Fuck. I breathed through the temptation to touch her again, but my mind was rapidly dreaming up fantasies that weren’t helpful to my cause or my cock at all.
She really was beautiful. She also seemed really fucking annoyed about something. As if she’d heard my thoughts or felt my eyes burning through the first layer of her skin, her gaze suddenly snapped to mine.
It was filled with both fire and ice, a raging firestorm fueled by snow instead of oxygen. I knew it was technically impossible, but with the way those eyes were cutting me down and setting me on fire all at the same time, it was the only analogy that made sense.
Chapter 6
Addy
“Are you sure my ass cheeks aren’t hanging out? The skirt barely qualifies as a belt.” I turned to look at my back in the mirror and was surprised to find that Elena was right. The scrap of leather really covered my ass. “If I even think about bending over, whoever is behind me is going to get one hell of a show, though.”
“Girl, with how sexy you look in that outfit, the last thing you need to be worried about is a show.” Elena smirked from the mirror beside mine. “There are a lot of other things guys are going to want from you if they catch you bending over.”
“If they try getting any of those things, I will snap their dicks off with my bare hands.” I faced forward again and tried to tug the hemline of the top down, to no avail. “Fuck. I’m not sure this was such a good idea. I’m really uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, but you’re going to be able to pay rent. That outfit is a lot more comfortable than homelessness.” She brushed powder over her nose with a baby blue powder puff, slicked some gloss over her lips, and fluffed her hair. “You’re going to make a lot of money here tonight, Addy. All the businessmen come in on Fridays and they’re great tippers. Just keep your chin up, okay?”
I pulled my shoulders back and nodded at my reflection. “Yeah, okay. It’s not my chin I’m worried about keeping up, though. It’s the impression that I actually want to be here.”
“Girl, no one who works here really wants to be here.” She laughed as she stood up on her stilettos. “Actually, that’s not true. A lot of us really enjoy it. Once you get past the preconceived ideas about working in a club like this, it’s really not so bad.”
A retort burned the tip of my tongue, but I held it back. Elena had gone out on a limb to get me this job and I didn’t want to insult her or anyone else here. Plus, I did have preconceived notions about working here. I couldn’t be one hundred percent sure it wasn’t those clouding my judgment.
Well, okay, the skimpy leather outfit might have played right into those preconceived ideas and might also be adding a few clouds. But I can handle it.
Bitching about it wasn’t going to get me anywhere. So I sucked it up, grabbed the tray Elena held out to me, and headed out of the dressing room.
The club was still relatively quiet, but even as I walked to the bar to get instructions, I saw more and more customers walking in. Soon enough, men and a few women crowded the place, the lights low and the music loud.
Serving drinks wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. At first anyway.
As the place filled up and the copious amounts of alcohol I was carrying out to my tables started kicking in, more of my preconceived ideas became reality. I was groped, grabbed at, pulled into laps, and had to put up with more than my fair share of lewd and suggestive comments.
None of them were even creative, funny or punny comments. There was no way to laugh, giggle, or flirt my way out of having to respond to them. I tried to decline politely, really I did, but there were only so many times I could tell a guy I didn’t want to make some extra money by letting him put his dick inside me before politeness fled and hitched a ride to the goddamn moon.
Rudeness took its place, and if I didn’t do something to rein myself in, one of my customers was going to complain about my behavior. The last thing I needed was to get fired again. This might not have been my dream job, but getting fired had sucked, and it wasn’t an experience I was dying to repeat.
Another man grabbed my ass as I made my way back to the dressing room, and frustration exploded in my stomach. It sent tremors through my hands and made them itch to punch the guy. Kyle had taught me how to throw a decent punch. I was pretty sure I would have been able to whack the lascivious smirk right off his ugly fucking face.
No, Addy. Get it together. You are not getting fired tonight. Repeat: no getting fired.
I growled into the smoky, loud semi-darkness of the club and gave up on making it all the way to the dressing room. There was a smaller, quieter bar that ran along the wall I was closest to. It was darker there, too.
Making a beeline for the corner, I dropped my tray on the counter and hid my face behind my hair so I wouldn’t have to explain the undoubtedly murderous expression I was wearing. My hands still shook and my breaths were shuddering.
Fucking motherfucking horny pigs. Didn’t their mothers teach them any goddamn manners? How do they not know that it’s un-fucking-acceptable to touch someone without their consent?
I forced air into my lungs and curled and uncurled my fingers to get my hands to stop shaking.
“Are you okay?” a deep, smooth masculine voice asked.
My head whipped up,
