Ground & Pound (10 page)

Emmy

I walk into the club in a crappy mood. Not wanting to be here, I stride past the customers and the other girls without making contact. Each time I come to work, it gets harder and harder. I hate it more and more every time I walk in the door.

Dancing is something I’ve always had to force myself to do. It was never something I enjoyed. I started stripping to pay the bills, and that’s still why I do it. As much as it wasn’t something I wanted to do, I never dreaded coming to work. I never used to mind the guys or the club, but now, I loathe everything about being here. Now, I dread just pulling into the parking lot. 

All I can think of when I’m dancing is Kane. My body is his, and it seems wrong to let anyone else look at it. I know he hates me being here, hates me taking my clothes off for a living. I can see it in his eyes every time I mention the club. Knowing how he feels makes me hate it that much more.

I’ve thought about quitting many times over the years, but I’m not really qualified to do anything else. I could flip burgers at some dive, or sell rich bitches shoes they don’t need. Neither of those things will bring in the type of money I need to put Trey through college and keep a roof over our heads, though.

I’m in the same position as most of the women here. No skills, no talent for anything but showing my body. That’s how girls become lifers. You come here to put yourself through school or get on your feet after your world gets turned upside down. Then, you realize that very few jobs pay as well, even if you have a college education. After that realization hits, you’re stuck. 

I slip on tonight’s outfit, not even wanting to look at myself in the mirror. I know what I’ll see when I’m done getting dressed—a slut in whore’s clothing.

Kane is really close to his mom, and I’ve grown to love her in the past few weeks. She seems to like me now, but I know that will change when she learns what I do for a living. 

I take a deep breath, forcing myself to walk out of the dressing room. Making my way down the hallway, I hear music playing and realize I’ve already missed my cue. Pushing through the curtain, I walk onto the stage.

My body mindlessly moves through the song, shaking, dipping, and snaking around the pole. The way I used to work the stage like a pro is gone. I’m like a robot up here, just going through the motions. At the end of the song, I go back to the dressing room, forgetting to even grab my tips.

Purposely avoiding the mirror, I quickly take off my stage outfit and slip on my t-shirt and yoga pants. Just as I’m sliding on my shoes, the door opens with such force the doorknob makes a dent in the dingy wall. I turn to see Jason standing there, his face a mask of anger.

“What’s wrong?”

He kicks the door closed with his foot, his anger growing with each breath he takes. “What was that out there?”

“What are you talking about?” I reply as I stuff my things into my purse, trying to get away from him as fast as I can. My skin prickles and my nerves are screaming at me that I need to get out of here.

“I’m talking about the fact that you were like a damn dead fish on my stage!” His voice rises as he takes a step closer to me. 

“I don’t know what you mean,” I lie, trying to avoid his eyes. 

I jump back as he comes closer, yelling in my face. “I don’t know what has gotten into you, but it better fucking change!”

I don’t look at him, hoping he will step back. “So, I had an off night. Leave me the hell alone.”

“You call that off?” he shouts, placing a finger in my face. “You looked like a walking corpse.”

My heart is racing faster with each word he screams at me. I just need to get out of here. “It won’t happen again.”

“No, it won’t. If it does, I’ll take the money I lose out of your pay.”

“I’ll work on it, try to find more of my inner slut,” I lie, already knowing that I’m looking for a new job. I know I should quit getting smart with him, but he is pissing me off and all I want to do is leave.

Kane is coming home tomorrow, and I’ll have a new job by then. Knowing my luck, it’ll probably be waitressing for tips. I might end up having to take on two jobs to make up for the loss of income, but at least I won’t be here taking Jason’s crap or taking my clothes off for strangers. 

Tossing my bag over my shoulder, I try to move past him, but he grabs my arm. “See you tomorrow night,” I tell him, trying to get loose.

Gripping my arm tighter, he refuses to let me past. “It’s that asshole you’ve been seeing, isn’t it? You think you’re too good for this club now, because you’re lying on your back for some fighter?”

Anger replaces my fear, and I spout off, “Don’t talk about Kane. He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.”

His face moves closer to mine. “Really? At least I’d keep you around if you were in my bed. You are nothing but an easy piece of pussy for him, and he’ll throw you away soon enough.”

The venom he spits hurts, and I can’t hold back. “That’s not true.”

Judging by the smile on his face, he knows he’s hit his mark. “Yeah, you’re his current piece. Wonder which of the girls he’ll want next?”

“Fuck you!” I shout, not able to listen to his hateful words anymore. Using a move Kane taught me, I twist in a way that forces him to let me loose. Then, I take another step toward the door.

Grabbing me by the hair, he spins me toward him, and then his fist comes crashing against my face. The force of the blow sends me to the floor. I instinctively curl into a ball, forgetting all of the self-defense Kane taught me. Instead, I just try to protect myself from getting hurt worse.

Willing to do anything I have to, to keep him away from me, I yell, “I’ll tell Kane if you touch me again.” The room turns quiet, and I move my arm, sneaking a glance at him. He stares down at me a moment, not saying a word. Something about his silence is more frightening than his threats. “Please, just leave me alone, Jason.”

He throws back his head and laughs. “I love seeing you beg.”

I don’t reply, just watch as he starts to leave. He turns to look at me just before he walks out the door. “He can’t protect you all the time, Emmy. If he is, who’s protecting your brother?”

The door slams, and I can no longer hold back my tears. The taste of blood drips into my mouth as I push myself to my knees. Shakily standing up, I walk to one of the mirrors. My lip is already starting to swell, and the redness below it lets me know I’ll be wearing a bruise tomorrow.

How the hell am I gonna explain my busted lip? How am I gonna come up with an excuse that Trey will believe? I can’t let Kane know Jason hit me. If either one of them finds out, Jason is a dead man. That’s something I can’t let happen.

I go to my car, holding a new wave of tears in until I close the door. Slowly taking in a deep breath, I order myself to get it together.
You have five minutes, Emmy.
I can’t walk into the apartment crying. Everything has to appear normal for Trey.

Driving through the city, I finally get a hold of my emotions. I pull into the parking lot and draw in a deep breath, pasting on a smile. When I walk into the apartment, Trey isn’t in the living room. Not calling out to him, I sit at the computer and start to look for job openings.

“Whatcha doin?” I jump at the unexpected sound of Trey’s voice.

“Looking for a new job.” I scroll through an endless list of jobs that I am in no way qualified for, making sure not to look up at him. 

“Are you finally quitting that shithole?” he asks, leaning against the desk. “Kane’ll be happy.”

“Yeah, he’ll be ecstatic.” Unable to hold back my smile, I flinch. Instinctively, I reach up to cover my injured lip. 

“What happened to your face, Em?” Trey shouts, placing a hand on my cheek to turn me toward him.

Pulling away from him, I tell him the lie I practiced. “I had new pair of heels tonight. Guess they weren’t made for dancing. I fell and hit my lip on the pole.”

“Bullshit!” he shouts, fisting his hands at his side. “What happened? Was it that asshole?”

The other day, Trey caught me talking on the phone with one of the other dancers. She called to tell me about Jason trying to force her into one of the private rooms. I told her how Jason has been up my ass lately, but at least he hadn’t tried to pull anything like that with me yet. My brother walked in, just as I was threatening to cut off Jason’s dick if he ever got it anywhere near me. Needless to say, Trey wasn’t real happy.

“Em!” he shouts out, pissed as hell.

“It’s nothing, Trey. Just leave it alone.” I give him a look, letting him know to drop it.

“Fine, I’ll let it go for now, but only ‘cause I know Kane isn’t gonna drop this until he gets an answer.” He walks away, shaking his head.

Giving up my search for a job, I rest my head on the edge of the desk. What the hell am I going to tell Kane? If Trey doesn’t believe me, there’s no way Kane will. When my man gets here, he is going to hit the roof. 

Kane

Using the key Emmy gave me, I let myself into her apartment. I was lucky to be able to switch to a red-eye out of JFK, instead of the early morning flight I had been scheduled for. Instead of calling Emmy to tell her about the change, I decided to surprise her. If I’m lucky, I’ll catch her in bed. 

Making my way through the silent apartment, I quietly open the door and find her spread across the bed. She’s hugging the pillow to her body, and her long blonde hair is spread across the sheets. She looks like a feast just waiting to be devoured. A smile spreads across my face when I notice she’s wearing the t-shirt I gave her the night we met. Little did I know that when Ozzy dragged me to that damn club, my whole world would get turned upside down by Little Miss Sunshine.

Walking over to the bed, I pull my shirt over my head and kick off my shoes. Letting my pants fall to the floor, I climb in the bed, running a hand up her bare leg. “Wake up, Sunshine.”

Her green eyes slowly open, and she blinks up at me. “Kane?”

The question in her voice lets me know she’s still half asleep. It’s husky and sexy as hell, and I’m more than ready to be inside her. “Yeah,” I reply, pushing her sleep-tangled hair from her face.

Finally, her mind clears of sleep, and a smile spreads across her face. “You’re home early.”

“I sure am.” I lower my mouth to hers. 

As my lips brush against hers, she flinches. Pulling back, I take in her face. With the curtains holding out the early morning sun, the room is full of shadows. Still, I can see that her lip is swollen. The sight is like a punch in the gut.

“What the hell happened?” My hands grasp her cheek as I try to examine her more closely in the darkness of the room. I see a cut and what may be a bruise.

When she doesn’t answer my question, I jump up from the bed and turn on the overhead light. Stalking back to her, she hangs her chin in an attempt to hide the damage from me. Sitting down beside her, I jerk her chin up and see that not only is her lip split, her cheek is nearly black. For a minute, it isn’t Emmy looking back at me. It’s my mom, broken and beaten on the floor of our house. “I’m only gonna ask one more time. What the fuck happened to you?”

Emmy stands up and walks past me out of the room. I follow her and find her in the kitchen at the coffee pot. She pushes a few buttons then turns to face me, leaning against the counter. “Want a cup?

“What are you doing?” I’m trying my best not to lose it on her, but my control is slipping.

“It’s early and you’re yelling, so I’m making coffee. I need to be awake so I can hear every word you say. Figured I’d be nice enough to share.” The smart ass smile on her face only pisses me off more.

Trying not to yell at her, I ask, “What happened to your face?”

“I slipped in my new shoes and hit my face on the pole.” Her words are clipped as she stares past me. 

She won’t look me in the eyes, so I know it’s a lie. My body is already tense from seeing the damage on her face, knowing someone touched what was mine, and now she is lying to me about it. It’s all too much.

“Bullshit!” My voice bounces off the walls of her small apartment. “I want to know what really happened right the fuck now.”

Trey comes striding into the kitchen. His hair is standing on end, indicating that my shouting pulled him from his bed. “That motherfucker hit her. She didn’t tell me that’s what happened. She told me some stupid story, but I know he hit her.”

Emmy stands up straight and glares at her brother. “I told you what happened.”

Her voice sounds strained, and there’s not a doubt in my mind she’s lying. I heard the same lies come from my mom’s lips a million times. Even when I watched Dad lay her out, she'd deny what happened to her. I will not stand by and let some asshole hit a woman I care about ever again. I wasn’t able to protect my mom back then, but I will protect Emmy now.

Deciding to give her a chance to explain, I look her in the eyes. I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself down. “Tell me what happened to you.”

“I already told you. I got a new pair of heels tonight. They didn’t get good traction. I slip…“

“Tell me,” I shout, sending my fist into the sheetrock wall. “Tell me the truth.”

“I slipped,” she says in a shaky voice.

“That’s nothing but a fucking lie!” Trey shouts from the doorway. “I walked in on her talking on the phone with someone a few days ago. She said something about Jason being rough on her, and also mentioned if he tried to force her into a private room she’d kill him. All of a sudden, she comes home with a busted mouth. It’s not hard to figure out what happened.”

Emmy shoots her brother a look, obviously trying to tell him to shut up without words. Her look is all the confirmation I need. The crazy bastard did this to my woman. He hurt her, laid his hands on her. Anger pulses through me so strong that I can hear my heart beating in my ears. My mind brings me back to every time I saw my asshole father hit my mom, the way she’d protect him and lie for him.

The first time I saw Jason with his hands on her, I knew he’d be trouble. I thought I had put enough fear into him that he’d stay away from her. He wants Emmy, and he’s willing to do anything he has to do to have her. Her saying no isn’t gonna hold him off long. He’ll use his strength to get what he wants; he’s just that much of a punk. I should have taken him out the first time.

My anger rages inside of me as I clench my fists. Trying to keep from scaring Emmy, I pace across the room. “Did you ever wonder how I ended up being a fighter?”

My question draws both her and Trey’s eyes. As much time as we’ve spent together, none of us have shared our pasts. I know their parents are dead, but that’s it. Neither of them ever talk about it, and I get the feeling they wouldn’t be happy if I pried. On the other hand, I’ve told her my parents got divorced when I was a kid but nothing more. 

I make myself a cup of coffee and take the time to get myself ready. I’m about to tell them something I never tell anyone. It’s gonna be hard as hell, but I don’t really have a choice. I grab my cup and walk into the living room. I wait for them both to take a seat before I start my story. 

“I was born in a little town in Georgia. Didn’t come to Vegas until I was eleven.” My eyes look to Emmy, hoping she understands what I’m about to tell her. “My mom worked at the High Top Club on Locust Street, slinging drinks for high rollers, just to provide for us.”

Emmy pulls in a deep breath as understanding hits her. The High Top Club is a strip club. It’s not as fancy as the place Emmy works, but telling her about it is my way of letting her know that Mom was in her position once. Maybe Mom wasn’t a stripper, but I’m sure she did some things she wasn’t proud of to put food on our table. 

Not giving her a chance to interject, I go on. “She did what she had to do to put food on our table. I’m not ashamed of what she had to do. Hell, I’m proud that my mother is such a strong woman. She worked her ass off for years. Sometimes, I still wonder how she survived.”

Trey’s eyes go to Emmy, softening when they land on her. “I understand what you mean, man.”

“My dad was a sleazy motherfucker. When we lived with him, every damn day was hell. He used to beat the hell out of my mom on a regular basis, and he didn’t reserve his fists for just her, either. He spread that shit around to me and Ozzy, too,” I state, feeling my hate for him fill me. If there is a hell, that man will be burning there for eternity.

“I had no idea” Emmy whispers. 

Looking past her, I tell them the rest. “When I was eleven, he nearly beat her to death. He punctured her lung and fractured her jaw, and she ended up spending nearly a month in the hospital. When she got out, she piled me and Ozzy in her piece-of-shit car, and we got the hell out of Georgia and headed out here.”

I remember that drive; it was silent almost the whole way. None of us knew what the future held or what would happen when we got where we were going. I didn’t care, though. I just wanted away from Dad. Hell, I would have run to the other side of the earth to get Mom and Ozzy out of his reach.

I take a deep breath. “We were here for nearly a year before he found us. First time Dad pulled in the driveway, Ozzy freaked. He was so afraid, he stopped talking for days. By the time the bastard left, Mom was back in the hospital. It’s like he showed up just to prove he could, just to let us know that we couldn’t escape him.”

Letting out a deep breath, I force myself to tell them the rest. “After that, he’d show up from time to time, just to take his fists to her. It was a game to him, seeing how much shit we’d take. It stopped when I was fifteen. I took a bat to him and nearly caved his skull in. I don’t even remember most of it. I just knew I had to stop him. I couldn’t let him hurt her anymore.”

I hear an indrawn breath next to me and turn to see tears streaming down Emmy’s face. Wanting to get the look of fear off her face, I hurry to end it. “He lived, but he won’t be raising a hand to another woman.”

She scoots over to me. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she leans her forehead against mine. “I’m sorry, Kane.”

I don’t want her to be sorry. I want her to understand how serious I am about this. No one, no-fucking-one takes a hand to my woman. Even if it costs me my career, I will take the asshole down.

“I need to know the truth. Please, Emmy, because my mind is running wild right now. I’ll go crazy if you’re not honest with me,” I ask, barely able to control my voice. I haven’t felt this out of control in years. My muscles are almost spasming out of control, my nerves running wild.

She takes in a deep breath, then finally admits, “Yes, but it won’t happen again.”

I hear a smash from the other side of the room. Turning my head, I see Trey standing there shaking, and a broken lamp a few feet from him. It’s like looking into my past, a kid about to lose control.

He stares at his sister, his entire body vibrating with anger. “Damn right, it won’t happen again. I’m gonna kill him before he can lay another hand on you or anyone else.”

With those words, he turns around and starts marching for the door. Emmy pulls away from me and rushes after him. This is why she lied to us; she knew what his reaction would be. A part of me wants to let him go, proud of the man he’s becoming, but I can’t let him run off like this. I don’t know if Trey will have enough control to stop before he kills the asshole. A bigger part of me wants to be the one to lay Jason out. Following them, an idea pops in my head, and my anger dims. 

Emmy catches Trey at the door, and is pleading with him not to go. Her hands are frantically grabbing at his shirt and arms, trying to pull him back into the apartment. His anger is so extreme, her words are just flying past him. He shakes her off, slings the door open, and marches out.

I grab Emmy as she goes to follow him. “Let me get him.”

She reaches for my hand, pleading with me for help. “Don’t let him do it. Please, it’ll ruin his life. He isn’t thinking straight. This is the type of thing that will haunt him for the rest of his life. He has enough ghosts to deal with.”

I simply kiss her forehead and go after him. Reaching him before he gets to the bottom of the steps, I grab him by the shoulder and twist him around to look at me. “Listen to me before you go off half-cocked.”

“No way. I’m gonna make that bastard pay for what he did to her. If you don’t want to help, get the hell away from me.” He tries to push my arm off of him with no success.

Pulling him to me, I lean down so only he will hear my words. “He’s gonna pay, but your sister’s not gonna know about it.” My voice is hard, and the thought of vengeance has me ready to go.

He draws back and looks me in the eye. “You gonna let me help?”

“If you can get your shit together and not let your sister in on what’s going on,” I reply, letting him go. “Now, I’m gonna go back up there and make my woman start packing. You can either help me convince her that you two need to live at my house, or you can run off like an idiot and make her worry.”

Walking away, I listen until I hear his footsteps coming up behind me. Letting out a relieved breath, I step into the apartment and pull out my phone. Dialing up Ozzy, I place it to my ear. 

As soon as he answers, I start issuing orders. “Grab three or four guys
,
grab some boxes, and get over to Emmy’s.”

I hear her indrawn breath, but ignore it and listen to my brother’s response. “You finally ask her to move in?”

My eyes cut to Emmy, hoping she will see the determination in them. “Something happened, so I’m not asking. She’s moving in on her own, or I’m gonna tie her up and force her to.”

When this is over, I will make sure she’s safe. No one will ever touch her again.