Krista The guys replacing the windshield on my car had their s.h.i.t down, like they had been practicing that routine for years. They probably had. They'd replaced the smaller windows in six minutes and the windshield was just as fast.

Thank G.o.d my car was fixed. I needed to pick Becky up after school. After an early dinner and a couple of books she would go to Senora Lopez's for the night and I would be off to the club to clean-and see Colt.

I would have to tell him I was a wh.o.r.e and a coward. I thought he knew, but after his comment about my job, it was obvious he had no clue, and I let him walk out the door without telling him. I would tell him tonight.

My stomach fluttered. I still had shivers from last night. I f.u.c.ked guys for a living and o.r.g.a.s.ms were easy to come by, if I wanted them. But I hadn't wanted them in over a year. Then Colt shows up and I come over and over. He liked me and my kid. He was fun to hang out with. He made funny jokes while watching The Wizard of Oz, and I wanted to spend more time with him.

A job that paid the bills and had enough left over for school was hard to come by. The guys were pretty good to me as well. At first it had been a little awkward seeing my johns every night. After we all got used to each other, it was fine. Skeeter was my favorite. Last time they went on a run to Vegas, he gave me a big hug when he got home and brought me back a pair of loaded dice. Charlie was a great guy too. He made homemade pancakes every once in a while in the club kitchen and always made sure I had enough to bring back for Becky. When I first started working, I didn't have a car and took the bus everywhere. Tate gave me rides home whenever he could.

Every job had its problems, though. The club had a family night once a month. The first time, Tate invited me. I didn't bring Becky, just went by myself. It was my first and last family night. The guys might like me, but I wasn't family-at least the old ladies didn't consider me such.

Tate's old lady, Bettes, she was the nicest. She wasn't b.i.t.c.hy at all when she told me it would be best if I headed home. She knew me a little, though. When I first started, she was the one who showed me the ropes around the bar-how to pour a pint without a big head, which clubs to call when we needed girls at the parties. But once the other old ladies were around, I needed to go. I was the wh.o.r.e, after all. I was the one their husbands turned to after an argument, I was the one who had perfect thighs and a hot body.

But those women didn't see me-they just saw my job. They didn't see that I did squats while I studied and had the same stretch marks that they did. They didn't see that my kid refused to eat anything green for a month. They didn't see all of those things because all they stopped looking once they realized I was a wh.o.r.e. What would happen when Colt found out? I'd let him go this morning because I didn't want to see that light turn off in his eyes. All those promises of a relationship, would they still be there once I told him my job?

Colt was a great guy, and he seemed to want me as his old lady, but he hadn't quite said it yet. All he had really promised me was great s.e.x and some sort of relationship. h.e.l.l, he could just want some free p.u.s.s.y while he was in Tacoma, and I had given it to him, twice.

Of course, I enjoyed it too. He was good in bed and he cared about my needs, that was pretty obvious. Making love to him was so different from working, I couldn't compare the two. Comparing Colt to a trick would be cheapening our whole relationship. We may not have said "I love you" yet, but it was the real thing.

Tonight I was going to walk into the clubhouse and lay my cards on the table. I would tell him that I wasn't a bartender, I was a wh.o.r.e. I was going to make it very clear that I had f.u.c.ked and taken money from over half the guys in the club. Then I was going to tell him that I wouldn't take money from him, because I wanted a relationship. I wanted it to be real between us.

"Thanks, Senora! Bye, sweetie!"

I waved goodbye to Becky through the screen door as I headed out to my car for work. My phone buzzed as I walked out to my newly fixed car-Party tonight. Call the girls.

It was Tate, and the text had come in a few hours ago, but I'd missed it until now. The guys must have gotten back already if he wanted me to call the girls from the strip club for a party. They always liked to have a big party when they came back from these types of hauls.

I stopped walking and my brain spun like a G.o.dd.a.m.n hamster wheel. If the guys were back and Colt was with the guys, then Colt may have already heard I was a wh.o.r.e.

I was sure the only thing worse than hearing your girlfriend is a wh.o.r.e is hearing it from someone she'd f.u.c.ked. I had to tell him first.

When he picked me up from the repair shop, he'd made me program his number into my cell phone, so I dialed it. Thirty-two times.

He didn't answer a single call.

f.u.c.king s.h.i.t. He probably already knew.

I sprinted to my car and set a land speed record for the four miles between my apartment and the club.

The parking lot was packed. Twenty bikes were parked in their usual s.p.a.ces, and Colt's bike was parked a little off to the side. The place was full of cars, probably the girls from the club. s.h.i.t. Tate or Bettes must have already made the calls. If the guys were too busy hitting on the strippers, maybe I still had a chance.

I didn't bother to find a parking spot and just abandoned my car in the middle of the lot. Running the length of the asphalt, I burst through the metal door and into the bar.

Mostly naked women and bikers were everywhere. The whole place was a G.o.dd.a.m.n sea of skin and leather. The crowd swirled and moved around as I ran around, sweaty and hot. When I found him, he was standing in a corner with Skeeter and Russ.

Trying to run through the throng of people packed into the little bar was impossible, so I wound my way through the crowd.

"Hey, baby, we're back!" Skeeter gave me his usual hug. He grabbed me around my waist and bent backward, lifting me onto his chest. I put my arms around his neck, mostly out of habit, but a little bit so I wouldn't lose my balance. Time stopped as Skeeter clutched me against his body. I just hoped he wouldn't grab my a.s.s.

"You're looking overdressed tonight, baby. Where's that naughty nurse's outfit that I like so much?"

He let me slide down his chest before my feet hit the ground. Then he squeezed my a.s.s. I started to say something, but Skeeter cut me off.

"Oh, hey, man, let me introduce you to my favorite girl. This is Krista. Hey, baby, why don't you go visit Colt's room tonight? It'll be my welcome gift."

Chapter Eighteen.

Colt Skeeter was going to send my woman to my room tonight as a welcome gift? I clenched my fist and decided whether or not I should punch him in the nose or the mouth. The mouth would hurt more, but the nose could disfigure him for the rest of his f.u.c.king life.

Nose. I wanted him to remember this.

"Her fees are on me tonight." Skeeter just couldn't keep his mouth shut.

My rage went from hot to cold-deadly cold.

I looked at Krista. "You have fees?"

When you yank the chain on a lawn mower engine, there's a pause. It's just half a second or so before the engine kicks in and starts up. My brain waited that half a second before it turned over, and then engine engaged and I realized what the h.e.l.l he was talking about.

Krista had fees. She charged men for s.e.x. She was a f.u.c.king wh.o.r.e. Not a bartender, but a G.o.dd.a.m.n f.u.c.king ho. She had lied to me, and I had fallen for it.

I froze. I was just another d.i.c.k to exploit. I was just a big fat wallet in her eyes. A nice set of t.i.ts and a gorgeous a.s.s had made me the chump-again. The only difference between her and Tina was that Krista hadn't put me in jail yet.

I wanted to rail against the world. I'd finally found an amazing woman I wanted to be with and then I find out she had been playing me. I took a deep breath and tried to keep my cool. I couldn't let on to the rest of the club that I had been fooled. I was here to solve their problems, not show them mine.

She reached out to try and touch my arm, but I wrenched it out of her grasp. I couldn't stand for her to touch me-I might like it. Last night had been amazing and I could easily fall for her bulls.h.i.t again.

"Colt, we should talk."

She was nearly crying. Her voice shook and her chin trembled, but I didn't f.u.c.king care. I thought what we had was different, special. But I was just another john. She didn't charge me up front for the s.e.x, so maybe she was playing some sort of long game. Maybe she was hoping I would be her sugar daddy, and I probably would have. I was f.u.c.king sad.

Whatever. I didn't give a s.h.i.t. I was done.

"Thanks for the offer, Skeeter. But Krista and I have already met, and I think I've had my fill." I looked straight into her big blue watery eyes. "Her fees were very reasonable, though. She's a good wh.o.r.e."

I nodded at Skeeter and downed my beer. I couldn't be around Krista anymore. She could probably smell the fact that I was in love with her, like a shark smells blood in the water. I needed to get away.

Trying to keep my mind occupied, I talked to each of the guys in the room, took their measure while they took mine. My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I checked my messages. There wasn't a single voice mail, but there were thirty-two missed calls. All from Krista. She must have known her lie would be found out. I shook my head and shoved my phone into my pocket.

I switched from beer to whiskey and a couple of girls always kept my gla.s.s full. Then they took turns draping themselves across my lap hoping I was gonna take their bait. But my mind just kept going back to Krista and last night.

When we both came, we'd stared into each other eyes. I'd thought we shared a connection. She was mine.

It had been one h.e.l.l of a good night. I loved how she rode my face and how she felt when my c.o.c.k was inside her. It had never felt so right before, like she was made just for me. Her p.u.s.s.y was warm and tight and the memory of it made me hard. Too bad the b.i.t.c.h on my lap thought she was the reason.

"Hey, lover." The brunette stroked my c.o.c.k through my jeans. Dressed in a pair of tiny denim shorts and a black bra, her body was gorgeous. I ran my hand down her spray-tanned leg. "You wanna go upstairs?"

Her eyes were gla.s.sy and unfocused; she was probably high on something. But she was straight and to the point. I liked that. Yeah, I wanted to go upstairs.

I wanted someone to suck my d.i.c.k so I didn't have to jack it myself. Getting rid of my erection with my hand while I stared at the ceiling and thought about Krista and my own stupidity was not nearly as inviting.

"Yeah. But I want a whiskey first."

Yup, I was going to be a cla.s.s A motherf.u.c.kin' a.s.shole. The wh.o.r.e and I walked up to the bar. I wanted Krista to see me with this b.i.t.c.h. I wanted her to see what she had lost. I knew Krista didn't love me. But I wanted her to at least feel disappointment that she had played me and lost. She had lost out on my f.u.c.king wallet and I wanted to rub it in her face.

Krista was standing near the taps when we walked up. She still wore her gray sweatshirt and jeans, and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. The woman who was hanging off me and rubbing my stomach looked like a troll compared to Krista.

"Whiskey. Double." I turned to the brunette, waiting for her order.

The woman smiled. "If you're buying, I'll have a double too."

Krista didn't look at me as she poured our whiskey. Her hands shook as she held the bottle.

f.u.c.k. She wanted me to say something and I didn't know what should come out of my f.u.c.king mouth. When Tina had sold me out, I knew exactly what to yell. But Krista wasn't p.i.s.sed off like Tina. I had expected Krista to be angry that her stupid little plan didn't work.

But she wasn't p.i.s.sed at all. She was sad, broken. If I let her explain, I would just take her back and give her another chance to play me. I couldn't do it. I was up here to work and instead I had f.u.c.king fallen in love. I needed to pull my head out of my a.s.s and do my job.

When I reached for my drink, her hand closed over mine. "Please." Her eyes were red and swollen, as though she had been crying all night. f.u.c.king good. "Let me explain."

"I'm sure he knows how it works, sweetheart." The brunette had broken through her fog and grinned at Krista.

Krista flinched at the woman's comment and s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand away. She stared at me, waiting.

"There's nothing left to explain." I shrugged. "There's just nothing left. Come on, lover." I made a mockery of those words as I said them to the brunette. "Let's go."

I led the dark-haired b.i.t.c.h up the stairs and into my room. It wasn't much, a queen-sized bed and a single dresser, but it would do.

I didn't even negotiate when the wh.o.r.e named her price. I didn't give a s.h.i.t. I just didn't want to be alone and thinking about Krista. I took off my cut and draped it over a chair. Sitting on the bed, I let the brunette grind out a lap dance.

For a man, pretty much any attempt at seduction by a hot woman was going to be f.u.c.king hot. But not this girl, because she wasn't Krista. f.u.c.k.

The brunette rubbed her t.i.ts on my c.o.c.k and licked her own f.u.c.king nipples, but I was losing interest, fast. "You had too much whiskey, lover?"

"Yeah, baby. Maybe your mouth can fix that for me?"

The last time I had whiskey d.i.c.k was before I graduated high school. The reason I was practically limp was downstairs serving drinks to a bunch of h.o.r.n.y bikers who wanted to f.u.c.k her.

The wh.o.r.e unb.u.t.toned my pants and went to work with her mouth. I closed my eyes and it was easier to imagine a blond ponytail bobbing up and down. I imagined grabbing her neck and setting her pace for her while she looked up at me, with tears running down her cheeks.

f.u.c.k.

I pushed the brunette off my c.o.c.k.

"I can't do this. Sorry." I stuffed my s.h.i.t back into my pants and handed her a wad of money. "Look, it's all here. Just don't tell anyone, okay?"

She nodded and stuffed the money into her bra. "Sure, lover. Whatever you want. You mind if I pa.s.s out here for a while?"

Chapter Nineteen.

Krista I shoved a plastic cup and paper plate into the garbage bag when I heard footsteps on the stairs. It wasn't the soft thud of boots on the wooden stairs, but rather the hard click of heels. Acrylic heels.

Asia. At least that's what she called herself. Her name should be Iowa. Her hair was dyed black, but her accent was straight out of the Midwest. I remembered working with her at the strip club.

She'd disappeared with Colt while I was trying to hold my s.h.i.t together behind the bar. That was four hours ago and now her hair was matted to one side and her eye makeup was smudged all to h.e.l.l. She'd been asleep in Colt's bed.

"Hey, Krista, has a cab pulled up yet?" She sniffed and rubbed her nose. She was still on c.o.ke.

"I haven't heard anyone honking." I shrugged and continued my cleaning.

Asia flopped on one of the couches and took her shoes off. I sympathized with her. I often took off my tall shoes when I was behind the bar. Of course, then I remembered that she had just f.u.c.ked Colt. At least he had paid her and I knew it didn't mean anything. I'd always have that one night with him, unpaid.

"He didn't know you turned tricks, huh?"

I shrugged. There was no point in playing dumb. "Guess it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

A taxi horn honked. Thank G.o.d she was leaving. The absolute last thing I wanted to do tonight was talk to the woman who had just screwed my man. The universe was cruel. The man I loved wanted a wh.o.r.e, but not me. He may be a f.u.c.king hypocrite, but I still wanted him.

"It could still work, ya know. You and him."

I wanted to ask Asia how she knew that. Did he say something while they were together? Did he ask about me? Did he cry out my name while she was making him come?

She put on her shoes and stood. "You screwed up, but you guys can make it work. Carrie's guy lets her still turn tricks-he just keeps a little bit of the earn."

I rolled my eyes. "He's not my pimp." I went back to shoving cups full of stale beer into my black plastic bag. "Your cab is waiting. You'd better get out there before your ride wakes the guys up."

A longer car horn blared, and Asia turned to leave.

The guys were always talking about trust. Their logo had something Latin about never betraying a brother's trust. I hadn't been in the biker world long, but I knew Colt felt the same way. Betrayal was death, and I had just killed our budding relationship. Then he had given up and betrayed me, what we had.

I finished cleaning. It was time to go home, see my kid. This job as a hooker, it was just temporary. I didn't belong here, and I sure as h.e.l.l didn't belong with Colt or anyone else wearing a black leather cut.

I was going to make something of myself. I didn't need this s.h.i.t. I had some money stashed. Becky and I could make it for a little while.

Grabbing a blank sheet of paper off Tate's printer, I wrote him a note and left it on the big meeting table.