Harmony (The Club Girl Diaries Book 1) (6 page)

“I dunno. I didn’t get to see it,” I pouted.

“Say what now? Why?”

“Apparently, he’s more of a cuddler,” I grumbled under my breath earning a long string of laughter from both her and Caleb for the rest of the ride to school.

I thought my performance went pretty well. I decided to play something slow, going with one of my all-time favorites ‘Tears in Heaven’ by Eric Clapton. It was the first song I learned to play on the guitar and was forever my go to song when someone asked me to play. It was sweet, soulful and simply beautiful. It’s the type of song that you can hear once and it will always stay with you.

Caleb was waiting for me outside the door to my class. Chelsea had finished an hour earlier and he’d already shot her back to the clubhouse.

I smiled at him as I walked out. “Hey.”

He threw me an acknowledging chin lift, but his eyes followed a few of the girls who walked out behind me. They giggled and whispered to each other, offering him flirting glances and eyeing me strangely as I walked up to talk to him.

There was another reason I hated the idea of having a tail for the week. I didn’t like the attention that it bought. I knew some students already had a fair idea of where I lived and what I did. It wasn’t as though I tried to hide it. Boys had asked me out before. Turning them down was a lot easier when I explained who would come after them if I said yes.

I wasn’t ashamed of the life I led. Not at all. Girls went to college and spent their years sleeping around and hooking up with guys all the time. They went to parties every weekend and went home with a new piece of ass. A lot of the time it was normal – just another part of college life.

I, on the other hand, had a clubhouse full of men. Yes, I slept with them, and yes, I partied a lot. But those men protected me. They supported me, and not only with money. And, for the most part, they cared about my well-being. How many college girls could say they have a group people that were willing to have someone follow you night and day, just to make sure that you were safe?

I didn’t give a rat’s ass what they thought of me. They weren’t my friends. Their opinions of me held no significance. They could all take their dirty looks and snide whispers and shove them where the sun don’t shine.

The clubhouse was reasonably empty when we got back. Caleb took off to catch up on the stuff he should’ve been doing while he was waiting at school for me and Chelsea. Even though Optimus had put orders on him to be with us, that didn’t mean he could slack on his other shit.

Ah, the life of a prospect.

Most of the men had gone out. Caleb informed us that Optimus wanted to show Kit and his boys some of the businesses they had running. One was in Huntsville, about a half an hour away, close to where we went to school. It was a huge nightclub. The club had opened it only six months ago and things were booming. It was popular and the club paid good money for well-known DJ’s to come in and do their stuff.

The club also owned a couple of other places around town, bars, and a diner, along with X-Rated. They preferred to be silent owners though, hiring people they trusted to manage the sites and do the work. A lot of people in the town of Athens, where the club was based, didn’t like the Brothers. They thought they were thugs. Gang members who rode motorcycles. In Huntsville, they were more like small-time celebrities.

I couldn’t say much about the inner workings of the club. That was all kept for members only and never discussed with club girls. We didn’t exactly get pillow talk. What I did know was that a generous amount of the club’s money came from legal businesses. There were a lot of other things that went on in the background, but these guys weren’t your average criminals. They were good at what they did and they were also good at keeping their mouths shut about it.

There was a knock on my door just as I’d sat down to relax for a bit and watch a movie. Sometimes it was hard to find down time here. I took it when I could.

“Come in,” I called. Part of me hoped it was Kit standing on the other side of the door. Even though we hadn’t had sex and he had barely touched me, I found I enjoyed his company. It was strange to have someone just want to sit and talk to me at a party. The men usually demanded my attention in other ways.

It was refreshing.

Target stood in the doorway with a cocky smile. “Hey, Harmony.”

I bit back the urge to tell him to go find someone else to spread their legs. But since his little performance the other day, we hadn’t had any problems.

“Hey.”

He walked in and closed the door behind him. “I just wanted to come say sorry about shit.” He walked right up and stood next to the bed where I was sitting. I didn’t have a lot of faith in his words, so I stayed seated in the middle of my bed, watching him cautiously. “Come here.”

I paused for a moment before following his instructions and moving to the edge of the bed. He placed a hand on my shoulder, effectively stopping me from standing and it was then I realized he wasn’t here to say sorry. He just had an itch and he was going to make me scratch it, even though he knew I still wanted nothing to do with him. Looking up into his eyes, I saw something there that I didn’t like. It was almost as though he was trying to cover a sneer with a polite smile. It sent shivers through my body. The kind you get when you watch a scary movie and you know something bad is about to happen.

He released my shoulders and my eyes followed as he unzipped his pants and pulled his cock into his hand. It was already hard. He tugged on it a few times before wrapping his hand around my hair and gripping tightly.

“Suck on it like a good little girl.”

It wasn’t very often during my time at the clubhouse that I had felt apprehensive about being sexual with any of the Brothers. Target was the only one of the men who made me feel like I was doing something wrong. I didn’t want to touch him, but I also didn’t want to piss him off. The grip he had on my hair was painful. It burned and made my eyes start to water.

I never heard the door click open, but what I couldn’t miss was the voice that boomed loudly in my small room.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“Get your fucking hands off her,” I growled, my body shaking with anger.

Target released his grip on Harmony’s hair and she scooted across the bed to the other side. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears, but like the trooper she was she gallantly glared across the room.

“Hey Brother,” Target said casually, slipping his pathetic cock back in his pants and holding his hands in the air. “I just came to apologize to Harmony about some shit that happened the other day and she wanted to show me how sorry she was. I couldn’t help it man. I was trying to hold her off.”

“You bastard,” Harmony yelled as she picked up a heavy textbook off the bed and threw it at him. The girl’s aim was fucking perfect and I had to hide a smirk as the book hit him in the side of the head, throwing him off balance. His fists clenched as he righted himself and pointed across at her with his finger.

“You better watch yourself, bitch.”

“Enough,” I boomed. “Outside, fucker.”

I saw his wary gaze as he turned to me. “This shit was all her, man.”

I saw the rage and determination on Harmony’s face as she moved around the bed toward him. I gripped her around the waist as she tried to shuffle past me and held onto her tight while she kicked and yelled abuse at the slimy little bastard.

“The fuck is going on here?” Optimus said, moving into the small doorway with a deep scowl on his face.

“Your boy there just earned himself an ass-beating for touching something that belongs to me,” I explained calmly, still trying to hold a struggling Harmony.

“Prez…” Target started, but Optimus shut him down quickly.

“Shut your mouth, Target,” he snapped. “Harmony, calm your ass down!”

Harmony glared at Optimus but stopped fighting in my arms. I turned her toward me and cupped her face in my hand. A few stray tears trickled down her cheek.

“Explain,” I ordered softly.

“He came to
me
. Telling me to suck his cock and shit.”

“Prez—” Target tried again.

“I said, shut your fucking mouth.”

My focus was on Harmony. I could see her eyes blazing with anger. I knew Harmony was telling the truth, but I could tell she was scared I wasn’t going to believe her. She knew without a witness, Brothers all had the power of their word over club girls. Your Brothers are meant to be the ones you can trust without fault. They are the ones who are supposed to have your back. But I think Optimus and I both knew Harmony wouldn’t lie about this shit. She had no reason to.

I wiped a stray tear and turned her toward the bathroom. “Go clean up. I’m going to deal with this.” She looked at me over her shoulder, a fierce look on her face. But she soon nodded and headed toward the bathroom, closing the door after her. I didn’t miss a beat. As soon as that door was shut I spun toward Target, who was glaring at the space where Harmony had disappeared. “Outside, asshole.
Now
.”

He stormed from the room. I didn’t miss the way he shoved past me. I may not be
his
president, but I was a Brothers by Blood President and the lack of disrespect from this little shit was insulting.

Optimus wiped his hand down his face and groaned in frustration. “What do you think?”

“I think he knew exactly what he was doing and the fucker’s going to get what’s coming,” I muttered.

Optimus nodded. “Target’s been causing a lot of issues lately. There’s been complaints from the girls at X-Rated about him trying to touch them and shit while he’s on his shift.”

I slammed my hand against the wall. “That little fucker was at Church this morning. I made it fucking loud and clear that
no one
would be touching Harmony while I was around.
She is mine.
”

“You did what?” a soft voice whispered.

I turned to see her standing in the doorway to the bathroom. Her cheeks were still flushed with anger, but her eyes were now widened with shock.

“I’ll catch up with the little shit soon,” I said, not taking my eyes away from her. Staring her down and challenging her to say something about what she’d just heard.

“Yeah, Brother.” Optimus patted me on the back and left, closing the door behind him.

Harmony stood silently, just staring at me. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, but words never came out.

“You got something to say, say it,” I said sternly, folding my arms across my body.

“Why?”

“Why?” I repeated, baiting her. The wide eyes soon turned to deep slits as she became frustrated with me.

“Yes.
Why,
Kit?”

“Because I’m not gonna sit around and watch all these men be all over you and treating you like a whore.”

A dark laugh escaped her. “News flash, Kit. That’s exactly what I am. That’s what I have been for the past three years and that’s probably what I’ll be for the foreseeable future. That is if Optimus doesn’t throw me out on my fucking ass thanks to Target,” she said the man’s name with venom in her tone.

I moved forward and began to circle her like a predator. She was my prey. I wanted to sink my teeth into her and watch her writhe under me. She stared straight ahead and bit down hard on her lip. She’d said too much and now she realized that she had run her mouth and that it could possibly get her into trouble.

I stood at her back and leaned forward tucking her hair over her shoulder and my lips brushed her ear, but her body didn’t waver. “Is that what you want? To be a fucking whore for the rest of your life?” She didn’t answer, so I tried a different tact. I moved in front of her so I could read her eyes. “Forget the club rules about staying silent and not talking back to a Brother. In this room right now, I’m giving you the chance to say what you fucking like. No repercussions.” She raised a brow slightly but continued to bite and suck her lip into her mouth, like she was holding back her words. “Your only chance, Harmony. Right now. That’s all you fucking get.”

“No,” she gritted out between her teeth.

I leaned back against the closed door. “No, what?”

“No, I don’t want to be a whore for the rest of my life!” She screwed up her face like she had a bad taste in her mouth.

Now we were getting somewhere. “Then why the fuck are you so upset about me taking claim to you?”

“You claim me? Yet you will barely even touch me! I’d rather you just fucked me and walk away.”

I felt anger bubble in my stomach. “So you want me to treat you like a whore?”

She shrugged and I could see the fight starting to leave her body. “Men take what they want and then they walk away. It’s what I know. It’s what I’ve always known. You start throwing the word claim around and shit-like feelings begin to get involved. That’s how people get hurt.”

“You been hurt before? Had your heart broken?”

A gentle smile crossed her lips and she moved to sit at the edge of the bed. “No. I haven’t. Because I live by what I say. I don’t want to be owned. I’m happy doing what I’m doing.”

I stepped forward, sick of dancing around this crap. “My claim still stands. While you’re with me you don’t touch the other men.”

She pursed her lips and I waited for the retort, but it never came. This was exactly why my need for her was so strong. I’d given her time to have her say and she’d said it. But in the end, she knows my word is law and she kept her pretty little mouth shut.

“And when you leave in a few days?”

“Cross that bridge when we come to it, babe.”

She nodded, but I didn’t like the look of defeat on her face. Being claimed by a Brother was an honor, but Harmony was too busy worrying about her damn feelings to let go and explore our connection. There was a connection there, I felt it. I was a little pissed at Optimus for keeping her as a club whore for so damn long, when it was pretty obvious she was Old Lady material. She loved the club, she followed the rules, and she respected the men.

That being said, “I think it’s time I made you realize why being mine is going to be so damn good.”