by Laura Day
I tightened up my kegel muscles, squeezing his cock with my pussy. His eyes rolled back into his head as he let out a low groan.
My pleasure was rising within me, and my body bucked wildly against his, crushing myself up against him. My clit rubbed against his pubic bone, and it was the perfect rhythm, the perfect movement, and I felt my entire body explode around me. The spasms were uncontrollable, my hot pussy gripping his cock and releasing it as I tried to keep my moaning to a minimum. I leaned forward, and just as I felt a scream exploding from within, I bit down on his chest as hard as I could.
Mercer yelped and grabbed my waist, pulling me down even deeper and holding me there. I felt him shudder against me like an earthquake, and I knew he was filling me with his seed. Just the sounds he was making sent me through another climax.
“Oh God, oh God, oh God,” I said over and over again as I trembled against him, gripping him tight. He held onto me too, as if he was afraid I might stop or fall off in the midst of his pleasure – but there was no way I was going anywhere. Not until we were finished.
And it felt so fucking amazing that I never wanted it to be over.
One last shudder and then we rode out the last wave together. It was over, but not without the aftershocks that rippled throughout my pussy, sensations that you only experience after a spectacular fuck.
“Fuck yes,” he grunted, relaxing his body against me.
His head flew back, his eyes closed, but his hands were still on my ass, stroking it gently, as both of us came back down to earth.
I fell against him, exhausted, and satisfied like I'd never been before in my entire life. My head rested on his shoulder, and I never, ever wanted to get back up.
Chapter Eleven
Valencia
As I stepped out of the private room with Mercer beside me, my hair was a mess. I tried to avoid the bouncer's eyes. I knew that some dancers did a little more than “dancing” sometimes, but technically, it was against the rules. Call me naive, but I didn't want to get caught. I didn't want to be accused of prostitution and arrested. What would that do to my baby?
But if the bouncer had heard anything – and he had to have, right? – he kept it to himself. And I was thankful for his discretion.
“Where are you going?” Mercer asked as I started to part ways with him.
“The bathroom. To clean up.”
“Right.” He ran a hand through his loose hair, which was flowing over his shoulders. “I'll wait here.”
“You don't have – ” I started to argue, but it was no use. Mercer wasn't going to let me out of his sight. I would just have to deal with it. “Fine. But try not to look too conspicuous, okay? I can't lose my job.”
“I'll do my best.” He winked. He fucking winked at me.
I found myself staring a little too long into his eyes before parting ways and heading to the women's room. I didn't want to use the one in the back, the one for us dancers, because I was afraid I might run into Angel while looking like this. That's how rumors would get started.
Thankfully, the bathroom was empty. While women did frequent the club, it was a weeknight, and there weren't many here tonight. The small, dimly lit room was in desperate need of cleaning. As I went into the first stall, there was no toilet paper, so I went over to the second one. I tried my best to wipe away any remnants of what had happened with Mercer – though my girly bits ached with the familiar feeling I got after sex. It wasn't a bad ache, just a reminder of what happened.
I found myself smiling at how great it was. It couldn't happen again, no way, but I'd needed that. It had been so long since I'd gotten laid, and honestly, I'd never been with someone like Mercer. Sex with Ricky was always just – meh. It was sex. I didn't even enjoy it half the time. But despite my awkwardness, I finally understood what an earth-shattering orgasm felt like.
I was a bit tender and sore, but I managed to clean myself up down there. Stepping out of the stall, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. My curls had frizzed a bit, but overall, I could deal with that. My makeup, on the other hand – well, I'd need to add more glitter to my body. Or maybe just wipe it off entirely.
Along with some of the other makeup.
I didn't have my makeup with me, and I didn't want Angel or Sherry to ask any questions, so I wiped off the rest of my shimmer with a wet paper towel and did the same with my eyes, leaving very little makeup on my face.
Staring at my natural reflection, I looked like a little girl. A scared little girl who shouldn't be sitting in a strip club, let alone be working in one. But I wasn't a little girl anymore, I just wasn't used to seeing myself like that. It felt nice, in a way, but it was also scary. The world would see the real me like this. And by the world, I meant the guys at the club.
I wondered what they would think. I wondered if Sherry would be pissed. If she were, I'd just tell her I was trying something new.
Tossing the paper towel in the trash, I pushed open the door and ran right into Mercer. He moved out of the way at first, and then stared at me, almost surprised.
“I almost didn't recognize you,” he said.
“I almost don't recognize myself.” I tried to laugh it off, make it a joke, but I didn't really find it funny.
I found it sad.
I walked past him, trying to get back to work when he stopped me. He grabbed my arm and turned me to face him.
“Just so you know, you look hotter this way.”
And then he walked off ahead of me as if we hadn't just fucked one another in the champagne room.
***
“Queenie, is that you?”
Sherry was behind the bar. Oh shit. Was she going to get on my back about my lack of makeup?
“Yeah, I'm trying out a new look,” I said, shooting her a smile and hoping to look innocent. “Natural beauty is in, or so I read somewhere.”
I watched as she took a long drag from her cigarette before stubbing it out in an ashtray on the bar. I prepared for the worst. I prepared for her to tell me I was fired. But instead, she surprised me and nodded.
“Good idea,” she said. “Mixing things up now and then is always smart.”
“Thank you.” I turned back toward the stage. Mercer was sitting next to it, of course.
“He's in here a lot,” Sherry said from behind me.
“Yeah, a new regular, I guess.”
“He has his eyes on you, I can tell.”
“Oh yeah?” My mouth suddenly felt parched as I tried to think of something to say.
Was this an interrogation? Was she going to scold me for getting too close? Did she know how close we'd gotten?
“Be careful, Queenie. He's one of those biker gang types – dangerous lifestyle. Too dangerous…” Sherry trailed off, almost as if Mercer brought back memories for her.
“Did you date a biker, Sherry?” I asked, a grin forming as I spoke.
“Dated? Hell no. Just screwed around with a few in my younger days, and boy – it was fun. But definitely not worth the trouble that came with it. But who am I kidding? I'm still alive, aren't I?”
Barely, I thought to myself as I glanced back at the frail, older woman who looked twice her age thanks to years of smoking, drinking, and harder substances. Would that be me someday? Well, I didn't smoke or do drugs, and drinking was rare enough. Can't really care for a baby while drunk or hung-over, can you?
“Yes, you are, Sherry,” I told her softly. “Yes, you are.”
And hopefully, I'd still be alive at her age too.
Chapter Twelve
Mercer
“Where ya headed?”
I looked over my shoulder at Bates, who was watching me walk out the clubhouse door.
“What's it to you?” I threw back.
“Because you have a job to do, that's what it is to me.” He walked over, slammed the door shut, and pinned me against it. Several guys stood behind him because everyone knew that Bates didn't stand a chance against me.
“And I'm working on it,”
I growled.
“What's taking so damn long?”
I didn't have an answer for that – at least, not the one he'd like. I had to lie.
“She's always around people, Bates. She's a goddamn stripper for Christ’s sake. There are bouncers all over that fucking club.”
“And why haven't you followed her home yet, dumbass?”
Good question.
“I have,” I lied again. “She lives in a busy complex with security and shit. No way I can get in and out without being seen. But I have a plan.”
Bates didn't look convinced, but he backed away. “Uh huh. Well, this plan better involve the whore being dead soon or else we don't get paid. And when we don't get paid, well, let's just say – someone will pay.”
Bates didn't scare me. Very few people did. Even if he sent his henchmen after me, I wasn't worried. But with me gone, Val was even more at risk. The question was…why did I care so fucking much?
“Have you gained her trust yet?”
“Getting there,” I said. “Or I would be if you let me leave already. Shit, man. Have a little faith in me.”
One of the guys behind Bates tapped him on the shoulder, whispering something in his ear. I couldn't make out the words, but whatever he said, it calmed the older man down.
“Jax here says you're a man of your word. And as long as I've known you, you've been that way. Don't let me down, Mercer.”
Bates turned and walked away. I nodded at Jax, one of my brothers. He trusted me to get the job done. And if I didn't, well – I knew he'd do whatever Bates told him to do. We might be brothers right now, but the minute they found out my plan, they'd be my enemies.
“Thanks, man,” I said, grabbing Jax's hand and shaking. “I appreciate that.”
“You're one of us, Mercer. Maybe Bates forgets that from time to time, but I won't. I remember everything you've done for us.”
That meant a lot. It'd mean even more if he didn't try to kill me in the coming days, but I'd take what I could get.
***
Bates was losing his patience, and I was running out of time. I needed a plan, and I needed one now. As I waited outside the nightclub for Val, I found myself watching out for anyone suspicious. Anyone who looked out of place, which was hard to do when you're at a strip club because everyone looks out of place. I was behind the club – the employees’ parking lot - and except for the dancers going inside, I saw no one else.
Val usually got to work around 7:30 pm. It was now 7:45. I checked my watch every few minutes, just to be sure. Had she slipped past me? I'd been waiting there for over an hour. Unless she got there super early, I couldn't have missed her.
Fuckin' Bates.
The loud roar of a bike caught me off-guard. I searched for it, almost afraid of what I might find. Had Bates sent someone to watch me? To finish the job?
A Harley stopped right outside the entrance to the gate, and someone hopped off the back.
“Thanks, Mike,” a feminine voice said.
“Anytime, babe” the guy replied.
The woman was one I'd seen at the club before – her name was Trinity. She had kissed the biker before he rumbled away, leaving her to walk inside the club by herself. She didn't see me, but I observed her as she walked in the back door.
7:50.
No Val yet.
Maybe I should ask Angel about her – maybe she could give her a call and check up on her?
Dammit. I really needed to know where she lived or at least some other way to contact her. This wasn't like her, not at all.
Just as Trinity was opening the door, she turned when a car pulled into the parking lot. A familiar car.
Val's car.
“Hey, you're late!” Trinity shouted at the open car window.
“So are you!” Val called back.
Trinity waited until Val parked and the two of them walked in together, laughing.
Val was okay. She wasn't dead.
At least, for now.
***
Stepping into the club – via the front entrance this time – the bouncer at the door recognized me, nodding as I walked by.
“You're favorite girl just got here,” he said with a wink.
He was the one outside the door last night; the one who watched us enter the private room. He had to be. His comment didn't require a response, so I continued walking. If he knew Val and I fucked in the champagne room, so what? I wouldn't be the first man to pay for a lap dance and get a little something extra while I was at it, and I wouldn't be the last either.
A middle-aged man in a business suit had taken my booth. He looked lonely and wasted – the perfect combo for a strip club. Someone would make some money off the poor sap tonight.
I chose a booth nearby, ordered the usual, and waited for Val.
“Back again?” A pretty, perky blonde with huge tits came up and asked me.
“Yep.”
She slipped into the booth, her blonde hair in pigtails with a hint of pink sprinkled throughout. Her big, brown eyes were made up to look even bigger.
“You look lonely, mind if I join you?”
I looked past her at the door Val would be coming out of. My lack of an answer didn't seem to please Miss Pigtails, so she asked again, “Why so lonely, stranger? I can keep you company.”
She leaned forward, blocking my view of the doorway. Her bubblegum pink lips set in a perfect pout.
I inclined toward her, causing Pigtails to perk up even more. With our faces inches apart, I said, “I think that guy over there needs you more than me.”
She frowned and turned to look at the poor sap drinking his sorrows away. But when she moved, I caught sight of Val talking to him, and he looked incredibly pleased with her company.
“Oh, I think Queenie has him covered,” Pigtails said, twirling one between her fingers. “I'm all yours.”
My jaw clenched tight. I didn't want her sitting there “keeping me company.” I wanted to keep an eye on Val. For all I knew, that poor looking sap was really someone working for Ricky, but with Blondie here, I couldn't focus. I couldn't watch them closely.
But unless I wanted to be a complete dick, there was no getting out of it. I didn't want to, but the fact of the matter was that I needed to blend in more. A guy who turns away all the strippers at a strip club is likely to turn a few heads, and that was the last thing I needed right now.
“Fine,” I said, leaning back against the booth, arms folded across my chest. “What's your name?”
“Chastity,” she said with a soft giggle.
Bullshit. Her name was probably Samantha or Nicole or some shit. “You don't look like a Chastity to me,” I told her, playing along with her little game.
“Why? Are you saying I don't look chaste?” Her eyes grew even wider, reminding me of a deer blinded by headlights.
Val walked past me with the poor sap. She smiled at me, but I knew where they were going. A private room.
I couldn't stop watching her as she strode away, the blood rushing through my veins. That man, did he look familiar or was I being paranoid? Paranoid. Had to be. Bates still trusted me. I had this.
But I still couldn't stop watching them. The bouncer had to be able to hear everything going on in the room, right? If he'd heard us last night, then he could surely hear if anything went wrong inside and if Val needed help.
“Hello?” Chastity laughed.
Val disappeared behind closed doors with the man, and I felt my tension go up a notch.
“I guess it's true what they say...” Chastity said, getting up from the table. “You're obsessed with her.”
Obsessed? Nah. Protecting her? More like it.
“You know crushes on strippers only lead to heartache, right?”
The girlish tone to her voice was gone. I felt like I was talking to someone completely different – not Chastity from the club, but someone out there in the real world. She sounded more grown up, less sexy.
“I don't have a crush.”
&nb
sp; “Yeah right, dude. Whatever you say.” She rolled her eyes as she went to walk away. “Whatever you say.”
Chapter Thirteen
Valencia
After the worst lap dance of my life with a limp loser, who couldn't even stay awake as I did my thing, I left the champagne room disgusted – but several hundred dollars richer. Of course, the bouncers had to help the man out and cut him off from alcohol for the rest of the night, but he tipped well. So there was that.
