A few minutes later, Callum wakes up confused, looking at me and then at Elijah.
“What happened?” he says in a rough voice.
“You had a nightmare,” I whisper and cuddle into him. He wraps his arm around me and holds me close.
“Fuck,” he groans and rubs Elijah’s back. “Why is he sleeping on me?”
“He heard you scream and came in worried about you. He said he didn’t like it when he has nightmares and cuddled into you. You calmed down instantly.”
“Sorry.”
“What for?” I ask confused.
“Waking you up, waking Elijah up.” He blows out a breath.
“It’s alright, he doesn’t seem fazed by it too much.”
“You don’t either.” He looks at me.
“I can’t say that it’s pleasant to be woken up in the middle of the night by you screaming and crying in your sleep, but I get it. All that has been happening lately has brought those memories and feelings back to the surface. You were bound to have them. I’m just glad we were here to calm you down quickly, well Elijah. I tried but you wouldn’t wake up.”
“Next time cuddle on top of me.” He chuckles softly.
“I’ll try although I hope there’s no next time. I don’t like to see you in such a state.” I frown.
“Nor me.” He kisses my head. “Thank you for not running.”
“I never will.” I kiss his shoulder and drape my arm over Elijah.
“I’ll hold you to that.” He kisses my head and caresses my back with his left arm.
“You couldn’t get rid of me with your story. Nothing will.” I smile looking at him.
“Good.” He kisses me softly.
We stay lying in bed silently for a while and at some point, we both fall back asleep, this time without any nightmare.
Callum
Last night was a rough one. I never expected to have a nightmare about Alina and Billy with Bella sharing my bed. I hate that I woke her and Elijah up with my screams. I’m also shocked about how they both handled it. For Bella to wake up and try to soothe me, I get it. We share the same bed, I was bound to wake her up and knew she’d try to calm me. But I would have never believed that Elijah would come in and cuddle into me to calm me down and for it to work had I not woken up with him on my chest.
I’m not sure if it’s because in my subconscious I thought it was Billy or if I’ve developed a strong bond with Elijah. As hard as it was when I first saw Elijah, it warmed my shattered heart.
The realization that I’m starting to live freely without Billy or Alina is a weird feeling. I never thought I’d feel that way again, but slowly, Elijah has worked his way into my heart, and I feel it more each day. It’s both a good and bad thing. It’s good because I have a family all over again, and it’s bad because I’m allowing myself to feel again and I know I’ll end up hurt sooner rather than later.
My heart is finally piecing itself back together with Bella and Elijah’s love. I don’t think I’d survive it being shattered all over again.
What I felt for Alina and Billy is nothing compared to the love I feel for Bella and Elijah, and it’s fucking with my head. I thought Alina was it for me. That I would never love someone again or at least not the way I loved her, but Bella has turned the tables on me. I’m fucked. There’s no other way to say it. Or as Aleck would say, I’m pussy whipped, and I am. She could ask me anything, and I’d do anything in my power to give it to her.
A few years ago, I’d have been ashamed if I had caught myself feeling the way I feel and thinking the way I think, but I’m just ready to embrace the new man I’ve become. She has changed me for the best, even if I’m not ready to admit that just yet.
Bella slams the door as she walks in with Elijah. She just went to pick up Elijah from school, and she looks pissed.
“Are you okay?” I kiss her before picking up Elijah.
“Don’t start,” she groans.
“What’s with your mom?” I ask him.
“I don’t know.” He shrugs looking at her as if she’s crazy.
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong. A kid was being nasty to Elijah and the teacher was there and did fuck all to stop it. The kid was pushing him around and nobody said anything. I yelled at the teacher, and then she attacked the MC. I lost it. Everybody around was staring and laughing at me. I hate those people. And to top it all off, Suzie has a date, Gail has been asked to work because two other girls are sick and her brother is in Vegas with his friends for a wedding, so I have no babysitter for tonight.” She lets herself fall onto the couch and groans into a pillow. And I have to try really hard not to laugh.
“And that all just happened in the past thirty minutes?” A laugh is bubbling up in my throat and I know when it comes out my ass is grass.
“Yes!” she whines, and I lose it. I burst out with laughter and Elijah joins me, finding his mom ridiculous, too. “Oh my God. I can’t believe you two!” She throws a pillow at us, and I catch it.
“I’m sorry, Bella. I didn’t mean it.” I try to sober up but fail.
“Yeah, right! You’re evil to me!” She crosses her arms over her chest and pouts like a petulant child.
“No, really. I didn’t. You’re just a bit over dramatic when you explain it.” I chuckle and sit by her. “Thank you for standing up for us and the MC. It means a lot to me that you’d defend us even if it’s to some judgmental mom.”
“You’re welcome, they were being so nasty! And that kid. I swear I was ready to kick the teacher’s ass if she didn’t do something. And she dared blame Elijah for starting the fight!”
“Did you start it, little man?” I ask him, and he grins sheepishly. “Tell me what happened.”
“Steven was being a dick to me, telling me that I’d end up like you, a bad man. I punched him.” He shrugs, and I refrain from laughing this time. It’s one thing to laugh at how overly dramatic Bella is, but this could get Elijah in trouble later on. I don’t want that.
“Watch how you talk about people. You’re a kid, there are some words you’re not supposed to say. That kid was wrong. I’ve done things I’m not proud of, but I’m not a bad man. I’m defending what I love. Punching him wasn’t the way to go about it, but at least you got your point across. If someone bothers you again, tell your teacher and your mom or me, and we’ll handle it. As a kid, you should be playing, not fighting, even if it’s to defend your honor or your family’s. Got it?” I hold my fist up for him to bump it.
“Got it.” He does and looks at his mom who is staring at us in awe.
“You alright, love?” I chuckle.
“Yeah,” she says on a breath. Apparently, she likes me going all parental-like on Elijah. I never got to do any of this with Billy, and it’s a bit weird. I don’t know if my advice is any good, but I could tell Bella wasn’t in the mood to deal with it.
“I’ll watch him tonight if you want.” I smile at her.
“I heard you wrong.”
“No, I’ll babysit tonight if you want. I don’t want you stressing over this. Besides, we have to finish watching something we watched the other day.” I shrug.
“What’s that?” I can tell she’s trying to hold her laughter.
“SpongeBob SquarePants movie,” I mumble, and she loses it.
“This is gold!” She laughs holding her tummy.
“Mommy is crazy.” Elijah giggles.
“She is.”
“I am, but this is pure gold for whenever I need it.” She smirks at me. “Thank you for doing this.” She kisses me and sighs happily.
“You’re welcome. Anything for you.” What she doesn’t know is that I’m going to have most if not all the girls there to watch her. It might be weird, but I don’t want any man to watch her while I’m not there. The guys will be waiting outside.
With the threat hanging over our heads, I don’t want to risk her safety at all. She’s too important to me.
Annabella
Bennett and Nancy came to pick me u
p to go to the strip club. That was the second shocker of the night. The first being Callum offering to babysit Elijah. I never expected him to want to watch him for the night, but apparently, those two have really bonded. It’s so heartwarming to see that they are both accepting each other in their lives. It makes me feel all funny inside.
What I wasn’t expecting tonight, though, was that Callum actually had all the girls rounded up and at the strip club. Their respective men are also there, watching the outside for any threat but also not to let any male customer come in. Lawrence wasn’t too happy at first, but Gabe talked to him and handed him an envelope and everything was fine. I’m assuming it was a large amount of money to cover the loss they would suffer from not having other customers tonight.
Drinks are flowing, and the girls seem to be having a great time. They are sitting at the edge of the stage and have their bills ready. I’ve never stripped in front of women. I know some of the strippers do, but to have five of my friends watch me strip and dance on stage is a bit weird, and I don’t have my Callum security blanket around. I’m so used to having him there, that when he’s not I don’t feel myself nor do I want to put as much effort into it.
Getting ready in our little backstage area, I can hear the girls shout over the music and laughter coming from the main part of the strip club.
“You should bring your friends in more often,” Lawrence says, walking into the room covering his eyes.
“I’m all dressed, you can uncover your eyes.” I giggle. He’s always doing this. Not that he can’t appreciate a female body, but it’s more for us so we don’t think he’s just oogling us out.
“Good, and I’m serious. They are loving it out there. It’s so refreshing. I’m thinking of having a ladies’ night. Maybe get male strippers, too. What do you think?” he asks, sitting next to me.
“I think it’s a good idea. More business and women need some fun and distraction, too. I don’t think there are any other strip clubs around with male strippers so you could start something.”
“Awesome! I’ve never seen people throw that many bills at you girls. It’s crazy.”
“And the wad of cash Gabe gave you helps, too.” I raise my eyebrow at him.
“He paid for the drinks so that they don’t have to pay for every single one of them. We provide snacks and drinks, and they watch the outside and get drinks too. That was the deal.” He shrugs.
“Oh, I thought it was just to sweeten the fact that you won’t get male clients tonight.”
“That too, but it’s mainly so you girls are attended to. Pizzas will be delivered soon for them and all you girls.” He grins at me.
“We totally have to do that more often.” I grin wide at the prospect of pizza.
“I know! You’re gonna be up in five.” He kisses my head and gets up.
“Thanks, boss.” I laugh seeing him cringe.
“Don’t call me that. I feel like a fucking pimp, and I’m not. Am I?” He looks at me in horror.
“No, don’t worry. You’re not forcing us to do anything, and if we want to leave early we can. You’re probably the best strip club owner ever.”
“Thanks, darling. Now, I can’t wait to audition for male strippers.” He smirks.
“Oh fuck.” I burst out with laughter.
“Oh yeah, loads of fucking.” He waggles his eyebrows at me and leaves the room. I love Lawrence. He’s awesome and such a sweetheart. He’ll never force a girl to strip when she doesn’t feel like it if he can find a replacement for that night. I’m glad he’s going to be able to extend his business and that Callum’s crazy idea of having all the girls here has sparked that idea.
Getting mentally ready to go on stage, I forgo the stripper heels. I’ll just do it barefoot. Men seem to enjoy watching us with sky-high heels despite the pain we feel in them. Women will understand our pain and hopefully won’t mind.
As soon as I get on the stage, Ayden, Charline, Viv, Nancy and Nicole scream and wave their hands in the air as the first notes of Seether’s cover of ‘Careless Whisper’ resonates. I’m wearing simple booty shorts and white shirt. Not that I’m slacking, but there’s something about such a casual outfit that I really enjoy, and it’s always Callum’s favorite.
Following the beat of the music, I move around the pole. I’ve gotten better with it. It’s still a struggle to get much higher than where I can reach with my arms stretched above my head, but I’m getting there.
I really thought it would be awkward to strip in front of them, but the energy emanating from them has erased all my worries in no time, and it’s actually a lot of fun. I’m sure if they could they would get on stage with us and dance around.
Nancy keeps snapping pictures, and I suspect that she’s sending them to Callum. I decide to play along and crawl toward her, ripping my shirt open as I undulate my hips and trail my fingers from my neck down to my crotch. The girls love it, and Nancy gives me a thumbs up. She turns the phone toward me, and I can see she’s on video chat with Callum who is glaring at me because of all the teasing. I blow him a kiss and get back to my dancing, slowly getting out of my shorts. While my boobs are bare, I still have a G-string on and I’ll keep it that way.
Shaking my ass a few times at the end of the song for Callum, I collect the money they threw at me and laugh at Ayden wanting to get a picture of herself slipping money in my thong. I let her do, it’s innocent fun.
The bouncers are loving it. Some of them are inside getting the pizza onto tables, and some are outside with the guys. Probably shooting the shit and having a beer and pizza, too.
It’s such a relaxed night compared to any other. I absolutely love it and so are the other girls.
After quickly getting changed, I come back and Nicole pounces on me.
“Can I give it a try after?” She grins at me drunkenly. I don’t know what they all got to drink, but she’s loving life. Maybe not so much tomorrow morning, though.
“Of course.” I chuckle. “Don’t go and tell Jase you want to be a stripper if you like it. I doubt it’ll go down well.”
“I’m dead if I ever tell him I want to strip. I just want to strip for him.” She laughs.
“I can show you some moves if you want.” I sit with them around the table the bouncers set up and the other strippers join us.
“Yes, please! You could totally teach all of us to strip!” she exclaims.
“Yes! Aleck would love it, too,” Charline says.
“Uh, it’ll have to wait until I pop this one out.” Nancy giggles rubbing her tummy.
“Whenever you want.” I smile and take a slice of pizza.
We all dig into the food and have a good laugh talking about anything and everything. I never expected this to be such a fun night. It’s a welcome break in the middle of the drama that is happening in mine and Callum’s life.
For the longest time, I thought I’d just have to be on my own, roaming around from city to city and never get close to anyone again. I never expected I’d find so many friends and have a family again. I’m so lucky despite how it all happened. My aunt always said that things happen for a reason. I never understood the meaning of that, now I know.
As heartbreaking as losing my parents’ was at such a young age, had that not happened, I never would have met the amazing people who are in my life right now. It might sound heartless, but I’m so grateful that I got to meet all of them. They make me feel love and like I have a family all over again, and you can’t beat that feeling.
Bennett and Nancy were the first ones to leave. With Nancy being heavily pregnant, she needs a lot of rest. Ayden and Charline left with Aleck shortly after, leaving Nicole, Viv, and I at the strip club. Lawrence let them have their fun on stage and all the strippers joined in, and it was a massive party on that stage.
I’m so happy that we all had such a fun night. Not just for me, but for the other strippers, too. It can affect your mental state to have only perverted men come in here and try to cop a feel when they aren’t supp
osed to.
Gabe is driving me back home, and I’m already half asleep.
“Did you have fun?” he asks, startling me.
“Yes, it was awesome. I wish it could be like that all the time.”
“It could if you quit and just did that at the compound.” He chuckles.
“Sure and have all of you enjoy the show? I don’t think so.”
“Yeah, bad idea, Callum would bash our heads in.”
“That too.” I laugh.
“How are things with Callum?”
“They are good, why?”
“Just asking. He’s not the most talkative guy I know.” Gabe chuckles.
“Tell me about it,” I scoff.
“It’s just, with Elijah and with what happened to his wife and kid, I can’t imagine for it to be really easy on him.”
“It was hard in the beginning, but Elijah and he have really bonded. Hell, he sounded excited to watch him and watch the end of the SpongeBob SquarePants movie. Although, I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.” I chuckle.
“His secret is safe with me. It’s good that they bonded. I’ve seen how bad it has affected him.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course, what’s up?”
“Remember the time I came over and he was getting head…”
“Yeah, we all do. Nancy gave him shit about it.” He snickers. “He didn’t fuck anyone else. He spent that week at the compound. That was the first time he had done something like that in a while, and he still regrets it.”
“How did you know I was going to ask that?”
“You’re a woman, his woman. You saw him get head from another woman…it’s obvious that you were worried about what could have happened that week.”
“Fair enough.” I sigh.
“That woman’s nickname is the Hoover.”
“What?” I look at him.
“Yeah, she apparently gives the best head, that’s how she got her nickname.” I don’t know if it’s because I’m overly tired and have had a couple of drinks, but I burst out with laughter to the point where tears are streaming down my face.
Stripping Callum (Last Hangman MC Book 6) Page 19
