Hope (9 page)

“She’d earn plenty on the stage but way more on her back,”
Shelley said, breaking into his troubled thoughts.

“What?” he asked.

Shelley and Don had clearly been having a conversation that
he’d missed.

“Penny would make a good dancer. I think it would add more
spice having an innocent on the stage. I doubt she’ll be ready to open her bed
for men to fuck her. That will come in time. She will learn her place,” Don
said.

“She’d need dance lessons and lessons in pleasing a man. I
watched that girl get dressed, and there is not an ounce of grace or seduction
in the way she moves. She hopped on her feet to remove her shoes. I gave her
the heels she’s wearing.” Shelley patted his hand, looking around him. “She’s
got good curves.”

“You’re not putting her on the stage,” Damon said. There was
no way he was going to stand around watching her strip while other men leered
at her, let alone watch men exchange goods for the pleasure of her bed. It was
bad enough half of them were copping a feel now.

“I did it,” Penny said, putting the tray on the counter. “I
didn’t drop one, Shelley. Half the room have a drink.”

“Good girl. Mitch, fill the tray up,” Shelley said.

Damon saw Penny’s smile slip. Shelley was putting her
through the tests. For her to make it in the club, she’d need to survive all of
their tests. He knew it would only be a matter of time before Don had her up on
the stage and then fucking the men who came in.

Mitch filled the tray, and Penny was back in the crowd.
Kelly was replaced by another dancer.

“You have every intention of her going on the stage,” Damon
said.

Don stared at him. “All the women go up on the stage, Damon.
It is part of life.”

“Shelley didn’t.” Damon knew he sounded like a child, but he
couldn’t stop. There was no way Penny was getting on that stage. The moment she
got on that stage she’d be expected to fuck. Not on his watch.

“I went on the stage, Damon. You were too busy earning your
Mad Dog reputation to give a shit,” Shelley said.

He looked at Don for confirmation.

“When?” he asked.

“When your family caught the flu ten years back. A lot of
the girls passed on, and Don needed another woman on the stage. I was the only
one available to do it, and I did.”
 
Shelley downed another shot of alcohol.

“She’s a damn good dancer and earner, Damon. That is why
she’s in charge and no longer has to go and dance or fuck any of the men.” Don
signalled for another shot.

Damon looked between the two. There was nothing to give them
away as being a couple. He shook his head and turned to watch Penny. She was
talking to several of the customers, smiling and handing out drinks. He had to
give her credit. She was a natural at serving the men. She looked at ease,
which shocked him.

“When she goes on stage, Damon, I’ll look after her. I
always do.” Shelley patted his shoulder before moving away.

****

Penny couldn’t believe she’d survived the whole night. After
that first customer grabbed her and Damon sorted it out, they’d been perfect.
She’d even go as far as to say they were gentlemen towards her. Damon and Trevor
were locking up the doors and making sure all of them left the club. The women
were entertaining the men who had the goods to win the night. Don was sitting at
one of the tables she’d just cleaned.

Toeing off the high heeled shoes, Penny rubbed her feet.
They throbbed, and she wondered if she’d be able to walk again.

“You did
good
tonight, Princess,”
Shelley said, sitting next to her.

“Thank you.”

Penny took the drink offered to her and sipped the liquid.

“I have to say I had my doubts about you.”

“I’m not afraid of hard work, Shelley.”

Shelley stared at her.

“Are you ready to go?” Damon asked, coming up behind her.

“Yes. I just need to go and change.” She picked up the shoes
and held them out to Shelley. “Thank you for letting me
use
them.”

“Keep them, Princess. You’re going to need them. I think
this club has just invested in a new reason to come to the bar.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The men liked being served by you. They got their drinks
delivered and a chance to eye up your tits and ass. You’ve got a body to use,
Princess. Flaunt it.”

Penny felt the blush seep into her cheeks. She really was in
a whole new world. The farm had been bad, but not half as coarse as the club.

“I’ll follow you,” Damon said.

She opened the changing room doors, and her cheeks heated.
Several women were in a state of undress. Many were not even bothering to get
dressed as men pawed at them.

“Are you staying behind tonight?” Kelly asked. The other
woman walked up to Damon and ran her hands up his chest.

Trying her best to ignore her, Penny left his side to grab
her clothing. She turned her back to them then began to change.

“I’m not staying. I’ve got other things to do.” She heard
him say.

“I’m sure the Princess can look after herself. I’ve got some
plans for you.”

Kelly was practically purring at him. Penny rolled her eyes,
pulled her shirt over her head, and then turned.

Yep, Kelly was trying to hump his leg as well.

“I said no, Kelly. Come on, Penny, we’ve got to go.” He
grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room.

“If you want to stay behind I don’t mind.”

Damon paused. He turned towards her. “If I wanted to stay,
I’d stay. Come on.”

He yanked her out of the door, barely waving a goodbye to
his friends.

It was dark outside. The moon was shining down on the
crumbling city. Damon pulled his knife from his back pocket.

“Why are you carrying that?” she asked.

“You always need to have protection,” he said. He pulled her
close, wrapping an arm around her waist. She felt the heat of his touch through
her clothing. He really was a good looking man.

“How was your first night?” he asked after they’d walked for
several minutes. The night was cold. She rubbed her arms trying to warm herself
up.

“It was good.
Scary and good.
I
didn’t have a clue what those men were going to do. They grabbed me and started
fighting as if I was some kind of chew toy.”

“To the men, you were.”

“Don’t they have families to go to and women of their own?”

Damon chuckled.

“Most of the women are in places like the club because it’s
safer. Families and wives are saved for the farming on the outskirts of the
city. Don takes most of them in to protect them. Women are a commodity in this
new world we live in, Penny. Only the men with enough goods and power to
protect a woman without fear of her being taken have wives.”

“I’ve seen several women walking the streets, Damon. They
are not harmed.”

“They are also offering the men something. They’re willing
to give their bodies freely to whoever pays enough for it.” Damon stopped looking
around a corner before continuing on.

“I don’t think I’ll ever make sense of this world.”

“You and me both.
There are
times I wish the M3 had never been invented. We were all better off without
that shit.”

The tone of his voice went dark. She knew he was remembering
something awful.

“What happened?”

They passed a woman on a street corner.

“You know the details of the M3. If the wars hadn’t started
then there would have been medical care. With medical care the flu wouldn’t
have killed as many as it did. I left my family to deal with what Don wanted me
to do, and when I got home they had died from the flu. In my mind, that tablet
caused every fucking problem in this world,” he said.

Penny listened to his tale. He sounded so angry. “I wish I
knew what was going through the scientist’s mind when he created it.”

Damon chuckled. “From what I’ve heard the inventor of M3
wanted to run more tests before unleashing it onto the world. The government
wouldn’t listen. I guess to a point I can understand. I mean, how can a tablet
taken as a replacement for food be harmful?”

She shrugged. “We never really know the science of
everything. I’ve read some of the books from back then. There were several that
survived the wars. My mother loved them. The world sounded nice.”

He laughed. “I wonder what the people of then would make of
this world?”

She smiled. Damon opened the door to their apartment block.
He was silent as they made their way up the flight of stairs to their room. The
door was still locked. He opened the door, pulled her inside, and then locked
all the bolts into place.

“Did you know there was a time when women could live alone
and independent? They had control over their own life. They were free to walk,
talk, and do anything they wanted?”

“I remember the books that talked of such freedom. They
really didn’t know how good they had it. I mean look at where we are now.”

He released her hand, and she missed the contact.

“There was a lot more to smile about back then, but at least
we’re learning from our mistakes. There has to be hope for the future. Even
with this life, I’m happy I’m alive.”

Chapter Eight

Damon thought about his mother. She’d been a good woman and
a hard worker. When he was younger she’d done everything in her power to give
him a good life regardless of their circumstances. He knew it wasn’t her fault with
the way the world was. She didn’t create the M3 or the consequences of it being
taking. Hearing Penny talk about reading and writing made him wish he’d had the
chance to learn. Damon listened to others as they read or told stories that
have been given down family lines. Don wasn’t looking for a writer or a reader.
Don was always looking for a man who knew the world. A man who thought through
his actions before taking out a target or starting a fight, that was what Don
wanted in his men.

He didn’t read and write, but he knew how to read a
situation without getting killed. Knowing other men and understanding their
reactions was the key.

“What were your family like?” she asked.

They moved toward the sofa. Damon watched her sit down
before grabbing a drink from the fridge. He handed her one as he took a seat
next to her. Her scent filled the air around them. He liked the way she smelled.
Her soft feminine curves called to him with her fuller hips and large tits. He
could lose himself in her soft flesh for days. Kelly had been wearing her cloying
scent. When she’d pressed her body against him, he’d been repulsed. Kelly was
nothing like the woman by his side.

“My family was like any other family. They
were loving
, loyal, and damn caring throughout it all. We
always found something to laugh about even though there was never anything to
keep the nightmares at bay.”

“What about your dad?”

“Not much to tell about him.”

He remained silent refusing to talk about his father. His
father had been the first in his family to go down because of the flu. It was a
long time ago, and they were all gone.

“Are you the only one left?”

Damon nodded his head. “Yes. I wasn’t with them when the flu
came to my family, but they were dead before I got chance to help them.
 
I tell you, burying your family is a wake-up
call. I went back to the house where they died, packed up my shit, and moved. I
wanted nothing to do with the world that left me.”

It still hurt to think about.

“My mom died, too. Things went weird after that. When she
was there it was like she grounded everyone around her. You know?
Kept their feet firmly on the ground.
When she left, my dad
started acting weird, and it just got worse.”

He felt her shrug her shoulders. Damon sipped his drink
feeling the night starting to wear on him. “We need to get some sleep. You can
have the water first. I’ll get some more water later.”

She took a final sip of her drink then handed him the
bottle.

“Thank you, Damon. For everything you’ve done for me. I’ll
never forget it.”

He smiled watching the sway of her ass as she walked away.

“Don’t thank me at all, sweetheart. Not with the things I
want to do to you,” Damon muttered to himself. Penny had already left the room.
He knew he should talk to Don about her staying at the club permanently. She
wasn’t safe alone with him.

They’d not known each other for long, and he felt his entire
body stir for a piece of her. Damon wanted to walk into the shower, wrap his arms
around her, sink his cock inside her, and never let go. He heard her moving
around the bathroom. He heard her gasp as she tested the cold water. He
wondered if she was naked or still wore her clothing. Her large tits would
spill forward hanging down. Would she have large or small nipples?
Red or brown?
His mouth watered at the thought of tasting
her. Damon wanted to do more than get his hands on her. He wanted to get his
mouth, tongue, and dick all over her and inside her.