“If you let me down or things get leaked, you’re done.” His sinister smile doesn’t deter from his message—if I fuck this up, I’m as good as dead.
“Understood.” Then I leave, with a pit in my stomach and adrenaline running through my veins.
This is exactly what we needed. I just need to survive it first.
Chapter 4
Nova
He’s back.
This is the fourth night in a row that Chris has been at Bella’s but hasn’t made an effort to talk to me. For some reason, I’m put out.
Apparently, I didn’t leave much of an impression. I think I’ll have to change that.
My eyes shift to the mirror in front of me. The red satin demi bra and high-waisted briefs I’m wearing tonight are sure to get a reaction. The attire leaves more to the imagination, but it’s sultry in its own way. Shockingly enough, I usually make bank on tips in this particular get-up. Proof that you don’t have to get completely naked to make it in this world.
Thank God.
Nothing against any of the other women, but I’m not exactly stick thin, so getting naked on stage doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve found creative ways with pasties and panties that still make me money and keep the bosses happy.
“Nova! You’re up!” Thing 2 yells over the music.
“Yeah, yeah, dickhead. I’m coming,” I mutter under my breath.
I heave in a deep breath and adjust the boobs to plump the cleavage a little more, before walking to the side of the stage. Thing 1 is standing by, not even trying to hide the way he’s staring directly at my chest.
I snap in front of his face, forcing him to jolt back in surprise. His eyes quickly turn angry, but I’m already making my way onto the stage.Fuck him.He and Thing 2 mess with the dancers all the time; I’m just one of the first to not put up with it. Perks of not being forced to be here. I owe them nothing, and I make sure they feel it every single shift. Could it get me in trouble? If it was Cano, sure, but these two? Absolutely not. They have no power here, just muscles. The other women can’t afford to test the waters, so I feel obligated to do it for them.
My eyes immediately go to where Chris is sitting in the back corner. The lights blind me, but once I’m used to them, I can see him leaning forward onto the table he sits at. His fingers steeple together in front of him as my hips roll to the beat.
One last six-minute shift, and all my focus is on Chris. I hyper-focus on every little adjustment he makes, every sip of his drink. It becomes a game. What moves can I make to break him? Can I get his hand to shift to his pants? Or can I maybe get him to wipe the sweat from his brow? My smile grows as he shifts in his chair, his hips pushing up, to subtly adjust his jeans.
Got him.
The music starts to fade, bringing me back to the reason I’m here. I stumble, grabbing money thrown at me quickly before glancing once more at Chris and walking off the stage.
Time got away from me. I got distracted. Both are dangerous. I can’t afford a distraction when I’m working. The thought that runs through my head on repeat is I need to shore up my control.If being around Chris is going to be detrimental to my overall goal here, then I need to find a different way to get close to Cano.
It hasn’t come to that yet, but I need to keep it in the back of my mind.
Tips were good tonight. I sort them before handing them off to Thing 2 so he can take Cano’s share. I used to get extremely angry by this, but now? Take the money, as long as I get Cano in the end.
The loose elastic pants and tight tank top I brought tonight to change into are on in a matter of minutes. I wipe the heavy makeup off of my face and brush my hair out. A deep breath closes out my process, and then I’m heading out the side door.
“Fancy meeting you here.” Chris’s voice scares the shit out of me.
My back slams against the brick building, knocking the air out of me, as my hand goes to my chest.
“Holy shit, that’s how you kill someone,” I scold.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
“Well, what did you expect when a woman is walking out into a dark parking lot and you hide off to the side?” The glare I send his way is one Charlie used to panic over. It’s the one that means I’m not messing around.
“A fair point. I apologize.” He bows his head.
I slump against the wall and suck in air to regain my equilibrium. My reaction is more than just him scaring me.Hescares me, as a person who could wreck all of my carefully laid plans. I could live or die by this man.
