“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you?” Colton questioned, neither confirming nor denying his plan.
“Damn, Colton, I think I’m smart enough to know that the last thing you want is me in your apartment. If King refused to let me leave, your only other option is to get me to want to leave,” she mocked him, leaning back in the swivel chair and placing her arms across her chest.
“What you didn’t think about is that I actually don’t mind living with you, despite your revolving bedroom door. It’s better than sleeping in the same room as one of King’s women, who are giving blowjobs or fucking before I can get out of the room. It’s damn sure better than letting Digger get me and it sure as hell is better than leaving before I find Sawyer.” Vida’s voice was practically yelling at Colton as he stood dumbfounded at the woman he had mistaken for being a timid little mouse.
Vida almost started laughing again at his expression, but decided she had pressed her luck far enough for the day. The bell rang, letting them know a customer was coming in the door. Seth came towards the counter with a genuine smile on his face, carrying his computer.
“I’m off today. I thought if it’s okay with you that I would hang around and. when you weren’t busy, you could help me code?” Seth nervously waited for her reply.
Vida returned his smile with one of her own. “I’d enjoy it, Seth. I get bored between customers now that most of my classes are finished.”
Colton just stared back and forth between the two for several seconds.
“Make sure you keep track of the clients,” was all he said before disappearing.
The day was much better with Seth keeping her company. Tessa merely eyed Seth when she came out front. Vida could tell she was wondering just what their relationship was, but she didn’t ask and Vida wasn’t about to volunteer the information.
Colton came out with his client; a woman, not much older than Vida, who had wanted a tat of an owl on her shoulder. She had gushed her admiration of his tats when she had caught sight of him. It wasn’t much better now that her tattoo had been completed and wrapped.
Colton had been about to call his next appointment when the woman grabbed his arm, keeping him by her side. “Call me?” Vida had become used to the forwardness of the women that came into Colton’s shop.
“Sure thing, sugar.” Colton gave her a smile that looked insincere to Vida, but she was also sure that she would see the bleached blond doing the walk out of Colton’s front door during the wee hours when he was done with her.
“Colton, my man, I see you still have the touch.”
Everyone’s eyes turned towards the loud voice to see a middle-aged man standing in the doorway, letting the door close behind him as he came further into the room. He was extremely attractive with hard angles, yet laugh lines were leading away from his amused eyes as they took in the young girl pleading for Colton’s attention.
“I see three years in the state pen hasn’t hurt your mojo any.” The man was as large as his voice.
“Shut-up, Max,” Colton said, trying to disentangle himself from the grip, which had tightened on his arm.
“You’ve been in prison?” Instead of fear, Vida clearly saw arousal on the woman’s face.
“Yeah, I just got out a couple of weeks ago,” Colton answered.
“You sure you don’t want me to wait around until you get off? I don’t mind waiting.” She moved closer to Colton.
“I’m sure, Lara. I’m busy tonight. I’ll call you next week.” Vida rolled her eyes, more like he had another woman scheduled for tonight.
Lara paid her bill then left when it became obvious that Colton wouldn’t change his mind. Vida sat beside Seth, reaching out to point to a figure he had missed, feeling the eyes of the newcomer on her. She steadily ignored the curious eyes on her as she heard him talking to Colton.
“Have I met you? Your face seems familiar to me for some reason.” The silence in the room forced Vida to look up, knowing the voice was addressing her.
“I don’t think so, I would have remembered.” It was the honest truth; the man was very striking, both in features and in the way he dressed. By his looks and from the motorcycle he owned that was parked outside the glass door, Vida assumed he was in a motorcycle club. He had on jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket that had several patches on it, most held a club name that was constantly in the news for the criminal activities it was said they had committed.
“I think we have. You seem too familiar…” Vida knew the instant he recognized her, amusement and admiration lit his face.
“Trouble?” He laughed and hit his hand against Colton’s back. “I have died and gone to Heaven.” Holding his arms out, he gave her a devilish grin. “Come to daddy.”
Blood rushed up her from her chest to land with bright flags of shame on her cheeks as Seth stopped coding to stare at her as if he had never seen her before. His mouth dropped open.
“You work in King’s club?” Before Vida could reply, Max barged into their conversation.
“She sure does. You have the pleasure of sitting next to one of King’s gloriously divine exotic dancers, Trouble.”
Seth looked at her with horrified eyes, as if the computer he had in front of him was about to be stolen. Vida’s emotions closed down. It was a look she was very familiar with, she had seen it dozens of times when she was a child, whenever someone found out her mother was a stripper.
Seth closed his computer, gathered his papers and shoved them unceremoniously into his backpack.
“I better be going. I’ll talk to you later, Vida.” Seth jumped from his chair, taking off from the shop as if the hounds of hell were after him. Vida swallowed down the hurt; she had thought they were friends. Seth hadn’t made any sexual overtures towards her and it had made her relax in his easygoing company.
“I take it the kid didn’t know.” Vida could see remorse in Max’s eyes.
Vida shrugged, refusing to let them see she was hurting. “It was my fault; I had plenty of time to tell him.”
“Who gives a fuck, if something like that runs off the little pussy. You’re better off without him,” Max stated.
Vida shrugged again, Seth had surprised her by his abrupt departure. It wasn’t Max’s fault he had inadvertently let it out that she was stripping, it was her own for entangling herself in the mess her life had become. Not for the first time, Vida questioned whether she was doing the right thing, wishing she had other options where Sawyer was concerned. Maybe she should go to the police again?
Vida ran her hand along the computer, feeling the cold metal against her fingertips. She gathered back her control.
King was her only hope of getting Sawyer back; she knew that in her heart. She had taken the only road open to her, so now she had to tough out the repercussions. When Sawyer was back, she could leave and move somewhere where people had never heard of her mother and wouldn’t have to be constantly on guard about being recognized as a stripper. She just had to hang on to her tattered pride until then.
Pasting a fake smile on her lips that she was unaware didn’t reach her eyes, she forestalled any other comments. “You’re right. I was only doing him a favor anyway, helping him with his video game. Are you wanting to get a tattoo?” she asked Max, trying to change the subject.
“Only if Colton has an opening. I don’t want that bitch of a wife anywhere near me with those needles of hers.” Max shuddered, giving her a wink.
“Colton’s free; you can go on back with him.” Vida smiled at the man’s antics.
“Thanks, I am sorry, sometimes my mouth spouts out shit before I think.” Max moved closer to the counter.
“It’s really okay.” This time Vida’s smile was much warmer. “But I’m still not going to give you a private dance,” she teased. She could tell he was upset with himself for being responsible for Seth leaving.
His heartbreak lasted three seconds. “I guess I’ll survive. Any chance you’ll give me the redhead’s number that comes o
n the stage after you?”
Vida studied Colton’s friend, he seemed like a really nice guy. “I’ll give her a call. If she says it cool, I’ll give it to you. I will warn you, though, she does have a boyfriend.”
“Trouble, you just made my day. I’ll make sure we name our firstborn after you.” Vida couldn’t hold back her laughter at his silly response.
“I’ll hold you to that,” she mock threatened.
“Go on back to my room, I’ll be there in a minute,” Colton told Max, staring intently at Vida.
Colton waited until Max had left the room before questioning Vida.
“You sure you’re okay?” His eyes searched hers.
“I’m fine. It was only a matter of time before Seth found out. The semester is almost over and when Sawyer comes home, I’ll be leaving. So it’s really not a big deal.”
“Leaving? Where will you be going?” His sharp voice surprised Vida. Just minutes ago he had been trying to get rid of her.
“I want to travel. Just get in a car and drive until I come to a place I want to stay,” Vida answered.
“It’s not safe for a woman to travel by herself.” Vida stared at the big, bad, tatted man staring down at her. Wherever she went was safer than Queen City, Texas.
“I won’t be by myself, Sawyer will be with me,” Vida countered his argument.
“I hope everything works out, Vida, I really do,” Colton said doubtfully.
Vida replied with resolve in her voice. “It will.”
Colton turned, but Vida saw the pity in his expression. She knew he thought that King wouldn’t get Sawyer back, however Vida had put all her faith in him. He had promised Vida when her mother died that if she ever needed anything, she only had to ask. She never expected to need King, but with Sawyer’s disappearance, she had no choice. He had agreed to help her, and Vida knew it was because of her mother, yet a look had momentarily crossed his ruthless face when she had told him of Sawyer’s disappearance.
It had been fear.
***
They grabbed a bite to eat on the way home, neither saying much. Vida wanted to maintain a distance between her and Colton; a distance she felt slipping away. Colton seemed to feel the same way, with his familiar cold expression in place; he didn’t attempt any conversation to fill the uneasy silence between them.
When they arrived back at the apartment, Vida went into the bathroom to get ready for that night’s performance. She shaved her legs, made sure her bikini area was cleanly shaven and then rubbed an erotic smelling cream onto her skin, giving her skin a golden sheen.
She curled and fluffed her hair, making sure she used extra hairspray so that the bike helmet didn’t do too much damage. Dressing in sweatpants and her college jersey, she put her make-up and brushes into her backpack. Finally finished, she went back out into the apartment to find that Colton was still in his room.
A knock on the door had her going toward it, looking through the peephole she saw Henry. She opened the door and stepped back to let him inside the apartment.
“You ready?” he asked.
“You’re taking me tonight?” Vida asked, surprised. Colton hadn’t mentioned that he wasn’t taking her as he usually did after they ate dinner.
“Colton called King and asked if I could give you a ride tonight,” Henry replied.
“Oh.” Vida tried not to feel hurt, but did, not knowing why. “I’m ready. Let me grab my bag.”
Henry waited patiently by the door as Vida picked up her backpack from the table. Unable to stop herself, her eyes slid to the closed bedroom door. Turning back to Henry, she closed and locked the door behind them. The ride in the back of King’s car seemed confining after becoming used to traveling on the back of Colton’s bike.
Henry opened the door for her when they arrived. “You’re quiet tonight, Vida. Anything wrong?”
Vida shook her head. “Nothing, just wish this was all over.” Henry looked back at her in sympathy, although he didn’t say anything as he escorted her inside. His loyalty to King was without question. In the dressing room, Vida changed into her black, sheer outfit, her tiny black bra exposed under the sheer material. She liked this three piece set better than the red. The three piece set gave her less time to spend naked.
When she was ready, she went to the curtain to wait her queue. As the music began, Vida swallowed hard and stepped forward.
Chapter 7
Vida unlocked the apartment door, turning to wave back at Henry that everything was okay before going inside. Flipping on the light switch, she turned and locked the door. Dropping her backpack onto the chair, she went into the small kitchen to get a cold bottle of water before she took a quick shower to wash away the filth from the club she still felt clinging to her.
She refilled the bottle with water from the sink and was putting it back into the refrigerator to get cold when she heard the bedroom door open and footsteps coming down the hallway. Vida kept her face expressionless as the waitress from the Waffle House came into the room looking disheveled and stinking from sex. Colton walking behind her paused as they both became aware that they were no longer alone. The waitress, now in jeans and a pink top, was obviously on her way out. Colton, wearing only jeans that he had zipped but hadn’t buttoned, was shirtless, exposing his chest covered in a variety of tattoos.
“I didn’t know you lived with her.” The waitress looked accusingly at Colton.
“He doesn’t, I’m just a temporary roommate,” Vida explained quickly. The woman looked like she was about to throw a hissy fit. She was all about letting Colton handle it, but Vida was tired and didn’t want to listen to yet another woman take another sarcastic remark from Colton, which she could tell from the steely look on his face he was about to give her.
“Oh, then I guess that’s all right.” Suspiciously she glared at Vida, who decided the best thing to do was to ignore them both. Getting her nightclothes, she went into the bathroom, unable to hear the words exchanged between the two of them.
Vida wished just one time she could have an uneventful night without any of Colton’s fuck buddies coming and going. She was beginning to think the room at King’s wasn’t all that bad.
Coming out of the bathroom after she was dressed in her flannel pajamas and her hair brushed backed into a tight braid, she saw Colton leaning against the counter in the kitchen.
Ignoring him, she plucked her sheets and blankets from the closet and started making up the couch.
“I didn’t need you to butt in and explain anything to Tammy. It was none of her business.”
Vida shrugged. “Sorry, next time I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Finished, she laid down on the couch and pulled the blanket over her. “Could you turn off the light?”
Colton stood tautly for several seconds before walking to the light switch and turning it off.
Vida heard his footsteps leave the room and then turned on her side to make herself more comfortable. Trampling down the unexpected jealousy, it took several minutes to calm her nerves before she relaxed enough to fall asleep.
Vida woke the next morning, determined to finish the last of her course assignments. She set her computer up at the table and began her work only to stop long enough to fix herself a cup of coffee. She was so engrossed in her work, she wasn’t aware of Colton coming into the room. It was only when he sat down at the table across from her that she was drawn away from studying her book.
“When do your classes end?”
“This week,” Vida answered his question, watching as he took a drink of his coffee.
“After your class is over, I want you to leave town, find someplace to hole up. I’ll help King find Sawyer and bring her to you when I can.”
“Why would you become involved?”
“I’m already involved. It’s only a matter of time before Digger finds out you’re staying here. It will actually be easier for both of us if you leave town. It will draw Digger’s attention away from you.”
Disappointment filled Vi
da; she hadn’t thought that Colton would be worried about Digger coming after him. He was right, Digger knew everything going on in town, and he probably already knew that she was no longer staying at the club.
“You’re right, I didn’t think about your safety. We don’t have to wait until my class is over, I can—”
Colton set his cup down hard, spilling the remaining coffee over the side. “I’m not worried about Digger coming after me, but if he’s as smart as I know he is, the son of a bitch will know your classes are almost over. If you went missing, it would make all the papers, the headlines alone of a young college girl’s disappearance is the only thing holding him back. Once your classes are over, he can make you disappear and everyone will just think that you moved on. Exactly what you said you were going to do last night.”
Vida’s mouth snapped closed. What he was saying was the truth. She had even told a couple of her friends at school her plans.
“I can’t leave without Sawyer. We made a promise when we were kids that we would both leave town together. I can’t break my promise.”
“Dammit.” Colton brushed his hand through his already tumbled hair. “This is a fucked up mess.”
Vida silently agreed with him.
Standing up from the table, he wiped the spilt coffee from the table. “Get dressed; we’re going out.”
“Where to?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sick of being cooped up. I need some fresh air and, since I can’t leave you alone, that means you’re coming with me.”
Vida started to protest, but she hadn’t had a free day in so long she had forgotten what it was like simply to go out and have fun. Closing down her computer, she went into the bathroom and changed into jeans and a long sleeved shirt. Colton had dressed and was sitting on the chair in the living room waiting for her.
“Ready?”
“Yes.”