Playette

“Whiskey.”

Benny reaches for the top shelf and hands me a bottle of Macallan with three lowball tumblers.

“Dazzle them,” he says, pushing me away.

“What’s their names?” I ask as he’s glancing over my shoulder.

“The first one, that’s Ace. The one with the bald head is Gabe, and the one with the dazzling smile is Carter. He isn’t in charge, but he’s pretty close to the boss.”

I nod, smiling at all that glorious free information. This is the closest I’ve been to them since I figured out who they are, which I only discovered two months ago. My uncle didn’t want me to know too much information too quickly, he said it was best that I find out at the right time and in the right place. The only thing I know about is a tattoo on each of their hands. It has meaning.

The police won’t go after them.

They’re too powerful.

They own the whole town.

And soon, I plan to bury them in it.

2

Isadora

“Here you go, boys.” I bend over in front of them, my perfect tits and ass on display. I worked for this ass, I squat every day. This body has been trained and perfected to be a man’s dream from the fake boobs to the fake eyelashes, lip fillers, and cheek fillers. You name it I’ve got it. I am a walking, talking, perfect little plaything.

I just might cut you when you aren’t looking.

“What’s your name, pretty one?” Brown eyes asks me, he’s the one who ordered and his name is Ace. Dazzling smile, who I now know is Carter and is second in charge, watches me. While Gabe, with the bald head, looks around assessing and taking notes on everything.

Gabe’s a watcher, I have to remember that.

“Issy.” I smile back to him

Ace’s hand reaches out and touches my leg. “Why don’t you dance for me?”

I didn’t expect his touch, nor is it welcomed, but I’ve talked myself into accepting their touch. Telling myself that it would be just like any of the other guys I’ve been with. I’ve been working on ways to try and numb myself to it. But when his hands touch me, something sparks inside me and it takes everything in me to not pull his hand away and scream. You all killed my family.

Instead of shaking his hand off I look to Benny who starts walking in our direction. “I’ve picked the best dancers for you. Issy here… she’s just a waitress,” Benny says, tapping me on my shoulder as Ace lets go of my leg. His touch is burning my leg, I don’t want it there.

“Show me, and I will keep her around,” Ace says sitting back, his hand dropping away, the burn that was there all of a sudden gone. Relief washes over my entire body.

Gabe looks to me and then back to the stage.

Sharon steps out dressed in sky-high heels and everything goes black. When the stage lights come on, no one can see anything but her in the middle. She’s sitting on a chair, water washing over her white cut-off top like a rainfall, and she starts her dance. All eyes are on her—she’s damn good. Better than I could ever have hoped to be. I was trained in dance when I was a little girl. It’s the only thing I couldn’t bring myself to continue after they passed away. My mother was my biggest cheerleader, and my father never missed a recital.

That’s the past, though.

It’s no more.

I have to concentrate on the present, and the present is right in front of me.

So close I can taste it.

Walking away, I go to the bar where Heather’s watching Sharon work her magic on stage.

“Holy hell, I want to be like her,” she says with envy in her beautiful voice. Heather is gorgeously stunning. She doesn’t see it though, and that’s a problem. I want her to see she can have more—more than this place offers. It’s hard when you’ve been spoken down to your whole life. She told me all about her family and how they used and picked on her, and how the minute she could, she left that trailer and came here. Heather lives in a hotel which charges fuck all to rent a room, and she works as much as I do, so she’s saving her money wisely.

“Then do it,” I say while reaching for a cigarette.

“You can’t have a break yet, you have to serve them.” Heather nods to the boys.

With a quick glance over my shoulder I watch them all transfixed on Sharon’s gyrating body and say, “She still has two minutes of dance left. I’ll be back in one, ready to serve them.” I give her a quick smile.

“Okay.” She looks away from me and I slip out the front. I’m not an everyday smoker, more of a ‘fuck my nerves are shot’ kind of smoker. And right now I need it desperately.