* * *
Colton held the door open for Wanda to leave, motioning for her to be quiet. With a quick kiss, she went through the door. He shut and locked it behind her, turning to go into the kitchen. Seeing the pillow on top of Vida’s face, he was determined not to remove it this time, however he found his legs moving towards her anyway.
Lifting the pillow, he saw tears glistening on her face and touching the pillow he found it damp. He had given her a key, not even noticing when she had returned. Turning the pillow over until the dry side was up, he laid her head back down on it. Brushing her tears away with the pad of his thumb, he stroked her soft cheek. Her face turned away, moving away from the soft touch.
Colton studied the dark circles of weariness underneath her eyes. Vida, he had caught on early, actually slept very little, always staying busy with her computer or studying the books she carried around in her backpack.
She was unusual for a girl her age, so quiet and studious. Even when the customers tried to talk to her at the tattoo shop, she rarely engaged them back. Seth, the boy she had given her number to, had returned to the shop to work on coding with her. She was friendly to him, but he could see she kept a distance with them all. She had been staying with him for two weeks now and he had yet to see a genuine smile.
What was so surprising to him was that her mother, Goldie, had been full of life and laughter. She had worshipped her daughter and had been proud of her every achievement. It was hard to see her daughter completely full of restraint and wariness.
Colton was sure the death of Goldie two years ago had been extremely hard on her. Now her closest friend since childhood was in trouble. He knew it was probably weighing her down that she couldn’t help Sawyer, just as she hadn’t been able to help the friend who’d died. Goldie had often worried how losing such a close friend at a young age would affect her. Callie, Sawyer and Vida were the little troublemakers of the neighborhood. Now, only one was left.
Baring her body and doing the lap dances went against the repressed personality he saw in Vida. Emotionally, he wondered how she had remained so strong.
Turning away, he went to the kitchen to get a bottled water and looked at the clock on the microwave, seeing that it was almost four a.m. Finishing the water, he returned to the bedroom, lying back down on the rumpled sheets.
He had no problem filling his bed each night with a different woman, the tattoo shop and past pick-ups provided a steady flow to satisfy the hunger that had gone unfed the three years in prison. The only problem was he felt emptier and emptier with each additional encounter. Something was wrong and Colton was deathly afraid he knew what it was.
Placing an arm over his eyes, he tried to shut out the image of Vida from that first day he had been released from prison. He needed to get rid of her. Tomorrow night, instead of dropping her off at the club, he planned to go inside and have a talk with King. Vida had to go and King had to do something about it, regardless of the situation with Digger.
Chapter 5
Vida stood nervously behind the curtain in her red camisole and underwear. She only had the two outfits; one red and one black. The other women raised scornful eyes when they saw her dressed in the same outfit night after night, however she refused to invest in new outfits with only two more nights to go.
Hearing her queue, she went out on the stage and began her standard set.
* * *
Colton stood in the shadows in the back of the room as he watched Vida come onto the stage. Her perfectly proportioned body was highlighted by the high cut of her underwear and showed her legs to their best advantage. The tiny piece of red material barely covered her pussy, while leaving her creamy ass bare, the string disappearing between the luscious globes.
Colton battled his cock, trying to keep himself from getting hard, but it was an impossible feat as Vida’s next set began and she started removing her top. Her seductive twisting was arousing; not only to him, but every man in the room. She slowly unbuttoned the flimsy camisole that hid her breasts, drawing out the tension in the men, denying them while at the same time providing tantalizing glimpses. When she could delay it no longer, the top was dropped, showing her full breasts in all their glory. The pink tipped nipples were hard from the air conditioning vent that was directed at her body, making her appear to want the men’s lustful leers.
His hands clenched into fists as he heard some of the men’s shouts, studying their faces so he could have a word with them later. Then Vida’s music changed and she moved towards the men in the front row
She allowed their greedy hands to shove money into the thin string that barely held her thong on while she squatted in front of their faces. He was sure several of the men tugged on it harder than necessary, trying to break the tiny piece of material. Rising, she danced away from the front of the stage while the men begged her to come back. The music drew to an end, reaching the point where she bent down towards the floor to pick up her top, giving the men their money’s worth by showing them her ass as she waved goodbye between her legs. Colton wanted to storm the stage and smack her ass hard.