Venomous (The Clans Book 11)

by Elizabeth Knox

  "Ne, bitch, I’m going out. With Galina. I wanted to see if I could get you to come too. I don’t know if you’ve got PMS or what, but you’ve got to get over this shit and get back to the shining star you are. Always poor, but cheap doesn’t mean we can’t be fucking princesses of the street like we’ve always been."

  There isn’t a slur to her words, and I don’t see the signs she has gotten high, at least not yet.

  She keeps saying that she is over with that life. She just wants a job and some normalcy. Maybe she’s finally grown up, but it’s hard to trust when much of my life was spent being destroyed by the things she called me, the things she told me to do, the things she did to me...

  Every time I see her, no matter how good she is behaviorally, all I see is the torture of the first almost two decades of my life. I don’t know how I survived.

  I can’t say I haven’t, in the back of my mind, always wanted things to work out between us. So much so that I’ve made excuses for her, forgot the things she did when she was supposedly too young to know better. I’ve forgiven more than she deserved.

  My parents were never there, through no fault of their own, and she was who I had to look up to and learn how to get through life from. I would prefer if we could be a real family, though a small and screwed up one.

  I can handle screwed up, non-traditional, but pure hatred just isn’t okay.

  "Ugh, fine, just stop throwing shit and tugging at me. Gimme a moment," I say rolling over and groaning. "I need to get ready."

  "Bitch, that’s an understatement. Can you make yourself presentable in twenty?" she asks, and I get up and look in the mirror. I do look pretty shitty, but I've pulled bigger miracles before for surprise clients.

  "Yeah, I'll meet you downstairs. We taking a cab?"

  "Duh."

  She leaves the room, and I force myself to smile as I start to wash my face and redo my makeup to some reasonable degree. They always say, whoever they are, that if you smile and act like you’re happy, it will make your brain and body believe you are. And then, you'll actually feel it.

  It’s the best technique I have right now, and just maybe this night out is what I need.

  Galina’s a bitch, but she hasn’t been awful, and Regina, maybe she can act like an adult now and know the consequences of her actions. And we can be sisters, for real this time.

  Knowing we are going to the club, I wear a skimpy top, this red crop top that also pushes up my tits, but I go for a pair of tight, ripped jeans on the bottom, sick of always having to be in skirts and dresses everywhere I go. I want to be comfortable for dancing.

  I also slip on a pair of flats for the same reason and pull my hair up into a fancy bun with curled tendrils hanging down over my neck and the sides of my face.

  It’s a simple way to look put together and sexy with little effort.

  I meet Regina and Galina downstairs, both of them looking like they are ready to be picked up for real cheap, and we catch a cab to a local club.

  It’s a little crowded and trashy for my taste, but since it’s just supposed to be a girls' night, I’m not going to complain. I'm just going to focus on connecting with my sister as she is now and putting the past behind us while also distracting myself from any thoughts of the asshole that left me high and dry.

  One I never should have felt anything more for than I would with other clients.

  We get our initial drinks and go straight for the dance floor.

  So far so good.

  Galina dances up on me as Regina finds herself a couple to get in the middle of, both of them rubbing all over her like she is a slice of cake. I have to laugh a little at her antics, but at least this is nothing that bad. I'm sure it’s innocent fun.

  Maybe they'll make out a bit, but she knows better than to bring anyone home or do anything serious. And I can’t imagine her having much of any drugs on her with how little she is wearing, though I guess I've seen her sneak things in desperate days before. But she doesn’t seem to be in that headspace. She seems clear other than her usual general bitchiness. But that’s never going to go away.

  It’s just her.

  Three drinks in and so many songs, a blonde man comes up to me to dance. At first, it’s fun, just a little flirty, and I flaunt my moves. I love to dance when I get a little liquid courage in me. But then he gets handsy, his hands sliding on my waist and then down to my ass.

  I swat him away playfully, not wanting any trouble, but then he grips harder, squeezing and then slides his hand around and under, across my pussy over the jeans.

  I try to push him away, but he’s a big guy, I’m a little tipsy, and I risk ramming into someone else and pissing them off on this crowded floor. And not everyone here looks so friendly.

  I yell at him to stop, but then his lips are on mine, his tongue shoving down my throat.

  Disgusting.

  I wait for the right moment, the right movement, acting like I am going to step into him and grind, but then I bring my knee up to his groin.

  He grabs himself and mutters 'bitch' at me while he walks away to go sulk to his friends, and I go to the bar where I find Regina ordering another round herself.

  "Fuck, did you see that?" I ask her, pointing at the jerk and his group of buddies as he glowers at me.

  "You should have told him he needed to pay for you." I can’t tell if she’s joking or not, so I glare at her. "Oh, sorry, forgot that my little sister doesn’t like her job. She's just in it for the money." She throws her head back and cackles, and I can tell she’s probably had double what I have to drink, but it would take even more than that for her to be more than tipsy. All those years of drugs and all, she’s no lightweight.

  "Just thought it was a girls' night."

  "You’re right, it is," she agrees, the bartender handing her two shots with something pink in them.

  "Fuck, I have to pee, can you order me a drink and watch it? Something vodka? It'll probably be my last, and I don’t want to risk it with asshole in the building."

  Regina reaches out her long nails and slides it along my chin before poking my nose like she used to do when we were little girls. "Of course, anything for my baby sister."

  "Thanks."

  I run to the bathroom, shoving past couples making out and trying to find the least disgusting stall. Piss everywhere, I simply hover over the bowl to do my business and then I'm out of there.

  Yep, it'll be one drink for the road, then I'm leaving if Regina wants to or not. I’ve had my good fun, and I appreciate it.

  I go and get my shot from Regina and do it, whatever it is burning my throat. "Okay, I am going to be getting a cab. I’ve had fun, thanks, sister."

  She smiles at me and takes my hand. "C'mon, just a little more fun. Three more songs, and I'll put you in the cab myself. Galina and I will follow shortly, I’m sure."

  "Okay," I break a grin at her affection, "only three."

  "Deal!"

  She drags me to the floor, and the three of us get into the music, but by the beginning of the second song I begin to wonder how strong that shot was because things are spinning, my head a little cloudy and dizzy. It must have been a high proof.

  "Ren…a, what was dunk?" I ask, barely understanding my own words.

  I hear her chuckle, and she spins me around in a circle, making things even fuzzier.

  "Nothing I wouldn’t have myself. You are so lightweight, sister. Don’t worry. I will get the cab. Wait here."

  I start turning around to find Galina, hoping she will keep me sane and standing until Regina comes for me, but I crash into a body with strong hands.

  "Hey, are you okay?" he asks.

  "Sister...cab," I manage to get out.

  "Galina!" I call out as I feel myself being led somewhere, lights flashing and spinning so much I'm going to be sick.

  I feel Regina’s hands on me finally and hear the sounds of outside, the yellow of the cab coming kind of into view. I breathe a sigh of relief as she tells me, "Oh, little sis
ter, I won’t let you go alone. You're really out of it."

  I lean on her for the ride home, feeling safe with my big sister for the first time in a while.

  The next morning, I try to roll out of my bed, my head pounding. I'm going to kill Regina for giving me that strong drink with me having a client coming today.

  But I can’t seem to get out of my bed, a giant lump preventing me. What did I do to my sheets?

  I open my eyes and focus on my sheets to see that isn’t the issue. Instead, there’s a blonde man next to me in the bed. I instantly recognize him and muffle a scream that wants to rip through my throat.

  He’s the same one that had his hands all over me. He’s sweaty and naked in my bed. Luckily, Raquel is not here right now, or she could easily decide to tell on me.

  I look at the clock across from me and see that I was supposed to go downstairs to meet my new client five minutes ago and bring him up to my room. If I don’t get down there fast, I'm going to be in trouble.

  Luckily, a lot of my makeup remains, and I climb over the guy to clean it up and brush my hair. I find the clothes I had on last night in a pile on the floor along with his and pull them on. It will have to do. I look alright, even if I feel like shit.

  I don’t have time to think about the fact that I don’t remember bringing him here or even leaving with him. I only remember Regina getting me in a cab, and was she in it with me?

  And no matter how drunk I was, I never would have gone home with this asshole. Not to mention anyone, since it’s against the rules.

  He needs to leave.

  I smack him on the face, my other hand over his mouth to muffle his reaction. I have no time to waste waking him up and getting him out. "Fire escape!" I point out my window, throwing his clothes at home as he gets up out of bed.

  "Woah, what about breakfast? What about my clothes?"

  "Get dressed on the escape and leave. This is a brothel. If you get caught here without paying, you will be punished."

  I don’t mind scaring him since I'm scared shitless right now.

  He scowls at me and takes his damn time climbing out. Just as I go to close the window on him as he is on the top landing to the fire escape, my door busts in.

  I swing around, angry, thinking it’s Regina looking for a punch to her face and a confrontation that’s been a long time coming, but it’s Bianchi, and my blood shivers with terror. She takes off her shoe and throws it at the window, cracking it and scaring the blonde man so that I can hear him running down the rickety old fire escape. I don’t worry for his safety, but the shoe barely missed my head.

  Bianchi looks like fire is coming from her eyes as she yells at me in Czech, coming to grab her shoe and holding it up over me in my bed.

  I understand from her end I screwed up, and no mention of my sister right now is going to save me.

  "Pack your bags, malá děvka, little whore, you're getting a new client. I can’t stand you right now, and I can’t stand him either. I'll give the one tonight to someone else."

  She turns and walks out, and I know I’m lucky to still have a job. I don’t know how long she’ll force me to work without a break, where I'm going, or how this man will treat me, but I can let myself fall apart over it on my ride. I better get out of here before she changes her mind.

  And when I get back, I know I need to talk with my sister. All I can think is that she roofied me and sent me home with that guy, but why?

  Chapter 23

  Blanka/Belladonna

  I walk into my room and tuck my bag under my bed, feeling like I need a shower, a long one, but I know I won’t get to change. In ten minutes, a man is being sent up to me, one that apparently visits infrequently and likes to have a different girl each time.

  Luckily, I was only with my last client in Brno for four days before I was sent back. He wanted me while his wife was away on business. He’s a sleezy man, nasty, with some particular tastes. And he smells and looks unwashed. Not to mention he’s in his 40s and looks even older, already sporting a comb over. I know now why he was my punishment, and I hope I can find a way to get out of it. I’m also scheduled to check in with my financial advisor first thing in the morning. Hopefully, I'll be given the time to do so and I don’t have to cancel it.

  My entire time away I’ve had nothing but time to think about two people; Davide and Regina.

  All I did for a distraction from my sublimation before now has been useless as I spent the whole time going over what I might have done wrong.

  Every moment from our first meeting is in my head, and all I can think of is that I showed him too much of me, and either he didn’t like what he saw, or he was playing with me. He used me up, and so I was no fun anymore.

  Wasn’t he the one who was talking about not settling down because he was afraid it would trap him and be loveless and boring? And yet I allowed what we had to slip into something sweet and comfortable when I never should have.

  He’s onto his next adventure without me.

  And then there’s Regina.

  I let my clothes fall off of me, tucking them away in the hamper before pulling on some simple and sexy lingerie. This guy that’s coming, I was warned he likes his quickies and his beautiful women. No need for talking, just to give him what he needs and be done.

  As I ready myself, I look in the mirror and realize I don’t see any of her in me. Not physically; she is tall and thin where I am short with more curves. She has dark hair where I am naturally blonde.

  But I also don’t see anything to connect to emotionally or mentally. It’s like you would think we were raised by different people. We were in the same house, with the same parents and financial situation, but we turned out as almost polar opposites. I don’t even know if I can call it that, though, because she does things to deliberately hurt me, her flesh and blood. Everything is a joke to her, a tease, and she either doesn’t realize the lasting consequences or doesn’t care.

  I never should have convinced myself that she could change now, after all these years. It isn’t the drugs talking. She will always be this way, and it’s another reason I need out of here. She can deal with Bianchi's coldness and hatred when she finds out Regina isn’t the great girl she wants around. I'll be far away, living a new life and searching for someone to give me that passion I want and not drop me like a hat.

  There’s a knock at the door, and I'm broken out of my thoughts.

  I go to answer it, opening it and posing in a sexy way, my lips pouty as the man I’m supposed to be seeing walks into the room.

  He's in an expensive suit, and there is an intimidating air about him. He walks with a cane, and I don’t know if he needs it or if it’s for style.

  What I do know is he is older, and I'm trying not to choke on his cologne as I close the door behind him.

  He stands before me, and something about him and the way he holds himself reminds me of Davide, though the looks are no comparison.

  He lets me undress him, his hands doing nothing until he is bare before me. I have seen better and worse looking men before, so it’s whatever.

  He devours me, literally biting me and throwing himself at me. It’s almost violent, the way the man takes me, and if he has a wife, I feel incredibly sorry for her. I can take it after years in the business, and I don’t expect affection, but that poor woman would never get a single gentle touch or ounce of love.

  It's over fast but not fast enough, and he easily dresses himself again, slapping my ass and then tracing the teeth marks on my neck. "Remember Valentin gave you this," he gruffs out oddly before leaving.

  I lay there, too exhausted to get up and take a shower now, until I hear voices out in the alley. I stretch my neck out to look out my window, and I see the same man I was just sleeping with, his arm sliding around an easily recognizable woman in a shiny dress. The kind that our brothel workers could never afford.

  It’s Regina, walking away with this man, whoever he is, and I feel like it’s no coincidence. A storm is brewing
with us, and I wish I didn’t have to have any part of it.

  ***

  Finally, after a nap, I'm able to drag myself out of bed and into the shower.

  I let the hot water run all over my sore body and then scrub myself twice, taking the time to even moisturize after. Self-care feels so damn good after all the trash I’ve been enduring.

  I pull on my robe as a knock comes at my door, and I hear Regina’s voice.

  "Come talk in my room," she mutters through the door. I carry a healthy bit of suspicion as I go in there where she and Galina sit on Galina’s bed, something in between them. Maybe she wants to explain herself about that night at the club, and maybe it’s time for me to tell her how it made me feel.

  How all of it’s made me feel.

  But as I get closer, I see needles, packets of white stuff, and even what I'm assuming is weed dumped in between them.

  "Want some?" Regina offers, and I shake my head, being careful with what I say.

  "You need to be sure Bianchi doesn’t catch you. You know her rules."

  Galina says nothing, already getting ready to do a line.

  "Bianchi pays shitty, little sister. I have to make money some way, and one of my clients is helping me do just that. You aren’t a snitch, are you?"

  I shake my head. "No, but I am tired. Have fun."

  I leave the room, retreating to mine, wishing I was even further away. It’s time to slowly distance myself from them for my safety. I can’t do this anymore with her.

  Chapter 24

  Blanka/Belladonna

  Bianchi has sent me away yet again to be with this disgusting man; Bernie is his name, and I am almost grateful. I just don’t want to be around Galina and Regina when they finally fuck up.

  When I spoke with my financial advisor I had some great gains. Nothing like what could buy me out of my contract as well as get me my own place, but it’s a start. A better one than I had before going for it.

  Now, I'm stuck in this apartment alone for a few hours, one he keeps just for women like me, though I get the feeling no matter how much money he has he has a hard time keeping this place hopping with willing females. He is off having lunch at the airport with his wife while she’s here on a layover. So, I have the place to myself. I’ve had a snack, a dip in the pool, and now I'm just lounging on his couch in the silk robe he has kept around just for me.