Vertical by Kilby Blades

Author:Kilby Blades [Blades, Kilby]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781733867443
Publisher: Luxe Publishing

Shutting myself into my room fails to bring me solace. But things could be going much, much worse. They could have been bluffing about taking me back to the Velvet Room to dance—could have taken me to some barren patch of desert, shot me point-blank and dug me a shallow grave. They could have questioned me, Guantanamo-style. They could have assumed Cara to be an accomplice, and questioned her. I could have died alone, without ever again having seen Avi.

Avi.

God, do I still love that man. But, what a mess I’m in with him. I can start with my traitorous body. Every other time I’ve stepped up to the pole, I’ve been dancing for myself. Bel had taught me how to let it feed my own sexiness and tune everyone else out.

But, today, I’d danced for him—it’s the first time I’ve ever wanted to deliver on the tease—my first time really and truly dancing for a man. It’s heady intoxication—knowing the spell I have him under, yet being, at the same time, enthralled.

But it isn't just the attraction—the visceral reaction that my body always has when it comes near his, amped up by pasties, slow music and a pole. By bringing him into this mess, I’ve opened a Pandora's box on everything I haven’t been coping with. For months, I’ve gotten by on sheer avoidance.

I’ve made a litany of excuses for not explaining my betrayal. Why rehearse an explanation for someone I don’t plan to see? Why reach out to him, when he knows where I am if he wants to talk? Why burden him with my guilt—doesn’t he have a right to peace?

What I’ll have to face next, after the op is over, is the second baffling piece of all this: that, even as I’d been busy doubting him, he’d been on his way. Not only shown up for me, but come from Sydney, no less. How fucked up am I for repaying his attempts to get me out of this mess by pulling him deeper in?

Loud knocking on the door rouses me from my thoughts. That has to be Cara swinging by to walk with me to get some food in the employee dining room. The one thing we've agreed on is that we'll start buddying up, for safety’s sake. As far as Cara knows, there really is someone, somewhere in here drugging workers. As far as I know, they may pull anything again if they get me alone.

"Come in! I'm still changing."

That is a lie. I haven’t even started. But I do want to put on jeans and a sweater. With my looks, it’s hard not to draw attention to myself. Given what happened with Vernon, I think it wise to draw as little attention to myself as possible from here on out. I wonder again where Vernon is now.

"Are you decent?" comes Darron's deep voice.

In place of answering, I grab my sweater and stride the short distance to the door. I crane my neck to see whether he is alone or came with trouble.

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