Thicker Than Blood (Thicker Than Blood #1)(72)
Pleasantly full, I walked on, searching out a garbage can or some other means of disposing of the bones.
“A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips,” a breathy voice announced from behind me.
I jumped and turned around, coming face-to-face with a woman in a darkened doorway, her body looking somewhat distorted by the shadows.
“I’m Dori,” she said as a wide smile grew across her full pink lips. A dainty hand slipped free of the darkness in offering, and I took it. Her gaze dropped to my brand, and still holding tightly to my hand, she nodded. “Seems fresh.”
“It is,” I told her. “I just got here.” Trying to pull my hand free, I found her grip oddly strong and unrelenting.
“That’s a shame,” she said, finally releasing me. Her own hand still lingered in the air between us, her gaze dropping to the bones in my other hand. Smiling broadly, she gestured for me to hand them over. With a frown, I did, watching as she greedily sucked the marrow from the small bones, reminding me of myself only moments ago.
Uncomfortable, I moved to leave, and it was only then that I was able to finally see her, all of her as the remaining sunlight pierced the shadows. She was nearly naked, her top so sheer I could see her two rosebud nipples peeking through. My eyes traveled lower, then widened considerably.
“Don’t judge,” she said, then wheeled herself forward and into view.
“I wasn’t, I…I…” I was desperately trying not to stare at the empty space where her legs should have been, but the more I tried to look away, the longer I found myself staring.
“Sure you were,” she said with a laugh. “It’s okay. I’m just lucky that I still have a hole for these *s to fill.” She laughed again, a dainty chuckle that matched her dainty hands and pretty face.
Realization slapped me in the face. A hole for them to fill…and my stomach began to churn.
“Ain’t much a girl like me is good for in a place like this, but you’d be surprised what men like these days.” She grinned again, and I suddenly felt downright sick. My newly digested rat was quickly turning to stone in the pit of my belly.
I struggled to think of a reply, the silence between us uncomfortably awkward. “What did you do before?” I blurted out, instantly wishing I could take the words back.
“I was a professional cheerleader,” she answered, unbothered by my question. She laughed again, louder this time, as if her answer was the funniest thing she’d ever said, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. If I hadn’t laughed, I probably would have cried.
In the midst of our laugher, a shadow fell over me, and I turned to find a man sidling up beside me. He was slim, not just the half-starved look of some of the men around here, but really thin, his skin pockmarked and greasy. As he looked me up and down, a leery smile arose on his face.
“Uh-uh.” Dori chastised him immediately. “Not this one, Steven, this one’s claimed.” In a flash, his smile vanished, replaced quickly with a frown.
“Baby, don’t pout,” she crooned. “You know I always take good care of you. What did you bring me today?”
He held up a small filthy bottle of water, though I couldn’t tell if it was actually water inside or if the bottle was just that dirty.
“And?” Dori asked with a soft smile.
Outstretching his other hand, he revealed a small packet of white powder. A greedy, eager smile lit up his features.
“Perfect,” Dori purred, pulling open her blouse.
Steven’s eyes were now solely on her, glazing over as his tongue darted out to slide slowly across his bottom lip. When I glanced back to Dori, I found her hand had disappeared somewhere beneath the layers of fabric pooling at her waist. As he pushed past me, Steven slyly rubbed a hand across my backside, and then together, the two of them disappeared inside the building.
I stared after them a moment, still sick to my stomach.
“What the f*ck have we gotten ourselves into?” I muttered to myself.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Leisel
“You’ll do,” Bethany said as she lifted her chin and sniffed the air around me. “At least you don’t smell like week-old garbage anymore.”
Narrowing my eyes, I turned away from the girl before she could see the snarl twisting my lips. It was bad enough that in only a few short minutes I would be dancing for a crowd of drunken perverts. I didn’t need to add complications with my coworkers into the mix. While Bethany wasn’t a dancer, she would still be working the crowd, giving it up to whoever could afford her.
Surveying the crowded dressing room, which was more or less a broom closet, I found my reflection in one of three full-length mirrors lined up against the back wall. Swallowing back a wave of nervousness, I ran my hands down the sheer material covering my body. It was supposed to be a dress, but in reality it was more like half a dress. Although the sleeves were long and the neck was high, the flimsy, nearly see-through black mesh barely covered my backside. Underneath it I was wearing a matching bra and thong made of finely scalloped lace I’d been given, both a deep shade of red. All in all, combined with my freshly washed hair that was brushed to shiny perfection, and my smoky eyes and matching red lipstick, it was a very sexual look. Sexy even, without being overly slutty…if it were something I’d be sharing with only one man, not an entire room full.