Dance for Me Read online

  Dance For Me Copyright © 2020 Kay Elle Parker

  Published by Kay Elle Parker. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author’s work.

  Published by Kay Elle Parker on May 1st 2020

  Editor: Kate Sullivan

  Cover Design © Jodielocks Designs

  This book is intended for a mature audience only.

  Table of Contents

  Disclaimer

  Dedication: | In a time when I needed them most, the people in my life showed their true colors, and what they truly thought of me. | Dance For Me is dedicated to those who supported me, who loved and cared for me when everyone else walked away. | You guys are my Avalon.

  Dance For Me | Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Author Bio:

  Dedication:

  In a time when I needed them most, the people in my life showed their true colors, and what they truly thought of me.

  Dance For Me is dedicated to those who supported me, who loved and cared for me when everyone else walked away.

  You guys are my Avalon.

  Dance For Me

  Chapter One

  Well hell.

  Standing in the middle of the empty club, Bodie spun in a slow and careful circle, taking in every inch of space, light, and potential she was being offered. Her performing heart gave a contented sigh of delight, thrilled with the opportunity at her fingertips, while her logical brain assessed not only what she had to work with but the where.

  It was a dream job, she couldn’t deny that. The location was prime, the pay undeniably generous. The travel aspect was a bit daunting, sure, but doable. The reports from the club manager showed attendance was not only holding steady but increasing slowly.

  She paced around the main floor with all the elegance and grace she’d nurtured for years. A dancer through and through, to the point where music burrowed into her marrow and hummed. Dodging tables with the chairs upturned on their tops, skirting around the sunken seating pit big enough to hold over a dozen people, trailing her fingers over the squeaky-clean wooden frame of a padded loveseat.

  A lot of room for a lot of people.

  A great deal of space for a great deal of debauchery.

  What the hell was she doing, considering taking on something like this?

  Oh yeah, that’s right—she needed the money.

  Footfalls tapping gently on the polished wooden floor, Bodie sighed and scrubbed her hands over her face. The decision was niggling at her, one way then the other. It wasn’t like dancing here would hurt—she had no intention of joining in the club festivities—but she didn’t know whether her professionalism would hold up to performing in front of a heaving audience of kinksters.

  “Boadicea.” The club manager called her name from behind the bar where he worked on inventory while giving her much appreciated time and space to assess the situation. “You don’t have to take the position if you don’t want to. The boss understands that this kind of venue isn’t for everyone.”

  For a moment, she dug her fingertips into her closed eyes, pressing hard to alleviate some of the pressure building in her head. It wasn’t about what she wanted to do, it was what she could and couldn’t afford not to do.

  Right now, she couldn’t afford not to dance here.

  Dropping her hands to her sides, she walked over to the bar and sat heavily on one of the padded barstools with short back supports. Hooking her feet onto the lower rung, she slapped her hand on the gleaming oak bar. “Double jack, hold the rocks.”

  William Carradine, more fondly known as Liam, lifted his eyebrow at the order. Who knew such a good-looking guy would sprout from the short, skinny boy he’d been? They’d been friends forever, from the day Bodie shared her lunch with him in kindergarten when his junkie mom forgot to feed him for the third day in a row.

  Standing at just under six feet, Liam had not only grown upwards, but he’d filled out deliciously. Fit, muscular, he was every woman’s dream...and every woman’s disappointment. Who wouldn’t be disappointed to discover the hot blond with subtle ink and funny, witty outlook on life hit homeruns for the other team? “Baby, it’s ten a.m.”

  She moaned and thunked her forehead down on the bar. “That’s what my life has been reduced to, Liam. It’s an absolute fucking mess. I don’t know what to do.” She let her head roll to one side when a glass clinked in front of her, offered her best friend a rueful smile. “You caved in to the crazy person’s demands.”

  Sad gray eyes met hers. “You’re not crazy, Bodie. Life’s thrown you a curveball and you’ve faceplanted, that’s all. Just gotta get your feet back under you and get past this.” He passed his hand over her hair in a soothing stroke. “I still don’t get why you did it.”

  She closed her eyes and let him work his fingers on her scalp. He had magic fingers—it was such a shame he was bisexual; she’d have married him in a heartbeat. “You know why, Liam. They hate me for what happened to her, so they figure I should be the one to pay for it. Maybe they’re not wrong in their thinking.”

  Her big buff best friend huffed out an angry breath. “Maybe they’re full of bullshit, Bo. What happened to Alicia wasn’t anyone’s fault but her own, and they know it. You’re the handy scapegoat, the one who pulled herself out of the shit and made a life for herself. The one they can exploit for their own gains.”

  Her sigh was long and shuddering. “Yeah, well, there’s nothing left for them to exploit. Bank account is reading a big fat zero and I’m just...so fucking tired. I need this job, Liam, but I don’t know if I have the guts to step up there and dance in front of...”

  Liam’s hand settled on the side of her head, a comforting weight. “Don’t think of the club as being full of perverts, Bodie. That’s a huge mistake and it does an injustice to every single member who walks through that door. You’re not that small-minded; I know you’re not. Think of it as performing for a crowd of people who will appreciate your gift. Making people happy, entertaining them. That was always your dream when we were kids.”

  “I had a lot of dreams as a kid. They all died, burning to ashes.”

  “Then make new ones. I recommended you for this because Fitzpatrick wants a performer with the confidence to wow his clientele. He wants vibrancy, passion, the motherfucking wow factor. I can’t think of anyone who fits the bill better than you.”

  “Thanks for that,” she muttered. “At least one of us has faith in me.”

  Liam’s hand fisted in her
hair, sending prickles of pain radiating over her scalp. He tugged her head off the bar and made her look at him even as her hands flailed to try and loosen his grip, ignoring her squeals and yelps. “I’ve always had faith in you, Boadicea. From that day you took me under your wing in kindergarten, my faith in you has been unshakeable. If you told me you could fly to the top of Mount Everest, I wouldn’t doubt you.”

  Goddamn him. The more she struggled, the harsher his grip became. It wasn’t the first time he’d used hairpulling as a method of making her listen to him when she was so miserable she passed into the whiny stage of living, but knowing now where he worked and why, she had to figure he was high up in the ranking system or whatever BDSM used.

  She went limp after several painful minutes of struggling, and her reward was the release of her hair and the skim of his knuckles over her cheek. It made her feel...weird. She didn’t know much about this stuff, didn’t want to. She had far too much on her plate right now to even think about the details of what went on here beyond what she needed to know about the job.

  “Now, pull your big girl panties up, get your head out of this funk, and think. You have the power to change your life, my little Boadicea. Yes, you might not have two nickels to rub together right now, and that sucks. But if you want to get back on your feet, I’m offering the hand that can do that.”

  “Fitzpatrick,” she said, shoving herself into a sitting position and cautiously touching her head. With a disgruntled sigh, she undid the casual ponytail and shook out her mane of shoulder-length black hair, straightening out the locks her asshole friend’s fingers had ruffled. Within a minute, she’d restrained her hair back into order. “Why the hell does he want a dancer for exhibitions anyway? Surely he’d be better having sex demonstrations.”

  Liam laughed and tugged her ponytail before nudging the glass toward her. “Sex demonstrations. Now why didn’t I think of that?”

  “Liam.”

  He rolled his eyes at her. “Bodie,” he mocked lightly. “The boss decides what he wants, and he wants a dancer on Friday and Saturday nights. Maybe more if you go down well with the regulars. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, take the goddamn opportunity.” He mentioned a number that made her sit up straight and gape at him.

  “He’s paying that for two nights dancing?” It was appalling and yet so very tempting. That figure would fill her gas tank, her cupboards, and her depressingly empty refrigerator.

  “That’s per night,” Liam corrected. “You’d have to be here at eight and you’d finish at maybe two a.m., but with plenty of breaks between your sets. He’s offering carte blanche on your routines as long as they’re sexy and keep the customers entertained.”

  Her teeth bit into her lower lip as she chewed it over. Everything was conspiring into edging her toward taking the gig. Even if it was only for a few weeks, it would solve her hunger issues and pay the rent for a little while longer. She sipped her drink and scowled at Liam. “This isn’t double jack.”

  “Nope. If you’re driving home, you’re not having alcohol. The last thing you need is to get pulled by some asshole cop and breathalyzed. Losing your license really would put you in the shit.” Liam slapped both hands down on the bar. “Nobody’s gonna force you to join in with club activities, Bodie. Fitzpatrick protects his staff; you’ve got my word on that.”

  Bodie closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. “Am I supposed to audition for him?”

  “Well, seeing as I am all-powerful, all-knowing, and have a fabulous sense of, well, everything,” Liam said in a tone bordering on arrogant as he waved an imperial hand in the air, “Fitz is quite happy to go with my decision. I’m happy with hiring you here and now.”

  What was more important? Her unease at performing in front of a group of people she had no idea how to read or keeping her belly full and a roof over her head?

  She’d already dropped six pounds she couldn’t afford to lose—her jeans were currently two sizes too big—and her landlord eyed her suspiciously every time he saw her. The creepy swine would love nothing more than to hold the threat of eviction over her head in exchange for certain sexual favors.

  Bodie shuddered, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

  “Did he say how long he’d want to keep this going?”

  “As long as it benefits the club. Bo, this could be a long-term deal for you if you don’t freak out.” Liam’s tone indicated that would be a very bad thing to do. “I know what we do here isn’t something you’re familiar with, but you don’t need to be afraid of it or the people who play. Nothing happens without consent. There are rules we abide by, strict rules which are enforced.”

  She studied Liam carefully, trying to see past the man who knew almost every secret she had. The man who’d evolved from a shy, sweet boy into a strong, compassionate man. No, she wasn’t familiar with the purpose of this place, couldn’t wrap her brain around it or comprehend why it drew her bestie into its clutches. “Have you been ashamed of this all these years, Liam? Is that why you’ve never told me about this place, brought me here before?”

  He straightened, and his gray eyes darkened ominously. “I’m not ashamed of who or what I am, Boadicea. Avalon is...a special place. We don’t have stigmas; we don’t allow judgement. No matter what the kink, as long as it abides by safe, sane, and consensual, we accept. Gay, straight, transgender. Everyone is welcome and we’re just one big eclectic family.”

  Liam’s tone of voice was so passionate, filled with love and conviction, it made her eyes sting with tears that were ruthlessly battled back. What would it be like to be part of something like that, to be included in a family who didn’t care about the small stuff but simply opened their arms and embraced the newcomer?

  “I didn’t tell you about it, about me, because you weren’t ready. I love you, Bo, but you’re a product of your family’s influence.” He gave her a sorrowful smile. “Not completely, not to the offensive degree your parents have achieved, but they’ve rubbed off on you here and there.”

  It was a direct hit to her heart and they both knew it. Even as she bled from the internal bullseye, Bodie pressed her fist to her chest and tried to breathe around the pain.

  She hated being compared to her parents, her sister. They were the bane of her existence, the reason her stomach kept her awake at night. They were thoughtless and irresponsible and prejudiced against every race, class, and person they felt didn’t fit in with their idea of a true American.

  If someone had an education, they were government allies.

  If someone had money, they were privileged and paid for.

  If someone dared to speak their mind, they were enemies of the country.

  It shook her down to the bone to think anyone, least of all her best friend who knew damn near everything about the horrors of her life, could look at her and see her family’s influences gleaming on her like glitter bath bomb. “I—”

  “Be honest, Bodie. Certain things in life, your outlook stems from whatever shit your worthless parents drilled into your head when you were growing up. Hell, I remember when your father called you a whore for staying out past curfew because he thought you were riding the Callahan boys, and you didn’t argue or stand up for yourself. You let him beat you down until you went off and let the Callahan boys prove that asshole right.”

  Bodie blushed and averted her gaze. She remembered that night. Her father screaming and shouting that she was a whore, a slut. For two whole days she’d taken his verbal abuse, never once standing her ground and telling him she’d been late for curfew because she’d been studying with Liam.

  Tired of listening to the foul tirades, she’d called Liam and broken down in tears, telling him of her plans before she ended the call and trudged down to the Callahan house. Prepared to become what her father believed she was in order to bear the weight of his words as truth.

  What Liam didn’t know was that she hadn’t been able to go through with it. She’d been a virgin, only sixteen and in love with the idea of being in lo
ve, enamored with finding the man her heart was made for.

  She’d found herself on the Callahan doorstep, hand raised to knock on the door, when she’d heard noises coming from around the back of the house. Silent as a mouse, she’d snuck around to the backyard, sticking to the shadows.

  What she’d seen had struck terror in her teenaged heart and sent her running home with everything she’d ever known twisted inside her like death.

  Under the low lights of the club bar, Bodie swallowed back the sickness of the memory and got sucked into the pain of betrayal. Betrayal caused by someone—the last someone—she loved.

  Her vision was muddled when she pushed her untouched drink back toward Liam, leaving a small smear of water across the smooth surface of the wood, not unlike the remnants of her heart beneath Liam’s boot. Her legs wobbled as she slipped off the barstool, her knees buckling a little before she managed to shore up the holes in her heart.

  “Ah shit, Bodie.”

  She lifted her hand to cut him off. She had to work some spit into her mouth; most of the moisture lurked behind her eyes. Ready to spill as soon as it was safe to do so. “Thank you for the offer, William. I’m afraid I’ll have to pass.”

  “Bodie—”

  Her boots clicked quietly over the hardwood floors as she walked away. Every step fractured the temporary structure currently holding her together until it was holding on by threads. She ignored Liam’s quiet calls, knowing he wouldn’t chase after her because he believed she wouldn’t just walk away.

  She kissed goodbye to a full stomach, to rent, to a future where she might have stood a chance of living comfortably. Taking the job when her immediate supervisor thought so little of her wouldn’t create a productive or creative atmosphere for dance.

  The moment the main doors closed behind her, she locked down every emotion threatening to bring her to her knees. She didn’t cry. Ever. This setback in her life was nothing new and she wasn’t going to let it undermine her control.