Chapter 32
"What do you think you're doing?" Wade asked, pulling me against the wall as I stepped out of the private room. She glared at each vampire emerging from the shadows.
"I served you, didn't I?" I replied. I had been catering to their needs for weeks, juggling private dances and pole performances. They tipped regularly, but I was trying to avoid them—or all vampires, for that matter. They wanted my services; I wanted their money.
Her glare softened slightly as she looked at me. "You cater to us only."
"I don't. I go where the money is," I countered.
I knew she was still furious about my earlier encounter with Cloney. That incident had happened a week before I met her and Jager. I was determined to save my earnings for bills, rent, and groceries, trying to accumulate enough to cover my expenses for the week.
It wasn't as if Cloney had his balls in my mouth every day. He still wanted his cut, and most of the time, oral favors just weren't going to satisfy him. He had expenses to cover.
"We'll give you whatever you want," she said, frustration creeping into her tone.
"And become your slave?" I questioned. "I want to earn my keep."
"Don't do another performance. We want you back up top with us."
"Why? When I perform, I make double," I insisted. I had to be greedy; acquiring that plot of land and building a house wasn't an easy task. I couldn't afford to limit myself to just them.
"You're so confusing," Wade said, frustration evident in her voice. "We offer to give you the amount you want, but you turn it down, and now you're claiming you make double what we offer when you go around."
"You wouldn't understand, Wade," I projected back. "You and Jager, along with all the other vampires, are rich. Money comes easily for you. You're privileged." I knew only a handful of humans still lived in that world of privilege. "Your kind are killing off ours."
"We aren't. Maybe you should check your history, snow bunny."
I clenched my jaw. History was my enemy, but no one needed to dive into the past to see the injustices happening now. "I know there are some like Ethan and those who attacked you. But we're not all like that."
"Then what are you saying? Are humans the ones putting ourselves in these struggles?" I challenged.
"We vampires always here," Wade replied, her tone heated.
"But we were in hiding because we were hunted by your kind.
They killed babies and the elderly. At least you've never seen us exploit kids.
" She stepped closer, her intensity palpable.
"Jager and I have offered nothing but protection for you and—"
"I don't need your damn protection. Where do you all come from, suddenly offering your help? I certainly don't need your pity."
"We're not pitying you. We like you and genuinely want to take care of you."
"I can handle everything on my own. No, thank you."
She grabbed my arm. "Would you just please stay with us?" Her voice was filled with desperation.
"No," I replied flatly.
Her jaw tightened, and her voice turned rough. "Just know that we'll always be here for you. But you're not letting another man touch your body."
"It's my body—the one I'm marketing."
"That's not how it works, snow princess." She began to drag me, my heels catching on the carpet, but she easily lifted me up, leaving me dangling at her side. "You're staying with us."
She carried me up the stairs and set me down beside Jager. Jager smiled at me. "You've decided to join us," she said, glancing up at Wade, whose expression was fierce. "I told you not to force her. She'll come to us eventually."
"I will never come to you."
"You're human. You always want help."
"Just not yours," I grumbled.
Wade sat down, forcing me back into the position where I was sandwiched between them. I slid over toward Jager. "You seem to have been working all night. You're sweaty."
"I have to work to take care of myself," I growled.
"We're aware of that," Jager replied.
"But you're too stubborn to accept our offer."
To me, it didn't feel like an offer; it felt like a command. I knew I'd have to comply one way or another. While that might seem fair, I was determined not to remain stuck in that cycle.
"How much did you make tonight?"
"Six thousand."
"I'll give you ten," Jager said.
"Ten for what?"
"To take your panties off and stay right here beside us."
"Why my panties?" I asked, perplexed by the strange request.
"To put them in my drink, of course."
It was odd, but simple, and it still involved doing something for money. I stood up and slipped off my panties, holding them delicately on the tip of my finger. Just as she reached for them, I hooked my fingers, making them slip from her grasp.
"The money," I said.
She reached into her seemingly endless pocket and pulled out a stack of cash, folded neatly. It looked like the exact amount I was owed. I tossed it back down, and she quickly snatched it up.
She dipped a piece of my panties into the blood wine, like bread, and then sucked on it.
"You taste sweet, and the wine complements you perfectly," she purred.
"Do you want to taste her?" Jager asked Wade.
"No," Wade grumbled. "I want her in my bed, to keep her forever. I'm fine with this."
Jager shrugged. "More for me, then." She dipped more of the fabric into the wine.
I came home to find Kem changing out of her clothes. I dumped the bag of money on the counter.
"How much is that?" Kem asked, rubbing a napkin over her face to remove her makeup.
"Sixteen," I replied.
"How much did you make?"
"Thirty-five."
Kem always earned more than I did. Her club was a bit more lenient with everything, and the crowd there was more diverse.
"I'm exhausted," she added.
"Tell me about it." I took the cash and walked into Kem's room, where the safe was located.
I opened it and tucked the cash inside. I knew we had well over half a million, but we needed so much more.
Some days felt extremely slow for us, and our expenses were piling up.
At times, it seemed like we were moving backward.
I sat down beside Kem. "How's Wade and Jager?"
I rolled my eyes. She had met them once and now thought they were in love with me.
I didn't want her to think that way, but she ended up crossing paths with them as they were leaving.
Kem had been more lenient with the vampires lately, probably because of that human-vampire couple she was following.
"I don't want to talk about them."
"They could take care of you. What if we never reach that four million? And when we do, the land might already be sold. Even if we find a plot, it will be more expensive," she remarked, as if she could see the future.
"We can do this. We're already at half a million."
"That's still a long way to go."
"They really like you, Xan."
"They're horrible. They drained Cloney."
"Cloney wasn't a good guy, Xan. He took advantage of you."
"Are you saying our kind deserved to die then?"
"No, I'm saying anyone who does wrong deserves to die," she argued. "But look at it." She met my gaze. "Just imagine falling in love, regardless of what they are or who you are. Picture having a family and being taken care of your entire life."
"To have a child with one of those creatures, and then my baby would have their blood?"
"It's beautiful. It's a family. It's not just about blood."
"Why can't we focus on our reality and stop talking about the impossible, at least for us?" I whispered.
"Because it is possible for both of us! You're just not opening your eyes or your heart!" she yelled.
"Because I don't want to! They like me, yes, but then I would leave you."
"I would be fine! At least—"
"Friends don't betray friends or choose relationships over them, especially in a world like this!"
"Fine, do what you want. I'm going to bed."
"Kem!" I called after her.
"What, Xan?" she yelled back, still walking toward her room.
"We stick together, forever!"
"Yeah!" she snapped, slamming her door behind her. I sighed. She couldn't see what I did. She was caught up in the idealized lives of social media's vampire-human couples, while I was acutely aware of the danger. Why couldn't she understand that we were just food? The easiest kind of prey?