Bourbon Street Royalty: Jaded Series, Book Two (2 page)

She had lost weight, and her once voluptuous curves were paying the price. She wasn’t eating much since the accident, and sleep was nonexistent without taking something. She walked a fine line, and Ma’Linn helped make sure she didn’t get carried away. There was a time she would have let a tragedy like this lead her back to her old lifestyle, but now she didn’t take anything for the pain, not even when the numerous doctors tried to shove prescriptions down her throat. She indulged in a glass of wine or a beer and only used her voodoo friend’s concoction as a sleep aid.

It was a daily struggle to say no to the drugs that drifted in and out of the club. However, since the accident, she viewed her body differently. Even though she was no longer pregnant, it didn’t belong to only her. It never would again.

Baby wiped the smeared makeup from underneath her eyes and attempted to pull herself together. She smiled as she headed backstage to prepare for her first set of the night, surveying the crowd from behind the deep purple drapes.

Jewella leaned against the bar tossing back shots and making ill attempts to flirt with the patrons. Barbie was always close by, mimicking Jewella’s every move, only younger and better executed. Baby was fairly certain that the girl had a plan, and Jewella was going to hate to see the day it finally played out.

Mickey stood behind the DJ booth, eyeballing the stage. He was always ogling the girls. You would think the thrill of seeing naked women would wear off after all this time, but not for him. He was disgusting, but at least Baby knew how to deal with him. She was one of the few in the club who could handle him and his never-ending pile of bullshit. Everyone else slunk away to the closest corner.

Baby listened as Mickey made his usual introduction, amping up the anxious crowd. She heard the first few beats of her set song, “Send the Pain Below” by Chevelle. She closed her eyes and allowed the smooth sound of Pete Loeffler’s seductive voice to wash over her. She slipped one long, toned leg through the drapes, coiling the other around the curtain. She worked her way up and down, causing the crowd to erupt with anticipation. She slowly backed her way down the stage, still wearing her black robe. Holding onto the pole, Baby leaned forward and ran her hand up her leg, giving a sneak peek of her bare backside.

She moved her hips to the beat, using the sensual lyrics to command her body. Baby Jade had always had a connection with music and dancing. It was one of the only things in the world that made her feel alive. She came to rely on the feeling of the way the music and lyrics dominated her soul. She found a way to lose herself in music. With Baby’s unconventional childhood, she knew early on that she never had a shot at being a professional dancer. Her mother was mentally ill. She didn’t have a father. They had no money and had to make do when it came to food and somewhere to rest their heads at night. It wasn’t a pretty scene. If it hadn’t been for Ma’Linn, there’s no telling where Baby would have ended up or if she would even be alive today.

Music was her soul mate, and she was content with that.

Life goes on.

Baby tugged on the sash holding her robe closed and allowed it to fall to the floor. She let it slip, exposing her light, caramel shoulders. Her Creole blood was definitely a gift when it came to the looks department. From an early age, attracting male attention had been all too easy.

The silky tone blared through the speakers and Baby’s body was now on automatic pilot. The robe slipped further as she shimmied out of it and let it fall away. Her satin green jacquard
 
corset formed to her body and sheer fringe hung from the bottom, just short of her matching jade colored thong. She stepped out of her stilettos and leaned forward to unhook the garters connected to her lacy, black thigh highs; teasing the already unruly crowd. She rolled the stockings down one leg and then the other, sending them across the stage. Baby deliberately took her time unlacing the front of the corset, pulling the satin thread seductively through her fingers. Just as the fabric started to slip, she held it with both hands concealing her breasts. Once the song hit the climax, Baby let the corset fall. She dropped to her knees, and on all fours, she slithered to the edge of the stage. Whipping her hair, Baby gyrated on the floor before flipping over and arching her back. Her naked breasts in the air, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

At the end of her set, Baby Jade stood and collected the skimpy pieces of fabric. She grinned and blew a kiss to the men lining pervert row, leaving them begging for more. As she sauntered off the stage, she glanced toward the mystery man’s table. He was still in the same spot, sitting up to a small, round table with his arms folded across his broad chest. His eyes examined her every move. Their gazes locked. His lips curled into a slight smirk sending chills across her bare flesh.

It was unsettling not to be able to get a read on the guy. Even if she had wanted to, Baby couldn’t give the hot, mystery man a fair chance. She had been trying for months to forget about Lucky, but it proved to be easier said than done. He may be gone, but he was still a part of her, their souls melded together, and their minds intertwined. Her heartbeat pounded against her empty chest as the blond hunk’s blue eyes seared through her, making her blush.

Lucky seemed so far away.

CHAPTER TWO

Lucky

Lucky stumbled backward, spilling over the table and sending cards, money, glasses, and empty pitchers of beer sprawling across the dusty floor.

“You som’bitch! I’m gonna kill you!”

As the mammoth sized truck driver lunged for him, Lucky saw his chance. He ducked as the man attempted to put his massive fist through his face, barreling into him and sending him flat on his ass. The big man scrambled to get up right before Lucky kicked him in the ribs with everything he had.

When he realized the man had had enough, he gathered all of the money from the floor, cramming it into the pocket of his tattered jeans. He tossed a few twenties on the counter on his way out of the bar.

After a long night of gambling, the sunlight scorched his eyes.

“Hey, you sure you couldn’t use some company?” The waitress who had spent her entire evening at Lucky’s beck and call, making sure he had everything he needed, and clearly wishing for a little something extra was giving major fuck me vibes. She was a cute, young thing with the typical southern girl appeal, wearing cut off shorts and a tight tank top to reveal her most obvious assets.

“No, darlin’. I don’t think so.” He kick started his ‘new to him’ Harley.

“I can help you spend those winnings.” She placed her hands on her slim hips, beamed and tossed her head, swishing her ponytail from side to side.

“Don’t try so hard, honey. It’s a real turn off.” He peeled out of the parking lot, leaving the poor girl with her arms hanging limply by her sides and her chin on the pavement.

He had been back in Longview for a few weeks now. He worked odd jobs, mostly as a bouncer, picking up a few side jobs at auto shops. Some things never changed. He just wanted to keep himself busy and his mind occupied.

Thinking about Baby Jade day and night was driving him insane.

No matter how hard he tried, Baby was there. He saw her everywhere he looked. He dreamed of her every time he fell asleep. He was beginning to think it would never end. His penance. It was only recently that he had finally been able to function again. For the first month or two, he couldn’t even work. He stayed drunk, holed up in a cheap motel, living on nothing but Jim Beam and greasy takeout.

The days turned into weeks, and the weeks into months and with every night, Lucky prayed he wouldn’t wake up again. He prayed for God to have mercy on him and end it all. He had nothing left to live for. Baby was gone, and he didn’t blame her. Not after the way he destroyed both of their lives, all three of their lives.

He thought about suicide but decided it would be too easy. He deserved a long, painful demise. He did the only thing that made sense to him. He tried to drink himself to death.

The plan was working quicker than expected until one day when he was walking to the local liquor store. He didn’t know what caught his eye or why he noticed the woman pumping gas across the street. There was no explanation; it was just one of those weird coincidences. Right time, right place. The woman leaned into her car and made hand gestures, almost as if she were talking to someone, although the car appeared to be empty. She closed the door and headed into the gas station. As the sliding glass door opened, some random dude jumped into the driver’s seat and took off.

Adrenaline flooded Lucky’s body, pumping through his veins. He planted himself in the car’s path and grabbed a hold of the side as the man tried to speed away. Somehow, Lucky managed to open the car door. The man must have been shocked because the vehicle came to an immediate stop. He wrestled the guy to the ground, holding him in place while he waited for the cops to arrive.

The woman who owned the car raced across the parking lot screaming bloody murder. She ran past him and bolted for the car. Reaching into the back seat, the woman pulled out a tiny bundle, wrapped safely in a baby blue blanket.

Lucky’s heart plummeted.

He watched the woman fall to her knees, cradling the baby to her chest. He dug his knee into the man’s back as he thought about what could have happened to the baby boy. The man mumbled something, but Lucky tuned him out. His ears roared with the sound of the woman’s uncontrollable sobbing.

The police showed up and arrested the man. They took Lucky’s statement and asked if he needed a ride. He said no. At the time, he still intended to get a new bottle of Beam from the liquor store and drain it before the night was over.

“Sir?”

He glanced up to find the woman holding the baby staring at him. His heart rate slowed, but his muscles ached from the abrupt tension.

“Sir, I don’t know what to say.” Her bloodshot eyes pooled with tears, spilling over and streaming down her ashen face. “You saved my son’s life. They said that the man appeared to be strung out on meth and had a long list of crimes and active warrants. He would have killed him. I know it. I can’t thank you enough. You’re the reason my son is alive and safe right now. Thank you,” she said as she sunk to her knees and flung one free arm around Lucky’s neck.

The overwhelming scent of baby lotion or powder slapped him in the face. The faint whimper of the child punched him in the heart.

“Ma’am, really, I’m sure he would have been fine. All I did was save a car.” Lucky sat on the curb trying not to let the woman know he was shaking, and it had nothing to do with the altercation. Being so close to the baby was making his stomach pitch.

The woman surprised him by grabbing his hand and squeezing it tight. “No, you’re a hero. My son and I will never forget you. You have no idea what you’ve done. Thank you.”

Lucky lowered his head, unable to look her in the eye.

“Thank you,” she whispered, hugging him one more time before leaving with the police officer.

Tears stung his eyes as he managed to swallow back a large lump in his throat. His heart swelled, feeling as if it were alive for the first time in months.

He stood and started walking in the opposite direction of the liquor store. He walked back to his motel room. He cleaned up, throwing out all of the empty bottles and old trash. He took a long, hot shower, thinking about Baby Jade. The more clear-headed he got, the more his heart hurt. He craved her touch, her kiss, just to be next to her. They were both grieving, but couldn’t be there for one another.

What a fucking joke.

From that day forward, Lucky allowed the hurt to take over. No more being a coward. He chose the pain over being numb. Everything in his life was his fault. He would never let himself forget again. His own self-inflicted punishment.

That might explain why he was getting into so many fights. It’s almost as if he placed himself in risky situations on purpose, toying with danger, not caring about the outcome. He deserved what he got, and then some.

Lucky emptied his pockets onto the dilapidated dresser. He had been staying at the Rat Hole Inn, as he called it, for a week now. He stayed on the move so his parents couldn’t track him down. He hadn’t talked to them since he saw his ex-fiancé, Carrie, standing in the Gauthier boardroom, snuggled up to his father’s side.

After everything she had done to him, to their unborn grandchild, he couldn’t move beyond the fact that his parents had hired her at the family business. It was too much, especially since they knew that she had aborted their baby without even discussing it with him. The sight of her standing there, next to his smug ass father, left him dumbfounded.

Fuck it.

Carrie could have the job. He didn’t have any reason to care. He would continue to show up for the annual meeting, cast his vote, and get the hell out of town. There was nothing left for him in New Orleans.

CHAPTER THREE

Baby Jade

After a long night of back-to-back sets, Baby Jade was looking forward to a shower. Too bad it wasn’t going to be a hot shower, not in her shit hole of an apartment. The water heater was kaput, and she had yet to get Mickey to get up off his cheap ass and make a phone call to get it fixed.

“I’m heading out,” she hollered to Mickey on her way out the door. He gave a curt nod in response. He finally quit giving her so much shit when it came time to leave. Having a couple of extra girls had taken off some of the pressure. She took advantage since she knew it wouldn’t last long. Bottoms Up had a revolving door when it came to dancers.