So today has been unbearably hot. For those that don't know, I live in Australia... The temperature reached 40 C today (104 F). Have been blasting the air con all day watching old episodes of Dexter and eating icy poles. But I thought I'd leave a chapter for you before I go die of heat exhaustion or something.
"Bella! Wait!" Edward shouted as she turned on her heel and ran from the room. "Bella!"
He hadn't meant to offend her. He would never have even touched Bella like that had she not given him permission to… Had she not begged him to. Edward had only reached for his wallet because he had thought it was the right thing to do in their screwed up position. He hated paying Bella for the time she chose to spend with him, not because of the money – the money didn't mean shit to him – but because he felt that it degraded her. Bella's company was a gift that no amount of money in the world could ever help him buy.
But Edward was also aware that the thirty minutes that she spent every night with him could be better spent with paying clientele; leering, disgusting, groping men, but men who would pay Bella the money that she so obviously needed.
He had reached for his wallet because he wanted to help her. Not buy her.
Edward stared at the door in dismay before rising to his feet. He nodded to the bored looking bouncer at the end of the corridor as he left the room before making his way to his usual table by the back, intending to wait for Bella. He wasn't going to leave the club without her, and certainly not without apologizing for what he'd done.
The rest of the night passed in a fast haze for Bella and it was well after four in the morning when the doors of the club closed and everyone was kicked out. Riley had specifically requested that Bella visit his office straight away to discuss what she'd earned and so that's where she found herself.
Bella knocked on the door of Riley's office. Her hands shook, she held the entirety of all she'd earned that night plus a small bit that she'd managed to scrape from her other job that hadn't already gone to paying for the bills and rent that she was desperately behind on.
It was only because Rosalie was her friend that she was still living where she was. She knew that if she'd been living with anyone else, she would have been kicked to the curb weeks ago. And yet, Rosalie had allowed for the late payments in rent, it had helped somewhat that Alice had begun to chip in; it certainly helped ease the burden. But Rosalie had made her demands that week, saying that they desperately needed to pay two bills they were late on and that the landlord had given their second notice to pay last month's rent. Bella had needed to dig deep into her pockets to come up with the money she owed as well as the money she would need to cover what she couldn't earn at the club.
But it wasn't enough. She'd missed the mark by two hundred and twenty five dollars. She had no idea what to expect from Riley. She hoped that all he wanted was for her to do a stupid show for him, which she could do in ten minutes and be on her way… But what if he wanted more? What if he wanted to teach her a lesson?
Even if she had let Edward pay her for that stupid stunt of hers in the private rooms earlier, it still wouldn't have been enough. Her stomach twisted thinking about it. How could she have been so stupid? Was she really so desperate that she would rub herself all over him like a bitch in heat? And that's exactly what she had done! She'd been so overwhelmed by him, so turned on and he certainly hadn't helped the matter. His words, like liquid gold, had sent shivers down her spine, inciting her nerve ends and making her quiver. His fingers had stroked her flesh, bringing her so close to the edge that by the time he eventually allowed her to come she'd nearly been a sobbing mess.
And then, once she'd recovered. She'd turned and ran, like a coward. She highly doubted that Edward would be waiting for her.
"Come in!" Bella's brow furrowed as she opened the door to reveal not only Riley sitting comfortably at a card table, but two of his friends. Both were somewhat older than him, overweight and looked like they belonged on a motorbike or maybe in a truck driver's seat. Their arms were heavily inked with tattoos and Bella's body chilled just looking at them. Riley didn't pay them any notice though, they were playing poker, she realized.
"Well, let's see it then." Riley remained in his seat waiting expectantly for Bella to cross the room and hand him the cash she'd earned for the night. He counted it. Bella held her breath. She knew he would discover what was missing but she just didn't know what his reaction would be.
"A shame." Riley finally spoke, leaning back. "I really thought you had it in you to make more."Riley was saying, tutting his tongue in disappointment. He lifted his hand and revealed a gun. Bella's eyes widened as she heard the click of it. Was he going to shoot her?
She took a nervous step backward and Riley laughed. He wasn't pointing the gun at her but the sight of it was enough to send her nerves scattering. He wouldn't shoot her, would he? People would hear it. Would Edward hear it, that's if he was even waiting for her? She wondered if he would come looking for her, the thought of him finding these three men standing over her body… And what they would then do to Edward once he discovered her… Her heart raced, her stomach felt sick. She couldn't let anything happen to Edward.
"I'm not going to kill you… Well, not yet. But I do want you to give us a show… I have been begging you for weeks after all. I think it's only fair."Riley gestured with the hand that wasn't holding his gun toward his friends; she glanced over to see that they were looking Bella up and down giving her appreciative looks. Music started to play, a sultry beat that Bella recognized from one of her dancing playlists.
It took her a few moments to move but she did eventually. She could do this. She danced all the time, she gave lap dances to men, she made them think that she liked doing this to them. Bella could act. But the fear of the gun that Riley still had a hand grip on made her fingers shake as she began to move, removing the straps of her bra…
Minutes passed as she danced closer to the men, paying each of them some attention before moving on. She stood in front of each man, her back to them as she danced. Her bottom rubbing up against the crotch as was standard with any lap dance. She removed clothing item one at a time.
And then she was standing naked, and she felt a sweaty, meaty hand on her hip. She faltered, her eyes glanced to Riley but he was watching her, a calm expression on his face as though nothing in the world was wrong. His eyes flickered up and down her body. And so she continued to move, her body swaying in time to the music.
The hand on her hip moved, higher… higher… and then it was cupping her breast. Hard. Bella's body stiffened, Riley was grinning a wide smile on his face. The club had a strict 'no touching' policy. The only man she'd ever let break that rule was Edward.
"What's the matter, I thought you liked being touched…" Riley was grinning manically. "I've been watching you, Bella…" He stood to his feet and crossed the room to stand in front of her. Horror filled her as she took in his words. He tutted at her. "I've got to keep an eye on my girls, what if something bad happened to one of them? Did you not know that there are cameras in all of the rooms?" He asked her. "Well… All except for this one. There are no cameras in here." He winked. The gesture only made Bella feel worse.
The meat head's hands were now going lower, one hand gripped her hip, almost painfully the other dipped lower and between her legs and then… Bella squirmed trying to get out of his grasp. "No. Don't! Stop!"
"You hear that, she said don't stop! She must like you Darren!" Riley leered at her watching her squirm and sob, pleading for them to stop as Darren stroked her between her legs.
"Please… Stop. Please," she begged. He kept up these ministrations as Bella struggled in his arms, pleading with him until Riley finally told him to stop. Bella was pushed to the floor.
"She does nothing for me anyway. Stupid slut." Darren was saying as he sat back in his chair.
Riley stood above her, the gun still in his hand. Was this the part that he killed her?
"Consider this a warning, Bella. You fuck up again…" He trailed off leadingly, and gave a small wave of his gun. "I'll do much worse. Now get the fuck out of here."
Bella didn't even hesitate. She didn't bother to grab her clothes. She got the fuck out of there.
So who wants Riley to die?