Video: Once Upon A Dream by Lana Del Rey
I hope you all enjoy this special chapter. Don't forget to vote and comment to let me know what you think. : 0 )
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(Bonus Chapter)
Hurt Feeling
Eden stormed from the hallway and entered the darkened theater. Relief flooded over her. The dancers on stage held the audience's attention long enough for her to scan the room for Diamond.
To her surprise, Eden found her fairly quickly. Sat perched in the lap of a client and laughing at the comical chaos on stage, she watched Diamond's hand run over the older man's arm before playfully throwing her head back to laugh at something whispered in her ear.
Eden waved at her, trying to pull Diamond's attention her way. It worked. She excused herself from the man's lap and headed Eden's way with a look of utter bewilderment on her face.
As her friend neared, the tears Eden had been holding at bay welled up and slipped from her eyes. She was beginning to fall apart. The darkness pressed down on her, making her feel as though she were about to suffocate. She couldn't steady her breathing.
Don't do this here. Eden willed herself to take a lungful of air.
"Girl you best pull yourself together." Diamond yanked her towards the nearest bathroom. When the pair were safely inside, she turned on Eden. "What's wrong with you? There's no cryin' in dancin'." Diamond checked each stall for any lingering guests as Eden stood red faced and frozen.
Eden leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Breathe damn it. Her lungs were a pit of fire. All she could manage were little gasps of air.
"Are you about to start your period or somethin'? You've been extra needy and emotional all damn day." Diamond continued her rant.
When Eden opened her eyes, she caught Diamond's gaze dropping to her wet outfit.
"What the fuck happened to you?" The anger had morphed into worry as she rushed towards the bathroom door to lock it. "We don't need these hoes walkin' in here to see your ass fallin' apart like this."
All Eden could do was cover her mouth with shaking hands and release her pent-up emotion. She couldn't take it anymore, the hurt, the humiliation of what just happened in room six and of how Declan treated her after she kissed him. It was all too much for her to bare.
"Why are you all wet?" Diamond asked.
This only brought another gut retching sob from Eden. I can't breathe! Was all Eden could think between little gasps of air that did nothing but fan the flames inside her. She grabbed at her corset, trying like mad to pull it off as she struggled to suck in another short breath.
Diamond gathered Eden in her arms, like a mother would her child. "It's okay. It's okay. Everythin' will be alright." She cooed. "You're gonna start hyperventilatin' and I ain't about to do CPR so you gotta breathe bitch."
"I-" Eden sobbed. "can't!" But Eden knew if she could talk then she could breathe only the feel of not being able to breathe consumed her.
"It's okay." Diamond held onto her until Eden took a deep shuddering breath and started to calm down. The pair stood for what seemed to be an eternity to Eden before Diamond asked, "Are we good?"
Eden just leaned her head against Diamond's shoulder and hugged her that much closer. "Thank you." She mumbled.
"Now what was that all about?"
Eden brought her hands to her heated cheeks, cooling them. "How do you do it, Dee?"
"I don't think I'm following. Do what?" Diamond hopped up onto the bathroom countertop and passed Eden some paper towels.
"Deal with rejection."
Diamond laughed. "Thanks."
"I'm serious." Eden dabbed the paper towel over her damp cheeks. "I don't get it. He begged Harvey for a private and got what-"
"Wait, wait, wait." Diamond rushed out, her eyes large with excitement. "You went through with it?"
Eden nodded, blowing her nose into the paper towel. She crumpled the used sheet and tossed it into the trash. "I've never been this humiliated!"
Diamond passed her another paper towel. "No more tears. Got that? These hoe's will smell it on you and use it to their advantage."
Eden took another deep, shaky breath and fanned her eyes to rid herself of the tears. "God, Dee, he was such an asshole."
There came a knock at the door. The two stopped talking. Then another knock, this time louder, followed by a rapid pounding. A muffled voice from the other side told them to unlock the door.
"Hold that thought." Diamond went to open the door. When it was just another dancer looking to fix her make-up, she blocked the entrance. "Bitch, we closed."
"But I-"
"Do I look like I give a shit? Go use the men's room and get outta my face with that ugly mug of yours." Diamond slammed the door and relocked it before hopping back onto the counter. "So, continue." She said with a laugh.
"He's the worst."
"Well get used to it. I deal with assholes on the daily." Diamond said. "Come here and stop cryin' already." She motioned Eden forward. "You're fuckin' up your make up even more than it already was." Her laughter lightened Eden's mood. "Now, are you gonna tell me why you're all wet?"
"Oh God." Eden groaned at the damp strip of fabric between her thighs. When she turned to the side there was an even bigger patch covering her ass. "He said I must be a squirter or a gusher or whatever the fuck it was called, I don't know."
"Well, are you?" The question made Eden blush.
"It never happened before. This is so embarrassing, Dee. How am I supposed to walk out of here like this?" She motioned to the wet bottoms.
Diamond slammed her palm against the automated hand drier next to the sink. "Put your crotch under here, it'll dry faster."
"Very funny."
"Girl, that ain't nothin' to be embarrassed about." Diamond laughed. "Some guys pay extra for that."
"They do?"
"Hell, yeah they do! You should talk to Kayla. She blows like Old Faithful and her guys love it."
Eden made a face.
"Look at you kink shamin' people. That bitch gets a hundred bucks to masturbate. No sex. No head. She don't have to do nothin' but get off and get paid. Talk about a win, win."
"Do you do it?"
"Nah. But I'd be makin' bank if I did!" Diamond pretended to rub herself, thrusting her hips out. "With a squirt, squirt here and a squirt, squirt there. Here a squirt. There a squirt. Everywhere a squirt, squirt."
They both burst out laughing and now Eden's tears were from not being able to stop. She wiped at her cheeks with her fingertips, spreading her mascara.
"You're just makin' it worse. Come over here."
Eden went to her. "But why do it if they're just going to treat you like shit?"
"It's easy money." Diamond grabbed another paper towel and ran it under the faucet to dampen it. "Money changes people, Eden. You of all people should know that."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Bitch don't look at me like I just said somethin' stupid. Do ya think for a second your ass would still be here, dancin' every night, if you had their kind of money?" She ran the cold cloth over Eden's heated cheeks.
"Maybe." Eden spoke truthfully. "I don't know. I mean, I love dancing. I just don't like being so physical with the guys and I don't like them touching me."
"Nah, bitch. You wouldn't be here any more than I would, so stop kiddin' yourself with that shit." Diamond turned to dip another paper towel under the faucet before going back to Eden's face. "You'd be out gettin' your nails done, dressed in your fancy name brand clothes, with a Carmel Frappuccino in hand just like every other basic ass white bitch. Stop playin'." Her tone was sarcastic, but Eden couldn't help but laugh. "Hell, with their kind of money you could open your own dance studio. You ever think of that?"
"No."
"Look, at the end of the night you don't belong here with us."
Eden stopped Diamond's hand and opened her eyes. "What?"
"Girl, don't take it like that. You are too good for this place." Diamond fished a gold-plated tube of lips stick from her corset and Eden was left frowning, wondering what else she had hidden in there. "Do you want fresh lips or not?" Diamond cocked an eyebrow.
"I'm no better than anyone here." Eden answered before Diamond ran the red lipstick over Eden's bottom lip.
Diamond rolled her eyes. "This place isn't as great as you think, Eden. I've seen worse, but the only difference is the clientele's income. This place is littered with closet drug dealers and prostitutes, just like all the rest. It's time to open your damn eyes and see Harvey's for what it really is. You ain't gonna get nothin' here but a drug problem, an STD, or knocked up."
Eden huffed out a lungful of air. "I just want to entertain a crowd."
"Yeah?" Diamond started. "Well I want to be the Queen of mother fuckin' England, but I don't see that happing any time soon so we gotta deal with what we got. Are you ready to do more private dances to stay in the spotlight 'cuz Harvey's ass is gonna make you do more."
"Oh God no!" Eden's eyes widen. "You should see the men back there. I saw one girl going back with a guy who looked to be at least 80."
"Did she have short brown hair and big brown eyes with a nasty looking pinto bean mole on her lip?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Bitch that's Carly!" Diamond burst out laughing. She recapped the tube of lipstick and shoved it back into her ample cleavage. "That heifer loves the old fucks. Her sole mission in life is to become the next Anna Nicole Smith and marry money. She sucks and fucks a few dicks a night and jiggles some wrinkly balls now and then to get it." She paused and laughed even harder. "Who am I kiddin' that bitch's cunt must be the size of a well by now."
"Really?" Eden smoothed her hair back.
"Damn, you seriously live under a rock. I swear yo ass is so naive." Diamond jumped off the counter and turned towards the mirror to fix her makeup. She started humming a little tune.
"I ain't sayin' she's a gold digger-" She rapped Kanye West's famous lyrics and did a little dance over to the bathroom door and back to Eden. "But she ain't messing with no broke niggas!"
"Think she'll bag a rich guy?" Eden remembered Carly walking towards the hallway with the Crypt Keeper.
"Nah." Diamond waved Eden off. "Those rich fucks are startin' to catch on to these hoes. But that bitch deserves the hoe of the year award for her dedication to dick."
"Oh god!" Eden crossed her legs and howled with laughter. "You're gonna make me piss myself." She leaned forward, trying to catch her breath.
"And the award for most cum shots taken to the face goes to-"
"Stop!" Eden leaned against the counter fanning her eyes. "I'm going to have to redo my make up again."
"So, you ready to tell me what Declan did to you?" Diamond's question stopped Eden's laughter.
"He didn't do anything." Eden sighed. "I did all the tricks you taught-"
"You didn't fall on your face, did you?"
"No. I think I pulled it all off. He just," Eden tried to sum up his behavior. "didn't seem interested. It was almost like he was turned off by it."
"Did you make that booty clap?" Diamond thrust her hips back to demonstrate her signature move. "Men can never resist the booty clap."
Eden's gaze drifted down her reflection in the mirror and landed on her backside. "Have you seen me try to twerk?" she tried to mimic Diamond's movements and dissolved into fits of laughter when she failed to look like anything other than a fish out of water.
"Yeah... you should never do that again." Diamond joked.
"Hey!"
"I'm just bein' honest." Diamond switched back to the main conversation and the reason why they were in the bathroom. "What else did you do?"
"I ended up giving him a lap dance and, well-" Eden looked at her wet bottoms. "He kind of you know-" she motioned with her hand. "touched me. Then I kissed him." Her cheeks flushed under Diamond's lingering glare.
"Girl," Diamond leaned her head back and sighed. "You went from zero to sixty in 2.5 seconds." When she looked back at Eden, she raised an eyebrow. "Was he a good kisser at least?"
"Yeah he was." Eden couldn't help her lips from curling up into a wide grin. "But he's still an asshole."
"Why?"
"When we kissed, I thought he wanted it." Eden frowned, trying to remember all the possible signals he had sent her. "He kept leaning into me like he wanted to kiss me, but he was holding back. So, I went for it and kissed him. That's when everything went to shit. I don't know how to explain it. It was like he woke up and finally saw me there or something. It was weird. Then he told me he changed his mind and wanted me to get you for him instead."
"He what?" Diamond didn't try to hide the look of shock on her face.
"His exact words were, 'I think she would be better suited for my needs.'" Eden mimicked Declan's tone.
"Damn, that's kind of hot. When I talked to him, he wouldn't shut up about you."
Eden shrugged. "I guess he thinks I'm not worth it after all."
"Well, lead the way and let's go find out what his problem is." The side of Diamond's mouth lifted. "Maybe he's a freak and wants a little chocolate and vanilla action."
"What?"
"Eden," Diamond unlocked the bathroom door. "do yourself a favor and crawl out from under that rock every now and then."
"Oh please, like you've been with a girl."
"I'll have you know that my first kiss was with one." Diamond grabbed Eden's hand and winked at her. "You never forget your firsts."
"I don't know if I could go through with that."
Diamond stopped. "Do you trust me?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"When we go into that room, his desires need to become a reality." Diamond moved some hair out of Eden's face, her joking manner had disappeared. "You're gonna walk back in there, wet panties and all, and make it happen. Got it?"
Eden nodded.
"You follow through with whatever he wants and no more tears." Diamond laced her fingers with Eden's. "If it's somethin' you ain't comfortable with then suck it up and do it anyway. Think of the money. It will help you get through it. If he goes to Harvey, your ass is on the line. You'll be doing back up numbers for months, if he doesn't cut you all together for costing him money."
"He wouldn't do that to me."
"He's done it to plenty of girls. Remember Heather?"
"Blonde Heather?"
"Yeah. Harvey cut her the same night she wouldn't let her client fuck her up the ass. She marked it as one of her services and didn't fulfil his request."
"What did Harvey do?"
"He told her ass to go back in there and do it or she could leave. So, she took her shit and left." Diamond shrugged. "He isn't as nice as he seems, Eden. Fuck with his money and you'll get the same treatment."
"You're not making me feel any better."
"I'll make a deal with you. If Declan wants to do somthin' you don't like tell me and I'll do my best to change his mind or offer myself in your place. Got it? But if he insists you have to go through with it, okay?"
"Fine."
And with that Diamond led her back to room 6.
Words: 2,821
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