“Yeah. I’ll wait,” she says as I get out of the car.
I want to get this over with. I hate this place and it’s been in my life for way too long. For years I’d sit in the back with all the girls keeping an eye on me between dances. It gave me a messed-up view of men.
I’d learned to stay away from them, yet here I am toying with one. I loathe that men here think they can buy women, but when Rogue said it, my whole body lit up. I think something deep inside of me wants to be owned by the grumpy giant. To think that I could somehow tame the beast is a crazy thought, and I need to come back to reality.
I pull open the side door, and thankfully it’s too early for the place to be busy yet. A couple of men sit in front of the stage and watch the only girl that’s on the floor right now.
“Ember.” I turn at the sound of my name to see Lawrence sitting at the bar.
“Hey.” I walk over toward him. “I’m meeting my mom.” He picks up his radio and calls back for her.
“I heard you got a job at the casino.”
“Yeah. I’m serving drinks on the floor.”
He lets out a whistle. “I’ve seen those girls' outfits. Doesn't leave much to the imagination.”
I shake my head, smiling. I already know where this is going. “They aren't that bad.”
“If you’re going to do that, you might as well work here. You could make triple the money.”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m good.”
“Come on. A girl like you would bring in a whole different crowd.”
I try not to cringe because I'm sure he’s talking about men who like thick girls. Chubby chasers? I hate the labels.
“She needs to lose a little weight first, but I could never get her to diet.” I turn my head to see my mom standing there. She towers over me in her heels, and not for the first time I wonder how we're related. I’m short, she’s tall; I’m thick, and she’s a rail. I could do this all day.
“Don’t be a bitch, Tina.” Lawrence stands up for me, but her comments just roll off my back. It’s been years of just ignoring them.
“What? I’m being helpful. I’m her mother, I should tell her these things.” She purses her lips.
“I’m not taking my clothes off for money.”
Liar, my mind sneers. I pull the money out and hand it to my mom. She snatches it from me quickly, and Lawrence shakes his head.
“Don’t come in here on your high horse. My stripping kept a roof over your head for years.”
How do either of them not see how weird it is for a mother and daughter to work at the same strip club? Though she doesn't look like my mom, she’s still pretty even though she used to be gorgeous. Too many years of using drugs and the one resource she uses to make money is drying up.
“I need to get back to work.” She pulls me in for an awkward hug before she walks off without a goodbye.
“You gotta stop coming here,” Lawrence says.
“I know,” I sigh.
“See you later, kid.”
I smile before going back outside to the waiting car. I haven't even started my shift, and I’m already tired. I don’t know how she does it, but she can drain the energy right out of me.
By the time I make it to the casino, I’ve pushed all thoughts of her away. I have my own stuff to worry about, and I’ve still got to meet with Neil. I have a bad feeling about this. I knew the look in his eyes because I’ve seen it in some of my mom's boyfriends.
I head to my locker and take my coat off before changing into my heels. My calves burn from the workout I did earlier. It wasn’t much, but it almost killed me. I know Rogue told me not to, but for some reason that made me want to do it even more. There I go playing with danger.
My mood starts to change thinking about him, and I wonder when he’ll get here. Will it be later in my shift, or could he want to see me so badly that he’s here first thing? I’m still surprised he tracked me down and it wasn't for the money. It should’ve bothered me that he came to my home, but it hadn’t. All I felt was excitement and a thrill. God, maybe my mother and I have something in common after all.
I don’t know what this is I feel for Rogue, but I want to find out. What if he asks me to go home with him tonight? Why not? I never do anything like this, and I can have one wild night to see where this goes. Right?
Neil calls my name, breaking me from my wonderful thoughts, and my stomach drops. I turn around to see him standing in the doorway of his office. “Change of plans. Come see me after your shift.”
Before I can tell him I have plans, he’s already shutting his office door. Gah. I hate that man.
Chapter Eight
Rogue
I roll the chip over my knuckles back and forth while I wait. I don’t like waiting, but I seem to be doing a lot of that for Ember. She’s worth it, my mind whispers, and I can’t disagree.
Finally, the doors to the poker room open, and she walks in, carrying her drink tray and wearing that same goddamn uniform as last night. Only this time she’s got on the corset with a different black skirt. This one is fluffy like a tutu and her fishnets have been swapped for garters. Her skirt is so short I can see where the tights clasp to the garters and the little pink bows on the back of them make me drop my poker chip.
“Fuck.”
Her eyes widen in surprise, not at me but at the empty room. “What did you do?”
I stand up and walk toward her to where she’s rooted to the spot. “I called to book a private room again, and your manager told me they were all booked.”
“I bet he did.” When she smiles, her rosy cheeks are rounder, and it makes her look so fucking innocent. “So the next step was to…?”
“Buy out the poker room.” I shrug like it’s not a big deal when in fact the manager had thrown a tantrum when I went over his head.
“Rogue, there must be twenty tables in here.”
“Thirty-five.”
“I don’t even want to know how much that cost.” She looks around the room and then back to me. “So you’re the only one in here tonight?”
I nod over to the dealers by the bar talking to one another. “They come with the room, as do you.”
“There are rules about what I can do while I’m on duty.” Her eyes roam over my suit, and I smooth my tie down, hoping she likes what she sees.
“I spent a good hour being briefed on that.”
“Tell me what you’ve learned.” She walks past me, and I turn to look at her big beautiful ass making that tutu wiggle.
“You’re allowed breaks to sit down and rest.” She nods as she peeks over her shoulder. “You aren’t allowed to gamble or drink.” She nods again as she goes over to where I was sitting. “You’re not allowed to touch me.”
“Bingo.” She winks as she places her tray on the poker table and turns to face me. “So you’ve rented out this whole room to have me all to yourself, and you can’t lay a finger on me.” She nibbles on her lip. “Are you disappointed?”
“Yes.” Her brows draw together as I shove my hands in my pockets. “I don’t like being told what I can and can’t do. Especially when it comes to something I want.”