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.