Apollo, p.4
Apollo, page 4
“Why are you still here?” she asked between tears.
“Need I remind you of my job?”
She turned away.
“Would you like me to leave?”
Her jaw tightened. “Yes,” she said the word, but she didn’t mean it. Her pride kept her from screaming out, “No.” She knew it was childish and silly but for some strange reason, she wanted to hurt him because she suffered. Why she meant to cause him sorrow, she didn’t know. The idea she was doing just that, was unsettling to her but she couldn’t deny her inner pain and her need to be alone despite how much she wanted his company. If only he’d hold her in his arms until she fell asleep, but she couldn’t ask him to do that, not when she was upset and needed time to sort things out.
He pulled himself up off the bed with a frown masking his handsome, chiseled facial features she’d grown to love. After several long seconds, he sighed. “Goodbye.”
Wait. What did she do? She didn’t mean to send him away.
With a sadness weighing heavy in her heart, she turned in time to watch his form disintegrate into the air.
Apollo appeared at Layla’s daily, while nightly, he visited Lauren at home. But his visits were unwelcomed, for he was relentless in advising her she was better than Layla’s deserved, and she could do more with her life. Apollo offered his help but each time she scoffed at him and resisted.
However, this morning, tired of Apollo’s constant reminders of how rosy her life could be if she left Layla’s, Lauren tried something different. Instead of her usual grumbling and grimacing, she turned on the charm. She drummed up her best act and flirted with him, testing how far she could go with her sexual innuendos.
She yawned, rolled to one side of the bed and found him, sitting in a chair, watching her.
“Good morning, beautiful.”
“What time is it?” She glanced at the large red numbers on her alarm clock. “Eight-thirty. I still have time but why didn’t you wake me up? I need to be at Layla’s in two hours.”
“I don’t want you to go to Layla’s.”
She lifted up onto one elbow and eyed him. “Huh… You’re protective of me, aren’t you?
“It’s my job.”
She smirked. “No, I think it’s more than that.” She dropped the sheet from her shoulder. His eyes followed its descent, past her waist, exposing one nude, curvy breast. He swallowed hard, cleared his throat, and looked back at her.
“Like what you see?” She stretched one arm overhead, bumping up her nude breast in front of his hungry eyes.
“Of course, you’re my charge.”
“No, I mean more than that. But you wouldn’t admit it because you’re a good angel. Am I right?”
She winked seconds before she closed her eyes and moaned aloud, caressing her breast to his fixated stare. She caught his pronounced swallow.
“You see everything, right? Did you see me at Layla’s last night? Did you watch my performances? What did you think?”
“I thought you had more potential.”
Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. “You didn’t like it? How about now? Do you like what you see now?” She palmed one heavy breast and pinched her nipple with a loud sigh. She swept her eyes over him. “Well? Or is it the other girls you like? Or all the girls, together? Is that why you go to Layla’s? Is that the real reason? It’s not me, is it?” She leaned forward, brushing her chest against the cool, fitted sheet.
“It’s always you.”
“No one else? You sure?” She slipped one hand below the sheet, stared directly into his emerald eyes, rubbed her mound, and moaned his name aloud.
“You’re teasing me.”
“Is it working?” She smiled a mischievous grin. Was he taking the bait? How far could she go?
“What do you want, Lauren? Because I know you don’t want this.”
“How do you know?”
Her eyes widened when he lifted out of the chair and lunged for her.
She backed away but regretted it when the sheet slipped even further down her thighs, exposing more of her nude body for his viewing pleasure. Pulling her arms across her chest in a vain attempt at modesty, which came too late, she wobbled and fell back onto the bed. Apollo took advantage of the situation and leaned over her. His smug grin and the smoldering look in his eyes made her tingle in all the wrong places. Damn. He was hot. He must know the effect he had on her. He placed his hands on either side of her body and lowered himself until his mouth was just above hers. His warm breath caressed her partially opened mouth and teased her. She stilled. Was he going to take her? Yes! No. Oh no. This wasn’t right, no matter that she started it. Who knew her efforts would be rewarded—with him? Images of his nude body fluttered across her mind. The hard, etched muscles of his chest, rippled stomach, the firm curve of his hips, and his fine butt, one she’d grab onto when he called out her name in ecstasy all filled her mind with the most delicious, salacious thoughts. Oh–Oh–Oh—Yes. Wait. No. No, no, no. This was wrong. She shoved the images out of her brain. He couldn’t take her. He was an angel. Could he have sex? Her eyes opened wide. She murmured his name in the form of a question.
“Is this what you want?” His gaze lowered and returned, covering her entire body on the way up. “You tempt me, and I want to indulge but only if you want this.”
Her heartbeat kicked up several notches and her breathing turned to single wheezes for air.
He drew closer and licked her bottom lip. She gasped in response.
“Just a little taste of what pleasure I can bring you.”
“Oh my—oh no. No, no, no. We can’t do this.” She tried re-focusing but her desire for him grew stronger, urging her to take action but she wouldn’t give in. She’d hold her stance no matter what…maybe…
One eyebrow shot up. “Why not?”
“You’re an angel and I’m not.”
“It’s not unheard of.”
“Please, Apollo.” She grabbed the sheet to cover herself, but she couldn’t pry it out of his tight grip.
“One thing before I let you go. Your methods don’t work on me because I know your goal. You want to tempt or seduce me like your customers. You love the power. I am not a customer, Lauren, and I am not temporary. Don’t toy with me, female.” He pulled himself up to stand next to her. “You need to get up and get ready for work.” He let go of the sheet, stormed off, and disappeared into the air.
Yup, this morning didn’t go as planned.
Lauren wiped her hand across her forehead. If Apollo was at Layla’s tonight, she’d scream.
She straightened her skimpy outfit, lifting her girls higher into their underwire cups. Carl expected a special one-on-one show after her performance tonight, but then… he was her boyfriend. At some point in the one month she’d been at Layla’s, he made it clear she was his and no one else’s. Whether he shared the same opinion of his own relationship status remained unknown. Sadly, the entire relationship seemed a bit unstable but then, all her relationships in the past were like that. Why should Carl be any different? For her attention to his needs, she received: additional scheduled hours, top-notch protection from the bouncers, and occasionally, romantic gestures from Carl. It was better than nothing and it paid the rent. Lauren didn’t complain even if Apollo did.
Apollo—what a thorn in her side—but she grew fond of him over the few months she knew him. Somehow, Apollo got under her skin, and she couldn’t deny the intense attraction between them. Through their numerous heated discussions about her choice of work, she still preferred his company to any other and she couldn’t stop her brain from the countless images of them intertwined in every naughty position imaginable, with and without clothes. Ooh, it was devilish to think of an angel in such a way, but she couldn’t help herself, especially when he leaned in close enough for her to melt under his warm breath and he whispered loving, romantic words before he kissed her on her cheek and faded into the night. The things she imagined Apollo doing to her were sins in someone’s book though not hers. She couldn’t control herself, but despite her wild, blurring mix of smutty imagination, she found she liked Apollo very much. What she did this morning with him, teasing him mercilessly, shamed her. It wasn’t right and now Apollo was upset. She had to do something to make amends.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on sending him an apology through telepathy. She sent another message asking him to forgive her, adding how important he was in her life. Revealing her innermost feelings wasn’t something she enjoyed but she liked his company, and she wanted him to know how much he meant to her. There weren’t many she trusted but Apollo was one of the few and she didn’t want to lose him because of her silliness. In her defense, her temper made her do things she regretted later but upsetting Apollo wasn’t something she expected or wanted to do. He was good to her, kind, always on her side, and he deserved better, from her. That her sweet guardian stayed with her when she acted otherwise was dumbfounding.
She smiled as she recalled his words last night. He bent over her, kissed her on the lips, and said he loved her and then he vanished quickly before she could protest where he kissed her—not that she would have. It was the first time he kissed her someplace other than her cheek and a bold move, but Lauren loved it. Her regard for him was more than simple appreciation. It was something dearer and special. Somehow her roguish rebel slipped under her guard and through the thick barrier shielding her heart from the chaos and brutality of the world she experienced. With Apollo, she tip-toed on the edge of declaring her love for him though love was an obscure word in her vocabulary—not one she understood or experienced before. Whatever her feelings for her guardian angel, she was drawn to him and wanted him around, not solely for her protection but also for the warm friendship he offered that was, somehow, right and comfortable. His affection warmed her with an uncommon but welcomed peace while also igniting her energy with his mere presence. When he touched her, her nerve endings sparked almost as if they were on fire, jolting pleasant vibes straight through to her core and spreading outward to her private, unmentionables. She preferred experiencing their taboo rendezvous, though tame to any human standards, in the privacy of darkness away from Layla’s, Carl and prying eyes. Apollo was her guilty secret and pleasure and no one else’s.
CHAPTER FOUR
Your man is here,” one of the girls shouted to Lauren seconds before she descended the stage in five-inch shiny stilettos.
“I don’t have a man,” Lauren replied but the girl disappeared into the dressing room before Lauren could engage her in conversation.
“Yeah, you do.” A new female appeared. Her five-foot, eight-inch-long, lean stature was dwarfed by caramel-colored legs that went straight up to her neck. She stood next to Lauren nude as the day she was born. Twirling a bikini bottom at the end of one finger, she adjusted her stance, spreading her legs out just enough that Lauren shied away.
“Everyone’s noticed him. He’s here every night you are, and he seems to only have eyes for you. Though, the rest of the girls and I think he’s fine as hell. He’s relentless baby and he must be in love to be here waiting for you. You better snatch him up before I do.” She curled her fingers up into a paw and made a sound like a cat holler. Then she relaxed her hand, pointed her index finger up, and waved it back and forth in front of Lauren’s eyes. “With those good looks and that strong body, he’s a rake looking for trouble and I know just how to use him, child.” She stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. The maneuver jutted her chest out. “The girls and I are interested if you aren’t. Personally, I want to know if he’d like to do a ménage. Maybe give him one free because he’s so fine. I swear that man looked like he dropped out of heaven itself, if there is one.” She cackled into the air and sashayed her way back to the dressing room, deliberately swaying her hips back and forth and wobbling some in her seven-inch heels. When she opened the door, she glanced back at Lauren. “I mean it, girl, if you don’t spank that ass, I will.” She slammed the door behind her.
Lauren stared at the door. How could she say such things about her angel? A ménage? No way. If he ever engaged in one, having sex with other women, he’d pierce her heart straight through and she’d never recover. She poked her head around one of the long red curtains lining the back of the stage and searched the crowd for him. She searched left then right until her gaze landed on the most handsome male ever. There he was—the sinfully sexy angel her co-workers couldn’t stop talking about. His full lips, chiseled cheekbones, and impeccable dark-colored hair she’d know anywhere., His features were engrained in her mind. His stellar, unique traits resonated within her a possessive need to keep others away, saving him for her. While the logic was a bit crazy, the feeling remained, and she couldn’t ignore it for its genuine presence. However, her positive regard for Apollo didn’t explain his nightly visits where, until she came onto the stage, he seemed bored and unaware of anyone else around him. The chatter and gossip surrounding his identity followed with every step she took inside of Layla’s, but the rumors hadn’t reached Carl yet, and for that, she was thankful. However, she grew tired of defending Apollo’s honor when his purpose and intent were very clear—he didn’t want Lauren working at Layla’s. This had to stop.
Lauren whipped past the curtain and onto the club floor. Several men reached for her as she passed by them, some stumbling in front of her, trying to grab her attention but she avoided them all, bending and swaying her body away from the handsy men. She was on a mission, determined to march up to the one striking male watching her from the second she set foot outside the curtain.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered the words through gritted teeth.
“Hello to you too.” Apollo’s bright smile gleamed in the dim lighting.
She muttered his name in warning. “I don’t want you here.”
“Why? If you can dance in front of all these men, then you can dance in front of me.”
He had a point, but she wasn’t going to mull over the reasons why it was different with him.
“I want you to leave.” She paused. “Please.” Would he listen to her plea and walk out the exit door? She crossed her fingers. Instead, he followed her as she navigated around groping hands to the back of the stage until a bouncer stopped him.
“It’s okay,” Lauren informed the bouncer before the bouncer got himself into trouble with a powerful angel. She grimaced and walked away.
“Where are you going, Lauren?”
After a slight hesitation, she forced her legs to continue toward the dressing room.
“I’m not leaving until you talk to me.”
She pointed toward the door in front of her. “This is one place you can’t come in.” Moving forward, she shoved the door open. She gasped aloud when she heard footsteps behind her.
“Man in the room,” one of the girls shouted.
“What are you doing in here? You’re not supposed to be here.” Lauren stood with her hands on her hips and a shocked expression plastered on her face. She searched her immediate area when she heard purring and cat calls behind her. Concern etched worry lines across her forehead. She grimaced. The females surrounding her wanted him, but they weren’t going to get him. She knew what she had to do.
When Apollo didn’t reply, Lauren disrobed in front of him. “If a show is what you’re after then you’ll get one. She released each snap of her corset under his watchful eye, tossed him a saucy smile, and then followed it with her red and black corset bra which landed in front of his feet. He smirked. She scowled and stomped one high heel onto the floor.
“What do you want?” Lauren wanted to scream, and she held back the urge to give him a sound tongue lashing.
“Hey.” One of the girls pulled her robe tighter and stepped forward. “That’s no way to treat your man. He’s here every night you know. Show him some respect.”
“Mind your own business, Rachel,” Lauren called over her shoulder. She glanced back at Apollo. “You still here? You want more?” She rolled her matching silk panties down past her ankles, stepped out of them and flung them at his feet. She placed her hands back onto her hips in a show of defiance but instead of giving up or walking away, his eyes roamed over her from head to toe, smiling at certain spots on her body. On his return up, he stopped at the apex between her thighs. “Seen enough?” Would he ever leave? His smirk curled into a wide smile.
“Are you ready to talk? Fiery wildflower.”
Argh! “You’re infuriating. Why do you keep bothering me at my job?”
One of the dancers cleared her throat. “Um, girl, we’re going to give you two some privacy, okay, but not too much time cuz we need the room.” The flawless caramel-colored female crooked her finger at the other girls. “Come on, ladies, let’s get out.”
There were several groans.
“To the doors, ladies, let’s go.”
“Thanks, Lorna.” Lauren strutted around the dressing panel and picked up her next outfit for her upcoming routine.
“I’m waiting.”
“What is it you want to talk about? Are you going to give me another lecture as to why I shouldn’t be here because you don’t know what it’s like to be me.”
“You don’t need to do this. You’re better than this lifestyle.”
She bent over in an elaborate attempt to rattle him and jar a raw, emotional response out of him, giving him a full view of her curvy bottom while she lifted her breasts into their respective cups. Straightening her back, she turned toward him and jiggled, letting her girls sway in front of his notice before walking straight up to him in her five-inch, clear plastic, wedge heels. “Your judgment of me burns me, Apollo. You don’t know how hard it is to make a buck anymore and at least I’m doing something safe.” She pointed at him. “Would you rather I do porn?”
He backed away. She took the opportunity to shove him onto a low-seated barstool to straddle him.
“What do you think? Want to be my first?” She ground her lower half giving him an effective lap dance. His low groan rewarded her efforts. She leaned over him and whispered into his ear, ignoring the fact that her panties were nearly soaked with want and desire.
