Chapter 1
“And then I told him, listen babe, I know that you think you’re bigger than the average man, but I promise I have a condom for that. You should have seen his face! These losers trying to raw dog it, like I don’t care where they have been!” A chorus or laughter erupted in the small room.
The girls were in the dressing room of the small strip club, getting ready for the night. Beth was telling one of her crazy tales, and all the girls were focused on getting every detail of the story.
The door burst open and Kara came running in, her hair and clothing drenched from the sudden summer downpour.
“Ah and she finally graces us with her presence.” Beth teased, getting up from her chair to greet her friend. “Ew what is that smell?”
“My landlord was waiting for me when I left, so I had to sneak down the fire escape, but then I lost my footing and slipped and landed in the garbage bin. When I finally got out, I made a run for it. But then right before I got in the flipping door, all heck broke loose.”
“Okay well you better hurry up and get ready, you go on in 15. And while Joe didn’t notice you missing yet, he will notice if that butt of yours isn’t on stage when the music starts.”
Kara rushed to take her wet top off, peeling the wet fabric from her skin and dropping it on the floor. She never bothered with a bra, because she always had to change for her shift anyways. Next came her shorts, the jean material sticking to her legs as she pulled them down. There was no point keeping the thong on either, Joe liked the girls to be in full costume, and that included a wide range of panties that he picked out himself.
Joe was the manager of the small strip club. There was a sign out front, but it had long ago fallen apart. There was no name on the door, but everyone that needed to know, knew exactly where to find this place. Joe had inherited the place from his father, who, if possible, was even more sleezy then Joe. Joe Senior was constantly blackmailing the strippers into sexual acts when the club doors closed. While Joe was scum, thankfully he never stooped to that level. Sure he picked out the most daring outfits for the girls to prance around in, always feeding his inner fantasies, but he never touched the girls, he always respected them and their work.
Kara was just pulling the strap to her lacy bra top in place when Joe walked in. He paused in the entrance, taking in her appearance. Tonight was Chicago night, where the girls dressed up and danced to the songs from the hit movie. Not so much because the patrons were interested in the music, but more so because the black lingerie mixed with the jazzy music set a sexy tone to the club.
“You should be wearing the latex one.”
“Beth and I traded, we thought we would try something different.”
He stalked towards her, getting threateningly close. She took a step back and bumped into her vanity, knocking something over.
“Oh. You thought. I didn’t realize I was paying you to think! Get your fucking ass out on that stage, and don’t make me regret not firing you for being late this morning. Oh yeah, I noticed.”
She stood there gaping at him, not sure what to say.
“Go!”
She grabbed the knee high black boots from her chair and ran to the stage door.
Kara had just finished her fourth course of “He had it coming,” which was always the house favourite. There was something about a woman threatening death that really turns a man on. And since Joe wanted to get every last penny from their wallet, he offered song requests for $10.
She was walking back to the bar for a glass of water, a man slapping her ass as she walked by. The bartender had bumped into her as she reached for a glass, and she dropped it. She walked to the back to grab a broom, not noticing the eerie silence that had taken hold of the club.
When she walked back out, she noticed the bartender standing perfectly still, staring at something in the club.
Chills crept down her neck as the silence settled around her, and she found her breath slowing and getting quieter.
She tip toed over to the wall and peered over, seeing two men holding Joe on his knees in front of another man, wearing a grey suit. She couldn’t see his face, as he had his back to her, but she could see he was big.
Looking past him, she saw the rest of the girls lined up on the stage, fear written across all their faces.
Laughter brought her attention back to the men in the room, and she focused on their deep voices.
“I just need more time!”
“Tisk tisk, Joseph. I have given you lots of time. James, would you not say that I have been, extra, lenient with our friend here?”
“Pl-” he didn’t get to finish, as the lead man stepped forward and punched Joe right in the nose, a crack rang through the room and blood began gushing everywhere.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t get that, could you try again please?” He said it with such a sadistically sweet tone, you could almost hear the mocking smile that was surely plastered on his face.
Joe whimpered but did not try to speak again. This only seemed to anger the man, as he took another swing, knocking Joe back, the only thing keeping him up was the men holding him.
“Let me try this again, okay? Where. Is. My. Money.”
There was a low reply, and Kara strained to hear it, leaning closer to the wall.
“Fucking speak, don’t whisper.” He raised his hand ready for another strike.
“Gone,” gurgled from the blood dripping down his throat. He looked to the floor ashamed.
“That is too bad. Boys, lets take him out back.”
Joe’s head whipped up, “Wait!”
She was surprised when the figure actually paused and looked at him, giving him a signal to talk.
“You can have anything. My house, my club, anything. And I will get the rest that I owe. I swear. I will have it in a few months!”
The silence that followed felt like it took forever. The fact that this man was considering his offer made her wonder if maybe he wasn’t as bad as he seemed.
“One month. And I want one of your girls. Collateral. Besides, how can I pass up the opportunity at taking my very own…” His voice was low, and she watched his head turn to look at the girls on the stage.
She had been so focused on the leader that she had taken her eyes off his two henchmen. Something grabbed her wrist just as a voice rang out behind her.
“Hey boss, found another one. She’s been spying on us.”
Finally, the man turned around, and she had to stop herself from gasping. She knew he dressed well, and from the sound of his voice he wasn’t unattractive, she was not expecting the man standing before her. His brown hair was styled back, but it wasn’t greasy and full of gel; rather it looked soft and fluffy. His jaw was strong, covered in a light dusting of scruff. But it was his eyes that had her frozen on the spot. Those piercing grey eyes, looking at her. No, through her.
She took a step back and bumped into the henchmen. He laughed and she turned to look at him. He wasn’t as attractive as his boss, but he definitely was not ugly. His black hair was cut short, his brown eyes hiding all emotion. He was a big man, his muscles well defined, and when he grabbed her, she knew struggling would be futile, but she tried anyways. She was not surprised when his grip tightened, and she was held in place.
She stopped struggling as she realized the leader had walked towards them and was standing directly in front of her.
“This one.”
“No!”
The yell shocked everyone, including the speaker. Beth had stepped forward, hand raised, looking at Kara and the man.
“Please, she is young. I am a much more experienced dancer. Take me instead.”
The man stalked towards her, standing right in front of her. She couldn’t see the look that passed between them, before he back handed her across the cheek.
“Speak when spoken too, whore. I will take who I want. And I want that one,” he raised a finger to point at Kara while staring her down. She shrunk away from him, not caring that it meant pushing herself closer to the man holding her captive.
The next thing she knew, something was being put over her eyes and her hands were being tied together. She was lifted over someone’s shoulder and she started wiggling again, but a firm slap on her scantily clad ass stopped her from any other movement. She was placed in what felt like the trunk of a car and sat alone in the darkness. She felt the car moving but had no idea where they were going or how long it would take to get there.
She tried to move her arms so that she could take the blind fold off and get a look around, but they had tied her arms behind her back, and with the tight angle of the trunk, she didn’t have enough space to bend and get her arms over her legs. Sitting back, she admitted defeat, and started thinking of a plan for when they come to get her.
