Shadows Of A Wolf Moon(13)

Smoke and cheap whiskey saturated the air, making her curl her nose in disgust. If hell was real, it looked and smelled like a strip club with all its aromas.

A skirmish broke out over at the bar involving two guys and a waitress. She held her breath and quickened her steps. She knew the rules. Don’t make eye contact. Don’t get involved. Don’t be visible.

Once she stepped backstage, she let out a deep breath.

“Help a girl out, Catty,” Meadow whimpered as she gave Catty her back. “Zip me, please?”

“I don’t know why you bother putting anything on.” The boobs were cut out, exposing her entire breast. Shaking her head, Catty tugged the zipper up.

“Part of the fantasy. Thanks, doll,” Meadow smiled. A cigarette rested between her yellowed teeth. Working in the club had aged her to the point she looked more like forty than the twenty-nine she claimed.

“Sure thing.” Catty made her way to an empty dressing station and sat. She kicked off her platform heels and rubbed her aching arches.

“You’re up next, Catty,” Celine called out as she passed by.

“But I just finished.”

Celine stopped in her tracks, turned, and narrowed her gaze on her. “Yeah, well, you’re up again. We’re short tonight, and the crowd is heavier than we expected.” Celine flicked her lighter and lit her cigarette. She inhaled a few puffs before tugging it out of her mouth.

“I thought I was covering the girl who couldn’t come in. We shouldn't be short.” She didn’t have time to change. Not that it mattered. Men didn’t come to the strip club to check out her outfits.

“Well, another girl called out sick with pinkeye. The last thing we need is for all the girls to catch it. Heard it’s been going around.” Celine took another long drag and blew out a cloud of smoke. “Now get your ass back out there.”

“Fine.” She stifled a smartass reply and turned back to the mirror. She studied her heavily made-up face and grabbed her lipstick. She applied another layer of the bubblegum pink to her lips.

Satisfied by her obedience, Celine turned her attention to Kimber. Kimber said she was twenty-one, but she barely looked sixteen. Catty figured her to be closer to eighteen and even that was stretching it.

Kimber teetered on her platform heels and stumbled into Aston.

“Watch it, bitch,” Aston spat out as she shoved Kimber off her.

“Sorry.” Kimber giggled and tried to regain her balance. Catty knew right away it wasn't the heels making the girl unsteady. It was drugs.

Celine grabbed Kimber by the arm and dragged her in the direction of her office. Catty knew what was coming next. Kimber was either going to be fired or put on probation.

While Celine ran a tight ship when it came to the girls, she was only the manager. If Big Mike were here, Catty felt sure Kimber wouldn’t have faced much of a consequence. She might even be encouraged to do drugs before going on stage to lower her inhibitions.

Catty shivered and turned her attention back to her mirror.

This wasn’t the life she envisioned for herself. As she stared into the haunted eyes of the girl she once knew, a tiny sliver of hope flashed through her eyes.

She knew what she had to do.

She was going to get out or she was going die trying.

***

Lucien shouldered his way through the crowd into the Triple X strip club, growling at anyone who didn’t move. Thick smoke and cheap whiskey made his stomach clench. He wondered how female werewolves could stand working in such an environment.

Every table in the club was already taken. Groups of men ranging from college age to middle age to older men sat taking their pleasure as the strippers danced for their dinner.

Lucien grimaced as his gaze drifted over the room. He didn’t have a clue what Catty looked like. Half the girls looked way too young to be taking off their clothes, and the other half looked way too old. It was hard to tell which strippers were werewolves and who was human since the stench of the place masked the scents.

The music suddenly changed to a slower beat as a new stripper stepped on stage. Long legs and a slender body with curves in all the right places almost made Lucien a little sad this girl had chosen this lifestyle when she could have had any guy she wanted. Her long blonde hair hung in waves over her shoulders, curtaining the features of her face.

Her face was hidden from view by the pole as she leaned her head back and slid down the pole. She wore denim cutoffs, which showed off her nice ass, and a red gingham bra that barely covered her nipples. With the red cowboy boots, it was clear she was the X-rated version of the farmer’s daughter.

His heart beat a little faster in his chest.

He shoved away from the bar and slid into an empty seat near the stage. There was something about the way she moved that compelled him to get closer.