Faith (Hades Angels #1) (4 page)

Chapter Seven

The week flew by and before I knew it, it was Friday. I debated on staying in for the night, but after the long week of finals I’d had enough of being cooped up in my apartment studying. I jumped in the shower, scrubbed my body down, and shaved my legs.

I got dressed and threw on a beanie. It was funny how at one point in my life I hated wearing hats, and now I never walk out the door without one on my head. I have made so many changes because my life decided to jump tracks in the middle of the night, and take a different path. I still haven’t figured out where this one is taking me. I just know it isn’t the one I planned for.

I had big plans growing up, the same plans almost all little girls have. Meet a guy that sweeps you off your feet then fall madly and hopelessly in love with him, finish college, get a great job, and marry that man of your dreams. Have a big family with at least three kids, and the house with the white picket fence, none of those in any particular order, but all ending up the same, happily married with a great job, and children. Unfortunately, my track had taken me on an unwanted journey. The meet a great guy thing—I gave up on that dream. The kids—that wouldn’t happen, not anymore. I had had enough poison pumped through my veins that it was pretty much a lost cause to even hope or think about it.

This path I was on had taken my fantasy and turned it into a reality and has caused more pain and loss than I ever thought I would have to deal with in my life. I had watched so many people come and go. Those people you meet in chemo, going through similar things, you become friends, and then they just stop showing up. Gone as though they never existed. I learned after the first few times that it’s better just to assume they are in remission. It’s a great thing to think about, remission, but the chance of that happening and staying true are just not as great as one would hope.

Being in remission myself was a happy yet depressing feeling. I was happy that I was healthy for once, but at the same time I was quick to jump on any little thing out of the ordinary. If I got a cold or a fever, I'd overreact and start wondering if it was back. I was still held down by my cancer. It was like a huge storm cloud that follows you around and hangs over your head. Every moment in my life was overshadowed by it.

Thinking back about how I was just a few years ago. Seeing how one word spoken to me had dissolved into dust. I lied to myself, and tried to stay focused, but as realization hit me I was completely lost. My path had shifted and I jumped around so much that I lost track of everything and everyone around me. Life had played the ultimate trick on me and robbed me of so much more than I had realized. I had lost more than I had gained, and as much as I tried to get it back, the more I realized I needed to let go of it. I needed to let go of the happily ever after and find a new one, something based on my reality.

I stopped feeling sorry for myself and finally made it to work. I shoved all the depressing thoughts out of my head. I was in my happy place, the place where I wasn’t different. I was just like everyone else.

I got out of my car and shook the remaining depressing thoughts from my head. I tried not to think about how Becca would react to our conversation at Cups. I walked inside and went directly to the dressing room, set my stuff down at an empty station and went to work putting on my make-up. When I was satisfied with my face, I continued on my routine, reaching for a fresh set of pasties as Melody dropped down in the chair next to mine.

“Hey girl! Heads up, we got a new girl, Tasha, and she is a fucking bitch.” She sighed, checking her make-up in the mirror.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, and she’s not new to this. You can tell she’s danced before, and she is relentless. She has already gotten into it with a few of the other girls over music and their regulars.”

“Great.” I grinned, trying to seem interested in the conversation.

“Like, seriously, her and Eve have already gotten into it and Eve is like one of the nicest girls here. And they are both working tonight.” She applied another layer of lipstick and smacked her lips together before getting back up and walking out the door.

When I finished putting my pasties on, I walked back to my station and sat down. I started pulling out my outfits trying to decide on what to wear when a tall girl with long, curly, red hair came rushing through the door.

This must be the new girl.
I went back to choosing an outfit, and settled on a red and white mini dress that just covered the bottom of my ass. I glanced at myself in the mirror to see how it looked. It was a halter-top dress that looked as though it was red and had been splattered with white paint. It had a V-neck that stretched down to my belly button. I adjusted the top of it until I had it perfect. I wore a red T-bar and pulled on a matching red garter. I pulled my wig on and straightened it, making sure the elastic was pulled tight to my head before hooking it into place. I ran a comb through it and checked my hair in the mirror. When I was happy with my appearance, I slipped my feet into a pair of white strappy six-inch heels. I gave myself one last look in the mirror, and plastered a smile on my face before walking out of the dressing room.

I walked up to the bar to pay my house fee, found an empty bar stool and sat down. I turned around so that my back was against the bar and looked around the room. The place was actually pretty full for it being early in the night. I sat and watched the other girls who had worked the first shift. Keeping an eye out for who was being more generous than the rest. As I scanned the room I noticed a guy sitting in the back corner. He looked bored, sitting there playing with his watch as his friends sat at the table, each with a girl on their lap. This guy, though, he was different. I sat and stared at him trying to figure him out. Was he gay, did he have a wife? I couldn’t see if he had a ring on his finger from this far away, and then I found myself getting up and walking toward him.

The closer I got to him the more he seemed to intrigue me. There was just something about him that held my attention. I didn’t know what it was. There was a connection. Something bigger I just couldn’t figure out. As I got closer he looked up at me with his eyes meeting mine. I stopped and stared back at him, looking directly into his eyes. We were still far away from each other, yet the connection was instant.

I found I wanted to get closer to him, but stopped. I turned around and walked directly back into the dressing room and sat down at my station. I needed to get hold of myself.

“Okay, ladies, we have a couple of bachelor parties coming in tonight,” Jade said, walking in the dressing room and straight to the white board to write down the night’s line-up.

“Melody and Faith, you get the first one.” She finished writing names on the white board, turned around and walked out.

I hated doing bachelor parties. The guys think they can get away with whatever they want, and their friends egg them on to keep doing it. The only good thing about it is when we bring them up on stage and basically abuse the shit out of them. First, though, we have to entertain the entire party at a table in the back.

Chapter Eight

I found Melody at the bar and sat down next to her.

“Ready?” I asked her, taking the seat next to her.

“No, not really. I hate bachelor parties.” She took a long drink from her glass.

“Me too.” I sighed.

“Well, better get this over with before they complain we left them hanging.” She laughed and set down her empty glass.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.” I got up and followed her to the back of the club where the round booths lined the walls, taking the steps up to the private party area. Andrew, one of the bouncers, sat at the top of the steps to prevent any unwanted customers from invading the private parties.

“Hey, ladies, your party awaits you.” He smiled as we walked past him.

“Hey, Andrew.” Melody flashed him a smile as we passed.

The upper level looked over the majority of the club, but the booths were set back far enough that you couldn’t see what was going on unless you were part of the party. You could, however, look over the railing and see everything that was going on below us.

The round booths were large enough to fit ten to fifteen guys, and the booths surrounded a round stage with a pole in the middle. It was our job to entertain these men. The club charged five hundred dollars for two hours at these tables and we got a whopping two hundred of it. Take out the tip for Andrew, and we were both left with one hundred and eighty. Plus, on top of the two hours, we were also giving up our tips for any stage time we missed. To top it off, the next time we were on stage we would be entertaining the bachelor. On the bright side, we at least got to take out our frustrations on him.

We made our way to the booth full of guys with smiles plastered on our faces.

“Hey, there, boys.” Melody smiled as we stood in front of them. “So, who is the lucky bachelor?” she asked as we both glanced around at the men staring back at us. As I peered around the table, my gaze stopped on the same pair of eyes that I was drawn to earlier. It was him. His stare burned into me. I stood there watching him. Now that I was closer to him, I could see more clearly what he looked like. His eyes were an icy blue, and his hair a dark brown.

“My name is Melody and this is Faith.” Melody nudged me in the arm.

“Hi.” I smiled as Melody introduced me.

“So, let’s get this party started, shall we?” I smiled as I drew my eyes away from the man who had caught my attention.

Melody stepped up on the table, holding her hand out for me. I took her hand and joined her. We both moved to the pole in the middle of the table. When a new song began to play, I cleared my head and let the music wash over me. Melody and I were both using the pole as if it was the third in our threesome. We seductively twirled our bodies around each other before parting ways. She took the right side of the table while I took the left.

I made my way to the edge of the table, turning my back to the bachelor. I looked over at Melody as I danced in place, moving my body to the music as I pushed my dress down over me. My eyes went straight to the same pair of piercing eyes that had caught my attention earlier. I watched as Melody made her way over to him on her hands and knees. She leaned into him and placed her hand on his chest. She moved closer trying to pop the button on his shirt. She managed to get the first button undone before his hand came up stopping her. He shook his head no before whispering something in her ear. I turned around to face the bachelor at the same time Melody moved on to the next guy. When the song was over we stepped off the table and joined the guys for a drink. Melody had focused all of her attention on the bachelor.

I slipped my dress back on while a few of the guys scattered to the main floor, leaving only a handful sitting at the table. I focused on the same guy who kept grabbing my attention. I smiled as I slipped into the booth next to him.

I turned to him. My eyes were lost in a sea of arctic blue that stared back at me. “Hi.” I smiled at him, still lost in the depths of his eyes.

“Hello, Faith.” He smiled as he lifted a glass to his mouth, taking a drink.

“Well, since you know my name, I think it’s only fair you tell me yours.”

“Bryce.”

Chapter Nine

The rest of the night went by pretty fast. I spent a lot of time with the bachelor party and Bryce before the bachelor had enough and was ready to pass out. By the time we were done for the night, I was sitting in the dressing room with a big smile on my face. There was something about Bryce. Something that lit a spark in me that I never thought I would ever feel again.

“Are we going to Tommy’s?” Melody asked as she started changing into a pair of jeans.

“Sure. Meet you there?” I asked as I pulled a hoodie over my head.

“Sounds good. I shouldn’t be much longer.”

I finished changing my clothes, piling my stuff into my bag, tipping the DJ and bouncers, before making my way to my car.

I made the short drive to Tommy’s and took a booth in the back, and then waited for Melody to arrive.

“Hey, girly.” Melody smiled as she sat down in the booth across from me.

“Hey.” I smiled at her.

The waitress brought us our menus and took our drink orders. I sat in silence looking over the menu as Melody rambled on about how she needed new shoes.

“You’re being awfully quiet, Faith, what’s up?” Melody asked as she sipped her shake through a straw.

“Huh?” I looked up at her playing with the straw from my glass of cherry cola.

“You are being really quiet. What’s up? I mean, after the bachelor party tonight you just seem, I don’t know, distracted?” She shrugged as she sat back in the booth.

“It’s nothing, really.” I shrugged it off.

“Okay, if you say so.”

I knew what she was talking about. I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Bryce. His eyes. I couldn’t stop thinking about the way he sat there staring at me as though he was staring straight into my soul.

“So, how did you make out for the night?” I asked, changing the subject.

She smiled at me and set her drink on the table. “I did fantastic, considering all the time we lost entertaining the bachelor party.”

“I hate doing bachelor parties, but I must say by the time we got him up on stage he was really drunk. I’m not sure he is going to remember how he got the bruises on his ass, and I’m sure he will wake up in the morning pretty damn sore.” I smiled at her.

“Poor guy. He is not going to be sitting on his ass for at least a few days. But, hey, that’s what he gets. He did ask for it.” She laughed.

“Yeah, he did.” I laughed with her. Remembering the way he looked us both in the eyes and told us to do our best. He may have thought that we wouldn’t actually accept that offer, but hey, it’s his own fault.

“He sure did. Too bad he was so drunk. I would love to see what his face looks like in the morning when he wakes up with a sore ass, and the only thing he remembers is walking into the strip club. Although I am sure his friends will fill him in on everything he doesn’t remember.” She giggled.

The waitress brought our food and we both dug in, eating in silence.

“I didn’t realize I was that hungry.” I wiped my mouth with my napkin before placing it on my empty plate.

“I am so ready for a bed.” Melody yawned as she leaned back in the booth. “And don’t think you are getting away with not telling me what is going on. I know there is something going on in that head of yours, but for now I will let it rest.” She smiled as she reached in her purse and pulled out a handful of ones.

We paid our bills and both went our separate ways. I got in my car and turned the heat on high. The ride home didn’t take long but the entire drive I spent daydreaming about Bryce. I couldn’t get him out of my mind. The way he had smelled, a slight citrusy scent combined with his cologne.

I dropped my purse on my dresser and pulled out a clean pair of sleep shorts and tank top, tossing them on my bed. I pulled a clean towel from the closet and turned on my shower. As the bathroom started to fill up with steam, I undressed. I stepped into the shower and let the hot water run over my body, stripping away all the tension.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I immediately saw his face again. As I washed my body, the whole time I was imagining what it would feel like if he was touching me. My eyes shot open as I caught myself imagining a man’s touch.

Reality slapped me in the face, as if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over my head. How could I show someone my body, the scars, the one thing I kept hidden? How would someone find anything about my naked body anything but grotesque? I shook the thoughts from my head, finished washing my body, and stepped out of the shower. I pushed the thoughts of a man touching me as far back as I could. I dried off quick and dressed in my pajamas.