“Cinder better be lucky I like her or I would stab her.”
Hunter laughed, closing her iPad. “Yeah, and then you’ll have a slew of pissed off Vipers knocking on your door. You know she’s giving you good business.”
“And grey hair.”
“Ehh, it’s already grey, babe.”
CHAPTER 22
KADENCE
Ifelt exposed but empowered walking into Hades Wednesday night with Annika. She took me to a lingerie shop before work today and told me to find something I’d feel sexy and confident in for my first night. There wasn’t a dress code for Hades, even as a waitress, so I could wear whatever I wanted.
I opted for a black lace teddy with a plunging neckline that made my boobs look good, and since I didn’t want my pussy bare to the world, I slipped on a pair of tiny shorts that hugged my ass. Unless Hunter said otherwise, it should be okay. Annika french braided the top of my hair, conjoining the two braids into a high ponytail and adding a shit ton of chunky glitter to the roots. I already knew I’d be finding glitter for the next month in places glitter shouldn’t be.
“Kadence!” Hunter shouted over the music as Annika grabbed my hand and guided me to the tall, intimidating woman. “Annika is going to show you the ropes for the first thirty minutes, and then you are on your own.”
“Throwing me to the wolves, are we?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s Hades, babe. Have you ever been a waitress before?”
“I did it before I dropped out of college; sports bar and grill. Nothing like rowdy, drunk men watching football.”
“Good, then you should be fine here. No one can touch you. If they do, security will kick them out and put them on a list. Safety is the number one priority. I don’t think Blaize gave you the whole talk.”
I laughed at her statement. Blaize didn’t give two shits about me. “She lectured me and said she didn’t trust me, plus she said something about killing me, so…no. I don’t know anything about the club.”
Hunter raised her hand towards me, silencing my remarks about her boss. “Blaize has a hard time trusting people, but she’ll kill for you because you are now one of her girls. Blaize will die for everyone in this club.”
“She hates me.”
“If she really hated you, you’d be six feet under or swimming with the minnows in the port. Enough about Blaize. Tonight is a trial run. As a waitress, only if you consent can a customer request a private dance. Most of the time, it's just sitting on their lap while they vent about a shit home life.”
“Okay. They won’t be upset if I say no?”
“Every customer knows when they enter Hades, consent is key. Blaize will never force someone to do something they are not comfortable with. We have plenty of people who will do private dances if you don’t want to.” She looked at Annika. “I’ll have Big Mike come and get you when I’m done talking with Kadence.”
“I’ll see you shortly.” Annika scurried away as I glanced back at Hunter who was typing away on her iPad.
“I’m assuming you’re hiding and that’s why you don’t have an ID?”
Shit. I knew this would come up. “I—uh, never got one.”Real smooth, Kadence.“All my jobs were under the table.”
Hunter looked at me like I had two heads, and I couldn’t blame her. It was the dumbest excuse I could use. “I was born at night, but it wasn’t last night, babe. It’s fine, but it’ll make things easier if you just told me.”
“There’s nothing to tell. I’m working on it, but I don’t have my social or my birth certificate, so I can’t get a new ID.”
“Mmhmm.” She hit something on her iPad before flipping the screen. “Sign and then you’ll be good to go. If you’re scared of something, no one can hurt you here.”
No one would hurt me because no one would know who I was. No one deserved to know my past. “I’m not scared of anything. I just wanted a fresh start.”
Hunter told Big Mike to get Annika before she crossed her arms over her chest. “Fresh starts are wanted for a reason. Some more tragic than others.”
Before I could say anything else, Big Mike returned with Annika. “Okay. Let’s go!” Annika chirped, taking my hand.
She pulled me from the front foyer to the bar. She was tiny, but damn did she have some power to her. “Hey, Jax!”
A gorgeous black man walked up to us with a bright smile. His dreads were pulled into a high bun, and Annika gave him a bear hug.
