Lachlan told me when I started that I could always come to him if I had a problem with a guy, and he’d take care of it. But I guess after Donny started harassing me, I took that option off the table completely. I had trouble discerning where the boundaries actually lay. And I just kept telling myself that I hated this place so much I would be glad to be gone.
Looking at the familiar surroundings now though, I get a little emotional. This place is like some sort of big fucked up family. You have your competitive sisters and the guys that you go to when you need help, and then of course the creepy uncles. What family would be complete without the creepy uncles, anyhow?
I don’t know.
I don’t even know what I’m thinking. But when I rummage through my outfits, I decide I want to go out with a bang. I may not be the most popular dancer, or the prettiest, or even the one with the best moves. But I’ve worked the stage long enough to know what I do have, and how to work with it.
I change into a black jewel studded wrap around bikini set with thigh high black leather boots. It’s more daring than my usual outfits. I tend to go with simpler themes. Items that are easy to maneuver in and easy to take off. But tonight deserves something special.
So on that note, I spend extra time on my hair and makeup. I do a smoky eye and a red lip and curl my long hair until it’s smooth and sleek and falls softly down my back. All the while, I’m thinking about my song selection. I don’t know if Ronan’s going to be here tonight. But the songs I choose are a reflection of him. The only way I know how to say goodbye.
Flyleaf’s Set Me on Fire and All Around Me followed by Starset’s My Demons.
I hand them off to the emcee before my set. And then I have a 7UP to settle my nerves while I watch Jasmine perform. The room doesn’t look any fuller, even after another hour has passed, and I have to wonder what’s going on. Of course I can’t actually ask Lachlan, because even though him and Mack couldn’t take a honeymoon yet, I highly doubt he’s here the night after his wedding.
Jasmine comes backstage, and the emcee makes my introduction with an entire spiel about this being my last performance. The music comes on, and I lose myself in the motions. My body and mind are tired, but right now, I’ve never felt stronger. I pull off all of my best moves and focus on the lyrics as each song flows into the next.
The men are cheering me on, and I feel good. I feel light. Like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. Tonight, in this moment, there is no shame or filthy thoughts running through my mind. I just feel… free.
And then everything changes in the blink of an eye.
I barely have time to grasp what the commotion is about before someone tackles me and hoists me over their shoulder. When I open my eyes and my head stops spinning, my face is dangling down towards a pair of strong, muscular legs wrapped in nice trousers. A pair of legs I know well.
It isn’t until the music cuts off that I realize he’s yelling at one of the guys in the audience, all the while I’m tossed over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Ronan?” I squeak. “Put me down!”
His grip only grows stronger. “I’ll fucking kill ye if you ever look at her like that again,” he snarls.
His muscles are rippling with rage, pulling at the seams of his suit. He’s itching with the urge to kill.
“What the bleeding hell is going on in here?” Lachlan’s voice filters through the low din.
I try to crane my neck to see him, but I can’t. Ronan’s grip on me is so tight, I can’t even wiggle an inch.
“He’s having a wank right there in the bloody pit,” Ronan shouts. “He was looking at her…”
His words are coming out broken and in between bursts of harsh breaths.
“My woman,” he says. “He tried to touch her… and…”
“Alright, caveman,” Lachlan says. “We get it, she’s yours. Now fuck off out of here. I’ll sort out the lad.”
Ronan hesitates for a moment longer, and even though I can’t see his face, I know his eyes are burning into whoever was staring at me. I worry that he’s taking mental notes on who he’s going to kill later. But then he turns around and carries me towards the back. And before we slip through the curtain and my humiliation is complete, I catch sight of Lachlan grinning. And then the bastard winks at me. He fucking winks.
Because he set this up. Set me up.
He knew Ronan would come in tonight, and he wanted him to see me. But I honestly could never have predicted the reaction I’m getting right now.
He takes me down the hall and finds the door to the basement. My head jerks with every step, and I try unsuccessfully to wiggle free one more time. When he finally stops at the bottom of the stairs, he doesn’t even let me go. He just slides me down the front of his body and grips my ass with his palms before dropping me into a kneeling position before him.