I lifted my butt off the bar stool and had to hold onto Caleb to steady myself. My stomach was turning over and over again and it took all the willpower in the world to keep myself from throwing up. I took a deep breath and waited for the nausea to pass. I swaggered over behind the girl and slipped my hands around her waist.
“How about you come home with me and I'll show you what heaven looks like.”
She turned around and flushed, her chest heaving up and down. My pants tightened as my erection stiffened. This chick was smoking hot. Tonight was going to be fun.
A voice came from behind me. “Get your hands off my girl, motherfucker.”
Me? A motherfucker? Nobody talks to me that way.
My hands left the girl's waist and I clenched my right fist. I spun around, swinging my elbow in the air until it connected with the man's face—except he stopped me. The whiskey must have made me slow, because next thing I know I'm on the ground and his fists are pummeling my head. I try to block as many of the blows as I could. Good thing about alcohol is that the more you drink, the less pain you feel.
I gather myself and throw the attacker off me, slamming him into a table. Glasses of beer fall to the ground and shatter. A crowd has formed around us they're all cheering. Everyone loves a good bar fight. The MC has taken notice and they're taking bets. I better get a cut of the money after I smashed this little guy into the ground.
I stood up and wiped blood from my lips. This guy was going to pay. The girl we were fighting over looked right at me and gave me those doe eyes. A new fuel powered me. I swung right and left, hitting him over and over again in the jaw. My knuckles became bloodied and broken. I wouldn't be able to take much more.
Caleb threw me a beer bottle and I smashed it over his head, sending broken pieces of glass flying. The man doubled over and fell to his knees. I used the opportunity to spit blood onto his head before ramming my knee into his face, knocking him on his back. I raised my hands over my head like a boxer winning the title.
I didn't even notice him grab a piece of the broken bottle.
Sharp, scolding pain hit my side and I screamed. I looked behind to find the boyfriend stabbing me again in the back. Another spike of pain and blood leaked out of me everywhere. My rage was uncontrollable. I swung around and broke the man's nose. The crunch is clearly heard throughout the bar. My vision is getting blurry and I'm able to get one more punch in—dislocating his jaw. I fall to the ground, my own blood staining my white wife-beater. My MC comes flying in, kicking and spitting on the boyfriend.
Randy bends down over me and whispers into my ear but I can't hear a thing. Everything goes black.
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Chapter One
Brooke
Shit! I arrived at the Nautilus Club fifteen minutes late again. The seedy building stood in an abandoned complex right next to the jammed freeway. A gigantic neon sign repeated girls three times and a long pink awning jutted out from the front door. I stumbled out of my car, carrying my purse and bag of school books. In between dances, I could get a little homework done if nobody bothered. Jerome stood at the front door looking menacingly as always. He was an over-sized black man with the softest heart and a hug that could crush every bone in your body. He grinned and let me right in.
The club lights were dimmed and Cherry danced on stage to Britney Spears' “Womanizer”. A bar sat along the far right wall and Johnny was there tending to the drunks. A shot of whiskey sounded good right about now. I took a hard right through velvet curtains that stated employees only.
Joe, the owner, came barreling towards me. His hair had receded to the very back of his head and he wore the cheapest suits available. He wasn't as soft as Jerome but he took care of his girls. “Brooke! You gotta be kidding me. How could you be late again after we just had that talk?”
Damn! I thought he might not have noticed this time.
“I'm so sorry, Joe, but I got caught in traffic.”
Joe checked his watch. “There's no traffic at eight o'clock.”
“I promise it won't happen again.” I gave him my best puppy dog eyes. Joe was a sucker for a pretty girl.
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Cherry offered to switch. You go on in twenty minutes.”
I really owed Cherry a big one. This was the fifth time she had covered for me. Maybe I could buy her some makeup as a thank you.
Joe continued, “I also need you to cover Jasmine's shift on Saturday night.”