[[ this chapter will contain content that may be disturbing to some readers!! Brief mentions of sexual misconduct that some may find triggering.
*** will indicate the beginning and end of the scene containing said content. Reader discretion is advised]]
———
With my left hand gripping the metal pole, I slowly begin to circle it. One foot after the other as I carefully make my round. I give the crowd a wide smile, teasing them by bringing my leg up and around the pole slowly. Using all my strength to do my final trick, spinning around and throwing my head back before coming down into a split to finish. The crowd going wild, whistles and hungry shouting erupting from the herd. The loud noise echoing throughout the entire building as I pick up the bills from the stage floor. Blowing them a kiss as I walk through the satin curtains to exit the stage.
"Miss.Blair" I hear his voice as soon as I come back stage, knowing who's speaking to me before even seeing him. His octave high as he singsongs, taking long strides towards me with his lengthy legs. His slender figure, although statured, still towering over me almost embarrassingly as his blue eyes stare harshly into mine. He always seems on edge, eyes bugging out from his slender skull and mouth pulled into a tight line. His greasy blond hair gelled back out of his, his red tracksuit jacket swallowing his gaunt physique.
Shawn
It's almost impossible to hold back the look of disgust that wants to take over my face at the sight of him, but I manage to hinder it and give him a small forced grin. My run ins with the big boss come few and far between, and it's never a good sign when he makes an appearance. Even more so when he goes out of his way to greet you.
"Hello, Shawn. Good to see you" as much as I want to be anywhere but here taking to him, I don't dare to come off impertinent even in slightest. I know my place on this totem pole. He may be an otherwise petite guys and lacking any kind of intimidating demeanor, but being on his bad side is the last thing anyone wants. He is a crooked man with a volatile and unpredictable nature that is not to be taken lightly. The stories I've heard are enough to make anyone think twice about getting on his bad side.
"How's my best girl?" His disingenuous tone and overzealous words of praise nearly making me regurgitate as he speaks, sickness taking over. He's only this nice to people when he wants or needs something, neither of which can be good for me.
"Oh I'm just fine" I answer back with a fake tone of my own.
"That is just wonderful, honey. I'm glad to hear that" he all but yells, swinging his left arm over my shoulder and pulling me close. He begins to escort us back towards the dressing room.
It's obvious he has something to say me, its written all over his face and by the way he's making an obvious effort to try and butter me up. Being sweeter to me now more so than he has ever been. His hand gripping my shoulder tightly as he walk back to the dressing room. All eyes on us as soon as we enter, Mellie having a knowing glimmer in her eyes as she watches us cautiously.
"Is everything okay?" I question once we make our way over to my station, taking my chair as he stands behind me and resting both hands resting on either shoulder.
I observe his reflection, watching as his mouth turns up in a wide smile. The Cheshire grin making my stomach drop in an unpleasant way, knowing whatever he has up his sleeve can't be any good.
"Yes, my dear Blair. Every this is actually quite perfect " he begins to speak menacingly, lowering himself down so his mouth is all of two inches from my ear. "Especially because I have a guy who's willing to pay triple the cost of the red room"
I know exactly what he is hinting at, and the thought alone makes me feel sick. I'm due to be off in the next half hour, but by the way his mouth is greedily turned up I know that won't be happening.
"I'm off in like twenty.." I try to reason, giving him big eyes and a nonchalant smile.
"Yeah, but this client specifically wants you, and you do kind of owe me for bailing out early the other night"
And there it is, sweet tone replaced with the malice one I know all too well. Although he's giving me a wide smile I know it's anything but friendly. He knows he has the ultimate power over me and I can't tell him no. I'm disposable to him, we all are. It's a fact that he uses to his advantage. My blood boiling with rage at his entitlement to me and my time, but I can't do anything but bite back the annoyance on my face. A repugnant rash of goosebumps breaking out along my flesh as I look eyes with my greaseball of a boss.
"when am I needed?"
His evil grin growing wider at my words, knowing he has backed me in a corner and won.
"Thirty minutes"
I just nod my head in agreement before watching him walk away, satisfied with his manipulation. As soon as his body exits through the threshold I let out a loud sigh, rolling my eyes and throwing my middle finger up in the direction he was just in.
fuck that bastard.
After my brief moment of enragement, I turn back to my mirror. Touching myself up for the longer than expected night I'm about to endure. Shawn has a habit of setting me up in the red room with complete scum, having no regard for all the bullshit they bring. He doesn't care who they are, how repulsive they act or if they're complete pervs. All he sees is the money signs, the bigger the pay the more comfortable he is turning a blind eye to it all. Why would it matter to him anyway? It's not his problem after all.
I begin to put on my lipstick, the faint sound of house music echos in the distance as dread sits in my lungs, making it hard to breathe. Getting lost in thought as I stare at myself I begin to wonder what life outside of this could look like. It's hard to imagine. Aside from relying on Jasper for most of my early adulthood this is all I know, the only way I've been able to keep myself above water. It would be so much easier to just leave it all behind. To start over. Again.
"What did that rodent want?" I see Mel approaching me as she speaks, pulling me from my scattered thinking.
"I've got red room in thirty" rolling my eyes as I speak, Mel taking the empty chair next to me.
"Are you serious? You're supposed to be off by that time" voice raising as she speaks, it's easy to read that she is also outraged at his inconsiderateness.
"Oh him and I both are aware. This is how I redeem myself for taking off early the other night"
She doesn't say a word but the look on her face speaks volume. Her brows raised in surprise, as her eyes squint with anger. Her ivory skin reddening as her temper begins to reach a boiling point.
It feels good to know she shares my frustration. She's been working here longer than I have and has seen how much of my life I have dedicated to this place. Never taking a sick day in the entire two years I've been employed, and even coming in a lot of the time on my days off. I've gone above and beyond for Shawn and his club, only to have it all disregarded.
I simply loath hosting in the red room; a fact everyone is aware of. Most guys that frequent this place are cretins who have no respect or regard for anyone of the opposite sex. Having to tell them one too many times to stop being pushy or way too handsy isn't a rare occurrence either. The sloppily drunk men who pay an outrageous price for an hour alone with a girl are bottom of the barrel type of people.
"That little rat is lucky we don't up and fucking leave this shithole. Like there aren't a million other clubs in this city that would love to have us" she finally speaks, crossing her arms over her chest as she throws herself back into the chair.
Her rant provoking a small chuckle
"Yeah that's true. But none of them get nearly the same amount of business. It would be a bigger loss for us than them"
As much as we both hate to admit it, the truth is cut and dry. There are countless other clubs here on the strip, but not one gets nearly half the business that Crypt does. As shady as Shawn may be, he knows exactly how to keep a business running and in high demand.
We drop the conversation, changing the topic at large in hopes to lighten the mood while I prepare myself. I catch myself checking the time way too frequently, making it pass by all too fast. Before I realize, it is time for me to make my appearance.
"Here" Mel approaches me with a red solo cup as I stand from my station. She's already dressed and ready to go home, but assure she will be waiting for the call to be picked up whenever Shawn decides to relieve me of my duties.
"Eli says he loves you and he's sorry Shawn is a ragging bastard" she adds, giving me a lighthearted chuckle.
Bringing it up to my face I see it's filled halfway with a double green tea shot. I smile at her consideration, taking the entire thing back in two large mouthfuls before throwing the cup in the waste basket next to me.
She gives me one last tight hug before leaving and assures me that her phone volume will be turned all the way up while she waits. Her consideration making me smile widely despite my unsavory mood, I couldn't be more thankful to have a friend like her. After saying my goodbyes I head to the dreaded room on the opposite end of the building. Heart thumping loudly within its rib encasing. I'm usually always a bit apprehensive when given this task, but it goes without saying that today it's more than that. The events of the last 48 hours must be getting to me, causing me to be beyond on edge. My legs feeling gelatinous with each step I take, ready to give out at any moment.
I approach the door far too quickly. The black wood running from floor to ceiling, towering up the wall mockingly. Taunting me. Reminding me of the power it has over me, as much as I like to pretend it's the latter.
With a deep breath I bring my hand up to the knob, giving it a quick twist and pushing it open. The dark room is lit dimly with red light, a long red leather sofa pushed up against the mirrored wall. Sitting directly in the middle of the furniture with his feet planted firmly against the white carpet is my paying costumer, Derek. Dressed in a white button down shirt, his large beer gut hanging over the waistline of his slacks. I can barely make out the features on his round face, aside from his small dark eyes that never once leave my body.
Neither one of us speak as I walk in teasingly slow, music beginning to play through the speakers. My hips swaying as I make my approach, swinging one leg over his lap to straddle him. He brings his meaty hands up to grip my waist, taking a tight hold that nearly makes me break character and grimace at the greedy man. I manage to keep my true feelings back, giving him a cheeky grin as I dip my head down and bring my lips to his ear.
"Like what you see?" My lips nearly burn as the words leave my lips.
***
He gives me a hungry nod. His hands roaming down towards my ass and giving it a firm squeeze.
"Hands stay above the belt, big guy" I try to deliver my correction delicately, as much as I would love to slap him across the face for being far too abrasive.
Although I'm firm in my words, he doesn't stop. Instead his hold tightens on as he brings his left hand up to the back of my bra and begins to fidget with the clasps.
"No" this time it comes out with much more bass than before, smacking his arm away.
He quickly stands to his feet, keeping a hold of me and flipping us around so I'm now pressed against the sofa. His large body weighing me down, nails digging into my hips. He lowers himself to get closer to me, his nose nearly touching my own from the decrease in proximity. I can smell the whiskey on his breath, and the lack of oral hygiene as well. That mixed with the sudden anxiety makes me nearly vomit.
"I paid good money for you, don't be a bitch and give me what I want" his voice is deeper than I expected, or maybe it's just the sudden change in demeanor. Either way his crass tone and malice words cause my mouth to go bone dry. My entire body shaking with nerves.
"That is not what we do in here" i try to reason as I attempt to remove his hands from my body, but he is far stronger than I. His fingertips pressing into my fleshy sides so harshly I can feel the skin bruising under his hold.
My words cause him to let out a malevolent cackle, heading thrown back. The sound makes me even more sick to my stomach, if at all possible.
"Oh, Blair. I know what you are, what you do. This isn't something you haven't done a million times before"
Tears spring to my eyes at his words, a lump forming in my chest. All though his venomous words are true, it is vastly different to me. When I work outside of the club I have complete say in whom I conduct business with, and it goes without saying he wouldn't even be a thought. I make the decisions. No one else. Shawn knew exactly what he was doing by setting this up, and that alone makes me feel beyond betrayed. He has no right over me to just attempt to pimp me out. I don't know in what world he thinks this makes up for leaving twenty minutes early , but to him he didn't have to have a sensible explanation. He just needed a reason.
He begins to grab at my panties, attempting to pull down the small fabric but having difficulty when I begin to squirm beneath him.
"No. I don't want to do this" I say as the tears begin to be harder to fight back.
I feel my chest getting hot, my nose burning with a sob that's fighting to break loose. My words don't halt his actions, rather just anger him slightly. He removes his hand from my hips and quickly repositions it around the base of my neck, weight heavy enough to hold me down and make it hard to breathe. This time he is successful in his efforts of removing my thong, hearing the fabric rip before he discards it.
"No. Stop" this time it comes out loud, ear shatteringly so. My throat burning from the force behind my words.
But he doesn't stop, he just continues to undress me. The tears finally breaking the barrier and coming down my face violently. I can't believe this is happening , not again. As much as I tried to tell myself I was a lot stronger now, I am slapped in the face with reality.
I am weak.
No matter how much I changed about myself I couldn't transform who I really am buried beneath it all. The weak girl who can't as much as defend herself.
Instead of attempting to fight him off any further I just go limp, accepting my unfortunate fate. Maybe if I just give him what he wants I'll at least make it out alive. I'm no fool. Not ignorant enough to ignore how dangerous it is for a girl like me to be in a position like this. He could kill me, and probably get away with it considering how much Shawn doesn't give a fuck about me.
I clasp my eyes shut tightly, trying my best to block out the world as I wait for him to just get it over with. But before he can do anything else I quickly feel his touch being ripped away from me. His large body falling to the ground with a thunderous boom.
***
"What the fuck" he curses loudly.
The commotion causing me to peel my eyes apart, my vision cloudy with unshed tears. Maybe Shawn came to his senses, and he's getting rid of the sleaze. I quickly sit upright, bringing my hands up to hold my unclipped bra into place. When I finally catch a glimpse of what's unfolding just a few feet from me, my entire body goes numb.
Noah towers over Derek, arms coming up and down with powerful melodic force. I can hear as Noah's tightly clenched fist connects harshly with his cheekbones. My mouth falls open at the sight. He isn't supposed to be anywhere near Vegas right now, and most certainly not at Crypt.
"Don't you EVER try to touch her like that again, you fucking creep" I know it's him who is speaking, but the tone he caries is something foreign to me. Voice low and menacing, like a growl from a wild animal. Each word punctuated by a guttural snarl that sends shivers down my spine. The anger in Noah's voice is palpable, radiating off of him in waves that make me want to shrink away. He's trying to get his point across with the sheer force of his voice, and by the way Derek curls into the fetal position on the floor it's clearly working.
He deliveries one last swift kick to his stomach before turning his attention to me. Our eyes locking as he walks over to where I'm perched, knees pulled to my nearly exposed chest. I want nothing more than to runaway, my cheeks getting hot with a nearly lethal amount of embarrassment. He doesn't so much as speak once he reaches me. Instead he simply pulls off his long black coat and assists me in feeding my limbs through. The sleeves swallowing my arms whole as it pools up around me from my sitting potions. I don't think I have the strength to move, at least not yet.
My nose is filled with his scent, the same smell I've known since we were kids. Reminding me of a life so far out of reach, it almost doesn't seem real. My mind flashing back to memories of us. The laughter we once shared so effortlessly, the inside jokes that no one else ever understood. His warm embrace that swept me in and kept me safe. He was to me like a cocoon is to a butterfly. I tried to forget the ache in my chest from the pain he caused me. Like a song that I had forgotten the melody to, but the words never once faded from my memory. It has stuck with me no matter how long I've gone without hearing the tune. I longed to go back to those days, but I know any hope of that is long gone. The overwhelming emotions causing my eyes to cloud with more tears, but this time I am unable to hold them back.
"Let's get you home" he speaks to me gently, wrapping an arm around me to assist in standing.
I don't argue with him over it, not having the strength to do so anyway. We don't bother to grab my belongings but instead just walk through the club as he holds me close. Existing without saying a word to anyone we pass, making our way to a black car parked out back. Opening the door and guiding me in, he secures the seatbelt around me before getting in on his own side and repeating the safety measures. Thankfully, he seems to remember how to get to my condo and I couldn't be more grateful for the fact in this very moment. Not having it in my to as much as speak. We sit in silence. My head leaning up against the cold window as I watch the busy city flash before me. I never thought it was possible to feel this badly again, but I was proven wrong.
A bitter reminder that I'll always be someone's victim. Tonight could have gone so much differently, but thankfully Noah's relentless pursuit to reach me paid off in my favor. I couldn't be more grateful for him, he has come in and saved me more times than I can count at this point. I'll be sure to show him my gratitude, but only when I can wrap my head around everything. I'm in no position to do much of anything at this moment. I just want to go home, crawl into my bed and cry for a few hours.
—-
I hope you all enjoyed! I'm working on the next few chapters as we speak!! Let me know your thoughts in the comments!!
-XXJ