Ivy nods and looks to Sutton and grins before looking back to me, “You know Sutton was kidnapped because of me?”
I blink and stare gapingly around the table. “What?”
“We’ve all dealt with something or another to get to where we are now,” Sutton speaks up, her voice gentle.
“Before we meet the men in our lives, we had a past that haunted us,” Ivy says, her hand going to her stomach. “If it weren’t for Reaper, I’d never have my twins or this one I’m carrying.”
“My uncles protected me the best they could, and still I fought them until I realized what they were doing. I thought they were suffocating me when it was nothing more than their way of protection. It’s what they knew. I moved away, was hurt, and when I came home, I wasn’t the same.”
“It’s not easy to love these men.” Isabelle smiles, “It scared the daylights out of me when it came to Hellhound, yet he never gave up on me. He gave me what I needed to heal.”
“I was going to run away from Angel, and he didn’t let me,” Stella remarks, shaking her head. “Would have been the biggest mistake of my life if I were to get away from him.”
“What everyone is saying, Hope, is don’t let fear get in the way of what you have with Styxx. Trust that he knows what he’s doing when it comes to protecting you and your sister. He’d never let anything happen to you,” Josphine quips. “Those men can be pains in the ass, but they make loving them worth it.”
I swallow and nod, unable to speak the words that threaten to choke me up.
“You’re going to have to teach me how you dance,” Sutton says, changing the subject.
“Same,” Ember laughs. “Cerberus told me about the way you dance at Keeper’s Temptation, and I have to say I want to go just so I can watch myself.”
“You guys don’t think it’s weird that they go and watch women take their clothes off?” I blurt out.
Everyone around me laughs and giggles, but it’s Ivy who answers.
“Those guys, our guys, I should say, the ones who have a woman, they know what they have at home. Nothing on that stage could hold their attention. Not in the way some of those skanky hoes would like. The main reason for them even having strip clubs is the profit they make from them. Reaper said, opening night, you held the audience, you were compelling and temptation in itself, but not in the way some men think.”
“They were impressed that you were able to hold the crowd with seductive music and your moves without barely showing your tits.”
“That’s what I love about working there, Harvester doesn’t allow but the smallest glimpse from me and the other headliner girls,” I tell them, speaking the truth. “When I don’t have my top on, my dances are mostly with my back to the audience. It’s enticing for the patrons.”
“Do you really dance in the air?” Stella asks.
“You mean aerial silk dancing?”
“Yes.” She nods. “I couldn’t think of the name of it, but Angel said it was like you were dancing in the air.”
“It’s not easy. I had to train a lot to be able to do it.” I remember when I told Harvester that I wanted to aerial dance on stage, he thought I was nuts and that I couldn’t do it until I proved to him I wasn’t a weakling and going to break my neck. I thankfully have been able to do this, and he made sure that was part of my dance the first night the club was open.
“You’ll definitely have to show us,” Ember murmurs.
“Maybe you guys can come watch one night. Let the guys babysit for you all,” I suggest. It would be easier for them towatch at Keeper’s Temptation to get a visual of what they’ve heard.
“We go there, they’ll only tag along with someone babysitting here.” Ivy huffs, rolling her eyes. “They’re protective like that.”
I could see this.
My cell phone rings and I pull it out, excusing myself from the table, seeing who was calling me. I didn’t recognize the number. It wasn’t unusual for me to get calls from numbers I don’t recognize. Sometimes it’s a parent of a student up in Tyler asking for more lessons with me. It’s not something I’ve ever allowed and always explain this to them.
I step outside the clubhouse for privacy and answer, “Hello?”
“I have Promise with me. If you want to see your sister again, you’ll meet me at Dogwood Park.”
My heart races and blood roars in my ears at my uncle’s hate-filled voice.
“You hear me, Hope?” he snaps.
I swallow and nod, though I don’t know why.”I’ll be there,” I whisper, trying to keep my voice steady even as my whole body trembles.
