Chapter Twenty-Three:
Jaxon's POV:
I was trying to forget about her and so I was going out. Sure it was with one of the actresses that worked under me. She was cute and her father, who also worked for me, had suggested we date. I decided that since Raven had a boyfriend, the best way to get her off my mind was to go out with someone else. So, I had been going out with Emily. She was sweet and polite and she was always trying to please me. It was refreshing.
I sat at the coffee shop waiting for her as the stupid talk show was on the TV. I wasn't too interested in it.
"Hey, can you turn it up," someone asked the barista. Please, say no.
"Sure thing," said the barista and turned up the volume. I sighed.
"And next up we have the band, Venus Sways. What secrets will we dig up? Is the leader singer, Venus, dating one of the band members or does she have a secret boyfriend? Find out after the commercial break," said the gossip talk show host. I swear that woman irritates me. Always bugging me about my personal life.
I watched the show, which was being shot live, and got really angry to find out that Raven had been attacked. Why hadn't she told me? Was that why she had moved in with Sebastian? I should have been more of a friend to her.
"Hey, Jay, what's wrong," Emily asked, as she sat down. I sighed and pasted on a smile.
"Nothing, it is just terrible about what happened to Venus," I told her, motioning to the TV.
"Oh, yeah, I set that episode to record. I love Amelia's show, she ALWAYS digs up the good celebrity dirt," Emily said, excitedly.
"So, what did you want to tell me," I asked her.
"Oh, right. This friend of mine gave me these two tickets to this club's grand opening tonight. I was thinking maybe you could come with me," she asked.
"Sounds good," I told her. I hadn't gone out with a girl to the club in a while.
*********
Raven's POV:
I got home to a note. Yes, my bodyguard, who gets paid to guard me at all times, had left me a note. I couldn't believe that I hadn't told Tanya anything about this, but he hadn't been charging me rent or anything, even so, I did buy the groceries that he cooked. Free food tends to be enough motivation for this guy to slave over the stove for me, of which I am immensely grateful. I sighed as I walked over to the table and picked up the note.
Going out with Jo, she insisted that we hang out at this really popular club, Vengeance. I hope to see you and the birthday girl there later. (In other words, I'll see you there at about 10:30 or 11p.m. or I will go and find you.) Have fun and try not to get into trouble.
Bastian
How charming?
I sighed again and went to my room to get dressed. I looked at the outfit, or should I say outfits, laid out for me. She had left me instructions. I took a quick shower, before I got ready. I honestly felt like a damn stripper as I put on the tight shorts (I wasn't sure of the material, but it was like a second skin, it was so tight and smooth) and sexy corset on over the thong and bra, she had also set out for me. I pulled on the pencil skirt and the white button up blouse. I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a secretary. I pulled on the jacket and returned to my reflection.
Yup, definitely a secretary.
I did my makeup and tried to stay modest to play up the 'costume' and put on some grey contacts and the glasses that she had left me. They made me look like a business woman. I pulled on a pair of black pumps. I put some more make up into a bag, along with another pair of heels that would better match my hidden outfit. I put a scarlet wig in the bag as well as my cell phone. I looked at myself and decided to put my hair in a neat bun. I hoped I wouldn't regret letting Izzy dress me. Pulled back my hair looked pitch black, instead of its normal chocolate brown. Weird. I went to my car and drove to Izzy's apartment.
As soon as I arrived, she jumped into the car and ogled me. She was dressed like a school girl. Where was she taking me?
I drove to the address she gave me, but didn't get much from the outside. I honestly thought it was an abandoned building, until I saw a door open and a drunk man being tossed out. We were at a hole in the wall bar? She got out and I followed her. I locked up my car and hid my keys in my jacket pocket. I was very nervous. Izzy hadn't said much in the car and she was pulling me towards the door with the giant word 'Abandon' written on it in spray paint.
We were invited inside and I smiled kindly to the man, who wore nothing but leather pants. I pushed up my glasses and prepared myself for whatever I was about to see. We walked into a costume party, of sorts, but the men were all half dressed, where the women were all fawning on the few men that were present. I looked up at the stage and saw a man doing a show. I tilted my head and then more so. He was a flexible guy. He righted himself and asked for a volunteer. I didn't know what was going on. I followed Izzy to an empty table in the front row. The table had been reserved for us, it seemed, and then some more girls joined us. Models, like Izzy. They all told her that she was going to have a blast.
I leaned over to the redhead next to me.
"What is this place," I fearfully asked her. She smiled brightly.
"It's a strip club. You are in luck, the next guy is so hot, but not as hot at the star of the show, Titan," she swooned. Yes, swoon. Sighed dreamily and everything. I rolled my eyes. I would have to endure it until it was over and then go meet up with my stupid bodyguard. I didn't have my phone to text Nate about this insanity either. I watched at the guy gave the volunteer a lap dance while somehow getting his junk in line with her face. Her eyes were wide as she stared right at his manhood, a natural blush staining her ample cheeks.
I would so not be participating in that craziness and Izzy was adamant that she wasn't going to either. The flexible guy exited the stage and the announcer's voice dominated the sound system.
"Up next we have a very special treat for one very special lady. She will be pulled on stage by Pretty Boy to be ravaged by Titan," he said, voice booming. The women in the building cheered. Izzy had this hat that one of her friends had placed on top of her head, it said 'Birthday Girl'. She was sitting next to me and she seemed scared. She looked to me and suddenly her eyes lit up and I began to shake my head. I didn't know what she had on her mind, but when the girls started to coo at the man on stage as another couple of men brought out some weird contraption, she turned to me and place that damn hat on my head.
I didn't have a chance to take it off because I was blinded by a light shining down on our table. It landed on me with the identifying marker on my head, like a bulls-eye. Pretty Boy, I assumed, hopped off the stage and smiled at me. I was waving my hands at him and shaking my head, but he didn't listen. He removed my jacket and pulled me up from my seat, then the spotlight was gone. I turned to Izzy, who was staring at me, while her friends giggled in excitement. I lifted my hand and pulled my index finger across my neck. She was so dead and she knew it because she gulped.
He moved me into position and gave me a reassuring smile.
"I'm not really the birthday girl. My friend, the real birthday girl, just threw me under the bus. Some friend she is," I mumbled to him.
"It's going to be fine. It's just for show. I'll make sure you are safe," he told me.
"Thanks, Pretty Boy," I said, sarcastically, "I'm Ivy, by the way." He smiled. He had no clue who I was, which I guess was technically a good thing. He strapped my arms to the contraption and I waited. I waited as the tribal drummed played.
"Now, we have our sacrifice and we summon you, Titan. Please take this offering and grace us with your presence," Pretty Boy shouted and only at these words did I take in the attire he was wearing. One word came to mind. Neanderthal. I sighed and then the drums stopped. A masculine howl rang out from behind me and I shivered. I was about to meet Titan as his unofficial sacrifice. What would my boyfriend think of this?
He stomped over to me and began to sniff me. Really? The tribal mask blocked his face, but I saw his shaded eyes. He turned to the audience and pulled off his mask, raising both arms into a 'Y' shape, he bellowed.
"I accepted this maiden." I looked to Izzy, who had stopped clapping and was just staring, as everyone cheered this Titan on. What was the deal with that?
He turned to me and I saw what the big deal was. I didn't have to worry about what my boyfriend would think about me being strapped like this because apparently he was used to this kind of thing.
"A lawyer my ass," was all that filtered through, to escape out of my mouth.
"Babe," he questioned, confused.
"Hey, Pretty Boy, I think Titan has had enough maidens. He doesn't need me," I whispered to him. He gave me a confused look, but took note of my anger and untied me.
"What is this foolishness," Titan yelled, trying to make it seem like part of the show. I didn't care. Pretty Boy took the hint and threw me over his shoulder and took me backstage. He set me down and backed away.
"What happened," he dared to ask.
"I'm not sure, but I do know that Titan is now a single man," I told him.
"You're the girlfriend he's always bragging about," Pretty Boy stated. Oh, please.
"Well, I used to be," I told him, sitting down on a couch.
"You aren't breaking up with him because he's a stripper, are you," he asked.
"God, no. The fact that I was surprised to see him here should be a factor as to why I am breaking up with him, PB," I told him.
"PB? And he didn't tell you what he did," he asked.
"Short for Pretty Boy. No, in fact, his foolish ass lied to me about it. He said he was a lawyer," I told him, "If there is one thing I can say that I hate with a passion, then it's liars. Liars haven't done much for me, but bring me torment and humiliation. So, what is the point in being in a relationship with someone who I can't trust? Sure, I wasn't dating him because of his job, but if he lies about how he makes a living, there is no telling what else he was willing to bend the truth about," I explained. I wasn't going to be made out to be the bad guy. This had nothing to do with his job title. It was solely based on the fact that he had lied to me. No one had lied to me in a long time.
"So, that's it then," Nate asked, as he stood at the doorway.
"Yeah, I don't want your excuses on why you lied to me. Just the fact that you could is all I need," I told him. This was reminding me of Mick and I hadn't thought about him in years.
"So, you aren't going to let me explain," he asked.
"What is there to explain, Nathaniel, if that's your real name," I accused.
"You are one to talk about real names, how many do you use? Ivy? Raven? Venus? You have more secrets than I do, but I don't complain," he said, pointing a finger at me.
"But if you had asked I wouldn't have blatantly lied to you, Nate. I would have told you as much as I could. For instance, that the reason I hate liars so damn much is because my freshman year I was bullied and tormented because an ex-boyfriend got mad and lied about me after cheating on me for not sleeping with him. I gained a mess of weight and had to switch schools. That was only the start. I didn't return to that school until my senior year and I had to fight for my retribution. I got it and gained friends in the end, friend I could trust, but I went through hell to get it. You don't know what one little lie can do. I lied to someone I loved and now we won't ever be together. Lies are cruel and never good, no matter the intentions. I lied to him because he was with another woman, but she lied to him and ruined their relationship. See, lies are no good, they lead to more and more lies." I was fighting back tears, but they were still managing to escape.
"I didn't know," he mumbled.
"You never bothered to ask. That is another thing, Nate, you say that one word and all we do is anything that involves no clothes and groping each other. We never talk, all because you used hypnosis on me. Who does that to their girlfriend? I know nothing about you because every time I tried to start a conversation, we somehow end up naked, sweaty, and panting," I yelled at him.
"Sounds like a good night to me," Pretty Boy said. We both looked at him, angrily, and he raised his hands in surrender. "I'm not even here." He made a zipper sign over his mouth. Then we turned back onto each other.
"I wouldn't have done it, if you would have been more into it than I was. You just seemed out of it every time we were intimate and so I got some tips on how to enhance things. In hindsight, hypnosis may not have been the best road to take," he said.
"Ya think," I said, sarcastically.
"But it was fast and quite effective," he said.
"Oh yes, so damn effective that I almost did it with our neighbor, when I used his shower because our water got shut off in the middle of mine," I informed him, "Thankfully Bastian had some damn good timing."
"When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"
"Yesterday and the reason being that as soon as you walked in I was rushed to my room and stripped bare. Not much time for small talk during sex. Look, I have to go and meet Bastian and Jo. I can't do this with you anymore. I just hope that stupid hypnosis you put on me doesn't get triggered," I told him and walked past him.
"I'm sorry," he said, but I kept walking. I walked over to Izzy and told her I was leaving to club Vengeance. The girls all decided to come with and so off we headed to the club. We had to stop at a diner, so one of the models could pee and I went in with them, so I could change. I got out of the costume and Izzy helped me put on my wig and adjust my lady bits. I changed shoes and put in some Sterling Silver color contacts lenses. They didn't look sterling silver, but it was what they were called. They changed the color of my eyes, which is what mattered. I looked at myself and took in the deep red wig and the tight corset. I was definitely sexy looking. Then we headed to the club.