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“Well, you came to the right place. Have a seat.” Cherry Bomb settled her on a seat in front of the vanity and scrubbed her face with a makeup wipe. “I’m going to make you look like a million dollars, and then we’ll dance.”
“I don’t know if I’m in the mood,” Carmen said.
“We’ll get you in the mood,” she said. “I heard when you were on stage a couple of month’s back, the tips were insane.”
“They were,” Mercedes confirmed. “She’s still got it.”
A petite blonde with large eyes bustled forward. She got the nickname Baby Doll from the customers. It suited her, especially since she had the bubbly personality of a child.
“Hey, Carmen!” she exclaimed and clapped her hands together. “You want to double team a pole?”
“We’ll see, Baby Doll,” she said and cupped one of her bulging breasts. “You went bigger?”
Baby Doll beamed in her iridescent bikini. “Yup! And I got my nipples pierced. I swear, my tips doubled. Good thing too since my husband left. I have to take care of the kids on my own now.”
“You have two?”
“Four. I had twins on the last go.”
“Damn, girl.”
“I know, but I’m making it work. Now, tell me about this asshole.”
Carmen let them fuss over her while Mickey stood in the corner. He should have been ecstatic to be in the dressing room, but he looked tense and worried instead.
The girls decided to give her a goth vibe. One of the girls offered a cheap crucifix with red rhinestones, which she humbly accepted. Baby Doll slapped a Katy Perry blue wig on her head, and Cherry Bomb took care of her face. When the girls backed off so she could examine the results, she had to admit that her new vibe matched her dark mood. She had a heavy smoky eye with a dark lip and fake eyelashes that made her baby blues pop.
While the girls went on stage, she slipped into the club with Mickey at her side. It was busy as usual. The lights flashed, and the women danced as if their lives depended on it. Scantily dressed servers carried food on sizzling platters. Smoke, liquor, and lust permeated the air.
She found an empty table. A server fetched drinks while Mickey stood guard and cock-blocked anyone who tried to approach her. The server brought her a dirty martini and Mickey a bottle of water. She yanked Mickey down beside her since he was blocking her view.
She watched Cherry Bomb, Mercedes, and the others lay it all on the stage. They were on fire tonight. It seemed like a year ago that she writhed on stage without a care in the world. She hoped just walking into the crowd would perk her up, but it wasn’t working. She ordered another martini.
“What happened tonight?” Mickey asked.
“A reality check.”
“Marcus gave me your clutch and told me to get you home.”
“Fuck Marcus.” She watched a man lick Cherry Bomb’s feet. “Know your place,” she muttered in disgust.
She should have broken Khalid’s nose. At least he would bear her mark for a while and be embarrassed when people asked him what happened. Beat up by a whore. Ha! She had to be satisfied with the fact that he would waddle around for a couple of hours while his balls recovered from her hit. Served him right. She hoped every woman he propositioned gave him what he deserved. Marcus didn’t realize how much grief she saved him. If Khalid talked to all women like that, and Pyre Casinos was connected to them, women would flip. She entertained herself by imagining Janice’s reaction to a prick like Khalid.
I like things the way they are.She shifted uncomfortably as an invisible hand used her heart as a stress ball. She thought Marcus was safe, and that a good guy wouldn’t hurt her. Wrong.Sofucking wrong. She’d never had the “let’s just be friends” talk with any man. That was her line.
She thought she had something good with him, but he didn’t feel the same … and that stung. Maybe she was just a piece of ass to him. So why the necklace? What kind of man bought a gift like that for a booty call? He gave her mixed signals, but what came out of his mouth was the real deal. He didn’t want to be in a relationship. He wanted to work till he died and never venture out of the desert. Fine.
Would he ask her to get out of the house? She should go on that trip to the beach. Why not? She glanced at her watch. It was midnight. She would arrive in the wee hours of the morning and watch the moonlight reflect on the ocean …
The hard stare from a man sitting several rows in front ruined her fantasy. He was turned in his seat and leering at her. She raised a brow. His eyes flicked to Mickey, and he rose. She tensed and was about to alert Mickey, but he walked out of the club. She shouldn’t have left her gun in the car …
“I need to go to the restroom.” Mickey rose to accompany her. She put a hand on his shoulder. “There’s never a line for the women’s bathroom. I’ll be right back.”
After she did her business, she glanced in the mirror. She was really feeling this goth look with the electric blue hair. Maybe that should be her next hair color. She went red after Marcus because he made her feel vibrant and alive. Now who was she going to remake herself into? What was her next phase?
She exited the bathroom and heard a faint scream that was quickly cut off. For a moment, she wondered if she was hearing things, but the faint echo of men’s raucous laughter sent a chill down her spine. She turned in the opposite direction of the club, walked down a dimly hallway, and turned the corner. In front of the janitor’s closet was a group of men. She could only see their backs because they were all watching something. Her skin prickled. She shoved her way through the crowd and was stopped by two men who grabbed her arms, but she now saw what they were watching.
Baby Doll was on her knees, being brutally mouth fucked by a man in a suit. Carmen registered that the man looked vaguely familiar before she lunged. The men holding her laughed and hauled her back. The rapist noticed the commotion and smiled at her.
