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Her pretty white bra showed off her gorgeous tits to perfection. They looked huge on her tiny frame. I could see her waist and the gentle swell of her hips. I grabbed her waist, yanking her against me.

I wasted no time, lifting one thigh and wrapping in around me as I kissed her soft lips. My hands slid over her body freely, touching and exploring.

I tugged her bra cups down. Her tits were so pretty. Perfect, really. The best I’d ever seen. Full and round with hard little tips. I kissed them, rolling my tongue against the hard little nubs while she moaned. Her fingers slid through my hair, tugging gently. The soft little sounds she was making were driving me insane. It was hot as fucking hell.

But I wanted more.

I wanted her jeans off, her panties off and her sweet little box wrapped around my cock.

Immediately.

Still, I probably shouldn’t fuck her in the kitchen.

I growled and stood up, lifting her into my arms. Her face was flushed and soft looking, like she’d been sleeping.

But I knew, neither of us were getting a wink of sleep tonight.

The way my cock felt, I was going to ride her ‘till dawn. I had a crazy feeling that I’d still be ready for more. I was in the mood for twenty-four hour fuck-a-thon.

I carried her up the stairs to my bedroom and kicked open the door. Then I gently lowered her down, and crawled on top of her. I kissed her, pulling her bra off completely. Our chests mashed together and we both groaned at the contact.

I was rocking my hips into hers, hoping I wouldn’t fucking spray my load in my pants like a teenager. I didn’t care thought. I couldn’t stop.

I reached for her jeans, unbuttoning them and pulling them down. Her panties were next. Then my fingers found her sex, slipping inside her. She was slick, soft and so tight.

She whimpered as I played with her folds, pressing my index finger inside her. Hot, wet silk enfolded me and I felt my cock jerk.
 

Fuck waiting.
 

I reached for my jeans and had them undone and halfway down my hips before I heard her.

She was fucking hyperventilating. Breathing fast and hard. Totally freaked out.

“Nadine?”

Her eyes were wild as she stared at me. She held one of my pillows in front of her, like she was hiding herself. Protecting herself.

What the fuck?

“Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

“Don’t touch me.”

I held my hands up. My jeans were open, but I had yet to pull my cock out.

“Okay.”

She shimmied across the bed, grabbing her clothes. I watched as the most desirable woman I’d ever had in my bed literally ran away from me. I felt her slipping away from me, feeling completely unsure what to do.

I followed her, watching as she pulled her clothes on by the front door.

“Nadine, did I do something?”

“No. It’s not you.”

I crossed the room, trying to pull her against me.

“Don’t!’

I stepped back again.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Let me fix it.”

She shook her head, her hair tumbling everywhere. Even now, she looked so beautiful it took my breath away. And she was leaving.

She opened the door and I stopped her, slamming it shut with my hand. I leaned against it, backing her against the door.

“Nadine. Tell me there isn’t something going on between us.”

She stared up at me. Her eyes were so revealing. I could see the turmoil she was in. Then a shutter closed. Just like that. She was gone.

“There isn’t.”

I stepped back. What the fuck could I say to that? She was lying to me. Probably lying to herself too.

She finished dressing and grabbed her backpack and her garbage bag of clothes. It had been right by the door. Almost as if she’d been expecting this.

“Just leave me alone. Don’t come to my work. Pretend we never met.”

I stared at her, feeling like I was getting ripped in two.

“Why?”

She finally looked at me. Her beautiful green eyes were filled with so much pain I reached out for her again. She flinched.

She actually flinched.

“Just- take care of yourself James.”

And then she was gone.

Nadine

Right, left, right, left, right, left. I counted my steps, mindlessly moving forward. I stumbled a little and then started running again.

What was wrong with me?

What did I just do?

I’d fucked everything up again, that’s what.

I was running through campus, tears streaming down my face. Thankfully it was dark. But still, I was attracting stares.

I didn’t care though. It didn’t matter what people thought of me. I knew the truth.

I was a freak.

It was late but no one bothered me as I walked briskly through the shady part of town where I lived. I got to my building and used my keys to get in. I heaved a sigh of relief. I’d been afraid they would have changed the locks already. Once they’d seen my stuff gone.

Then again, maybe they didn’t even notice.

That’s how fucking invisible I was.

I didn’t count. I barely existed.

I was fucking tired of it.

I’d mattered to James. He’d wanted me. Badly.

Maybe it was just about sex but I’d mattered.

And now I’d ruined it.

I sat on my bed, shocked by how much I missed him. It wasn’t just his touch. The way he’d made me feel.

I missed the possibility of him. What could have been.

I missed the future.

I pulled out my wallet, flipping through the bills. I didn’t have a bank account. I didn’t even have a social security card. Or a credit card.

But I had money.
 

Six hundred bucks. I needed four for this month’s rent. That left two hundred.

That wasn’t enough to pay for the cat, never mind a down payment on a new place.
 

Never mind food.

I could eat at work. I’d done it before, going hungry all day until my shift started at happy hour. Casey liked me. He’d feed me if he knew I needed it.
 

But that only solved one small sliver of my big ass problem.

I pulled out my phone, ignoring the texts from James. There were a lot. All from the past hour.

I could read them later, and cry.

Right now I needed to look up the one phone number that could help me.

The one that could change everything.

The Pussycat Lounge.

Chapter Ten

James

The crowd roared as I hurtled over the competition, rolling with the ball clutched against my belly. I was on my feet and running before anyone could catch me.

Touchdown, motherfuckers.

Too bad the other team was making it so easy for me. I wanted to break shit. Bones. Balls. Records.

It had been seventy-two hours since Nadine walked out on me. Seventy-two hours since I’d stood there, at my door, watching her leave. Seventy-two hours of texting, calling and waiting for the awful feeling to go away.

Well, it hadn’t.

Neither had the raging hard-on she’d left me with. I’d never been that turned on in my life. To say her reaction had been a bucket of cold water was an understatement.

It felt like a fucking glacier landed on my chest. I’d never been dumped. And that was definitely what she’d done to me. Even though I could have sworn she was digging me. A lot.
 

I was also worried about the girl. Really worried. And pissed off.

Fuck all that noise. I’d stayed away the way she asked me to. But that was over starting tonight.

I knew she was scared. Well, so was I. I’d never let a girl have this much power over me before. Not even close.

But so fucking what?

I wasn’t fucking around anymore. I was going to get my woman. As soon as I finished crushing the opposition.

I ran onto the field to make another play. It was the fourth quarter. The other team looked like they’d lost already.

They were right.

The coach and my teammates were thrilled at the way I was playing tonight. The truth was, I just wanted the fucking game to be over. So I could find her.

And take her home with me.

That was just the beginning. I had plans. I have very specific plans.

This time I wouldn’t let her run away. I’d make her stay and tell me what was wrong.

I’d make her want me as much as I wanted her.

I had to. I didn’t know how to lose. It wasn’t even in my vocabulary.

I had to win.

Nadine

I stared at myself in the mirror. Red lips and enough black eyeliner to make me look like a stranger to myself. I almost looked punk. It suited my mood. Not that anyone would be able to tell. The fluorescent lights were harsh backstage. Which was ironic, considering how low the light were out front.

Except the lights on the stage of course.

I sighed, trying to pull down the micro mini-skirt that was part of my uniform. They’d even given me thigh-high stockings. The heels, I’d had to buy.

Thank God Payless had stripper shoes.

Not that I was dancing. I hadn’t been able to bring myself to sign up for that. But I was waiting tables. I’d cut my hours at BB Smith’s back to three days a week in order to work here four nights. I signed up for every shift they offered me. I had to. It still might not be enough money.

This was a last ditch effort to save my ass. And Honeysuckle’s too.

I hoped the damn cat appreciated it.

I smiled, thinking how cute she’d looked when I went to the vet’s to visit her earlier. Her tail had been in a cast. She meowed so sweetly when she saw me. I’d spent an hour with her, telling her my plans.
 

She’d get a cat bed by a window and all the food she could eat.

Honeysuckle was still not ready to travel. The bill was up over twelve-hundred bucks now. It was crazy, but I didn’t care. They’d saved her life. I was going to find a way to pay that bill.

I really didn’t have a choice in the matter.

I tottered out of the dressing room. The heels were hellish to walk in. Plus, the way they made my ass and tits jut out was basically pornographic. That was the whole point, I guess.

This better be fucking worth it.

It was so dark in the lounge area that I had to wait for my eyes to adjust. There were naked women everywhere. Well, almost naked. They wore little sheer robes over their g-strings and pasties. They all looked gorgeous. The cocktail waitresses too. Much prettier than me I thought.

I sighed. I wasn’t going to flirt for tips. My assets were just going to have to be enough. The manager had assured me they would be.

He’d mentioned something about that ‘new girl smell.’ I think he was trying to be funny. It didn’t work.

I picked up a tray and headed for my first table.

I squinted as I got closer and saw a group of middle aged guys. They asked for drinks and didn’t bother me. Their eyes were on the stage.

Okay. Maybe this wouldn’t be too bad.

I served drinks as the evening progressed, pocketing tip after tip. It was way more than I made in one shift at BB Smith’s, and it wasn’t even ten o’clock yet. But it still wasn’t enough to pay for a deposit or the vet bill.

I still had two days to get the cat.

I had time.

I could do this.

I picked up another round of drinks and carried them across the room.

Chapter Eleven

James

I downed my fifth shot of whiskey. I was sitting where I usually sat. In Nadine’s section.
 

But she was nowhere to be fucking found.

My waitress came over, the chatty blond who always made eyes at me.

“Where’s Nadine?”

“I told you. She got another job.”

“Where?”

The waitress tilted her head, staring at me.

“Like I said, I’m not telling you. It’s against our policy. Why do you want to know so bad anyway?”

“We’re friends.”

“You? I don’t think so.”

I waved a hundred-dollar bill in her face. She snatched it out of my fingers and put it in her cleavage.

“Thanks, but I don’t rat out my friends.”

I slumped in my seat. My drinks were free. The whole town was celebrating our win. But the blond girl refused to be bribed. At least people were leaving me alone now.

When I first sat down, I’d be inundated with a steady stream of well wishers. I’d put on the most unfriendly face I could to discourage them while I pounded booze.

So far, it was working.

Probably because I looked mean as hell.

I felt mean. I felt really, really pissed off. At myself. At Nadine. At whatever had spooked her so bad.

My phone beeped and I picked it up.

It was Kyle. My heart started pounding ferociously in my chest. Four little words and my world imploded.

Your girl is here

I knew where ‘here’ was. He was at the club. But what the fuck was Nadine doing in a strip club?

And why the fuck wasn’t she texting me back? She hadn’t been at class either. I only went long enough to see if she was there. I couldn’t sit there and listen. Not when I knew she was skipping class to avoid me.

I stood up and tossed some more money on the table. Then I tossed some more. If the girl was friends with Nadine, it couldn’t hurt to be on her good side.

Outside there were a few cabs waiting. I hopped in one and told the driver where to go. The place I’d sworn off just a month earlier.

The fucking Pussycat Lounge.

Nadine

So far, this gig wasn’t too bad. I was making great tips. No one had tried to touch me or grab me.

And if they were ogling me, I was too busy trying to stay upright to notice.

Really, the worst part of the job was the shoes.

I smiled half-heartedly at a group of college guys and handed out their twelve- dollar beers. One of them tried to chat me up but I just shook my head and said I had other tables.

It was strange, but the guys here were more polite than the late night crowd at BB Smith’s. Probably because the drinks cost four times as much. That made it much more expensive to get well and truly loaded.

I glanced at the door. It probably also had something to do with the massive bouncer stationed there.