"Your girl sure has been dancin' up a storm, sugar. I've lost count of how many private dances she's done this past week,"
Erik's grip tightened on the glass of whiskey she'd handed to him once he'd entered her office. His bright, cold eyes took in the figure of May. He'd thought he'd known her, not well on a personal level, but well enough to conduct a healthy business relationship. It seemed that he was not as far beyond deceit as he liked to think.
His pride was wounded; it killed him to know that Christine was below them now, presumably giving a dance to some dirty bastard. Men were lusting for her on the stage, salivating at the sight of her, reaching for her…
Listening to May carry on was not helping his mood. He glared angrily at her back as she stood close to her wall of mirrored windows. 'I could push her through, it would end all of this. The fall might not kill her, but surely the falling shards of glass…
Erik shook the thought away and returned to his primary objective for his drop-in visit. As pleasing as the thought of killing May was, he could hardly be with Christine if he was in prison.
"Yes, well, she is very dedicated," he said stonily.
May turned to him, and Erik again noticed how gaunt she appeared. Obviously it was the drugs; he wondered how many years had passed since she had first become involved in trafficking narcotics, the filthy whore.
The smile she gave him was hideous. "What's with that tone, Erik? Trouble in paradise? If Diamond isn't working out, you can have your pick out of the whole lineup. Hell, why stop at just one?"
She was sick.
His teeth clenched. "No. I only want her."
"True love, huh?" She scoffed.
"Something like that. I don't think you would understand. She means everything to me."
May nodded, thinking him still merely infatuated. "How sweet. Still, you might want to keep an eye on her. The way she's been dancing…it's almost like she's angry or something. I don't know," she yawned. "Whatever, I don't really care. I just think it's weird that you've taken a shine to someone like her."
"Why?"
"Why?" She repeated with a laugh. "Like you even have to ask! Whenever I picture you with a woman, I expect that you would have wanted someone…I don't know, cleaner, I guess." May shrugged.
"Cleaner?"
"You know what I mean! Someone that hadn't set foot in a place like this, someone with eight degrees in every field, someone with more talent than what it takes to grind in a thong all day…someone a little more like you, I guess."
Erik glared at her. May truly knew nothing of the intelligent beauty that lurked beneath all that garish makeup. 'I'll kill you, May, and I'll take Christine away from all of this, forever…'
"I have a peculiar fetish," he admitted in a deadpan manner as he stared down at the untouched drink in his hand.
May glanced down to the main stage again, situated just below her mirrored windows. "It seems you're not the only one. That kid looks like he's come straight from the Hamptons,"
"Hmm? What kid?" He asked absently. 'I can't believe I'm sitting across from this thing that I allowed into my city. I should have just left her to drown!'
"Some kid is down there arguing with her. All right, nevermind, the bouncers are getting rid of him. Rich punk- you must have her on a short leash, looks like she doesn't want to ruin a good thing while it's lasting." She laughed.
Erik nodded. "Yes, well, it's an arrangement we're both happy with. Have you got those expense reports?" He urged her.
May nodded, "Yep, I'll be back in a minute, I have to get the last few pages of the report from the bar downstairs."
"Don't rush on my account, I might like to take in the view," he said with a touch of humor as she turned to leave.
No sooner did her office door click shut, Erik rose from his chair and headed straight toward her desk, searching for any piece of evidence that might be enough for the police to make an official arrest.
There was paperwork scattered over the surface of her desk, all kinds of licensing forms and spreadsheets set in disarrayed stacks. It was all to do with the business side of the club, nothing that could be remotely incriminating!
He gave a frustrated growl and turned to the filing cabinet, at once pleased and dismayed to find that it was locked. Erik figured that it had to be the drugs inside- how else would she be able to give the deliveries to her stripper carriers?
He returned to his seat at the exact moment that May reentered the office. If she suspected that he'd done anything in her brief absence, she didn't let on, she only handed him the expense reports as he'd requested.
"Thank you, May. I'll be in touch."
There were occasions when the humiliation of exposing oneself was made easier to deal with thanks to the music that pounded from the speakers situated all across the club. These occasions were few and far between, as the in-house DJ and the audience preferred edgy metal music, the kind that sounded more like the lead singer was trying to scream himself hoarse than carry a tune.
Sometimes though, the DJ, Dave Caine, recognized the need for variety, and would play audience and dancer requests. For Diamond, she of the striking blue eyes and sensual mouth, Dave was happy to oblige, and even happier to find that she at least had decent taste in music.
Aerosmith's Sweet Emotion flowed smoothly from the speakers, and the audience delighted in the familiar, timeless song. Diamond went back to the stage to dance, seeming to dance for herself rather than the lusting, reaching crowd.
Diamond had never been particularly selective against the music of the club, but she had started the morning with a nasty headache. For three days, she'd slept in the guest room of Erik's loft. The first night had been the easiest- Erik had carried her to the guest bed, he'd stroked her hair and kissed her shoulder. Christine had cooked for him, taking extra care to appear as wholesome and lovely as she could for him, while he had stayed out late, without a word of explanation or apology. She'd fallen asleep waiting for him, and she only had a few vague memories of speaking with him the night before.
He had put her in the guest room; he didn't want her in his bed.
Christine had awoken that morning, feeling miserable once she recognized the surroundings. The only male in her bed was King, while Snow had slept on the floor. She had emerged from her room, hoping to find him waiting with some kind of simple explanation, a smile, maybe he would just hold her for awhile…but he was gone by the time she went to look for him. His briefcase and laptop computer were gone.
Erik had left without even waking her to say goodbye.
It was a painul beginning to the week's new routine.
'I never should have let myself think something like this could last. Maybe before I had to go back to dancing we could have had something, but everything is falling apart and it's only been a few days!'
The wall had already wedged itself between them, despite Christine's pounding fists. It was a wide, open gulf of space forcing them further and further apart- Erik seemed indifferent to her attempts at engaging him, to her it seemed that he wished to avoid even speaking of it until it was all over, but then what? Did he think that things would fall back into place once she was free to leave the club forever behind her?
No!
Christine let Diamond take the stage, dancing to earn every last bill tossed to her and storing it all away into her account. The first and only stop she made after the end of her shift was the bank on the way back to Erik's apartment building. She steeled her heart as best she could, and because she had learned early how to be cold, Christine stamped down the pangs she felt as she deposited her cash.
It hurt, but dread filled her at the thought that Erik would ask her to leave soon. Christine had to be prepared.
He was a wonderful man but there was only so much a man could take; she was killing him with every move on the stage, and she knew it. Christine glanced up at the mirrored windows, suddenly feeling sick at the idea that Erik could be up there right now, standing beside May in her office, watching as she danced for the men.
It was how he had first seen her, after all.
'God, Erik…I have to get out of here!'
Diamond waited until the song was over before stepping off the stage, shaking off the hands that reached to touch her breasts as she moved through the throng of men that surrounded the stage, hoping for a private show in the back. She ignored the shouted propositions as she moved through the club.
She'd had enough, and her shift was almost over. She hadn't gleaned anything from the other dancers yet, and the clever idea to dance for as many men as she could in the hopes of finding where May's narcotics come from had more or less backfired in her face. She hadn't learned anything that could be of use, all she had done was wear herself out from the effort and push Erik away in the process.
Diamond cut through the crowd and headed toward the backstage area that lead in to the dressing area. She felt a strong hand clamp on her arm and she whipped around, ready to shake off whatever man thought he had a right to grab her just as she was leaving.
She turned, a biting insult on the tip of her tongue, but the man's face halted her world.
"Raoul?!"