Illya
Music pumped through my body from all directions, even from the concrete floor, and I reached down to adjust my heel strap absently. A gaping hole had opened up in my chest over the few hours between kicking Sylvie out and heading to work. Everything at home was too quiet, too still, and I couldn’t take it. Roge was shocked when he’d seen I’d come in early, but I simply explained that I was bored at home, so I might as well come in and make some money.
And, truth be told, I was glad I came in early because Roge put me on VIP, and at least I’d have something else to focus on.
Straightening to fluff up my fake, dyed, red hair, I gingerly knocked on the door, and A particular type of excitement and apprehension thickened my blood. VIP meant money— thousands of dollars, sometimes— and I hastily tugged my leotard up my chest a little. Couldn’t have whatever rich asshole in this room see a huge scar and not tip me, right?
Haha . . . not funny.
The door swung open, and I plastered a smile on my face as my gaze traveled up. Cool air rushed around me from inside the room, and goosebumps washed my bare arms and legs. The man on the other side of the threshold was taller than me despite my five-inch heels, and I actually had to tilt my head to find his stubbled chin.
“I’m Illya.” My fake, Spanish accent rolled off my tongue expertly, and the man’s cheek twitched noticeably to give me a glimpse of a dimple. Hard, brown eyes scanned me through fine points, and my smile widened when he stepped aside to let me in. “Thank you.”
He must’ve been a bodyguard by the number of scars on him— just visible, there had to be a dozen— but I couldn’t focus on looking at them at that moment. Three men in nice suits sat on the crescent sofa, two occupied by my coworkers, and some relief seeped into my veins. Sometimes, VIP was a risk, especially if I was alone, and the rich guys were assholes.
“I didn’t think they let you cover so much skin here,mi novia.”The man sitting in the middle, by himself, scanned me as I sauntered over to him, and I could feel my smile turn brittle. “Why don’t you take that off slow, huh.”
“Aw, getting to the good part already? That’s a littlefastfor me.” The guy with Marcella’s ass in his face burst out laughing at my response, and I sat down in Middle Guy’s lap as he went red. Surprise tickled my chest at the brightness in his eyes, his face tinging pink with appreciation, not anger, and I wound my arms around his neck. “Let’s savor the moment.”
“You got me. That was a good one.” He chuckled, his hand sliding up my back, and I played my part, biting down on my bottom lip when he leaned in. “I’m Mateo.”
“Illya.” I mean, my name was foreign enough that most people thought it wasn’t real, anyway, and Mateo’s brows roses in surprise. “It’s apleasureto meet you, Mateo.”
“I’m sure it is. Do you actually dance, or do you just shake your ass?” Gesturing to my pale pink leotard, Mateo’s surprise boiled down to curiosity, and I hummed softly. Patting his shoulder, I popped up, and he sat back on the sofa to prop his head in laced fingers.
“You’re the first person that’s ever asked me if I danced instead of shaking my ass.” Tilting my body to take off my heels, the whole world shifted at the loss of those five inches, and Mateo downright grinned at me. He seemed like a really happy guy, and my own smile became a little more genuine. “Okay, I haven’t done this in a while, so pardon me if I’m a little, well, bad.”
“This is exciting. Theo, have a seat and watch this.”
“Like fuck I’m sitting on that couch.” Even so, my skin tightened as sharp eyes scanned me again from the back, and I set my heels under the table, holding a half-empty bottle of tequila. Raising my arms over my head, I arched sharply and shook out my arms, flexing my thinly covered toes on the carpet.
Holding out my arms, I blinked once— twice— before memories flooded my mind and beat against my eye sockets. My mom made me take ballet, and I really liked it even though I wasn’t super talented. Clenching my jaw, I took a stabilizing breath and viciously forced down the images that played behind my lids.
All eyes were on me when I focused again, and I nodded more to myself than anyone else. It must’ve been a year or two, now, since I went en pointe, and I winced at the immediate sting in my toes and up my ankle. Shock sizzled in the air, creeping up my skin, but I ignored it to lift my leg in a smooth arabesque. Pursing my lips, I held my breath as a burning sensation shot up my supporting leg.
Straightening to lower myself to the balls of my feet, I let out a huff and rolled my ankle hard. Clapping surrounded me, and I smiled a little even as I reached to rub my foot through its sheer protection. My heart raced with exhilaration, and Mateo grabbed my arm to sit me on his lap again with a huge smile and impressed glimmer in his eye.
“Wonderful . . . beautiful . . . ” Flames licked my cheeks, and I mumbled a ‘thank you’ before Mateo turned to Theo, still standing by the door. “I told you coming here was a good idea, Theo. It’s always nice to find someone like her after dealing with nasty, slimy, lying, sneaky cunts constantly.”
“You’re the one that fucked her, Mateo.” A dark shiver lodged between my shoulder blades, and I glanced over my shoulder only to find Theo staring directly at me.Well, more like glaring.“What does it say about you that you got involved with her, huh?”
“She was the one that started shooting up again instead of coming to me, Theo.” The sudden sharpness in Mateo’s tone rose the hairs on the back of my neck, and I flexed my foot for good measure before taking my cue. Standing up to position myself between his spread knees, I raised my arms and swished my hips as I became part of the room. “That bitch should’ve known better, but she disappeared. And I get word today that she’s using again. That’s unacceptable. It’s also unacceptable that you haven’t found her yet.”
“We looked thoroughly. No one’s seen her since the deal went down at Keystone Foods.”Are they talking about Sylvie? Oh . . .Rolling my lips between my teeth as the guy under Marcella spoke up, I carefully masked my expression. “Mateo, I promise you we looked under every rock. She’s gone.”
“That’s not good enough!” The nasty snarl rolled up my back, and I gasped when Mateo shoved me unexpectedly. Tumbling to the floor, I flailed a little, and I tensed when unfamiliar, strong hands grappled my shoulders before I face-planted into the table. Surprise widened my eyes when I looked up to find Theo looming over me, but our eye contact was brief before Mateo drew all attention.
A high-pitched squeal cracked through the room like lightning, and my head whipped up as Marcella stumbled over the side of the sofa. Mateo flew into an absolute rage, rearing his arm back to punch the guy in the face several times with practiced, quick jabs. He grunted with the effort, earning a satisfyingcrunchfrom the guy’s face, and I tried to make myself as small as possible.
Sinking into Theo’s chest in the hopes that his broad shoulders and muscular arms would hide me, I tried to block out the sound of fist crushing cheek. Covering my ears, I silently wondered what the absolute fuck Sylvie had done getting mixed up with this guy. If she was who he was after, I would probably be top on the list of people he’d visit.
Oh-ho-ho . . . this was bad.
This was really, really bad.
“You’re fucking incompetent. You can’t even find one drugged up bitch in this city. It’s not that fucking difficult! If you turned over every stone, why the fuck haven’t you found her yet!” Punctuating each statement with a hard punch, Mateo’s voice boomed through my palms and rattled my brain. Calloused palms squeezed my shoulders, and I tore my eyes off him to find Theo, still, staring. Honestly, it was getting a little creepy at this point, and I held my breath as anxiety flooded my veins. As if sensing my rising apprehension, Theo sort of rubbed my shoulder with his thumb, and tension built to constrict my chest.
He only has three fingers on one of his hands.
“Oh.” Jumping when Theo stood up swiftly, I tore my eyes off him to watch Mateo drop heavily into the seat he’d just abandoned. He breathed fire through flared nostrils, his pretty face red and pinched in anger, and I scrambled to stand up. My shoulder and arm tingled wildly, and an eerie stillness descended on the room as uncertainty floated between my coworkers and I.
Mateo cleared his throat roughly, and my chest tightened when he flashed me a pensive, apologetic smile and gestured me to him. Snatching my wrist, he pulled me into his lap again, and my heart made a bid to jump out of my chest.
“I apologize for that. I shouldn’t take my frustration out on you. You’re just a random stripper, after all. It’s not like my problems are your fault.” Anxiety curdled my blood when he started petting me like I was a kid getting blamed for something I didn’t do, and the hairs on the back of my neck bristled wildly.
No, but I’m involved, and that’s bad enough.
