Page 57 of One Wild Night

He pulled into the alley and dropped me off at the back entrance, but as I made my way inside, I had a strange feeling come over me. It was almost like I was being watched. I chalked it up to my fucked up state of mind, shook my head and walked into the locker room. With it being a Friday night, the club was extremely busy. All the girls were out on the floor, leaving me to my thoughts as I got dressed.

I knew nothing good would come from the night I shared with Ryan. I saw how he was - how he had always been. Girls were just a means to an end for him...a way to get off. He never showed any feelings for them or got emotionally attached. Why did I ever think things could be different with me? I was no one special. At least, that's what Allen told me every day of my life until I ran away. I may not have had much, but I never lost my will to fight, no matter how deep the shit was I was wading through. This situation would be no different. Ryan could go fuck himself if he thought of me merely as a ‘fucking hot pussy!' Screw him! I just had to keep my head on straight, stick to my plans, and get the hell out of Chicago as soon as I possibly could.

With it being the busiest night of the week, I planned an outfit that I knew would make me a fucking killing in tips. It was a little more risqué than I usually wore, but it was sexy as hell.

The top was a black, vinyl strapless halter bustier with red ribbon lacing up the front as trim. It was held together and tightened by a similar red ribbon in the back, and it fit my body like a glove, accentuating my cleavage perfectly. The skirt, if you could even call it that, was the same black vinyl with red lace trim in the front. The part that would drive the men crazy though, was the back. It, too, was held together only by the red ribbon, leaving the crack of my ass clearly visible. It was also so short the bottom curve of my cheeks hung out. I slipped into my skin colored G-string to cover up my pussy so no one got any ideas, then I slipped into the skirt and top. Luckily, Lib chose that moment to come in on break, and helped me lace everything up.

"Goddamn, Trix! You look smokin' hot tonight. You're going to have them eating out of the palm of your hand."

I just laughed as I slipped into my red fishnet thigh-high stockings, and attached the built-in garters of the skirt to the tops of each one. The final touch to the outfit was the shoes, and in my opinion, they tied it all together. They were clear vinyl with black accents, and a single black belted strap that wrapped around my ankle. With a six inch heel that was black and diamond studded, they made me feel like I was on an even playing field with everyone in the room. I almost felt invincible.

It was just what I needed to get over the comment that Ryan had made. So what if he only wanted me for my pussy? It's not like it was ever going to happen again. I deserved better than Tony Valenti or Ryan Lawson. I deserved a man who would love me for me, not what I could offer him in bed. There had to be a guy like that out there somewhere; I just had to find him.

With one last glance in the mirror to check my make-up, I headed out of the locker room and into the club.

Staci was the DJ tonight, so I gave her my song and then waited for my turn on stage. I stayed in the shadows, silently observing the crowd. I saw several familiar faces - men who would come every week and blow half their paychecks. Then there were those faces I didn't know. It wasn't unusual to get new men in, especially on a Friday night, so I didn't worry too much about it. When Cinnamon finished her set, I waited until she cleared her tips before taking my place at center stage. As an interim song, Aretha Franklin's voice filled the club, demanding someR-E-S-P-E-C-T. I couldn't help but smirk at Staci. It seemed like her subtle way of letting the patrons know that they needed to respect the dancers. Word must have gotten around to her about the incident that happened before with the jackass groping me. She saw me smiling at her and winked at me before going back to her work.

When the music died down, the club fell silent, too. It happened every time I was scheduled to perform. The men knew I was up next, and they gave center stage their full attention, waiting for the music to start.

The sound of drums suddenly filled the room as the lights flashed on me. I started my dance, doing a few tricks on the pole before Pat Benatar's voice filtered through the sound system, singing none other thanHeartbreaker. Each step I took, every move I made, made me think about what Ryan had said, and how much of a heartbreaker he truly was. I put all my hurt and anger into dancing the song, and the men were going crazy. They obviously liked the attitude that I was giving off tonight, so I played it up a bit more and watched the cash pile up on the stage. As the song neared the end, I glanced around the room while circling the pole and giving everyone a very nice view of my ass.

As I struck my final pose, and before the lights dimmed, a table at the front caught my eye. There were two men sitting there, watching me closely, and not in the normal way men do in the club. No, these two had an air of malice surrounding them, and it sent shivers down my spine. Once the lights were down, I scrambled to collect my tips and get back to my feet. When I glanced at the table with the two men again, I found it empty. They were gone, and I was left to wonder if I had imagined the whole thing.

Back in the locker room, Libby pulled me aside before she headed out, finalizing our plans to meet for lunch the next day. Later that night, as I left the club, the feeling of being watched intensified, and I was thankful that Tony’s driver was there on time to pick me up.

I was looking forward to a nice relaxing lunch with Libby at the small diner down the street from Cherries. Because it was nothing fancy, I dressed in a pair of dark blue skinny jeans and a comfy, white spaghetti strap tank. I tossed on my chocolate colored Carnegie UGGs, threw my hair up in a ponytail, and turned to go. I was scheduled to dance at the club later, so I'd have to come home to freshen up anyway. I wanted comfort more than anything right now.

I had the driver drop me off at the diner, and I walked inside and up to the booth where Libby was already seated.

"Hey, bitch!" she greeted me, standing to engulf me in a bone crushing hug. I couldn't help but smile. This was why she was one of my only real friends. It didn't matter how shitty my life was or what was going on, Libby was always there for me. "Alright, spill," she demanded once we were seated across from each other.

"Spill what? The fact that Ryan is a fucking asshole who is no better than Tony? Because he is...he's just as bad as or worse than my fucking boyfriend and it hurts. I thought there was something between us, but he was just using me. I overheard him last night telling Tony that I was just a fucking hot pussy and wasn't worth arguing over."

Libby gasped as her hand flew up to her mouth. "Oh, Babe, I'm so sorry. Want me to kick his ass for you?"

I couldn't help the laugh that burst out of my chest. I would love to see the day when any woman could kick Ryan Lawson's ass. Hell, I'd pay to see that happen. Once I calmed down a little, I shook my head. "Thanks, Lib, but no." I leaned in closer to her to continue our conversation because a few patrons had entered the diner. "What he said just reinforces my plan to get the fuck out of here as soon as I can. I can't do it anymore...Iwon't."

Leaning in closer still, I lowered my voice until it was just a whisper. "I made almost three grand in tips last night. Add that to what I have put away, and it's nearly forty thousand dollars. I'm hoping that I can make another ten in the next two weeks, and once I do, I'm gone."

As I was speaking, I heard the bell over the door ring, signaling that someone else had entered the diner. Without really thinking about it, my eyes swept to the door and then back to Libby. There were three men that had come in and made their way to the counter together. It took my brain a few seconds to register that it recognized one of them from the club last night. It was one of the men whose presence had sent shivers down my spine before he pulled the disappearing act.

I tried to act like nothing was wrong as I continued to talk to Lib. During our entire conversation about where I would go and what I would do, I kept the men in my peripheral vision. They were huddled together at the counter, whispering quietly to one another, and I could tell they were watching me.

Something didn't feel right, and I figured it was time to get the hell out of there. "Lib, we need to go...now. Last night, I felt like someone was watching me. Well, one of those guys at the counter was at the club last night, and the way he was watching my every move gave me the creeps." I flashed my eyes over to the counter, silently pointing out the men.

Her eyes darted over and then back to me in a flash. "What do we do? Do you have a plan?"

We had been to this diner hundreds of times before, and I knew the layout pretty well. My first time here, I went in search of the restroom, only to mistakenly walk into the kitchen. It was as good a plan as any.

"Let's ask the waitress for the check. Just follow my lead after that, okay?"

She nodded and flagged the waitress down, asking for the check. The young girl started to hand it to Libby, but I grabbed it from her. I glanced at it and then slipped a one hundred dollar bill out of my purse before handing it back to her.

"I'll be right back with your change," she said sweetly.

I smiled at her before speaking loud enough so the men could overhear me. "No problem. We're just going to run to the restroom to freshen up. I'll grab it when we come back out. Thanks, hun."

With that, Libby and I exited the booth and headed for the hallway off the dining room. She started to turn left into the women's restroom, but I tugged her arm to the right instead, and into the kitchen. Once we were there, I grabbed her hand and we took off running to the back. I'd worked in enough diners to know that this place must have a back door somewhere. Luckily, it wasn't hard to find.

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