by T. L Smith
“Kat,” Rochelle says from across the table.
But that doesn’t stop her.
Kat clicks her fingers in front of my face as she leans in close. “Do you all play dress up too? You know, with your man toys. I mean, we all know you wear those ridiculous vests and have little parties to sleep with women. But do you dress up for each other too?”
I push my chair back with a gigantic scrape across the floor.
“Hit a nerve I see. Was it the dressing up part? I mean, because right now you’re wearing normal clothes. Can’t be that hard.” Kat smirks up at me as she bites another piece of bread. Reaching down, I take it from her hand and shove it in my mouth, chewing with my mouth open as I watch her. “It’s okay, I was finished anyway,” Kat says.
“I’m sure you were.” Turning away from this annoying but crazy good-looking woman, I see my brother watching us, or should I say assessing us.
“I’m out. Don’t invite me again, unless it’s just you. One redhead is enough. You had to bring in two?” I say while shaking my head.
Chapter Four
Kat
“You made it,” Steve, my assistant manager, says, jumping from his seat. Steve is in his mid-forties. He’s decent looking, a nice guy—if not a bit of a pushover—is reliable, and the best part is he’s not a sleaze like the guy before him. Thank God.
It’s been almost a year since I’ve been back. Not much has changed, and if it ever does, it’s me who opts for it. The floor is still dark underneath my feet, and the walls green with bad lighting.
“I told you I would.”
Steve wipes his face. “Thank God. I really do appreciate everything you do around here. Shit, Kat.” He shakes his head. “It’s insane. The girls never stop asking questions, and some of them I have no idea what they are talking about.” He shrugs, a smile returning. “So, when are you starting back? I say tonight. My wife wants me home one night soon.”
I bite my lip and take a seat on the other side of the desk. It’s weird sitting on this side, considering I was always on the other side in the past.
“I can’t tonight… I have to work out a sitter schedule. Give me a week to get it all under control. I have a few I’m interviewing tomorrow.”
Steve flops in my old seat with a thud. “Okay, okay. I can work with that. That’s workable,” he mumbles to himself. “A few of the girls have been showing up late, some not even bothering to call. They think I’m a softy, and so they think they can get away with it. So, just a word of warning as to what you’ll be up against.”
“You are a softy, but that’s okay. I’ll fire them if they don’t arrive on time. It’s not up to the other girls to pick up their slack.”
Steve’s hand bangs on the desk in triumph. “See, this is why you are better. I would suck with daughters.”
“You would, Steve, but that’s okay.” I stand, smiling at him.
“It’s good to see you, Kat. You look good considering… you know, having a baby and all.”
“Thanks.” I know he didn’t mean it as an insult. It’s not in Steve’s nature to be mean or hurtful. But that isn’t the nicest thing to say to a woman. Standing, I look down at him. “I’ll be back, Steve. Warn the girls, because I will fire them.”
“Believe me, it will give me great pleasure to tell them.” He says, smiling happily.
“You don’t have to do this. We can help. Mom can help.”
I shake my head. “No, I have to. I need someone to help me with Annabelle, and I work nights, so it’s just someone to put her to bed and stay while she sleeps.” Taking a deep breath, I continue, “I can’t ask that of any of you five nights a week. You and Marcus are newly engaged, you need time together. And soon my income will be back to what it was, so I can afford it.”
“Okay, fine.”
A knock comes on the door, and when we open it, our mother is standing there with her hand on her hip as she narrows her eyes at me. “You didn’t even ask. Debbie from down the road said her daughter was coming for an interview to babysit my granddaughter.” Her eyes flick to Rochelle before they come back to me. “I canceled her, by the way.”
Taking a deep breath, I close my eyes and then breathe out again while I try not to yell at my mother.
“That wasn’t your place. You have no right to do that, Mom.”
“It is. I will watch her every night while you work. It’s no issue.” Then she pushes in and stops where Rochelle is kissing Annabelle’s cheek before she turns back to me. “Are there any more of these sitters you need to cancel?”
“No, because I still want a sitter, Mother. Even if you do have her every night I work, some nights I may want a night off. And because you’re already helping with Annabelle, I would feel terrible asking you to help again.”
She waves her hand at me. “Please, it’s no issue at all. I love that child, and I don’t work. She’s one of the easiest babies to care for. Easier than you two, that’s for sure.” Her eyes flick to Rochelle then to me. “When do you start?”
“Next week.”
She nods. “Okay, I’ll expect her then.” She walks out, not even saying goodbye.
“I know you want to yell, but try to think of the money you’ll be saving.”
“She will hold this over my head and want to know my every damn move. You know it as well as I do.”
“Annabelle does love her,” Rochelle points out.
I sigh, sitting down next to her. “You’re right, I know you are. But still—”
“Still nothing, it’s sorted. Should I call Marcus and tell him I’m staying here tonight to celebrate?”
“No, you go home. Annabelle and I are just going to chill and watch movies.”
Rochelle stands. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
Annabelle wakes, and Rochelle is off to go get her, coming back with a smiley baby in her arms.
“Do you want one?”
“Yes,” she replies quickly.
“And Marcus?”
“I’ll work on it.” Rochelle smirks, kissing Annabelle before she passes her back to me. “He’s changing, not that I asked him to. But he is for me. These things take time, and I love him so much I will wait.”
“What if you have to wait forever?”
“Then forever I will wait. A love like ours doesn’t come around often. I’m sure of it.”
“Well, wedding planning soon? Yes?”
Annabelle claps her hands, wanting her bottle.
“Soon. I’m in no rush.” She looks down at her ring and smiles. “He did really good. I can just imagine him going into a jeweler to buy it too.” She starts to laugh. Marcus is a man of few words, and usually they’re not very friendly, unless he’s speaking to Rochelle, then that’s a whole other ball game.
“Love you. Call me later.” Rochelle walks out. And I wonder if one day I will get that—what she and Marcus have together. I’ve done everything backward. Isn’t the baby meant to come after marriage? Not a one-night stand who doesn’t care for his own daughter.
Kissing her cheeks, I pull her in for the best cuddle in the world. No one can cuddle you like little arms and hands can. It’s the best feeling.
I found a babysitter and have told my mother I am only going back to work four days a week, so on the fifth night, I can let Annabelle fall asleep in her own house. Pulling my jacket tight around me, I arrive at work. My mother has Annabelle tonight, and it’s officially my first day back.
Steve sees me and waves excitedly.
My hair is up tightly, and my makeup is done to perfection.
When I get completely inside, I pull the jacket off. I only wear it outside of the club. Inside, I wear whatever the hell I want. Underneath is a red lace bodysuit with cups that are see-through, apart from my nipple area. It’s a lot less than I would wear anywhere else, but for here it’s considered modest.
“I’m taking this week off,” Steve says, carrying his computer. “If you need me, don’t call me.” He laughs as
he walks out the door. I smile, knowing exactly what he’s going to be doing all week.
Going straight into my old office, I see all Steve’s things are now gone. It’s bare and pretty much back to how it was before I left. I never had anything personal in here anyway, just some makeup that I used occasionally for touch-ups, because if I wasn’t out on the floor, I was backstage with the girls. Opening the safe, I pull out my computer and place it on the desk. It’s now the only thing on it. Before I start for the night the door opens. Looking up, I see Sparkle, a young girl I hired six months before I went on maternity leave, standing there.
“You’re b-back,” she stutters, looking over her shoulder, then back to me. “I heard.”
“I am. Come in. Do you want to talk?” I wave my hand at her and she steps in, shutting the door behind her. Biting her lip, she looks at the vacant seat she would typically sit in, then back to me.
“I shouldn’t be here.”
“Why?”
Again, she bites her lip.
“Steve told the girls that you were back, and if they continue to pull any more shit, you will fire them.” I nod at her words. “They don’t care. They all say you won’t. So, they’re testing that theory for tonight’s show.”
Walking around to her, I place my hand on my hip and say in a low voice, “Who’s first up?”
“Rebecca. But she’s the ringleader. Says you can’t afford to get rid of her, and that you shouldn’t be in charge. It should be her.”
“You can go now.” I wave her off, and as she reaches for the door, I say, “Sparkle…” Bright eyes stare back at me as she spins around. “Don’t tell them you were in here.”
She nods then slips out.
Looking at the time, the first show is meant to start in exactly twenty-six minutes.
Waiting for a few minutes until I know Sparkle has gone, I grab my phone so I’m reachable and strap it to my hip before I walk out. Dim lights assault my senses. They are laced with blue to give the room more of an open feel and shine down on green couches, which the old boss put in. For some strange reason, he believed it would make the guys spend more.
The DJ waves at me as I walk past his booth, and I head straight out the back to the right, where lights and costumes are hanging everywhere. Walking past them, the girls all sit and smoke at their tables where they do their makeup.
A few look at me through their mirrors, stopping when they see me approach.
“Girls.”
Rebecca turns, a cigarette hanging from her lips, legs crossed. I see Sparkle not far from her, looking down to the floor. I try not to give Sparkle too much attention, as the girls can be vipers when they want to be. “Who’s first up tonight? Doors are set to open in ten.”
They all stay silent. Not one of them makes a sound.
“Girls?”
“Miss,” a few answer while Rebecca sits there smirking at me.
“Who’s first up?” They all look elsewhere while I look to Rebecca. “I’m guessing it’s you.”
“Yep. But I won’t be on time.” The way she says it, it’s as if she has every right to do whatever the fuck she pleases. She turns her nose up at me and looks back to the mirror, continuing to work on her face. I should tell her no matter how hard she tries to make the outside beautiful, the inside will never match. Instead, I smile and walk behind her while everyone goes quiet.
“I don’t think I heard you right. Did you just say you aren’t going to start work on time?”
A smirk. A dirty, big smirk is what I get in the mirror as she looks at me in the reflection while applying her lip gloss as slowly as possible.
“Yep. I’ll go out when I’m ready.”
I smile back at her. “Is that what you think?”
Her lip gloss is placed on the table in front of her. Rebecca briefly looks away, then when she looks back, she smiles. “That’s what I know. You’ve been gone a long time, Miss. Shit changes. You will have to change along with it.”
“That’s not how it works, Rebecca. Now, one last time… are you sure you aren’t going out there on time?”
“I told you already. No. What part of that didn’t you understand? I’ll go when I’m good and ready.”
I step back and look around.
All the girls are now watching, none of them look away.
“Pack your shit and leave. You have five minutes to remove yourself from my premises before I get security to escort you out.”
Rebecca’s mouth falls open, then closes fast. “You can’t do that.”
Ignoring her, I reach for my phone. “Tell McPherson to be back here in five.” I put the phone back and look to Rebecca. “Four and a half minutes left, Rebecca. Collect what you can, because whatever’s not in your hands will be mine.”
“You can’t do that,” she repeats.
Tapping my foot, I look around. All the girls have wide eyes as they watch the showdown between Rebecca and me. I look at my watch, waiting for the five minutes to be up, because you can sure as shit believe I will be kicking her sorry ass out. I don’t have time for this shit, and if she thinks she can run this place, she knows fuck all.
“I have clients who pay big dollars to see me. They won’t be happy tonight.”
“They will survive.” I look at my watch. “Two minutes.”
McPherson walks through the door and stands next to me. “Miss.”
“Two minutes.”
He nods and crosses his arms over his chest. Rebecca finally starts moving, opening her bag and sliding her hand across her table, dropping everything inside, then quickly turns, reaching for clothes before I tap my watch.
She throws her hands up in the air. “You are a cunt, Miss.”
“Takes one to know one, Rebecca. Nice knowing you.”
McPherson escorts her out, and all the girls stay silent.
“Prime real estate just opened. Who wants to open tonight?”
Ten sets of hands throw themselves in the air.
I turn to Sparkle and smile. “Knock them dead, kid. You have ten minutes to get your ass up on that stage. Tell the DJ your music and move.” I clap my hands, and all the girls run around in a frenzy to finish getting ready.
Ah, back to normal.
I smirk as I walk out the door.
Chapter Five
Blaze
“You think it looks okay, right?” Snow asks as his hand runs through his newly grown hair. It’s been shaved for so long, I almost forgot what color hair it was. “I mean, the ladies love me either way, you know. But come on… tell me what you think?”
We joined this club together and took it over together as well. It’s been Snow and me ever since we met, and we have been inseparable. He’s like glue that doesn’t know how to do anything but stick.
Thank fuck for that.
He’s saved my ass on more than one occasion.
I love my brother and everything he did for me growing up. But Marcus wasn’t capable at the time of being anything more to me than just someone who fed me and kept my crazy-ass mother at bay. Now she’s dead, and Marcus works for me when I need him. Not that he has to, but he just does.
Marcus is my blood brother and my MC brother.
Snow is my brother by choice.
“Come on, man…” He runs his hand through his hair again. “Like it?”
“Looks fine, Snow.” He nods and smiles, happy to have gotten confirmation. “You growing your beard too? I like it.”
Running my hand over my jaw, I shake my head.
Why the fuck has he gotten me thinking about how my fucking beard looks? I don’t give two fucks! Walking over to my bike, the prospect straightens up with his rag in hand. The kid’s done a good job, cleaned and polished my baby real well.
Impressed? Yeah, I am totally impressed, but I don’t tell him that. He doesn’t need to know.
“Pres.” A voice comes from the side. Marley, our Enforcer. “The parents want to see you.”
Fuck!
Fuck!
“Get rid of them,” I throw over my shoulder.
Marley takes a step back, and just when I think he’s going, he stops. “They’ve been coming for months. They will keep coming. Just thought you should know.” He turns and walks off.
“Marley.”
He stops before he gets to the door. Glancing at the prospect who’s still looking down, I walk past him and to Marley. This is not something I want to deal with. I didn’t choose this shit. Tanika had demons of her own, and I wasn’t enough to help her. She killed herself, and I couldn’t save her. No matter what I did.
But fuck it! He’s right, they will keep coming if I don’t see them.
Walking past him and out the front door to the gates where their car has stopped—because they can’t get in any farther unless I allow it—I take a deep breath. I step out to see them. They’re leaning against their car, holding hands, their heads bowed together as they stand there and wait.
I didn’t know Tanika as well as many did, but I felt for her. And I liked her. I don’t like many people. Maybe it was because she was so broken that she dragged me in. I don’t know. But in the end, her demons got the best of her, and she jumped off the bridge, with her best friend, Rochelle, watching her helplessly.
They straighten up when they see me, hands still clasped together as I reach them.
The mother looks so much like Tanika—black hair, her face shaped like a heart with lashes fanning her sad eyes. They could almost be sisters.
“We didn’t think you would come.” She pulls at her dress, and I bite my lip. It’s the same thing Tanika did when I first met her. After that, she threw herself at me, and the memory makes me smile.
“I didn’t intend to.”
“You knew her well those last few months. She was a shell to us. Never home…” the father speaks.
Tanika’s mother wipes at her sad eyes.
“We just wanted to meet you. Rochelle said you helped her. We wanted to thank you in person for doing things we couldn’t do.”
