It’s working too.
A slow blush starts on her cheeks as her hips ride that fucking pole, the bump and grind of it has my cock leaking in my jeans.
I’ve sold my soul to a stripper.
I’m not even angry about it anymore.
Chapter Seventeen
Angel
My college classes really start kicking my ass.
It’s a hard pill to swallow because I’ve always been so damn good with my classes, I got my GED at sixteen and never found this stuff hard, but I guess with the small amount of sleep I keep finding myself existing on my brain just doesn’t have enough time to recover and function properly.
If that isn’t bad enough the noise the Chevy keeps making just gets worse and worse until I have to face the facts. If I don’t get it looked at soon the damage might end up irreparable. It’s an old classic but, more than that, it’s a piece of my dad and not something I could ever bear to lose.
I count some money out from the stash in my bag. I haven’t counted it in so long that it’s kind of a shock to see how much is really sitting in there, I really should get around to counting it and making a plan on how the fuck I can deposit it into a bank.
I need to do that to be able to buy a house.
I pull one of my dad’s old sweaters on to cover up a little before I drive over to the garage in town. There’s technically two, but the other one is across the street from the clubhouse and I don’t want to get in Tomi’s way by being on that side of town. He told me to stop wasting his time so… I guess that’s what I’m trying to do.
Half an hour later and I know I’m kind of screwed.
The guys there had been so freaking rude to me. They’ve all obviously seen me dance at The Boulevard and when I stumble over my words, explaining a sound to guys in an enclosed space when you’re touch-phobic and generally cautious around men is fucking hard. They all crack jokes about my ass and tits, and how my boyfriend should be able to fix this shit for me.
I nod along like their words don’t piss me off because there’s nothing I can do about it.
Except that when they give me a price it’s a week’s worth of tips for me. My eyebrows shoot to my hairline but the guy just shrugs at me.
“We both know you can afford it. Don’t walk in here being a cheap little hussy.”
My stomach drops and I walk out to the sound of them all laughing. It’s not like I can’t afford it but… fuck, I don’t want to be put a week behind in my plans. I already feel like the walls are closing in on me, every other day I’m getting catcalled leaving the club or having some guy trying to climb on stage after me.
I need to get out of there.
I arrive to work with my head in the fucking clouds, freaking the hell out about what I’m gonna do about my car, and I make it through my first dance in a fucking daze.
There’s a two-hour break between my sets so I throw clothes back on and sit in the locker room, chewing my lip and staring off into space while I try to figure out if I can make it work.
If I don’t get my truck fixed now and it blows up, I’m fucked.
I could buy a new car to get me through… but where would I leave the old Chevy until I got my house? Are there any costs I could cut to cover the mechanic bill without losing a week’s tips?
I want to throw up by the time Poe and Law find me sitting there.
“Oh shit, did someone try to touch you again? You’d think the dumbasses would learn.”
I glance up and smile at her, quirking an eyebrow at them both. “What are you two doing wandering around here? Rue’ll be pissed if he finds you out here, Poe.”
She shrugs and slings herself down on the bench next to me. Law sits down on the other side of her, huffing a little. “Law’s on babysitting duty tonight. I tried to go out to a movie with a guy from school, didn’t end well.”
I glance over at her. “Really? What happened?”
Law scoffs at her and makes an oof noise when she elbows him in the gut. “He stood me up. I think I’m turning into a fucking leper. No one wants to be within a fucking mile of me and it’s making me fucking cranky. Maybe I’ll move to the Bay with my sister. She has better luck with guys over there.”
Law winces and I give him a look. So he’s in on this little secret of Rue’s. I wonder if the biker is the real reason guys give Poe a wide berth. I don’t blame them, he’s kind of… terrifying.
That shit runs in the family.
“Anyway, I called Law to come get me because Rue yelled at me for going in the first place and Trink is still… pissed off or whatever. Then I sweet talked him into bringing me here to see you! I feel like you’re a fucking ghost half the time. Impossible to fucking find unless you’re working.”
I shrug. “Sorry, I’ve been busy. My car’s still fucking up so I took it to the garage in town and now I’m freaking the hell out about paying for the fucking thing.”
Poe frowns at me like she’s wounded. “How much did he quote you?”
After checking my watch, I sigh and bend down to do up the straps on my heels. I’ve gotta get back out there soon. “Nine grand. I can pay it but taking that money out of my savings is going to hurt.”
She scoffs and holds out her hand. “Gimme your keys. I’ve never met a car I can’t fix and I’ll only charge you for parts.”
I straighten up, chewing on my lip a little as I figure out what the hell to say to her. She takes my indecision the wrong way.
“What, you think because I’m a girl I can’t do it? I’ve grown up in a garage, I could fix the Chevy in my fucking sleep. Law, tell her I can fucking do it.”
“Posey Graves has never met a car she couldn’t fix, and that’s a fact. She’s fixing shit that no man could, I’m telling you,” Law says, his eyes firmly on the ground now I’m up and getting dressed. It’s very nice and respectful, not what I’m expecting out of a seventeen-year-old guy.
“I’m not doubting you at all, Poe, it’s just… I feel bad for not paying you for your time! Well, that and the fact that my car is all I’ve got left from my dad so it’s kinda like my security blanket. I can’t stand the thought of not having it.”
The fierce look on her face eases off. “Yeah, it’s a beauty. Honestly, I’m excited about getting under the hood. I haven’t seen a ’69 in such good condition before. Besides, you’re my friend. You don’t have to hang out with me and yet here you are, talking to me while the other girls are hating on me.”
I huff out a laugh as I strip my shirt off, shoving it into my bag and grabbing her my keys. “They hate me too. Guess they don’t like girls who are on the Unseen’s radar, good or bad.”
Law gets up and walks away, muttering under his breath about how much he enjoys breathing, which doesn’t make sense.
Poe ignores him as she giggles at me, all sunshine and joy, and my heart clenches at the sight of it. She’s a stunning girl, one that must get a whole lot of attention, but it’s her attitude that knocks the breath right out of you. Standing here in the tiny dark back room of a strip club with a half-naked woman, she looks like she’s totally at peace with her life.