Deacon leaned back in his chair and watched, one hand still clutching his beer. He grinned as he watched the two women kiss each other, Candy’s ass hovering over Morgan’s crotch as he leaned to the side to watch the girl-on-girl action, their tits rubbing against each other as they ran their hands up each other’s arms, down their sides, and across their stomachs, even up into their hair, tugging on it as they continued to kiss.
The men around them stopped what they were doing, even if they were in the middle of a dance themselves, and watched the two women making out. Even the other women cheered them on, urging them to go further.
Deacon’s wolf growled within, its own excitement quite apparent, and Deacon could feel his pants tighten as the two women pressed against each other.
When the women broke the kiss, everyone around them cheered, and Purity turned to Deacon and winked as she walked over to the chair she left a few minutes ago. She picked up Deacon’s beer again, draining most of it this time as she stared into his eyes. When she set the bottle back on the table, she asked, “See what you’re missing?”
Deacon chuckled as he nodded. “I do at that,” he assured her.
Another man, dark skin, slicked back hair, and tattoos on his left arm walked up to the table and pointed to the private booths in the back. “Purity, Jackson in the back is asking for you. I assigned you booth number three.” He started to walk off, and Purity, her shoulders slumped, stood back to her feet.
Deacon stared at the departing man’s back, his wolf growling within, but now out of anger rather than lust. “She’s with me right now,” he said, leaning forward and taking Purity’s hand, pulling her back to him. “Your Jackson’s going to have to wait.”
The man turned around, his eyes narrowing at Deacon. “Doesn’t look to me like she’s dancing for you. All I’ve seen is her making out with Candy here, and I know Candy isn’t paying her, so...” He turned back to Purity. “Booth three.”
Deacon shook his head. “And I said, I’m getting a dance. Jackson, whoever the hell that is, will have to wait or get another girl.”
“It’s all right,” Purity said, and Deacon could see her body trembling as she tried to step away. “I’ll go do the dance and then come back. It’s all good.”
Deacon shook his head and started to stand, his hands clutching the arms of his chair as he did. “No, it’s not okay,” he said, but Morgan’s hand on his arm kept him from standing up all the way. He glanced over at his friend, but Morgan just shook his head.
Purity turned to him, a hand on his chest. “I’ll be back,” she said. “Promise.”
The dark-haired man turned to walk away, and Purity stepped in behind him, glancing over her shoulder at Deacon, giving him a weak smile.
Deacon sat back down, his wolf pacing within him, as he watched her walk away, parts of him stirring as he saw her ass sashay across the floor, and other parts wanting to grab the dark-haired man by the throat and toss him against the pole on the stage. Deacon turned in his seat as he watched Purity step into one of the booths, a jackass blond leering as he watched her step behind the high wall that hid the booth and anything that happened on the other side. He wasn’t sure why, but he wanted to go over there and make sure Purity was all right. His wolf paced within, his agitation making Deacon’s frustration worse, causing him to squirm in his seat, casting furtive glances back at the booth where he could just make out the top of Purity’s head. His whole body seemed on edge, a wire ready to snap.
“You okay?” Morgan asked as he reached for his beer.
Deacon glanced over, not even sure when the girl giving his friend a lap dance disappeared. “Yeah, I just don’t care for idiots, and that guy seemed to be a major one.”
Morgan nodded, took a sip of his beer, and then set back in his chair. “He’s just taking care of his customers,” he said. “Be honest, you weren’t paying for dances, and that’s what these girls are here for.” He shrugged. “I’m sure she’ll be back to talk to you later, but if you want her to stay, then you need to fork out the cash.”
Deacon stared at his friend, his eyes wide with disbelief. “That’s kind of crass.”
Morgan shrugged. “Perhaps, but you did bring me to a strip club. That’s what happens here. The girls dance for money.” He waved his friend’s frustration off. “She’ll be back. Relax.”
Deacon gripped his beer bottle with both hands, taking a deep breath. Relaxing was something he found hard to do right then, and he wasn’t sure why.
Chapter Four
Purity leaned back on the wall just inside the back room. The night had been a long one, with Damien keeping an eye on her no matter where she went. Every time she tried to make it back to Deacon, Damien was there to block her and send her off toward another horny customer. She spent the next few hours keeping the people Damien sent her to entertain happy while still managing to keep their fingers or cocks from touching parts of her she didn’t want them touching. By the time Purity escaped the watchful eye of her employer as well as the groping hands of her customers, Deacon and his friend had left.
Purity wasn’t sure why she felt bad about him leaving without her being able to say goodbye or talk to him some more like she promised, but she did. He was sweet on the eyes and didn’t try to grope her or get a free dance. He actually shook her hand. What man shakes hands with a dancer at a strip club? She smiled thinking about it, shaking her head.
With a bump of her round ass, she pushed herself off the wall, heading back toward the dressing area. She was eager to get back into clothes—something she didn’t think she’d be saying at this stage of her life late at night on a hump day. She should be stripping out of her clothes and not for a group of grab-happy men, but rather for someone like Deacon, with his strong hands and gentle manner. And, hopefully, something a little more substantial in his pants than what most men who begged her for lap dances offered.
Purity grinned as she slid her T-shirt over her blond hair, pulling it down and covering her ample breasts for the first time that night. She hated to admit it, but it felt good to cover up as opposed to stripping down. Reaching for a pair of shorts draped over her chair she used when she was changing, she wondered if Deacon behaved like he did that night all the time. And if he actually did have a hefty package between his legs. She bit her lower lip as she pulled her shorts into place, zipping them and buttoning them up. God, she wished he would have waited for her to talk to him again before he left. Breakfast with him would have been nice after the night she had. Other things would have been nice as well, but she didn’t want to get ahead of herself. She’d save that for later when she was home alone and under her covers with fresh batteries in her private boyfriend.
Once dressed, she snatched her purse off her chair and headed to give Jayson the house’s percentage of her take for the night. She was eager to get out of there, eager to be away from Cheaters and Damien and the raw deal life tossed her way thanks to her sister’s bad decisions and too much debt that wasn’t even hers. This was her life, at least the part that forced her to remain at Cheaters. Once she walked out the club’s door, her life returned to her, hers for the taking. That is, until the next night when she had to return to this cesspool.
“What’s up, Toots?” Jayson asked as Purity slid behind the booth, a fistful of cash in one hand. “Calling it a night? Amber had to leave, so we got room for someone to work late if you’re interested. Damien said to give it to you.” He glanced at her, one eyebrow raised as he grinned at her, hoping she would say yes.
She was not saying yes. She refused to spend one minute in that place longer than necessary. “Thanks, but I think I’m ready for a warm bath and a smutty novel.” She handed him the money she owed Cheaters—Damien actually—and wished the portly man a goodnight.
“Purity,” Jayson said, and she could tell by his tone he didn’t want to say what was about to come out of his mouth, and she wouldn’t like it when he did. He took a deep breath. “Damien wasn’t asking. He wants you
to stay.” He shrugged. “I was just trying to be nice about it.”
Purity shook her head. “Not happening. My shift is over, and I’m out of here. I’ve done everything he asked of me tonight. From here on out, the night belongs to me.” She waved her fingers at Jayson as she turned and walked out, leaving him standing there with his mouth open. The night was over.
Thank god.
She stepped out into the parking lot, the moon high in the sky as the mountains provided a majestic backdrop. Taking a deep breath, eyes closed, she felt the stress of her evening leave her body. Another night down. She could make it. She would make it.
And then, just like that, her night went to shit.
The back door of Cheaters clanged open hard enough that the sound shattered the peaceful night. “Purity!” Damien called out to her, stopping her in her tracks, her body trembling at his tone. She heard him use that voice before, and the girl he used it with almost never danced again.
Taking a deep breath, Purity turned to face him, doing her best not to look too scared or vulnerable. She said nothing, just waited for him to reach her.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” he demanded to know as he crossed the parking lot to where she stood, the dim lighting hitting his dark face, revealing the rage twisting his features. It was probably another mark against her that she made him come to her instead of walking to meet him. “Jayson asked you to stay and dance some more.”
She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest to keep herself from shaking. “He did, and I said no thanks. I’m tired, and I plan on heading home.”
Damien shook his head. “No, you’re not,” he snarled as he reached out, snatching her arm and pulling her back toward the building.
Her body jerked forward, his sudden movement catching her off guard, making her stumble as she tried to regain her balance.
“You’re getting that ass of yours back inside and giving some horny fuck a dance,” he continued, not giving her a chance to respond. “You go home when I tell you to go home and not before.”
Purity took a deep breath, planted her feet in place, and yanked her arm from his grasp. “No!” she shouted, catching herself before she landed on her ass from the sudden freedom from his grip. She turned to face Damien, feeling her brows bunched. “I work for you during my allotted time. When the day is done, I go home, my life mine.” She turned, taking another deep breath. “Like right now. I’m going home, and don’t touch me again.”
“What the fuck did you say to me?”
She felt his hand on her arm as he yanked her around, and then a stinging slap across her face sent her head jerking to the side, white lights exploding behind her eyes as her whole body started for the ground. She would have landed hard on the asphalt except for his firm grip on her upper arm. The whole side of her head felt like it was on fire as he yanked her back up and slapped her again.
“No one talks to me that way, bitch,” Damien growled. “Especially some nasty-ass dancer. I own your ass, remember? You’ll damn well do what the fuck I tell you to do.”
Through her tears, she saw him draw his hand back to slap her again. She struggled to escape, doing her best to rip her arm from his grasp, but he held onto her too tight as he spewed his venom at her. She tried to scream, but all she could do was cry, bracing for the next blow.
It never fell.
She heard Damien scream, instead, and jerked her attention back around. Before she could glimpse what happened, Damien released his grip on her, causing her to tumble to the ground.
“Never hit a woman,” a man’s voice snarled, a voice she thought she recognized.
Damien screamed again as Purity turned, bracing herself up on the ground with her palms. Deacon stood there, Damien in his grip as the darker man dangled in the air. The bulkier man shook Damien, thrashing him around a moment before he tossed him toward a nearby car. Damien landed on the hood with a loud oof, and then slid to the ground, blood trickling from his mouth. Deacon moved toward the man again.
“Here you go,” another voice said to Purity, and she saw a hand in front of her as Deacon’s friend offered to help her to her feet. “Are you okay? Did the bastard hurt you too badly?”
Purity saw the man scan her body for other injuries, but she shook her head. “I’m fine. Really. He just slapped me a couple of times.” She turned and glared at Damien as Deacon jerked the man to his feet by the collar of his expensive shirt.
Deacon tossed Damien back on the hood of the car as if shoving trash away from him and then pointed at the man, Damien’s eyes wide with fear as he tried to scoot away from the larger man. Purity could have sworn she heard the growl of a wolf. “You should watch who you smack around, prick. Men don’t hit women; only bullies do that, and I promise, I’m a much bigger one than you’ll ever think of being.”
Damien sneered at the larger man. “Dude, you have no fucking idea what you just stepped in. That woman owes me money, and you need to mind your own damn business.”
“Shit, shit, shit.” Purity felt her entire body tremble, her insides a churning mass of nerves. This was so not good. Damien was not the forgiving—or forgetting—type. He would seek revenge on her for Deacon insinuating himself into their drama.
Deacon turned and walked over to where Purity stood beside his friend, ignoring Damien’s threats, threats she knew Damien would keep. Deacon glanced at her, his soft eyes warming her in places that had been cold for too long even in the midst of her terror. “I’m making this my business,” he said as he reached out, offering her his hand. “You ready to leave?”
She placed her hand in his, feeling his strength, the power he held in his body. She nodded, not sure she trusted her voice not to crack if she spoke. She had no choice but to leave now that Deacon stood up for her. Damien would resent the intrusion into his business, and the next time he went after her, it would be ten times worse.
Deacon just winked as he led her away from Damien, Morgan reaching down and snatching up her purse before following them.
“Um, where are we going?” she asked, hearing the shaking in her voice. These were strangers; she shouldn’t be leaving with them, but staying there might mean something worse than death with Damien’s anger.
Deacon grinned over at her, the light catching his smile and warming her even more. “Dark Moon Falls,” he said. “It’s time I went home.”
Chapter Five
Deacon gripped the steering wheel tightly as he drove the back roads to Dark Moon Falls, his wolf pacing inside as his temper still roiled within him. “Does that jerk treat all his employees that way?” he asked as he made a left turn, glancing at Purity in his rearview mirror, a woman he just met and now took home, and not in the one-night stand kind of way.
“Not the best way to handle employee relations,” Morgan said with a shake of his head.
Deacon nodded as he turned his attention back to the road. What the hell was he thinking? He sighed, gripping the steering wheel even tighter. He had his own drama to deal with; he didn’t need to be bringing more into his life.
He glanced back in the rearview mirror, taking in the bruises already appearing on the woman’s face, her right eye darkening. There was no way he could just leave her at that club to serve as that asshole’s punching bag, especially after he jumped in and stopped it from getting worse. The ass they left behind made threats, threats Deacon knew the man would carry out just to prove he could, which would more than likely see Purity in even worse shape, if not dead.
Purity gave a weak shrug, her lips pressed into a thin line. “He’s not really good at being defied,” she said, glancing out the side window, her shoulders slumped, arms across her chest. She looked more than defeated; she looked terrified.
She turned back to face Deacon in the driver’s seat. “You can just take me home,” she said, and he could tell the idea scared the hell out of her. “You’ve done enough. This doesn’t need to be your fight.”
He grinned at her in the rearview
mirror. “I kind of made this my fight when I tossed that man’s ass onto the hood of that car.” He shrugged. “Besides, taking you home doesn’t sound like a smart plan. I’m assuming he knows where you live?”
Purity just nodded as she turned her gaze back out the side window. Deacon doubted she saw any of the scenery they passed.
“Then taking you home is definitely a bad idea,” he said, glancing back at the road. “Is there anyone else you can stay with who can protect you against that guy? What’s his name?”
“Damien Croft.” She shook her head. “And no, there’s no one. My sister left a few months ago. It’s just me.”
Deacon couldn’t miss the sadness in her tone, and his wolf paced within, the animal’s agitation at Purity’s distress adding to Deacon’s nerves. I know, boy; I know. We’ll protect her. Yet, this is what got him into trouble last time. He ignored the raised eyebrows he saw on Morgan as his friend stared at him. Deacon was sure the man already sensed what was about to come out of Deacon’s mouth. “Look, you can’t go back there, not yet, anyway,” he said. “Damien’s temper needs to cool off some. I have a room at the motor lodge. Stay there with me tonight…” He held a hand up quickly to head off any assumptions on Purity’s part. Morgan’s as well for that matter. “There’s two beds. I’m not implying anything other than a place to sleep the night off. Tomorrow morning, after a good night’s sleep, we can figure out the next move.”
“I’d say take her to Sheriff Templeton, but Summermire’s not his jurisdiction,” Morgan said as he turned slightly in his seat to face Deacon and Purity at the same time. “I doubt there’s much he could do other than call the sheriff in Summermire. Either way, if you’re going to take her to your room in Dark Moon Falls, you really should call Elias and give him a heads up. Trouble may be coming to town.”
Deacon glared over at his friend. “You saying I should have left her there?”
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