Beginning of an Eclipse (SIN CITY HEAT SERIES PREQUEL) (3 page)
Darrell walked into the kitchen the next morning and glanced over at Marcus, who was on the computer. “Sup,” he mumbled.
Marcus sat back and folded his arms. “Well?”
Darrell looked at him through blurry eyes. He’d never been a morning person and wasn’t in the mood for conversation. “Well what….?”
“Was she worth getting a hit put out on your ass?”
“Man, please. It ain’t that serious. Rakeem should know by now you can’t turn a ho’ into a housewife. Ain’t my fault he can’t control his girl.”
“Why would you fuck with that crazy muthafucka’s woman? Darrell sometimes, it‘s like you go lookin’ for trouble.”
“Marcus, save the lecture, a’ight? It ain’t a big deal. We leavin’ in a coupla days, anyway. Rakeem is Jade’s problem, not mine. She just better hope she calls out the right name next time he‘s all up in that,” Darrell chuckled.
They were silent for a moment before Marcus changed the subject and broached the one problem he knew Darrell had been avoiding. “So you gonna see Tina before we leave?”
Darrell’s body tensed as he leaned back against the counter. For reasons he didn’t want to think about, he’d tracked his mother down a couple of years ago, but hadn’t made an attempt to see her until recently. It had been a disaster, just like he’d known it would be. Darrell smothered the hurt which threatened to surface and spill over at the callous way she’d treated him. Like he was a stranger…a stranger she had no desire to get to know. But what else had he expected. She’d abandoned him once. He had no one to blame but himself for the rejection he’d suffered at her hands yet again. Tina had remarried and started a new family - a family that didn’t include him. The only bright spot had been getting to meet his little sister, Gabriel, or Gabby as she’d instructed him to call her.
A rueful smile crossed Darrell’s mouth. He hadn’t known how he would feel about seeing her, but his heart melted the moment Gabby opened the door and looked up at him with gray eyes the same color as his. He’d resolved to put Tina out of his mind once and for all, but he’d keep the memory of his little sister safe in a compartment of his heart that he could pull out every now and then to remind him that there was at least somebody in this world who he just might be able to call his family one day.
Bringing Marcus back into focus, he shook his head. “Nah. Ain’t no need for that. That chapter is closed for good.”
Marcus watched Darrell walk out of the kitchen before turning back to his computer. Again, he thought about Darrell’s involvement with Jade and tried to convince himself he was overreacting, but somehow, he knew this wouldn’t be the end of things with Rakeem.
Sighing, he went back to finishing up the school assignment he’d been working on to get his GED. The sooner they got the hell outta Philly, the better.
Chapter 3
Las Vegas, Nevada
Darrell gaze darted around at the five-star restaurant where he’d been working for the last three months. It wasn’t what he’d planned for himself when he got to Vegas, but he had to make money some kind of way. Legally, that is.
It hadn’t been too hard for Marcus to find a decent job. He’d always been good with computers and had been hired to work at one of the casinos in security while he took classes online. He eventually wanted to get his degree and go to medical school. As smart as he was, Darrell knew it definitely wasn’t out of the realm of possibility but he didn’t have the patience for school. He wanted to enjoy his life now, not four or five years down the line after he got a piece of paper in his hand.
For the moment, he had to do whatever was needed to make ends meet, so he resignedly exhaled and walked back to the kitchen to pick up the tray of food for the private party he was working. The tips were decent enough, especially for functions like the one tonight. Yeah, it was a living - but it wasn’t good enough.
“Monroe, get a move on, they’re waiting.”
“Kiss my ass,” Darrell muttered under his breath. Jerry, the head waiter, had obviously let a little responsibility go to his head. The wait staff barely tolerated him and called him ‘Jerry the Fairy’ behind his back.
Hearing Darrell’s incoherent utterance, the other man abruptly screeched to a halt and glared at Darrell through squinty eyes behind the thick, coke bottle like lenses of his bifocals. “What did you say?”
Darrell looked at Jerry’s pale, round face and noticed how the corner of his left eye jumped in agitation. From past experience, he knew it meant Jerry was upset, but Darrell didn’t give a damn. Jerry reminded him of a gnat that annoyingly buzzed around in the air, irritating everyone it came in contact with. He couldn’t stand Jerry, and Jerry knew it. They’d butted heads on several occasions, and Darrell was
this
close from cursing him out and gettin’ ghost. However, he needed this job right now, so he picked up the plates of food and left out of the kitchen without a word.
Entering the private dining area, Darrell's eyes immediately found the woman who’d caught his attention earlier on in the evening. They’d been watching one another all night. As he served the plates of food to the other guests, he felt her eyes tracking his every step. Darrell glanced at her as he picked up another plate from the tray. The corner of his lips lifted in a smile of pure youthful arrogance when he saw her eyes slowly skim over him. Setting the dish down in front of her, he leaned in a little closer.
“Is there anything you’d like me to do for you?” He whispered the provocative words in her ear, inhaling the soft, subtly sexy fragrance she wore.
“What’s your name again?” she asked.
“Darrell.”
His eyes slid over the woman’s face. Now that he’d seen her close up, she was older than he’d originally thought, possibly late thirties, but she wore her age well. As his eyes dropped to her lips, he quickly clarified that thought; she wore it
damned
well. From what he could see of her body, everything was right, tight, and ready to be serviced - he had just the right tools to tune her up and make her purr.
She was tall and a bit slimmer than he cared for, but there was a hidden sensuality about her delicate features that he found very attractive. Her cinnamon colored skin was smooth and unlined, and she wore her dark hair pulled back in a tight bun.
As their eyes met and held, Darrell bit down on his bottom lip. Yeah, he wanted this woman. Tonight.
She propped her elbow up on the table and rested her chin on her fist. Tilting her head to the side, a hint of a smile kissed her lips as if she could read each and every one of his explicit, nasty thoughts.
“Darrell, I think the answer to that question is what can I do for
you
…?”
Darrell lifted a naturally sculpted eyebrow when he heard the challenge in her voice. He loved a female with confidence, and this one had plenty. There was an air of class and sophistication about her that was lacking in women who were his own age. He was just getting ready to respond when he heard the irritating "gnat" buzzing in his ear. Damn. Where was a fly swatter when you needed one!
“Darrell…”
Darrell knew the light and cheery tone of Jerry’s voice masked his annoyance. Dropping his head for a brief moment, Darrell blew out a short breath then straightened to his full height, which was several inches over six feet. When he turned to look down at Jerry, the smaller man nervously took a step back and cleared his throat.
“Can I please speak to you for a minute?” Darrell exhaled again as he followed Jerry away from the table. After they were out of hearing distance, he glared up at Darrell. “What do you think you’re doing?! This is not some pick-up bar. Your behavior is highly inappropriate. Don’t think Mr. Wilson won’t hear about this.” Mr. Wilson was the manager of the restaurant, and Jerry reported every little problem to him.
Darrell glanced away and saw the woman watching the exchange. Without taking his eyes off her, his tone was clearly distracted. “I don’t know what you talkin’ about. I was just askin’ if there was anything else she needed.”
“And I know exactly what you wanted to give her! This is the last warning I’m going to give you about fraternizing with the female guests. You are here to serve, not harass women. Do I make myself clear?”
Darrell’s voice was mockingly insincere. “Yes sir. Crystal.”
Jerry stiffened. “Get back to work.” He walked away grumbling in exasperation.
“I told Mr. Wilson he’d regret hiring a ghetto thug and I was right….”
“What the fuck did you say?” Darrell’s eyes darkened as he snatched Jerry up by the collar and shoved his face close to the terrified man.
Jerry’s eyes widened in alarm as he shrank away, but he could only move so far because Darrell now had his arm in an iron-clad grip.
“L-let me go th-this instant!”
“Nah, I want you to repeat what you just said. Ghetto thug…?” Jerry stood speechless and trembling from fear at the fierce look on Darrell’s face. “Li’l bitch! I got ya ghetto thug…”
Jerry finally found his voice. “Get out! Y-you’re fired!” He looked around wildly for someone to come to his rescue, but everybody stared at them as if watching a scene from a movie that had just gotten to the highlights. Swallowing, Jerry raised his chin and tried to sound authoritative, but instead the question came out quivering and weak. “Did you hear me…?”
Darrell’s hand shook from the effort it took to stop from curling itself around Jerry’s scrawny neck. Growling in frustration, he flung Jerry roughly away from him, not trusting himself to hold on to his self-control much longer. In his haste to get away from Darrell, Jerry tripped over his feet and crashed directly into one of the servers who just happened to be carrying a tray loaded with bowls of soup. Sprawled out on the floor, soup covered Jerry from head to toe.
The sight made Darrell’s expression transform from anger to amusement then hysterical laughter. He whipped his apron off and threw it down at Jerry.
“Here. I think you might need this.” Still laughing, he turned to walk towards the door. That’s when he noticed the woman at the table watching and fighting to keep the smile from spreading across her lips. She reached in her purse and pulled out a card before holding it out to him.
Still grinning, Darrell changed directions and headed her way. “What’s this?”
“Looks like you’re going to need a job and I just happen to be hiring. Come to that address tomorrow for an interview.”
Darrell looked from her pretty face to the business card he now held in his hand. “What kind of job?”
The woman raised a perfectly arched brow. “Does it matter? Just be there at 9 a.m. sharp.” When he saw she wasn’t going to expand on the answer, he slowly nodded and turned to leave.
“Wait….” She took out a bill and folded it before reaching it to him. “For your exceptional service…”
Darrell looked at the one hundred dollar bill and smiled. “Thanks.”
The woman nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
Darrell’s eyes lingered on her for a moment before he became aware of a man sitting to her left glaring at him with an open expression of dislike.
Fuck is his problem
?
When the man glanced back at the woman and found her still watching Darrell, his mouth tightened in disapproval. Understanding immediately replaced Darrell’s confusion. Dude was jealous.
Darrell sent the man an arrogant smirk which instantaneously had the desired effect.
Satisfied, Darrell slipped the card in his pocket and gave Jerry one last withering look before walking out the door. As he went to his ride, he blew out a disgusted breath and unloosened his tie. Piece of shit car.
It had barely gotten him and Marcus to Vegas. He cursed out loud as he cranked the ignition several times and pumped on the gas before it finally started.
Driving off with the engine puttering and backfiring, he again thought about the woman in the restaurant and the mysterious job she’d offered him. Unable to explain why, he had a feeling his luck was about to change.
T
he next morning, he drove up to the address printed on the card. Puzzled, he looked at the building then checked the address to make sure he had the right place.
“Yeah, this is it, but…”
Club Ecstasy
? He’d been mulling over what kind of job she was offering him at a nightclub. “Hell, does it matter? Better than the job you have now - which is none.”
Shrugging, he got out of the car and made his way to the entrance. When he found the doors locked, he walked around to the back. The building was huge. He’d been clubbin’ since he’d been in Vegas, but nowhere as nice as this place. The cover charge alone for clubs this size was more than he usually spent for a night out. He’d only been to a couple of hole in the wall spots which he hadn’t been too impressed with.
Seeing a door a little farther down, Darrell walked towards it and pushed the buzzer. Above the door to the right he noticed a security camera pointed his way. He tucked his white dress shirt into the black pants he’d borrowed from Marcus and waited. Finally the door opened, and a man big enough to rival the size of a Mac truck stood there impassively looking down at him.
“This way,” he finally responded.
Pushing the door open, he left Darrell to follow him down a long hallway where he stabbed a button several times to summon a set of elevators. The building had three stories, and they silently rode up to the top floor. Darrell glanced at the man from the side of his eyes when the doors opened, but didn’t say anything. Once they got to a closed office door, the man gestured for Darrell to go on in.
“She’s waiting.” Without giving Darrell a second glance, he walked away and disappeared around the corner.
“Thanks.” Darrell's tone was deliberately sarcastic. He knocked on the door, and a second later heard a faint voice calling out for him to enter. As he stepped in, he hesitantly glanced around the luxuriously decorated office and whistled under his breath.
This is bigger than our entire apartment
, he silently noted.
“Darrell?”
He turned in the direction of the voice and saw the woman from last night. She was sitting on a plush black velvet couch with her legs crossed and a small smile on her face. Four other women were also in the room watching Darrell with eager expressions on their faces.
“Hello.” His greeting was meant to encompass all of them. He was vaguely aware of the ladies murmuring a reply, but his attention never left his mystery woman.
Darrell’s eyes wandered over the cream silk blouse the woman wore and saw it was unbuttoned enough to see a hint of her cleavage. The bright tangerine colored skirt was short and reached about mid-thigh. Darrell’s eyes traveled over her long, shapely legs as the top one swung back and forth over the other. He couldn’t help but think about throwing those same legs over his shoulders and plunging into what he instinctively knew would be good ass pussy. She just had that look about her, like she was one of those women who had no problem letting a man know how she liked to be fucked. Darrell’s face reflected his amusement.
No wonder the man from last night got mad. He probably wanted what he knew I was gonna be gettin'
, he smirked.
And he had no doubt he would be hittin that - soon.
“Umph-umm….” The woman quietly cleared her throat. “If you’re finished ogling me, maybe we can get started.”
“Ogling you?” Darrell snorted at what he considered a fancy ass word. He wanted to tell her he intended to do more than just “ogle” her, but he didn’t want to take a chance on losing out on this job.
"Darrell, let’s get something straight. I don’t have many rules, but the ones I do have, I expect to be followed without question. Rule #1: I don’t mix business with pleasure. In other words….I don’t fuck my employees.”
Soft giggles came from the others, but he and the woman never broke eye contact. Her direct expression told him that she meant every word she said.
His eyes answered, ‘we’ll see’, but he only nodded. “I didn’t get your name.”
“That’s because I didn’t give it.”
Darrell’s eyes narrowed at the smart reply. Oh yeah, he was gonna enjoy makin' this one call him Daddy. He saw her mouth twitch with the effort to keep the smile off her face. Darrell was beginning to see she had an uncanny ability to know exactly what he was thinking.
“My name is Veronica Winston. Everyone calls me Roni.”
“Nice to meet you, Roni. Is this your club?”
“Yes. I’m part owner.”
Darrell nodded then looked at her with curiosity. “If you don’t mind me asking, exactly what job openings do you have available? Bartender? Bouncer?” He paused and lowered his voice. “I’m good with my hands, so keep that in mind…”
Again the women snickered and laughed while exchanging knowing glances. The frown on his face became more pronounced as he took note of how closely they'd been watching him since he walked in. The entire time he was talking to Roni, they leaned close together and whispered amongst themselves before laughing as if they had a secret. This was one hell of an interview.
“Darrell,
Club Ecstasy
goes beyond that of a regular nightclub. This is, after all, Las Vegas. The cover charge is very high, but we offer a lot more than just the average club scene.” Roni paused before continuing. “One of the shows we put on is a male revue every Tuesday and Thursday on the second floor - those are our busiest nights. Women line up hours in advance to ensure they get a good seat, and of course, the men will flock to wherever the women are. Therefore, as you can guess, we have no shortage of customers.”
Darrell had been listening intently, waiting on her to tell him about the job. When she stopped talking as if she were finished, he was left even more perplexed. “Okay. So my job would be…..” He looked at her expectedly to finish the sentence.
“If you’re interested, I’d like you to audition to be one of the dancers of Men of Fantasy.”
Darrell was sure he’d misunderstood. “Excuse me?”
“If you meet the qualifications, I’d like to hire you to be one of the dancers.”
Darrell’s face was blank for a moment before he burst out laughing. This had to be a joke. When none of the women joined in, he realized she was serious. “You for real? You want me to be a stripper. That’s the job?”
“Men of Fantasy are more than just strippers.”
“They take their clothes off in front of women for money, don’t they?” Roni nodded. “Like I said. You want me to be a stripper.”
“Our men give our customers more than just a run of the mill strip show - a lot more. They’re entertainers who know how to work a crowd and make each customer feel as if she‘s the most beautiful, desirable woman in the world.”
Roni stood up and walked over and slowly circled him, studying him up and down as if she were looking to make a purchase. “How old are you?”
“I just turned twenty.”
“Oh my God, Roni, he’s a baby!” one of the women exclaimed.
“Old enough in Vegas,” Roni briskly answered. “I told you he has the look. He’s perfect.”
“True….” another chimed in. “He would definitely enhance the act.”
“Eventually, he could be the headliner. He’s very sexy,” a third one added.
Darrell looked from one to the other as he listened to them talk about him as if he wasn’t even there. He felt like a piece of meat. “Excuse me. I
am
standin' here….” he told them, somewhat amused.
Roni came around and stood in front of him. “Darrell, there are several things that set us apart from a ‘strip show’ as you call it. There’s an unparalleled showmanship that seduces the women into believing they can have what would normally be considered an unobtainable dream. Women are different from men. Men are visual creatures. When they go to a strip club, all they want to see are tits, pussy, and ass and they’re happy. Now I’m not saying that women don’t want raw, graphic sexuality, but they want the fantasy of it first, that masculine sensuality that gets them horny, wet, and ready to fuck.”
“In other words, Men of Fantasy gives them the ‘full monty’.” The other women laughed at their friend and gave each other 'high fives'.
Just like that, it hit Darrell as to exactly what they were referring to. “Hold up. You mean get up on stage and dance nude? Naked?”
“That’s what it means.” Roni’s eyes were amused for a moment then she became strictly business. “It also means a lot of money.”
But Darrell was shaking his head before she finished the sentence. “Nah, I don’t think so. Hey, I know you probably need bouncers or something, I don’t have a problem with doing that, or security….”
“Our bouncers – as well as security - don’t make a fourth of what our exotic dancers have the potential to make in just one night from tips alone…” She named a figure that made Darrell’s eyes widen in disbelief.
Damn!
“Seriously. You try’na tell me I could make that much loot just from gettin’ up on a stage, seducing a bunch of horny women, and gettin' naked? Shit, that ain't much of a stretch for me if you know what I mean. When do I start?”
“Not so fast….” Roni held up a finger. “I told you this was an interview. There are a few things I have to be sure of before you‘re hired.”
Darrell’s brows bunched together. “Okay….”
“You have to know how to move. You can’t be stiff and boring.”
“And you can’t have no little ass dick!” Roni’s cohorts screamed out the last requirement.
Darrell laughed. “Sweetheart, believe me, I got enough to feed the needy and then some.”
Roni’s eyes dropped down to the front of his pants before she brought her eyes back to his. She then went over to a state of the art stereo system and pushed a button. Once music flowed into the room from the surround sound speakers, she sat back down on the couch and crossed her legs. “Okay. Go on.”
Darrell frowned. “‘Go on’ what?”
“Audition. We need to see what you're working with before I officially offer you the job."
For the second time since he’d walked into the room, Darrell found himself uncharacteristically at a loss for words. “I don't understand.”
Roni’s face was devoid of any expression, but he could tell from the look in her eyes that she was enjoying the fact that he was taken aback. “I said, we need to see if your package fits our…requirements. However, if you’re self-conscious about your…endowments, I fully understand. If that’s the case, it was nice meeting you.”
Darrell’s eyes went to her friends and saw four expectant pairs of eyes staring at him, eagerly waiting to see what he was going to do.
Four pairs of eyes glowed with anticipation….but there were five women. The fifth, Roni, was looking at him with cool disinterest as if to say he was wasting her time. Okay. Darrell held her eyes as he kicked his shoes and socks off. Listening to the music, he smiled to himself when he heard R. Kelly’s raunchy lyrics crooning from the speakers.
Perfect.
Darrell’s eyes left Roni’s and focused on the first woman. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, then the second as he walked over and stood in front of her. When he reached for her hands and brought them up to replace his, the smile slowly left her face and her mouth dropped open. She seemed mesmerized, not only by the subtle swaying of Darrell’s hips, but by the intense way he was staring at her. She scooted to the edge of her chair and finished unbuttoning his shirt with trembling fingers. When she got to the last one, she tore her eyes away from his and let them fall to the hard chest the opening of the shirt exposed. Her hands eagerly ran over the front of his pecs, gasping when they flexed underneath her palms then let her fingers trail down the contoured hills and valley of his washboard abs. She would’ve continued the journey, but Darrell gave her a sexy smile and teasingly stepped back out of reach, leaving her pouting for more.
Next, he moved to the second woman and took his time as he peeled his shirt off. He heard an audible intake of breath once he threw it to the floor. Gazing into the woman’s eyes, he reached out and caressed the side of her face ever so softly until he came to her lips. He outlined their full shape before parting them with his finger. The woman’s tongue slipped out and licked the tip of his finger, suckling it like a content newborn baby. Darrell glanced down at his belt, and that was all the urging she needed.
Her hands swiftly unbuckled his belt and unzipped his pants. Once her eyes zoomed down to glimpse what she’d unveiled, she let out a small cry at the sight of his dickhead peeking out from the waistband of his black boxer briefs. She moved to grasp it with a greedy hand, but he once again stepped out of reach and blew her a kiss. The woman almost tumbled out of the chair in her haste to reach out and claim her prize.
Sensuously moving his body to the beat, Darrell's gray eyes went to the third woman who waited with a smile of anticipation on her face when she realized she was next. Darrell bit his bottom lip as he let his eyes hungrily devour the round slope of her breasts which were practically spilling out of the tank top she had on. Her nipples reminded him of two twin bullets loaded, cocked, and ready to blast a h
ole through the shirt's thin material.