Chapter 3 #2
“I have a delivery,” he announced, holding up the huge bouquet of red roses in a clear, ornate vase.
They were beautiful. I wondered which one of the women’s boyfriends sent them. My mild interest turned to raging anger when Paul strolled over and handed the bouquet to Aubrielle. She took them. Her mouth hung open, her eyes wide, astonishment and disbelief etched across her face.
“Shadow, you’re a romantic.”
“Is there a card?”
“Read it.”
“Oh my God, I wish my boyfriend would send me flowers.”
That was the flurry of comments from the other dancers. We’d decided to make everyone, even the staff at Eden, believe she and I were together, and we had been discreet about it until that man got on the stage. We couldn’t chance anyone slipping up and telling someone it was fake.
“Thank you, Paul,” Aubrielle told him with a sweet smile.
It made him grin until he saw me, then he wiped it away and scurried out of the room. The chatter of female voices grew in volume. Aubrielle sat there, unsure what to say or do. I took control. I walked over and caught her eye.
“Babe, I wish I could say those are from me, but they’re not. Where’s the card? Let’s see who had the guts to send my woman roses,” I stated gruffly.
It was good that my natural anger helped me project a jealous-lover vibe.
I hated that someone else had given Aubrielle flowers.
It should’ve been me. God, there I went again.
The ladies’ babble died away as they seemed to hold their breath as Aubrielle handed me the card nestled in the flowers.
Everyone watched me open it and read the card inside.
My face filled with blood, no doubt darkening my countenance.
Parvati, you are a queen among mere mortals. You, my goddess, deserve nothing less than a god. I’m the one for you. Soon, my love, we’ll be together. Until then, take these roses, which don’t compare to your beauty, as a small token of my feelings. Love, Nataraja.
“What does it say?” Abrielle asked softly.
I wordlessly handed it to her to read. As she did, Dusty called out, “Ten minutes, Aubrielle.”
A flustered Aubrielle stood moments later, having finished reading the card.
Her face had paled, but I watched her work to pull herself together.
She handed the card back to me before she went behind the screen to change.
As I waited, it felt as if the note burned a hole through my jeans into my skin.
I couldn’t wait to let the other guys know what happened.
Who the hell was Nataraja? It sounded similar to her stage name.
More than who he was, I recalled the words.
Whoever he was, he was fixated on Aubrielle and would reveal himself in time.
When he did, I would be there to meet him.
My tightening gut told me nothing good would come from someone like him.
All that remained was to decide, when the time came, how he would be dealt with.
In this instance, I had no faith that a stern warning from the club would do it.
And if he attempted to harm her in any way, I’d reap his soul, not my president, Reaper.
I refused to leave a known threat out there to harm Aubrielle.
When she came out from behind the screen, her costume barely registered.
What I saw was her. I knew she was scared, but fighting to hide it.
She refused to let us down by failing to do her job.
Admiration hit me hard. I offered her my arm.
She took it, and I escorted her to the back of the stage.
The dancer out there had finished dancing and was gathering her money.
As she finished, I whispered to Aubrielle, “I’m here. No one will lay a finger on you. You’re safe. Just go out there and give those people your usual show. Blind them, Dazzler.”
Slowly, a smile spread across her face. She rose to her toes. When we were eye to eye, she whispered back, “Thank you, Shadow. I know I’m safe if you’re here. Always.”
That’s when she stunned me. Aubrielle placed a kiss on my lips, and it instantly made me crave more.
It wasn’t an elaborate or long one, but the way my body flared to life, it was a lightning bolt.
By the time she broke away, her fellow dancer passed us, and the lights and music were queuing up for Aubrielle’s number.
I jerked her close, and as she gasped, I gave her a short but very passionate kiss.
I let go in time for her to make her way out to the stage.
I stood there in the darkness, scanning the faces I could make out in the crowd. I wondered if Nataraja was in the audience. Would I be able to recognize him by sight? If he burned for her half as much as I did, we had trouble. I’d eliminate anyone who attempted to hurt her or take her away.
The entire dance, I never stopped searching.
I saw Ratchet and Sandman standing along the edges of the stage.
They had their arms crossed over their chests, showing off all the hours of work they put in at the gym.
I had no doubt their faces were one big scowl.
They would turn away anyone even thinking of coming near her.
There was loud cheering, whistling, and shouting.
When Aubrielle’s dance was done, I walked onto the stage, holding the robe I’d automatically snatched up as we left the dressing room.
I wrapped her in it, making sure it was secure before letting her go to gather her money.
This routine had started that night with the man on the stage.
I wanted everyone to see that she had a man caring for her.
As I watched, I made a vow. No matter what it took, I’d find a way to get her to give this up.
I knew she didn’t love it. She was doing it to get through school.
Hell, if I thought she’d take it, I’d give her the money for her schooling.
But I knew she was too proud to accept. She wasn’t looking for charity.
Aubrielle wanted to succeed on her own. I respected that, but this wasn’t the life for her.
I would have to think about it for a bit and see what I could come up with.
Then it happened. As Aubrielle picked up the last bills and turned to walk toward me, two men at a front table who had been standing and clapping suddenly darted forward toward the stage.
Aubrielle’s vision must have caught the movement because she whipped around to face the audience.
Rather than run to me, she stood her ground.
Even as I raced to her, Ratchet and Sandman rushed to intercept the men.
When I reached her, I swept her against me, placing my body between her and them.
She clutched my cut with one hand. The other, holding the bag with her money, rested against my chest. I had to ignore how the warmth from her hand burned through my shirt to my skin.
The two guys argued as my club brothers manhandled them.
Sandman caught my gaze, and I gave him a single chin lift.
He nodded and then leaned over to whisper in Ratchet’s ear for a moment.
Ratchet glanced up at me and nodded. Then, my brothers hauled the two men away, but not out the front door.
Instead, they took them down the hallway, past the dressing room, and past Mayhem’s office.
I knew where they were taking them. Below the strip club, accessed via a hidden door, was a secret room. It was where the previous owner had forced his female employees to have sex with people.
When the club found it, the original entrance was sealed, so that anyone who knew of its existence would assume it was gone. The club had merely moved the entrance to a different room, a storage room. It was a secure location that came in handy at times.
These guys would be blindfolded before being taken there, so they would have no clue where it was. It was time to put some fear into these assholes. These attempts to get to her had to fucking stop.
A slight tremble shook Aubrielle’s body, snapping me back to my job. I guided her off the stage and into the back toward the dressing room. The next dancer, Bianca, passed us. She gave Aubrielle a sympathetic glance and squeezed her arm as she moved past us.
Back in the dressing room, the other dancers were chatting as if they had no clue what had just occurred.
It appeared Bianca had been observing at the end and had seen what happened.
Many of the girls would get in place early, so there was no delay between dances.
I eased my precious bundle down on her chair. Aubrielle gave me a beseeching look.
“Why do they keep doing that? It never used to be this way. I haven’t done anything different other than polish up my routines. They aren’t like this with the other dancers. God, what do I do? Where did Sandman and Ratchet take those two guys?”
I crouched before her, took her clenched hands, and gently squeezed them. Her worried eyes met mine.
“I don’t know why, but I can promise you two things. One, you’ll be kept safe. Two, you are protected. We won’t feed you to the wolves or tell you that you’re on your own.”
“And I appreciate that more than you can imagine, Shadow. I hate that I have to put you and your club through this. Speaking of which, I want to tell you something. I was planning to do that before that mess out there. I know that this assignment isn’t something you enjoy or want to do.
However, you’re a loyal man who’ll do anything for his club.
But I know this places a big strain on you, Shadow.
Let’s not pretend. You and I aren’t friends.
Before this, you’d barely spoken to me in almost two years. ”
I opened my mouth, but she shook her head and said, “Wait, let me finish, please.”
I closed my mouth.
“I’m saying this not because I want to make you feel bad or defend why you don’t like me.
The truth is, some people don’t click as friends.
I understand it. What I want you to know is that I’m going to ask Reaper if one of the other guys wants to be my fake boyfriend/bodyguard.
We can stage an amicable breakup. It’s unfair to make you do it just because of your dedication to your club.
It has to have killed you to pretend this past week and a half. I’m sorry.”
Aubrielle stunned me with her wrong assumption. I had to tell her that wasn’t true. I didn’t dislike her. It was the total opposite. I adored her and fought every moment not to confess my feelings to her, then claim her. I was hanging on by a thread.
Suddenly, a resolution filled me. I had to tell Aubrielle the truth. No more hiding it. I had to know if she felt anything for me beyond friendship. I’d seen every effort she'd made over the past two years to befriend me, but I’d rebuffed her. After a time, she stopped trying.
I prayed that she’d at least tell me I hadn’t killed the friendship she extended.
Maybe I could work from there. My argument, the one that made me keep my distance, went through my mind.
She’s too innocent for a man like you, my inner voice said.
But this time, I ignored it, even if it was true.
I was quickly dying due to my decision to keep her at arm’s length.
However, that discussion needed privacy and more than a couple of minutes.
“Aubrielle, I don’t want to be removed as your bodyguard or boyfriend.
We need to talk this through, and we will.
Please, will you allow me to talk to you about it after I take care of those two men who tried to jump on stage?
I swear I’m not doing this as a delaying tactic.
There’s a lot I need to say, and I don’t want to rush it or have an audience,” I told her in a whisper so that the others wouldn’t hear it.
Aubrielle studied me for several moments, then nodded. “Okay, I’ll wait. But we need to iron this out tonight, Shadow,” she whispered back.
“Thank you. I promise we will. Now, I need you to stay here. Don’t leave the room. If you need me, text. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” I told her as I rose to my feet. I heard and felt my knees crack. Shit, was I already becoming decrepit?
“I will. Go do whatever it is you must. I’ll be removing all this gunk from my face and getting dressed. Thank God that was my last dance of the night. Don’t worry. I’ll be fine here,” she assured me.
It took effort not to kiss her before I tore myself away from her.
As I exited the dressing room, the tender side of Shadow the biker disappeared, replaced by the dark side of me.
I had no softness. I was about to ensure those bastards never thought of touching Aubrielle or any other woman.
My boots made a loud thud as I went to the secret entry. Showtime.