a grin slowly forming on the edge of her lips. “He’s just getting them all hot and bothered so they pay a premium price.”
I hope she’s right. I’m not really looking forward to being behind the curtain with a guy who can actually put his hands on me without facing consequences. As long as he doesn’t go overboard, but it is means to an end. More money. More of my brother’s debt paid. Less meetings with Mr. Diaz—hopefully, no more meetings that I’m not prepared for—in the dark where his sinister nature seems to flourish.
I decide that it’s time to talk to Max. He normally comes into my dressing room to make sure I haven’t forgotten to serve drinks. I get dressed, fix my makeup, and wait for him.
I’m nervous. The first time he talked about giving lap dances, I was scared to death. Maybe that’s why he decided I should wait. I wasn’t ready. I don’t know if I’m ready now, but Bram showing up at the club reminded me that I’m always one night away from having the wrong person in the audience—someone who wouldn’t think twice about calling my parents.
They’re not in any position to help my brother, and if they put an end to what I’m doing, the result could be tragic.
“Why are you still sitting in your dressing room?” Max walks in, almost on queue. “Get out there and serve some drinks. I need you on the floor.”
“Yes, sir.” I nod and stand. “I was actually waiting on you. Can we talk?”
“Sure, what do you want to talk about?” He narrows his eyes. “I hope you’re not about to quit on me.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I wanted to talk to you about lap dances. I’m ready to start. You heard the reaction tonight. I could make you a lot of money if you let me…”
You. Me. It’s all the same; I just need my cut.
“Yeah, I hear the reaction every night.” He nods. “It’s getting louder. Especially with the regulars.”
“That’s a good thing, right?” My smile gets wider.
“It is.” There is a hint of hesitation in his eyes for a moment, and then it fades. “Okay, fine. I’ll let you do one lap dance. If you do a good job, then I’ll consider letting you work behind the curtain from now on.”
“Thank you!” My enthusiasm is a lot higher than it probably should be. “You remember Bill’s request, right?”
“I do,” Max says. “I’ll let you know when it has been arranged.”
“Perfect.” I glance in the mirror one last time before I walk past him for a quick slap on my ass.
There are things about Max I still find rather revolting, but he’s the king of the castle, and I’m just a pawn. He holds the keys to my freedom—my brother’s freedom. I have no choice but to come to terms with what I have to do in order to buy his way out of the mess he’s in. He doesn’t even know I’m here. He just knows I made a deal to fix it.
“By the way.” Max grabs my hand before I’m out of reach. “I’ll be watching, so don’t fuck this up if you ever expect to go behind the curtain again.”
“I…” A twinge of nervousness makes my stomach twist into a not. “I know what to do.”
I hope I do. Max has let me watch a couple of lap dances from the security room, where he’ll probably be when I’m behind the curtain. He’s got cameras eve
rywhere. I wonder if his customers even realize how much footage he has of them. Then again, I doubt they care. Max doesn’t really cater to paragons of virtue or the finest members of society; those people go to places a lot nicer than this.
I scan the room as soon as I walk out onto the floor. Steve motions to me before I even get a chance to really look around.
“I already have a few drink orders—they asked for you personally.” He smiles and starts putting them on a tray.
My fans. The cheapest way to get to spend a few seconds with me—maybe a full minute—is to buy one of Max’s overpriced drinks. I make my rounds and act like the sweet little schoolgirl my outfit suggests that I am. It’s what they want, and I’ve learned to play the part, even if it makes me feel dirty.
The last drink on my tray is for Bill. I intentionally saved him for last. He doesn’t really care about the act. What he wants, he just might get before the end of the night.
“Good news, Bill.” I put his drink on the table and sit down across from him. “Max says that he’s going to let me start doing lap dances!”
“I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear that.” Bill chuckles under his breath.
“I reminded him that you want to be the first one to take me behind the curtain.” I wink—flirt, maybe. I’ve never really understood how to do it, but I’ve picked up a lot from watching the other dancers.
“Hopefully I can afford Max’s price.” Bill raises an eyebrow. “I bet your first lap dance will be auctioned off…”
“Auctioned?” I blink in surprise.
“Yeah, I’ve been coming here long enough to know when Max is building up to something. It’s the best night for it; the place is packed.” Bill nods, and disappointment registers on his face. “Oh well, it was worth a shot. You’ll be just as pretty in a week when the novelty wears off and the prices drop.”
Now I’m the one who is disappointed. I’m not attracted to Bill in any way—the idea of taking him behind the curtain isn’t exciting, it was just something I came to terms with. Something I expected to happen.
Daddy's Possessive Friend (Once Upon a Daddy Book 12) Page 3
