Breaking Eden - (rough draft)

6 - Harvey Puts His Foot Down (2/18/2021 New chapter)

Feel free to tell me what you honestly think and rip it apart, good or bad, I'm all ears. I'm in the middle of doing final self edits before I start looking for Beta readers. And don't forget to vote, comment, and share to help get Breaking Eden to #1! :0)

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6

Harvey puts his foot down.

Like Diamond, Eden found herself at the bar in hopes of retrieving the whereabouts of Harvey. Fingers drumming against its glossy surface, she asked, "Where's Harvey?"

Marcus poured a drink into a freshly garnished glass, set it on a tray, and began another. He barely glanced in Eden's direction.

She pushed him for an answer. "I'm waiting."

"Do I look like his keeper, bitch?" He shooed her away with a flick of a hand and when she didn't leave, he added, "Can't you see I'm busy?"

He rinsed his shaker and started mixing another drink. His hands upended bottle after bottle before capping the shaker and flipping it high in the air only to catch it behind his back.

Using the footrest lining the bottom of the bar as a step, Eden leaned over the counter. She plucked a maraschino cherry from a partially covered tub and popped it into her mouth, savoring the burst of flavor as she chewed.

Marcus ignored her antics until she went to steal another one. "I saw that."

She popped the second cherry into her mouth and offered him her sweetest grin. "You saw nothing."

"Shouldn't you be working?" He passed the loaded tray to a cocktail waitress. "Or do you not have to do that either?"

"Screw you, Marcus." She leaned against the bar, panning the room. Ricky wasn't exaggerating. From this angle, there wasn't an empty seat in the entire theater.

There was movement near her side, a high-pitched voice at her ear. "Just the gal I wanted to see." Harvey dragged out a bar stool and struggled to climb onto the seat. "Don't just stand there, girl, sit down, sit down we need to talk." He motioned toward the empty stool next to him.

Eden took a seat, crossing her legs in a way she knew would make them appear longer, more beautiful. "Is this about my performance?"

"Not exactly, no."

Plucking another cherry from the container, Eden ran it across her bottom lip before popping it into her mouth and freeing it from the stem. She chewed slowly, tossing the stem over the bar without a second thought. "What this about?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Marcus edged his way closer, trying to listen in as he worked.

"I need you to do a private show."

"Who'd you offer instead?" Eden laughed.

"No one." There wasn't a hint of humor in his tone. "I told him you'd be happy to."

Marcus dropped his shaker. It crashed against the bar, spilling its contents everywhere. "Fucking shit!"

"What?" Her question was drowned out by Marcus's shouted obscenity. "Why would you tell him yes?"

Marcus threw a towel over his mess and cut in. "Yeah, what changed?"

"I think it's time Eden offers special services." Harvey reached for her arm, but she pulled away.

"Like hell I do."

"Eden-"

"This is a joke, right?" Her chest tightened; heat flooded her face when Harvey didn't answer her. "Tell me you're just fucking with me Harvey."

"Now it doesn't need to be for everyone." Harvey's manner was strictly business. "We'll start with VIP clientele."

"No. Absolutely not." She leaned into him as not to gather more unwanted attention. "I'm not a whore!"

"I'm afraid I have to put my foot down. If you don't meet with him, I'll be forced to take away your solos for the next month or two and you can forget about opening."

Eden paled. "That's not fair!"

Marcus' eyes danced between Eden and Harvey. His mouth hung open in utter shock. By the end of the night all would know that Harvey had put Eden in her place. Her free ride was over.

"What are you laughing at?" She snapped at Marcus. "Don't you have more drinks to spill?"

Marcus leaned forward. "I ain't missing one second of this tea."

Harvey maneuvered his body down from his stool and Eden imagined herself pushing him off instead, the bastard.

"What's your choice? A private show or no more special treatment?"

She crossed her arms, pouting. This typically swayed him. But for the first time in their business relationship, it didn't work. With a heavy sigh, she gave in. "I can't believe you're making me to do this."

"That's my girl!" Harvey rummaged in his suit jacket and pulled out a slip of paper. "He's offered two thousand for an hour with you."

Eden snatched the check from his stubby fingers. "Holy shit." A smile erased her stubborn frown. "Two grand for a private dance. Is this real?"

"It is!" He pulled the check from her unwilling fingers and returned it to his pocket with a gentle pat. "And you'll be getting half of that."

"Why only half?" Annoyance bubbled up at the unfair split. "If I'm doing all the work then I should at least get a seventy five percent cut."

"Girl, that ain't how it works, that ain't how any of this works." Marcus howled with laugher. "The house gets a fifty-fifty cut of everything that happens in Cats Alley."

Harvey's grin reached his eyes. "So, what's your choice, Eden? The spotlight or nothing?"

"All I have to do is dance? Nothing else."

"It's all he requested, but I encourage you to fulfill his needs if it comes to that."

"Fine, I'll do it. But I want something else." She squared her shoulders and held her ground. "I open at least four days a week."

"Sounds reasonable."

"Also, I get seventy five percent of everything I do in Cat's Alley and I have final say of who gets private shows."

"I'll offer you sixty percent and I retain final say."

"Deal." She offered her hand.

He shook it. "I'll meet with my lawyer to draw up a new contract and we'll negotiate all the legalities. We're going to make a lot of money, Eden. Just you wait and see." He offered her his arm. "Are you ready to meet your first client?"

"By all means, lead the way." A flutter of nervousness twisted in Eden's gut. She looped her arm around his and followed Harvey into the crowd.