a trial to see how they’ll handle the environment. If you do well, then you get moved to the stage.”
My heart thrashes. “So, you’re saying that I either have to get on stage or I’m fired?”
“Not so much fired as let go.” He swivels back and forth in the chair. “Don’t worry, though. I’ll give you a couple of weeks to get used to the idea before I put you up there.”
He acts like I’ve already agreed, and I wonder if anyone has ever told him no. Possibly not since working in a place like this requires a certain kind of desperation, a desperation I’m way too familiar with.
Nodding, I leave the office with a strange sense of numbness. When I enter the table area, my attention drifts toward the stage where two girls around my age are dancing on the poles, wearing nothing but a thong.
Bile burns at the back of my throat. I can’t go up there. I shouldn’t be working in this place to begin with.
Two weeks, Willow. You have two weeks to figure something out.
***
The rest of my shift drizzles by in a blur of serving drinks, ignoring crude remarks, and dodging advances. By the time I exit the club and head out to my car, the sky is pitch black, the air chilly, and I don’t have a clue how to solve my problems.
You could always just accept Beck’s offer.
I shake my head. No. You already let him do too much this week, not only towing your car home, but buying a part so he and Ari could fix the thermostat.
Gravel crunches underneath my boots as I weave around vehicles, heading for mine. Music drifts through the air, and a few guys are smoking near a lifted truck. When their eyes dart to me, I zip up my jacket, feeling naked in my jeans and plaid shirt.
My legs shake as I quicken my strides, one foot in front of the other. I hug my arms around myself, keeping my head low, trying to become invisible. Still, I can feel their eyes on me, tracking my every move. Their attention has me so distracted I don’t notice the Mustang parked beside my car until I’m only a few steps away.
I grind to a stop immediately, an icky chill slithering up my spine as the driver’s side door swings open.
Dane hops out with a huge smile on his face, like we’re long-lost besties. “Hey, it’s the girl from the street.” He rounds the front of the car, walking toward me. “I was hoping I’d run into you again.”
I force down my nerves the best that I can. “Why?”
“Because you made quite the impression on me.” He stops in front of me, his gaze deliberately skimming up and down my body. “Although, you looked way better in the uniform.” He fixes his dark eyes on mine. “Did you just get off?”
“I was just leaving.” I move to sidestep around him, but he matches my move, blocking my path.
“Why don’t you stay for a little while?” He lowers his voice, putting his face inches from mine. His breath reeks of beer, and his pungent cologne makes me want to puke. “Come into my car. Let’s have some fun.” He seizes hold of my hip, stabbing his fingernails into my skin as he jerks me closer. “I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”
My heart hammers as I lift my leg, preparing to knee him in the balls and run like hell. Then footsteps sound from behind me and cause me to freeze.
“Is this guy bothering you?” One of the guys who was smoking by the trunk steps up beside me. He looks around my age with sandy brown hair and kind eyes that seem oddly out of place.
“She’s fine.” Dane glances at me with a threat in his eyes. “We were just talking. We’re old friends, actually.”
The stranger turns to me. “Is that true?”
Swallowing hard, I shake my head. “No. I don’t even know him.”
The stranger’s gaze locks on Dane. “You have three seconds to walk away.”
Dane smirks, turning to face the stranger. “And then what? You’re going to beat me up?”
The stranger folds his heavily tattooed arms across his solid chest. “Yeah, pretty much,” he replies simply.
Dane’s eyes fleetingly snap wide before he hastily composes himself. “Whatever, man. You don’t look that tough, but I’m going to walk away, anyway, because I have shit to do.” Dane shoots me a nasty look that causes a zap of fear