Part 15 (2/2)
The man's entire body stiffens, and his mouth opens and shuts, but no sound comes out.
”You want me to tell him you're hitting on his woman?” His head shakes emphatically. ”Then do your job and keep your f.u.c.king hands to yourself.” Princess growls exactly like the guys do when they are p.i.s.sed off. Guess growing up there did turn her into one of the guys.
I think for a moment about my life if I had grown up here. Would I be like Princess? All bada.s.s and scary? Would Dagger have taught me about the club and what everything means? Would my mom and I have been happy?
I push those thoughts aside and follow Princess into the well-illuminated back, giving Doug a small, apologetic smile. Poor guy didn't need his b.a.l.l.s in a sling.
Girls in various stages of dress flitter throughout the room in a whirlwind of commotion. Some are at lit-up makeup tables, putting their faces on and fluffing their hair, while others are putting on, taking off, and adjusting what little clothes they have on. It reminds me a lot about the club mommas I've been learning about.
The rustling sounds of the back area m.u.f.fle out the boisterous music from the dance floor.
The beautiful brunette I now know as Blaze is sitting on the floor with a needle and thread, sewing one of the girls' barely-there shorts that ripped as we walk up to her. Her eyes lift briefly, the needle with a long piece of hot pick thread dangling from her lips. She clasps it, pulling it out and begins to sew the woman's shorts.
”What's going on, ladies?” she asks, her attention on her task.
”Showing Tanner around. You know she does hair?”
Blaze stops and now looks directly at me. ”No s.h.i.+t?”
”No s.h.i.+t,” I say back with a smile.
Blaze goes back to her sewing as she talks. ”We could use you around here. Some of these women need some serious help with their color and cuts.”
”Hey,” one of the girls chimes in, but she is silenced at Princess's intense glare. I take it she runs a very tight s.h.i.+p here, and not just that, but I get the feeling the woman here really respect her.
”I'd be happy to help while I'm here, but I don't know how long that it'll be. Mom's supposed to get a call tomorrow to let us know when the funeral is, so I suppose, after we go to that, we'll just stay up in Tennessee,” I say, still looking at all the motion in the room. It's actually very intriguing seeing how things work backstage. I've never had the opportunity to do this before.
Blaze looks up from the shorts at Princess, who gives a soft smirk. ”You really think you're going home?” she asks, tying a knot in the thread and cutting it with scissors.
”Thanks, Blaze,” the woman says as takes her shorts before scampering off quickly to the makeup table.
”Yeah, I have to go home. I have a job, and I'm sure my mother wants to go back.” After I say the words, my mind races. Would my mother want to go back home? There isn't really anything keeping her there now. She doesn't have a home and only a few friends.
I make a mental note to talk to her about that when I get back to the clubhouse. The scary thing is I don't know if I want to go back. I shake my head.
”What about Rhys?” Blaze asks, tossing her thread in a basket and rising gracefully to her feet.
What about Rhys? Isn't that the million dollar question?
”What about him? We both know this is a fling. He knows I'm leaving, and I'm sure he's happy about it. I know he's not the staying type, but he did promise me it would only be me while I am here,” I tell them as they usher me into a room and shut the door. It's set up with the same makeup mirror as outside with a large couch that I'm pulled to and led to sit on.
”Wait. You said you told him you didn't want him to sleep around, but you never said he told you he would try. He seriously agreed to that?” Princess asks. From her tone, she is truly surprised at that little revelation. To be honest, so am I. I just hope he means it.
”Yep. You think he can do it?” I don't want to know the answer, but at the same time, I do. I don't know much about the man, only what Princess told me. But it's him. His presence is so over the top and powerful. I'm sure he could have anyone he wanted, and those mommas are dying to get their hands on him.
As the two women give each other a look, I wish I knew them well enough to know what it means. However, I fear it's not good. It's only for a few days. Surely I can keep him sated enough that he doesn't need to go looking for anyone else.
Before he left for the day, we screwed twice. I've gotta hand it to him, though; for being older, he sure has a h.e.l.l of a lot of stamina.
”I don't know, but it'll be interesting to find out,” Princess says, leaning back into the couch. ”See, Rhys doesn't open up much. As long as I've known him, we've never talked, and I never have learned anything about his biological family except he doesn't have any contact with them.” She shrugs. ”Rhys is Rhys.” In other words, if he wants someone else, he'll do it without question. If he does, though, we'll be over. I'm not that kind of woman. Sure, they are out there, but he'll have to go searching for that one, instead, because I'm not her.
”Whatever. I'm sure we'll be leaving here soon enough, and I won't have to worry about any of it,” I tell them, feeling a small pang of dread hit my gut, but I shake it off.
”Well, we've got s.h.i.+t to do. You wanna hang back here with the girls, or you wanna come out on the floor?” Princess asks.
”I think I'll see if any of them need help with their hair. It'll give me something to do.” And stop all the thoughts of leaving Rhys from plaguing my thoughts.
”Sounds good. I'll be back here off and on,” Blaze says, standing up. ”Gotta check some numbers and I'll be right back.” I have no idea what she is talking about, numbers? But whatever.
After they take off, I find the girls very welcoming as I offer to do their hair. Blaze wasn't kidding about these ladies needing colored and cut. Some of them have hair that is so beat up I'm surprised they can get a comb through it.
After a couple hours of hair, I feel light and back in my game. It's only been a couple of days, but I miss doing it. It's been a pa.s.sion of mine since I was a little kid. I feel calm and more centered now.
Princess and Blaze haven't come back from wherever they went. I push open the heavy curtain blocking the back from the front. Doug smiles at me and says nothing. He must be really scared of Rhys. I can't say I blame him.
There are twice, maybe triple, the amount of people now crus.h.i.+ng the room. By the sixth excuse me, I give up and just start barreling through the crowd, hoping to get to the bar. At least I can get a drink while I look for them. I figure my jeans, pale blue s.h.i.+rt, and toned down hair will tell all the guys that I'm not a dancer here. There are a few women, but men are the majority.
An arm comes around my waist, pulling me into a hard, pudgy stomach. My hands immediately fall on the one gripped around me.
”Look what we've got here.” The man's alcohol-laced breath comes to the side of my face, and I want to gag.
”Let go,” I tell him, wiggling out of his grasp. Unfortunately, he's strong, reminding me of James. Heat pours through me at that thought just as two more men step to the front and beside me. Oh, h.e.l.l no.
Rearing back with my elbow, I give him a savage thrust into his gut at the same time I stomp hard on his foot, thanking G.o.d I wore boots. His grip loosens, and I move, but I don't get far before one of the guys s.n.a.t.c.hes me and the other slaps me hard across the face. The burn from the blow radiates through my face and down my neck.
I pull my chin to my chest and slam my head back hard into the guy holding me. From the wetness on my neck, I know I at least bloodied his nose.
His arm leaves me as he starts calling me a stupid b.i.t.c.h and saying, ”I'll get you wh.o.r.e.” The guy who slapped me grabs my hair and pulls it hard, each strand straining to stay inside my scalp. He begins to drag me, but I refuse to let my feet move. Where in the h.e.l.l is security in this place?
My hair is abruptly released, and I tumble to the ground from the force of trying to get it out of the man's grasp. My breaths come out in pants as I rush to my feet, a.s.sessing my surroundings. Rhys stands in front of me, his eyes full of unleashed fury.
My heart races. I have to admit, he's scaring the s.h.i.+t out of me with that look.
”You okay?” His tone is angry and fierce.
Instead of words, I nod my head just as Princess runs out of the crowd, coming to stand next to me.
Rhys turns behind him where Dagger, Cruz, GT, and the other brothers are holding the guys with their arms behind their backs as the scramble to try to get away from them.
”Princess,” Rhys says, eyeing her.
”Got it.” She pulls my arm. ”Come on. Let's get you up to the office. Blaze, make sure everything is smooth,” she calls out as we walk up a curved staircase that has a wide view of the floor below. My eyes immediately find Rhys, who is throwing punch after punch on the guys who tried to hurt me. My eyes well with unshed tears, the actions of the men racing through my head.
Princess pulls me into an immaculate office in the same black and blood red as downstairs. She leads me to a chair and has me sit. I don't move, too stunned, as she comes back and places something cold in my hand. I look down to the bright blue ice pack and remember the fire in my cheek. I place it on the side of my face with a wince.
”What the f.u.c.k happened out there?” Princess questions, sitting on the edge of a huge desk, her eyes pinned on me.
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