Possession Read online

  I stared at her knowing there was more to the job than that. “And? I’ve heard about Club X. Isn’t it more like stripping?”

  She nodded and shrugged. “For some. I don’t do the nude stuff. Maybe someday. You wouldn’t have to either, unless you wanted to. You certainly have the body for it, though.”

  At that moment, all I knew about my body was it hurt all over. The Vicodin hadn’t kicked in yet, and my cheekbone felt like it could explode out of my face at any moment. Dancing, nude or otherwise, was the last thing on my mind.

  “I don’t know. I could go back to waitressing. I always made decent money doing that.”

  “You could, but dancing pays a lot better.”

  More money piqued my interest. “How much better? More than you used to make at the diner?”

  “Let’s just say that it’s not out of the question for me to make seven hundred to a thousand on a really good week, depending on where Kane puts me. If it’s with people who tip well, I can do pretty good. Way better than I used to make waitressing.”

  “And that’s without going nude?”

  “Yeah, but that’s working all five nights at eight hours each. Some girls don’t work the whole eight like I do, but I guess if they’re stripping they make more money in less time.”

  “So what kind of dancing is this if you don’t take off your clothes?” I asked, suddenly curious about this job of hers. If the money was that good, it wouldn’t take me long to make enough to get the hell out of Tampa and begin a new life where nobody knew me. I’d miss Gemma, but she’d understand. We’d both seen our share of bad because of men, and even though hers never beat her, she was no stranger to heartbreak.

  “The top three floors of the club have fantasy rooms, and each room has a place for dancers. It’s sort of like a room next to a room. A window in one wall of the fantasy room separates me from the people in the room. So all I have to do is dance for them. Not everyone who reserves a room wants a dancer, but when they do, that’s how it happens.”

  “Do they see you?”

  Gemma seemed to think about my question and nodded again. “Yeah, but it’s not really like they’re there, at least not for me. I listen to the music and just dance.”

  The way she described it didn’t sound so bad. I could probably do that. The dancing nude sounded terrifying, but if it meant a lot more money, maybe I could get over how scary it all sounded.

  “Do the ones who strip also dance behind the window?”

  “Some do. Others do the usual kind of erotic dancing in the room with the members. I couldn’t do that. I know a few girls who do, but it’s not for me. Then there are others who act out the fantasies people want.”

  “Just so I’m getting this straight, they don’t make you do anything you don’t want to, like dance nude, right?”

  Gemma smiled and shook her head. “They don’t. Trust me, you’re going to love the guys who run the club. The one owner never comes out of his office, it seems. He and his fiancée take care of all the club business together. Cassian and Olivia are really sweet. Then there’s Stefan. He used to be a huge horndog, but since he met his girlfriend, he’s a changed man. And the one who’s in charge of the dancers and the whole fantasy thing is named Kane. You’re going to love him. Trust me.”

  A childhood of twice a week Bible study marched through my brain at the mention of his name. “As in the son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother?”

  “Not Cain, with a C. His name is Kane, K-A-N-E. Like candy.”

  “That’s with a C too,” I said with a chuckle that sent a stabbing pain shooting through my ribs. “What’s this Kane like?”

  Gemma leaned forward in her seat like she had something important to say. “All the girls love him. As long as you do your work, you’ll love him too. I’ve seen him rough up a few of the members when they got out of line with a couple of the dancers. He doesn’t take any shit when it comes to us. Owners aren’t always like that, but he is.”

  The idea of a man protecting women instead of beating up on them sounded good. She’d almost convinced me to apply for the dancer job.

  Almost.

  “I’m going to call him and see when he can give you an interview,” she said as she jumped off the chair to get her phone.

  “No…” Leaning off the couch, I reached out to stop her but my hand only caught air. She was off like a shot toward the other room so full of enthusiasm for us working together, but I wasn’t so sure I could do it. Even though I’d be fully clothed, dancing for people in fantasy rooms scared me. It seemed so—exposed, even with clothes on. What if I couldn’t do it?

  I rolled back onto the couch to ease the pain of my aching ribs. Closing my eyes, I tried to push away the memory of Aaron’s fists hitting my side and the pain shooting through my bones as he punched me over and over. He was probably back at the house by now, furious that I hadn’t cleaned up the mess he’d made and left without telling him where I was going.

  A spike of fear pressed into my mind. What if he figured out where I was and came looking for me? If he found me here, Gemma could get hurt, along with her beautiful apartment. Pushing myself up, I slowly swung my legs off the couch to stand. I needed to get out of there before anyone else found themselves on the receiving end of Aaron’s anger or his fists.

  “Hey, I got you an interview for Thursday night. What are you doing?”

  I looked up and saw Gemma staring down at me. “I have to go. I don’t want Aaron to find me here and hurt you too.”

  She placed her hand on my shoulder and stilled my movement. “Abbi, sit down. I’m not going to get hurt, honey. Don’t worry. If he comes here, I’ll get the cops and they’ll take care of him.”

  I lowered myself to the couch and hung my head. “I just don’t want to see you get hurt too. He’ll be furious if he figures out where I am.”

  “Then he’ll have to deal with me. I’m pretty fucking sick of his bullshit, so he doesn’t want to mess with me today. For now, you can stay on that couch until you feel better. I don’t have work tonight, so I’ll be right here the whole time. I won’t give him the chance to hurt you again.”

  Looking up at her, I saw in those beautiful green eyes of hers she meant business. “Okay. I think the Vicodin are kicking in anyway, so I’ll just stay here and hope I feel better.”

  “Good. And when you wake up, I’ll make the Arancini. Then tomorrow you can start a brand new life and in a few days you can start a new job.”

  I closed my eyes as she chirped away about all the great things I truly wished would come true. A brand new life and a new job sounded exactly like what I needed.

  * * *

  SIX O’CLOCK Thursday came fast, but the closer my interview came, the more unsure of myself I felt. My ribs still killed, and the bruise on my cheek had turned a deep reddish-purple color. As I stared into Gemma’s bathroom mirror, at least I could be thankful that my face no longer looked like a Botox appointment gone horribly wrong.

  Blowing my bangs off my face, I shook my head in disbelief that Gemma would ever find a way to make me look presentable. I looked mangy. That’s what I felt like too. Like a stray dog who’d been kicked too many times and just couldn’t believe life would ever be any better than it was right at that moment, bruises and all.

  I heard her buzzing around in her room getting ready for her shift at Club X and couldn’t help but be infected by her enthusiasm. Gemma was like that. When she felt happy, she made everyone around her happy. I loved her for that, especially since it was her strength that had made leaving Aaron possible. Her singing, no matter how off key, made me smile, and looking in the mirror again, I saw something of that person I’d been before everything happened with Aaron.

  God, how had I let myself get so torn apart?

  “Hey, chickie, what do you think, black pants or blue? I like the black. Blondes always look great in black.”

  I turned around to see her holding two pairs of dress pants up in front of me. Gemma leaned h
er head toward the black pair and rolled her eyes toward them. “I guess the black then since you’re doing the mind trick thing to get me to pick them. But wouldn’t a skirt be better?”

  Her gaze traveled to my legs, and I looked down to see a huge black and blue mark on the inside of my left knee. I hadn’t realized Aaron had caught me there. Sheepishly, I looked away, too embarrassed to face her.

  “Easily explainable, if you want to wear a skirt, Abbi. I mean, people trip over things every day. No biggie. I doubt anyone will even notice it.”

  “No, you were right with the pants,” I said quietly as I took them from her hand. “What do you think I should wear on top?”

  She began fussing with the back of my hair as she explained what she’d picked out for me to wear as a shirt. “On top, I think you need to let Kane see the blessings the good Lord has given you. I have an adorable little top that you’ll look great in. You get the pants on and I’ll be right back.”

  I did as she said and stripped off the T-shirt she’d given me. Standing there in front of the mirror in just my bra, I looked down at the blessings the good Lord had given me, thankful they weren’t bruised too. I examined my arms to make sure Aaron hadn’t caught me anywhere with a wild punch, but somehow I’d been pretty much spared from the neck down, except for my ribs, my left hip that still ached, and that bruise on my leg.

  Gemma came up behind me and held out the shirt for me to see. “Check it out! I admit I’m partial to green, but even I don’t look as great as you will in this pale green number. I love the bows on the shoulders too. So cute! You’re going to look fantastic in this.”

  Slipping the top over my head, I straightened the bows over my bra straps and looked in the mirror. When she was right, she was right. The light green next to my pale blond hair looked great, and the shirt did just what I needed it to.

  Smiling, I looked behind me at her in the mirror. “It’s great, Gemma. And best of all, it makes my boobs look great.”

  She twirled the back of my hair again and rested her chin on my left shoulder to look into the mirror with me. “Your boobs look great all the time. This just makes them even better. Now how do the top and pants feel? You need to look confident in the interview, so I don’t want you having to fidget because you’re uncomfortable.”

  “They feel great. I think if I wear my own shoes it’ll be okay, right?”

  “I think so. They’re pretty nice and have that good platform heel action that we tiny girls need. Other than that, just remember to stress your time as a Storm cheerleader and knowing me and you’ll be fine.”

  I nodded and wished I could feel as positive as she did. From the neck down, I looked great. From the neck up, well, that was an entirely different story. How we were ever going to cover up that horrible bruise just under my eye I had no idea.

  Gemma must have been reading my mind because she set to work digging through her makeup bag on the back of the bathroom sink, pulling out tubes of concealer and every possible kind of cosmetics to make me look like a normal job applicant and not some girl who’d been used as a punching bag just a few days before.

  By the time she finished applying all that makeup, my face had been transformed from bruised and spotty to nearly flawless. Only a tiny hint of Aaron’s handiwork could be seen on my cheek, and for the first time since Gemma had mentioned the chance at a job with her at Club X, I honestly believed it could happen.

  She turned me around to study her creation and smiled. “You look gorgeous! Now show them the you I know and you’ll be a shoo-in. Once you get the job, I’ll ask Kane if he’d be willing to schedule us together for a while so we can drive to work together.”

  I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, the pain in my ribs stabbing at me. “Okay, sounds good. What time is it?”

  “Nearly quarter after six. Let’s get going so we’re not late.”

  “Okay. I just have to brush my teeth and I’ll be ready to roll.”

  “Great! See you outside!”

  Gemma closed the bathroom door, and as I began to brush my teeth, I really looked at the woman staring back at me. Twenty-two years old, I needed to get my life together. No more boyfriends who took more than they gave. No more making excuses for the mess my life had become. If Gemma could put in a good word for me with the owners of Club X, the least I could do was be someone who deserved that effort.

  That woman in the mirror could be more than just some man’s punching bag.

  Gemma squeezed my hand as she opened the door to Club X and moved up to fuss with the hair around my face. “Just remember how terrific you are, okay?”

  I plastered a smile on my face. “Got it. Terrific.”

  “Now let’s go in and get you a job!”

  Following her into the club, I looked around at the huge space that was Club X. She’d described the upper floors but not the nightclub itself. Even empty, the bar looked impressive. I wouldn’t be working in this area, but I was still impressed with the size of the place and the huge glass bar.

  “Cassian’s office is in the back, so that’s where you’ll have your interview. I can’t go in, but I’ll be right out here when you get done. Just walk straight back and look for the door on the left.”

  Gemma squeezed my hand again, and I walked away to meet the three owners of Club X. She’d given me all the ins and outs of each man, so I knew what to expect. Cassian was the businessman. Stefan was the bar manager and still a flirt, despite being with someone now. And Kane was the one I had to impress, even if at first he scared the hell out of me.

  Oh, and they were all drop dead gorgeous.

  The door to the room I suspected was Cassian’s office was open a crack, so I knocked gently. A male voice told me to come in, so I pushed the door open to see three large men staring at me. The one behind the desk waved me in, and as he introduced all of them, I saw Gemma had been right on the money with her descriptions of the Club X owners. Cassian wore a dark grey suit and definitely looked all business, even if he was knockout good looking in a cool way with his dark hair and stunning blue eyes. Stefan stood next to him in jeans and a T-shirt that showed off the tattoos covering his muscular arms. He had a real good time vibe in his deep brown eyes, tussled light brown hair, and friendly smile.

  Kane stood off to the side of them, much larger than both the other men and staring at me almost angrily with his striking blue eyes. Dressed in black pants and a dark red long sleeved T-shirt, he had an intimidating look to him, but the tattoos peeking out from under his sleeves across his wrists and the top of his hands made me think there was more to him than the menacing man in front of me now. One thing was certain. He may have looked like Cassian, but one glance told me the two of them couldn’t have been more different.

  “Please take a seat, Abbi,” Cassian said as I gingerly sat down in the leather chair in front of his desk, pain shooting through my left hip. “I do all the general managing of Club X and Stefan handles the bar, so we’ll only be involved in the first part of the interview. Kane will take over the second part because you’re interested in being a dancer.”

  I nodded and smiled nervously. I’d never had an interview like this before. Waitressing jobs didn’t really require getting dressed up or answering a whole lot of questions.

  “Tell us about yourself, Abbi.”

  Oh, God. I couldn’t do this. Nothing about me would make anyone want to hire me. If I was lucky, they’d want me in spite of the fact that everything about me was a mess. My legs began to shake, and I stammered out in a soft voice, “Wha…what would you like to know?”

  Cassian smiled, instantly calming my nerves. “Tell us how you heard about Club X.”

  I swallowed hard. “My friend Gemma works here as a dancer. She told me how much she likes working here, so when she said she’d try to help me get a job here too, I said yes.”

  Cassian seemed to like my answer, if his warm smile was any indication, and Stefan flashed me a smile too as I finished my answer. But Kane only gri
maced as he had from the moment I walked into the room.

  Thankfully, he wasn’t conducting the interview or I’d have been sent home after the first time I opened my mouth. Instead, Cassian continued to ask me questions, and with each answer, I knew I was winning him and Stefan over.

  Two out of three wasn’t bad, but Gemma had warned me I had to win Kane over most. I smiled at him, hoping he’d warm up to me, but all I got in return was the same gruff expression and angry glare.

  “Abbi, do you have any experience dancing in a club?” Cassian asked after looking at a sheet of paper that sat in front of him.

  “No, but I was a Tampa Storm cheerleader and I know how to dance.”

  My answer seemed to please the two men I’d already impressed, but once again Kane simply frowned. Why did he dislike me so much even though we’d just met?

  After a few more questions about me and my background, Cassian said, “Okay, Abbi. Give us a few minutes and Kane will be out to join you when we’re done.”

  I stood from my seat and extended my hand to shake Cassian’s and Stefan’s hands. Both men thanked me for coming in, but when I turned to shake Kane’s hand, it was like he dreaded touching me. Reluctantly, he took my hand in his and I noticed how large his was compared to his brothers’. Rougher too, it felt hard against my skin. For the briefest moment, he shook mine before turning away to speak to his brothers.

  No thank you. No nothing. Just more grimacing.

  Gemma came toward me all smiles as I entered the bar. “So how did it go? Aren’t they as nice as I said?”

  Workers began to come in past us, and I struggled to hold back my tears as my disappointment settled in. “Cassian and Stefan were very nice, but I don’t think Kane liked me. He didn’t ask one question and didn’t even say thank you to me for coming in like his brothers did. I don’t think I did very well.”

  “Oh, sweetie. Maybe you’re just judging yourself too harshly. I bet they loved you. Don’t worry about Kane. Sometimes he goes entire shifts without saying a word to any of us. He’s going to watch you dance now, so you still have a chance to convince him.”