He does. He walks backward, the entire time his hands are in the front pocket of his ripped jeans. I could deck him on the spot with little blood and no noise.
"She's so fucking hot." He bounces in his tennis sneakers. "Sooner or later she's got to take a break. I've been waiting for over an hour for her to come out."
"Stop talking." I tower over him. "You're going to walk away and never come back. Do you understand me?"
His expression shifts but in an instant that smart-ass grin is back on his mouth. "There's enough to go around."
"Shut the fuck up."
"Those big juicy tits and that smooth pussy." He holds his hands in the middle of his chest as he laughs. "I've jerked off to the memory of that so many times. She's not the kind of chick a man forgets. I didn't get a taste back then, but she's available now, man, so get in line."
I haul him off his feet with my hands on the front of his sweater, pushing him against the wall. "I will fucking ruin your life if you don't shut the hell up."
"You're still defending her?" He pushes against me, but it's futile. I've got at least six inches on him and a good fifty pounds. "That's what got you kicked out of Skyn, man. No piece of ass is worth that."
I stumble back so quickly that he falls to the ground. My stomach churns, my head spins.
There's no fucking way. No. He's so fucking wrong.
"Stay the fuck away from her or I will rip you apart." I spit the words out, but he's already gone, weaving his way through the mid-day crowds of pedestrians.
I haul open the door of the clinic and step inside.
The smells, the sounds, all of it is way too fucking much.
"Crew? Is that you?" Matilda calls to me from behind the reception desk. "What's wrong? Do you need to sit down?"
"Where is she?" I bark the question out into the air, not bothering to raise my head. "Where is she?"
"Adley?" Her voice nears. I see her white shoes as she steps closer to me. "She's not here. Dr. Hunt told me that she called him and that she wouldn't be in today. That's all I know."
Fuck. How the fuck is this real? She can't be that woman. There is no way in hell Adley is that woman. I would remember her. She would remember me.
Matilda says something else but I'm already halfway out the door with my phone in my palm. I call Ad, it goes directly to voicemail and I curse that fucking club and the arrogant asshole that held her down that night telling her to let herself be used until I smashed my fist through his face.
Chapter 48
Crew
I take another drink straight from the bottle and stare out the window of my apartment at the setting sun. I ran all over this goddamn city for hours looking for Adley. I gave up when I realized that she doesn’t want me to
find her.
I close my eyes again, but the same memory replays itself on an unending reel.
The sounds of music mixed with fucking coming from the room as I approached the door with Damaris by my side. It was one of our regular nights at Club Skyn.
We'd show up late, fuck other people in the back rooms reserved for members only until the club shut down. Then we'd stagger back here, fall asleep in my bed and I'd be up at the crack of dawn ready to bury myself in work.
That night was different.
We were looking for a woman to play with. Damaris had her type. I had mine.
She scoped out the choices. I watched a crowd of men that had gathered around a table. On the table was a woman, on her back.
I stepped closer to get a better look and heard her soft whimpers right away.
"I need more time. I'm not sure anymore."