Chapter 5
Whitley
My heart races as I run from the room and go straight to the dressing rooms to put my uniform back on. That got out of control so fast. What could this man have to talk to me about that’s so important?
The first thought that came to mind was my father, but then it suddenly dawned on me that it might not be my father who sent this man to try and find me. It could be someone my father has been trying to protect me from. Okay, so I guess I’m as paranoid as him now.
The guy in the champagne room must have been trying to seduce me.
There were a few moments I almost cracked and forgot I was being paid to do a job.
He was so handsome, and when I stepped into the room and saw him, my stomach was hit with butterflies.
I’ve heard the expression before, but I’ve never experienced it firsthand.
When he told me it was his first lap dance, I didn’t believe him, but after I saw how he was reacting, I realized he was telling the truth. When I brushed against his hard-on, a thrill cascaded through my whole body, and it made me bolder.
This man had paid six grand for me to give him a few dances, and that made me feel sexy.
I didn’t even end up getting fully naked.
He was too nice, and I almost played right into it.
I’m so used to a certain type of men here, and he didn’t give off the normal vibe.
They all want to bang or touch the dancers as much as they can get away with.
This guy gazed at me like I was sent from heaven and he wanted to get on his knees and worship me. Maybe even keep me.
I’m such a sucker. Six grand for a dance from me? That should have been my red flag.
Stowe isn’t sitting in his normal spot at the bar when I rush past, but it’s still early. There aren’t many people here, but soon the whole place will fill up.
“Stowe, sir.” His office door is open, so I go right in. He glances up from the stack of money he’s dropping into the machine that counts it out for him.
“Again with that sir shit.”
“Sorry, sir. I mean Stowe. I ah—”
“How’d it go?” he cuts in. Stowe hates when any of the girls call him sir because he thinks it sounds old.
“Fine, but something has come up. About the ID you mentioned, how long would it take?”
“I’ll have to reach out. Might be a few days. A week even,” he says, and my stomach drops.
“Never mind then.” I glance down at the money in front of him. “Can I have my six grand?”
“What about the ID?” I can tell from Stowe’s expression he’s not in a hurry to hand over the cash. If I had to guess, this fake ID thing really doesn’t cost that much, but he’s going to be taking a cut.
“I don’t need it. I actually have to quit.” The second I admit that, I want to slap myself.
“Quit? Why, what happened?” Stowe turns to the side where there are monitors for the private rooms. There’s a set in his office and another next to the champagne room that a bouncer watches over.
I’m not sure what he’s looking for because if something happened it’s already over.
I’m standing in front of him right now. Plus, he would’ve gotten a call from whoever is on the cameras tonight.
“Nothing happened. I just have to go. I’m really sorry. I hate to walk out on you after you gave me a job.” I feel like a jerk, but he also hasn’t paid me a penny. I know the cocktail girls make hourly because it’s required by law.
“All right, let's calm down for a second. Do you need the ID that badly?” I nod. “I’ll make a call and see if he can do something quicker, okay?”
“Really?” Hope blooms inside me.
“Why don’t you take the night off and I’ll see what I can do. I’ll call you.”
This also sounds too good to be true. Stowe has moments of kindness in him, but he’s got bad ones too. If offered enough money, he’d tell that man everything when he comes back tomorrow night. I have to get the ID before then, but that sounds like a pipe dream.
“Okay.” I step back, my paranoia growing by the second. I’m leaving anyway, so there’s no choice. The mystery man could come back any second, and for all I know, he could be making a call right now. By tomorrow, the whole thing could be pointless.
“Hold on,” Stowe orders, and I take another step back when he stands. Is he going to try and stop me? I think I can outrun him, but I don’t get the chance before his words stop me. “I’m gonna need a picture, but you gotta wipe that shit off your face first.”
“Oh, okay.” I step out of his office and grab some of the makeup remover off one of the vanities.
“Stand against the wall.” Stowe pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of my face. “Is there something I need to know?”
“I just have to go.” I can see the wheels turning in Stowe’s head. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. He asked me on my first day if I was going to have trouble following me.
“I’ll call you. Get out of here. I don’t need a mess. I’ve got enough of those.”
“Thank you,” I say as I grab my things quickly.
“Hey, you all right?” Hartley steps in front of me before I can head out the back entrance. We’re not supposed to walk out alone. One of the bouncers normally goes with us, but that’s at the end of a shift.
“Yeah.”
“Are you leaving?” Her eyes drop to my pink bag.
“Hartley, you’re on.” Brook calls her to get ready for the stage.
“Shit, stay here. I’ll be back in a second,” she says, but I don’t wait.
It’s not until the door closes behind me that I think that maybe I should have poked my head out first to make sure no one was lingering around the exit. Especially the handsome man whose name I never got. He even smells good, which is wild because the men that come into the club never smell good.
This is not the time to be thinking about how men smell. I really am na?ve, but thankfully, I don’t see him or anyone else. Quinn normally drove us the short distance to work even though it would be an easy walk. She said it wasn’t safe to go on foot, but right now, there isn’t much of an option.
I think I’m already on borrowed time, so I make it back to the apartment as fast as I can. I should have changed before I left because I get a few glances. When I get inside the apartment, I change and then order a car to pick me up before I start stuffing everything I can into a couple of bags.
I drop down on the floor and reach under the bed for my box filled with money. I’m not sure how much I have, but it’s more than I came here with. I shove it down into one of my bags too. I glance around the place I’ve called home for the past seven months and feel a pang of sadness.
The whole place is smaller than my old bedroom, but the walls never felt like they were closing in on me while I was here. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make me feel safe.
“Motel on Ashbry?” the driver asks when I open the back passenger door to the car.
“Yes, please.” It’s the one motel that will take cash. I know because it’s where I stayed when I first hit Seaport.
I toss my bags inside but pause when the sensation of being watched runs up my spine. I glance around and don’t see anyone, but the feeling doesn't go away.
“You getting in or what?” the driver asks.
“Sorry.” I slip into the back and quickly close my door.
My destination was keyed in when I called for the car. Quinn put the app on my phone months ago in case I needed it. I don’t have a bank or credit card, so it's connected to hers. She has no idea she might be saving me once again.
It’s not until I’m in one of the motel rooms that I let myself take a real breath. What if I’m being paranoid? I drop down onto the hard bed and think about my options. Maybe I jumped to conclusions, but Quinn never would have let me take off this way.
I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that she’s not here right now. How I wish she was, but Stowe might be right. I could have trouble coming, and Quinn would have tried to step between it and me.
I know her, and she would have tried to talk me down so that I stayed and even gotten me caught. Who knows, maybe I already am.