Love in Montana (De La Fuente Family 1)

Chapter Ten

Sylvia hadn’t told Eric that she had a shift at Poles that night because she knew he hated her working there. So she’d felt relief when he told her he had something else planned. She only hoped Zane didn’t get it into his head to come down to the club so he could drool over Bea because that would mean Eric showing up. That was all she needed.

She’d tried to sneak into the club, but had been recognized by a few of the regulars. They were harmless enough so she’d offered them a small smile before carrying on through to the dressing room.

The short corridor was dark and gloomy as always, which had never bothered her before. But since she’d started to receive the unwanted notes, her skin crawled with the thought of him lying in wait in the storeroom that was opposite the dressing room door.

With her breath in her throat, she dashed down the corridor and practically fell into the room much to the shock of the other girls. One of which was Bea, who didn’t look too happy.

A brow rose in question, Bea paused in the middle of getting dressed and waited. Sylvia knew Bea wouldn’t let her disheveled arrival go unnoticed no matter how much she wished that Bea would.

“I thought I was late.” Sylvia shrugged after offering her lame excuse, which Bea, clearly, didn’t buy.

“Spill,” Bea demanded. “Something is going on with you. You’re skittish. If there’s something wrong then I want to help.” Bea moved closer and hesitated before she pulled Sylvia down on the bench seat with her.

Sylvia hid her surprise at the concern she saw on Bea’s face.

“Look,” Bea started, “I know we haven’t really talked before, and that’s on me. You now know the baggage I have following me everywhere I go, so I guess it doesn’t matter as he found me anyway. I guess I’ll always be looking over my shoulder.”

“What about Zane?”

Bea blushed.

“Zane is…” her voice trailed off before a hardness filled her eyes. “It’s complicated, especially as I’m sure he just wants to fuck me.”

Sylvia smiled. “That’s what I used to think about Eric, and now I’m not all that sure.” She patted Bea’s hand. “Zane seemed to be concerned for you the other night. More than someone who just wanted to fuck you would be.”

Bea looked lost in thought so Sylvia tried to use her preoccupation to deflect the subject from herself. It didn’t work.

“You were about to say…” Bea smirked, knowing good and well what Sylvia had been up to.

After a few seconds of debate, Sylvia decided to confide in her, “I’ve been getting weird notes. Here at work.” She sighed. “I don’t know who they’re from but there is a man I suspect. They tend to say the same thing, that he wants me to do a private lap dance for him. He says a bunch of other stuff as well. I’m beautiful. He’d cherish me if I gave him a chance. He’d make sure that I never had to work in the club again.” Her voice wobbled slightly near the end.

He frightened her now, which was why in the dark corridor she’d shot into the dressing room as though her ass was on fire.

“You haven’t told Yuri, have you?” Bea glanced at Sylvia and watched as she shook her head. “I didn’t think so. You need to, Sylvia.”

“No. I’m not telling him. I’m so close to having the money for the down payment I need that I can’t lose this job.” She stood and started to pace back and forth in front of Bea.

“You’re not thinking straight. Yuri won’t fire you because you’re being stalked, and even if he thought about it, there’s no way Talya would let that happen. So stop worrying, and tell the boss.” Bea stood and intercepted Sylvia as she continued to pace. “He can’t help you if he doesn’t know,” Bea added softly.

“Okay.” She inhaled. “I’ll talk to him later, before I leave. I don’t have time now.”

Wanting to forget all about the notes and wondering who watched her every night, Sylvia opened her locker and grabbed her outfit for the night.

It didn’t take her long to dress, and once her purse and clothes were locked up, she adjusted the hem of the short shorts. No matter how much she messed with them, there was no way they were suddenly going to grow and cover her ass.

She huffed out a loud breath in agitation only to hear Bea snicker in the background.

“Your shorts are longer than mine,” Sylvia stated, disgruntled.

“I think Yuri likes your legs as they’re always on display.”

Over her shoulder, Sylvia frowned at Bea who now checked out her own ass in the floor to ceiling mirrors that lined one side of the dressing room.

“Yuri only has eyes for one woman and that isn’t me, as you know.”

“I know.” Bea turned to face her. “What’s going on with those two? They’ve danced around each other for a few months now, since before you started working here. It doesn’t make any sense that they’re still doing it. They’re both single from what I’ve heard.”