Tomi.
That’s a weird sort of biker name.
“Does he control what happens around here?”
He walks me down the hall and over to the bar. Thankfully we don’t pass anyone and I get an extra minute to get my head straight.
“He’s patched in already and takes care of this place. Well, him and Rue but Rue would rather stick a fucking fork in his eyeballs then walk his ass in here. Coupla the girls are after him, makes it hard to come here without being fucking mauled.”
We stop at the bar to finish watching one of the other girls finish her dance. She’s really good at grinding and twirling around but she’s not a dancer. You can tell by the way she holds herself and that she’s just a little unsure on the platform stilettos covered in glitter and feathers.
My routine is going to wipe the floor with her.
Her ass is better than mine though.
“Is she one of them? I can’t imagine a guy saying no to her… not unless she’s an asshole.”
Speck grins and leans against the wall. “Is that your thing? You’re into girls and don’t want men getting close to you?”
Fuck.
Maybe I should say yes just to have that extra layer of security, but that feels so fucking wrong. “I’m just not interested. I want to dance, put food on my table, and do it all without some asshole trying to get something I don’t wanna give him.”
He nods and turns his attention back to the stage. “Rue doesn’t fuck strippers. Or biker bitches. If he comes down here you should just stay clear of him, he’s not the type. Fuck Tomi instead. He’s more than happy to try out the goods.”
Right.
So stay the fuck away from Tomi, got it.
“Like I said, I’m not interested.”
Speck shrugs like it doesn’t bother him either way, but then he pauses. “Whatever money the guys throw at you, leave it on the stage. Leave it for Diamond for tonight so she signs you on. Give her this one dance so she gives you a regular gig.”
I nod and let out a breath. If he thinks I can do this then I guess I’m fucking doing it. Hell, if Diamond still says no maybe he could call this Tomi guy and get me on the roster.
The music stops and Speck motions me forward again, stalking over to where Diamond is waiting at a table with a couple of the patrons, all of them laughing and drinking. There’s a private door to get on and off the stage so I’m not sure why exactly we’re out here on the floor with all of the guys watching me walk around but there’s a whole lot of interest in my tits and ass as I do walk. Speck sees it all too, walking a little slower so I’m closer to his body and I wish the music were a little quieter so I could thank him.
I’ve known him for less than an hour and he’s already shown me more respect than any other man has since my dad died.
“Well, well. I guess you have the right sort of body for this but I don’t see how the hell a dance is going to change my mind,” Diamond says as she looks me over, her eyes a little shuttered even in the dark.
She really doesn’t like me.
I shrug. “I’m a woman of action so I’ll get up there and show you exactly how I’m going to earn the cash.”
A couple of guys around us start chuckling and murmuring to each other, and the eagerness is clear in their tones.
Speck takes a seat with Diamond and I walk over to the stairs by myself. The guys at the table are all wearing patches as well, but I can see the difference in them now. They’re all members and not prospective like Speck. They have more of a vote here than he does.
I need to impress them all.
The Nasty Song by Lil Ru starts playing as I walk over to the pole, jeering and whistling starting up as the crowd sees fresh meat up here. I take a breath, forget what the hell I’m wearing, and then I let the song take me over.
It’s like riding a damn bike.
Muscle memory takes over and my body moves with the music, the heels are nothing to me after near-on fifteen years of dance classes and daily training. I did ballet, jazz, tap, and aerial. The pole is a little different to what I’m used to but the hour class I took last week in preparation was all I really needed to get the technique down and when I move from a simple swing into a Jade Split the whistling stops.
I’m pretty sure the breathing in the room stops too.
There isn’t a man alive who doesn’t appreciate a woman who can bend, my dance instructor once told me that and I was so fucking confused at the time but I’m old enough to get it now. Every man out there in the crowd is thinking all about the positions they could bend me into, all of the ways they could force their cocks into me, and although it fucking terrifies me for once I’m fucking glad for it.
The money starts to rain down onto the stage.
As I move into a new position I see guys walking away from other stages, all of them drawn to me like a fucking magnet, and I know I’m in.
I have to be.
When the song finally stops I walk out the private door and wait there for a minute until Speck turns the corner.
“Fuck. I don’t think I’ve ever been so fucking pissed off to not be someone’s type.”
I startle. “I’m sorry, what?”
He grins and shrugs. “You don’t want any of what I’m selling and after that dance, I’m fucking heartbroken about it. A girl who can do that shit with her legs? Fuck me. Seriously. You get an itch you need scratched, you call me.”
I force a smile and shrug. “I’ll keep it in mind.”
Diamond walks around the corner, stacks of bills in her hands, and she plucks a single crisp hundred dollar bill out to hand over to me. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Wear something white, it’s dirty angel night. Guess you’ll fit right in.”
Chapter Two
Tomi
Rotting corpses.
Is there any smell on the fucking planet worse? Probably not and even with the mask over my nose and mouth I feel like that stink is coating my damn throat.
“We left this shit too long. Shoulda been out here last week to move ‘em,” Vic says, the shovel in his hands already coated in rotting flesh and bone shards.
“No shit, asshole. Maybe if you could keep your fucking temper we wouldn’t be moving bodies in the stinking hot Missi-fucking-ssippi nights,” Rue snarls, already over the entire fucking thing.
I get it.
I am too. I’m over dealing with hot-headed assholes who joined the Unseen to act rough and tough when really they’re pathetic fucking cry-babies over their egos.
All of it is bullshit.
“Fucking Serpents come around here and we kill them. Simple as that, if they roll into Coldstone they’re asking for bullets,” Vic snaps again, and Rue drops the shovel in his hand.
Great.
Here we fucking go.
I take a step towards him and Vic looks relieved for about a half second, right before he realizes I ain’t stopping the fight.
I’m joining it.
Cole and Axe both ignore us all, heads down and shovels moving like there isn’t about to be a beat down, but I don’t expect anything less from them. They know the score.
Rue and I are Callaghans.
The Unseen is ours for the taking, only a matter of time before the mantle is passed on to us and we rule it. Rue’s already shown his hand, ruthless and cutthroat. He’s never been one to fuck around and if there’s a body to be buried he’s showing up to get it done.