Page 25 of Tamed Wolf

“Already? Alright, I guess I appreciate you three coming out. We’ll have to do this again sometime.”

He stands up to give us a bro hug goodbye, and then we’re making our way outside, the cool air hitting us like we’re waking from a fever dream.

“Did that actually happen?” Brooks asks once we’re back in the parking lot staring back a bit wistfully at the club.

Chapter Eleven

Lark, now

“Anyone seen Lark?”

“In her dressing room,” someone responds.

I pull myself back into the corner, burying my face in my knees.

I can’t pull myself back into my normal level of pretend-happy. Not after…whatever that was that happened in the private room.

“Where the fuck you go? Diamond had to cover your last set because you didn’t fucking show on stage.”

“Not tonight, Trevor. I’ll take my punishment.”

He ducks his head and crawls into my large kennel, my “dressing room” as they mockingly call it. No one else is allowed in here—it’s got a fake door out front and curtains so if anyone gets a peek inside, they won’t be able to tell the luxury I’m drowning in.

I can feel his eyes staring me down, but I’m too broken right now to react or start anything.

“What happened?”

It’s the softness in his voice that finally has me looking up to peek at him. I will not cry in front of him. I won’t. “Just feeling down.”

“Don’t fucking lie to me.”

“Am I supposed to be happy with my lot in life? Is that it? You think I enjoy this life I’ve been forced into?”

“Not this fucking argument again. We gave you the choice years ago. You chose to stay here and work. You made the choice, so now you get to live with it.”

“Not much of a choice when it’s the only way to see your child.”

“Your child is a grown ass adult. You banked on him wanting to stay in your life. Not my fault he realized what a disappointment you are, as well.”

I breathe deeply, then scoot my heels closer to my ass and rest the side of my cheek on the top of my knees again, peering sideways at the small strand of lights hung outside the kennel, their attempt to spruce the place up.

“You can’t feel sorry for yourself when you signed the contract with your eyes wide open. Stop fucking moping, it’s bad for business. I’ll bring dinner later— you need anything else?”

I shake my head no and grab the oversized hoodie I brought for nights like this, sinking onto my side away from him as I lay on the pillow they’ve so generously allowed me to have.

It doesn’t take long for the door to click shut behind him, and for some reason that has me feeling lower than it normally does.

I knew what would happen if I didn’t show for my final set, but after those three men looked at me the way they did, like I was a miracle or something, there was no way I could go on that stage and dance for a bunch of lewd and hungry faces glazed over by alcohol and naked women.

I try and drift off, wanting to pass the time, but it’s always a little difficult when I’m trying to sleep in a night club that goes until the early hours of the morning.

Sometime after closing something wakes me up, but I can’t go back to sleep immediately because the voice I’m hearing is like electricity. I panic when the phone I tucked in my bra starts going off, because I forgot to do something with it earlier and now, I’m going to get caught red handed.

The footsteps are Camden’s but he’s talking toone of them. Does Camden know him? They sound…friendly with each other.

He’s thanking him for helping him to get in and look for…fuck. Yep, he’s here for his phone.

I pull it out of my bra and shove it through the bars of the cage before I get into any worse trouble, then go back into my ball and try to make myself as small as possible.

---