Naughty Friend Buys My Silence Ch. 11

March 6, 2021

DISCLAIMER: All characters engaging in sexual conduct are 18 years or older, and legally permitted to engage in such activities, irrespective of pet names used for each other.

NOTE: So I've recently begun posting Innocent Devil's Harem on RoyalRoad (a website similar to Scribblehub and Lit), and if you happen to already have a RR account, then I would love if you could visit the story over there and leave a rating, as well as upvoting/downvoting the reviews you feel like are most helpful.

Just leaving stars is fine, no need to leave a written review.

(And if you don't have a RR account, then definitely don't worry about it.)

I ask only because 'review bombing' is a huge problem on RoyalRoad, and the rating was doing great until about a week ago, when I had over ten drive-by bad ratings (probably coming from the same 'group' of review-bombers, because often it's an organized thing).

Otherwise, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

<< Chapter 10 | Chapter 1

- CHAPTER 11: Drama -

- SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19: Late Evening -

As I watched the redhead stripper goddess leave in a hurry to get to the back dressing room, I actually paid attention this time to see where she went, since I hadn’t seen where she came from originally, nor had I seen where Amber and Sarah had gone to get backstage.

I was actually both surprised and unsurprised when Victoria slipped through a door right next to the DJ, who was really just a college guy with his computer hooked up to the speakers. Of course, it made sense that they’d want to have someone close to the door to ensure no unauthorized individuals entered, but I also realized that I never would have suspected the unmarked entrance led anywhere other than a closet.

But clearly it didn’t lead to a closet at all.

Despite the fact that Victoria had been a little deceptive, by claiming that Amber sent her out to ‘entertain me,’ when in reality she just wanted to pry information out of me about how my ‘girlfriend’ was doing, I couldn’t stop the image of her physical appearance from feeling like it was branded in my mind.

Her black PVC thigh-high boots, black vinyl pleated mini-skirt with matching top, coupled with the transparent hoodie, along with the shiny red thong straps on her hips, the cute navel piercing, and the butterfly tramp-stamp between the dimples on her lower back…

Never mind her thick vibrant red hair that hung in heavy curls around her shoulders, as well as her gorgeous blue eyes, angelic face, cute nose, full lips, delicate jawline, slim neck, and then every little adorable mannerism she did, like her little head tilts and even just the way she held herself while sitting in a chair, her hands politely folded in her lap, looking like a cute little fuck toy just waiting to be…

Well, fucked, of course.

Waiting to be played with, waiting to be used, just like a living fuck doll.

Shit, I had it bad.

I had it so so bad.

I knew a lot of what Victoria did was intentional, since she was an entertainer and was obviously an expert at offering the fantasy that guys expected to be fed at a place like this, but damn.

I’d never met anyone so erotic in my entire life, and that was saying a lot, considering how sexy my blonde older friend was. I mean, Amber was practically perfection in every way, but holy fuck was there definitely someone else tied for the number one spot on ‘sexiest human alive.’

Then again, I had to admit that I’d only recently seen a side of Amber that I likely never would have experienced if it were not from coming to a place like this, although she was plenty erotic outside of a strip club as well.

As I thought about my conversation with Victoria again, vividly recalling all the gestures and facial expressions she made as if I’d seen them all my life, I didn’t even realize I was staring into space, having forgotten my burger and fries, still focused on the door where she left, until I saw Sarah pop her head out, looking extremely concerned.

Glancing at the stage briefly, I knew there was no one dancing on it, but I’d been so deep in thought that I had no idea how much time had passed, which meant I was uncertain if the empty stage should mean anything at this point.

Still, I wasn’t going to take the chance, finding myself on my feet before I’d even fully realized what I was doing.

Sarah stepped out of the doorway, wearing her slutty school uniform again, including tiny white top and plaid skirt, appearing to focus on the DJ as if she was planning on getting his attention. However, I was busting ass as I zipped through the tables, her catching sight of me before she had a need to speak to him, with me starting to suspect she was specifically looking for me.

“Hey, everything okay?” I asked seriously.

She sort of did a weird uneven nod, only to take a step toward me and stumble.

“Hey,” I exclaimed as I dashed forward to catch her, just barely keeping her on her feet.

“Tanksss,” she slurred, looking like she was struggling to focus on me.

“Shit, you’ve had too much to drink.”

She shook her head, only to sway against me. “No, I am…okay.” She grinned. “Sorryyy. Hazel…” She laughed, a big grin spreading on her face. “Hazel,” she chuckled, like suddenly that stage name was super funny.

“Here, come on,” I quickly said as I pulled her against my side to walk her back through the door, knowing we were going to start drawing too much attention if we stayed here much longer. I then continued speaking once we were inside the dimly lit hallway, which was much brighter further down and to the left. “Now, what about Hazel?”

She chuckled again. “Wants to talk…” She paused to poke me in the chest at her eye level. “To you!” she said cheerfully.

I sighed, not having a good feeling about this.

Continuing to hold Sarah close to me, her head pressed against the side of my chest, I walked her down the hall and around the corner to an obvious changing room with all kinds of costumes and props laid out. Honestly, I kind of expected to encounter someone right away, even if just the supposed ‘house mom,’ but there was no one in sight.

Like, the place looked deserted, and I strongly doubted the two girls had gone back on stage in the ten seconds that I’d been back here.

Sarah immediately had wide eyes when we entered the room, and she looked around the place like she was seeing it for the first time. “Woah!” she exclaimed. “So bright in here!”

I rolled my eyes, glad she was at least speaking clear for the most part. “Where are they?” I wondered seriously.

She pointed to another door, so I went ahead and had Sarah sit in a chair, being firm about telling her to stay.

She only giggled. “I’m your slut, so I guess I have to,” she chuckled.

“Yeah, you have to. Don’t go anywhere at all. Even if you have to pee, stay right here.”

She nodded, her head drooping unexpectedly from the motion, only for her to jerk upward again like she almost fell asleep.

Shit, she definitely had too much to drink, especially considering how tiny she was. I’d probably have to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn’t like puke and suffocate or something, like in the event she was so drunk that she couldn’t roll over in her sleep. I had no idea how common that was, but knew it was definitely a thing.

But that was fine. I didn’t have a problem with taking care of her and overall just babying her.

However, first, I needed to figure out where Amber was.

Heading straight for the metal door, I knocked on it briefly before opening up, surprised to discover her sitting on a bench in a small locker room, her light green eyes tight as she initially focused on someone else.

She had been wearing a gypsy outfit when she was on stage, doing belly dances and shit, but now she was in what looked like a shiny PVC biker jacket, a shiny metallic pink tube-top, and a matching pair of booty shorts with vinyl boots that only went up to her knees.

Of course, she looked up at me when I opened the door.

Swinging it a bit wider, I then laid eyes on Victoria, seeing her in the same outfit as before, but sitting hunched over on another bench, tears streaming down her face, looking absolutely miserable as if she’d been crying for a solid five minutes.

I gave Amber my attention. “Hey, what’s going on? What’s wrong?”

She sighed heavily, averting her light green gaze. “Come in and close the door.”

I took a step back really quick, just to doublecheck to make sure Sarah didn’t look like she was going anywhere, before doing as she asked and closing the door behind me.

The moment I did, Amber blurted out the issue.

“She knows,” she said simply.

My eyes widened in shock, wondering if she was saying what I thought she was saying.

“What do you mean she knows?” I asked seriously.

Amber glanced at the person in question, who appeared to be remaining silent for now, only to sigh. “Vicki caught sight of you when we first arrived, and figured out who you were right away. Even approached me about it, and apparently didn’t listen when I told her to drop it,” she said firmly, glaring at Victoria. She then took a deep breath, focusing up at me. “Which means, your conversation with her was very insightful.”

Fuck.

Oh, shit. This was bad.

I mean, it must be bad, right? Because obviously it seemed as if Amber didn’t trust this person enough to not say anything to our families, or to otherwise keep her mouth shut. Like, obviously I’d done my part in playing Amber’s boyfriend, but if Victoria knew who I really was, and was aware we actually lived together in the same house, then no doubt this was potentially opening ourselves up to a lot of problems. Especially if the wrong people found out.

I knew I might have overshared with her once she indicated that Amber hadn’t actually sent her out to entertain me, but I never would have imagined that she was aware of the situation the whole time. And fuck, I’d been pretty honest with this chick about the fact that my ‘girlfriend’ and I had fucked and been intimate with each other.

I’d even gone so far as to admit I’d only fucked two women in my entire life, and they were both on stage!

Yeah, if she wasn’t trustworthy, then this was really bad. Although I kind of wondered if the whole misunderstanding and ensuing fallout between them might actually be tainting Amber’s perception of how big of a deal this was.

Because it wasn’t like Victoria was a saint herself, so doubtful she cared what we did, or even saw a problem with it.

I spoke up before my thoughts even caught up with me. “Okay, first of all,” I began seriously, directing my words at Amber. “I don’t want you being mad at me, because I played the part I thought I was supposed to be playing.”

Amber looked up at me in surprise, only to grimace. “I’m not mad at you. It’s just…”

Victoria sniffled then, reaching up to wipe her eyes. “I…” She sucked in a ragged breath. “I would never tell anyone,” she whispered. “I’d never…” Her voice trailed off.

“That’s not the point!” Amber blurted out, finally sounding pissed. “Do you realize the situation this puts us in?! If you even open your damn mouth to one person, then it might spread like wildfire. And it’s a big enough deal that it could even affect my dad’s job, even though they moved!”

“Okay, hold up,” I nearly snapped, stopping her before she could continue. “This is obviously a problem, especially if you don’t trust her with this information, but now is not the time or place to discuss it.”

Amber seemed surprised by the authority in my voice, only to scoff. “What’s there to discuss?” she asked seriously, definitely sounding angry and showing the one side of her that I wasn’t a fan of -- the irrationally pissed side.

I sighed, deciding to change my tone, since I knew how she was. “Amber, let’s just take her home with us,” I suggested.

“Huh?” both women immediately said in unison, looking confused as hell.

But honestly, I was starting to doubt that this redhead being trustworthy was the real issue here. Amber just didn’t like that someone could potentially blackmail her with this. She didn’t like that she had to trust someone else to keep their mouth shut, finding it easier to just keep it a secret from everyone.

I focused on Victoria. “Do you have other plans tonight?” I asked seriously. “Anything you can’t cancel?”

She sniffled, trying to wipe her eyes again. “Well, no but…”

“Hey seriously,” Amber said in confusion. “What do you think you’re doing just inviting her over like that?”

I gave her a firm look again, deciding not to point out that it was my house to begin with. “You guys need to talk,” I replied evenly. “About a lot of stuff, actually, because there’s a huge misunderstanding that’s going on, and I can’t get in the middle of it without overstepping boundaries, so you two need to figure it out.”

Amber’s light green eyes widened at that, glancing at Victoria and then back at me. “What misunderstanding?” she said hesitantly, a slight edge to her tone.

“Look,” I quickly continued, knowing she would make it a point to discuss it now if the subject got breached. “Sarah’s staying over at our place anyway, so let’s just make it a big ol’ sleepover, so you guys can figure some stuff out. Because you used to be best friends, right?”

Amber and Victoria immediately glanced at each other, with Victoria looking especially vulnerable, before the sexy blonde focused up at me again hesitantly. “Umm, yeah, we were.” She paused, glancing at her friend again. “And I kind of wish we still were,” she added, showing an uncommon moment of vulnerability.

“Really?” Victoria said in sincere surprise, the hopefulness in her tone unmistakable.

Amber sighed. “Yeah, I do.”

“Okay,” I quickly said, before the conversation could get any more detailed. “So that’s what we’ll do. This place is not a good spot to talk about this stuff, but you guys do need to talk tonight. Okay?” I said to Amber.

She nodded, her brow slightly furrowed.

“And Victoria,” I continued, a hint of firmness back in my tone. “You need to be honest, okay?” I then stood up straighter and crossed my arms. “Assuming what you told me was all true.”

She immediately grimaced, seeming to shrink even more on the bench. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Of course, I assumed she was apologizing for deceiving me in the first place, since I couldn’t imagine what she told me regarding her and Amber was a lie. In the meantime, Amber was just looking back and forth between us in sincere confusion, obviously trying to understand what she was missing.

I relaxed a little and pulled out my phone, checking the time. I then focused on my sexy blonde friend. “Okay, so it’s about midnight. How late did you plan on staying? Because if we’re going to stay for another couple of hours, then you two need to put this aside for now so you can finish out the night.”

Victoria finally reached up to wipe her eyes again, sitting up a little straighter as well. “I should really stay,” she said quietly. “Mike will be pissed if I leave this early.”

Amber scoffed. “You’re not exactly a normal employee, Vicki. You should be able to come and go however you want. You get paid in tips, not an hourly wage.”

The sexy redhead sighed. “Yeah, but you know how it is. Would be different if there were other girls here.”

I decided to chime back in. “Maybe we could just stay for another hour,” I suggested, focusing mostly on Victoria. “Just tell Mike the three of you will each do one more dance, maybe separated by like ten minutes or something, and then you’ve got to go.”

Amber scoffed at that. “Sarah’s too tipsy to be of any use now. I wish I’d realized she was drinking so much, or else I would have stopped her before it got out of hand.” She sighed. “Didn’t think it would be a problem with me introducing her as eighteen. Should have known better.”

“She is pretty small,” I countered. “Probably wouldn’t even take a full beer to get her hammered.”

Amber grinned at that, though there wasn’t much amusement in her expression from the obvious stress she felt over this situation.

“So then?” I prompted.

Amber and Victoria exchanged a long glance again, before Amber sighed. “Just tell Mike that you and I will each do one more dance, and then you can follow us back to our house.”

“You sure?” Victoria said hesitantly.

“Yeah, I’m sure,” she replied confidently. “And we’ll talk,” she added, only to glance up at me. “About everything.”

I had no idea what she meant by that, if she was just implying they’d be discussing our semi-taboo relationship, or she was actually implying that she and I needed to talk too, but knew now wasn’t the time to try clarifying.

“Alright,” I sighed. “Then I guess I’ll babysit Sarah while you do your last couple of dances, and we’ll head out.”

Victoria finally stood up, sniffling again. “I need to make a quick trip to the restroom, and then I’ll talk to Mike.”

Amber sighed. “Alright, then I guess I’ll get ready to do my next dance, and then we’ll wait for you to finish up yours.”

Victoria nodded, hesitating like she wanted to say something, but then deciding against it as she slipped by me to head to the bathroom. Unsurprisingly, she kept her blue eyes averted and wouldn’t meet my gaze, looking visibly ashamed by the fact that she’d deceived me. Which I felt like might be a good sign. I mean, if she wasn’t sincerely sorry for breaking my trust, then I felt like she wouldn’t be looking upset to this extreme.

More than upset, it was obvious she felt like she’d fucked everything up, and felt miserable that she couldn’t easily fix it.

Giving Amber one last look, I slipped back out into the main dressing room area, leaving the door partially open, thankful that Sarah hadn’t snuck away anywhere. Quite the opposite, it looked like she’d fallen asleep, having leaned her head forward against a counter and just passed out.

I’d seen some guys on my floor come back drunk after a long night of partying, and I didn’t feel like Sarah was that intoxicated, but it was hard to tell. Like, she was a bit unsteady, and obviously slap-happy, but could mostly speak clearly and obviously made her way out to try to get me, even having enough sense to attempt to approach the DJ so he could find me.

But then, at the same time, falling asleep in her current position made it look like she was hammered to the extreme.

I supposed I’d know for sure, if she ended up puking before the night was done.

Deciding to grab a small trashcan and pull up a seat next to her, I carefully rested my hand on her slim upper back, gently feeling her shoulder blades through the thin white top, a little surprised that the material actually was as smooth as silk, despite not looking shiny.

Sarah immediately jolted from the touch, only to groan as she pushed herself up in her seat, a big red mark on her forehead from the counter, leaning more toward me and into my warm hand. Her bright blue eyes then opened groggily as she sniffled, turning her eyes up toward me with a desperate expression.

“Please,” she begged, still looking half asleep, almost sounding like she was dreaming. “Please hold me.” She sniffled, her tone becoming even more pitiful. “Please.”

Stunned by her intensity, I just stared at her for a second, surprised when she sniffled again and reached out to grab a small fistful of my shirt, beginning to tug as if she was starting to try to pull herself into my lap, only to just end up leaning more toward me.

“Please,” she said even more desperately, sounding like her heart was literally breaking.

Sighing, I carefully reached out with my other hand and began pulling her into my lap, readjusting her so I could get her head on my shoulder while her tiny ass rested on my thighs, the plaid skirt getting caught so that her thong-covered butt was directly on my black pants.

Once in my arms, she immediately turned her face more into my chest, rubbing back and forth briefly before whimpering with her eyes closed. And then she was quiet, her brow furrowing just briefly every few seconds, her small fist still holding tightly onto my shirt, but otherwise appearing sound asleep.

After a few more seconds, her fingers finally relaxed some, even if she was still holding on.

Hearing a big heavy sigh in the locker room, I looked up over my shoulder when Amber finally got up and then stepped out of the doorway. She immediately met my gaze, an uncertain look in her light green eyes, before glancing away.

“I love you,” I whispered sincerely.

She focused on me again, only to take another deep breath and walk over.

Once she was standing close enough that her huge tits were practically in my face, covered in that metallic pink tube-top, she glanced at Sarah in my arms briefly before reaching out to gently stroke her fingers through my hair, her eyes tight, but a slight affection in them.

“I love you,” she whispered. “And I’m sorry.”

“For what?” I wondered hesitantly.

She sighed heavily. “I should have told you not to pretend you were my boyfriend with her. I was just stressed when she asked about it, surprised she figured it out so easily, and between that and me trying to focus on getting ready to dance, I just felt too overwhelmed.” She took a deep breath. “Plus, I didn’t think she’d go find you and try talking. She’s been so distant in the last year, or so, that I didn’t think she really cared enough to pry more into it. Especially since she’s not normally the gossip type, looking for a juicy story. Like, for the first hour we were here, she seemed to let it go entirely and was just acting normal.” She frowned. “And then she ‘ran off to the bathroom,’ and I was so focused on Sarah that I didn’t realize she never returned.”

“Victoria cares a lot about you,” I admitted, prompting her eyes to widen. “More so than she seems to be willing to admit. I don’t think she was looking for information to gossip about.”

Amber just shook her head. “That doesn’t even make sense. If she cares so much, then why…” Her voice trailed off as she sighed heavily.

“You just need to talk to her,” I replied. “And yeah, knowing you, you’ll probably think this is all stupid when you realize what’s going on, but I think it’s important you put in the effort to try to reconcile with her. Because I think she really needs you, Amber. She needs her best friend.”

She took another deep breath, only to abruptly look up.

I glanced over my shoulder too, seeing that Victoria was standing just at the entrance to the room from the hallway, looking more collected now even though her expression was obviously embarrassed. Like, I wasn’t entirely sure, but I felt like she might have heard part of our conversation.

“Umm,” Victoria said hesitantly, clearing her throat. “Mike wasn’t too thrilled, but he understands. He actually wanted me to tell you that he said ‘thanks’ for coming out, and that you’re welcome anytime.”

Amber scoffed at that, her mood seeming to lighten some. “Oh, I’m sure he’d love to have me work here again, but I’m not really interested.” She paused then, her expression a little vulnerable a second time. “I only did this because you asked,” she admitted quietly. “Because you needed me.”

Victoria stared at her in shock, before nodding as her expression pained slightly. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“You’re welcome,” Amber replied simply, only to focus on me as she affectionately rubbed her fingers through my hair again, not at all seeming concerned that we had an audience, who was now very much aware of how big of a deal it would be if our families found out. “Wish you could see my last dance,” she said warmly to me.

“You can always dance for me at home,” I whispered.

She grinned at that, only to abruptly lean down and kiss me tenderly on the forehead. “I think I will,” she agreed cheerfully, only to take a deep breath. “Now, I need to get out there, so I can earn a few more tips for you before the night is done.”

Oh shit, I’d almost forgotten she was planning on giving me most of the money, suddenly realizing that some of the things she did, like rubbing her tits in the guy’s faces, might actually have been something she specifically did for me, knowing she could make a lot more offering that, as opposed to just dancing.

I mean, shit, I had no idea how much she expected to make, but I wouldn’t have been surprised if I found out she nearly doubled her money by doing that.

When Amber finally walked away a second later, I glanced over at Victoria to see that her face was bright red, seeming frozen in place after the display of affection Amber had just shown me.

“You cool with all this?” I finally wondered, wanting to at least make sure she wasn’t going to have a problem with keeping our secret.

She looked even more embarrassed as she spoke up. “Yes,” she squeaked, only to try to clear her throat. “It’s actually…” She visibly gulped. “Well, really hot,” she admitted. “Since you two practically grew up together and all. And since you’re now living together.”

Damn, she really did know the whole situation.

I stared at her for a second, before grinning. “Think so?” I said cheerfully.

She could only nod, her face still very flushed.

However, after a few seconds, her full lips parted slightly, looking like she was going to say something again, only to turn her head away, her azure eyes pained.

“What’s up?” I wondered casually, almost forgetting we sort of had a little issue between us.

She shook her head, looking even more upset.

“Did I do something to lose your trust?” I wondered, indirectly pointing out that she’d spoken pretty freely with me not long ago.

She finally sighed, unexpectedly looking really frustrated. “Well, I was going to say ‘sorry’ again, but I’m not sure what the point is if you’re never going to forgive me anyway.”

I was surprised by the brief outburst, knowing this was really her, a girl who had fucked up and felt miserable about it, and was frustrated because she didn’t know how to fix it, knowing she might have ruined things forever.

My tone was gentle as I responded. “Hey,” I said softly, prompting her to focus on me, her expression still reserved. “I’m not saying I won’t forgive you, but you put me in a situation that could have been really bad. Especially with how Amber can be.”

Her blue eyes pained again. “I know,” she said quietly. “And I’m really sorry.”

“And it’s not that I don’t want to trust you,” I continued. “But it’s like you said, it’s kind of your job to be deceptive, like how you treated that nerdy guy that wanted a lap dance from you, acting like you wanted to be his girlfriend when really you wanted nothing to do with him.”

“Yeah, but…” Her voice trailed off.

“See, the thing is, you’re kind of a stranger to me at this point, and while I felt like you were being genuine when we talked, I feel like I would be stupid to just blindly trust you again.” I sighed when she looked away, appearing miserable again. “Like, for all I know, you could be a pathological liar, or someone who uses her ridiculously sexy body and enthralling charm to wrap everyone around her little finger, even outside of work.”

I could tell that she was surprised by the indirect compliment, looking a little stunned briefly, before her expression turned somber again.

“I’m…I’m not like that,” she whispered. She then paused when I raised my eyebrows. “I mean, I’m not like that outside of work,” she clarified.

I just stared at her. “So the guys you take home…”

She grimaced, clarifying further. “I’m not like that with people I care about.”

I sighed. “Don’t get me wrong. Any guy would be super lucky to have you turn your erotic charm on them, and I don’t think that you doing so is inherently deceptive.” I paused, hesitant to say what was on my mind, but then deciding to just do it. “Like, if I was one of the guys you took home, I wouldn’t feel like you were deceiving me simply because you maintained your work facade.” I then glanced away when she looked surprised again. “But the issue is the actual deception. The actual lie.”

“I…” She sucked in a deep breath, grimacing as she looked away. “I know I said this, but I promise I won’t do it again.” She sighed then. “And that’s all I can do,” she added. “I’ll prove it to you if you give me a second chance, but if you’re unwilling to do so, then I can’t even do that.”

I took a deep breath. “Well, the fact that Amber likes you so much says a lot, so…yeah. I’ll let it go. Just please don’t lie to me like that again.”

She was briefly stunned, only to nod confidently, actually taking a step in my direction, the light playing off all her shiny clothing, especially her transparent hoodie and thigh-high boots. “I won’t,” she replied firmly. “I promise.”

“Then we’re good,” I said simply. “And for the record, I didn’t lie to you at all, in case you still had any doubts.”

She smiled at that. “Yeah, I can see now that you were no match for my charm,” she said playfully.

I scoffed. “Without a doubt. I knew I was in trouble from the moment I saw you.”

“Oh really?” she teased, with just a hint of playful sarcasm in her tone.

I glanced at her and then away. “Umm, yeah. The rest of the bar pretty much stopped existing the moment you walked over.”

Her deep blue eyes widened in surprise, only for her to glance away as well, her tone quieter now and more serious. “Huh, and here I thought it might just be me.”

I focused on her again, suddenly holding her azure gaze, unsure of how to respond.

“You looked at the stage a lot,” she said quietly, explaining why she thought she was the only one.

My voice was just as quiet. “I couldn’t see the stage at all. All I could see was you in the corner of my eye, and all I could hear was your voice. I don’t even know what songs were playing when we were talking.”

Her cheeks flushed slightly, before she cleared her throat when there was movement on the other side of the room. I glanced over to see a short middle-aged woman grumbling to herself, only to focus on me sitting in a chair with an unconscious Sarah in my lap.

“Who the hell are you?” she demanded, abruptly straightening up and crossing her arms.

Victoria quickly spoke up. “It’s okay, Maria. This is Amber’s boyfriend. He’s just keeping an eye on Sarah while we do a few more dances for the night.” She paused. “She had too much to drink. Offered a few touches to sip on some of the guys’ beers.”

The woman turned her sharp gaze on me again. “Well, no funny business, you hear?” she said seriously. “Don’t be touching that poor girl while she’s asleep.”

I laughed at that. Only to quickly continue when she glared at me. “I won’t,” I promised. “But for the record, we fuck all the time, and I strongly doubt she would care.”

The woman’s eyes widened in shock at my bluntness, before she scoffed. “Why am I not surprised? All you kids are so sexually liberal nowadays.”

“Anyway,” Victoria said, speaking to Maria. “Thanks for all your help tonight. You were a life saver.”

“Of course, sweetie,” she replied warmly. “Are you coming in tomorrow night as well?”

Victoria hesitated. “Umm, not sure yet,” she admitted. “We will have to see.”

Maria nodded. “Well, I’m about to go collect the cover charge cash, since Tony said the box is getting a bit full. I’ll say bye now, in case I don’t see you before you leave.”

Victoria nodded, giving her a warm smile.

“Alright,” Maria continued, walking across the room, only to pause again. “Hands to yourself,” she repeated firmly to me, resuming her exit past Victoria.

I tried not to smirk, knowing it would be best to just not respond.

After that, Victoria excused herself as well, planning on changing into something different since she’d apparently already danced in what she was currently wearing and wanted to mix it up for her audience. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see what she wore, because she kind of made herself scarce after that, and when Amber was done, she told me she was going to change and then watch Sarah for me while I went to go get the cash I was owed from Mike.

Of course, I had no idea how to even find him, but she explained where his office was and told me to look for the only middle-aged guy working here.

I was initially confused by that, considering I’d seen a guy bringing out baskets of burgers and fries to the customers, only to be shocked when I discovered it was in fact the exact same dude!

Shit, I was kind of seeing him in a new light after that realization, since it was obvious he was willing to do the grunt work to keep his business running, even though he was the manager of the establishment. Like, shit, here I was thinking earlier about how I would never want to serve the male customers food, and yet the manager himself was doing it since they were so short-staffed.

I was so used to most management people sitting in their comfy offices and just giving out orders that it left me sincerely stunned.

And it made the guy feel much more down-to-Earth too.

When I introduced myself, he seemed genuinely appreciative of my help, even if it was only for an hour, and doublechecked to make sure I got a meal on the house. I confirmed I had, but decided not to tell him I’d only eaten barely half of it. He then gave me a little bit extra for my time, and said that Tony spoke highly of me and that he’d be happy to hire me if I was interested.

I told him I’d think about it for now, since I wasn’t really sure if I’d wanted to work in such a sexually charged place like this, but I also knew in the back of my mind that it probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a job if I was only going to be taking a single class every five weeks.

We actually ended up talking longer than I realized though, with him just being social and asking if I was in college, what I was studying, where I went to school, and all that other stuff, to the point that by the time I wished him goodbye, Sarah was awake again, and both Amber and Victoria were dressed to leave.

Well, Amber was still wearing her vinyl trench coat, but Victoria was actually dressed more casually, wearing faded jeans, and a cute ivory sweater that was thick and had designs in the woven fabric, created from the different levels of thickness of the material. The lighter colors made her vibrant red curls and very slight tan much more noticeable, making her look very much like a sexy magazine model. Or a hooker dressed as one.

She also was carrying a leather bag, much like Amber’s, with me assuming some of her outfits might be inside, since I doubted she left her own stuff here.

As far as I could tell, it kind of seemed as if there was a communal set of outfits that the place had collected over the years, while the individual girls brought their own unique stuff and took it home with them every night.

From the sound of it, Victoria had let the guys know that there wouldn’t be any more girls dancing for the night, and thus wanted to leave out the back door to ensure we could try to get to our vehicles without getting stopped, since quite a few tables had begun to empty.

Thankfully, we were able to sneak out just fine, and get into my car without an issue, but there was a lot of activity in the parking lot now, so Amber called Victoria on her phone and told her to meet us at the restaurant across the street, since it was doubtful she’d be able to exit the parking lot at the same time we did.

And sure enough, we had to wait a good five minutes across the street before she pulled up next to me, only to follow us back to our place.

By the time we got home, Sarah was complaining of a headache and wanted to just go to bed, so I gave her some medicine and tucked her into my bed on her side, grinning when she repeatedly told me how wonderful I was, and how she thought about me the whole time she was dancing on stage.

I wasn’t sure if I fully believed her, but I still appreciated the sentiment.

I then quickly changed into gym shorts and a t-shirt, finally heading downstairs to the couch when Amber indicated she was going to talk to Victoria in her room, a little surprised to realize that the blankets were still where we left them, laid out on the couch for sex.

Deciding I didn’t care to move them right now, I just sat right down in the middle, figuring I’d find something to watch from one of the streaming services we subscribed to, to occupy my time while I simultaneously scrolled through my social newsfeeds on my phone.

Honestly, thinking back to Victoria realizing I was living with Amber, I kind of wondered if she’d seen a picture of me on one of her profiles, since our families were so close, which would make perfect sense why she’d recognize me right away. Granted, at the same time, I knew Amber wasn’t stupid and wondered how she could have overlooked that possibility.

Although, I had to admit that Amber didn’t actually post a lot of pictures of herself or either of our families, preferring to have a much more active social life in real life, as opposed to being really active online.

Of course, what that meant was Victoria might have been a bit of a stalker, even if they were sincerely friends, delving deep through everything the sexy blonde posted online. It was very possible Amber hadn’t anticipated her friend making the connection, not realizing the sexy redhead was secretly still very attached to their broken friendship, wishing things could return to how they were when they were best friends.

I must have still been sleep deprived from Finals Week and all the studying I did, because even with the nap earlier in the day, I ended up passing out without realizing it, sleeping dreamlessly for several hours.

Needless to say, the next morning, what I woke up to was not at all what I was expecting.

But holy fuck was it amazing.

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Chapter 12 >>