Page 25

Vivian

I met Kit for an early dinner on Thursday before my evening shift.

She picked a taco place that had cheap margaritas, and even though I never drank before or during work, I didn’t mind.

The food was decent, and it wasn’t far from Club Allure, so I could head there once we were done.

Plus, it was the kind of place where no one cared if you wore glittery stripper lashes while sitting at the bar or had a collar tucked beneath your hoodie.

“I still can’t believe he put you in his bed,” she said, dunking a chip into salsa. “That’s like, emotional intimacy, Viv. Are you sure he’s not catching feelings?”

I snorted as I picked a chip from the basket in front of us. “He told me I was nothing but a warm hole two nights ago. I think it’s safe to say that no, he’s not catching feelings.”

“Yeah, but after that, he tucked you in next to him in bed like a goddamn husband. So, which is it?”

“I don’t know,” I said as I chewed thoughtfully. “He’s hot and cold. One minute, I think he might actually like me. The next, he’s reminding me I’m just a whore he paid for.”

“He paid a lot of money for,” my BFF murmured under her breath. “Has he texted you?”

I shook my head. “No. But he only texted that one time last week. I don’t expect him to.”

“And this weekend will fulfill the contract.”

“Yep, come seven a.m. Monday morning, sixty grand is supposed to hit my account.”

“I want to go piss on your dad’s grave for doing this to you. Think of all the things you could do with that money if you didn’t have a loan shark to pay.”

I sighed. “I have, trust me. I think if the club will let me, I might do another auction to try to get the rest so I’m out from under this shit.”

Kit narrowed her eyes. “Do you think Jeff would bid on you again?”

I shrugged, trying to pretend the thought didn’t appeal to me as much as it did.

“I’m not sure. He might be ready for this to be over.”

“Do you have to give him the collar back?”

I tilted my head. “I don’t know. He didn’t say.”

“But you’re going to quit wearing it after Sunday, right?”

The thought made me sad, but I knew it’d be weird if I didn’t.

“I mean, yeah. I’ll no longer “belong” to him.”

I made air quotes around “belong.”

She finished the last of her margarita and signaled to the bartender for another.

“I hope your heart gets that memo.”

Yeah, me too.

****

Jeff

I made a decision, then plucked my car key from the hook and opened the garage door, intending to drive to her place before I chickened out.

I was going to ask Vivian to keep seeing me. Not because we had a contract and she was getting paid, but because she wanted to spend time with me as my… girlfriend?

I winced as the word entered my head, but had to concede—yeah, that’s what I wanted. Sometime between Sunday night when I went to bed alone and tonight when I walked into an empty house, I realized I’d fallen for Vivian… Holy shit, I didn’t even know her last name.

Then another thought hit me. What if she’d only been pretending to like me because she was getting paid?

I gave myself an internal shake. No, I’d seen the way she’d looked at me. The way she’d smiled when she’d been snuggled up against me. She felt the same.

I pulled out of my garage and pulled up the app linked to her collar. The dot blinked steady on the map, and I tapped the screen to expand the location, then frowned.

Club Allure?

What the fuck was she doing at a strip club?

I took a deep breath even as my fingers clenched around the steering wheel as I drove.

I needed to give her the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe she was bartending. Or helping a friend. Or picking someone up. I shouldn’t jump to conclusions. But her location never moved the whole drive over.

I pulled into the lot, turned the car off and sat looking at the red neon sign and the line of men waiting while the bouncer checked IDs. Had I been sharing my little whore with other men this whole time?

I guess I was about to find out.

I got out of the car, clicked the lock, and headed toward the entrance.

The bouncer waved me through with a nod, and I stepped inside. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the lights while the bass of the music for the girl grinding on a pole onstage pumped through the speakers.

I looked at the bar first, trying to keep with the whole “giving her the benefit of the doubt” theme. She wasn’t there.

But it didn’t take long to find her.

She was in a corner booth, perched in some asshole’s lap with her arms looped around his neck and her tits practically in his face. She wasn’t smiling, not really, but she wasn’t faking it either.

She was working.

Just not for me.

Her head turned, and our eyes locked.

Time stopped.

Her body stilled, but she didn’t get off the guy. She didn’t move at all. She just stared at me like I’d caught her cheating—even though she hadn’t made me any promises.

Even though I hadn’t asked her to.

I held her gaze as another dancer walked by, this one brunette and leggy, wearing glitter heels, red pasties and a matching red thong that barely covered anything.

“Hey, baby,” she purred, brushing her hand across my chest.

I didn’t look at her, just kept my eyes locked on Vivian and said, loud enough for her to hear, “You free for a private room?”

Vivian flinched.

The brunette grinned. “Of course. The Champagne Room is three hundred for fifteen minutes.”

I nodded, still staring at the girl I was trying to emotionally gut, like she’d just gutted me. I finally glanced at the girl in front of me and smiled. “You’re so fucking hot, I’ll only need ten. Lead the way, beautiful.”

Then I let the stranger lead me away by the hand, knowing full well Vivian was watching as I went behind a red velvet curtain.

****

Vivian

I felt like I was going to vomit as Jeff held Sapphire’s hand and walked toward the Champagne Room. He looked back and gave me an evil grin just before he stepped inside without a moment’s hesitation.

My bottom lip quivered, but I tightly pressed that bitch against my top one. I refused to let the bastard see me cry.

With a too-bright smile, I apologized and told the guy whose dick was poking me through my G-string that I’d give him another half a song.

I tried my best, but the dude did not get his twenty bucks worth. My rhythm was off, and all I could think about was Jeff pushing Sapphire’s head down on his cock and telling her to swallow every drop.

That motherfucker.

I slid off the dude I was grinding on and muttered something about needing a break, then made my way to the bar.

The older bartender gave me a smile. “You doing all right, Crystal? Do I need to get one of the bouncers?”

Oooh, that’d be fun. Watching Jeff get tossed out on his ass by the meatheads working security in the yellow shirts wearing earpieces.

Still, I’d have a hard time explaining how Jeff had hassled me when he hadn’t even talked to me.

“Hey, Frank. No, nothing like that. I just need some water.”

The music kept going, girls paraded onto the stage and performed while men ogled them. In other words, the world kept turning. Meanwhile, I felt like it’d stopped.

I’d just finished my water when I saw Jeff come out from behind the curtain, zipping up his pants, and looking around. I knew exactly what—or rather, who—he was looking for.

Me.

His eyes finally found mine, and he patted Sapphire’s ass when she walked past him, then glanced back to make sure I was still watching. He smirked when he saw I had been.

I didn’t break eye contact as I reached up to my throat, unclasped the collar, slid it off my neck, and held it up for him to see it dangling from my fingertips.

I glared at him as if to say, You wanted a performance? Here’s your fucking encore, prick.

I closed my hand around it, then I turned on the ball of my foot and walked backstage with my head held high.

At least until I reached the dressing room.

That’s where I burst into tears.

I didn’t bother to change, just threw a sweatshirt on over my head with pasties still on my tits and wriggled into my jeans over my G-string. I grabbed my bag and pulled on my coat before heading out the back door to the employee parking lot.

I watched in the dark from the driver’s seat of my Malibu, with tears still streaming down my face, as he slid behind the wheel of his Porsche and drove off like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Only then did I start my car and head toward Kit’s apartment.