Page 44 of The Toy Maker (The Pink Cherrie #1)

THIRTY-SEVEN

“Spread your legs, baby.” Jade left no room for debate as she took the final measurements. I tried to ignore the feeling of my friend’s hands traveling up my thigh.

Kitty’s voice rang in my ears as Jade lifted my arms and threatened me with her sewing needles if I didn’t stand still. The weight of my eyelids seemed to increase as I waited for her to finish cutting out the skirt that I was wearing for the Thanksgiving party.

I watched her buzz around in a frantic tailspin; it was D-Day at Pink Cherrie, and no one could mask the excitement in the building. For the first time ever, the toys wouldn’t be the main event.

The girls who volunteered to be the main course were in for quite a night, but even as I stood in the middle of ground zero, I couldn’t shake off the cloud looming above me. I hadn’t spoken to Kitty since she busted me for screwing Jason.

At first, I expected her to be angry, but what I overheard sounded more like concern.

I wasn’t a complete idiot; I knew who Jason was and how he operated the minute I met him. Hell, I even dated some Jason types in college. I knew what I was getting into and yet… I didn’t say no.

“Fuck me in the ass,” Jade hissed, snapping me out of my thoughts. Blood dripped down her index finger and stained the velvet orange fabric of my outfit.

“What happened?” I stammered.

“I just forgot that scissors are sharp.” She wrapped her finger in a rag to help stop the bleeding.

Kitty swooped in to tend to the wounded but not before glancing at me standing helplessly to the side. Her faded pink hair whipped around as she ran to the back and grabbed the first aid kit.

“It’s not too deep,” she reassured while smearing the disinfectant on Jade’s finger. “You should be fine for tonight.”

Jade agreed and put the band-aid on. “I can’t say the same for Tara’s outfit, though.” I stared at the cluster of bloodstains; you would think a group of women would be far more efficient at removing those.

Kitty looked at me and then at the skirt. “Do you have any other outfits ready?”

“Only another main course, but there are already way too many.”

Kitty scanned the room before giving her final decree, “Put her in what you have. I have to go deal with Wendy.”

Jade furrowed her eyebrows, and Kitty sighed.

“She took some ecstasy last night and thinks she can fly,” she elaborated.

Talk about never growing up.

I watched our fearless leader in six-inch fuck-me pumps rush to the aid of the delusional whore and waited for Jade to shove something skimpy into my hands.

“Come on, let’s get you re—” Sudden screeching cut her off mid-sentence.

“They’re here!” a half-naked Cherry cheered as our male co-stars strolled into the building. I followed the crowd to the door and watched from afar.

After a minute passed, Jason appeared from his office and greeted the man in the front.

Dirty blond hair framed his face, and when he smiled at something Jason said, the girls swooned over him,

The scent of horny women wafted through the air as the group wandered around the sales floor. Each one wore a gray tank top that hugged their muscular bodies while carrying a bag on their backs.

Maybe an alternate tank top?

Jade appeared beside me and blinked in awe as they walked past us. “My God, how much blood did I lose?” She fanned herself with her non-wounded hand.

“Not nearly enough,” Amy snapped from behind us. I rolled my eyes and turned to face her.

Her cold, frigid expression only fueled the frustration growing inside me. I wanted to be better than petty arguments and name-calling, but hell, I was exhausted.

“Go fuck a cactus, Amy.” The words spewed out and for once, I didn’t care.

Jade’s eyes widened; usually, being aggressive was her turf, but with all the bloodletting, I gave her a break.

Amy tried to act offended. “Bitch.”

Ugh, basic. “Whore.”

Said bitch stepped forward to intimidate me with her dollar-store lash extensions right before Jade dragged me away. “Okay, that’s enough of that.”

“I had more to say,” I argued while she was busy shoving my costume into my hands.

“We all do, believe me, but it’s almost showtime, and if we listed off everything we wanted to say to Satan’s mistress, we would be here until next Thanksgiving.”

I tried to protest, “But?—”

She pushed me into the dressing room. “Don’t make me dress you.” She gave me a pointed look before closing the curtain.

I sighed and slipped myself into the dainty tan dress and glanced at myself in the mirror. As far as outfits went at Pink Cherrie, it was almost modest. Other than a stooping neckline and thigh-length skirt, I looked innocent.

But the white fishnet stockings added the usual flare.

I waited at my vanity until it was ten minutes till showtime. Sarah curled her shoulder-length hair beside me while Jade fiddled with a cherry-red bra.

She, like many girls, had volunteered to be a pie.

As I watched, my hand slipped and smudged my eyeliner. Just when I had finished salvaging my makeup, Kitty rushed over to me. “I need you on the table.”

I frowned. “What?”

“Wendy is out, and I’m down one cornucopia. You’re taking her place.” I opened my mouth to argue, to tell her that so many other girls would gladly be feasted on, but she wouldn’t listen. “Tara, this is the quickest option.”

Jade overheard our conversation and defended me, “If she really doesn’t want to, I’ll take her place. I wouldn’t mind getting up close and personal with one of those tasty men out there.”

Sarah laughed, “There’s always the chance that you’ll get a Cherry and not a Python.”

“I’ll take that risk,” Jade said and winked before turning back to her mirror.

Kitty looked me in the eye for the first time since she walked in on me and Jason. “I need you on the table tonight.”

I swallowed down the hesitation building inside me and nodded. I had lied to her for months; the least I could do was fill in where she needed me. Even if it meant I got fucked in front of the entire store—again.

“Two minutes,” Kitty yelled and started ushering Cherries out the door. “Don’t forget the whipped cream, Jade!”

“Aye, aye, Captain Cunt!” Jade laughed and tossed the can of whipped cream to me. “Take this to the table.”

“Is it for the dessert?” I raised a brow.

She grinned. “You could say that.”

As I walked to the center of the room, I became certain of three things.

One , I still needed to speak to Jason. Preferably, when we were alone.

Two , Kitty would not forget what she saw. There was no use in hoping.

Three , my left boob was ten seconds away from being sawed off by the underwire of my bra. Which was a damn shame since it was the biggest one.

I squirmed around to ease the sharp poking, no matter who watched. While I was busy saving my tits, Jason appeared. He pulled me to the side of the room before settling his gaze on me.

“What’s wrong?” he asked as I used him to shield myself while I readjusted.

“Nothing.” I straightened my dress back out and stared at his ruby-red contacts. Well, that’s horrifying. “I see you got new eyes.”

He laughed, “I was trying to be festive.”

“Demon eyes is the way to do that?”

Cue demon eyeroll.

“Just stop twitching and get on stage,” Jason said with a slight accent, smiling at me as if nothing was wrong, as if Kitty hadn’t just screamed at him for using me.

I paused and stared at him. The southern twang in his voice came out of nowhere, so why did it sound familiar?

Before he could say anything else, I responded, “Actually, Kitty moved me off the stage. I’m on the table now.”

“She did what?” His face fell as I tried to explain what had happened. In the end, he shook his head. “I don’t want you up there.”

The party music blared into my ears, and the room swirled around me. Was Kitty right? Would he admit he didn’t want me being a main course for a fake-tan Fabio?

“Why not?” I challenged.

He turned, avoiding my eyes and pretending to look for someone else. “I need the best girls up there tonight. You’re still new.”

I scoffed, irritated by the shoddy avoidance maneuver. “I’ve been working here for months.”

Jason stared into the distance. “Doesn’t change the fact that your performance is average.”

I tried to extinguish the fire raging inside me and took a deep, shaky breath. Part of me, a strong part, wanted him to pull me off the table and banish me to the back room but he didn’t, and that was…

My anger overpowered the angel perched on my shoulder. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a show to do, and I’d hate to let you down.” I smirked at his concerned expression. “Sir.”

Before he could argue, I moved through the crowd and ducked underneath the stage curtain. After realizing he wasn’t on my heels, I sighed and took my place next to Sarah at the table. When I sat down, she was fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

“Are you alright?” I asked, barely able to comprehend my own problems but willing to listen to hers.

She turned her attention to me. “Lucas is here with Amy.”

“Oh, fuck.” I glanced around the room to locate the bitch, but Sarah stopped me.

“It’s fine. I have to let him go eventually,” she sighed.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, the lights went out.

“Showtime,” one Cherry whispered seconds before the spotlight flickered onto Jason.

He welcomed the guests with a fake grin, one I had become all too familiar with. A black priest robe cascaded over his body while he held a bible to his chest.

Weeks ago, Kitty confided in us about her teenage crush on the pastor’s son; especially how he got caught fucking in the church and how his father sent him off to a special reformatory school.

Suddenly, I understood the appeal.

“—so let us break bread on this day, together. Feast on what we have and celebrate the life that the Lord has given us.” His eyes found mine through the crack in the curtain. “Amen.”

He is so going to burn in hell.