The owner looks like a bitch. I could drop him with one punch. The bouncers might be a problem, but I still like my odds.
“I’m… Bram, I’m here by choice.” She still won’t make eye contact. “It’s the only choice I have right now.”
That sounds true, but it’s obviously not the full story. I know how Kiana was raised. She might not be the same girl she used to be, but she should be in college, interning at a company that sets fashion trends; those were her dreams before something pulled her away from them. And I want to know what the fuck did that—who the fuck did that. I gave her my word, and I won’t call her father, but I’ll be damned if that is going to be the end of it.
“Just talk to me, Kiana.” I reach for her hand, but she pulls away.
“I’m sorry, I need to go.” She stands up from the table.
One of the bouncers has noticed our exchange. He gives me a glare that lets me know I’ll be fighting my way back into the club if he has to toss me out. I could, but there’s no reason to start a fight unless absolutely necessary.
“I’ll be right here.” I finally get to make eye contact with her again. “All night—tomorrow night too—and the next.”
“Bram, please…” She turns to walk away but stops in her tracks.
I have her on the cusp of saying something that I need to hear, but a commotion on the stage draws both of our attention before she can continue.
The lights lift, the music slowly dies down, and the owner, Max, walks up. He gets a few boos from people who don’t want to see anyone that doesn’t have tits on it.
“I know, I’m sorry to interrupt the show, but I have something very special in store for you tonight.” Max calms the crowd with an even tone and a sleazy smile. “Lavender Rose, would you please join me on the stage.”
The crowd likes that. Max is forgiven by the horny masses. I’m forced to let Kiana walk away because every eye in the place is on her. I’m pissed. I feel like Max saw us together and orchestrated whatever this is just to end our conversation. I’m probably overthinking it, but I can’t push that thought out of my head.
“Gentleman, the lovely Lavender Rose has been with us for a little over a week, and I know she’s already one of your favorites.” Max put his hand around Kiana’s waist as soon as she steps onto the stage, and it makes the hair on my neck stand up.
The crowd agrees with Max. I noticed she was popular, even though I did my best not to watch her routine when she was on the stage.
“Is she going to dance for us again?” A drunk guy with a redneck drawl lets out a woot, and several others in the crowd join him.
“Yeah, baby—take it off!” Another guy, even drunker than the redneck.
“Oh, she will.” Max winks to the crowd. “But not for everyone. See, Lavender Rose here has a secret…”
A few oohs echo in the crowd.
“She’s a…” Max lowers his voice so that the crowd is forced to quieten down to hear what he’s going to say. “…lap dance virgin.”
I don’t like where this is going, but the crowd does. They’re wolves that want to do more than just watch Kiana dance on the stage. Max is about to feed her to them—or one of them—if my suspicions are correct.
“I’ll pop your cherry, baby!” The redneck lets out a louder woot. Apparently, it’s half his vocabulary. One more and it’ll end up on my list of things I hate.
“Someone’s going to get to pop that cherry tonight.” Max winks at the crowd for the second time. “For the right price.”
Kiana looks nervous. The same look she hides when she’s at someone’s table but is so obviously present in her eyes when she walks away. Did she know this was going to happen tonight?
“How much?” one of the other drunk patrons yells out, thankfully without a sound effect to go along with it.
“I’m going to let you decide that.” Max nods. “We’re about to have ourselves an auction! The higher the price, well, the more gratitude Lavender Rose will show you behind the curtain.”
That gets a roar from the crowd and makes my blood run cold. Gratitude? What the fuck does that mean? I didn’t actually ask if this was the kind of place where someone could take one of the dancer’s home. I just convinced Jack it wasn’t. Is Max auctioning off more than a lap dance?
Part of me that wants to charge the stage, grab Kiana by the arm, and fight my way out of this place. That would have been more feasible when every eye in the place wasn’t on her. I could end up fighting an entire room full of drunk, horny bastards deprived of their prize.
Not the best odds, even for me.
The other odds aren’t the best either, but when the auction starts, I realize there’s one avenue to get Kiana alone, to continue our conversation, and make sure she doesn’t have to do a lap dance at all. I just have a win.
“Alright, now normally it’ll cost you a dirty thirty, and hopefully a generous tip…” Max grins. “But since this is her first time, I think we can start the bidding at fifty.”
It’s an odd thing. If I was the type of person who wanted a lap dance, I don’t think I would pay more for an amateur. But that’s not what the men in the crowd are salivating for. They’re getting blinded by the first time, lap dance virgin, and all of the buzz words Max is throwing out. Kiana’s Catholic schoolgirl uniform makes it salacious and taboo.
Someone else beats me to the fifty-dollar bid. I go
