TW: Violence
"I know you didn't sit here and wait the whole time." I said to Logan, approaching his car.
He grinned, opening the passenger door for me. "I ran an errand then went to Chick Fil A to get us breakfast, but other than that, yeah."
I'd just finished my English final. It was pretty simple; we only had to give a presentation on writings from the genre of our choice. We also had to submit a creative writing assignment that I'd turned in the night before. The exam block was two hours long and had started at 7:45am, so for Logan to come pick me up after staying up with me to help me practice my presentation, was unexpected.
"Aw, you didn't have to do that." I moved to press a kiss on his cheek, but he turned his head so that our lips met. What was meant to be a small peck morphed into a deep kiss. I felt my cheeks flush when he pressed one on my forehead.
"I wanted to."
I started to reach for the bag, but he stopped me. "No ma'am, you know what day it is."
"Logan, no... I just got out of an exam!" I groaned.
"Too bad. You told me you wanted to lift more consistently. You can eat after a short workout."
I pouted. I'd mentioned casually one time that I wanted to be more active in the gym, because I wanted to up my pole work. This resulted in Logan actively carving time out of his schedule to drag me to the gym.
He was committed too. We went on the mornings I wasn't at the club the night before. If we weren't spending the night together, he would spam my phone to make sure I woke up. It was both annoying and endearing.
We arrived in front of the gym. "I didn't bring any workout clothes."
Logan gestured towards the backseat. I glanced behind me to see a pair of black spandex and a gray sports bra were folded up beside my favorite pair of Nike's.
"I didn't leave those at your crib." I noted.
"Evelyn let me in." I huffed at that. Logan had gotten Imani, Evelyn, and Trinity's numbers one night when he came over to watch a movie with us. He got along extremely well with my friends, including Karin and Eyoel. Chloe and Val were so jealous-- they haven't spoken to any of us since.
Once we checked in at the gym lobby, I went into the women's room to change. I braided my hair then tied Logan's bandana over top of it. I looked at myself in the mirror. The spandex looked as if they were painted on my hips, hugging my body nicely. I pulled them above my belly button piercing and adjusted my bra strap. Still pretty.
As I walked out of the bathroom to meet Logan, I noticed two guys do a double take at me. "Is it too much?" I asked him, gesturing at my clothes.
"Uh, no?" Logan gave me a confused look. "Why, are you uncomfortable? I can get a hoodie out my car if--"
"No, I'm fine. I just wanted to make sure you were comfortable."
"Why wouldn't I be? I would never control what you wear."
I shrugged. "I know, but... nothing."
Logan stared at me for a beat longer, exhaling heavily through his nose. He then turned me around and sent a light smack to my ass. "Come on."
We spent the next hour going through various workouts. I couldn't deny Logan was a great trainer. It was never the exercises themselves that I hated; it was going to the gym itself. But Logan never made me feel uncomfortable or stupid. It was nice bonding time.
"Honey, if you're having desires just say that." I joked, as my boyfriend settled himself behind me to adjust my squat position.
He chuckled. "Don't put that in my head, or you'll feel something for real."
A smile played on my lips as I followed his instructions and completed reps. He then had me cool down with various stretches to maintain my flexibility.
"You did great today." Logan complimented, lacing our fingers together. We were walking out of the gym to his car. The cold air felt nice against my sweaty skin.
"Well, I have a decent teacher." I cheekily replied. "Oh babe, can you stop me by my dorm? I need to get my pleasers."
"Your pink ones are still at my place."
"First off, they're rose gold," he rolled his eyes with a smile at that, "second, I wanna wear my silver ones."
"Oh, the ones with the glitter and fringe?" When I nodded, Logan sighed. "Dang, those are my favorite."
"You know you're not banned, hon. We just can't have private sessions for a while."
"Yeah, but after the first time I went with some of my teammates, I only started going for you. Now it's just weird to go and barely see you."
Logan had only been to the club once since Rome had called me out for not doing my job. I spent almost two weeks solely doing pole work, with no floor time at all, so the amount I made was noticeably less than usual. I'd heard through the grapevine that Peaches and a few of the other girls were trying to get Logan to agree to private sessions with them, or at the very least were just touching him a lot.
I knew I couldn't get mad, because at the end of the day we have a job to do. Seduction is a huge part of it. I just didn't like how uncomfortable they made my boyfriend. It never bothered me when club goers would tell me they weren't interested; there was always another willing customer. One no was all it took for me to move on to the next— sometimes they just want you to beg. For those old bitches to not accept a simple rejection and make my man feel out of place pissed me off. Everybody deserved the right to say no.
"I heard some of the girls wouldn't leave you alone. You want me to beat them up?"
"Deja, please don't." He laughed loudly at that. We then pulled up to my residence hall. He got out and walked around to open the car door for me. "So... anything special coming up you wanna talk about?"
"Huh? No?"
"Are you sure?" I glanced at him to see his expression was blank, as if he were actively trying to keep a poker face.
I keyed us into the building and we walked to the elevator. "I'm sure... is there something I should talk about?"
"Not if you don't think so, but have you thought anymore about the cabin trip?"
The transition was so smooth, I thought that's what he'd been referring to from the beginning. "Oh... yeah. I'm down to go."
"Really?" His face immediately brightened. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm forcing you."
Once we reached the third floor, we walked the short distance to my suite. It'd been so long since I'd properly spent time in there, I nearly forgot my passcode.
"You're not forcing me." I noted, opening the door to the quiet room. Chloe and Valerie's room door was open, and I glanced in to see an RA inspecting the seemingly vacant space.
My room door was open, and I walked in to see Trinity rapidly writing something on a sheet of paper. She looked up and smiled.
"Hey roomie. Roomie's boyfriend. Back from the gym already?"
"Yeah, I'm gonna feel this by the end of the day." I sighed, then nodded down the hall. "Chloe and Val left already?"
"Mhm, good riddance. They'll be back early, though. They're gonna rush in January."
"Oh God, I hope they get in and move to Oak Lane. They've been so passive aggressive recently."
"Well you know why." She sent a knowing grin to Logan, before asking, "how'd your presentation go?"
I walked into my closet to strip out of my workout attire. "It was slight. My professor complimented me afterwards, so I think I aced it. You have your O Chem one soon, right?"
"O Chem?" I heard Logan ask. "I give you props. I never would've been able to pass that."
"I'm literally fighting for my life. I've been cramming everything I possibly could onto this paper, since that's all we're allowed to have."
"You're gonna be fine!" I called to her. Trinity was extremely good at all things STEM. People were always calling her or coming to our suite to get her help.
I slipped on a robe and grabbed my bathroom products. I walked out the closet. "Babe, sorry but I need to shower, like, now. I feel gross."
"You're good. I'll just chill in the living room, since Trinity is--"
"Oh no, you're fine in here!" My roommate dismissed. "I'm basically done, and I have a few more hours till my exam."
Logan settled himself on my bed, kicking off his shoes. I smiled in satisfaction at how comfortable he seemed. "I'll be quick."
As I walked out of the room towards our bathroom, I barely acknowledged Logan's next words to Trinity. "Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about..."
****************
"You sure you can't give my boy a free lap dance? He's about to tie the knot!"
The groom-to-be nodded drunkenly. "And she doesn't look nearly as good as you."
I plastered a smile on my face, hoping his fiancée was out somewhere getting dicked down by a man at least 6'0. "I'm sorry, hon. I can get you a bottle discounted, though."
"I only want you, mama." He and his ravenous friends seemed to fight over who could touch me the most. On the outside, I gave off the illusion of being interested, but my vision darkened slightly. There were so many hands, I felt as if I were being pulled down into a suffocating hole. I took a deep breath, forcing my mind to focus on the way Logan's hold always made me feel safe. How his hazel eyes always looked at me with care and adoration. A sense of clarity overcame me, and I began to feel better.
"Let's just take a drink together." I waved one of the bottle girls over and the men ended up ordering two bottles of champagne and few tequila shots. She gave me a curious look, and I nodded. Tony didn't like for me to drink, but money would definitely make him look the other way.
I took a shot and chased it with a cup of the champagne, encouraging the men to drink even more. Admittedly, I felt a little better with the alcohol surging through my system. I sat in between the groom and his best man, who told me his name was Zac. The groom's name was Larry.
"Well, if you're not gonna go for it, Larry, I will." Zac said, handing me a few folded up twenties. He pulled me towards him, and I sat myself on top of him. I slowly ground my body against his, as he gripped my hips.
At least he was cuter than fucking Larry.
The group of men catcalled and stuffed money in my bodysuit, while Zac gave me a seductive smile. It was clear this wasn't his first time, in contrary to the groom who stared with hungry eyes.
"Fuck it, my turn." I moved to sit on top of Larry. His hands immediately groped my body, and I tensed. They were rough and clammy against my skin, making me want to gag. He was clearly having the time of his life, though, because his card kept swiping and cash continued to be thrown in my direction. I knew Tony was going to be very happy with me.
I eventually left them to tend to other customers. The night continued on, and I had to consistently go back to the dressing room to put cash in my bag because of how much I was getting. It was nights like this that made me less resentful of missing college experiences on the weekends.
"Ugh, I'm ready to sleep!" India exhaled, as we walked back into dressing room. The night was finally over, and all the girls were understandably relieved. While Saturdays always brought in a lot of money, they also meant longer nights. I just wanted to go back to Blacksburg to cuddle in bed with Logan.
"I wish I was getting sleep." One of the girls, Ginger, quipped, "my mom's got an early shift in the morning, so I gotta pick up my daughter before she goes in."
"Star missed out on a nice ass bag tonight," Lauren, another dancer, said. "She had class until eight and was too tired to come."
"Oh please. Jade had a whole final this morning and still came last night and tonight." India scoffed.
I wiped the last of my makeup off and tied my silk press up into a ponytail. "Y'all know the money always comes first."
"Even before your man?" Peaches asked.
I pulled Logan's hoodie over my chest. "Y'know, speaking of my man-- don't ever fix your geriatric ass fingers to touch him without his consent."
"Oh honey, don't be so sensitive." She rolled her eyes. "I was doing my job."
I glared at her. " When he tells you no, that's it. If I ever hear about you doing some disrespectful ass shit like that again, I swear to God you can see about me."
Surprised silence flowed through the group, while India laughed loudly. I never got involved in any conflicts with the girls, because I didn't care enough. But hearing that bitch speak about Logan after trying to take away his right to choose caused something unpleasant to stir up inside of me.
Before the matter could be pushed, I grabbed my belongings and walked out. I met Tony and DJ Yuri to give them their cuts of my night's earnings, then placed the rest inside my duffel bag. I suddenly felt the weight of the night's events on my body. I was more than ready to sleep.
I was texting Logan while walking to my car, when I heard someone call out to me.
"Jade!"
I immediately increased my stride. This wasn't the first time customers stuck around to try and chat with some of us afterwards, but I wasn't in the mood to be nice.
Unfortunately, heavy footsteps caught up to me, and I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to see Larry grinning widely.
"Uhm... hey?"
"I just wanted to say you made my bachelor's party insanely awesome." He started. "Best night of my life!"
"Aw that's sweet; I'm happy to have helped. Have a good--"
"Honestly, I've never been with a... you know... African American woman, but I've always wanted to."
I took a step back, glancing towards my car. "Oh, that's not--"
"Not to be racist, I swear! I just... tonight with you was so great, and now I'm rethinking tomorrow."
"No, don't do that." I exhaled. Here we go. "Honestly, I was just doing my job, and I'm sure you and your fiancée are a match made in heaven."
"B-but, I thought we had a connection." Larry's expression turned from excited to confused. I fought to mask my exasperation. Why were some people so painfully delusional?
"I'm sorry I made you feel that way, but respectfully I'm not interested. I also have a boyfriend, so... have a good night."
I turned around to go to my car again, only to be harshly grabbed. "You fucking bitch! I just called off my wedding for you!"
"Whoa, whoa, Larry!" I vaguely heard some of his groomsmen yelling in surprise.
"Let go of her!" India screamed, before telling Star to find Tony.
"You're drunk, man," I calmly said, despite the way my heart seemed to stop beating, "you can still fix things. Just call your fiancee and tell her it was nerves and alcohol. You didn't mean it. It's fine, but you need to let me go."
"You think I'm gonna let a fucking slut tell me what to do?" I staggered backwards as he shoved me. He then grabbed me by my arm again and began to shake me. "You don't deserve for anyone to love you! Your boyfriend must not know what you do... unless you mean your pimp."
I found myself mentally shutting down. I just wanted to go home. Larry continued his monologue about how worthless I was. It was all going in one ear and out the other, much to his displeasure.
"You're too old to be this insecure." I mumbled, wiping some of his spit off of my chin.
"You fucking cun--" I barely processed what happened until I made impact with my car before my body collapsed onto the hard ground. My cheek burned from the harshness of his palm. My ears were ringing loudly, and my vision felt blurry. Time seemed to move slowly, but I comprehended nothing. I didn't hear the way more yelling arose, or see the way Rome was suddenly landing punch after punch against Larry's face. India and Tony were instantly by my side, examining my body and asking if I was okay.
"We're sorry!" Zac's voice sounded miles away. "W-we knew he wanted to talk to her, but we didn't think he'd do that."
"One thing I'll never allow is for my girls to be disrespected. Get him the fuck out of here and don't come back or I'll kill him." Rome growled.
I felt cold and exposed. I saw myself back in that bedroom, as hungry and possessive eyes bore into me. That feeling of helplessness surged through me-- something I hadn't felt since I was 17. This was my fault.