“Speak, motherfucker!” I lean down and grab the back of his head, slamming his face into the dark blue carpet covered in purple and pink confetti. Standing to my full height, I step on his hand.
He lifts his head off the floor and cries out when I twist my boot, in hopes I’m fucking breaking the bones.
“Grave.” The security guard who works the front desk comes up to me.
“He threw a drink at her.” I point at the stage. It’s now covered in broken glass and alcohol. Natalie stands at the opposite end with her back pressed against the mirrored wall. She clings to her dress and the wet money. The DJ has exited his booth and is now walking up the side stairs to check on her.
“I saw.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “The police have been called,” he assures me. “Let them do their job.”
I suck in a deep breath and then kick the asshole one last time. “Piece of shit!”
He moans and rolls over, cradling his hand.
I look up to see Natalie walking down the stairs toward me. “Come on, Grave.” She takes my hand and pulls me away from her ex.
I walk up the three stairs and pass the bar, grabbing a drink off it as she ushers me to a back room.
“You okay?” I ask once she shuts the door behind me.
“Yeah.” She places her hands on my chest. “Thanks to you.”
I fall into a chair in the corner, and she takes a step back from me. “When was the last time you saw him?” I demand, taking another drink of rum and Coke, trying to calm my nerves.
“Last night.”
“Jesus, Nat. You’ve got to quit seeing him.” I remove the pill bottle from my jeans pocket because it’s digging into my thigh and set it on the table next to the chair.
“We have a kid together.” She sighs.
“So? That doesn’t give him the right to disrespect you like that.” I growl. What they have is complicated, to say the least. He doesn’t want her, but he hates that she strips. He’s a piece-of-shit lowlife who doesn’t even help feed his kid. She does the best she can with the options she has.
“Hey, you need to calm down. I’m okay.”
For now, she is. But I always worry about her and his ass. He’s abusive. That’s why she left him to begin with. “You need to get a restraining order against him.”
“I have. You know that doesn’t stop him.”
“I have a friend who is a judge. I can reach out to him for you.” I’m sure the fucker has a warrant. I can have his ass thrown in jail by morning.
She gives me a soft smile. “You’re always watching out for me.”
In general, I feel sorry for women in the same position as Natalie. They have no help and limited means. She makes great money, but kids aren’t fucking cheap. Add in court and attorney fees and it’s like running in place.
“Here…” She drops to her knees and spreads my legs wide. When her eyes meet mine, she gives me a reassuring smile. “I brought you something.” Reaching down, she removes a baggie from the top she slipped on after she exited the stage since her dress was wet. “Wallet?” She stands, holding out her hand to me.
I lift my hips to remove my wallet from my back pocket and hand it over to her. She opens it up, removes my black Amex card, and starts cutting the powder she pours out on the table next to my pill bottle. “You deserve it.” She then removes a hundred-dollar bill and rolls it up before handing it to me.
I’m an addict to many things. None of which are good.
I feel myselfrelax as “Pour It Up” by Rihanna plays in the large room. Natalie’s white top is over by the small stage to the right. She dances before me in nothing but her G-string and heels.
She stands and bends over, placing her face in my neck. My right hand goes to her bare ass while my other holds the cold glass on the armrest. She still tastes like my drink the bastard threw at her. She didn’t even bother to take the time to wipe it off.I don’t mind.
She’s yanked from me.
“Hey,” she snaps, turning to face the man who interrupted us. Then her voice changes to interested. “I didn’t know your friend was going to join us.”
I look up, ready to beat the shit out of her ex, but look into a set of dark blue eyes that match mine.It’s my brother.They fucking called Bones to come get me because I made a scene. It wouldn’t have taken him long to get here. Kingdom—the hotel and casino we own—is just down the street.
