Vincent (15 page)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Dear Mafia Father, Fuck You.

Kim continued to scream at the top of her lungs.

“I’m so sorry, I didn—” Lake covered her mouth again, afraid she wasn’t done, the feeling of lightheadedness continuing.

Vincent ran to grab Lake to hold her up. He brought her over to the sink where he quickly turned on the cold water and placed her hand underneath the running water.

“
You fucking bitch
!” Kim continued to scream.

“Sweetheart, you need to calm the fuck down.” Vincent’s voice turned lethal.

“What in the hell is going on—” Sadie squeezed by a hysterically laughing Amo and Nero. “Oh, honey.”

“Do you see what that bitch did to me?” Kim started to shake, unaware of how to even clean the nastiness off.

Sadie walked up to her and bitch-slapped her across the face. “Shut your fucking mouth before I shove my stripper heel down your throat. That’s not the grossest thing that has ever landed on your fake tits, and it won’t be the last. We have showers for a reason. Get comfortable in there because, for the next week, you’ll be fucking the dirtiest men who walk through the doors.”

Kim held the left side of her face which was scored red as she ran out.

Sadie turned to Amo. “Do you mind going to get some juice out of the fridge in there? Thanks, honey.”

Amo slowly shook his head for a moment, stunned, before he left.

I get the whole ‘pit boss’ thing now
.

Sadie came over to a still-woozy Lake—the heels weren’t helping the situation—and started to rub her back. “You okay?”

Lake managed to nod before Amo came in to give her some juice. She took a sip of the liquid and felt some of her life force return.

“I’m sorry, honey. I can only give you five minutes before you need to be out there.”

Lake could tell Sadie felt bad. “I know. It’s ok—”

Vincent spoke over her. “No, it’s not. She can’t fucking work like this. Go find someone to replace her.”

Sadie shook her head. “I really can’t. It’s not my call to make. None of my girls are going to work for free.” She started to walk away. “I’ll try to give you ten, honey.”

She took a bigger drink that time.
Oh, God.
Everything which had happened was finally sinking in.

“Lake, what the fuck does she mean by that? And why the hell are you working down here?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She pushed away from Vincent, realizing he had been holding her up the entire time.

His harsh voice reminded her of what the hell he had been doing in there with Kim just minutes before.

“Yes, it does,” he growled, going to grab her again.

Lake moved her hand out of the way like he was the plague. “Don’t fucking touch me after what I just saw. What did you come down here for? Or is that a dumb question?”

“We just got done with our first fucking shift. We work down here now.”

First shift?

“You mean you have only worked here one day, and you are already screwing in the bathroom? What was Kim, the fifth one?”

“No, she fucking wasn’t! We just finished our shift five fucking minutes ago!”

Nero started coughing and giving him a ‘shut the fuck up’ sign.

Lake hoped the hurt on her face wasn’t visible to him; she was done with the yelling match.
You win, Vincent; once and for all.

“Could you please just go? Like this isn’t humiliating for me enough.” She grabbed the mouthwash they kept on the counter and tried her best to scorch out the leftover sickness as well as the horrible taste in her mouth from seeing him with Kim.

That time, he spoke calmer because she had not been able to hide the hurt in her hazel depths. “I’m not leaving till you tell me why you’re down here.”

Lake threw away the paper towel she had used to scrub her lips, hoping the germs of Vincent’s kiss from months ago were off her. “Fine, I’ll go.”

Nero and Amo blocked the door with Vincent’s command.

“I have to get back to work, Vincent!” She was sick of his games. He didn’t give two shits about her, and she had lost all feeling for him the moment she walked through the bathroom door.

“Tell me why, and you can go.”

I fucking hate him so much!

Her hurt and fury made her spill. “Because Dante was going to fucking kill my father for owing him so much money. I didn’t have a choice!”

“Sweetheart, why did—”

“Do
not
call me that
ever
again. If you do, I swear it will be the last word you ever get to speak to me.” That word made her skin crawl after she heard him call Kim that.

Vincent ran his hand roughly through his hair, trying to keep calm. “I could’ve helped you, Lake. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Lake shook her head, trying not to cry. “No, you couldn’t have.”

He tried going to her again. “Yes, I could’ve. And I will. Do you not know who my f—”

She took a big step back from his embrace. “
Your father
was the one who put me down here, Vincent. No one can help me but me.”

That time, they let her pass and for once, she was able to walk away from him.

*  *  *

Vincent watched Lake disappear like a wounded animal.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he punched his reflection, shattering the glass. “
Fuck
!”

“I have completely changed my mind; I fucking love it down here.” For the first time that day, Nero didn’t have a scowl all over his face.

“After seeing Lake projectile-vomit right on that bitch then the other one pimp-slapping her, I can honestly say my life is fucking complete.” Amo was enjoying himself as much as Nero.

“I’m glad you motherfuckers are loving this,” Vincent hissed.

“Yes, I am. You got to watch me fuck up with Elle. If you want her, fucking fix it.”

“I don’t know if you fucking realize this, but Lake isn’t like Elle. She’s not submissive unless you break her, and then she hates you for that. Her goddamn mind is set against
the family
and this city. Any fucking hope which
was
left is gone since your father tried to whack hers, and my dad shoved her down here.”

What the fuck was Dad thinking?
He needed to see him so he could close off his fucking throat for doing that to her.

Amo shrugged. “I’ll break her if you don’t—”

“Lake is fucking mine! Touch her, and I’ll break my bat over your dick.”

“Well, the first step is admitting you want her,” Nero told him.

That was the first time he had admitted out loud that he wanted her. Hell, it was the first time he’d even admitted it to himself. He didn’t see Lake as his sister’s best friend anymore.

She had changed drastically over just a few days, and it killed something inside of him to see her like this.
Except for the outfit.
The moment he had laid his eyes on her, all sexed up, his dick had gone as hard as fuck. And at that very moment, she was out there with every man looking her way, thinking the dirty thoughts he was. He only wanted her in sexy lingerie when she was locked in his bedroom, not in a casino full of horny, old, rich men.
God help them if one of them lays a finger on her.

Vincent squeezed the bridge of his nose, coming to a decision. “Call Lucca and tell him we’re working a double shift and to give the night off to three lucky fuckers.”

Amo shook his head. “Fuck no, I’m not working double.”

“Yeah, Elle’s wait—”

“Yes, you two are. I need you to keep me from killing these shits tonight because if one of them touches her, I’m going to fuck them all up.”

“I can stay.” Amo looked all too eager to bust some heads.

“I’ll call Lucca now.” Nero pulled out his phone.

“Tell Lucca I said he’s a sick fucking bastard for this.”
Fucking Lucca had this planned.
“And if he could put us down to work when she does till I get her out of this mess, that would be great. But call him an asshole when you do.”

Fuck thanking Lucca and God anymore.

Dear Mafia Father, fuck you.

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

I Know You Smell It, Playboy. It’s Lake’s Virginity.

Lake tried not to keep looking over her shoulder at Vincent every five minutes, but she had never seen him like that before. His eyes never wavered from her, not even once, and his intensity frightened her. He was looking at her on a completely different level from what all the other men were.

The men she served had a face of lust, which used to scare her up until that point. Vincent looked at her like he owned her. In his eyes, she was his property whether she wanted to be or not. There was sexual hunger there like the other men, but while they would be satiated with one taste, Vincent wanted her as his slave.

Lake felt like she had been owned her entire life with school, Ashley, John, and finally Dante. She wasn’t going to be owned by anyone else.
Especially not him.

Once she set a shot down in front of a customer, he downed the contents then handed her the first tip of the night.

Shit.
Lake swallowed hard as she took the bill from his hands. She forced a smile at the eagerly waiting man who wanted a show.

Hurriedly, she shimmied her breasts then put the bill down her corset. Her eyes lifted to the back wall and saw Vincent being held back by Nero and Amo.

“Thank you,” she said before turning on her heels and practically running. She went straight to the back bar, trying to calm her nerves.

Her life depended on the job, and Vincent was going to ruin it. That little bit of nothing shimmy was short and rushed compared to how she usually did it. All those men returned, and if they didn’t feel like they got what they deserved, they wouldn’t tip her again. They would simply give it to another girl who
was
willing to show off. The tips were going to get her out faster.

Fuck him. Next time, I’m doing it right.

The next few hours went by and every time someone handed her a tip, she was determined to give a show right up until she actually took it out of their hands. Then she would think,
Shit, I can’t do it!

It was to the point that her little shimmy was pathetic. The first few times, she would look to see if Vincent was going to murder the customer, seeing his friends were still holding him back. Therefore, she kept dumbing it down until it looked like it was tolerable for him. Sure, she saw the psycho killer wanting to murder everyone in his path, but at least he didn’t need assistance anymore. Why it mattered to her that it was bearable for Vincent, she had no fucking clue.

While she was waiting for her drinks to be made, she noticed Sadie going to the little stage and setting a chair in the middle.
What is she doing?
She had never seen her do that before.

Sadie came over the microphone. “We got a birthday boy on our hands tonight, girls. Come on up, Alan.” She did a sexy ‘come here’ signal to an older gentleman by the stage.

Taking Alan’s hand, she placed him on the chair. “Alan, honey, which lucky girl here would you like?”

Lake’s mouth dropped open, not knowing what was to come. She became slightly nervous as he looked around. When he picked one of the women who worked the stripper poles, her nerves ceased.

Why would I think he would’ve picked me, anyways?
She was silly to be nervous about that.

“Hit it!” Sadie yelled, leaving the stage.

The room went dark, leaving only the stage lit. Music began to play again, and the woman started shaking her ass in front of Alan’s face. Alan kept his hands at his sides as she started to sexily dance on his lap.

Lake’s eyes widened a couple of times.
Well, I know why he picked her.

When the song came to an end and clapping erupted, she went to pick up her tray of drinks.
I don’t ever have to be worried of being picked again.
She herself would pay for a lap dance from the pole dancer if she were into that kind of stuff.

Sadie jumped back on the stage. “I would like to officially introduce everyone to our newest girl. Lake, where are you, honey?”

Lake’s head snapped back to the stage to see Sadie scanning the crowd.

Nonononononononononono!

“There you are. Wave.” Sadie smiled at her.

Lake licked her dry lips in nervousness.

“She’s a little shy, everyone. Go on and wave, honey.”

With a spotlight finding her, she smiled and gingerly put her hand in the air then started to wave.

“Lake is our youngest and definitely most innocent,” Sadie said with a wink, “of our girls, and I just wanted to congratulate her for her first week. So don’t forget about her, future birthday boys!”

She didn’t…

“Now, let’s show her some love!”

Her ears began to fill with whistles and hollers. Every man’s eyes were on her.

She did.

Thankfully, the music started back once again and most of the men’s eyes left her body. She could feel the burning of her cheeks as she picked up her tray to deliver the drinks.

Heading to the table, she saw a furious Vincent. She could practically see the steam coming from his nostrils.

She set the drinks in front of the men, and the last one she handed one to was the red-headed man she knew by name—David. He had been there every night since she had started working. He always sat in her section, not moving until her shift ended. And yes, he still gave her the creeps, but she had to teach herself to block him out.

When David handed her a tip, she quickly shimmied then put the bill in her corset.

“You know you don’t need to be shy with me, Lake.” He handed her another bill.

Lake stared down at the money, knowing he really wanted her to work for it. She reached to take it out of his hands but before she even touched the money, her arm was grabbed and she was being dragged away. She didn’t even need to look at her captor.

“Vincent! Stop it! What are you doing?”

Vincent continued to drag her behind the curtain and into the dressing room. “Go get changed. You’re done.”

Lake hit at his chest. “What the fuck don’t you understand, Vincent? They will
kill him
if I don’t work. Then they will have to kill me because they know I won’t keep quiet about it. Is that what you want?”

Sadie came through the curtain. “What the hell is the problem now?”

“Do you know what you just fucking did? You just practically told them she’s a virgin out there. You’re going to get her killed or worse,” he growled at Sadie.

Sadie started sniffing the air. “Do you smell that?”

What the…? Is she okay?

“I know you smell it, playboy. It’s Lake’s virginity.
I
smell it,
you
smell it, and
every
fucking man out there does, too. You’re acting like it was some big secret and no one could tell, but guess what, honey? If you put a little virgin kitten in a goddamn jungle filled with a bunch of whores, it don’t take them long to sniff out the difference.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to fucking advertise that her cherry isn’t popped!” Vincent yelled.

Jesus!

“I am literally
right here
and can hear everything you’re saying about me.”

“I’m trying to run a business here, playboy. If you get a winning lottery ticket, do you not cash it in? If I get a virgin when every other girl who walks through my doors is a slut who fucks men in the bathroom, you’re damn right I’m going to let my customers know I have a wide selection of girls. I didn’t tell them anything they didn’t already know. Plus, they can’t buy her; she’s on the ‘no touch’ list.”

Finally, Sadie looked at her. “I just assumed you didn’t want to be, but if you wanted the big bucks—”

Vincent cut in, “She’s not for sale.”

“She can speak for herself. Now listen, not one of my girls has been hurt or felt threatened in any way, because I have great fucking security. At least, I did before you. Are you her boyfriend? Because we do
not
allow the girls to have them in or near the casino. I have fired many girls over jealous assholes.”

Lake put her hand on his chest. “Nope, he’s not my boyfriend. He’s just a concerned friend is all.” She looked him in the eyes to plead with him. “He won’t cause any more trouble, because he knows I
depend
on this job, right, Vincent?”

It took him a moment before he nodded reluctantly.

Sadie went to exit the dressing room. “Good. Now I want you to take a break and clear your head, and don’t come back till you’re positive you won’t do that again. Keep your hands off her, playboy. I better not catch you dragging her away from a customer again. You’ll ruin their fantasies of being the one to pop her cherry.”

“Bitch—”

Lake struggled to hold a fighting Vincent back.