SO UNEDITED!!!
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"Don't touch
Back up
I'm not the one
Buh bye
Listen up it's just not happening
You can say what you want to your boyfriends
Just let me have my fun tonight
Aiight"
- P!nk "U + Ur Hand"
***
“Are you sure?” Chey asked me as we sat on barstools in front of the bar.
I glanced over at the bartender, who was patiently waiting for me to respond to Chey on the fact that I turned her down for a drink. I looked back over at Chey and nodded, “Yeah, I think one of us needs to be a designated driver. I nominate myself.”
Chey gave me a pout, “Come on, just one drink. On me.”
I shook my head, “Need I remind you, of all people, about my drinking problem?”
Rolling her eyes, Chey smiled, “I think you don’t have that big of a problem because, honestly, I don’t think you are an alcoholic. You just drank and did drugs to draw attention to yourself. Deep down, you believed that if you parents noticed you, they would call Chad and he would come running back in you life.”
“Well, let’s not test your theory.”
Chey nodded, “Fine. But the offer for the drink will be on the table all night.” Looking over at the bartender, Chey gave a wide grin. “Gin and tonic.”
The bartender gave a single bob of his head and began to start making Chey her drink.
“So, speaking of Chad,” Chey proclaimed. “I think you need to make him jealous.”
I rolled my eyes, “Yes because that always works.”
“I’m tellin’ you, Girlie. When he comes to New York City, tell him you have a boyfriend. If he tells you that he doesn’t like the idea of you dating or shows signs of anger then you know he likes you and you can jump on that.” Chey winked at me, showing that she was suggesting things in the naughty area.
“He has already denied me the privilege to date in the past, Chey. He only does it because he care about me and doesn’t want to see me get hurt.”
“Well, then kiss him.”
“Kiss him?”
“One kiss,” Chey said as she paid for her drink that the bartender just gave her. “That is all you need to do. It will tell you if all you two have is a freaky father—daughter thing or a real thing, being love and all that jazz. Just kiss the damn boy or make him jealous.”
“Kissing him would be wrong, Chey.”
“Then see how he reacts with the whole boyfriend thing.”
“He will tell me to stop dating whomever it is. Might even hover over me for weeks to make sure I don’t go out with anyone.”
Chey smiled, “I think this boy is head over heels for you and has no idea what to do.”
“He is just looking after me.”
“No, he is keeping what is his from any other man. You are a grown woman, Allison. Tell him that you need to start settling down. Then explain you are in your prime years to find the man you are going to spend the rest of your life with. Yes, you have a many years to do this but you need to get yourself out there and date.”
“He won’t let that happen.”
Chey gave me a toothy smile. “If that is so, then he is jealous.”
Deciding that this was going nowhere, I asked a random question, “So, how did you hear about this place?” I asked Chey as I looked around the dark club that was eliminated by strobe lights.
“My best friend Paula told me about this place. What do you think?”
I shrugged my shoulders and was about to reply when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning around I came face to face with a very handsome man who looked to be about my age, if not just a few years older. His dark brown eyes bore into me as he released a pearly white smile.
“I’m Spencer,” he said in a flirtatious voice as he outreached his hand.
I smiled and shook his hand, “Allison.”
Spencer ran a hand through his blonde, curly, locks. “Nice to meet you, Allison. Can I buy you a drink?”
“I don’t drink — well, at least I am not going to tonight,” I informed him.
Spencer looked over his shoulders at a group of guys that were watching us with humored expressions. “Listen,” he said as he looked back over at me. “My friends over there said that I couldn’t get the hottest girl in this bar a drink and get her to dance with me. Please, help me prove them wrong.”
“Girl, you best hop on that, before I do,” Chey told me right before she took a drink of her Gin.
I looked over at Chey with a stern look to stay out of this. “Listen, Spencer, I really just came here to hang out with my friend here. I’m not wanting a drink or a dance. Most certainly, I do not want the one night stand you will generously offering me, no doubt, at the end of the night.”
Spencer looked taken back at first, but he soon recovered. “Okay...” With that being said he turned around and walked back over to his friends.
“That was a little harsh,” Chey said. “Way to let the guy down easy.”
“Well, now his ego is brought down a notch. Don’t worry, Chey, he will back on the hunt in no time.” I stated as I turned around and ordered a Coca-Cola.
Chey, looked at me before looking over her shoulders at Spencer.
“If you want him, go get him,” I told her with a smile, showing I was serious.
“No, like you said tonight is a night where you and I hang out,” Chey proclaimed as she focused back on me.
I rolled my eyes as the bartender gave me my drink, “I only told him that because he wasn’t going to leave me alone. I really don’t care if you go after him and leave me here. I am a grown woman ... I can keep myself entertained.”
Chey gave me an uncertain look, “Allison—”
“If you don’t go get him, I will tell everyone at work that you collect Barbie dolls.”
“I do not!” She exclaimed quickly with a gasp. “I have two Barbie dolls and only because they are collectibles! Hence why they are still in there packaged, unopened. I keep them at the top of my closet because one day I will sell them for a fortune.” She stopped talking and gulped down the rest of her drink. “I’m going, I’m going, I’m going.” With that being said she walked away from me and went over to Spencer.
I sat there, slightly bored, as I sipped on my coke. I’d no idea what to do because when I go to a bar I normally drink, dance and have a good time. However, I was not in the mood to drink due to that I didn’t really want to dance. Without drinking and dance, I wasn’t sure how I could have a good time.
Slight part of me was glad Chey went off to chase Spencer, because then she wouldn’t be here to see how much of a self pity party I was having. Then again, I really didn’t want to be alone in a moment like this.
My mind started to drift over to how much Colton was going to kill me when he finds out I am here. There is a certainty that he will cut of my ‘rewards’ for the next few week — maybe even months. Past that, it was all blurry about what he would do. I wasn’t very familiar with this Mr. Sharp persona. All I know is that everyone raves how ruthless he is, but his Colton side is clearly holding him when it comes to me.
My eyesight shifted over to the entrance doors as if me thinking about him would magically bring him racing through the doors looking for me with an angry look in his green eyes—
“Holy shit on wheat,” I stated as what I thought just mere seconds ago came to life.
Colton was here.
Colton was here ... in the club...
I slipped off my barstool and bent down as I attempted to walk out the back entrance that was on the other side of the bar to my left.
“Care to explain what exactly you are doing?” A voice said from beside me.
I tilted my head and to my surprise I saw, “Garrett?”
He smiled at me and nodded, “Hey, Allison.”
I glanced over to where I last saw Colton only to find that he was not there, which meant any minute now he was going to find me. “I have a perfect explanation for why I am bent over like the Hunchback of Notre Dame ... However, I really must go.”
“Let me guess, you are hiding from your boss — Mr. Sharp.”
“You saw him too?” I questioned, as the small hope that I was just dreaming of Colton’s presence went away.
Garrett nodded, “Yeah, I saw him a few seconds ago. He looked mad — you wouldn’t be the cause, would you?”
I tried not to express guiltiness as I answered, “No. Me? I’m a saint. But for real, I gotta—”
“Allison Snow! I know you are in here,” A voice boomed in the speakers as the music stopped playing.
I closed my eyes as I knew my death was approaching.
Garrett shook his head, “Miles,” Garrett said as he looked over at a guy that was standing next to him. “Make a scene. Distract Mr. Sharp — the man up there on the DJ stand.”
Miles nodded at him and disappeared in the crowd.
“Allison, come here. Now.” Colton demanded in a deep tone.
All the sudden, without warning a loud commotion came over the room and all I could hear was the sounds of people running and screaming.
Then suddenly the fire alarm went off and the sprinklers came on.
“Follow me,” Garrett instructed as grabbed my arm, lightly, stood me up right and lead me out the back exit.
“Thank you,” I muttered to him as we exited.
Garrett smiled, “You are welcome, but I would like you to tell me why Mr. Sharp was trying to get you.”
I sighed, “I’m not at liberty to tell you.”
“Let me throw a wild dart out there and say that you stole from him, so he keeps a tight leash on you. And by tight leash I mean you live in one of his basement rooms and he forces you to work with him. My guess is you escaped and now he is on the hunt for you.”
I looked at Garrett, utterly shocked that he got most of that right. “How — how — how did you know?”
“Being Garrett McCarter comes with it’s perks.”
“Let me throw my guess out there: you have a spy that is working in Mr. Sharp’s inner circle and he or she told you all that.”
Garrett looked at me with a wide grin as we stood outside the bar. “I’m not a liberty to say.”
His reply told me enough. “I’m not stupid, Garrett.”
“Never said you were ... So, I was right then.”
I nervously bit on my bottom lip, “It’s complicated but all in a nutshell — yes.” I knew I was not supposed to divulge this to Garrett — especially Colton’s number one enemy as of this moment, but I knew in some sense that I could trust Garrett.
Garrett stared at me for a minute before nodding, “I can help you.”
My eyes locked with Garrett’s brown orbs, “Oh yeah, and how can you do that?”
“I want to take The Four Leaf Clover gang down. I need someone else, on the inside. If you help me, I give you my word that you will never have to see Mr. Sharp’s face again.”
I sucked in a deep breath of air, “Tempting,” I stated as I took a step back, “but I can’t do that.”
Garrett raised an eyebrow at me, “Why not? I am offering freedom.”
“Do you plan to kill him?” I quickly asked.
Giving me an odd look, Garrett answered, “What is it to you if I do? He — Oh, wait don’t tell me you are in love with him.”
I shook my head, “I’m not in love with him.”
“You care about him?”
“Listen, Garrett, whatever you are planning please — please just don’t ... don’t hurt him. He is ... he is a good guy—”
“You are in love with him,” Garrett stated.
“No. I’m not in love with him. I just—"
“Care about him,” he stated, interrupting me once more.
I rolled my eyes and opened my mouth but my words didn’t come out the moment I heard my name being called from behind me. Turning around, slowly, I came face to face with Colton. “Uhhh, hey.”
Colton glared at me, “Hey? Do you have any idea how much trouble you are in, Allison?!”
I stepped toward him, “I’m sorry, but I have a good explanation.”
“Explanation? I don’t want to hear it, Allison! You disobeyed me! You went out and — did you drink?”
“What?! No.”
“Open your mouth,” Colton demanded as he stepped forward to stand an inch in front of me. Grabbing both my cheeks, he forced my mouth open.
I knew he was about to do the sniff check, which was this weird thing he did to see if he could smell liquor in my mouth. However, I pulled back, out of his grasp. “Just because I go out doesn’t mean I drink! Gosh, do you have to always do this?! I can be trusted!”
“Really?! I cannot tell! Damn, Allison! You never learn!”
“Wow, I get it now,” Garrett spoke up.
Both Colton and I looked over at him.
Colton stood up tall and straight, clearly just noticing Garrett. “What are you doing here?” Colton hissed.
Garrett ignored him and looked at me, “You love him...” Garrett looked over at Colton, “and you love her.”
My eyes went wide because I knew what this meant, Garrett was piecing it all together and while his definition of love wasn’t the same kind of love that we shared — it still showed we had a connection. For Colton to have a connection with anyone was — deadly in his business.
“What?!” I said loudly after a minute of Colton not saying anything and just staring at Garrett with a shocked expression. “Garrett, we are not in love. He is my boss — nothing more.”
Garrett glanced back in forth from Colton and I for a few minutes before shaking his head. “No, no, no, there is something else going on. I can sense it.”
Colton blinked a few times, wiping the shocked expression from his face. “She is nothing to me.”
His words stung, but I knew they must be said to crush the suspicion that Garrett had about us.
Garrett shrugged his shoulder, “If that is so, then sell her over to me.”
I gasped, “Sell? Ain’t no one sellin’ me! I am a human being!”
Colton didn’t even look at me as I talked for he was staring down Garrett. His look was so harsh that if looks could kill, Garrett would be a dead man. “She is not for sell.”
“Oh come on, I will triple what she stole from you and she can work off her initial debt with me,” Garrett proposed with a wide smile. “So, Mr. Sharp, do we have a deal? ... Or does she mean so much to you that you are unwilling to sell her over to me...”
Looking over at me, I could see it in his eyes — Colton was seriously debating on what he should do. It hurt me inside to know that he had no idea what to do.
“Just hand me over to him,” I whispered just loud enough for Colton to hear me. “It will be safer...”
“No,” Colton stated lowly. “No,” he said again but more firmly and louder. “She is not up for discussion.” Reaching out, Colton grabbed my arm and guided me down the back alley, to the front of the bar.
“Cole, do you realize what you just did?—”
“He knows I care about you even more now. But the fact is that he knew that before I said no to his proposal. If I handed you over to him he would have used you against me.”
“He wouldn’t have hurt me,” I stated as Colton led me the limo that Larry was standing outside of.
Colton glanced down at me, “He would have done anything to you — in order to get to me.”
I shook my head as we got in the limo. Once seated I turned to face Colton, “No, Garrett wouldn’t have hurt me.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because ... because ... he told me that.”
“When? Tonight?” Colton snorted, “You cannot believe a word that man says.”
“A year ago — he told me that a year ago.”
Colton looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. “A year ago?”
Nodding, I knew it was about to come out ... one of my big fat dirty secrets was about to be revealed ... and in a sense I was okay with that... “A year ago ... my parents found out I was into drugs and alcohol. They cut me off from my allowance. That made me desperate for money ... the only place that would hire me is Fragrant Peach—”
“Fragrant Peach?” Colton let the name settle with him before looking at me with wide eyes, “Oh fuck, Allison, you didn’t!”
I gave a frown, “If you are questioning if I became a stripper — then the answer is yes.”
Colton growled, “How could to lower your morals and values to such lengths?! I cannot believe you did that! What the fuck got into you Allison Snow?! How could you?!”
I knew he was angry — well, more like pissed off at me, as expected. “I wanted and needed fast cash. It was so easy to get money there and half the people that work at the club were high and addicts too. So, it wasn’t hard to get the job and keep it.”
Colton looked away from me. “I can’t believe you did that, Allison...”
“Well, I did and there is no changing the past ... Point of this was that one night a client went way — way — too far ... Garrett stumbled upon us and saved me...”
“Save you? Allison ... what happened?” Colton asked as he looked back at me.
I shook my head, “Nothing,” I lied.
“Tell me.”
“Why? So you can say ‘well, that is what you get for being a stripper’! I don’t want what happened to be rubbed in my face as a punishment for what I did as a profession...”
“I will not ask again, Allison. What happened!”
“I’m not going to tell you.”
Colton turned in his seat and reached over. Without so much as a warning, Colton grabbed my shoulders and pulled me to him. Within seconds I was engulfed in a bone crushing hug, “Why can you never just listen and do what I asked?” He questioned in a voice that showed he had given up.
I smiled, slightly, “Because that would make your job easy...”
Chuckling, he loosened his hold on me, but still kept me in his arms.
“When he saved me ... I was afraid of him. Mostly because he was a man and I figured for a while that what the man at Fragrant Peaches did to me could be done and would be done by any other man ... Garrett reassured me for about thirty minutes that he was not going to hurt me — ever.
“When he took me home,” I continued, “Garrett stated that he would get some of his friend to check up on me for the next few days. He lived up to his word but after a week they stopped checking up on me and I figured that he forgot about me. However when I saw him the other day in your office he recognized me ... His words still are engraved in my mind, Cole. He won’t hurt me..."
Colton, who was now rubbing circles in my back, sighed, “He might not have hurt you back then but the games have changed, Alice.”
My mind all but purred at him calling me Alice. “Changed?”
“He knows you mean something to me. My choice has no doubt made you a pawn in a deadly game.”
“Why didn’t you just give me up to him?” I questioned as I tilted my head up to look him in the eye.
Colton glanced down and locked eyes with me, “Because he knew before I told him yes or no to the deal that you meant something to me. He was going to use you either way and it is just better that you are with me so I can protect you then all in his control.”
I couldn’t help but smile because while a lot has changed over the years, Colton’s protectiveness of me hasn’t. “Cole?”
“Yeah?”
“Have you ever considered us more — uhhh ... have you ever thought about you and I—" my words fumbled and tripped over each other as I spoke.
He raised an eyebrow at me, “What is it?”
My eyes flickered to his lips and it was in that very moment that I thought one kiss — one kiss was all I needed to know if this was just a father—daughter thing or more.
However, as soon as the desire possessed me, I sat up and scooted a few inched away from Colton. “Nothing.”
“I know you are lying. What is it?”
My head turned and I looked at him.
No, Allison. He is nothing but a father figure. Don’t let Chey get in your head.
“You can’t fire Chey,” I blurted out. “I know that you were considering on firing her because of how angry you were that she brought me to the club but the truth is ... I begged her to bring me."
“Really?” He asked with disbelief.
“Yep ... I want to find ... I wanted find a guy.”
Colton’s eyes narrowed. “A guy?”
“Yeah. These are my prime years, Cole. I need to settle down and find the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with.”
Dear golly, I hope Chey is not making me make a fool of myself.
“You work for me, Allison. You don’t have time to date.”
“Are you denying me love?”
“I love you, isn’t that enough?”
My heart skipped a beat, but I pushed past his words. “Cole ... I am a girl. I need real love between a man and woman. Not the fatherly love you offer. I want a man, lover, husband and kids.”
Colton stiffed, “You cannot date.”
“Cole—”
“Mr. Sharp,” he corrected.
It was then I knew he was slipping into his serious demeanor. “You cannot deny me—”
“I can! You are not to date! You are not to even talk or think about another man!”
“Why? Why are you denying me this? I can still date and work for you—”
“No. Don’t argue with this.” He sternly stated as the limo came to a stop.
I sighed, “I will because I need intimacy, Cole. I am a woman. You can’t keep me bottled up for yourself, every father has to let go of his daughter—”
“I am not your father, Allison. I am your friend.”
“Correction, Mr. Sharp is my boss and Cole is my semi-friend.”
“Semi?” He asked as we got out of the limo.
“Yes, semi.” My eyes flickered over to where we were at to find that we had arrived at the condo that Colton first took me to when we came to New York City together.
“Yes, semi. He is still in there and allowing Mr. Sharp to treat me like a low grade slave. But really, Cole was never my friend,” I stated as we entered the condo building and walked over to the elevators.
Colton looked at me with a raised eyebrow.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
“I don’t have the time to go all the way back to the mansion. We are staying here tonight.”
“Do they have little dungeon rooms for me here?” I questioned as the elevator opened up and we stepped in.
“You can sleep in your previous room ... now, elaborate on why I was never your friend.”
“Because,” I said as I leaned against the elevator wall. “You were like a father figure to me.”
“A father figure? You really didn’t think that.”
“I do.”
“You do, as in you still do?"
I nodded, “When you show the Colton side of you — yes.”
With three steps Colton was right, smack dab, in front of me. He was so close I could feel the warmth of his breath on my face. “Please, tell me you are not serious.”
I bit my bottom lip, “Serious as cereal.”
Colton grabbed my left cheek with his right hand, “Alice, don’t think of me in that sense. I am your friend above else.”
“Mr. Sharp doesn’t think so.”
“Alice,” he spoke as the elevator doors opened. “I am your friend, not your father.” Letting go of my cheek, he walked out of the elevator, clearly expect me to follow.
“Well, as my friend you should be all supportive of my dating life. In fact, you should be graciously setting me up on dates.”
Colton turned around with a humored expression, “You are not dating.”
“Whatever you say, Daddy.”
The humored expression was wiped from his face, “Don’t call me that.”
“Let me date.”
“No.”
“Come on! I need to get out there! I am getting older by the second!”
“What you need to do is finish high school — don’t think I have forgotten about that — and work off this debt you owe me. A debt that will take your whole life to pay off. You have no time for dating.”
I felt myself hit rock bottom for I was really realizing that if Colton wasn’t going to allow me to date I might never fall in love, get married and have a family.
“You cannot deny me this, Colton!”
“Deny you?”
“Love! Marriage! Kids! I am a woman for ding dong sakes! I want all that! No, not this moment or even this year! But I do want that at some point, Cole! You can’t keep me from that!”
Colton looked me dead in the eye, “You are not to date. End of discussion.”
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A/N:
So sorry I haven't updated! I have started college and been knee deep in work! But I hope this extra long chapter has made up for my action (or lack there of)!
Well, I have to know: what do you guys think?
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