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Without giving Granger time to say a word, I run past him and head upstairs to get dressed in his favorite outfit. The second he spots me in my cage, he’ll forget I was late and take up his usual position guarding the stairs that lead to me.
The music is thumping the walls when I reach the second floor and hang a quick right to run down one of halls leading to the back rooms. Most are used for private dances and other strange favors, while the one closest to the hall entrance is a dressing room.
Thankfully, the room is empty, the other dancers scheduled for tonight already in costume and in their cages. It doesn’t take me long to find a pair of tiny shorts that barely cover my ass, and a metal studded bra.
On the wall hangs a large set of fake, black angel wings that Granger always saves for me. He loses his shit if any other girl touches them on the nights I work, and I’m beginning to believe those wings are some kind of weird fetish of his.
“I’m taking you home tonight, right?”
I’m in the middle of clasping my bra in place when I turn to look at Granger.
He leans back against the door and stares me down with dark eyes that always appear threatening. Even his current stance is a threat. Almost as if it’s his intent to keep me trapped in here untilhedecides it’s time for me to leave.
But that’s Granger.
A narcissist, through and through.
I swear, this man’s ego sits upon a throne built by all the women he’s managed to control and break down.
Don’t worry about me, though. I got this. There’s a difference between actually giving up control and simply giving the illusion that’s what you’re doing.
He hustles me in his way, but I hustle him right back.
We both have our reasons, and I’m comfortable with the exchange because we both get what we want, regardless of whether he’s really controlling me or not.
My lips curve into a seductive smile. “I figured you’d be angry about me being late, so I already told Brinley I have a ride home tonight.”
Heat douses his dark eyes and I fight not to react by shoving past him and out onto the dance floor.
Here’s the thing with me…
I don’t let men control me.
Their power, money and influence mean nothing to me.
But I will use them as a tool if it benefits me.
And I’ll do so while letting them think I’m some toy they can cast aside when they’re done. Because by the time that happens, I’ve already gained everything I set out to do.
In the end, I’m nobody’s toy.
I’m simply the girl that was smarter than they thought.
And while they may feel something or desire more, I’ve already moved the hell on before they realize that they’ve already lost that particular war.
Damon
I can’t even begin to explain where I am right now. The world doesn’t make sense, much like my thoughts. It’s all jumbled again, the current life I’ve carved out colliding head on with a past I’ve managed to block out.
How Ezra is handling any of this is beyond me, and it angers me to see him so level headed over Emily’s return.
Ezra and I knew we would see her again before going to that damn engagement party. And we knew we’d be tasked with distracting her away from Ivy so that Gabe could run his game.
But what I didn’t expect was for the feelings I’d fought away after graduating high school to all come flooding back like a damn tsunami, the water flowing beneath my feet until I was swept away.
I genuinely thought I could handle it. That seeing Red again would have as much impact on me as seeing any other random chick. I believed that my feelings for her were as securely packed away as the memories of those weekends Ezra and I endured.
It was all there, nicely packaged in some spot in my mind where I didn’t think about it or care.
