Chapter 6
Chapter Six
I’m still shaking with fury the next day as I stuff my washing machine full of dirty clothes from the week.
These fucking Alphas thinking that they rule the word just because they have a bark and a knot.
Fuck that.
And then for them to just think that because they helped you once that they are entitled to suddenly know everything about you.
No. Absolutely not.
I don’t care how attractive and good Victor smells. He could be a goddamn chocolate cake for all I care and I still wouldn't take a bite.
I slam the door of the machine closed before standing up with a huff. I drop my head between my shoulders and give myself a chance to take a deep breath.
I had prided myself in doing so good. I hadn’t had a single slip up in a long time. But this man all but stumbles into my life and I am now a blubbering mess.
“Okay, Mommy?”
The quiet voice of my daughter has me snapping my head up. Amity is looking up at me with concern written all over her fair features.
I bend down and hold my arms out. “Mommy is okay, baby. Just a little bit frustrated.”
Amity steps back from me after giving me a tight squeeze and raises her eyebrow.
“You need ice-cream! Make you feel alllllll better!”
The excitement on her face has me chuckling. My three-year-old knows me way too well.
“Ice-cream and the park?”
My daughter's eyes light with an elation that lets me know I said the magic words.
I can’t help but snort out a chuckle as I clean the chocolate ice-cream off my vibrating toddler’s face. From the moment her cup was empty, she has been beside herself with desperation to go play on the playground.
With one last wipe, I give her a nod before she takes off with a squeal.
A deep snicker behind me has me whipping around with a gasp.
“I don’t think I have ever seen someone so excited to be at the park before.”
I grab my chest at where my heart is thudding out of my chest. “Holy fuck! You scared the shit out of me.”
He grimaces, having the decency to look embarrassed. “Sorry. I just couldn’t help but stop when I heard that laugh. It reminds me of my sons when they were younger.”
I shake my head as I fix myself slightly, cursing myself internally for being so surprised that someone might have been behind me. I’m in a park for god’s sake.
“It's okay. How old are your boys?”
He smirks at me and rubs his hand over the stubble on his chin. “My boys are twenty-five.”
My eyes widen in shock as I look the guy up and down. There is no fucking way that this guy is old enough to be my father.
I don’t know what is in the water of Vadena lately, but the few men that I have come across in the last few days have been breathtaking; this one is no different.
His dark brown skin is emphasized by his biceps that stretch the fabric of his almost too tight T-shirt. His black hair is kept short and cropped much like his beard. Looking closely, I can see a few strands of gray hairs that give more of an indication of his older age.
He might be older but damn if he isn’t the most beautiful man I have ever seen in my life. The hint of a smile on his face only seems to add to his attractiveness.
Would he be mad if I licked him?
No, bad Valentina. You can’t just go around licking random men.
I shake my head before my eyes return to his. He is already smiling at me, having noticed how I was checking him out.
“There is no way you are old enough to have a son that age.” I shake my head. “I need to know your skin care routine.”
He laughs at me before rubbing a hand over his head. “Yeah, I get that a lot. I definitely feel my age though.”
I shake my head but snap around as I hear Amity yelling out to me.
“Mommy! Look!”
I smile and wave at Amity as I watch her slide down the slide.
“She is precious. How old is she?” he asks, coming to stand beside me.
“She is three.”
“Ooft.” I turn to look at the guy who is now cringing. “I remember that age vividly. Threenagers are real.”
I can’t help but laugh at the accurate description of this age. I thought two was challenging but it has nothing on three. I just thank my lucky stars that Amity is a good kid.
“Shit, I completely forgot to introduce myself. My name is Olis Duran.”
Olis holds his hand out for me to shake. Reaching my hand out, I smile at him. “I’m Valentina.”
The moment our hands connect, a spark of electricity zaps up my arm and through my entire body.
I gasp at the same moment the wind changes at Olis’ scent hits me like a freight train.
The scent of cinnamon apples—the kind that your grandma would use in her secret apple pie recipe—has a whimper threatening to crawl from my throat.
Alpha.
Another motherfucking Alpha.
Just my luck.
Pulling my hand from his, I take a few steps back.
“It was great to meet you Olis but Amity and I should get going.”
I pray that he can’t hear the panic rising in the tone of my voice.
Why now? Why are these Alphas strolling into my life and flipping everything upside down? Why does Olis have to be an Alpha and be so fucking nice? There is just no way that he can be both. Alphas aren’t biologically programmed to be nice.
They are brutes. A designation that can’t control their aggression.
I turn my back on the predator who tries to stop me with my name and a few pleas to wait but I don’t listen.
I need to get the fuck out of here and back to the safety of my tiny apartment.
“Valentina, wait!”
I can hear footsteps that slowly begin to quicken behind me but I don’t stop. Not even once I have Amity in my arms. Not until the front door of my apartment shuts behind me and I know that I am finally safe.
Fuck this week.
After wasting away the rest of the day trying to distract my mind with trash TV, I begin getting ready for work again.
Sunday is the final day of my work week until Thursday rolls around again.
I feel an edge of disappointment when I have to say goodbye to Amity again.
I know why it is so important that I go to work every night that I can but it doesn’t stop the mom guilt.
That evil little voice in my head telling me that I shouldn’t be working and instead staying at home with my daughter every night.
Yet the other voice in my head is telling me that if I miss one night of work, we will lose everything that I have worked so hard for. That we will end up on the street and at the mercy of Alphas that will control us; again.
It feels like l won’t win no matter what I do. I just know that I can’t let the latter happen ever again. Especially not now that I have someone else that I need to think about. Someone else that I need to protect.
My best friend's face is the first to greet me as I make my way into the dressing room. Her smile is wide, her face bright with an excitement that I could never feel being in these walls.
“What has you all happy, Lulu?”
Instead of giving me shit for using her nickname, Luna grins even wider, bouncing over towards me and enveloping me in her arms.
“You will never believe what happened, Cherry. Ivan sold his club to some billionaire! The new owners came in earlier to introduce themselves to us. Apparently, over the next few days, they are going to shut the club and remodel it for a reopening on Friday!”
It takes me a moment to catch on to what exactly Luna is saying.
“Ivan’s gone?”
She grabs me by the shoulders and shakes me. “Ivan is fucking gone!”
My breath exhales in a broken shudder. Relief deflates my entire body. Even though I despised my now old boss, I held onto this job with both hands. Now that he is gone, it might actually be enjoyable to come to work each day.
Maybe the new owners will ensure that nothing shady goes down behind closed doors. Maybe the next time a client shows a bit too much interest, instead of selling them a dancer, they will get kicked out.
A slight grin remains on my face as I get dressed for my shift. I have a stage set first up followed by privates with two of my regulars.
I decided to keep my ‘Fuck Alphas and Men’ theme going for this weekend. My metallic silver set was too good of an option to pass up. I swipe a final layer of red lipstick over my lips, smacking them as I look over myself.
Not to toot my own horn but damn, I look fucking good.
I keep my smile on until I hit what feels like a brick wall as I walk out into the hallway that leads to the main stage. A chuckle and hands on my shoulder that cause sparks to fly through my body from the brick wall has me stepping back.
I can’t help holding back my gasp as I come face to face with Victor.
“Are you stalking me now?” I accuse, unable to stop a growl forming in my throat.
“Me? Stalking you? Baby, I would prefer for you to know just how obsessed I am with you.” His chuckle has my stomach twisting up in knots but I ignore it.
“You aren’t fucking funny, Victor. I told you to leave me alone.”
Victor’s eyes widen as he looks down at me. His salt and pepper hair seems lighter tonight than it did last. He is also missing his glasses.
Maybe he has contacts in…
Victor shakes his head, chuckling under his breath, “Ah, so you have met my brother. It doesn’t surprise me that he has already managed to piss you off.
He has a tendency to do that.” He raises his eyebrow as he does his best smolder—one that works on me as my knees threaten to collapse beneath me—before taking a step closer into my space.
“My name is Conall. It’s a pleasure to meet you. ”
Conall lifts my hand up to his lips, keeping his eyes locked on mine and places a delicate kiss to my slowly heating skin.
I’m shocked out of my trance-like state as shouts from the other end of the hallway startle me.
The man before me isn’t the man that has been following me around.
No, he is in fact that same man's twin brother.
Another mother fucking Alpha if I am to go off his tobacco and vanilla scent that has me tightly in its clutches.
I want to bottle the scent and douse myself in it.
No.
No.
I can’t allow another one of these Alphas to have this kind of power over me. Fucking again.
Snatching my hand out of Conall’s, I bless him with the most uninterested look I can, one he grins at like it is a challenge he wants to concur.
“Well, it was delightful to run into you Conall but I have a job to do.”
I don’t bother with any other pleasantries as I hit my shoulder into his which I know hurts me more than him, as I continue heading down the hallway.
I can already hear the end of Misty’s set and I don’t plan on being late, especially not when I know the new owners are in tonight.
I don’t need to add being fired to my fucked up week.
I decide to add a little bit of salt to the wound that will no doubt be Conall’s freshly shredded ego as I swing my hips with a little more vigor. His sounding pained groan behind me has me snickering under my breath as I walk up onto the stage.