Serving the Wolf's Den (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (19 page)

She and Joanie walked around the gardens after they ate. Maura was grateful her less than kind words had been put behind them. She had wanted to tell Joanie about working at the Pink Petunia, but she knew she would be dead set against it. She couldn’t even bring herself to tell Rhonda because she knew she would throw a fit. She didn’t plan on staying there forever, just long enough to get back on track with her payments.
That was exactly what I told myself when Max hired me.

Joanie said she was always tired after shopping, so she left to take a nap. Before she climbed the stairs to her bedroom, Maura had kissed her cheek and gave her a hug. “How did we ever get off to such a bad start?”

Joanie looked at her guiltily. “It was all my fault. Luckily I’ve being given a chance to redeem myself.” Joanie excused herself, but before she went upstairs, she said, “You should take a nap, too. Especially if you have to work tonight.”

A half hour later, Maura decided Joanie had been right and went up to her room. She set the alarm before she climbed into her own bed and fell fast asleep. The irritating buzz woke her all too soon. Maura had told Bart she would meet him at the Pink Petunia before her shift started. He had promised he would be there. When she went downstairs, Joanie was reading a book. She looked up as Maura walked into the living room.

“I just wanted to let you know I was leaving.”

“See you tomorrow.”

“Are you going out tonight?” Maura asked.

“I might head over to the Wolf’s Den for a drink.”

Maura knew Joanie still went to Max’s club. However, to her credit, she never talked about it. Maura took the keys out of her purse for a car that Joanie had insisted she have at her disposal.

On the drive to the Pink Petunia, Maura tried to keep her nerves under control. It probably wasn’t going to be that different than the Wolf’s Den.

Her first indication that it was nothing like the Wolf’s Den was when she walked into the Pink Petunia to find two half-naked girls making out behind the bar while the manager, Jason, the man who had hired her, watched as he sipped his drink.

He spotted Maura and waved her over to join him. The two girls kissing behind the bar ignored them.

“Maura. You’re here early.”

“You said you wanted me here at least an hour before my shift.”

“Glad to see you know how to do what you’re told. Normally I’d have you start setting up, but the tables have already been set. I was just reviewing our behind-the-bar entertainment. They seem to know what they’re doing.”

Maura didn’t like that the two girls were still making out behind the bar or the way his eyes kept dipping to her breasts and lower as he spoke to her. She knew he was used to being around women who probably enjoyed his eyes on them and encouraged him to do more than look. She just wasn’t one of them. And yet, she reminded herself, she was working in a strip bar, so she couldn’t go around acting too high-and-mighty.

“Well, I guess there’s not much for me to do then.”

“Why don’t you go get dressed in your costume, and come back so I can go over some of the particulars of the job. I also want to introduce you to Dan. He keeps an eye on things around here and will be keeping you in his sights during your shift.”

There was something in the tone of Jason’s voice that made her extremely uncomfortable. She hoped Bart would arrive soon. Maura slipped off the barstool and went into the back where she had been told the dressing room was located. Six women were already there in various stages of undress. Maura smiled hesitantly. She felt their eyes on her, measuring her. She wasn’t sure they liked what they saw.

Unlike the Wolf’s Den, there was no Katie to find her a uniform or explain things to her. She guessed she was just supposed to know. She noticed that a uniform, or “costume” as Jason had called it, was folded on a chair. She looked around.

“Yeah, that’s yours,” a girl with a thick Russian accent said to her. “You’re the new server, right?”

“Yes, I’m Maura.” Maura went to the chair and picked up a flimsy piece of material that was absolutely see-through. Bart hadn’t mentioned that, nor had Jason. The bottom was nothing more than a glorified G-string.

She could feel the eyes of the other girls still watching her. They were undressing in front of one another with no inhibitions. She supposed she was expected to do the same. Turning, she began to disrobe, her stomach dropping to her shoes. At least at the Wolf’s Den everyone had the decency to avert their eyes to give the others a little privacy. Without looking at anyone, she put on the costume that also came with a feather, which she slid behind her ear.

She didn’t have to look in a mirror to know what she looked like. Just seeing the other girls, who might as well have been naked, left no doubt that she might as well not be wearing anything.

“Maura?”

She heard her name being called and turned to see a tall, thin man in the doorway. “I’m Dan. Jason sent me to find you. He wants you back in the bar, now.”

The girls made some lewd comments and laughed as she walked out the door. She stopped short in the hallway before she reached the entrance to the bar. She couldn’t work dressed like this. It was indecent. She needed to change back into her street clothes and get out of this place. It was a huge mistake.

“Jason is waiting for you. He doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“That may be, but I’ve made a terrible mistake.”

“The only mistake you’ve made,” Dan said, “is that you think you have a choice. When you put on that costume, you became one of Jason’s girls.” With a shove, he pushed her closer to the entrance to the bar. She turned to tell him to back off, but the look of pure evil on his face silenced her.

“Just do what you’re told. When Jason calls, you come running. And if you don’t, it’s my job to make sure you do.”

Maura had little choice but to walk into the bar with the man’s hand planted firmly on the curve of her back. She fought her desire to slap it away because she instinctively knew this man would probably slap her back and not playfully. For the first time since she had walked in the door of the Pink Petunia, she felt fear. It was obvious to her now that this place was a far cry from the Wolf’s Den in more ways than one.

Jason was still sitting at the bar, his eyes glued to the two girls who were now dancing on the bar in front of him. He glanced her way and smiled.

“Thanks for bringing her to me, Dan.”

Jason turned to Maura, “You look fabulous. Just the way I knew you would. Classy girls like you are what we need here. A face like an angel, but hot as hell. Your body could melt steel and then make it hard again.”

His words, although she was sure he thought they were a compliment, made Maura felt dirty. Both he and the man named Dan, who had stepped around her to stand beside Jason, were ogling her with unabashed lust in their eyes. She wanted to cover herself but knew it would do no good. It would only make her appear more submissive in their eyes.

“You met Dan. He’s going to keep an eye on you tonight. Make sure no one takes anything for free, you know what I mean?”

“I actually think I do now. The other night, when I came here with Bart, I totally misunderstood what kind of girl you were looking for. I’m not that girl.”

“You may not think so right now, but you will be. Once you’ve taken home the kind of money you can make here, you’ll be begging me for more shifts.”

“I’m not going to work for you.”

“You’re bought and paid for, baby. Bart’s already been paid his finder’s fee. He’s good at knowing exactly what I want.”

Maura’s mind was trying to wrap itself around what Jason had just told her when she saw Bart enter the bar.

His eyes widening appreciatively as he took in her lack of clothing. He walked over to them.

Jason nodded at Bart. “You need to get your girl on the right page. She wants to quit before she starts. It’s your job to get that beautiful head of hers screwed on straight before the customers get here.”

“No problem, Jason. I’ll talk to Maura.” Bart looked to where Maura was standing. “Let’s go back to the dressing room.”

Maura breathed a sigh of relief. Bart would understand and explain things to Jason. She was surprised when Bart walked right past the dressing room and opened a door to a private room. Maura walked into the room ahead of him that had a bed in the center of the room. She turned, ready to tell Bart exactly how she felt, but his expression was hard, his eyes cold.

“Before you say anything, you need to listen to me, Maura,” he began. “I went out on a limb to get you this job. I know you need the money. Don’t be a fool.”

“What did Jason mean when he told me I was bought and paid for?”

“I get a commission for the girls I bring in that get hired. But that’s not unheard of in any business.”

“This place isn’t what you led me to believe. I’m not a whore, even though this outfit would make anyone think differently.”

“By the end of the night, when you’re counting your money, you’re going to be glad I convinced you to stay. Besides, that old bitch you’re staying with won’t let you live off her forever. Women like you need a man like me.”

“I may need the money, but not like this, and I certainly don’t need you. You lied to me. I’m not going to let you or Jason use me like this.”

“I told you not to be a fool, and if you think you can just walk away, you’re a bigger fool than I could have imagined. You’re staying, and you’re going to wait on tables and smile at the customers. You’ll do what you’re told if you know what’s good for you.”

Bart’s face had turned from handsome to ugly in only a matter of seconds. How could she have blindly followed him like a sheep being led to the slaughter?

“I’m not afraid of you,” she lied.

“You should be,” he said, his hand reaching out and grabbing her roughly between her legs.

“Stop that,” she yelled.

“You’re going to learn to enjoy working here, Maura, just like you’re going to learn to like having my hands on that body of yours.”

He removed his hand and laughed. “Stop looking at me like I’m the big bad wolf. We both know you’re no innocent. Any woman who likes to fuck two men at the same time more than knows the score.”

“How dare you,” she stuttered, wondering how he knew about Max and Toby. She knew know that Bart had never had her best interests at heart. If she were to get of this mess, she would need to take a different approach with Bart.

“Please, Bart. I wasn’t a good server at the Wolf’s Den, and I’ll only embarrass you here. I don’t think Jason would like it if I embarrassed him with his customers. Don’t you see, I’d be doing you a favor by walking out now.”

“Nice try,” Bart said before an ugly laugh erupted from between his lips.

“Please, don’t do this,” Maura said softly, trying to appeal to his sympathies, if he had any.

“I’m going to be watching you all night and if you so much as make a move to leave, I’ll let a few of our customers have a private party with you as the entertainment. The ones I’ll pick will love a girl who acts like she’s being raped. It will make their fucking you so much more exciting.”

“You wouldn’t,” Maura breathed.

“I don’t think you want to find out, do you?”

Maura felt as if she were going to be sick. She hated everything about the Pink Petunia, including Bart. She looked across the bar, where her eyes locked with his. As promised, he was watching her. However, there was a strange look on his face that she couldn’t decipher. He slid off the barstool and walked toward her.

She turned quickly to drop off drinks to a table full of men who couldn’t take their eyes off her breasts. She felt like a piece of meat. She couldn’t wait for the night to end.

“You look like you’re ready to bolt,” Bart said in her ear so no one else could hear.

“I would if I could.”

“Jason doesn’t take kindly to girls walking out on him. It’s not good for business.”

“I’m just one girl. What difference can it possibly make to him?”

“Jason’s got plans for you. He thinks you’d make a great stripper even though I told him that wasn’t your style. He knows you need money, and he thinks with what he calls ‘encouragement’ you’ll come around. He’s already thought of a name for you. Angel of Desire.”

Maura shook her head, shivering. “I’ll never let him do that to me.”

“He has a number of ways to persuade people to give him what he wants.”

Maura turned away, tears in her eyes. This was her worst nightmare. There had to be away to stop this insanity. She just wished she knew what it was.

“Money really can be the root of all evil. I’ve let it rule me, but I can’t do that anymore. I was stupid to ever come here. I’m sorry, Bart.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m not. Having you around, dressed the way you are, will make coming here a lot more enjoyable.”

“Don’t get too used to it. You don’t own me and neither does Jason.” She hoped she sounded braver than she felt.

“He sees the women who work here as his property.”

Maura’s heart sank. There was no talking to Bart. She turned back to her tables where her customers were eagerly waiting for her. She lost count of the number of times her nipples had been pinched and the rest of her body groped. She was an open target for anything the customers wanted to do to her. The last straw was when she saw Frank saunter toward her from across the room. The sight of him made her stomach lurch. She watched as he held up one finger and motioned for her to come to him. She knew without a doubt what he wanted to do to her, and now, in a place like this, he thought he could, and it was all her fault.