I wait until the lights dim and the music turns up before I enter the stage. My breath catches in my throat when I see the crowd is full of the Devils Rejects MC and in the back Sara and her friends are even here. Closing my eyes, I try to pretend they aren’t here. When I open my eyes, I see Uno staring at me and I keep my focus on him and only him as I do my routine, working the pole and the stage.
Money is raining on the stage as I hear whistles and catcalls flying from different directions. I don’t even hear what they are saying. I concentrate on Uno who has now moved to the center stool between Boogeyman and Cupid. I grin at him, biting my bottom lip. The way he looks at me when I am on stage gives me confidence. He makes me feel sexy…desired. This is far from my first time stripping but his attention, the way he focuses on me and no one else in the room…I feel special. The first song stops playing, rotating into the next selection. With a flick of my wrist, I unclasp my bra, covering my boobs with my arms as I toss my bra in his direction. He catches the black lace with a smirk as I drop to my knees and expose my chest. Boogeyman smacks Uno’s arm and I use my finger to make the come here motion at him.
He shakes his head, but his brothers shove him to the stage. I crawl to where he stands and call for a chair. Uno doesn’t know it, but Hades paid me to bring Uno up on stage and give him a lap dance. One of the girls rushes out and hands one off to me. I point to the chair and Uno puts his hands out, again shaking his head. Taking things into my own hands, I move to him, grabbing him by his cut and shoving him down to the chair by his shoulders. The guys are going nuts, loving every minute of my show. With my back to him I drop my ass over his lap, bending forward until my hands touch the floor. My ass bounces on his crotch, hitting his belt buckle every time I pop my booty.
I change positions, straddling him now front facing, using the legs of the chair for support as I shake my boobs in front of his face, close enough that it wouldn’t take much to rub his nose in them. The song is coming to a close when suddenly someone yells, and I am jerked backwards by my shoulder. My ass hits the hard floor and I look up to see Shawn and Uno standing toe to toe, nose to nose, ready to kill each other.
“Take it outside,” Hades orders over the murmurs in the crowd. They move toward the front door. All the Devils Rejects members following after them. A few of the girls rush the stage, helping me to my feet and collecting the money I earned.
“Fuck that was hot,” one of them says. I rush backstage with my pride wounded more than my ass.
—–
I hurry to put a robe on and rush outside to find out what in the hell is going on. I am so mad at Shawn right now I could kick his ass. “I told you motherfuckers to stay away from Melissa,” Shawn barks, shoving at Uno.
“I don’t see your name on her. Thought she was your fucking sister, but you act like you are fucking in love with her or some shit.” Uno shoves him back. Shawn throws a punch hitting Uno in the jaw.
He spits and rubs his cheek, laughing. “Is that all you got, Cocky? I think we should change your name to pussy.” Everyone laughs and I can see red flashing in Shawn’s eyes.
The pair of them are evenly matched. Trading punches, wearing each other out. “Melissa is off limits. She isn’t going to be your rebound fuck.”
“You sure as fuck aren’t my daddy, Cocky. And you sure as fuck don’t get to tell me what to do unless you are sucking my dick, and sorry to tell you, motherfucker, you aren’t my type.” Uno rears his fist back landing a punishing blow that sends Shawn to his ass.
Uno’s boot goes to Cocky’s chest and Hades shouts, “Enough,” ending the fight. “Get him out of here,” he calls and Terror steps in and drags him to his feet.
“This isn’t over.” Shawn spits a mouthful of blood out, pointing a finger at Uno. Shawn staggers toward me and I shake my head at him filled with disappointment.
Uno starts toward me and I hold up my hand to stop him. Right now, I don’t want a damn thing to do with either of them.
I go back inside the club and finish out my shift because I damn sure need the money. Maybe coming to Webb Hollow was a mistake. Maybe letting Shawn back into my life wasn’t a good idea. He doesn’t know me anymore. Not really. When he went to prison I was sixteen years old. I thought I knew what love was and I thought he was it for me. I didn’t have a freaking clue how the world worked. I seriously believed him when he said that he loved me and that we would always be together. I wrote him thirty letters before I got the one back. I waited two years for him to change his mind. I would have waited an eternity for him if he told me to.
Chapter 14
—Stephanie
One Month Later
“It was a beautiful service, was it not?” Tiny keeps a hand on my waist as we walk to the car.
I nod, offering him the only thing I can. A weak smile. I’m completely numb. My mother is dead, and I feel absolutely nothing. When Justin handed me off to this monster, something inside me snapped and the woman I was died.
My mother’s death was ruled a suicide, but I know she would have never jumped. She was pushed by one of Tiny’s men. I know he ordered one of them to do the job. He didn’t like her being in his way. They clashed every minute they were together. She hated him more than she hated Justin. She was working on an escape plan to get us both out when she wasn’t being drugged. Sure, she was a hypochondriac, but my mother wasn’t suicidal. My stomach lurches and I am having trouble fighting the urge to vomit.
“You look pale, darling. Are you feeling okay?”
“Just tired.”
The driver opens the car door for us and I slide in first. Tiny gets in, pressing his body into my side, smothering me. I can’t seem to escape him. He is constantly showering me with attention, trying his damnedest to win me over. Something he will never accomplish. I will never give my body to him willingly. He makes me sick.
“When we get home, you can take a nap, but I wish you’d eat something.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Very well, but if you continue to starve yourself, I’ll hook an IV to your arm or put a feeding tube in.” He runs a hand over his dark slicked back hair. Tiny isn’t an ugly man on the outside but on the inside, he is pure poison. I’m not oblivious to the fact that he can be charming at times, but still despite everything, I long for my husband. I should make an attempt to try for the sake of saving my life but Tiny makes me sick and I am in love with Justin. It’s too late for us but I will always love him.
During my stay at with this vile man, I have witnessed many terrible things. Women being groomed for sale. A fate he says I won’t meet as long as I do as he wants. “You test my patience,” he growls in my ear, placing a hand on mine and squeezing, not hard enough to hurt but to apply pressure. To remind me that he chooses not to hurt me though he could easily.
My Mother told him I didn’t care for one of his maids and he slit the woman’s throat from ear to ear in front of me at breakfast. I’m not dealing with a normal person. He’s a narcissistic sociopath. I have to be careful. I can’t feed into his ego too much nor can I refuse him to the point of making him angry. My Mother’s death is an unspoken warning, if I don’t give the man what he wa