Chapter 2

The morning arrived and I rolled out of bed, no longer able to force sleep upon myself. The brightness from the sunlight that streamed through my bedroom window hit me so hard that I had to cover my eyes, blindly making my way into the kitchen. I took one look inside my fridge to find it empty.

Sighing, I made the decision to find a local diner instead. I slammed the fridge door shut and made my way back to my room to get dressed. I threw on my lingerie, skinny black jeans and a faded gray sweater without bothering to tame my wild hair.

Once on the street, I noticed so many happy couples - laughing, kissing, and walking. The sight made me sick to the stomach. I set my gaze on the sidewalk in front of me and walked for ten minutes, eyes focusing on each crack in the uneven paving slabs. I was about to turn down another road when suddenly I noticed a small, stark white diner sitting across the street. It was so small that it looked like a two bedroom house; but it was still very picturesque with a stylish black sign hanging outside that read The Indy Go. I had never heard of it, but it would have to do. I needed food and fast.

I crossed the road and walked over to the entrance. I reached for the silver doorknob and opened the door. The Indy Go was – to my surprise - bigger from the inside and a lot cleaner than I had first expected. It had a collection of large booths that sat on a vibrant black and white checked floor. I skirted my eyes over the collection of customers who were currently seated in the various booths before focusing my attention on the counter - complete with a clear glass cooler in the front that displayed all of the desserts:  lemon meringue pie, chocolate fudge cake, vanilla ice cream. They looked delicious.

I looked over to the waitress, a cute blond-haired woman, and noticed that she was currently serving another customer, so I found a seat at the closest booth and sat down. A laminated menu sat on the metal table in front of me, and I picked it up and began to leaf through it eagerly, stomach rumbling. Everything managed to sound good at the moment, making it hard to make a decision.

Five minutes later, the cute waitress I had noticed earlier came rushing over and took my order. Her blue eyes seemed distant as she jotted down the corn beef hash, eggs, bacon and a small coffee, that I ordered. She didn’t even attempt a smile before taking off in a hurry, her short skirt flapping around her thighs.

I leaned back into the leather booth and pulled out my cell phone to distract me until my food could arrive. I could have called Caleb, but I knew that I had to be more careful with him. Ever since meeting him at the grocery store less than a year ago, he seemed to quickly grow attached to me. It made things hard.

Suddenly, a large plate of eggs, steak and hash browns appeared in front of me, startling me out of my thoughts. I stared at the plate stupidly, before realizing that she'd messed up my order.

"Excuse me," I began. "This isn't what I ordered." The waitress scrunched up her nose, and waved her arm at me, her blond curls flying as she walked away. I sat there in shock, mouth agape, and wondered what had just happened. I knew that she had to of heard me. I said it loud and clear.

A few minutes passed and still she hadn't returned. It was really annoying me and I wasn't in the mood to mess around. "What the hell is this?" I said, before getting up with my plate in hand and walking over to the counter. "Excuse me, is anybody back there?" I yelled.

I set my food on the counter, eyes down, before suddenly a voice broke through the murmur of the diner. "Can I help you with something?"

I looked up to meet two, deep emerald eyes. I felt my pulse accelerate as I realized that I was staring at the handsome guy who I had noticed last night at the bar. He was even more gorgeous close-up – tall, dark and handsome with a strong, muscular frame. The thermo shirt that he wore clung tightly to his chest, making my cheeks turn red.

I promptly turned my head away, embarrassed. I looked back up, black strands of hair cascading around my face, as I forced a smile. "Oh sorry, yeah you can," I said. "I'm having an issue with my food and the service. I would like to speak to the owner please."

He smiled playfully, eyes dancing with amusement, as he leaned across the counter. "My name is Jace and I am the owner. What issue can I assist you with?" he replied, tone professional.

I glowered at him and laughed in his face. He might be handsome, but he isn't fooling me.

"Really? Do you want to run and grab the real owner and stop playing these games! I'm not in the mood."  I felt bad for acting so rudely, but I was fed up. He probably recognized me from the club, and found it entertaining to mess with me.

His eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that astounded me. "Is there something that I can help you with?" he replied, again. The warmth from his sweet breath covered my face as he spoke, each syllable as smooth as silk. I focused on his full lips in a pointless effort to distract myself from my raging heartbeat. It didn’t work.

I backed away, suddenly embarrassed at how close we were. I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed. "You know what, never mind. I'm not really that hungry anyways." I turned on my heel and hastily made my way out of the door and into the sunlight. What a waste of time!

I was about to cross the road when I felt a big, firm hand grip my arm. I pulled away and spun around, confronting the owner of the diner. "Don't touch me...”

Jace stood erect with a serious look on his face. "Let me at least make sure that you eat." He looked down at my arm and noticed my heavy breathing, before releasing his grip. He smiled and pointed toward the door. "Come back inside and I'll cook your food myself, just the way you want it."

I fixed him with a long, hard stare before I let my hunger win. I wasn't sure that I could even manage to make it back home without getting something in my stomach. "Okay, fine. I'll come back in, but only because I need to eat." I brushed past him and made my way back inside and over to the same table that I had been seated at originally.

Jace plopped down in the booth across from me and smirked. He raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for me to speak.

"What?" I questioned, wondering what he wanted.

He let out a cheerful laugh as if it was the stupidest question he had heard all morning. "Well it might be easier for me to cook you something if I knew what you wanted." His muscles flexed through his fitted thermo as he ran his hand through a crop of messy hair.

I felt myself blush. "Oh yeah. Let’s make it simple this time. I’ll just take corn beef hash and a coffee," I mumbled. "A large coffee.

He nodded in understanding, stood up, and smiled at me. "I think I can manage that." He laughed playfully and walked away while I attempted to keep my cool.

Several minutes later, Jace returned with a plate full of steaming food. He set down the plate in front of me, smiled, and was about to walk away before I waved my hand.

"What's all this?" I questioned. “I told you just corn beef-"

"Just eat it," he said firmly. "I had a talk with the waitress and she explained everything to me. Boyfriend issues. It’s no excuse." He leaned against the table and crossed his arms across his chest. "I sent her home; she's usually one of my best waitresses."

I poked my fork into the thick hash and looked up at him. "See, that's why I don't do relationships."

He looked me in the eye before walking away. "Neither do I."

~•~

The long walk home from The Indy Go was tiring enough, so when I finally arrived at my door to find the newest eviction notice implicitly warning me that I would be ‘Kicking dirt on the streets’ if I didn’t pay my overdue rent pinned up, it rounded off a fantastic day. Just great. You have got to be kidding me.

I stared at the pink sheet of paper held up by a rusty, metal pin. I hadn’t even realized that it was already the 10th of September and I was still $400 behind from last month’s rent. Ryan Smith, the owner of Hang 'Em Low apartments, had made it very clear that if I didn't catch up, then I would be kicked out, and – as he had rudely informed me – ‘homeless’.

Frustrated, I yanked the freshly printed-paper off of the door, shoved my key into the lock, and turned before running inside and slamming the wooden door shut behind me. I exhaled in defeat, leaning against the door as the thick tears began to stream down my face. I grabbed my head in both hands and allowed myself to fall to the floor – a weeping mess, with no one to turn to except a man who I had sexually exploited. I wiped away a tear and stared down at the paper in my hand with blurred vision before wrinkling it up and tossing it across the room.

I had no idea what I was going to do if I couldn’t get the money on time. I knew I needed the money though, and fast – the deadline was tonight.

Sighing, I stood up and pushed myself against the door for support before pushing away and sprinting to the bathroom mirror. Streaks of mascara smoothly ran down my long, wet lashes and covered my red and puffy face. I grabbed a clean towel and started scrubbing it away as roughly as I could in a ridiculous attempt to remove the darkness - inside and out. I scrubbed and scoured my face numb.

I sat on the edge of the sink and stared at myself until my vision blurred. It had to of been for hours. I hated going to the strip club, but I had no choice.

I pushed myself away from the mirror and slowly walked to my bedroom, head low. My alarm clock read 4:38 p.m. - the club wouldn’t get busy until the evening, but I would stay all day and night if that were what it took.

I threw every garment I owned out of my creaky, old dresser and onto the wooden floor around me. To fix this disaster, I needed the sexiest outfit I owned. As dirty as it sounded, the men always scoped the strippers out when arriving to see how they looked before the show. It seemed the less you wore, the more they paid. It disgusted me, but I was desperate.

After changing into a slinky red dress complete with golden heels and heavy makeup, I called for a taxi and waited patiently outside my apartment, arms crossed.

The same taxi driver as before showed up. He wore a huge grin on his face and his eyes danced with recognition.

I glanced at him and smiled before jumping into the backseat and digging through my purse for cash. To my embarrassment, all I could find was a creased $5 bill. I suddenly remembered that I had left all of my money in Caleb’s car so that he could get me a money order for rent, to try to catch up a bit.

I looked up from my purse to see the old man looking at me through his mirror, eyes suspicious.

"Is there a problem, ma’am?" he questioned. His voice was a bit nervous as he kept looking between the road and me.

I hastily closed my purse and slammed my hand against my forehead. "I only have a five dollar bill," I murmured, knowing that I was screwed.

The taxi driver pressed on the brakes and placed his arm behind him on the black leather seat. "You're going to have to get out then, ma’am," he mumbled. "I'm sorry, but no money, no ride." His eyes were full of regret as he stared back at me, and I knew that he was only doing his job.

"Okay." I closed my eyes and exhaled before tossing him the $5 bill and jumping out of the taxi. If I walked fast enough then I would make it to work in thirty minutes.

The streets were abandoned in the area of town that I was in, and the lack of streetlights made my heartbeat race. It’s not that far. It will be fine. I reminded myself.

I willed my feet to move as quickly as possible until the back parking lot of the club came into sight, neon lights bathing the collection of cars in a gaudy light.

I slowed down to catch my breath when all of a sudden I heard footsteps behind me. Is someone following me? I ran – heels crunching on the ground – as the footsteps sped up behind me. I attempted to turn around to get a glimpse at my pursuer when suddenly my right heel bent to the left and I came crashing down to the ground, knees scraping gravel. I moaned in pain as I looked above me to see an older man – mid-forties - standing above me, piggy eyes boring into mine. It was the same man that grabbed my arm the night before.

He ran his tongue over his cracked bottom lip and smirked as he stumbled to the left. "You're that hot little stripper from last night," he slurred. "Oh yeah. I remember you." He paused to pull his long beard out of his mouth. It was caked with drool as he spit.

I cowered away from him and attempted to crawl backwards on the ground, red dress riding up my legs. "Get away from me," I screamed furiously. "They're expecting me any minute!" I knew that it wouldn't scare him off, but I hoped that it would at least slow him down and make him think.

"Fuck them," he replied, spitting on himself. "I like pretty little girls like you. Let me take you home and you can give me a private show." He reached down, gripping my fragile arm in his strong hands. "I can pay you more than those jerks inside." My body pressed against his as he yanked me to my feet, grabbing a handful of my hair and yanking my head back so that he could force his mouth to my neck.

My body instantly started quaking as the tears escaped from my eyes and ran down my face. I pulled away from him with as much force as I could muster and swung out, fists connecting with the side of his big head. "I don't do private shows. Get your filthy hands off me!" I screamed, my long hair flying, as I struggled to get away. "Let go!" I narrowed my eyes and elbowed him in the stomach, but it had no effect on his sturdy build.

He gripped me tighter and grabbed my face in his big hands. I cried out in pain before he clamped his cruddy hands over my mouth to silence me. I shook uncontrollably.

He put his hairy face inches away from mine and flicked my forehead with his finger. The contact stung, causing me to yelp. "Listen here, you nasty little whore," he screamed, spitting in my face. "If you can get on stage and get naked for a bunch of no good losers then you can come to my home and put on a good show for a single man with a shit load of money." He paused to laugh. "Oh I get it. You like it. You like being a whore and having all of those eyes on you. Don't you?" He pushed his crotch against me and gripped my face tighter in his hands before crushing his oily, chapped lips to mine.

I gasped as he slipped his tongue into my mouth - roaming and rubbing. The familiar taste of alcohol and cigarettes were so strong that it made me gag. I could taste the salty tears as they ran down my face and dripped onto my mouth as he continued to kiss me.

Suddenly, I saw a figure yank the man away from my helpless body and push him down to the ground. My eyes blurred as the creep attempted to stand back up, but the figure pressed his foot onto his chest once more, forcing him back to the ground. The old man cried out, before crawling away on his hands and knees.

I frantically wiped the tears out of my eyes to see if I could catch a look at my rescuer, but it was no good, the tears wouldn't let up.

The tears continued to run down my flushed cheeks. I exhaled in relief – I was safe, finally. I fell back down to my knees and placed my hands over my face. It didn't even matter who I was now left alone with. As long as that creep was long gone, I had a feeling that I would be okay.

I felt a hand rest on my shoulder, fingertips smooth on my exposed flesh. My first instinct was to shake the hand off, but when I heard a familiar voice, I realized it was Jace. Somehow, I could breathe again.

"Let me help you," he whispered. "I won't hurt you." He kneeled down in front of me and gently grabbed my face in his soft, cool hands. I looked up slowly to find myself staring into the same emerald eyes that I had first seen at The Indy Go. The softness in them made me weak.

Instead of jerking away, I found myself falling into his firm chest as another round of helpless tears came, hot against my skin. As much as I hated being touched - with Jace, it didn’t bother me at the moment. In fact, as I lay in his arms I felt safe for the first time in a long time. I was still alive and it was thanks to him. He didn't have to help. No one did, but he still chose to.

After a few minutes of silence, I collected myself and looked up at him. He was staring down at me with caring eyes. "Thanks," I whispered. "Thank you for helping me. You didn’t have to do that." Suddenly, I felt terrible for the way I had treated him earlier. "About this morn-"

He put a finger to my lips to silence me. "I'm not worried about it and you shouldn't be either." His intense eyes lowered to my bruised leg and widened as he noticed the red blood trickling down it. "Shit! Let me clean you up." He grabbed my arm and gently helped me to my feet. "I'll take you to my house and clean you up."

I backed away from his grip and shook my head. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't leave. I had to get that money. "No! I can’t. I have to go to work. I need to pay my rent. Its past due and-"

"No," he cut me off. "I'm not letting you work in this condition." His eyes hardened with worry, as he grabbed my purse from out of my tight grip and began to walk away. "Come on."

I stormed up behind him and yanked my purse from out of his hand. He just didn't seem to understand. "No, you don't understand. If I don't get the money by tonight then I'll be out on the streets." I turned on my heels and headed for the door of the club, eyes wild. "I can't live on the streets, again. I won't."

I felt a pair of hands grip my waist as he hoisted me off the ground, face close to mine, as he carried toward his car like a mischievous child. It both excited and shocked me at the same time. I opened my mouth to scream, but was quickly silenced by his soothing smile and gentle disposition.

He stared into my eyes before opening the door with one hand and setting me down in the passenger seat of the car. He made sure my head was safely inside before shutting the door and getting in himself, muscular arms gripping the steering wheel with force.

"That wasn't so hard. Now was it?" he questioned.

We sat there awkwardly as he pushed his keys into the ignition, started the car, and took off.

I began to play with the strap on my purse nervously before I finally looked up, swiveling my head to the left so that I could focus on his expression. He had such a beautiful profile – full lips, angular jawline, and dark stubble, it made my heart ache, clearly confused by his presence.

I cleared my throat to make sure that I had his full attention. "So, do you come to the club often, because I've never seen you there before last night?" I paused to swallow. "Then you came back today."

He glanced over at me with a smirk on his face. That was when I noticed the lip ring on the left side of his bottom lip. It looked sexy on him. "No actually. Last night was the first time. I saw something that caught my eye so I decided to come back for a few drinks and to clear my head." He mindlessly ran his tongue over his lip ring and bit his lip.

I looked away from him and decided to rub my fingertips on the window next to me. The rest of the journey passed quickly – and I was just about to ask him where the hell we were – before we pulled up next to a big, cream house with a pretty blue door.

He turned off the engine and looked over at me. "Well this is it." He smiled and opened his door before hopping out and stretching. He looked down into the car at me as I sat there, frozen in time. "Well are you coming in or do you want me to bring my bathroom outside and clean you up?" He laughed in amusement and walked to the front door, looking confident and sexy as he let himself inside.

I couldn't help but to notice how good his ass looked in his fitted jeans.

I exhaled, blowing a strand of hair out of my eye, attempting to think clearly. I stepped out of the car and shut the door before standing outside for a moment and trying to decide if it was a good idea to go into Jace’s house. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to run inside, run home or run back to work.

I stepped through the front door and looked around the living room, dark eyes searching for his figure in the dimness. It looked cozy. Black leather furniture, a fireplace, a huge TV, a bookcase and a computer desk that sat in the corner. It was also very tidy and smelled of light, sweet vanilla.

I walked through the hallway slowly and poked my head into the first open door. It was the bathroom – a sterile, blue room - but still, no sign of Jace. I looked down the hallway again and noticed a door that was partially opened, a crack of amber light spilling out and into the hallway.

I slowly walked toward the door, brows arched, and pushed it open. I jumped back in embarrassment as my gaze set firmly on a half-naked Jace. A mess of inky, vibrant tattoos covered his toned back causing me to blush. His muscles flexed with every move that he made, somehow making it hard to breathe.

Jace slowly turned around to face me, denim jeans dropping down to his ankles in the process. I stared - eyes wide - like a moron at the defined muscles that led down to his boxer briefs.

He cleared his throat, clearly amused, and gave me a cocky grin. "Do you mind?"

I sucked in a burst of hot, heavy breath and covered my face in humiliation. I was so embarrassed. "I'm sorry; I couldn't find you so I just thought I would check this room. I’m going to take off now. I need-"

"It's fine. Don't act like you haven't seen a guy half naked before." He laughed. "Just think of it this way, I saw you half naked and now you've seen me." He looked me up and down before turning around and reaching for a fresh pair of jeans. "Now we’re even." He pulled up his jeans, walked past me, and grabbed my arm for me to follow him. He didn’t even bother putting on a fresh shirt and his low hanging briefs were a distraction that I didn’t like.

We made our way into the kitchen and he pulled out a chair for me to sit on. "Sit."

His kitchen was a clean gray room with black granite countertops, a glass table with black leather chairs, and a stainless steel fridge.

He placed his hands on my hips and forced me to sit down, gently guiding me to my seat. My heartbeat rattled against my chest as he bent down with a wet, warm cloth. His closeness made my stomach do flips.

"Let me get a good look at it," he said, his rugged voice irresistible. He pulled my dress up slowly so that it was above my thigh, exposing my bruised flesh. Then he took the wet cloth from the table beside him and began to clean off the scrape. His touch was gentle, tender, and careful. It made my cheeks fill with blood as I closed my eyes.

Suddenly, he grabbed my thigh and opened my legs, running his hand along my naked flesh. It gave me goose bumps.

I jerked away and slapped his arm. "What the hell are you doing? I'm not going to have sex with you."

He smiled at me as if it was the silliest question he had ever heard. "Cool down, woman. I am just checking for more cuts. You had blood on your inner thigh." He closed my legs and backed away as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "Besides, if I wanted you naked then your clothes would already be off." He walked over and threw the dirty cloth in the sink before turning on the tap and washing his hands. "Clearly, that's not my intention."

Somehow, his comment bothered me. "So what makes you think that it would be that easy to get me naked?" I questioned with my arms crossed over my chest.

He walked over to me and sat on the table, leaning in so that his lips were almost brushing mine. "I just have my way," he breathed. "That's not the point, but eventually, you'll see. I'm not trying to have sex with you, though. I'm trying to help you. Two different things."

I pulled my face away from his and laughed. "What makes you think that I'll be around long enough to see anything about you?" He clearly knew nothing about me.

He got up and walked away before stopping to look back at me. I just sat there, stiff. "Well, come on."

I stood up and pursed my lips before following him down the cream-colored hallway. He stopped in front of a closed door before opening it to allow me to pass. "You're sleeping in here tonight. Like I said, I want to help you." He stared at me for a sudden, heart-stopping second – his eyes were so brooding. Then he walked away leaving me alone in the room, feeling confused and overwhelmed.

I briefly stared at my new surroundings before rolling my eyes and taking off down the hall behind him. I grabbed his arm and yanked it, forcing him to turn around to meet my fierce gaze. I didn't expect anything from anyone and I never asked for it either. "What’s going on? I’m not staying here."

He grabbed my hand and removed it from his arm. "You said that you're having problems at your place. Sleep here tonight and if you like it maybe, we can discuss you being my roommate. I wouldn’t want you sleeping on the streets and you don’t need to go back to that club. It’s too dangerous." He ran his strong hands through his disheveled hair and smirked. "I've been thinking about renting the room out for a while now. The nights can get a little lonely..." His voice trailed off.

I grimaced. ‘Mr. Smooth talker’ had another thing coming if he so quickly assumed that I was going to just like and trust him "You better not think-"

"Don't worry, if I wanted sex from you… you would know. I already told you that," he cut me off, grinning devilishly before trudging into the living room. The defined muscles in his back flexed with each step that he took, causing me to breathe heavily.

He plopped down on the couch and threw his feet up on the glass coffee table. "If you decide that you want to rent the room then I can help you move tomorrow. I am only trying to help you. I owe it to… an old friend." His face softened as he looked up at me.

"Who said that I even want to stay here tonight and what do you mean, you owe it to a friend?" I questioned throwing my arms up in the air. I was confused. He owed a friend. It made no sense.

"Well you might not have much of a choice after tonight, and you wouldn’t understand. It’s complicated," he said truthfully. "It doesn't have to be permanent. No one deserves to live out on the streets. Save some money and then you can go as you please. I just want to help."

I sighed and turned away from him to walk back down the hallway. He was right about my situation. The thought of spending any more time sleeping on the streets made my insides cringe. It made me feel weak and helpless that I needed help.

"I just… I don’t know what to say. This isn't something that I would usually even consider.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket as it buzzed. I stared down at the message from my landlord asking me where his money was.

Swallowing, I looked back up to meet Jace’s eyes. “I’ll stay for tonight, but don’t even think about trying anything." I stopped to look back at him, eyes concerned. "I don't have any clothes to sleep in though..."

"I have clothes." He jumped up from the couch and walked past me and over to his bedroom. He came back a few minutes later with a crisp white T-shirt and a pair of black boxer briefs. The thought of them once being on his body, caused me to blush unwantedly.

I reached out and grabbed them from out of his hands. "Thanks. I guess this will have to do." I said, trying to sound as if the thought didn't bother me.

"What's your name by the way?" He stood by the door to his bedroom – the sizable bulge in his denim jeans painfully visible to my lustful gaze. Stop it, Avery!

"Avery," I whispered. “Avery Hale.” The shock of his kindness was so overwhelming that it made me lose my breath, lips trembling as I swallowed a lump in my throat.  I genuinely couldn’t believe that someone would be willing to help me out so much, it was extraordinary.

I didn’t know what it was about Jace – I had only known him for one day, after all – but I felt somewhat comfortable in his home. It was clean and tidy and the smell of fragrant vanilla that drifted through the hallway was certainly appealing. It was my favorite scent and reminded me of home.

I nodded at him before taking off down the cream hallway and shutting myself in the bathroom. I had a mosaic of different emotions running throughout my body, and it made me feel like breaking down. I knew that I had to be strong though.

I straightened up and placed my hands on my hips, exhaling as I stared at the large, exquisite shower that sat in the corner of the room – golden spout gleaming gently in the muted light of the amber bulb that hung above me.

If there was one thing that I wanted, it was a long, hot shower. I needed to scrub away that filthy creep’s perverted touch from earlier, before Jace had saved me. I hated being touched. I always had, even as a child it had been difficult for me to allow my parents to hug me - not that they ever had. The thought of that man’s greedy hands roaming over my flesh made me nauseous. I didn’t even let Caleb hold me when we weren't having sex - no cuddling, holding hands, and sensual massages. I never allowed his embrace.

I turned on the shower and watched as a torrent of steaming hot water spurted out. Then I stripped off my clothes and stepped inside, closing the shower curtain behind me as I allowed the water to wash away my hot tears.