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My nose flairs as I huff and growl in protest. I don’t like the idea of leaving her alone with these pricks.
“Seth is doing his best. He can’t watch me all the time. If he’d seen it happening, he would have stepped in. Wouldn’t you, Seth?” Candace asks not taking her eyes from mine.
“Oh, yeah. Of course,” Seth says, flippantly. He doesn’t give a shit what happens to Candace.
As much as I want to bloody his face like I did the shit-stain knocked cold in the chair next to me, I don’t make a move to fight or even argue with him. Because I do care about Candace. I don’t want to add to her pain by giving Seth an excuse to punish her for my actions.
“Please, Liam. Go wait in the car. I’ll get dressed and be right out,” Candace pleads, her eyes glistening with tears.
I relax as I nod my agreement.
With a tip of Seth’s chin, his brothers let me go.
“I don’t like this, Candy,” I say, using her stripper name in case anyone else can hear us, even though I lean in close.
“I know. But it’s not forever.”
Her time at the Cinnamon Mink won’t last forever but it’s becoming clear to me that there’s at least a part of me, if even just a primal, subconscious part, that can see our time lasting forever.
I hope there’s a part of her that can see it too.
Chapter 8
CANDY
We had a rough start but once we got the kinks worked out, this last week with Liam has been amazing. I’ve been able to ignore a lot of the bad shit I can’t escape. Possibly, a bit too much.
A few of the payments I sent Eddie were a little short but this last one was more than a little short. The tips haven’t been the greatest since I started half-assing my lap dances. Not that I ever wanted to please these assholes but now that I’m with Liam, it feels wrong to put any effort into it at all.
“Seriously, Candy? That’s it?” Jack, one of my regulars, whines when I finish twerking my ass on his lap. At least he kept his hands to himself this time. He came in a little later than usual and is still a couple of drinks short of being too drunk to know better.
“You got your six minutes, Jack. And I’m off now.”
“Better be careful, Candy,” he says, tucking a hundred-dollar bill so far into my bra his finger grazes my nipple. I guess he’s drunker than I thought. “There’s girls here willing to do a lot more, for a lot less.” My hands ball into fists at my side when he squeezes my tit. I have to work really hard not to punch him. I can’t risk him taking the money back. “That’s better,” he says, withdrawing his hand to smack my ass as I march away from him holding back angry tears.
If I could make even close to as much money as I do putting up with guys like Jack, I’d walk out of here right now with what I made tonight and never look back. But this is still my best hope for paying Eddie back. And what’s worse is, I can’t talk to Liam about what just happened. He’d kill Jack and in turn get himself killed. Seth will not risk losing patrons because they’re scared one of the girl’s boyfriends will murder them.
No. This is yet another burden I have to carry alone. For just a little while longer.
“Candy, hunny,” Sapphire says, swaying into the dressing room in her sparkly blue stilettos that match her thong and bikini top, as I’m pulling on my coat to meet Liam in the parking lot. “There’s a couple of scary, gangster-looking dudes looking for you. Thousand-dollar suits. Hand and neck tattoos. The fucking works.”
Shit. I dig through my purse for the wad of cash hoping and praying it will be enough. Then vow to set my morality aside to ensure next month’s payment will be in full or more.
“Candy. You in some kind of trouble? Should I get Seth?” Sapphire asks, placing a gentle hand on my arm. None of the girls know the real reason I’m working here. The last thing I need is for them to think that I think I’m above them because I wouldn’t work here if I didn’t have to. They’re sweet girls and I admire their commitment to their work. For them, it’s a fucking art form. If I could do half the tricks some of them do on that pole, I might consider making it a living too.
“No. I’m fine.” I hope.
After patting her hand to reassure her I’ll be fine, I exit the dressing room to find the men Sapphire described standing at the end of the hallway blocking the exit where I know Liam is waiting on the other side.
I can’t imagine what Liam would do if he knew what I was facing in here. He’d want to protect me. Just like he did getting me out of my crappy apartment, not taking no for an answer, and turning that guy’s face into hamburger for touching me. If he tries that with these guys, he’ll get himself killed. They don’t care about the lives that stand between them and their money. They just want to be paid. So unless he’s prepared to fork over the many thousands I still owe them, I have to end this fast so he doesn’t come looking for me and make this situation worse than it already is.
“You know why we’re here. Cough it up,” orders the dark-haired goon with the spider web tattooed on the side of his neck that dips under the collar of his black dress shirt buttoned all the way up.
“Here.” I hand him every dollar I made tonight, plus what I had set back to pay my phone bill.
“The fuck is this?” Spider guy asks, holding up the cash so I can read the letters tattooed on the backs of each of his thick fingers that spell pain.
“It’s everything I have,” I say wishing I hadn’t sounded so incredulous when the bigger, quiet thug wraps his monster hand around my throat and pushes me against the wall.
