I looked around for Lyla but didn’t see her. It wasn’t until I heard the crowd cheer that I realized she must have snuck past me. Music ripped through the club, a heavy beat with a sexy undertone.
Lyla was on stage.
I peered past the curtain and saw her, strutting around in a thong and a T-shirt that scantily covered her breasts. The men watching her could no doubt see the underside of her boobs. Rage filled me as men started to slip bills in her thong and cat-called for her to take her shirt off. Lyla grabbed the pole in the center of the stage and dipped low then slowly rose back up, sticking her ass out for everyone to see. That was all it took. She was done.
Tearing across the stage, I gripped her by the arm and started dragging her away.
Shock was her first reaction, followed by anger.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” she hissed.
Two bouncers jumped up on stage and grabbed me by the shoulders. I released Lyla. I elbowed one of them in stomach, making him instantly back down and then elbowed the other in the jaw, sending him backward into the crowd. I grabbed Lyla again and forced her behind the curtain.
“Kace!” she shouted. “Let me go!”
“Nope,” I responded, leading her to the lockers. There were a few ladies in the locker room, and when they saw us enter, they quickly exited, giving us some privacy. Once they were gone, I slammed the door, turned on Lyla, and crossed my arms. “Get your things.”
“Excuse me?” Her nipples were hard and poked the thin T-shirt.
“You heard me. Pack your things, Lyla.”
“The fuck I will. You don’t order me around.”
“Lyla, I will not ask you again. Pack your fucking things, or I will do it for you.”
She didn’t move. She just stood there, tapping her foot. Stubborn fucking woman.
“Fine,” I said. I walked over to her locker, cocked my elbow back, and plowed into the middle of the flimsy medal, sending the lock across the room. I opened the dented door and grabbed her purse, shoving her items inside.
“Hey!” she shouted while she rushed over to me. I tossed her regular-sized shirt and shorts at her, then grabbed the bills from her thong and put them in her purse.
“Get dressed.”
“No. I’m not leaving. You can’t just come in here after last night and be all controlling and try to tell me what to do.”
I got in her face and lifted her chin so she was forced to look in my eyes. With a serious tone in my voice, I said, “You’re not working here anymore. So get your ass dressed, because we’re leaving.”
“No.”
“Lyla,” I warned.
“What are you going to do? Man-handle me out of here?”
I grabbed her around the waist, showing her I wasn’t kidding. “Do not test me.”
“Ugh, you’re infuriating!”
“Lyla, get your ass back on stage,” Marv, the owner of Kitten’s Castle said as he bustled into the locker room, breathing heavily and purple from anger.
“Let go of me,” Lyla threatened.
“Who is this?” Marv asked, poking me in the back.
I turned quickly on the man, towering over him. He backed up and held out his hands defensively.
“Whoa, don’t want to start trouble.”
“Then I suggest you find someone else to cover Lyla’s shift.”
The puny man backed away and practically ran out of the room, closing the door behind him. Even though I was easily able to scare away her manager, the overbearing tactic wasn’t working with Lyla, thanks to her stubbornness, so it looked like I was going to have to open my heart right in the middle of the locker room.
I grabbed her hand, and she tried to pull away, but I laced our fingers together. “Lyla, please come with me. I’m sorry about this morning. I had some things I needed to take care of, but I’m ready to talk and I would rather not do it at Kitten’s Castle.”
“That’s all you had to say, idiot,” she muttered under her breath as she dressed. She slowly took off her stage shirt and walked over to her purse, naked besides her heels and thong, and dug around for her bra. She then grabbed the neckline of my shirt and pulled me closer so I could feel her nipples pebble against the thin cotton of my shirt. My hands instinctively went to her hips. Her lips nipped mine as my hands went under the strap of her thong and molded into her ass.
I groaned when her tongue stroked the seam of my lips, looking for entrance. Kindly I obliged and allowed her to explore my mouth.
Just when I was settling in for a make-out session, she pulled away and then tapped my hard-as-fuck erection. “Just making sure it still worked.” She smiled and put on her bra.
“Teasing will get you nowhere,” I warned.
“Doesn’t seem like you have the right to threaten. Pretty sure I have the upper hand at the moment.”
I hated that she was fucking right about that. “Just get dressed.”
“Don’t get pushy with me, Kace. The more you demand, the longer I will take.”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” I asked while pulling on the back of my neck.
“Just a little.” She smirked.
Leaning against the wall of the locker room, I watched as she put her clothes on as slowly as possible. I didn’t know what was sexier, watching her put her clothes on or watching her take them off. Both had a deep yearning stirring at the base of my cock.
Once she was ready, she grabbed her purse then grabbed my hand and said, “Let’s go.”
I led her out the back of Kitten’s Castle to the car, where I opened the passenger door for her, trying to remember to be a gentleman. It’d been way too long.
We drove in silence to Woldenberg Park. We should have walked, but luckily, we found a parking spot along a side street.
I walked around to Lyla’s side and helped her out of the car, making sure to grab her hand. I brought her to a bench that overlooked the Mississippi River, grateful there weren’t many people milling about at night. Imitation gas lamps lit the sidewalks, casting a romantic setting for our walk.
The night sky was free of clouds, and looking up, I could faintly see stars. I chose to bring Lyla to the park because I wanted to start a new chapter, and bringing her to my room at Diego’s or going to her apartment to talk to her would just remind me of the life I was once living.
We sat on the bench, facing the river. I put my arms on the back of the bench and she snuggled close. I played with the strands of her hair as we enjoyed the cooler night air.
I knew she was waiting on me to talk, but I had no clue where to start. I’d never told anyone my story, ever, so to try to talk about it was going to be one of the hardest tasks I ever had to face. Her head rested on my shoulder and she caressed my thigh, letting me know she would wait for me, that she was patient. I kissed the side of her head. “I need to talk to you.”
“I gathered that,” she said with a slight laugh.
“Yeah, I’m not good at talking about things.”
“I gathered that as well.” She kissed my jaw. “I’m a good listener though, so take your time.”
Taking a deep breath, I leaned into her for support as I tried to get through my story. “You know about my boxing career.”
“I do. I wish I could have seen you box. I can only imagine how hot you looked.”
Chuckling, I said, “Yes, it was the hotness factor that made me so good.”
“I’m sure it was, but go on.”
“Jono was my trainer, he ruined my career—stole it from me, actually, by slipping me steroids without my knowledge.”
“Yes, I read about that. He’s been convicted since then though for doing it to other athletes. You’re not the only one. You could get your name…”
“That doesn’t matter now.” I kissed the side of her head and said, “But thank you for caring. That night I found out that I was banned from the circuit, I hit rock bottom. I went to a bar where I knew no one would bother me and drank my sorrows away. Jett was with me. He watched me take drink after drink, convincing me to take action, to fight back, but at that point there was no fight left in me. The one thing I had worked for my entire life for was stolen from me, so I gave up. It was over.”