Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Sienna
I mostly enjoyed managing the private parties at the club. The clientele were usually wealthy and generous tippers. It was typically quieter than the main area, and sometimes the guests were fascinating. At worst, they’d be dull and stingy with gratuities.
Occasionally, though, even Gavin’s thorough vetting couldn’t keep out the jerks, and tonight seemed to be one of those times.
It had begun normally. I was in the room with my performers when Laila texted that the party had arrived. Since they’d requested the routine start immediately, Darcy cued the music, and I positioned everyone. The moment I spotted the first guest in the doorway, I signaled for the dancers to begin.
Five minutes in, I realized this wouldn’t be a good night. It wasn’t because the men were loudly chatting during the second run-through of the routine. No, it was their crude rating of my dancers’ physical attributes and their use of offensive language about both the women and men performing. Their vulgar comments had me itching to call Laila to eject these jerks, but as long as their hands didn’t wander too much, I’d let it slide. For now, anyway. I told myself if things escalated, I would take action.
As the routine finished, I quickly motioned for the dancers to exit the stage and went to the front to announce our ‘special’ performance would start in fifteen minutes. The hungry way the men eyed me now made my guard go up.
“Are you gonna be part of our special performance?” one man near the front asked as I walked away.
When I didn’t answer, I heard him call me a stuck-up bitch, but I let the words roll off me. I had more important things to do, like warning the trio who actually were part of the special performance that our audience was... unpleasant.
Before entering the compact dressing room adjacent to the stage, I gently knocked. Waiting inside were JJ and Liza, the female performers scheduled for the evening, and Dodd, our head of security who normally worked behind the scenes but tonight was making his debut as a performer. I’d been skeptical about his follow-through when he’d said he wanted to do this, but aside from his initial flirting, he’d been professional, completing paperwork and medical clearances. The women hadn’t complained about him either, which made me decide to give him a real chance.
“Everyone ready?” I asked. All three wore Club Privé robes to be removed on stage, but I trusted their outfits underneath were the ones we’d discussed.
“We’re good,” Dodd said enthusiastically.
Liza nodded, but JJ gave me a searching look. She was one of our seasoned performers and knew how to read me better than Liza did.
“What’s wrong?” the blonde asked.
“This group is a little cruder than our usual clientele,” I said. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem, but if anyone says or does anything that makes you uncomfortable, use your safe word, and we’ll stop things right then. Got it?”
They all nodded, and I confirmed each of their safe words. In all my time at the club, from a server until now, I’d never known of a performance where someone had to use it, but I believed in being prepared for anything. Something in my gut told me that the men at this party were bad news, not just in an ‘all talk, no walk’ kinda way, either.
After introducing the three performers by their stage names and reiterating the club’s consent rules, I moved to the bar. As the trio took the stage, Gus approached me. The tattooed, bald bartender in his mid-forties had started here around the same time I had. He still worked as a bouncer mostly, but handled private party bartending too, providing extra security without seeming distrustful.
“I need to grab more tequila,” he said. “The party booker didn’t restock.”
I nodded, eyes fixed on the stage where Dodd and the women were disrobing and settling in. The party had requested a FFM threesome scene with male domination, so Dodd, wearing only tight black briefs, began by ordering Liza to undress JJ.
As the performance continued, my mind drifted. Usually, some shows here turned me on, but this one left me cold. I wasn’t sure if it was the room’s vibe or my lack of attraction to Dodd, but I only paid enough attention to intervene if needed.
As the show progressed, the audience grew louder and rowdier, tension building until something had to give.
That something was the guy who’d called me a bitch earlier.
He suddenly lurched up, shouting, “Gonna get me some of that!”
My first thought was who actually talks like that , quickly followed by, oh shit, he’s going for the stage .
Gus had vanished for more alcohol, leaving me the closest non-performer. Without thinking, I ran to intercept the asshole, putting myself between him and the stage. He stumbled to a stop as everything froze for a split second before he leered at me.
“You’ll do.”
He lunged at me, triggering chaos throughout the room. I focused solely on my immediate threat as pandemonium erupted around us. True to drunken form, Mr. Grabby-hands aimed straight for my chest.
I sidestepped and warned, “Back off.”
His flushed face contorted uglily. “No one talks to me like that, ‘specially not an uptight cunt whore.”
Ignoring his words, I watched his movements. A woman’s scream momentarily distracted me, and I paid for it. His fingers clamped onto my upper arm, yanking me against him. The stench of liquor assaulted me as I struggled, pushing away with my free hand, but his grip only tightened. Panic crept in as I jerked sideways. Though still trapped, the new angle revealed another man pulling a gun from his waistband.
Screams filled the air as he waved it, and I suddenly thought I was going to die.
Then, like a scene from an action movie, the door burst open. Gavin and Fury charged in, Gavin bee-lining for the gunman while Fury rushed toward me, his eyes blazing with unprecedented intensity. My jaw dropped as Fury grabbed my assailant and slammed his fist into the man’s face. He crumpled, unconscious, before hitting the floor.
“Get them out of my club,” Gavin commanded, his quiet tone belying his anger as security rounded up the men. “They’re banned for life. Photograph every one of them. Anyone who lets them in again is fired.”
“Are you okay?” Fury’s concern drew my attention back to him.
I nodded, my heart still hammering against my ribcage.
“Sienna.” Gavin came over. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay,” I said.
“Sienna, I’m so sorry.” Dodd rushed off the stage, clutching a robe in front of him like an afterthought.
“Dodd.” Gavin’s eyes narrowed. “Is this the private party you rented the room for?”
Dodd’s cheeks turned red. “Yeah,” he mumbled.
“You want to tell me, then, how my head of security missed someone bringing a gun into my club?” Gavin took a step into Dodd’s personal space, enough to make Dodd swallow hard, Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried not to retreat. “Not only that, but no doubt those guys are affiliated. Mobsters.” Gavin shook his head. “Fucking head of security.”
“I’m so sorry,” Dodd apologized. “I guess I was just really focused on getting this performance right since it’s my first one and I didn’t think?—”
“It’s pretty clear that you didn’t think,” Gavin cut in.
“Please don’t fire me.”
Now Dodd was begging, and I had the sudden urge to walk away, so I didn’t have to see it, but I was more or less trapped between the three men.
“Sienna, what do you...” Gavin’s voice trailed off when he looked down at my arm.
I followed his line of sight and saw that the place where I’d been grabbed was already turning black and blue.
“Dodd, you’re fired.” The words were ice cold. “Get dressed and get out of my club. And be thankful I’m not throwing your naked ass out on the street.”
The color drained from Dodd’s face, and I watched half a dozen emotions play across his features.
“Dodd’s not the one who hurt me,” I mumbled. All eyes were on me now. “And he protected JJ and Liza when the fight broke out. He made a mistake, but there’s no permanent damage to anyone. Please don’t fire him.”
Dodd looked at Gavin hopefully and we all watched as our boss appeared to think things through.
“All right,” Gavin said. “You’re not fired.”
Dodd’s relief was short-lived.
“But you’re no longer the head of security. I can’t have someone making that big of a mistake and staying in charge.” Gavin jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “You’re working the door until further notice. Starting now. Get some clothes on and get out there.”
I caught a flash of anger in Dodd’s eyes, but then he nodded and headed toward the dressing room.
“As for the rest of you,” Gavin raised his voice, addressing everyone in the room. “Take the night off with pay. If you’re still shaken up on Monday, call off. It won’t count against your sick days.” He looked down at me. “That includes you.”
I nodded instead of arguing, which should’ve told me I was more freaked out than I was showing. I was trying hard to bury everything until I could be alone. I knew once I actually processed what’d happened, I’d need time to pull myself together.
“I’m going to get my things from the office,” I said, giving Gavin and Fury each a smile before calmly walking away.
I closed the door to my office and leaned against it, finally letting out the breath I’d been holding. My legs trembled, and I slid down to the floor, wrapping my arms around myself. The reality of what had just happened hit me like a freight train.
“Fuck,” I whispered, my voice shaking. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
A gun. There had been a fucking gun in the club. Inside the room where my dancers were performing. Where I was standing. The image of that asshole waving it around flashed through my mind, and I felt bile rise in my throat.
I scrambled to my feet and barely made it to the trash can before emptying the contents of my stomach. As I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, I caught sight of the bruise forming on my arm. It was an angry purple, a stark reminder of how close I’d come to... what? Being assaulted? Shot?
I thought about JJ and Liza, how scared they must have been. And Dodd... God, what a mess. He’d fucked up, sure, but he didn’t deserve to lose everything over one mistake. At least Gavin had listened to me.
A knock at the door made me jump, my heart racing. I quickly wiped my face, trying to compose myself.
“Come in,” I called, hoping my voice didn’t betray me.
The door opened, and Fury stepped in, his eyes immediately locking onto mine. I saw concern etched across his face, and something else... anger? No, not anger. Worry.
“Sienna,” he said softly, closing the door behind him. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, not trusting my voice. He took a step closer, and I could see him battling with himself, like he wanted to reach out but wasn’t sure if he should.
“I’m sorry,” he said suddenly, running a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry if I scared you earlier. When I saw that guy with his hands on you, I just... I saw red. I didn’t think, I just acted.”
I blinked, surprised. “You’re apologizing? Fury, you have nothing to be sorry for. You saved me. You and Gavin... if you hadn’t shown up when you did...” I trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
He moved closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off his body. “I’ve never felt that kind of rage before,” he admitted. “The thought of someone hurting you... it made me want to tear him apart.”
My breath caught in my throat. The intensity in his eyes was overwhelming, and I leaned towards him, drawn in.
For a moment, it seemed like he was going to kiss me. His eyes flicked down to my lips, and I felt my heart race for an entirely different reason. But then, just as quickly as the moment had come, it passed. Fury stepped back, clearing his throat.
“I should go,” he said abruptly. “Gavin probably needs help to deal with the aftermath. You should head home, get some rest.”
Before I could respond, he was gone, the door closing behind him with a soft click. I stared at the space where he’d been standing, more confused than ever.
What the hell just happened? One minute he’s looking at me like I’m the only person in the world, and the next he’s running out the door like I’ve got the plague. I couldn’t make sense of it.
This had been such a weird day. I needed a drink.
Probably more than one.