Never Kiss an Outlaw(19)

“Y-you too,” I stammered, but she'd already left me alone.

I'd never earned that much in a single day at my crappy summer jobs or internships in uni. Too bad I wanted to chuck the money down the nearest toilet, or burn every filthy dollar earned in this twisted job I'd never asked for.

Outside, Firefly was waiting. “How'd it go, darlin'?”

“First day woes. It only gets better from here, right?”#p#分页标题#e#

Jesus, please tell me yes. It had to.

Hell, I had to keep it all together. I wasn't going to give this arrogant bastard one more ounce of my tears.

I definitely wasn't going to open up to him.

“Damned straight.” He must've had a sixth sense.

I'd expected a barrage of stupid questions, or crude jokes aimed at my heart, the whole ride to the clubhouse. Instead, he barely said a word, leaving me to my stone cold silence.

He didn't even chase me down when we arrived and I headed straight for my room. Later, there was a heavy knock on the door. It took me at least five minutes to come out of the sick grog from the heavy sleep I'd fallen into the second I buried my face in his beat up pillows.

I padded to the door, wishing he'd gotten whatever crap he wanted to throw at me out of the way earlier. I opened the door.

Nobody there. Just a small white bag at my feet and a tall bottle wrapped up in brown paper.

I looked around, didn't see anybody, and reached down to gather them up. The white bag came from the same deli that fed me all my meals these days. I sat with the bottle in my lap, tore through the paper, and pulled out a nice, thick bottle of wine.

The sticky note attached had the sloppiest handwriting I'd ever seen, but I could make it out.

You're too damned classy for beer, so here's something better. Hope you like red. Sorry, don't know shit about wine. Man at the store said it was solid. Glass is in the bag.

Here's to a better life, or just something to take the fucking edge off.

-Firefly

I didn't realize I was hugging the bottle until I finally moved. I must've drank half of it with my meal before I crashed again, sleeping with a stupid, unexpected smile on my lips.

Nobody had done anything so nice for me since I'd graduated high school, when daddy had a huge German chocolate cake lined up for me and all my friends. The same kind momma used to bake.

The wine was decent, but it wasn't anything amazing. It didn't matter.

That stupid bottle of red with the fake French branding made me happier than the money I'd left crumpled in my pants pocket.

Somebody actually cared. Somebody who spent his days drinking, cursing, and probably chasing the first girl he saw who made his dick stand up.

Maybe there was a little of that here, too. I couldn't just ignore the hot promises in his eyes each time he looked at me. But so what?

I slipped off feeling toasty and loved.

Even if it was an illusion, and only an illusion, it was the one I needed just then. The only one that gave me a shred of hope I'd survive another day at the Ruby Heel.



For three more days, I kept it together. A tiny glass of wine after work every day helped.

That last little taste, I snuck before leaving for my fourth shift. It only went so far. I'd thanked Firefly for the wine, but I'd been too afraid to say more, scared of letting him see how much he'd really touched me with the crazy surprise.

Meg flipped me to nights, a time that was a little busier. She swore up and down the girls would have more incentive to move, seeing how they made their best tips right between ten and two in the morning.

Men were at their drunkest, their horniest, and their neediest just then. So far, the night crew consisted of three girls I hadn't worked with before – and they were just as bitchy as the evening crew.

All of them talked. They knew I was a pushover before the night even began.

A blonde in her late twenties with fake boobs and a couple inches on me named Trig was up next. Rather, she should've been on the stage getting naked ten minutes ago.
#p#分页标题#e#
Instead, she sat backstage, taking messy sips off some cheap gin she'd snuck in her purse when she'd showed up about an hour ago.

I clenched my teeth, circling her like a vulture. “You should really put that down. Club rules say no drugs, no cigarettes, and no drinks before your act. It's a big liability to have that stuff in your system when you're up there on stage.”

“Oh, you again?” Trig threw her hair back and nasty laughter bellowed out her throat. “Corral or whatever the fuck your name is – shut up. I've done this act a zillion times with this stuff kissing my veins. Makes the time go by faster. I don't tell you how to do your job, and you don't need to say shit about mine. Don't know what Meg was thinking when she brought you in. I've seen girls younger and prettier than you who'd do a better job of –“