Imprisoned by secrets

Chapter 27

Nine years ago.....

As Thomas and his four friends stepped into the strip club that night, they were immediately greeted by the bright blue and red lights.

"Gawd! I can barely hear myself think!" Thomas shouted over the loud rap music.

"I'm not sure this was a very good idea." One of the guys named Farouk said. He glanced at a man who already looked stoned even though the night had just begun. Two women were caressing his chest and thighs.

"Loosen up! This is the best way to unwind after those shitty exams." Another guy said. He had dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He winked at one of the waitresses who was parading about in her underwear. The girl batted her eyelashes at him.

"Please don't mention those exams, Bryce. The last thing I need is anything that would remind me about Nadia." The third guy said. He rubbed his temples like he was already having a headache.

Farouk glanced at the guy sympathetically and was about to say something to comfort him when he was interrupted.

"Steven is pussywhipped! I still don't know what you see in that bitch anyway. She's got zero tits." Bryce sneered. As far as he was concerned girls without tits were men with vaginas.

"Shut the fuck up. You're the last person in the world who should talk about women. Especially after what you did to Cheryl." Steven snapped. His eyes flashed angrily.

"Poor Cheryl. You went too far, Bryce. Honestly." Farouk said. He wrung his hands nervously and averted his eyes from a woman's bare chest.

Bryce winced.
"Yeah...maybe I did. What can I say? I've always been attracted to innocent bitches. Fucking virgins hits differently. They're a blank slate. They're usually willing to do everything I say." He said.

Farouk shook his head at his friend.
"She blew a fuse. Did you really get her pregnant?" He asked in shock.

"Probably. I'm not claiming that bastard though. She should just get rid of it." Bryce snorted.

Thomas chuckled.
"Girls like Cheryl are so stupid. What's the worst she'd do? Her parents are paupers. She'd just cut her losses and spread rumours about you. Who gives a fuck about that?" He said.

"Can you just shut the fuck up?!" The fourth guy snapped. His eyes flashed brightly. Thomas and the three other guys swallowed nervously.

"Look...Kenny...I didn't mean..." Thomas started to say. He nervously touched the large gash on his mouth where Kenny had punched him earlier.

"Just shut it," Kenny said.

The music helped drown out the tense silence. Everyone in the club watched the five guys as they walked by.

On the outside, they looked like a tight group of friends from rich families. They were the kind of guys who did everything together. They lived close to each other, were in the same major, and in some cases, shared the same girls.

Thomas was the most handsome, charming, and richest. Most of the women in the club had their eyes glued to him. Thomas flashed them a sly grin, knowing he could probably go home with at least two of them on his arm.

He knew he had to keep all his affairs discreet and impersonal. He wasn't foolish enough to assume Beatrice loved him so much that she'd overlook his indiscretions before marriage. He might be blackmailing her mother but that could only go so far.

Those women were just to pass the time and satisfy him before his wedding. He knew who he wanted to marry.

"Hey, get us a table close to the stage. I want a first-class view of the ladies." Bryce said, tossing some cash to one of the waiters. He was a regular so they already knew him.