Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Aspen
My skin burned from the tattoos Rocky had talked me into getting last Friday and the urge to scratch them was very tempting. A giant, red rose covered my ass cheek where Myles had carved his name into my flesh. The memory of his knife against me bulldozed to the forefront of my mind. I still haven’t made sense of my emotions from that day. Warmth spread through my body, and I clenched my thighs together.
Cut it the fuck out, Aspen. He raped you twice, helped kill your best friend, and had a hand in your demise.
What the fuck was wrong with me? These guys made me feel a mixture of emotions I never expected. The hot and cold tug of war was exhilarating as much as it had been infuriating.
My mind flashed to Foster where his name had been imprinted beneath my left breast. A red rose with a dagger through it sat there now followed by black ribbons stretching from it on either side. Foster had been the one who irritated me most. There was just something about him that always managed to get under my skin, and for some reason, I didn’t always hate that either. Foster was controlling, infuriating, sexist, degrading, and everything I hated in a person. Despite my issues with him however, he was also loyal to those he cared about. He was logical, careful, and loving. There was more to him that met the eye, but that didn’t excuse all the horrible things he’d done.
Then there was Hunter, who occupied the other side of my ass before it was tatted over. Now, it was a spider web extending up my hip with blood laced within it. I wasn’t sure what had happened to Hunter over the short span of time I’d known him, but something in him snapped.
Finally, there was Collin. The boy who managed to capture my attention in only a few days of my arrival. He was blinded by loyalty and would do whatever he needed to in order to keep his selected family. Even if what they wanted him to do was rape and murder. In place of his name was a phoenix with fire surrounding it. The creature was symbolic. Like a phoenix, I rose from the ashes and my tormentors would soon meet their demise.
My skin was blotchy and red as the skin surrounding my new tattoos attempted to heal. The artist had given me strict instructions on how to clean them and warned me not to scratch them.
When a knock sounded at the door of the room I was occupying for the time being, my head snapped in that direction. Since Caroline’s drunken outburst last week, I’ve made it my mission to avoid her.
Clearing my throat, I straightened my spine and leaned against the headboard. “Come in,” I instructed.
When Monroe entered the room, relief rolled off me in waves. He stayed near the door, which was probably for the best considering things that have happened in the past. His white, button-down shirt clung to his muscular frame, allowing me to see his bronze skin beneath. Sucking my lower lip between my teeth, I brought my gaze to his.
“I wanted Rocky to be the one to tell you,” He began. “But he’s been busy. Collin and Rocky fought Saturday night and Collin is in the hospital.”
Hearing that Collin was in pain should have brought me some sense of comfort, but honestly…it didn’t. He deserved to pay for the things he did, and I intended on making that happen on my own terms. But not like this. I wanted him to know what it felt like to be used and discarded, to have hope for someone, just for them to turn around and tell you it was never real—that it never meant a thing.
“Pity,” I murmured. “Looks like I’ll have to wait to play with him then.” The words left my mouth before I could process what I was saying.
“Actually…this might work in your favor.” His gaze raked over my long, purple hair and new clothes. “I don’t condone this revenge plot you and Rocky have cooked up, but Collin is alone and helpless in the hospital. If there was ever a time to strike, it would be now.”
Saying I was surprised would be an understatement. The last thing I expected was for him to want to help me with this, and while Collin was tucked away in a hospital bed no less.
“Have you talked to Rocky about this?” I asked.
Monroe leaned against the door frame and folded his arms across his chest. The muscles in his arms flexed, affecting my body in unquestionable ways. I still remembered the way it felt to have him dominate me, his hands digging into my sides as he jerked me down on his length.
Heat crept up my neck and blossomed across my face, followed by embarrassment. Now was not the time to be thinking about that.
He nodded. “He has plans for the rest of the week, but I can take you now if you’d like. Or you can wait until next week to go with him.”
My heart raced as the thought of seeing him again so soon invaded my mind. This is what I wanted, so why was fear clawing at me from the inside out? Since I woke up over two weeks ago, this was what I thought about nearly every second of every day.
Blowing out a breath, I clenched my eyes closed and worked on clearing my mind. After a few moments, my heart rate slowed, and my head stopped spinning long enough for me to think rationally. If I didn’t do this now, I’d continue talking myself out of it.
“Fine,” I decided. “I’ll go now.”
When we arrived at the hospital in Brookhaven, my anxiety was at an all time high again. I couldn’t believe I was doing this, or that Monroe—my history teacher—was helping me. All I knew about Collin so far was that he had been beaten pretty good and was on bed rest. Hopefully, he was coherent enough to notice me or this would have all been for nothing.
“You have the phone I gave you?” Monroe asked from beside me. When I nodded, he blew out a relieved breath. “Good. Call me if anything crazy happens. My number is already in the device as well as Rocky’s.”
“Okay. I’ll be back within a half hour assuming everything goes as planned. If it takes longer than an hour, something happened.”
“Just be careful.”
I nodded again and propped open the car door. Monroe had instructed me on what to say to the receptionist, but I wasn’t sure if I had it in me. Schooling my features for a moment, I stepped out onto the pavement, closing the door behind me with a thud. Once I was ready, I willed myself to cry and ran my hands through my hair to mess it up a bit. Then, I started for the building.
With every stride, it felt like I’d taken ten. I didn’t want to be here, but I needed to be. They killed my best friend—they almost killed me. I had to keep reminding myself or all of this would be pointless.
When I reached the front doors, I slipped inside and hurried over to the front desk. This performance needed to be believable, so I had to go all out. The scent of antiseptics filled my airways as I breathed in, causing me to scrunch up my nose in distaste.
The woman behind the desk glanced up at me, a bored expression imprinted on her face. “Can I help you?” she questioned monotonously.
“Yes.” I sniffled for dramatic effect. “My boyfriend was admitted here on Saturday. I’d like to see him.”
“Name?” She turned to her computer and hit a few buttons before glancing over at me expectantly.
“Collin Walker.”
Her face scrunched up as she did some more typing, then her eyes met mine again. My breathing shallowed in fear of getting caught. “He’s stable and is allowed up to two visitors at a time. His room number is 305 and is located on the second floor.” With that, she turned back to what she was doing previously before I interrupted her.
So…in other words, this performance was pointless. Internally rolling my eyes, I crept past her desk and kept walking until an elevator came into view. Wiping at my crocodile tears, I hit the button and then waited.
As soon as the door slid open, I stepped inside and hit the button to the second floor. My chest rose and fell at a rapid rate, my nerves on high alert. This was happening much sooner than expected, but I wasn’t about to pass it up. The fear I’d felt on the drive up here was quickly transformed into anger. The need to make him pay was suddenly much more important than any other emotion I’d been feeling previously.
When the elevator opened again, I wasted no time, striding out of the metal box. Doors lined both walls with room numbers imprinted within them. This was going to be good, but nothing compared to what I had planned for later.
It didn’t take me long to find room 305. The door was already partially ajar, so I crept forward, placing my hand against the handle. Glancing both ways, I was relieved to find that the nurses’ station was further down to the right and wouldn’t be spotted.
Slipping into the room, I closed the door gently behind me, a gasp fluttering past my lips when they locked with Collin’s. He wasn’t in as bad shape as I’d expected. His face had some bruising and swelling, and he was hooked up to some fluids. The bed he laid in was slightly elevated, and in his lap was his phone and a fruit cup.
He squinted, trying to get a better look at me and then as expected, his face paled. Immediately, he jumped into action, placing his fruit cup on the table beside him and reaching for the call light. My legs moved toward him before my mind could catch up and I was jerking the device out of his hold, and hiding it behind the bed, out of reach.
“H-how?” he whispered, slouching into the mattress defeatedly.
A sneer curled my upper lip as I leaned down, our faces inches apart. “I’m not that easy to kill.” My body trembled as rage and pain laced through my veins, fighting for dominance.
A white patch was taped against his nose and the corner of his forehead, bruising surrounding the injuries. The helpless look in his light brown eyes had my stomach twisting with unease. I should have felt empowered having him at my mercy like this. But truth be told, he wasn’t the one I desperately wanted to hurt. Yes, Collin played a part in what happened to me, and I was angry about that, but the full brunt of my rage wasn’t for him.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, a coat of water coating his eyes as he stared back at me. Shifting on the bed, a grimace captured his features, and he clutched his abdomen.
“Your apology doesn’t mean shit to me,” I snapped back. “I almost died because of you and your friends. Not a single one of you stepped forward to try and stop it.” My blood bubbled with rage once again. Before this moment, I had so many things I wanted to say. Now, I couldn’t think of a single one.
He nodded understandingly, a look of shame crossing his face. “I know,” he whispered. “But you’re alive .” Disbelief crawled across his face along with another mixture of emotions before finally settling on confusion. “Why are you here? Why didn’t you just leave town?”
Sighing, I plopped down into a seat beside his bed, remembering that I had a game to play. Make him fall in love with you . Like that was an easy fucking task.
“Because I need the academy. It’s my only chance.” And because I want you all to beg for mercy at my feet while I determine your fate. Sinking my teeth into the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from grinning like a malicious fool, I dropped my head as a show of false vulnerability. The only way to this fuckwit’s heart would be through pure manipulation. Collin might not have been my main target, but he wasn’t off the hook. I still hated him with every fiber of my being.
“You look good,” he continued. “Different.”
I internally rolled my eyes and then leveled him with a glare. If he thought that for one second, a few nice words would make me forget his part in all of this, he was sorely mistaken.
That’s it. Fuck us, baby.
Everything between us was planned. The flirting, saving you, fucking you…I’m no prince charming. I’ll do whatever I need to in order to get what I want. Now that I have, you mean nothing.
Clenching my eyes closed, I forced those memories to the back of my mind. I’d been so pathetic. I wouldn’t make the same mistakes. This time, I was the ringmaster, and Collin was officially my bitch.
“Aspen,” he said, slicing through my thoughts. Hearing my name on his lips again felt foreign, but I couldn’t deny the increase of my heart rate as the words left his mouth. I guess some things never changed.
Schooling my features, I brought my gaze to his. “What?” I bit out icily.
“If I could go back in time and change it, I would. I promise you, I would .” I tried detecting the lie, but he actually looked sincere. Then again, these boys were masterminds when it came to manipulation and betrayal.
“Well, you can’t.” Standing, I peered down at him. “I’ll be seeing you around.” And without another word, I walked out of the room.
The next few days were uneventful. My mind was still reeling from my encounter with Collin, and I still hadn’t heard from Rocky at all. He wouldn’t even text me back. Maybe he’d given up on helping me or something. As much as that thought stung, I didn’t need him anyways.
Striding into the kitchen, I fixed myself a cup of coffee, using Caroline’s overpriced Keurig. I dropped a spoonful of sugar into the hot beverage, followed by some French-vanilla creamer. Leaning against the counter, I took my first sip. The liquid instantly warmed my throat, leaving a refreshed feeling in its wake.
Collin was still my first target, but seeing as how what would be needed to accomplish harming him would take some time, I needed to move along. If Rocky wasn’t going to help me, then I needed to do it myself. And I had the perfect plan. As soon as I rested the next couple days, because seeing Collin was emotionally draining, that’s when I would strike.
It was Friday afternoon, and Monroe would be coming home any minute now. The house has been deathly silent, so I assumed Caroline was either passed out in her room, or out with her sister. I couldn’t keep living here. The gesture was nice, but it was causing unnecessary strain on Monroe’s marriage, and I didn’t want to cause any more problems. Maybe I was finally growing up—somewhat.
Sighing, I moved into the living room and sank down onto the couch. Taking another drink, I placed the beverage on the coffee table and pulled out the phone I’d been gifted over the weekend.
I didn’t know who I intended on calling. Considering Rocky hasn’t replied to any of my texts since we last saw each other, it was safe to assume that he didn’t want to talk to me. So instead, I hit Monroe’s contact and then slid my finger over the ‘call’ button.
He picked up almost instantly, the sound of wind in the background. “Aspen?” he questioned quickly. “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, I was just wondering if you could give me a ride when you get here. If you’re too tired from work?—”
“I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” he answered without hesitation, bringing my sentence to a halt. “I’m pulling into the driveway now. Are you dressed appropriately?”
I snorted at that. He was always worried about the weirdest things, but I suppose it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I was dressed in a pair of gray leggings and a black crop top with no bra. It would have to do though, since messing up my tattoos wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.
“Yeah. Let me just grab a jacket and I’ll be out.” Hanging up the phone, I headed straight for my room.
I grabbed the first jacket I saw, which happened to be a plain black one, and tugged it on. The warmth of it enveloped me, making me thankful for it during this time of year. I slipped on a pair of tennis shoes and then made a beeline through the hallway and out the front door—my coffee long forgotten about. I could just warm it back up later.
Slipping in the passenger seat, I glanced over to a curious-looking Monroe.
“Where to?” he questioned, arching an eyebrow.
I shrugged. “Anywhere I can find a job around here? It needs to be close by.” I couldn’t keep relying on him for help. Both Monroe and Rocky have been so accommodating, but I needed to take matters into my own hands.
His eyebrows drew together as he lost himself in thought. “The only places close by are the sex club and a gas station on the outskirts of town.” He paused, bringing his gaze to mine.
“Sex club?” I repeated.
“Yes, ma’am. You could be a stripper if you wanted,” he teased with a light chuckle. “Or, you can work at the gas station making less than eight bucks an hour.”
I rolled my bottom lip between my teeth as I contemplated that. A part of me always knew I’d become a stripper one day. I guess that time was now.
“The sex/strip club it is then.”
His head snapped over in my direction so fast, I thought his neck might break. “I was kidding,” he quickly said in bewilderment. “What’s got you wanting to get a job now anyways?”
“I need something in my life that I can control. If I ended up on my ass tomorrow, I’d have nothing.”
He was silent for a long while, his teeth grinding together. Finally, he ran his thick fingers through his loosely styled hair, messing it up in the process and giving it a more rugged look. Monroe was easily the hottest teacher I’ve ever seen. Too bad he was married and didn’t seem that interested in pursuing something with me.
“I don’t think working at a sex club is smart,” he explained. “You’ve already been through so much. Are you really prepared to be objectified by horny old men?”
I snorted at the irony in that. “Men objectify women regardless. At least this way, I’ll get paid for it.”
He sighed and shook his head, clearly not seeing it my way. But I didn’t really care. This was my life, and I was tired of having to eat out of everyone else’s palm.
“You’re not giving me a choice in the matter, huh?” he asked, sliding his gaze over to meet mine.
I wasn’t sure why he thought he’d have a choice, but I shook my head. This was something I needed to do. Though, I definitely wouldn’t be pimping myself out to strangers. That’s a sure way to catch an STD.
Monroe released a sigh and laid his head back against the seat. A variety of different emotions crossed his features before he settled on defeat. Seeing him stressed out about something I wanted to do with my life, and my body was weird. This was the same asshole teacher that would barely talk to me outside of schoolwork, aside from the slip-up he had when he drove into my pussy over and over again. My face flushed at the memory, before I cleared my throat and shoveled those thoughts to the back of my mind before he could notice.
“Alright then…” he trailed off as he switched gears.
Excitement pulsed through me. I hadn’t expected him to actually say yes. Hell, I hadn’t given it a whole lot of thought to begin with. All I knew was that I needed a job. There was no telling when or if I’d be going back to the academy.
The drive to our destination was long and quiet. My thoughts consumed me with each passing mile until we finally reached the massive parking lot. In bold, neon letters it said ‘Club Euphoria’ above the entrance.
How original.
From the outside, the place looked nice though. The building was white with no windows—kind of like a warehouse, but it was kept pristine. The two massive doors leading into the building were large and equally as clean.
“How long do you think this will take?” he asked, staring at the offending building like it had kicked his grandma.
I shrugged. “No clue. If you want, you can head back to the house. I can call you when I’m done.” It seemed like a waste of gas, but he had been at work all day and was probably eager to relax before his nagging wife got home.
“No chance in hell. I’ll see you when you get done.”
“Monroe…” I trailed off. As much as waiting on him to get here would suck, my goal was to refrain from causing him any more problems than was necessary.
“I think we’re past using surnames. You live with me for Christ’s sake. Call me Aiden.” He shot me a pointed look. “Now get the hell out of my car.”
I snorted in response, a small smile playing at the corners of my mouth from his change in demeanor. “Fine, Aiden . I’ll see you soon.” Opening the car door, I stepped out onto the pavement and didn’t hesitate before making a beeline for the building.
Striding inside, cool air engulfed me, not helping to warm my skin from the weather outside. I guess they needed it to be cold in here for obvious reasons. My eyes zeroed in on a receptionist seated behind the front desk. Her hair was dark brown and tied up into a neat bun—like she was a secretary or some shit. Faint music played in the background, making me strain my ears for any other kind of odd noise. I mean, this was a sex club after all.
“Can I help you?” she asked boredly, not even looking at me.
Sucking in a deep breath, I moved toward her, halting once I reached the wooden desk. “Is there a manager or someone I can talk to about working here?” I questioned.
Slowly, she brought her brown eyes to my green ones, and they drifted down my body assessing, me. Pursing her lips, she nodded and reached for the phone. After a few moments of silence, she began, “There’s a young woman in the lobby wanting information about a job here.”
While she spoke to the person on the other end of the line, my gaze wandered around the room. In front of what I assumed to be the entrance into the club was a big, burly looking man with his impressive arms folded across his torso. Sunglasses rested on the bridge of his nose as he stared straight ahead, unmoving. Hell, it didn’t even look like he was breathing from where I stood.
Tearing my gaze from him, I directed my attention back to the receptionist who was in the process of hanging up the phone.
“Someone will be here shortly to escort you to Talissa’s office,” she said, dismissing me.
Blowing out a nervous breath, I nodded and stepped off to the side. There was a couch on my far left, but I wasn’t sure I could sit still even if I tried. So instead, my body swayed slightly to the distant beat in the background while I tried to gather the courage I’d need for this.
After what felt like forever, a large, bulky man stepped into the lobby. He was huge with light brown skin and dark hair. His piercing brown eyes landed on me, taking me in from head to toe.
“You here to see Talissa?” he demanded in a gruff voice.
Slowly, I nodded. The dude looked like your average criminal. He inclined his head toward the opened door, the music spilling out into the lobby—much louder than it had been before.
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I obliged and made my way past the security guard and into the club. My eyes widened as they roamed around the massive room. Women were practically naked everywhere. Even the cocktail servers were wearing outfits that left little to the imagination. Girls practically fucked the pole as they danced, and in lounging areas, girls were grinding and riding dudes. Of course, their G-strings were in between them, but still.
“This way,” the man instructed, stepping in front of me.
I followed him to a random door on the same floor, not too far from where we entered. He motioned toward it, allowing me to walk in first. Hesitantly, I twisted the handle and stepped inside. But I wasn’t at all prepared for what I was walking into.