Chapter 44
I wanted Xanthe to let us in, to share her thoughts and feel comfortable. But for now, I could only be her human blanket, wrapping my arms around her. She had stopped crying about twenty minutes ago.
She must be feeling confused and lost. Her friend had left her, and while I could empathize, it wasn't something I could fully relate to.
Wade and I had been friends for too long for anything to tear us apart.
Not even a girl could do that. We would rather share than ruin our friendship, and no woman we had met had ever had a problem with being involved with both of us.
At times, it felt almost too good to be true.
"What time is it?" Her voice was raspy from crying for the last hour.
"7 PM."
"Shit, I'm late." She didn't jump up, though.
I chuckled. "You're lying down with one of the bosses, remember?" My joke lit up the moment, and I watched her smile in response.
"Where have those few minutes gone? When did it turn into an hour?"
"I don't know," I whispered, brushing a loose braid away from her face. I wished for more moments like this, even if they involved tears, as long as she felt safe in my arms. "Is it about what your friend did?"
She nodded and then snorted. "It was supposed to be just us. No love, no secrets. I can't help but feel traumatized that she's not only married but pregnant. It's how she did all of this behind my back."
I held her closer, knowing that anything I said might make her drift away. I could tell she felt betrayed, but everyone deserves to be loved.
"Don't you think she deserves love?"
Her face scrunched up at the idea, although she was still pushing against my arms. "Yeah, but not right now. We had things to focus on."
"Love is something that hits you suddenly. For some, it's instant; for others, it's gradual."
"I doubt that man loves her," she chuckled. "Because if he did, he would've let her go."
I laughed softly. "That's not how it really works. He loves her enough to want her with him, so he married her, and now they're starting a family together. However, if things aren't working out but he still loves her, the best thing he could do would be to let her go."
"I wish love didn't exist."
"I'm happy it does."
"Why?"
"Because I get you. Love gives you things."
"And it takes away, too," she gritted.
"But if you love, it will give you more," I replied.
She settled deeper against me. "I want us to build something with our lives, and now it's all ruined."
"Maybe leaving isn't the problem."
"It is," she retorted with a snort. "But what could my problem be?"
"Accepting everything for what it is. She's gone, and you need to follow a different path."
"But I don't want to. I wanted us to be together forever."
"I know," I whispered, kissing her softly on her flushed cheeks. "But you'll have to accept fate and let things take their own course."
Her tears fell onto my arms.
"Whatever you say, Guru Jager," she chuckled through her sniffles.
My mind was all over the place at work, racing around like my feet trying to serve everyone.
A girl had just walked off the job after being bitten illegally, and Ethan had brushed it off without a second thought.
Wade and Jager were here, practically pushing me to quit as they sang in my ear about how much I should just walk away.
I quit, but who to turn to, and it didn't seem right to lean on two strangers, vamps, under whose roof I was living for free.
I managed to pack away a few of my clothes and some makeup. I owned a lot of makeup, despite the expense. It was essentially a crucial tool for me.
After spending two hours packing and practically crying while wrapped in Jager's arms, I found myself late for work.
Being a weekend, the club was packed, and the patrons were growing impatient for their drinks.
This left me and the other servers scrambling to keep up.
Unfortunately, my night of serving wasn't going smoothly, especially with Alley scheming beneath her skirt.
I had no interest in her plans anymore; something about "planning" always hinted at disaster waiting to unfold.
"Serving is enough for tonight," I said to her, noting that I had already made five thousand dollars. I aimed to double that and leave with fifteen. However, Alley was chasing a different devil than I was. Her devil was ripping her off, while mine was more than willing to take care of me.
"If we do this, you and I can both cut in on the boss's profits," she urged.
Everyone assumed I paid Ethan at the start, middle, or end of the night. The truth was, I didn't. I was grateful for that. Alley wanted us to do a lap dance together, but I preferred to perform solo. I hated splitting my earnings.
"Just serve a few more tables, and you'll be set for the night."
"Clearly, you haven't worked for Ethan. You must be in a different club. Don't you remember him raising the amount he wants since the turnout has increased?"
"How much more?"
"Six or more for the night. The more you give, the more you'll stay in his good graces."
I sighed. "Maybe you should take that up with the bosses."
"I doubt they care."
"They will."
"Please, let's just do the dance. I'll collect the exact amount to cover the six for the night."
I sighed again. "Who are they?"
"Just some college boys."
"Seriously?" I groaned. "They're the worst."
"We just performed, and I collected my share."
"Really?" she asked, excitement in her voice.
"Yeah, I could do well getting my cut."
"We'll just do it for twenty minutes."
"Are they waiting?" I asked. Sometimes, vamps requested specific girls, or certain girls coaxed a group into taking on a lap dance. I used to coax, wanting to use that performance to make extra money, where it didn't feel like I was tearing off an arm to give Cloney his cut.
"Yeah, they are."
From the look of it, she coaxed them and didn't want them waiting any longer. I glanced at the full tray, then tapped the counter to signal the bartender. He smirked.
I smiled, pursing my lips. "Could you serve this to the table over there?" I asked, pointing.
"Sure. So, you thinking about it?"
I rolled my eyes, knowing what he meant. "I'm still thinking," I lied. If only he knew I was already living with two vamps.
"Don't keep me waiting."
"I won't." I smirked back.