Chapter Two

Immediately after my set I performed on the lovely stage, I changed into a blue lace set with leather harness that cinched my already small waist even more, and joined the girls who entertained the regulars around the club.

The night was somewhat slow but i didn't hate it. In fact, I quite enjoyed easy days like this, especially with the regulars. It was the weekday and most of the men who came were running on fumes from work and just needed some time to relax. They also didn't have much time to spend, as they would have to soon return home to their families. A part of me felt disgust at these men who had wives waiting for them at home. But i wasnt complaining becasue it got my bills paid.

I didn’t notice the commotion outside until I heard one of the patrons sat at the extreme end - closest to the front door of the strip club - loudly curse.

My brows furrowed as I left another patron with my tips tucked tightly in my hand.

What was going on. I heard a thud and a groan that sounded like…

Like my boyfriend.

Alarm bells rang in my head and I rushed outside, moving quickly to be by his side and I saw it - he was laying on the floor with a man stomping on his head. And our manager was there?

I rushed to his side.

“Charlie!” I shrieked, grasping his face gently and glaring at anyone who would dare come close. His hair was matted with blood, I noticed. And my fury rose even more.

“What did you do to him?” i put steel behind my voice, not caring that the men were looking down at me as if i was nothing. I longed to drag my long, fake nails down their fces for what they did to my boyfriend… How dare they…

“This one’s got a mouth on her,” I heard one of the men say with a smirk and I aimed a glare at him. He shut up instantly.

“Eve, go inside,” the manager tried to calm me down. I could see sweat beads forming on his forehead even with the dim red lights. “This has nothing to do with you, so go. You have a job to do.”

His words only served to annoy me further and i slapped his hand away, standing up straighter and leveling my manager with a defiant look. Charlie was still bowled over beside me, clearly out of breath and beaten up and he wanted me to go inside?!

“I wont,” i replied coldly, turning my gaze to the tallest man in the place. He had a coat on him aand was dressed in all black, instead of the other men around him that wore suits. He was clearly the boss around there.

“What did he ever do to you?” i asked the man accusingly. “What crime did he commit?”

“That…” i was struck by the deepness of the baritone voice coming out of that youthful face. “Is between me and the man in question. Nothing to do with you… Eve, was it?” the last words were punctuated with a look up and down my body. I could practically feel the way that he looked at me, as if he was guaging if i was even good evnough to be in his presence. And it annoyed the fuck out of me, to quote Charlie’s favourite statement.

“So you dare to come here and attack one of the bouncers for what reason?” My anger knew no bounds. “You’ve got some nerve.”

“Eve, that’s enough. Go inside now,” the manager finally put more steel behind his voice and I looked at him. He looked like he was simultaneously angry and afraid. It was a funny sight if his anger wasn’t aimed at me.

I opened my mouth to say more but then the manager grabbed my arm and tugged me back into the club, muttering curses and shaking his head over and over again.

The nameplated door of his office was the first thing I got a glimpse of before I heard the manager shout, “Ypure such a menace, you know that?!”

I entered the office unwillingly, panting heavily.

The manager was pacing the length of the office.

I was shocked at the way he was so angry at me. He usually wasn’t like this. Usually, he protected me and the rest of the workers with his life. Even the bouncers, he was so kind and nice to all of us that I never looked anywhere else for work.

The manager continued, sounding breathless, “Your relationship with Charlie aside, you have to understand that you nearly got yourself in trouble… if you haven’t already. You know who you were talking to there? That is Antonio Bernoti.”

I paused.

“Who? I don’t even know who he is,” I said by way of response. “All I know is that he has been very rude and attacked one of ours. He attacked Charlie!”

“Charlie made a joke and it wasn’t very well taken by the Boss,” he chuckled shakily. “Maybe you need to understand who the hell Antonio is. He owns half the bars and casinos in the country. He’s a boss who can tell his men to kill the president and they aren’t going to bat an eye before doing it. And you, you stupid girl, just made yourself known to him.”

I swallowed.

All these things he was saying… if it was true, then that would mean that handsome tall man was… a boss of some kind? A mafia Don?

A knock sounded on the door and both of us turned our heads. The manager walked over to the door but not before saying, “Better figure out how you’re going to apologize to him before he does something to hurt you. He could have killed Charlie. But now he’s spared him. Charlie’s going to have to find another job though. I can’t keep him here, not if the Boss doesn’t want him here.”

It dawned on me that he was talking about firing Charlie and I felt outraged as the spineless manager opened the door and saw one of the men from outside. One of that man’s guards theme?

“He is in the VVIP room now. He wants a performer,” the man was saying to the manager.

“Alright. I’ll get one of our best girls to-“

“Not just anyone,” the man was saying a I realised that he was looking at me. “He wants that girl. Her,” he tilted his head towards me in a gesture.

Dread and anger filled my body. He wanted me to perform for him? After all of that crap he pulled outside!

No. Hell no.

…