Love or Money (7 page)

She took a constricted breath, which shook with sobs. Her fingers got tangled up on the fretboard. She gave up playing and pressed her forehead into the cool, polished wood of the instrument’s body.
Stop blubbering
.
You’ll figure a way out of this on your own. You know you can’t rely on other people to save you. You have to save yourself.

After a moment she quit crying, but she felt completely numb and worn out. She set her guitar aside, turned off the light, and curled up under the blankets, letting that horrible day slip out of her consciousness as she fell asleep.

***

The next morning, Riel didn’t get up until Lizette knocked for the third time. By the time she showered and got dressed, Isaias was waiting for her in the kitchen, looking thunderous.

“Make her a sandwich or something to go,” he ordered Lizette. “We’ve got to get moving.”

Lizette nodded, and started piling fried eggs and bacon onto slices of toast. She slathered on mayo and
Tapatío
sauce before wrapping it in wax paper and handing it to Riel with a worried look. “Have a good day at work,” she said quietly.

Riel didn’t respond. Isaias was tapping his foot, so she followed him out of the kitchen and through the front door.

A biting wind seemed to drive the icy rain clean through Riel’s bones, but she felt like she’d rather be stuck out in the weather than climbing into the cab of the pickup with Isaias. She got in anyway, feeling so hopeless that she wondered if she had the strength to fight him off if he made more advances.

Isaias got in and started up the engine, sighing through pursed lips as he backed out. “You gonna be a good girl today?” he asked.

“Yes, Isaias.” She stared at her lap, barely seeing the sandwich in her hands. It was still warm, and the aroma of it made her stomach rumble, even though she didn’t feel hungry. She realized she hadn’t eaten since breakfast the day before. Mechanically, she unwrapped it and took a bite.

“Today’s Friday, and I want you to work late,” Isaias said. “We usually get good crowds in after five. And none of this
safety training
bullshit, Riel, I’m serious. What fucking good are you if you don’t do lap dances? We don’t make jack shit on drinks and regular tips. All of the money is from lap dances.”

And whatever else.
She chewed her sandwich in silence. To Riel’s relief, he turned up the radio and didn’t attempt more conversation, singing off-key along with the songs, getting most of the words wrong.

Robert was behind the bar again when they got there. “Hey, Isaias, hey, Riel,” he said cheerfully as they walked in. “Laina’s already here, and she’s waiting for you in the back, Riel.”

A small bubble of happiness rose up through the heavy layer of Riel’s depression.
At least if I’m stuck here, I’m stuck with Laina.

“Thanks, Robert,” she said. Ignoring Isaias’ suspicious look, she left him behind and went down the hall to the dressing room.

Laina was at the vanity table, dabbing at her burgundy lipstick. One small braid fell over her left shoulder, and the rest of her hair tumbled down her back in a thick, silvery cascade. She looked around when Riel came in, and smiled. “Hey,” she said.

“Good morning,” Riel said. She tried to smile back, and Laina’s smile faded.

“He’s being a dick to you, isn’t he?” she asked quietly.

Riel shrugged dully. “He’s a dick, so he’s going to act like one.”

Laina smiled hesitantly. “Both of us are going to get away from him someday.”

Riel nodded. “Someday.”

“Someday soon,” Laina said, and Riel could tell she was trying to sound more positive than she felt. “But for now, let’s just do what we need to do to get through today.” She turned her chair around and beckoned with a manicured hand. “Come on,” she said.

Riel blinked, not quite allowing herself to hope, and Laina smiled the way Riel liked, her face lighting up. “I promise I’ll be nice. I was just going to give you a lap dance lesson, unless it makes you uncomfortable.” She snorted. “I guess we could call it safety training.”

Riel smiled for real. “It doesn’t make me uncomfortable,” she said too quickly, and her cheeks got hot.

“Well, come on then.”

She went over shyly, and Laina took her hand. Riel’s skin tingled where it touched hers.

“Sit down,” Laina said, her lips quirking wryly.

She did, straddling the other dancer and lowering herself onto her lap. Riel’s breath caught in her throat. Laina’s beautiful breasts were pressed up against hers, and her fascinating lips were only inches away.

“Giving a lap dance isn’t hard,” Laina said, “but there is a sort of art to it. You want to get the guy off as quick as possible, so you can get your money and…well…” Her blue eyes filled with pity.

“So Isaias can get my money, and I can move on to the next nasty pervert,” Riel said, and Laina winced.

“I’m sorry, Riel, that’s such bullshit about the money.”

“It’s okay,” Riel said, smiling faintly. “Just show me how to do this.”

Laina returned the smile. “Every man is a little different. You have to maintain eye contact, watch his face to see what he likes, how he likes it…some like you to rub up against them slow, some like it fast. Some want you to giggle and bounce, some want you to purr. You get a feeling for what they want after a while, even at first glance. Then it becomes sort of like a game, like acting, and it’s fun, really. At least when they smell okay.” She wrinkled her nose.

Riel looked into Laina’s beautiful, blue eyes, which were the color of the sky in early spring. There was more kindness in them than there had been when they first met, but they were still distant, cold; Riel could sense the wall Laina built around her feelings, and she wanted that wall to crumble. Gently, she pressed her pussy up against Laina’s, through the layers of spandex and denim. A wave of heat coursed through her, and she wondered what it would feel like if they were both naked. She pressed harder, moving her hips in slow circles. She felt herself get wet, and a mischievous grin rose to her face. “Like this?” she asked.

Laina’s pupils grew larger, and she blinked. A faint, lopsided smile flitted over her lips. “Not bad.”

Riel held the other woman’s gaze as she moved, and Laina’s breathing quickened, her lips parting slightly. Their nipples touched, and she felt them harden. Riel wanted to feel the other woman’s breasts, to run her hands up under her t-shirt and squeeze them, to feel her soft skin under her palms. She remembered what they’d looked like yesterday when Laina danced, and longing took her over.

Laina took an unsteady breath. Riel gazed into those blue eyes and saw the uncertainty in them, but she could feel Laina’s defenses coming down. She could see the wildfire underneath the cold exterior—Riel wanted that fire to engulf her. She leaned down, putting her lips close to the other woman’s ear, slowly dragging her thumbs along the curve of Laina’s waist. “I’m new at this,” she whispered. “Tell me how you want it, Laina.”

Riel heard Laina sigh, and she felt the other dancer’s body start to move against hers. “I want it just like that,” Laina said softly, the words pouring forth in a rush. Riel looked her in the eyes again, saw their blue ice burning hot.

“Oh, God, Riel, don’t stop that,” Laina said, her eyes fluttering closed. She arched her limber back, bringing their bodies even closer together, and Riel leaned forward and kissed her.

Her lips were soft, her tongue sweet, but Riel could feel her trembling slightly, still fighting her need, trying to put out that beautiful blaze that burned in her core. Riel put her arms around Laina. She moved her hips with slow insistence, and a small moan escaped the other woman's lips as they kissed.

Riel’s fingers crept under Laina’s t-shirt, caressing her smooth waist, running up lightly along her skin and feeling Laina shiver. Then her hands found her round, warm breasts, and Riel pried them from the lacy cups of her bra, gently pinching her nipples.

Laina’s defenses finally broke. Her lips and tongue pressed against Riel’s, burning with hot passion. She pressed the heels of her hands into Riel’s ass, bringing her closer. Riel rubbed against her; she felt her need growing. Laina’s hips shuddered as she gasped and moaned, and Riel rubbed harder, pleasure breaking over her sweetly as she came, feeling every curve of Laina’s beautiful body writhe in the grip of her own orgasm.

Riel heard the door open behind her. She jumped, and the only thing that kept her from falling off Laina’s lap was the fact that her arms were around her.

Isaias stood in the doorway, his eyes wide with surprise. Her heart hit a brick wall. She felt Laina tense up.

“Oh, I see,” he said. “We’ve got a little something going on in here. Very interesting.”

Riel stood up quickly, stumbling as she backed away from Laina’s chair. She kept her eyes on Isaias, wiping the sweat from the back of her neck. “She was just training me,” Riel said.

Isaias grinned wryly, his gaze seeming to swallow her up. “That’s a good idea,” he said. “Why don’t we have a little more training, all three of us together?”

A wave of nausea washed over her, and she and Laina exchanged a darting glance.

“That’s okay, Isaias, I think I’m all trained up now,” Riel said.

Isaias lifted an eyebrow. He turned and quietly closed the door. Then he faced them again.

“I’m curious,” he said. “Did they teach you to be a dyke in prison, Riel? And I never knew that about you, either, Laina.”

Riel’s hands curled into fists. “Shut up, Isaias.”

He walked to where Riel stood and stared down at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. She had to keep herself from backing away.

He stroked her waist lightly. “Your bitchy attitude doesn’t fool me, Riel. I know how you are. A good, hard fuck with a real cock would cure your bad mood in a second.”

Riel went cold. He pulled her against him, and she could feel his hard-on.

“Yeah, I could pound the bitchy right out of you,” he said. “I’ll work that wet pussy until all you can do is scream for more.”

“Isaias—” Laina said.

“Don’t worry, Laina,” he said. “I don’t plan on leaving you out. This is ‘training’ after all, because if you two like to get gay with each other, that’s something our clients will definitely be interested in.”

Riel jumped back out of his grasp. “No fucking way, Isaias. And you leave Laina alone. Stop being a dick.”

He gave her a cruel grin. “Oh, not this bullshit again. This act is getting so old, Riel.”

Fury consumed her until she could barely see. “I can’t stand you! I’d rather die than fuck you! And I won’t work in this goddamn place! I won’t!”

The silence rang loud as her words died away. Riel felt sick. The look on Isaias’ face made her anger turn abruptly into fear.

His hand came up so quickly she didn’t even have time to duck. His fist caught the side of her head, knocking her sideways into a rack of clothing. Her cheek hit the metal bar, and she went down hard on her hip.

“Stop it, Isaias!” Laina shrieked. She jumped from her chair and grabbed his thick arm, but he flung her off, sending her reeling. She stumbled on her heels and fell on her ass, her forehead smacking against the wall.

Then Isaias turned back to Riel, who sat in a pile of stripper costumes. Lights flashed behind her eyes as the sharp pain in her head slowly subsided. Her mouth tasted like puke and every beat of her heart felt like a small explosion.

Isaias stepped toward her, his lips pulled back in a sneer. “Get up, Riel. Get your fucking cunt ass off the goddamn floor.”

Riel scooted back from him, but she hit the clothes rack and couldn’t get far. She sat frozen as he took another step toward her. Her eyes met Laina’s, who sat against the far wall holding her head. In those blue eyes was mirrored the fury and helplessness that Riel herself felt.

Then the door came open again, and Isaias turned sharply.

It was Robert. His eyes took in the scene quickly, his face going stony and blank. “Isaias, Luis is here. He’s waiting in your office.”

Isaias stood frozen for a moment, then spat a curse. He glanced briefly at Riel and Laina, and then pushed past Robert, stalking out.

Robert came in and shut the door. He helped Laina up, then rushed over to Riel, bending down to look at her. “Are you guys okay?” he asked.

“I’m okay,” Riel said. “Is your head okay, Laina?”

“I’m fine, it’s nothing.” Her face contorted in fury. “That man is a fucking
piece of shit,
Robert! He hit Riel, and pushed me down!”

“Shhhh!” Robert said, glancing anxiously at the door. He gently helped Riel to her feet. “Listen, Riel,” he muttered. “Evan is waiting for you out back in his car. You’ve got to go quick before Isaias gets wise.”

It took a couple of moments for his words to hit home. Her heart took off galloping. “Evan?” She could hardly let herself believe it. How did he even know she was here?

Robert nodded, grasping her shoulder. “Come on, you’ve got to get out of here quick.” He tugged her toward the door, but Riel stopped him.

“Laina’s coming with me,” she said.