Page 18 of Barker

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It’d been five days since I saw Barker. Apparently, he had left town to clear his head, or at least that’s what Stryker said the other night while we were working and one of the customers asked about him. I keep telling myself I am being ridiculous, but it doesn’t seem to matter.

It’s Thursday night, but it’s Vienna’s birthday so we are going out along with a few of her other friends. Talon is working at Sinner’s Den, so we agreed to celebrate there so he could keep an eye on us. He didn’t like the idea of us being somewhere unprotected. I’m not sure why, but I had a feeling it had to do with Jerick. Talon still hadn’t told me what happened the night I gave him stitches and I didn’t push him. I knew better than to push Talon. He’s always chill and laid back until you push him too far. It’s never a side of him that I had caused personally, but I had witnessed it a few times. It wasn’t something on my list of things to do.

So here I am with Vienna in my room letting her pick out my outfit for the night. I shake my head at the idea, because I already know it’s going to be a bad idea, but it is her birthday, so I’m trying to humor her. Vienna turns around with the one thing in my closet I have never worn. To this day, I still don’t even know why I bought it. The off the shoulder, long-sleeve black mini dress was a splurge that I had no need for. It’s probably hung in my closet for the past two years until now. Leave it to Vienna to find it. She waves it around. “This!”

I shake my head and Vienna instantly starts to pout. “Don’t start that.”

“Don’t start what?” she asks innocently.

I point at her. “That! Don’t start that pouting and playing innocent with me. Your next step is puppy dog eyes.”

“My next step?” she asks, her free hand on her hip.

I roll my eyes. “Your next step to get what you want.”

Vienna dramatically huffs before she crosses the room and tosses the overly-priced dress on my unmade bed. “Fine, don’t wear it. Even though it’s my celebration tonight and that dress is hot, and I know for a fact you’ve never worn it, which is a damn shame considering it fits you like a glove.”

I scoff. “You’ve never even seen me in it.”

She shrugs. “Don’t have to. You’re my best friend. You’re hot with a killer body, even though you refuse to see it and that dress is perfect for you.” I stand there debating over the dress. I mean, I want to make her happy, but I’m not much of a dress girl unless I have to be. “Besides, Barker Tobin won’t know what hit him when you walk through the door in that.”

My head falls back as I groan. I made the mistake of telling Vienna everything that had happened with Barker. She, of course, told me she knew it, but other than that, she hadn’t given me a hard time until now. “Barker isn’t even in town, so he won’t be there.”

“Well then,” Vienna says, tossing her curls over her shoulder. “His loss. Every other guy is going to fall out of their seats when you walk in looking like that.”

“I think you’re being dramatic,” I tell her, as I make my way over to the dress.

Vienna smirks. “And I think you’re being humble.” I pick up the dress and step into the bathroom to slip it on. Vienna was right, it does fit me like a glove, but I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing. Vienna has already curled my hair and done my makeup, and as much as I hate to admit it, I actually feel like I look pretty good. I might even stand a chance against Giselle. Ugh! Really? Like that would ever happen and it shouldn’t even matter. It doesn’t matter. ‘Get yourself together, Annistyn’. I pep talk myself before stepping out of the bathroom. Vienna is on her feet in no time at all. She lets out a low whistle. “Now, you just need these.” She holds out my over-the-knee black boots and wags her eyebrows.

“You’re crazy, and making me look like a stripper,” I comment, as I take a seat on the bed and slip on the boots.

“Strippers look cheap and trashy. You look beautifully classy and sexy.” I look up and see Vienna rummaging through my limited jewelry supply. She turns around with a smile on her face. In her hand is the silver, three-chain choker Talon got me for my birthday last year, and a pair of large silver geometric shape earrings. I put them on, because I mean, what the hell? It’s not like I have anything left to lose at this point. Vienna jumps up and down while clapping and squealing. “You look so good. Tonight is going to be epic.” Vienna’s phone goes off letting us know her birthday limo is here. We rush down to a limo with three other girls already inside. I’ve met all of them before, but none of them are my friends. I sit back and watch them all interact until we reach Sinner’s Den.

Vienna links her arm through mine as we make our way to the front door. The sky above is clear and full of stars. I almost wish I could just stay out here or go to Barker’s little secret spot. I shake my head to shake thoughts of Barker away. Vienna makes a joke as we walk through the door, but as soon as my eyes adjust to the lighting, it’s impossible to miss Barker’s stormy gray and brooding eyes from behind the bar. They are on me and the heat in them makes me want to squirm. “I thought you said he was gone,” Vienna leans and whispers to me.

I glance down breaking eye contact. “He was,” I hiss.

She laughs. “Well, not anymore.” She starts to walk off toward the table the girls are sitting at before she looks back over her shoulder and smiles. “You can thank me later.”

“For what?” I ask her, as my brows pull together in confusion.

She laughs. “For making you wear that and the way he’s staring.” Vienna winks before turning back around. I take a deep breath and make a conscious effort to not look Barker’s way as I make my way to the table, but it’s hard when I can still feel his eyes on me, and god have I missed them.

Eighteen

Barker

It’s funny how you can forget people and move on, but you can never forget the pain they caused. The insecurities they created that stay tucked away in the back of your brain, just waiting to wrap around you in its suffocating form; like a raging bull waiting for the red flag to dance.

That’s how it felt to see Giselle sitting at the bar counter like nothing had ever happened. As if she hadn’t used me and thrown me away once she was done. As if I wasn’t just a stepping-stone for her when I had been crazy in love with her. Literally, I would have done anything for her.

It’s taken me five days away from my life in Los Angeles and the hurt that Giselle reminded me of. She had come into my life when I was much younger and dumber, right after my grandpa had passed away. I was in a dark place and walking an incredibly thin line with the law. At the time, I was feeling lost and angry about my life and Giselle showed up like a saving grace. I fell quick and hard. She was everything I could have ever asked for, but then things changed. Giselle convinced me to take the job that would move us out to Los Angeles. I had no idea that she had ulterior motives.

We graduated high school and while I thought we’d start our life together, she had a different idea. It started out with her wanting to be a stripper. I had fought against it. I understood some people loved it either for the money or attention, but Giselle didn’t need those things. We had enough money to live comfortably and I gave her every ounce of attention I had. Eventually, she got what she wanted and started working at Vixens Strip Club. I had begged her to go to work for Daughters of Darkness, Brayzen’s strip club, but she refused and said I was trying to control her. I wasn’t, I just hated the thought of every other guy seeing what only I was supposed to see.

Things continued to change after that. She got where she’d come home later and later. Her clothes got shorter, tighter, more provocative as time went along and things between us became rocky at best. Then one night, she came home announcing she had caught her big break. I was a bit tipsy and angry, so I made a smart-ass comment. Apparently, her big break was posing nude.

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