Chapter Twenty
Serenity
‘Wait… you’re not coming with me?’
Saturday night, there’s a black limousine in the Surly’s parking lot. Jax looks at me and winces. ‘He sent a car,’ he mutters.
‘But a limo?’ I ask, because nothing could be less indiscreet.
‘Best go get yourself changed,’ Jax says.
My heart’s in my throat. ‘And what if he breaks the rules?’
‘Then tell us after. The driver will be sure to return you to us later on this evening, Ren.’
My bottom lip trembles.
‘I’m sorry,’ Jaxon adds.
After a limo ride to the same oceanfront condo, the driver escorts me up to the apartment. As before, Brody Conway opens the door for me, and I slip inside.
‘Serenity,’ he says, taking a step back. ‘Let me take your coat.’
I slip out of the overcoat and hand it to him.
‘Very nice,’ he says as his eyes rake over me. He’s wearing a white shirt with the collar open, and a pair of black suit pants with nothing on his feet. ‘But I think I can go one better. Your outfit for tonight is in the bedroom. Can I get you something to drink first?’
‘I had a drink of water in the limo, thank you.’
‘You didn’t open the champagne?’
‘I had nothing to celebrate. And for the record, I was kind of grossed out by your collection of dirty magazines.’
‘Funny, I thought they might help get you in the mood.’
‘In the mood for what?’
‘Why don’t you go and look in the bedroom?’
I lose patience and march past him, knocking into him on purpose as I go. I walk to the same bedroom that I changed in before. Yet the moment I see what’s on the pristine bed, I come to a halt.
Laid out flat is some bondage-style underwear. Black leather strips punctuated with silver, metal-edged holes.
Next to it: a CMC uniform.
He wants me to dress as a cheerleader, then take it all off for him.
I turn on my heel, and march back out to Brody, who has hung up my coat somewhere and is now waiting for me in the living area, a drink in his hand.
‘No,’ I say with force. ‘I’m not doing it.’
Then he does something I don’t expect. He starts laughing. ‘Do you know what the best thing about it is? It’s not even fake! That there is a genuine, bona fide CMC uniform. You know who it belonged to? That bitch who put pictures of her booty on the internet.’
‘Persia Takeda,’ I whisper in surprise.
‘That’s her. And now, they’re all scrambling around, thinking she stole it from the Mutineers family.
No, I knew I had to have it. She got smaller tits than you but…
no matter. I like a tight fit. You know, I urged my mother to fire her?
For the sake of the brand. That’s what I love about you, Serenity, you’re so good at keeping all this so… private.’
‘You have no morals,’ I hiss.
‘Says the girl who takes her clothes off for a living. Go on, now… run along and get dressed. You know what happens if you don’t.’
I stand my ground, my chest rising and falling. I have the urge to flee the apartment, but the driver clearly works for Brody, and I can’t leave dressed the way that I am now without my coat.
‘And if I still refuse?’
The humor from a moment ago drains from his face. He takes a step closer and places one long finger against my chin, pressing upwards so that my face is tilted toward his. His eyes meet mine. ‘Then let me just check I’ve got Kathleen Lafferty’s number in my cell.’
We remain like that for a few seconds. He wants me to know he’s not bluffing, so he casually reaches for his phone in his pocket. He looks down and begins scrolling through his contacts.
I push his finger away and look down. When his thumb hovers over Kathleen’s name, I relent. Reluctantly, I walk back to the bedroom.
It takes me a good ten minutes to get dressed.
When he sees me in the CMC uniform, complete with the boots, his expression turns lustful. ‘There she is,’ he breathes.
He’s sat on the couch, one ankle resting on the opposite bent knee. His gaze roves over my body hungrily. ‘It’s a good fit on you,’ he then says. He lifts his hips a fraction and leans further back into the couch.
I stand there and feel like a fraud. I’m bringing shame onto the CMC.
Persia’s shorts are snug on my hips, and Brody was right about the top with the big ‘M’ emblazoned across it, which is too tight, making it sit higher up my midriff.
The bondage-style underwear has no coverage; it’s all straps, so the curves of my breasts peek out from underneath.
‘I should have brought you a pair of poms,’ Brody muses.
‘I’ll need some music,’ I say flatly, keen to get this over with.
‘Don’t worry, sweetie,’ he says, swiping something on his phone before I hear the opening bars of Girls Girls Girls fill the apartment.
I cock my head to one side, give him a look that says you cannot be serious.
His lips twist into a sardonic smile. ‘I want high kicks,’ he breathes.
I loathe everything about him. He twirls his finger midair as if to say get moving.
For a brief moment, I close my eyes. Steel myself. It has to be a dance that incorporates both cheerleader and private dancer. I have to conjure up the essence of both somehow. ‘Could you start it again, please?’ I ask.
Brody Conway sips his drink. ‘Focus, Serenity,’ he responds in an impatient tone, as he restarts the track.
As I dance for Brody, I think about Jake. It’s the only way I can get through this. To imagine I’m dancing for him and that he’s the one admiring my body. His game is tomorrow night. I wonder what he’s doing right at this moment.
I work my hips. My hands go into my hair. I block out my surroundings, and Brody’s shameless admiration of my moves. I flick my hair, pretending there are poms in both my hands. He cocks his head for the high kicks, because he wants the view between my thighs.
Halfway through the track, when I’m still fully dressed, Brody raises his voice. ‘Come on now, Serenity. Don’t be shy.’
I hate him. My top is first to be cast off, the ‘M’ of Persia’s top still visible when it lands on the marble floor.
The leather straps of the underwear trace the shape of my breasts but do nothing to cover them.
I keep dancing to the music, and Brody licks his lips the moment I lower my fly.
Soon, I’m dancing in nothing but the underwear and Persia’s standard-issue CMC boots.
When the track comes to an end, Brody beckons me over. I haven’t removed the underwear. Quite frankly, it makes no difference to my modesty if I remove it or not.
‘Come,’ Brody says. ‘Dance in my lap.’
I hesitate. I have no idea how much Brody has paid Kale for tonight.
I feel thrown to the wolves. Even Jaxon has abandoned me.
What I wouldn’t give for Jake to come here and throw a punch at Brody’s self-satisfied-looking face.
Because, even after the events of last night, he hasn’t yelled at me or rejected me.
Not yet anyway. There’s still a tiny flicker of hope inside me that Jake can forgive the choices I’ve made.
‘Sit on your hands,’ I command.
Brody pauses, then does as he’s told.
‘No touching,’ I remind him. ‘At all. Not during, not after.’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ he says, before removing one hand to grab his phone and start the music, then replaces his hand under his thigh.
I don’t recognize the track. The tempo is slow, but not too slow. I exhale, and lower myself down on him, facing him. I can feel his arousal swelling up through the taut material of his suit pants.
Inside me, I pull the invisible rip cord. The rip cord to my emotions. The one that allows me to do this night after night with men who have wives and girlfriends and children.
The only thing I think about is Jake. What I can say to him to earn back his trust.
I almost make it to the end, too. Until the track begins to fade and Brody frees his hands from underneath his thighs. His hands go to my waist, pulling me hard against him.
‘God, you’re so beautiful,’ he rasps, and I squeal, writhing to extricate myself from his firm grasp. ‘Spend the night with me.’
‘Get off me!’ I shriek, my arms flailing. ‘No!’
One hand goes to the back of my head, and I feel the pressure of his long fingers that pen me in, even as I struggle. ‘Yes, Serenity,’ he breathes. ‘I want all of you. This isn’t enough.’
‘Get off me! Get off! Let me go!’
I twist in his lap and fall to the floor. I scramble, working my arms to crawl across the smooth marble, but he grabs one of my ankles and yanks me back. The dancer in me rotates my hips sharply and I’m able to flip onto my back, supported by my elbows, at the same time kicking out with my legs.
‘You asshole!’ I holler. I fight hard as I back up, scrambling away from him. He gets to his feet and looms over me.
‘I’m serious, Serenity,’ he says. ‘Kale told me about the deal he made with you. What you’re doing for your father. I swear to you, spend one night with me and I can make it all go away.’
I lose balance. In shock, I fall flat on my back, the air pushed from my lungs. I gasp for breath. For a moment, I can’t move.
Above me, Brody Conway offers me one hand. I don’t take it. Instead, I get to my feet unaided. My emotions running high, I suddenly feel very naked in his presence. I shake my head, the words taking some time to form in my mind. How dare Kale share with Brody Conway the details of our arrangement?
‘That’s not what I do,’ I stutter. ‘I’m not that kind of girl. I’m sure you can find somebody else who does that kind of thing to satisfy you.’
‘That’s just it. Nobody satisfies me like you do, Serenity.’
‘It’s all just an act! Do you think this is all real? You think I want to be here? Well, I don’t!’
‘You’re so desirable when you’re all riled up.’
‘Kale had no business telling you about my father’s debt.’
Heat rises to my cheeks. I turn to walk back to the bedroom to get changed. I feel his fingers grab mine and he’s yanking me back.