Page 8
Chapter
Eight
Scarlett
T he embarrassment at being caught last night has me up early. Grabbing a large cup of coffee and a book I need to read to help with my studies, I escape into Velvet’s well before JB usually surfaces. The last thing I need is to see his smug face or hear any jibes about last night. At least not before I’ve come to understand what the hell I was playing at in the first place.
It’s quiet in Velvet Reds. Most of the girls are still sleeping. I drop my tired ass into the high-backed armchair that’s placed near the entrance, my usual spot to greet the guests. I’m exhausted thanks to the unusual late night, and flashbacks of JB’s hard, wet body seem to be ingrained into my memory. Even after giving in to temptation and letting my hand slip between my legs until I got some self-satisfaction, I’ve done nothing but toss and turn all night.
I lay my current read, ‘Understanding Criminal Law’, in my lap and flip open to where I left off. By the time I’m halfway down my coffee, I feel human enough that the text becomes clearer and registers in my brain.
The sound of my name has my body jolting to attention.
“What?” I pant out. My heart races as I sit upright in the chair. Damn it. I must have fallen asleep.
“Wake up.”
I blink rapidly, clearing my mind and vision and find Clara, one of the girls, standing in front of me.
“How long have you been down here?” she asks.
“What time is it?” I glance at my wristwatch. “Three-thirty. Crap. The doors open in thirty minutes. We need to get everything ready.”
“It’s okay, we’ve got it covered.” She assures. “But you might want to take a minute to straighten yourself up. You have drool on your cheek and your hair could do with a bit of attention.”
I run my fingertips over my cheek to find it smooth and dry. I ‘Ha, ha’ at Clara when I find no sign of dampness or dry crusty remnants. She giggles back at me before turning on her heels and going back into the main saloon. However, once I get into Velvet’s bathroom and see my reflection in the mirror, I see she wasn’t joking about the state of my red hair. Several clips that loop up strands of my hair have come loose. I set about rectifying them, so at least I look my usual presentable self by the time Velvet’s doors are open for business.
“I’m sorry, sir. All the girls are taken for the night,” I explain to the drunk, who has just stumbled through the doors into Velvet’s. Tonight, there has been a steady flow of clients, and I do have two girls who will be free within half an hour, but this guy despite still being on his feet, has had a lot of liquor. I’m pretty good at reading people, and this dude has trouble written all over him. He’s not a big guy by any means. In fact, some of my girls would tower over him, even without their heels on, but he’s part of the construction team that’s in town, so I’m sure he has strength behind his small, lean body. On top of that, he has a dark harshness in his glare that makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.
“I’m not fussy,” he slurs. “I’m not usually into red heads, but you’ll do.”
“That’s not possible. I manage this establishment,” I reply with a level voice. I go to open the door for him to leave, but he’s having nothing of it. He takes a step forward, grabs my wrist and pulls me forcefully towards him.
“I don’t care if you’re the Queen of fucking Sheba. You can either take me to a room, or I can fuck you right here.” He sneers, spit dripping from the corner of his mouth.
I yank my arm free, surprisingly without much effort, just as Rush, one of Smoke’s guys, comes through from the lounge with Harmony.
“Everything okay, Scarlett?” Rush asks, stepping up to my side, his eyes rigidly fixed on the guy.
“It will be once you escort this gentleman off the premises.”
“My money is as good as anyone’s,” he grunts. His hand goes into his trouser pocket. Rush immediately tenses, but all he does is throw a wad of twenties in my face. I watch as the notes fall to the floor by my feet, but as I look up, his pants are unzipped and has his junk in his hand. “My cock is, too,” he adds. His hand pumps it, but due to the amount of liquor he’s had, it stays flaccid in his hand. “I need to get laid; I’m not leaving.”
“Then I suggest you go home, sober up and come back tomorrow with a more respectable attitude. Then we’ll be happy to take your money.”
With that, he lunges at me. Both his hands fly to my neck, circling and squeezing. Rush is immediately on him, but in the time it takes for him to gain control, which must only be a matter of a minute or two, my vision blurs, and my head swims at the lack of ability to get air into my lungs. It’s enough to scare the shit out of me.
Rush pulls him off me and pins him up against the wall. With a punch to the gut, the drunk buckles over and slides down the wall until his ass hits the floor.
“For fuck’s sake,” Rush growls at him. “Put your junk away. I don’t wanna see it. Now get the fuck out of here.”
“Scarlett.” Harmony immediately comes to me, sliding her arm around my shoulders. Her words are soft and full of concern. “Go up to your place. Rush and I can deal with this.”
“No,” I gasp between sucking in air to clear my head. “I’m fine,”
“No, you’re not,” she replies, rubbing up and down my arms with her hands. It’s then that I realize I’m shaking. “Go sit, have a brandy. We can take care of things until it’s time to lock-up.”
“Okay,” I concede, stepping away from her comfort. I take the steps up to my living quarters. Once at the door, I take a quick glance back down the stairs to see Rush grabbing the guy by the collar and dragging him out of the door. Rush is a good six inches taller than him and at least a hundred pounds heavier—more than capable of throwing out the trash.
Confident that Rush is in control, I step through the door, making sure that the latch has caught before moving over to the cabinet where I keep the liquor. I pull out a glass and pour myself a healthy measure of whiskey. The liquid sloshes about in the glass in my shaking hands, but as the warmth of it passes my lips and tongue and heats its way down to my stomach, the tremors in my body subside.