Page 24 of Foxx
Aiden leans on the wall on the other side of the door and lights a cigarette, waiting for Cara and Ricky to put their clothes back on. He takes a deep inhale. Just as I suspected, he isn’t angry, or even upset about what he just walked in on. He’s simply going to sweep that under the rug and walkRickyout like he’s an honored guest.
“You’ve had an eventful night,” he assesses.
“This place is…a fucking brothel?” I spit out, my blood boiling.
“Why did you stop them?” he asks, like he didn’t even hear my words.
I fold my arms over my chest, the most uncomfortable I have been since I first walked through the door.
“She was yelling out that he was hurting her, but apparently that’s just a fun little game for him.”Fucking pig.
“Hmm” is all he says as he takes another deep inhale of his cancer stick.
“And then he hit you?” He exhales smoke and practically blows it right into my face. His ruinous eyes find mine, and I can’t look away. As angry as I am, my traitorous body almost wants to breathe him in, smoke and all, which tells me I need to get the fuck out of here. I’m losing my goddamn mind.
I look away as I answer. “I jumped him…from behind. He was choking her, so I put him in a choke hold of his own. But then she screamed at me, and it broke my concentration. Yes, he pushed me into the wall,” I say honestly. At this point, what the fuck do I care?
“And you just happen to specialize in self-defense or…?” His words trail off, looking for an answer.
I smile sweetly. “It’s a hobby.” I mean, it’s true.
“You’re hurt.” His voice is low and even as he places his cigarette between his lips. Without asking, he reaches down and flips my hands over. Just like the moment his hand touched my thigh, it feels like there’s a direct flow of electricity sparking under my skin. I fight it with everything in me as his brow knots and he inspects my cut. I hadn’t even realized I was bleeding. His fingers trace around the slice on my palm, and he makes sure there isn’t any glass left in there. I have no choice but to let him inspect before he lifts the hem of his shirt and presses it to my hand. As he does, I get a glimpse of his ridiculously chiseled abs. I try my best to ignore them, though not before my mouth turns to sand.
I yank my hand away. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
I stare at the floor for a brief moment, deciding, then I look up at him. “I’m quitting after my shift tonight, so you don’t have to fire me.”
“No one’s forcing you to be here,” Aiden says nonchalantly as Cara and Ricky come through the door, the former shooting me the evilest look.
“Follow me,” Aiden commands all of us.
“Wh-where are we going?” Ricky stammers, looking pale and clammy. “My friends…”
“Just gonna have a chat, Rick. I think you’ve had just about enough to drink, brother. We’ll find your friends, but you should head home.” Aiden doesn’t bother to look back as he leads the way down a long hall.
“If I get shitcanned, it’s on you,” Cara whispers beside me as we walk quickly to keep up with Aiden’s long strides.
“You’re the one who decided to fuck the guy,” I whisper. “Besides, I wouldn’t worry about that. He isn’t even angry.” I gesture to Aiden a few feet ahead, who’s chatting easily with Ricky about his wedding.
“That’s exactlywhyI’m worried.”
I look at her and then back to Aiden. His easy, sure strides give nothing away as the noise of the club disappears behind us.
* * *
At the end of the long, dark hallway, above an unremarkable black door, sits a neon-orange exit sign. Cara looks at me nervously while we walk.
“This way.” Aiden holds the door open, and I look around as I step into the dark and narrow shit-smelling alleyway beside the club. There’s a dumpster against the building, but the lighting is so dim I can’t make out much else. A local cab sits idling a few feet away, taking up most of the space between the walls of the club and the building next door.
“My truck is out front,” Ricky murmurs. Aiden wraps an arm around him, squeezing tight. “What kind of a friend would I be if I let you drive home drunk, Ricky?”
Fucking hell. He’s actually going to put this pig in a cab like they’re old friends. Which means he’ll go home, and his poor future wife will be none the wiser that he was just fucking Cara tonight. Disgusting.
“Boss, I’m sorry… I needed the money… I lost that income when Marco—” Cara starts to apologize, but Aiden holds a hand up to her.
“We’ll talk in a minute. Let me get my friend here on the road first.”
“Hey, I paid my eight hundred,” Ricky says to Cara, then he turns to Aiden. “I paid my eight hundred, and I didn’t get my money’s worth.”
