Page 11

I slept well into the evening, and when I looked out my window, all I could see was the soft orange hue of sunset and neon lights. Cherry was happy when I called her, and she declared that it was a night we needed to celebrate.

After freshening up, I decided on an outfit that matched the new choker: a cropped pink T-shirt with my stage name in glittery letters across the chest, a pair of low-ride pants that barely reached my hips to show off my V, and a pair of black platform boots.

The swelling in my face hadn't gone down completely, but it wasn't as bad as it had been the night before. Dark purple circles still surrounded my eyes, so I slapped on some foundation, eyeliner, and eyeshadow. As a final touch, I smeared some foundation over the bruise on my pelvis. By the time I was finished, it was barely noticeable.

"Zazzin," I announced to the mirror, snapping my fingers.

As I entered Hell's Gate, skipping the line as usual, I heard a few "boos." Instead of waving per the norm, I flipped them off and practically pranced inside.

One of my favorite songs began to play, and I eagerly darted to the center pole and climbed on. I twirled, spinning to the beat and flipping upside down. My legs spread dramatically as the song ended. A round of applause greeted me as I dropped to the ground and headed to my booth, where Cherry and Kitty were already sitting inside. "Sup angels?"

"Top angel in the house!" Cherry cried, holding up a glass of dark green liquid. "Get up here, bitch! Time to celebrate!"

"What are we celebrating?"

She held up her wrists. "Notice anything missing?" No shackles!

My jaw dropped, and I wrapped my arms around her. "You paid off your debt?"

She squeezed me back tightly with a dazzling smile. "I'm fucking free, baby!"

"So, what did you do anyway?" Kitty asked grumpily.

"Stole a purse from Swappers' Village."

Kitty rolled her eyes. "That was dumb."

"Some of us aren't rich bitches like you. Sometimes if we want nice things, we have to fucking take them."

Ignoring Cherry, Kitty turned to me next. "What did you do?"

Swallowing hard, I steeled myself. It was none of her fucking business. "Mind yours."

"You know I can just look that shit up, right?"

Before I could respond, Cherry answered for me. "It's none of your fucking business, Kitty. Like he said, mind yours. It's not your issue." She clicked her nails. "You know what? You're killing the atmosphere. I'm here to party and celebrate with my angel over here, and you're ruining it by getting all nosy and stuff. Be gone."

The look on Kitty's face was priceless. Her hanging jaw was damned near to the ground. "Are you really kicking me out?"

"I said be gone. Don't make Starburst here kick your ass out. You'll never be allowed in this club again. The bouncers are zazzin; they'll be up here in the blink of an eye if he calls them."

Taking Cherry's threats seriously, Kitty got to her feet, grabbed her tiny purse, and stormed off in a huff. My friend wasn't lying, either; the bouncers would kick Kitty out if I even hinted that she was a problem.

A blonde waitress set down a tray filled with drinks, a white tray, a small dish filled with pale yellow powder, and a tiny black box with my stage name written on the tag. "Party favors on the house."

"Did you just get twelve drinks and a box of Nova?" Cherry asked in shock.

"Looks like it." Before I touched the drinks, I picked up the small box and opened it. Inside was a silver chain with tiny amethysts encrusted in the large links. It was fancy, that was for sure. I picked up one of the purple drinks and took a sip. A Poison Apple. One of my favorites.

"Who the hell gave you that?"

"Alex. It has to be Alex," I stated, leaning back and downing the rest of the drink.

"Alex? As in, the owner of this club, Alex? The creepy smiley guy?"

I chuckled, glad I wasn't the only one who found that man's smile a little off-putting. That obnoxious grin made me think he was plotting someone's murder. "I don't know who else would send it. Hobbs wants me to quit drinking, so there's no way he would. Plus, the waitress said it was on the house, so it has to be Alex."

"Did he give you that, too?" Cherry pointed at my choker.

I twirled the shimmering star charm. "Hobbs gave me this."

My friend started to speak but stopped when her eyes focused on something behind me. I glanced back to see Vic standing at the booth's entrance. "Can I join?"

I grinned widely. "Baby, you can pop in here any time."

With a smile, he took a seat next to me, and I felt his eyes run up and down my body. I would be lying if I said I didn't like it. "That's nice," he said, pointing to the choker.

"Thanks. My sponsor gave it to me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah, he was likely trying to make up for the bullshit he put me through the other day. He does that sort of stuff."

"And you accepted it?"

Why the hell wouldn't I accept it? "Yeah. It's cute as hell. I love it. Matches the brand."

"Doesn't that just add more to your debt?"

I shook my head. "No, baby, that's actually in the contract. Sponsors have to give free room and board. As well as clothing and food. Granted, none of it has to be nice, but they have to provide it. Also, if they give any gifts to the servant, they aren't allowed to ask for reimbursement. And if a servant is lucky enough to get an allowance, the sponsor isn't allowed to ask for compensation for that either. It's seen as a gift."

"Guess I didn't look my contract over that well."

"Oh, you dirty little boy, what did you do?" I regretted asking the moment the words left my lips. I didn't want him to know why I was in shackles. The only person, aside from Hobbs, who knew what I had done was Cherry, and it took a long while for me to confess my sin to her.

His stupidly handsome smile sent butterflies soaring through my belly. "It's really embarrassing. Let's just say it's why I barely drink anymore."

Giving him a fake scowl, I downed a drink and picked up another. "Crasher."

He shrugged.

"Nobody likes a crasher, Vic."

He shook his head, but his smile never faltered. "Fine, alright. I warned you. I got really drunk one night and took a shit in someone's yard."

Cherry and I broke out into laughter. I laughed so hard I leaned over, bumping into Vic. When I pulled away, I gave him a once-over; I sure liked feeling his body up against mine. I scooched over so my leg touched his. He didn't move away, which made the butterflies flap their wings even harder. "So, you don't party at all?" I asked, flirtatiously placing my hand on his shoulder.

"I drink a little," he admitted, picking up one of the drinks.

I got up and dumped some Nova onto the white tray. After separating it into three lines, I pulled out a rolled-up sinder and pressed it to my nose. The dust tickled as I snorted it up. Pinching my nostrils, I shook my head and licked my lips reflexively before holding the sinder out to Vic.

"I drink a little, and that's all." `

"You really are a crasher." Winking, I set the sinder down before slowly and seductively straddling Vic's lap. My eyes swept over his body as I gently ran my hand down his strong bicep and forearm. Avoiding his gaze, I examined the tattoo I hadn't noticed before. A baby blue feather pen dripping ink.

"What's this for?" My fingers gently traced over the delicate lines.

"I'm a writer."

Leaning back, I stared into his beautiful eyes. "An author, huh?"

He smiled. "No, just a writer. I don't have anything published."

Leaning forward, I stopped inches from his lips. I wanted to kiss him. Badly. An act of intimacy I hadn't wanted to do in a very long time. Running my tongue over my lower lip, I went for it. I licked his lip before biting and sucking it into my mouth. His tongue flicked against mine, and in a flash of heat, our tongues wrestled for dominance in a fiery kiss.

"None of that!" Cherry barked. "No doing the dirty in the booth. This is my party; if I ain't getting no dirty, you two aren't getting the dirty."

Pulling away from Vic, I laughed, "Bitch, this is my booth."

"Too bad. I said what I said. If I'm not fucking, you two aren't either."

Grinning, I looked between my two companions. "Well, apparently, this little devil here likes to walk through both doors."

"Is that so?" Cherry asked mischievously.

"I'm not having sex in this booth." Vic let out an awkward chuckle. "I understand that you two are used to having sex in front of strangers, but I'm not. I don't have the courage for that."

With a soft giggle, I ran my hand through his hair and pressed my lips to his once more. The kiss only lasted a few seconds before I backed off. "It's fine. I'm sore as fuck anyway."

We had fun. Even though Vic hardly drank, Cherry and I got sloshed. By the end of the night, I could barely stand, but I did allow Vic to play the knight in shining armor and walk me home. When we reached my building, I looked around before leaning in for a final kiss. "See you later, sexy."