Tessa rounded on Colton as he came into the lobby. “We don’t need one of your whores sitting on her ass behind the desk. I did fine without having someone sitting here all the time while you were gone.”
“It doesn’t matter what you want, Tessa, it’s what I want that matters. You don’t like it, go work for another shop.”
“Fine, she can stay, but her paycheck comes from your share of the profits,” Tessa snapped back her response.
Vida watched the exchange between the two, turning red as Tessa cast her a venomous look before turning and leaving the room. Colton pulled out the chair from behind the desk.
“Make yourself useful.” Vida came to stand behind the counter. “If someone calls, make an appointment for them. Here are the names of the artists available, rotate them out so that the customers are evenly spaced. If someone requests a certain artist, fulfill their request if possible, but try not to overload any particular artist.
Vida nodded her head.
“Any questions?” Colton asked.
“I don’t think so, it seems pretty simple,” Vida answered, looking over the appointment book.
“It is. If you need anything, just yell. I need to get back to my room.”Colton walked away.
Vida sat down in the chair, studying the appointment book as she familiarized herself with the artist’s names. The phone began ringing and for the next several minutes, Vida made appointments. When the phone finally quieted, she opened her backpack and took out her laptop. Vida quickly became engrossed with her homework, only lifting her head when she heard the bell over the door ring.
A tall, gangly young man approached the counter with a hesitant smile.
“I was wondering if it would be possible to get a tattoo. I don’t have an appointment.”
Vida searched through the appointment book. “I have an opening in twenty minutes if you want to wait?”
“Sounds good.”
“What’s your name?”
“Seth Redman.” Vida wrote his name down in the appointment book.
Giving her a friendly grin, he leaned on the counter. “You into computers?” he asked, motioning toward her laptop.
“Yes, I’m almost finished with my degree in computer science,” Vida replied.
“I do I.T. for the local hospital.”
“That sounds interesting.” Vida thought any job out in the workforce sounded interesting. She was tired of schoolwork and was eager to put what she had learned in school to use.
He made a face. “Nope, boring as hell. Wanted to design computer games, but those jobs are hard to come by, and I like to eat and get tattoos. Both cost money.”
Vida laughed.
“I’m working on a game app. I don’t suppose you have any free time to help me out with a few glitches?” Vida studied his face, seeing his hesitance in asking. He seemed like an awkwardly sweet guy. It was a nice change from her morose roommate.
“I think it sounds like fun, but I’m afraid I don’t have much free time.” Vida tore a piece of paper from her notebook and wrote down her phone number. Before she could change her mind, she handed it to him. As she handed Seth her number, Colton walked into the room with his eyes going straight to the slip of paper.
“He’s waiting for either you or Reverend to give him a tattoo,” Vida told him.
Colton nodded. “Have you decided what tattoo you want?”
Seth reached into his pocket, pulling out a piece of paper and handing it to Colton. They left the room, talking about the design. Vida returned to studying, relieved to have the lobby to herself once again.
Several more clients came in and Vida wrote down their names to work them into a rotation with the tattoo artists. Tessa came out once, taking a client that wanted a tattoo of a rose. She ignored Vida, merely checking off her name next to the client.
It didn’t bother Vida that Tessa was being rude to her. It was obvious Tessa and Colton had a history as well as that her presence obviously had been sprung on Tessa without any warning or explanation.
Vida had no intention of becoming friendly with Colton. Maybe when Tessa realized she had no intentions towards him, her frosty demeanor would thaw.
Her mother had shown her the futility of trying to have a relationship with a man like Colton. The relationship would be intense at first then gradually his attention would wander to other available women. Vida wondered if that was what had happened between the two of them.
Vida stared blindly out the window, missing Sawyer, wishing she could call her and complain about everyone being assholes to her for no reason. It wasn’t the first time in her life she had to adjust to losing a friend. She only hoped that she would be able to help Sawyer, unlike Callie.
She swallowed down the lump in her throat at the thought of Callie, relieved when a man covered in tattoos appeared from the back of the shop to divert her thoughts. When he leaned against the counter with a flirtatious smile on his good-looking face, Vida couldn’t help but to return the smile he was throwing her way.
“Who are you, sweet thing?” He crooned.
Vida blushed at his accomplished flirting. “I’m Vida.”
“I’m Reverend, but you can call me Rev,” he said with soulful, chocolate eyes. “Where did you come from?”
“Colton hired me temporarily.” Vida wasn’t quite sure how to explain her presence behind the counter, so she stuck with the same explanation that Colton had given Tessa.
Rev’s smile widened. “I was looking forward to having Colton back. Now I have him to thank for the prettiest woman to walk through that door in a while.”
Tessa slammed a folder down in front of Vida, causing her to jump unexpectedly. She hadn’t even been aware the woman had entered the room.
“Don’t you have a client waiting?” she asked Reverend snidely, motioning to the man sitting quietly in the waiting room.
“Nope, he’s all yours. I’m waiting on an appointment, and Colton is finishing up with his client.”
Vida watched Tessa’s lips tighten before she motioned to the waiting man to follow her into the back.
“It gets better and better. Anyone that pisses off that bitch is a friend of mine.”
Vida hid her smile. Truthfully, Tessa’s attitude didn’t bother her. She had dealt with women with far worse attitudes than hers.
Rev’s client came in and with a wave, he escorted him to his room. After that, the rest of the day passed quickly. Colton barely paid any attention to her as he came out for his clients, which meant that, other than Tessa’s unfriendly attitude, it hadn’t been a bad experience.
Vida yawned, closing her book and turning off her computer. Her eyes were burning with tiredness. The late nights at the club and the hours of studying were beginning to wear her down. Tonight was her off night from the club and she simply wanted to sink into the soft couch at Colton’s apartment and catch up on her sleep.
Colton came into the room, carrying an extra helmet. “You ready?”
Vida nodded, putting her books and laptop into her backpack before rising to follow him out the door. Outside, he handed her the helmet before climbing on. Vida put on the helmet then shrugged into her backpack. Scrambling onto the bike, she gripped Colton’s waist as he started the motor and pulled out of the parking lot.
As they entered the door to the apartment, Vida couldn’t help eyeing the couch longingly.
“You know how to cook?” Vida was about to sit down on the couch when his question stopped her.
“A little,” Vida confessed reluctantly.
“Good, find us something to eat while I grab a shower.” He walked away before she could tell him she wasn’t hungry.
Her shoulders slumped as she took off her backpack then headed into the kitchen to find them something to eat. Colton didn’t look back, going to his room to shower. It made Vida seriously tempted to stick out her tongue at his departure.
She opened the cabinets, searching through the contents before going to the refrigerator t
o see what was inside. Vida came to a decision quickly, opening a can of soup and making them a couple of sandwiches once she saw the bread on the counter.
She was pouring the soup into bowls when Colton returned to the small kitchen. “Smells good,” he complimented.
“It’s just sandwiches and soup.” Vida hadn’t lied; she wasn’t much of a cook. She had never had an overabundance of food, and when money was scarce, you tended to buy only the basics.
Colton picked up his bowl and sandwich, carrying them to the table before going to the refrigerator to grab himself a beer.
“What do you want to drink?” He paused, waiting for her answer.
“A bottled water, thanks,” Vida said as he put the bottle on the table. Reluctantly, Vida carried her food to the table, sitting down across from him. They ate quietly; Vida thinking about her classes for the next day while also trying to divert herself from thoughts of having to work at the strip club.
“Do you work tonight?” Vida’s eyes rose from her half eaten sandwich.
“No, I’m off tonight. I work tomorrow from eight until two.”
Colton took a drink of his beer, studying the young woman. He’d noticed the shadows in her clear green eyes when he had mentioned work. He had already begun to be aware that she was embarrassed to be working at the club. She blushed bright red anytime it was mentioned.
“How long have you been working for King?”
“A couple of weeks.” Colton noticed her fingers begin to play with the soup spoon.
He attempted to mind his own business, however he couldn’t prevent himself from speaking. “You could get out of town until King gets your friend back...”
Vida was already shaking her head. “I can’t leave knowing Sawyer is in trouble and I could have helped her. I won’t bury another friend of mine.” She got up from the table and took their dishes to the sink. She found a sandwich bag in one of the drawers, placed her half eaten sandwich inside and then put it in the refrigerator.
“What are you doing?”
Looking at Colton, she saw his incredulous eyes on her. Not knowing what he meant, she paused. “What?”
“Why did you save that sandwich when there were only a couple of bites left?”
“I don’t like to waste food. Later, when I get hungry, I’ll finish it.” Vida refused to be embarrassed about not wasting food.
“You could also have made yourself another one,” Colton said through gritted teeth. “I think I can afford to feed you a couple of sandwiches. I might not have a lot of groceries, but I haven’t been to the store myself. What food is in the cabinets was just put in there so I would have enough until I went to the grocery store myself.”
Vida stared at him uncomprehending. “Why do you need to go to the store? Your cabinets and refrigerator are full.”
Colton stopped what he had been about to say when realization hit him. Turning away, he took a long drink of his beer. Telling himself over and over in his mind he needed to mind his own fucking business. The more he learned about Vida, the more he would draw closer to her and he had no intentions of that happening.
She was too young, too sweet and in too much fucking trouble. Her mother would turn over in her grave to see the predicament that Vida was in. She had worked her ass off to make sure Vida didn’t end up in the same situation as her, determined for a better life for her child.
Colton had known Goldie, hell, he had even partied with her a couple times after her sets, but they had only been friends. Even though she was a beautiful woman, the desire for her just hadn’t been there, probably because she was so nice.
Dumb fuck that he was, he had always preferred women with a bitchy temperament. It had been his downfall, too; there was no bigger bitch than Tessa. He had also been well aware Goldie had a kid at home. He had damn sure not wanted to become entangled in a relationship where anything might be expected of him.
Colton had always been about covering his own ass. He had even thought that his relationship with Tessa had been under his control. The sneaky bitch had proven him wrong and the three-year prison term he had just finished proved he needed to take what he wanted from women and leave the emotional crap out of it.
The doorbell rang as Colton watched Vida wash the dishes. Glancing at his watch, it was exactly eight o’clock. She was right on time.
Vida paused in her chore of washing the dishes as Colton answered the door. A pretty, curvy blond entered the room as he held open the door. Then a loud squeal filled the room as the blond flung herself into Colton’s arms.
“Colton, I missed you so bad.” Vida couldn’t help watching as the woman jumped up with the aid of Colton’s hands on her ass to wrap her legs around his waist. Burying her hands in his long hair, the woman jerked his head down to give him a voracious kiss.
They kissed for several minutes before Colton pulled his head back. “It’s good to see you again, too, Tracy.” The woman turned towards the sound of the running water and, seeing Vida by the sink, surprise lit her eyes.
“You didn’t tell me when you called it was going to be a party.” Tracy’s eyes glided over Vida’s body and had her taking a step back. “I’m glad to see prison didn’t dampen the fire in that cock of yours.”
Laughing, Colton playfully smacked her ass while she was still wrapped around his waist. “No party, it’s just the two of us. Go on in the bedroom, I’ll be there in a minute.”
Vida tried to appear inconspicuous as Tracy’s legs loosened from around his waist and, giving her a last, lustful look, she left Colton and Vida alone in the room together.
Dragging a hand through his tumbled hair, Colton appeared to hesitate a second, trying to find the appropriate words. Vida decided to cut to the quick of the matter.
“It’s cool. After I finish the dishes I’m going to sleep. I have a long day tomorrow.”
Colton’s eyes bore into her. “I would have gone to her place, but King doesn’t think it’s safe for you to be left alone.” It was the closest to an apology she was going to get.
Vida shrugged. “I don’t want to disrupt your life anymore than I have, so it’s no big deal. I had a male roommate my freshman year in college.” Vida didn’t tell him that Ty was gay; afterall, he had still been her roommate.
She saw the relief in his face. “Cool. We’ll try not to bother you. See you in the morning.”
“Goodnight.” Vida turned back to the dishes, hearing another loud squeal when the bedroom door opened.
She finished the dishes and wiped down the counters before gathering her clothes to take a shower. Ignoring the female moans from the bedroom as she entered the bathroom, Vida turned on the shower, deciding to wash her hair before washing her body; it would briefly drown out those moans she was hearing through the thin walls.
When she was finished, she put on her pajamas and robe. Leaving the bathroom, she rushed down the short hallway as the bed banging against the wall started echoing through the apartment. Vida quickly made up the couch with the sheet and blanket she had set to the side before taking a shower. Turning out the light, she lay down, trying not to think about what was going on in the bedroom. A loud scream had her putting the pillow over her head, wishing she were anywhere other than here.
Her room at the strip club hadn’t been much better. When the other bedrooms had been filled, the women she shared her room with would always invariably bring the men to their room. Sometimes they would wake her up to get her out of the room, yet sometimes they wouldn’t care, merely ignoring her presence and getting to the business of getting the man off as quickly as possible so they themselves could go to bed.
Vida dozed off to sleep with the pillow still over her head. She was so exhausted by that point that she didn’t wake during the middle of the night when a gentle hand removed the pillow, replacing it under her head. Nor did she waken when long fingers threaded through her silken hair, letting it fall softly against her soft cheek.
Chapter 4
“Here comes
Trouble,” the announcer spoke above the catcalls of the men in the room, their avid eyes searching the curtain for Vida’s appearance. She felt her stomach clench as she moved from the cover of the curtain into the lights focused on the stage.
The sequins on her outfit caught the lights and reflected the flashes of light throughout the room, drawing even more attention to her figure. Vida swallowed down the bile rising in her throat, forcing herself to blank the present from her mind. Pasting an imaginary picture of Sawyer across her mind, Vida began to dance seductively on the stage. How her mother could have done this for years defied Vida’s imagination.
Deep sadness engulfed her. She knew how, the love a mother had for her child. Vida knew her mother had become pregnant at fifteen and ran away from home to live with her seventeen-year-old boyfriend. Her father had stayed until she was six months old then took off, returning to his own parents’ loving arms. He left Goldie behind; however, her mother’s parents were not as understanding and no longer wanted to have anything to do with her or their grandchild.
Goldie, despite being so young, was smart enough to manage to get child support, but it was barely enough to keep a cheap roof over their heads and not enough for much else. Uneducated with a small child, it took time for Goldie to get her GED and once she had finally earned it, not many more jobs opened up than before. She would manage to get waitressing or bar positions, but they paid little and barely covered the bills.
Vida hadn’t been a healthy child. The low-income housing building was filthy and damp, setting off allergies. In addition, she had a genetic gastric problem that required her to have several surgeries, which forced her mother to miss work. Fired from another job, Goldie had turned to stripping. She could still remember the nights her mom would have a good night and wake her up when she came home.
They would go to the grocery store late at night and fill the cart with groceries that they both knew would have to last a while. The cute cereals and confections that other kids took for granted were passed over for bread and peanut butter. Vida remembered well the days where that was all she had to eat and was aware that she didn’t eat much better as a college student.