Scarred (Book 1, #1) (2 page)

Throwing the cigarette on the pavement, she squished it into the ground with her black high heel. As a light breeze swept a piece of hair in her face, she brushed the dark brown strand aside. Just a few more hours and her shift would be over she thought to herself as she retreated back inside the club.

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C
hloe finished the dance and gently stepped down the steps, avoiding the roaming eyes that were upon her. She walked towards the bar and the smiling Lexi.

Her face was covered in a grin. “Looks like you've got an admirer...”

She held out her hand and waited for Lexi to give her a glass of lemon water. “Really, which one?”

"The dark haired hunk sitting over there. He’s very interested - he wants a private dance." She pointed to a private booth of business men.

Chloe exhaled. "Perv?"

She laughed. “I don’t know. He’s certainly not hard to look at though - you can smell the money..."

It was Chloe’s turn to laugh. "I doubt that."

As they were speaking she could feel gazes on her. Lexi, who knew her well, smiled.

"Yep, that's the group." She breathed.

Chloe hid behind her long brown curtain of hair. "Which one?"

"The one on the far right."

She glanced in their direction and let her eyes sweep over a large broad shouldered man with jet black hair. He was doing exactly the same thing to her before meeting her eyes. Their gaze held for a moment before she turned her head back. "Arrogant as hell."

"How can you tell?"

"Trust me; after you've been doing this awhile you learn how to spot them..."

Dropping her hand down, she accepted the water that Lexi passed her and sipped it.

"When does he want the dance?"

"He asked me to set it up as soon as you were finished. Jake is getting him now."

Chloe nodded before sighing. "Let’s do it! Tell Mike track 5 please."

She watched Lexi speak into her tiny head mic and tell the DJ track 5.

Finishing the water, she strolled over to the outside of the private rooms. Dim lights hid them from the rest of the floor giving the area a darker, more seductive edge.

Chloe smiled at the bouncer who stood guard outside the rooms. The point was to give each individual their privacy as well as to be able to hear the dancer if she called out for help.

"Hey Jake."

He winked and responded, "You're popular tonight."

"Tell me about it."

"Which song are you having?"

"Track 5."

His smile grew. "That's the third time tonight. Have fun!"

They grasped hands tightly before releasing their grip. It wasn't much but such small gestures of support meant a lot.

Entering the room, she slowly stepped towards the pole in time with the music. He was sat in a chair opposite, watching her every movement. She hated to admit it but he was gorgeous! Sometimes they had the rare good looking ones but they were always married or engaged.

What really caught her attention though were his eyes. They were the lightest shade of crystal blue she had ever seen. With his dark eyelashes, it made them pop in a way she had never seen before.

She ripped her eyes away forcing herself to switch off and focused on her dance.

When she had first been introduced to pole dancing by Roxie she was instantly hooked. The cold metal of the pole was secure and safe as she spun the excited pant of her breath whenever she was performing a difficult move and the wave of victory when she did it flawlessly was addictive.

It was a safe haven, a place where she could just let go and be herself. It had taken a while to shut out the comments and the pants of aroused men at first but after a while it had become second nature to her. This time, however, was different. Usually the men would sit there and rub themselves moaning and groaning or try and reach out for a touch. He just sat there. Quietly watching.

She wanted to look into his eyes again. Not a good idea. It was always best to create a detachment when dancing - otherwise you could get sucked into their world pretty easily. But the temptation was there...

Glancing up, a shock of electricity went through her when their eyes locked. His were like a trance as he looked at her: so many emotions swirling behind his crystal blue irises.

Bad move.

Shutting him off completely, she finished. It wasn't usually wise to break away any bond with the person watching - it tended to result in low tips but she felt as if there had been no other alternative.

Unlike most of the other business men, he was dressed in dark blue jeans, a white dress shirt that was unbuttoned with a dark navy suit coat. His jet black hair was neatly slicked back. She didn't miss the way he moved, with assurance, and his aura filled the private space. His gaze rested on her as he took a few steps forward.

She remained perfectly still. He was the sexiest man she'd ever seen, and the swirling flavor of command only amplified his physical appeal. It didn't take much for her to imagine what his body looked like beneath his clothes. Chiseled chest, wide shoulders, rippling abs, even his scent of pure man lured her in. His attraction was hard to deny.

He finally nodded his head, turned and left the private room. Chloe exhaled the breath she had been holding in relief. The tension between them could've been cut with a knife. She was about to leave when she noticed the money on the table by the chair. Walking over she picked up the bills and quickly counted. Her eyes widened with surprise. There had to have been at least one thousand dollars in her hand.

Slipping the money in her bra, she turned and left.

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“H
ow was it?” Lexi asked wiping down the bar counter.

Chloe leaned into the bar then twisted her head, taking a quick glimpse of the tall, dark mysterious man she had never seen before. “Ok. He left a shit load.” She smiled fanning the bills in the bartender’s eye view.

Lexi smiled looking over Chloe’s shoulders. “Umm...” She paused frowning. “Did you do something?”

“No.” Chloe retorted whipping around looking in the direction her friend was. She watched the tall dark man speak to her boss with his back facing her. Chloe couldn’t make out what he was saying, but Roxi looked flustered. She watched as Roxi shook his hand, like they had just sealed a deal. When he turned, his eyes locked with hers, a small smile appearing at the corners of his full lips.

Chloe instantly turned her head around, looking frustrated. “Fucking cocky bastard.”

“Don’t look but her she comes.” Lexi whispered still wiping the counter.

She quickly shoved her bills back into her bra and turned around leaning her back against the bar. Thank god her shift was almost over. She didn’t need any bullshit tonight.

“Let’s go talk.” Roxi looked at Chloe, tapping her elbow, giving her the cue to start walking.

They both walked up the stairs to the second level of the building which housed her boss’s office and some private rooms. Chloe closed the door and grabbed a seat in the black leather chair that sat on the other side of her boss’s desk.

She eyed the blonde curiously and entwined her fingers together. “Ok, what the hell is going on? Whatever that joker told you, it’s bullshit!” Chloe spat already losing her patience.

Roxie smiled and placed her elbows on her desk, hands resting under her chin. “Almost two years ago, when you served me that shitty burger in that shitty restaurant...” Roxie paused, “Why do you think I offered you this job?”

Chloe sat back in the leather chair and examined her bosses raised eyebrows. “I really don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

“Because you’re gorgeous and I knew the men would love you. At first you also looked broken...defeated almost, but then after a few weeks something changed in you. Something I liked. You remind me of myself when I was twenty four.” Roxi leaned back in her chair and rocked. “Just wish you would strip rather than just pole dance!”

Chloe let out a laugh. “You couldn’t pay me enough Rox. Now can you tell me why I am up here?”

Roxie leaned forward and threw a bundle of bills in front of her and Chloe’s eyes widened as she watched her boss spread the hundreds out across the mahogany desk.

“There is twenty thousand dollars here.” Roxie paused before continuing. “Mr. Stark has hired you for the week. You are not allowed to dance for anyone other than him. The perk about this? He’ll only be here three days this week.”

Chloe’s eyes grew wider as she stared at the bills and then her boss. “Why? He is some fucking pervert right? I’m not doing it Rox!”

“Do you know him?”

“I’ve never seen him before!”

“Well, he knows you. Or at least I think he does, by the way he kept asking me questions about you. What aren’t you telling me Chloe?”

Chloe ran a hand through her long hair in frustration trying to recall his face again. She had never seen him before, ever. She had no idea who he could be, unless he recognized her from the trial in New York.

“Nothing Roxie. I don’t know him.” Chloe responded in a frustrated tone. “Who is he?”

Roxie took one more look at Chloe before responding. “He owns Stark Real Estate, the most successful in Rhode Island and of course he is filthy rich. His father is the top Criminal lawyer at Stark & Renner. I have met him a few times.” Roxie tapped her manicured nail on her lip, still staring at Chloe. “Question is why is he so interested in you?”

Beads of sweat started to form on Chloe’s forehead as her mind went through a thousand different scenarios. There is no way this guy could know her or have a connection to her past. Jesse is in prison.

Chloe let out a nervous laugh. “I have no idea. Give him his money back. I’m not doing it. He is already creeping me out.” She began to get up and out of the chair and walk towards the door.

“I’m sorry Chloe, but you’re doing it.”

She watched her boss stand. Roxi’s long blonde hair fell over her shoulders as she placed a hand on her perfectly sculpted hip. For thirty four, she was gorgeous. She took pride in her body and how she looked, which was something that Chloe had always admired about her. There was always effervescence about her boss that never spoiled, no matter how many years passed. Roxi was completely comfortable with herself and that confidence added to her allure, making her glow.

“Jesus Christ Rox. I said, No!” Chloe frowned trying to argue.

“I heard you. But you’re still doing it. He’ll be back tomorrow night.” Roxie replied sitting back down in her chair. She waved her fingers towards the door. “It’ll be fine.”

She looked at her boss knowing there was no point in arguing with her. The money had won her boss over. She would go home and try and connect the dots if there were any at all. She would find out who and why this Mr. Stark had any interest in her at all. Maybe she was just overreacting and he just liked the way she looked. However, in this line of work, that was doubtful.

Mr. Stark didn’t just drop a small fortune to hire her for three days based solely on looks. There was definitely more. There had to be more.

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C
hloe sat on her bed reading the bio she had pulled up online: Derek Stark, thirty one years old, owner of Stark Real Estate, grew up in New York but now lives in Rhode Island where he owns the largest Real Estate group in the state. His father is a criminal lawyer in New York...Could that be the connection? Was his father somehow involved in the trial? He has one brother, Jake, who works with his father in New York. He’s a lawyer also. New York is a huge state. Is it possible that this guy’s father or brother was involved in Jesse’s trial that he would remember her or recognize her?

She searched site after site, trying to find out why this rich pervert would drop twenty thousand dollars, just to watch her dance. Did he think the obnoxious display of money was going to win him special favors? She certainly hoped not, for his sake. Rich and gorgeous weren’t enough for her. She’d had rich and gorgeous and it had nearly killed her. If she ever wanted to forget that, her scars would always remind her that a nice cover definitely does not tell you how screwed up the book is inside.

Derek Stark...who are you, and more importantly, what do you want from me? She scrolled through more sites, reading basically the same information over and over again. The guy needed to give his publicist a raise, that’s for sure. If there were any skeletons there to be found, they were buried deep. Finally frustrated when nothing popped up flashing bold letters that said, “Pervert Beware,” Chloe shut down the computer and stretched out on the bed. What the hell does this man want?

“Hey! Are you still awake?” Lexi was knocking on her door, obviously with no regard to whether or not she was still awake, the way she was banging on it.

“Yeah, I’m up. Come in.”

Lexi pushed open the door. She had on her pajamas and was carrying a cup of tea in each hand. She handed one to Chloe as she sat up and she said, “So, did you find out who your gorgeous benefactor really is?”

She took a sip of the tea. It felt good going down. Although Chloe was a smoker, sometimes the thick atmosphere of it at work stuck in her throat and made it hard to breathe. “It would seem, that he is exactly who Roxi says he is. He owns a prominent real estate agency, the biggest one in the state. It seems like he may own half of Rhode Island.”

“Hubba Bubba!” Lexi said.

“You don’t find it creepy that he’s paying twenty grand just to watch me dance for a week?”

“Maybe it was love at first sight.” Chloe rolled her eyes and Lexi said, “Okay, maybe not. But the real deal is that he’s dropping a butt-load of cash that I know you need to watch you dance. You don’t even have to take off your clothes. I don’t know if I would overthink it if I were you.”

“I have to over-think it, Lex. These guys are mostly scum and there is always a motive. They’re well-dressed, sometimes...like in Derek Stark’s case, good-looking...but scum nonetheless.”

“Well you’ll be in a safe place and you know if he does try anything Roxi will kick him out, twenty-grand or not. Remember that slime ball that kept taking his dick out and asking the girls on stage to touch it?”