Except Sunny.
Fuck.
He was falling in love with his friend.
“Well, Hawk?” Sunny demanded, one hand propped on her hip. “Is it true? Do people have sex out in the open?”
“Yeah,” he said in a thick voice, then cleared his throat. “They do, but you don’t have to work in those areas if you don’t want to.”
Whispers: Interactive StoriesMake your own choices and decide what happens next!
She leaned forward, a mischievous smile on her face. “Oh, but I do want to.”
“Really?”
“Yep.” She gave the bar a light slap with her hands. “But, as fun as it has been talking to you, I have to get to work. Dillan told me that we all split a communal tip jar at the end of the night, but that patrons can also tip us personally. Since my car needs a new set of tires—badly—and has been starting to make a weird whine, I need to get to work.”
Still thrown off by the mental image of Sunny being a voyeur, he nodded. “Okay. I’ll hang out in here tonight with a few of my buddies. Keep an eye on you.”
Reaching out, she gave the back of his hand a pat. “Thanks, Hawk. You’re the best friend a girl could ask for.”
Chapter 3
Six months later
Anya, a short, super curvy blonde dressed in a lacy pink baby doll dress, looked up at Sunny. Her blue eyes filled with apprehension before she turned and blocked the door. Putting her hands on her round hips, she bit her lower lip.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Anya whispered as she glanced around.
They huddled in one of the service hallways the staff used to move around unseen by guests of the massive four-story mansion known as Club Wicked. Further down an adjacent hallway, one of the club’s staff pushed a dolly containing rattling racks of glasses. The loud clinks seemed to grate along Sunny’s nerves as she stared down at Anya.
“Yes, I’m sure.”
Chewing her lower lip, Anya wrung her hands together. “I don’t know, this doesn’t seem like a good idea. Can’t you just pretend I never mentioned that Master Hawk was doing a scene?”
Anya was right, it wasn’t a good idea, but Sunny must be more than a little masochistic, because she had to see what Hawk was doing.
And with who.
Even if it broke her stupid heart.
Despite her best intentions, Hawk had somehow morphed from her best friend…into something more. She’d developed a huge crush on him, and once she started seeing him as a man, instead of just a friend, she couldn’t go back to her platonic feelings—which sucked on so many levels. Hanging out with him outside of the club was fine, but once they were inside these walls, a different side of Hawk came out. A darker, more sensual man, one who wrecked absolute havoc with her hormones and mind.
Unfortunately, Hawk still treated her like a friend.
Not that she wanted more, necessarily. She was taking a break from relationships, focusing on her schoolwork and job. Since she only had to work two days a week lately, she’d picked up an extra class this semester and it was kicking her butt. Yeah, people might call her crazy for taking so many credits, but she wanted to graduate as soon as possible. All the sacrifices she’d made, all the bullshit she’d endured, would be worth it once she held her degree in her hand.
She realized a piece of paper wouldn’t make her happy, but the freedom and safety it represented would. It would show all those who’d thought her nothing but poor, white, trash that she was someone. That she was smart, that she was worthy of their respect. Most importantly, that she wasn’t like her mother.
“Come on.” Anya, known around Club Wicked as Dove, forced a smile. “Let’s head back to the breakroom and chow down on some of those awesome eclairs they have out on the buffet tonight.”
“No,” Sunny said as nausea filled her stomach. “I have to see.”
“But why? Why torture yourself like this? I don’t understand.” She lowered her voice and leaned closer, “I know you like him as more than a friend, Sunny. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I have to know.”
Anya studied her, then her shoulders slumped on a sigh as she stepped away from the door. “Okay.”
Taking a deep breath, not giving herself time to think, Sunny opened the door to the Underground and stepped inside. Rather than going directly into the room itself, she was in a small, dimly lit foyer. The door shut behind her as Anya joined her, all sweet and lacy pink to Sunny’s black leather pants and corset. Her outfit tonight certainly fit the theme of this part of Club Wicked. Decorated to look like a gritty rave being held in a warehouse, the walls of the Underground were concrete spray painted with amazing graffiti illuminated by blacklights. It was also a lot dimmer than the bright lights of the service hallway, so the entryway gave the staff a chance for their eyesight to adjust.