An exasperated sigh rushes from my lips. “I don’t have time for this.”
“Aw, sugar,” she says, her voice so whiny it makes me flinch, “surely you can find time to let me make you feel good. And I promise, I can make you feel really good.”
I look around, suddenly feeling like a raw steak tossed into the middle of a pack of wolves. Fuck. They’re all looking at me like I’m the sexiest man alive.
To be fair, it’s probably true. I mean, I have the body of a God and a giant cock to match. But right now, all I care about is Sapphire.
“Look,” I say, glancing around at the strippers, trying to put on an easy grin that should have them willing to do whatever I ask. I figure I’m going to have to play their game to get what I want. “I’m looking for somebody.”
The brunette gives me a sultry smile. “Take your pick.”
I shake my head. “Not like that. There’s this girl.”
I glance around the room again to make sure I didn’t miss her. Not like I fucking could. If she were in here, I’d know.
Raking a hand through my hair, I turn back to the brunette. “Just tell me, where is the girl with the brown hair and big tits?”
She gives me a look like I’ve lost my mind, then steps back and runs a hand up and down her body, her giant tits nearly busting out of her costume. “Sounds like I’m exactly what you’re looking for.”
“No,” I grind out, “the other girl with brown hair and big tits.”
She lifts her eyebrows and looks around the room, pointing. I follow her finger as she indicates, like, twelve chicks that fit that description.
Okay, so maybe I’m not thinking straight. I mean, I’m in a fucking strip club. Big tits are part of the territory.
“Sapphire,” I say in frustration, finally finding some bit of sense in the chaos that is my mind. “Where is Sapphire?”
No one says anything for a minute, then a short girl—another brunette with big tits, naturally-approaches me, her eyes a little wide. A little star struck. Like she knows exactly who I am.
Well, that’s fine. As long as she can tell me where Sapphire is.
She stops in front of me, biting her lip nervously. “Derek?”
I nod impatiently. “Yes. Do you know where Sapphire is? Is she working tonight? Is she in the back?”
“I’m Misti.”
Great. Sorry, Misti, but I don’t give a flying fuck what your name is. I barely keep the words from spewing out.
Almost regretfully, she says, “Sapphire got fired last night.”
Shit. Shit, shit, shit.
I’m staggered. I literally feel like I’ve been knocked back by a blast. Fired? I know immediately it’s because of me. Somehow, they found out I had sex with Sapphire and they punished her for it.
Guilt swamps me. She said she loved her job. And now she’s lost it because of me. I can’t regret what we did, but I feel like shit that I caused this. My chest tightens with an unfamiliar feeling, like a heavy weight has settled on me.
I grip Misti’s arm, taking her by surprise. “I need to find her. Where did she go? Did she get a new job somewhere?”
Misti shakes her head. “I don’t know. I mean, I guess that’s what she’ll do. Most likely. But she didn’t say where.”
I exhale sharply through my teeth. “What about her phone? I can’t get in touch with her. I’ve tried and tried to call her, but it’s saying her phone was disconnected.”
She nods. “Those phones were part of working here. When she got fired, they disconnected it.”
I rake my fingers through my hair again, making it stand on end, mumbling to myself about how I'm supposed to take her back to St. Albans with me when I can’t even find her.
“Thanks,” I mutter to Misti, turning to leave, my very soul feeling crushed.
Sapphire is the one woman I’ve ever truly wanted, and now she’s slipped right through my fingers.
14
Ella
The next Monday, I sit on a barstool at my favorite bar drinking mimosas with my friends. A couple of them are from my old club, and a couple from some other strip clubs around town.
They’re all laughing and having a good time, but I just can’t get into it. I’ve been depressed for the last two days, not sure if I’ll ever see Derek again.
At first, I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to let myself get so caught up in something with someone who I don’t even really know. That maybe I should just take this as a lesson and learn from it—no sex with clients.
But my heart just can’t get behind that. I know we have a connection that went deeper than sex. That night with him was intense. Crazy. Profound. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life. And I want that. I really do.