Make Me Weak (Make Me #1) (20 page)

“I need the money, Onyx. It’s just a job.”

“Doesn’t make me hate it any less.”

“Well, you don’t have to come back in there with me.”

He flicked his cigarette into the oblivion and cupped my face in his hands. “Have you not been listening to me, love? I need to be near you. When you leave tonight it will be with me. Although it will kill me I am going to stay in there the rest of the night with you. I’ll just sit at the bar but if I think anyone is going too far I
am
going to intervene. Maurizio doesn’t scare me in the least so his threat for me to mind my manners was ineffective.”

I let my cigarette drop to the ground as I pressed my cheek deeper into his hand. My fingers pressed against his stomach and slowly made their ascent to his shoulders.

“Thank you for caring about me. You know, I came here not wanting to see you at all. I wanted to run from you because well, the reason isn’t important. But here we are now and it feels like everything I did to forget you was pointless because now I can see there is no forgetting.”

“I will ask you that reason later tonight but you’re right, love. It is impossible to forget me becau
se I refuse to let you.”

He leaned his face closer and gently pressed his lips to mine. The touch spread like wildfire through my veins with the tender but promising kiss. Whatever Onyx saw in me is what I saw in him. It was the reason that despite all my attempts to cut him out—it just wasn’t possible. He pulled away from our short, sweet kiss with a smile that erased all worry from his eyes.

“Much better.” He said, making me return the grin.

“Shall we? Tables are waiting to be danced on.” I joked, motioning my hand to lead the way.

Onyx nodded, taking my hand in his and lacing our fingers together. The warmth from his hand, the sensation of his protective touch and the realization that I was here next to him again filled me with indescribable joy. The past few torturous days had been for nothing because the more I spent time with Onyx, the more time I wanted to spend with him.

We made our way inside, pas
t the quizzical look from Lars, down the hallway that included many stops where we couldn’t keep our hands or mouths off each other, until we reached the door of the dressing room. Onyx had his arms locked tightly around my waist and every time I pulled against him, the grip grew tighter. I couldn’t stop the rich bubbling laughter as we played a light game of tug-of-war. It had been far too long since I was last able to play around with a sexy male, let alone flirt with one. But even with having years off from all of this I found myself craving it, absorbed in it. Every touch was a thrill, behind every smile was the promise of another and goodbye—even for a few hours—was excruciating.

I hated most everyone in relationships for these same reasons
, but I was so lost in Onyx that none of that shit mattered anymore. He pressed a kiss to each of my cheeks, the tip of my nose, my lips, forehead and neck before the throat clearing cough made us stop. I turned to look behind me and saw Cherry staring back with a Cheshire grin in place.

“Not a word.” I said to her.

She threw up her hands in a defenseless manner. “I won’t say a thing.”

I nodded to her, placed one last kiss to Onyx’s soft lips and bolted back into the room. The only way to leave with him was to make this night end as soon as humanely possible. Let me just say, I had never been more excited to dance on tables as I was tonight. The sooner I started—the sooner I’d have Onyx back.

Over the next few hours I danced, shimmied, shook my ass, and twirled my hips. On tables, the stage, up and down the pole. Anything that was asked of me I did and anytime I performed anything I always made sure I had a view on Onyx. His were the only eyes I would meet and the only ones I cared to see. My stomach lurched every time I thought of someone requesting a private dance with me. I’d have no choice but to do it but it was Onyx that was getting me through this night. It took every bit of self-restraint I had to not go sit in his lap, press my head under his chin and curl into the warmth and safety within him.

Then again, immediately after my vision of cuddling nicely together, I pictured him fucking me all over this club. On the bars, the tables, the catwalk of course, but the place that really made my pussy drip was to think of Onyx pounding into me while I held onto the pole for dear life. Every time after my vision when I looked at him I couldn’t hide the wicked smile that showed I was harboring a dirty little secret. That mischievous smirk I got in return made me even more excited for the night here to end so the real fun could begin.

Cherry had the last dance of the night on stage and just as I was getting ready to race from the room into Onyx’s arms, Cherry stopped me. An amused, mysterious ghost of a smile lit her face and I knew whatever she had in mind, I should be afraid of.

“Dance with me.”

My head was shaking the second the words were off her lips. “No way in hell, I gotta go.”

“Oh c’mon that sexy older man will still be waiting for you after this. Think of all the tips we’ll get. I’ll split
them in half with you.”

“I don’t know, Cherry.”

Just then one of the other dancers stalked up to us with her hands on her hips. Mandi Kaye was one of the worst human beings I had ever met. She was a petite little blonde thing that spent her evenings bragging about all the dudes she has hooked up with. Most of which were her best friends’ boyfriends, or husbands, but she didn’t even bat one of her glued on eyelashes at it. Not to mention she openly hated on me and Cherry to all the other girls so the fact that she was talking to us now only meant trouble.

“Why haven’t you ever asked me to dance with you? I’ll do it right now and share tips
with you Cherry.”

“Fat chance in hell.” Cherry scoffed and looked
Mandi up and down without sparing judgment.

“And why not? You want a partner, Kandi doesn’t want to do it, and I do.”

“You’re a bitch and not only do I want to get on stage and dance
with
you. I sure as hell wouldn’t share a dime with you.”

“Besides,” I added in, throwing my arm around Cherry’s shoulders. “I’m dancing with her.”

Mandi made another loud scoff before flipping her hair and stalking back away. I took my arm off Cherry and regretted where I was left immediately. She smirked, realizing the same thing I just had.

“So what do you think, cops and robbers?”

I looked to the outfits she was pointing at. They were both leather, scantily clad, bumped up the cleavage and hugged the ass—they were perfect.

“
Fine but I’m going to be the cop since you
robbed
me of my evening!”

Cherry bumped her hip against mine with a laugh. “Oh don’t be such a baby. You can have your sexy play time later.”

I rolled my eyes playfully. Honestly I was really starting to like this new relationship building between me and her. All along I considered her my closest “friend” but that literally meant, I didn’t hate her. Now I was seeing her as far more and it was almost a relief to have someone else I could confide in. Sort of. It felt surreal that less than a month ago I had me, myself, and I. Now I had Onyx, Cherry, and Kayne. My circle of trust was growing, but I still couldn’t calm the unease deep in my heart. I’ve had a circle of friends betray me before, what’s to say it wouldn’t happen again?

We
put on our outfits, got all sexified and then we were ready to go. Cherry picked out the song “Gett Off” by Prince and without rehearsing or coordinating we managed to just about blow the roof off with all the excitement. We’d shimmy on the pole together, me up top pretending to search her on the bottom pretending to hide. Danced and grinded together because what loosens the wallet more than a couple hot chicks getting close? By the time the song was over everyone was on their feet and the catwalk was hardly visible anymore. It looked like it had snowed money and I was beyond excited to shovel up this mess.

Maurizio was waiting backstage and didn’t bother hiding his elated grin.

“That was excellent! I’m gonna make you both do these dances together every night you’re here.”

“Whatever Mau, we’ll talk about it later because I’m all done for this evening.” I gave him a slap on the chest and took off towards the dressing room. This night had been a success, no doubt, and it was nice to get off of Maurizio’s bad side, at least a bit. But now all I wanted was to hop on the back of Onyx’s bike a
nd get back to his place, stat.

I changed out of the outfit and into my clothes, hanging the barely-there dress on a hanger and slipping my shoes back on. Cherry came in with a smile on her face and a wad of cash fanned out as she waved it over her face.

“You’re not even gonna believe how much, girl.”

“It’s a good thing I’m gone till Friday again, at least they’ll have the rest of the week to go make more money to spend. Cherry laughed, split the money in two and handed me my stack.

“What are you gonna spend your half on?”

My first thought went to Daisy it would be something for her I just had to figure out what. Giving a little girl cash for a rainy day wasn’t as fun as a gift but I had to choose something that wasn’t going to be easily noticed by my grandma.

“Something good.” Was the only answer I gave Cherry. Maybe I was finally adding more people to my life, but that didn’t mean I was suddenly going to indulge others with my Daisy secret. I had to protect my daughter at all costs and this was just one more way for me to do that.

“Fine girl, going back to being secretive. But I say we listen to Mau and repeat this little performance each night.”

I didn’t hide my shock as I eyed her down. “I’m not even going to respond. I’m just gonna leave here and let you think about the fact that you just gave credit to Maurizio. Good luck sleeping tonight.”

Cherry laughed out as I walked past her. “You’re such a bitch, Kandi.” She said with a smile.

I gave her a parting wink and a wave before I left the dressing room. Maurizio was standing in the hall waiting for me and it looked like he was going blue in the face for holding in whatever he wanted to say. Excitement still danced in his eyes and I could practically see dollar signs in place of his pupils.

“Kandi, let’s talk about this for a minute!”

“Have a good night, Maurizio.”

If I didn’t let Cherry keep me away from Onyx, I sure as shit wasn’t going to let him do it either.
I peeked out through the stage and didn’t see Onyx waiting in the bar area. Panic began to set in. What if that dance was just too much for him and now he left my ass? My nerves took over making my legs break into a run through the hallway and out the door. Lars whipped his head around as I burst through the door but when he saw it was me he eased up a bit.

“You okay?” He grunted.

I felt breathless and not from the minimal exercise but from the fear that Onyx was gone. “Did you see that guy come out here that I was talking to earlier?”

“Parking lot.” Lars pointed.

“Thanks!” I called back and darted in the way of his extended finger feeling the weight of question pressing down on me.

I rounded the corner and saw in the far back corner of the parking lot was my guy. Leaning against his bike, arms over his chest and a smirk on his face. A relieving wave rushed over me and a full-fledged smile spread from ear-to-ear. I could hardly believe how emotio
nally overwhelming it was to see him. Every knot in my shoulders, the tension in my limbs all eased up at the sight of this man. Everything just felt…better.

My legs took off before I could think twice. Onyx took a few steps toward me and for the first time in my life I leaped up into the arms of a man my
heart was craving. I saw this done hundreds of times in movies but it was something I never imagined I’d ever be inspired to do.

He caught me with a deep chuckle rumbling beneath his chiseled chest. I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist while my fingers played with the ends of his hair. My lips found his again and again, I just couldn’t sate my need for more.

“I thought that little dance was maybe too much for you and you left.”

“Oh don’t you worry about that, love. That performance was the reason I was waiting out here for you. I figured the big man at the door would protect you inside. I’m out here to make sure no one snatches you away from me when you left.”