Page 15

There is a large stage in the middle of the room. Two smaller stages branch out from there to cover the other sides of the room. A large bar spans both sides of the room with several workers hustling around to keep up with the crowd and servers.

Bulldog and Hammer motion for us to follow as we weave around tables and servers. They lead us to the VIP section in front of the main stage.

“Bubbles will be on soon,” Hammer tells us as our brothers start filling up the chairs and settling in at the tables. Buckets of beers in ice are placed on the tables for us to enjoy the show.

“Bubbles?” I ask.

“The woman Bulldog is trying to lock down,” he says.

“Ahh.” I nod. “Guess we’ll see if he gets our approval. Maybe she’s just not that into him.”

“She’s a great girl but I just think Bulldog is trying to put a square peg into a round hole,” he enlightens me. “Both are trying to fill a void, if you ask me.”

“Makes sense.”

The lights start to dim as the music changes.

“Enjoy the show. She’s one of the best we have,” Hammer voices as he makes his way over to the bar area.

I catch a chair at the end of one of our tables closest to the center stage as an announcer introduces the next performer.

“What we’ve all been waiting for tonight…Let’s welcome to the stage our favorite dancer, Bubbles!”

The entire room rings out in shouts and claps as the music blares the remix of Crazy In Love by Beyoncé. A woman comes out in a black suit jacket that barely covers her ass. She’s wearing a black fedora hat that covers the top part of her face. Light brown hair cascades down her back in luxurious curls and she has what looks to be a cane in one hand. As the lyrics start, she slowly moves with the rhythm. My body begins to buzz and I find that I sit a little straighter in my chair. I’ve been to a lot of strip joints over the last few years and I’ve never been one to take notice of any particular dancer, but this one has me zoned in.

Her body maneuvers with every word as she slowly rocks and takes a step. Every man in the room leans closer to the stage as she gradually works her way along the runway of the stage. She stops and dips down in front of men along the way and you can see them drooling over every inch of her. They try to speak to her but she just tugs a seductive smile across her face and moves on to the next one. My body starts to hum the closer she gets and it unsettles me with anticipation. Women are a means to an end for me now and as my body starts to react to the stripper on stage I’m thrown for a loop. I feel myself wanting and waiting for her next move.

Once she gets to two more customers, the song changes to 6 Inch by Beyoncé featuring The Weekend as she stands and unbuttons her black jacket. The cheers around me and the movement she makes has my pulse thrumming with anticipation. She walks over to the pole in the center of the stage and gives us her back. Slowly—very slowly— she slides off the offending material and tosses it towards the curtains where she made her entrance.

Her presence is wreaking havoc on my body and my dick and I try and tell it to calm the fuck down. No way can I have a go at Bulldog’s woman. She’s off limits to the highest extent.

She’s in a sparkly G-string that dips down in between her bubbly peach ass. Her stage name fits her perfectly if she got it from the globes of her round cheeks. She drops it low, down to her tall heels, and I watch the shimmer of her body move in sync with the song. Money is being thrown out as she spreads her legs and the string of her underwear disappears. Ever so slowly she works her way up the pole and hooks a leg around the steel beam. My entire body moves to the edge of my seat as I wait for her to turn around.

The music changes again and leads into Pony by Ginuwine as she tucks her arm around the pole with her opposite side and pulls herself up the beam a little. She twists around it slightly before tossing both of her legs up in the air, and her body is now upside down with her legs spread out wide. A groan involuntarily leaves my throat and my eyes blink heavily. It wouldn’t take much for that small piece of fabric to move slightly to the side and I’d have the perfect view of her pussy.

Fuck!

I look down at the top of my riding boots to get myself under control but out of my peripheral I see all my brothers on the edge of their seats as well. The only two who aren’t even paying any attention are Stone and Havoc, who are in deep discussion about something several tables over. But their wives, Raegan and Sutton, seem to be hypnotized by the stripper and are having a good time; it seems as though Bubbles has almost everyone under her spell.

A collective groan from the audience steals my attention and I look back towards the stage. Bubbles is now sensuously lowering herself onto the floor in the splits by only by her upper body strength. She’s facing out to my left as I get a look at her matching sparkly bra. She’s got an amazing rack for someone who has had a kid. Somehow, she’s able to pick herself up from that position and manages to place herself back on her feet.

She knows how to work the crowd as the music continues to pulse and she follows along with the beat. As she starts to work her way over to our side, my blood picks up the vibrations and drums along. There are only a few feet that separate us and I feel the beads of sweat starting to pebble across my skin, my body completely flushed. What the hell is happening to me right now?

Bubbles comes closer and towers over our chairs. She’s still somehow kept her hat on and lowered over her face. The moment she reaches back to unsnap her bra, I swear to myself that I’d break my vow to my brothers and take her as mine. There is just something about this woman that calls to me in every molecule of my being.

She drops down onto her knees and crawls my way. I have to bite my tongue and interlock my fingers to not reach out and grab ahold of this perfect woman. When she gets to the edge of the stage floor, she stops and bends her body back, giving thrusting motions as if she’s being fucked right on stage. I drown out all the sounds of the men behind me as I focus solely on her.

Just as she lifts herself up, the song changes again to a faster beat and she tosses her fedora hat off and away from her. Her curls have half her face covered and I hold my breath as I wait to see her face me. For what, I’m not sure. When she finally moves her face to the front, I think someone has drugged my drink.

There in front of me is someone who I’d never thought I’d see again. Someone who has been seared into my mind, which has replayed every memory over and over again. The girl who stole my heart when I was a teenager and who I loved with everything in me. The girl who I was told eight months ago went missing right after I was thrown into prison.

Remi Carter.

She doesn’t notice me at all and it’s probably due to the lights shining at her on stage. She begins to flick the catch of the bra covering an area I once worshipped and I’m up on my feet before my brain can catch up with me.

The next few moments are a blur but I faintly hear screams yelling and the cock of guns ringing through my ears.

The Day Before