Authors: Samantha Leal
Her body ached as she climbed down from the stage for the last time that night. Who needed to be a member of a gym when they had a job like hers? Candy sat down at the bar in front of Destiny and mopped her brow with the back of her hand. Her heart was still racing and so was her breathing. She smiled out across at some of the customers and unwrapped another red lollipop. As she sucked on it and took a quick look around to check Marv wasn’t in sight, she leaned in closer and ordered a shot from Destiny.
“What would you like?” Destiny shouted to her over the music.
The truth was, she didn’t even care, but she wanted to act as if she was giving the power over to the new girl.
“It’s okay, hun, I’ll let you surprise me,” she giggled as she twirled her hair.
She squinted her eyes to check the time on the cash register. It was almost 3 am. The club was quieting down and although it rarely closed during the early hours, Candy could tell that Marv wouldn’t keep it open that night. She had barely gotten any money, and the other girl working the stage looked like she had all but given up.
Destiny slid a small, thick shot glass across the counter, and Candy could smell the strong aniseed immediately.
Sambuca.
She hated Sambuca… But she would give it a go, just to be polite.
As she knocked it back and it burned her insides, she wished she had just asked for something she knew she could handle, like a straight vodka, but it was too late. She swallowed hard and fast before breathing out and coughing and motioning for a glass of water.
“Shit, sorry,” Destiny cringed as she passed her a tall glass.
Candy glugged the tap water and even though it was lukewarm, it took the horrible bitter taste and sick feeling away.
“It’s okay,” Candy shrugged. “I knew what it was.”
She wiped the corner of her mouth and checked the time again. She was desperate to get out of there and head for home, but she knew she’d have to stay until the very end.
“Candy,” Marv yapped at her from the front door. “You done?”
She knew what he really meant was
Get back up there and don’t stop shaking it until I tell you,
so she rolled her eyes and turned around.
“That depends, Marv,” she smiled. “Is that okay?”
She looked up at him with big, innocent eyes and sucked on the red cherry pop. He considered her for a moment before he snorted and shook his head.
“Of course it’s not fucking okay. We’re still open, aren’t we?”
He marched towards her with his arms folded, sat down on a high stool next to her and breathed his whiskey breath right down her neck.
“Listen,” he said heavily, “I could do with some help out the back…” He nudged her suggestively and her whole body froze. She had been unlucky enough to be on the receiving end of his lecherous behavior before, and it was definitely where she drew the line. She’d play dumb until the cows came home…but she would never let him treat her that way.
She fluttered her eyelashes and tried to remain calm. She rubbed the side of his shoulder and smiled.
“You’re just like a dad to me, Marv,” she shrugged.
He snorted and slammed his hand down on the bar top, signaling to Destiny that he wanted another drink.
Candy cast her mind back to Lexi, the girl he had fired for refusing his advances and taking drinks from behind the bar. Surely, this was about to go the same way… She braced herself for the onslaught by gripping the bar top and taking a deep breath.
It’ll all be fine,
she thought.
Even if he fires you, you can just move on to the next town and start all over again. Maybe Destiny could point you in the right direction over at Ironhill…
Her mind was racing a mile a minute, and before Marv even had a chance to say another word, she had already dreamed up another hundred scenarios and was planning her next adventure.
“Well,” he said with a slap of his gut, “that’s one way to kill a guy’s drive.” He downed the whiskey and belched.
Candy sighed with relief.
She looked up at Destiny to see her smirking, and she couldn’t help but grin in return. She had no idea how that had even worked, but at least the crisis was averted.
Behind them, the main door banged shut as the last customer walked out into the night and the girl on the stage stopped twirling. The club was empty, and Candy sighed with relief.
“That was the last one,” the girl on the stage called across to Marv at the bar. “Can we shut this shit off now?” She pouted and blew a big pink bubble.
Marv waved his arm nonchalantly around his head, and Destiny jumped over the bar top and made her way to the sound system. She slapped off the music and the room instantly fell silent. Candy yawned to try and get the ringing out of her ears. She could still hear and feel the music pumping through her, and her head was spinning. She closed her eyes and rubbed them gently. What she wouldn’t give to be at home in her comfortable bed.
Marv prodded Candy in the ribs and motioned for her to get him another drink. She reluctantly got to her feet and made her way around to the other side of the bar and slung his glass up into the optic. She pressed it in and waited a moment before doing it again.
May as well give him a double and save me having to get up twice,
she thought.
She slid the glass to him and smiled sweetly. Behind her, Destiny was making her way over to the main door to lock it, and the girl who had been dancing was already clacking her heels down the corridor on her way back to the dressing room, a red robe billowing out behind her.
“Her attitude fucking sucks,” Marv said as he sipped his drink. “If I didn’t want to bang her so much, she’d be out of here.”
He was drunk. That much Candy could tell. Even though he was usually just as hideous, he rarely put himself down in any capacity, and that was a direct admission that he was being rejected by one of his employees, someone he supposedly had control over.
“She’s got a bit more time,” he slurred. “I’ll give her until the end of the week.”
He drained the rest of his glass before throwing it on the floor where it smashed beneath his feet. Candy sighed and looked across at Destiny who was watching them from the doorway. Her shoulders dropped as she realized she was the one who was going to have to get down on her knees to clean it all up.
“Whoops,” Marv giggled insincerely.
“It’s okay, Destiny,” Candy said as she got down on her knees. “I’ll do it.”
Destiny shouted “Thank you!” and then turned back to the door. Candy wasn’t paying much attention because she was too busy collecting the shards of glass that were splintered all around and under Marv’s feet. But it was strange—it was like all of a sudden she sensed a change in the atmosphere. She stopped what she was doing and dropped the pieces of glass on the floor, before she got slowly to her feet and turned around. Marv was looking in the same direction with his lip curled, and Destiny stopped still like a statue, facing the main door with her arms held open as if to suggest she was unarmed.
Ahead of her, walking into the club, were two mean-looking men…and clutched between their fists were two huge shotguns.
Candy gasped and gripped onto the bar. Destiny moved backwards, quickly trying to get back closer to her and Marv, as if somehow that would guarantee her safety. The men were swift and from the leather and chains, she could tell they were bikers. Candy was shaking, but when she looked up and got a good look at them, she knew instantly who one of the men was. It was King, Lexi’s boyfriend… He had come back again, no doubt to settle another debt. She had never seen the other guy with him before, but the second she lay eyes on him, her heart began to race even harder.
“What the fuck,” Marv drawled. “Haven’t you boys caused me enough trouble?”
King lurched forward and grabbed Marv by the scruff of the neck. He pulled him to his feet and threw him face down onto the bar. Candy breathed in deeply and steadied herself. The shot of Sambuca giving her a tiny bit of Dutch courage, she looked up at the man she had never seen before and caught his eye before she looked shyly down at the ground. Destiny yelped and cowered down behind the bar, clinging onto Candy’s feet. She swallowed and looked up at the men. King smiled at her and winked before he pulled Marv’s head up by his hair and smashed it down against the wooden counter top. Candy winced and looked away.
“We had a deal,” King spat. “And yet, we’re still waiting for you to pay up…”
“It’s been a slow week,” Marv pleaded with them, holding up his hands and looking scared for the first time in his life. “How can I pay you if I don’t have anything?”
King sneered and slammed the gun down right in his eye line.
“You wouldn’t even have been on my radar if it wasn’t for what you did to Lexi,” he growled. “Now you better stick to your end of the deal, or the rest of The Forsaken Riders will be down here with me, and we’ll be taking this whole place over, you hear?”
“B-b-but,” Marv stammered, “I can’t… I can’t…”
“Thirty percent of each week’s takings,” King said. “Or Red X is ours…”
“Please!” Marv begged. “This is all I have… Without it, I’m nothing.”
King and the other guy laughed and Candy had to restrain a little smirk from dancing across her lips, too. She could barely hide how nice it was to watch Marv squirm.
“Do as we say…or we’ll take it by force,” the other guy reiterated.
When Candy heard him speak for the first time, her eyes shot straight up to meet his. His voice was so deep, so powerful and strong, she was almost put in a trance by it. She looked at him deep in the eyes and felt her pulse quicken. They were icy blue and pulled her in instantly. They looked so intense and spectacular against his tanned skin.
“Please guys,” Marv kept begging. “I’ll do anything, but don’t ruin my business. It’s all I have, and the girls will suffer.”
King cut him off and pulled him to his feet by the scruff of the neck. He held his face millimeters from his and the rage and fury that radiated from him was terrifying.
“No,” King said sternly. “The girls won’t suffer… If anyone is going to lose out because of this arrangement, it’s you.”
“But I…”
“But nothing,” King said. “We’ve told you how it is. You either stick to it or the club is ours.”
King dropped hold of Marv’s collar and he fell in a heap to the floor. He began to sob, and although there was a small part of Candy that wanted to feel sorry for Marv…she just couldn’t.
“We’ll be back tomorrow, Marv…” King said playfully.
He waved and grinned like a maniac as he backed up to the main door. Destiny was still hiding under the bar, and Candy could feel her fingernails gripping into her ankles, but she didn’t care. All she could focus on was the man in front of her… The one with King… The guy who had barely taken his eyes off her since the second they burst in.
After the bikers left and Destiny calmed down, Candy just wanted to get the hell of out there. Marv was shaken; he had acted like a wimp and she had seen it happen. She knew that it could only mean bad things for her and Destiny, and she wanted to make sure they were both out of there before he had the chance to snap.
She got into her car and started the engine. The moon was high overhead even though the sun was already creeping over the horizon. She slammed the car into reverse and spun around in the parking lot before pulling out onto the highway. She thundered down the road with her music blaring and her head still spinning, and as she drove through town and reached Main Street, she had the overwhelming urge to stop at the gas station and grab a coffee. Mainly she was intrigued to see if the bikers were there.
She pulled off the road and into the gas station. The lot was quiet and there were no bikes to be seen, and she instantly felt a pang of disappointment. She had no idea what she would achieve by seeing them again so soon, but she kind of wanted them to know that she was more on their side than Marv’s. Who knew, maybe one day they would take it over and if she hadn’t moved on, then the bikers would be her bosses. The idea was both terrifying and exhilarating, but she pushed it to the back of her mind before restarting her engine. The last thing she needed right then was strong gas station coffee that would keep her wired until noon. All she wanted to do was get home and crawl into bed.
As she pulled up onto her driveway, she turned off her headlights and stretched. Her house wasn’t much, but it was home and she loved it. She had gone for a small ranch with two beds, and even though she knew she would never have any visitors, she always kept a single bed in the spare room…just in case. She often thought about clearing it out and having the room purely as an office, so when she finally went back to school or got a real job, she would have somewhere to work. But at this point, it would be giving the game away. Everyone in Slate Springs thought she was a dumb blonde, not an intelligent go-getter with serious qualifications.
She slid the key into the lock and walked into the front room. She had spent weeks decorating when she had first moved in and loved every second. She had gone as neutral as possible with the walls and floors but accessorized with as many colors as possible. It almost made her feel as if she were walking into a rainbow. The explosions of blues, pinks, reds and yellows that hit her the second she walked through her door always made her smile. And they always seemed to keep her spirits up so she didn’t dwell on the past.
She closed the door behind her and turned the key in the lock before bolting it and pulling across the chain. Even though she knew that no one would find her in Slate Springs, she still didn’t want to risk being unprepared or safe. She had to keep her home secure.
The sun was coming up and she yawned. In the kitchen she made herself a warm cup of cocoa and took it with her to the bedroom. Even though it was hot in there, she always made cocoa to help her get to sleep. After a night in the club, it was her chance to unwind.
She pulled off her jeans and t-shirt before climbing into bed in just her panties. She clicked on the ceiling fan and lay beneath its cool breeze, sipping the cocoa and letting her mind wander back to the events of the evening. She had her ups and downs working at Red X, but she couldn’t deny that it was entertaining. No matter what, she always seemed to go home with a story and have something to write about in her diary. She reached under her pillow and felt the smooth, familiar leather-bound book.
Candy had considered starting a blog, so she had taken to documenting her experiences at Red X ever since she started working there. After her first night, she had come home, crawled into bed, pulled out her notebook and written
Confessions of a Stripper
… across the front page before detailing everything that had happened to her on her first shift and how she had felt about it. She had even looked into hosting and different blog templates but decided against it after reading a news story about a girl being stalked because some weirdo had found her IP address. Candy had been terrified and lost her nerve just in case
he
ever found her. She took a sip and shuddered. The last thing she wanted preying on her mind when she was trying to get to sleep was
him
. She pushed her journal back under her pillow and vowed to write when she woke up. She placed the cocoa down and turned off her bedside light, and within seconds of her head hitting the pillow, she was soundly asleep.
The shrill tones of her alarm clock invaded her blissful sleep as she dreamed of wild, rebellious men. She rolled over and reached for the cellphone to hit snooze and the room fell silent once more. Even though it was the middle of the day and the summer sun bled through the cracks at the base of the curtains, her room remained dark. She stretched and yawned. It was only 1:00 pm, but she felt as if she had slept for a lifetime. Normally after she had been working late, she found it incredibly hard to drop off or to stay asleep due to all of the action of day-to-day life out on her street, but this time it was different. She had managed to zone out and drift off peacefully, staying that way for almost eight hours.
Almost like a real night’s sleep
, she thought as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. Above her was one of the only things she still hadn’t gotten around to replacing, and one of the only things she truly hated in the house: a big, battered, old Japanese lantern that had been left by the previous tenants. She scowled up at it and vowed to make it her priority for the day to order a replacement or to head into town and find something much more suited to her taste.
She picked up her cellphone again and with bleary eyes went to her text messages. She had one from Destiny and her heart began to race as she opened it…
D: How crazy was that last night? Hope you’re ok! D x
***
She thought back to what had happened in the bar and her palms began to sweat. Even though she hadn’t been overly frightened by the bikers coming into Red X, it was still a nerve-racking possibility that they may take over. King was Lexi’s boyfriend and Candy knew that if he would do right by Lexi, then there was no way he would treat the other girls that had been involved any different, but the other guy… The one she had never seen before… There was something about him that was pure menace… But what shocked her more than the idea of him walking into her life in that way, was the fact that it turned her on.
He had stood there so calm and stoical, so sure of himself and aware of the power he had brought into the situation. He didn’t need to say a word. Marv was terrified of him and he had barely even spoken. Candy found herself smiling. After what had happened to her in the past, he was exactly the type of man she needed to make her feel safe. But could she ever give herself up to a man again after what had happened?
She scolded herself for thinking about it and got out of bed. As soon as her feet touched the rough wooden boards, she stretched once more before she jumped up and grabbed a t-shirt to throw over her underwear.
She wandered into her front room and turned on the TV. Candy had never been the kind of girl to spend a lot of time watching television, but with her mind swimming with possibilities and unwanted memories of her past, she was glad of the distraction. She sat on the arm of the couch and let the predictable sitcom lull her into a trance. She watched men and women fresh out of college trying to make their way in the world and failing miserably, albeit hilariously, along the way.
Reminds me of someone
… she thought before she scrunched up her nose and decided she needed coffee.
In the kitchen, she put on the coffee and found her favorite oversized mug. After the night she had had, she needed something strong to keep her awake and on her game. She flipped through the stack of unopened mail that lay lamely on the kitchen table but without opening any of it, she pushed it back and ignored it. Nothing ever came except for bills, and she certainly wasn’t in the mood for opening those. When the coffee was done, she poured some and breathed in the fresh aroma of coffee. There was nothing she loved more on a morning than relaxing with a fresh pot and a good book, but she hadn’t been to the library for weeks and she had already decided that she would treat herself to an hour of TV over breakfast. As she curled back up on the couch and tried to get her brain to switch off for a few moments, she found herself drifting back almost instantly to the events of the night before. She knew that whatever Marv had done to annoy them must have been bad, and if he was skipping out on paying them money, then surely things weren’t going to end well. She clutched the mug between her palms and warmed her hands.
“Maybe I should try and find Lexi… See if she knows anything,” she thought out loud.
The idea of going and looking for answers was tempting, but Candy also knew that meant she was involving herself more than she needed to.
“Don’t do it,” she coached herself. “It’s a dumb idea.”
She picked up the remote and flicked through the channels, trying to distract herself from her burning desire to play investigator.
She stopped on the news and watched updates on a hurricane that was about to hit Florida and tried again to engage with that rather than her thoughts, which were starting to run wild.
Maybe I could go into town, look for a new light. And if I happen to run into Lexi, then maybe I’ll ask her about King and his friend
…
She bargained with herself that it wasn’t about him…that it was really about the club, but something was bugging her more than she liked to admit.
She didn’t even know his name…
And she knew she wouldn’t rest until she did.