Masked Feelings Read online

  It was definitely a tempting offer.

  “What if he's a creep?” I asked, playing with my fingers. I always do that whenever I'm nervous. Jerry gave me a smile and walked to the door. He motioned someone to come in. My eyes widened as I saw the blond guy who I had given a lap dance walk into the room. My hands flew to my face to make sure that I still had my mask. I mean, it was so light that I didn't feel it.

  “Hello,” he greeted and gave me a slight smile when he realized how surprised I was.

  “Why would you pay such a huge amount of money when I just gave you a lap dance out there?” I asked directly, not wanting to fool around.

  “Straightforward,” he mumbled to himself. Jerry and Rose nodded at his statement. I rolled my eyes but kept quiet.

  “I'll need you to do something,” he said as he scratched the back of his head. He looked a little bit nervous. I knew this was bad. Really bad.

  “That does not sound good...at all,” I said as I sat down on my chair, waiting for him to explain.

  “It's not that bad,” he tried to reassure. But again, am I supposed to trust this stranger?

  “Talk.” I demanded, making him grin a little bit.

  “Well you'll have to do what you do the best,” he said, still wearing the grin.

  “Eat?” I asked, tilting my head to the left. He stared at me in confusion.

  “Dance.” He sighed and sat in front of me.

  “I already danced for you.”

  “This time, it won't be for me,” he said and I bit down on my lips, waiting for him to elaborate. “My brother just went through a breakup.” He clarified, making me scoff.

  “And he's all depressed and shit, and I'm supposed to cheer him up?” I guessed and surprisingly, he shook his head.

  “In fact, no. He's being a cold, arrogant asshole,” he said, mostly talking to himself. “I need you to get an emotion out of him,” he explained. “Any type of emotion...anger doesn't count,” he mumbled. I could see that this situation with his brother was really bothering him.

  “Why me?”

  “You've got something special,” he said, making me smile. “I've seen it,” he added with a smirk. “I don't think any other stripper here will be able to get a reaction out of him.”

  “By reaction, you mean a boner, right?”

  “You're really blunt,” he stated and I nodded. Why should I disagree with that fact?

  “So, I'm supposed to dance for your cold, arrogant asshole brother?” I asked and he nodded. “Is he here?” asked. He nodded again.

  “Will you please do it?” he asked, or practically begged. I sighed and nodded.

  “Fine, I'll do it” I exhaled. “But you must be pretty stupid to spend a lot of money on something that you're not even sure that's going to work” I mumbled.

  “No, I'm not. I'm just damn rich,” he said arrogantly. “And I'm sure that it will be worth it,” he added as he stood up. I did the same and turned to stare at myself in the mirror. I fixed my mask and my hair before giving them my attention again.

  “Where is he?” I asked.

  “In the private room,” Jerry told me as we all walked out of the room.

  “If he's so angry and all shit, then why did he agree to come here with you?” I asked the blond dude while following him.

  “I kinda blackmailed him,” he said. Blackmail? What are you? Ten? I kept my question to myself but nevertheless, I rolled my eyes.

  “How?” I asked just to make conversation by the time Jerry guided us to the room.

  “I told him I'd tell my mom,” he said. I stared at him for a few seconds, waiting for him to tell me that it was a joke. He just gave me a grin. Yes. He was definitely ten.

  “What's your name?” I asked, as I turned to see Rose behind me.

  “Dean,” he answered. “Yours?”

  “Vixen,” I said, not willing to tell him my real name.

  “I already know your stage name,” he muttered as we reached the private sector of the club.

  “That's the only name you'll know,” I replied with a grin while turning to Jerry. “I want the cameras in the room turned off.” “What about your security?” he asked. I knew that inside the room, there will be cameras. They were there to ensure that strippers were not in danger while giving a private performance.

  “You can turn them off. My brother is not going to touch her,” Dean said as his eyes trailed on Jerry's features. He seemed to be judging him. Jerry nodded and walked away.

  “I'll wait for you in the dressing room,” Rose said as she ran to keep up with Jerry.

  “Wish me good luck,” I whispered to Dean as I faced the door. I hated to perform. Now imagine how nervous I was to perform again. Twice in a night.

  “Good luck,” Dean said. “I'm gonna get out of here now.” He laughed at how nervous I was. “There's no monster in there. Calm down.” With that he walked away with his hands in his pocket. I stared at the door, fixing my shorts and bra and put my hand on the door knob.

  Let's get this done.

  Chapter 2

  Sexy Arrogant Jerk

  I twisted the door knob and took a deep breath before plastering my usual seductive smirk. I walked in and closed the door behind me. I lifted my head to look at the man I was supposed to cheer up and froze.

  Holy shit!

  The man sitting in front of me was damn sexy. He was wearing a black suit. His messy black hair made him look like a bad boy but his grey eyes had something soothing in them. He was staring at me, without any emotion. I was pretty sure that if I ran my fingers along his jaw, I'd probably cut myself because it was so sharp. My eyes raked his body. I noticed tattoos on his hands. The sleeves of his suit hid those tattoos.

  “Are you done checking me out?” he asked, looking bored. I blinked several times, then focused on his face. He had his arms crossed over his chest.

  “Actually, no,” I answered truthfully and made my way to him. I could hear soft music playing in the background.

  “Let's get this done,” he said as if it was torture for him. I stood in front of him, suddenly feeling intimidated by this man. He was the definition of handsome.

  “Any other man would jump in happiness at the idea of a woman dancing half naked on him,” I told him, making him raise his head to look at me. No. He wasn't looking at me. He was glaring at me.

  “I'm not going to jump in happiness at the idea of a whore dancing all over me,” he said with an evil glint in his eye. He was trying to hurt me. I knew that. Hatred started building inside of me. I shrugged and proceeded with my dancing steps. I tried to be sensual but it was really difficult when you had a non-responsive man in front of you.

  “Not everyone has money like you,” I whispered as I leaned near his ear. “I hate this job as much as I hate you,” I said as I sat on his lap and danced. He looked surprised by my words.

  “Then why go through with this?” he asked as he motioned to my body on his. I stood up and opened his legs before standing in between them.

  “I was paid to do this.” I dropped down and slowly stood up, popping my ass out. As if it wasn't half naked already.

  “Of course, you'd do anything for money,” he said with a humorless chuckle. I stopped dancing and stared at him.

  “Of course, I'd do anything if I'm helpless,” I said. He scoffed and slightly pushed me backwards so that I wasn't on him anymore. Asshole.

  “Then maybe you should start selling that body of yours,” he spat. “Because obviously, you're not good enough.” he added as he pointed to his pants. I've had enough of this arrogant jerk. I have to admit that this one kinda bruised my ego.

  “Or maybe the problem is with you,” I said as I pulled the hair band from my wrist and tied my hair in a ponytail. I was trying not to slap his sexy face. “Maybe you should go to a male strip club, maybe you'll find yourself at ease there.” I taunted before turning so I could leave. However, just as I was about to twist the door knob, he pulled back my arm. I turned to glar
e at the man and clenched my jaw.

  “Are you saying that I'm gay?” he asked, jaw clenched. I rolled my eyes and decided not to answer. Just as I was about to make a move to leave the room again, he pulled me to him and pushed me on the door. I could feel his breath on my face. I tried not to shudder. No, not in disgust but in pleasure. Don't ask me why he was making me feel this way. This arrogant sexy jerk had an effect on me.

  “Move,” I demanded with eyes closed, not wanting to show the lust I was feeling for him. He grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.

  “Open your eyes,” he demanded. I opened them and saw him staring at me with determined gray eyes. “I'm not gay, sweetheart,” he said slowly, his voice huskier as he spoke.

  “I-I need to go,” I stuttered, trying to free myself from him. He pinned my hands above my head and smirked. No. Not a playful smirk. A dangerous smirk. Suddenly, he buried his face in the crook of my neck and took a deep breath. I shivered, goosebumps rising on my skin.

  “Why the mask?” he asked. I kept quiet as he moved his hand to my hair. He untied my hair and let the hair band fall on the ground.

  “Why are you touching me? Am a whore, right?” I asked as I stared at him right in the eye. He stared back at me and didn't answer. Didn't he just call me a whore? He buried his face back in my neck and lightly blew on my face. That felt good. Damn good. When his lips made contact with my skin, I bit my lips to stifle a moan. I could feel his hands letting my wrists free. My hands fell on his shoulders. My eyes were closed as I concentrated on the feelings he awakened. What the hell was he doing to me?

  I felt a wave of pleasure run through my body when he opened his mouth and sucked on my skin. The moan I was trying to keep back just came out. As soon as he heard me moan, he groaned and pulled back. I thought he was pulling away but instead, I felt his lips on mine. He wrapped his hands around my waist and lifted me up. My legs wrapped around him. One of his hands was on my neck while the other supported my weight. My hands were wrapped around his neck, wanting more of him. He gently pinched my skin, making me gasp. He took the opportunity to slide his tongue in my mouth. I could feel the heat between my legs. He groaned when I bit his lips, which made me smile against his lips. I could feel a bulge near my legs and when I realized what it was, a smirk grew on my face. I pulled away and jumped back on the ground.

  “I'm not gay,” he said. Oh, so he was proving this to me? I smirked and pointed at his pants.

  “No, you're not,” I said. “Seems like I did my job,” I told him when I saw the bulge in his pants. With that, I picked up my hair band and quickly walked out of the room. I closed the door and leaned against the wall.

  What the hell just happened?

  My hands were soon on my lips, feeling how swollen they were. Damn. That was one hell of a kiss. This man was infuriating, confusing, and annoying. But still, he had something that intrigued me. I made my way back to the dressing room, trying to get the kiss out of my head. Once I entered, I saw Jerry, Dean, and Rose sitting on the couch. Dean quickly stood up when I entered.

  “So?” he asked looking expectantly. I gave him a smile and shrugged. “He reacted?” he asked, making me roll my eyes. “Keep rolling your eyes. Maybe you'll find a brain back there,” he muttered, making me gasp. I playfully smacked his arm and he chuckled.

  “Why are your lips swollen?” Rose asked and a gasp soon escaped Dean's mouth.

  “Holy shit! He kissed you?” he asked in pure disbelief. I nodded. “What? How? Why?” he asked quickly, shock written all over his face.

  “He kissed me just to prove me that he was not gay,” I told them as I sat next to Rose who was still staring at my lips.

  “What?” Dean asked in confusion.

  “I called him gay,” I said with a sheepish smile. Dean's eyes widened and soon he burst out laughing.

  “I wish I was there,” he said, clutching his stomach. “He wasn't mean?” he asked, wiping a few tears away. What was so funny?

  “He's a real asshole,” I said truthfully. He nodded and shrugged. “He called me a whore and said that I wasn't good enough.” “He got a boner?” Rose asked from beside me. I nodded with a proud smirk and pulled my sports bag to me.

  “I knew I was right about you,” Dean said proudly. I chuckled and motioned him and Jerry to leave the room.

  “I need to change,” I said. Dean nodded while Jerry just walked out of the room.

  “Can I have your number? In case, I need your services again?” Dean asked, causing me to glare at his Kenlike face. I just realized that Dean and his brother were really opposites.

  “You won't get my number. That was the first and last private dance I will give,” I told him, crossing my arms over me chest. “Now, you can leave,” I said. Dean would be an amazing friend in real life but I couldn't risk telling him my real name.

  “Come on,” he whined. “You're pretty funny and I'd like to meet you out of here! Just as a friend,” he said, staring at me with sincerity. “Rose already gave me her number,” he said, pointing towards her.

  “Well, I live with her. If you need me, give her a call,” I said. I didn't need stalkers or creepers in my life. I think it's already difficult enough.

  “I swear, just friends. I already have a fiancée,” he said proudly. My eyes went wide and I glared at him.

  “Then what are you doing here?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Getting married in two weeks. My friends brought me here to enjoy my last days of being a bachelor,” he said, rolling his eyes. I nodded in understanding but still refused to give him my number. I mean, wouldn't his fiancée feel bad to see strippers’ number in his phone?

  “Get out now.” I practically begged. “I'm tired and I just wanna change and get back home.” Dean sighed and nodded, closing the door.

  “He's really funny.” Rose pointed out as I started to change back to my leggings and my hoodie.

  “Yeah, he is.” I agreed. “He seemed pretty immature for a guy who's going to get married.” I chuckled. Rose laughed and nodded.

  “Speaking of marriage, are you going to your sister's wedding?” Rose asked. Silence fell on the room as I thought about it.

  “I love my sister, but I sincerely don't wanna see my parents,” I told her putting my things in my bag. I took my car keys and Rose stood up from the couch as we made our way out of the club, through the back door so that no one would recognize me as I took off my mask.

  “It would hurt Alena if you don't go,” Rose said.

  “I know. That's why I'm still thinking about it,” I mumbled as we reached my car.

  Chapter 3

  Tommy

  I walked into the apartment and quickly made my way to the living room. I dropped down on the couch, sighing with fatigue. I straightened my back and stared at my reflection in the glass in front of me. My green eyes didn't have their usual spark. I looked tired. Of course, I would be tired. I mean, I've worked last night and had to attend college this morning. I've gotten barely two hours of sleep.

  “It sucks to study, right?” Rose asked as she walked in the room with a glass of cold mango juice in her hand. She gave it to me, making me smile brightly. I really needed this. I gulped down the juice and took a deep breath.

  “Really sucks,” I answered.

  “Go rest,” she said, staring at me in concern.

  “I can't,” I exhaled. “I have to visit Tommy,” I told her as I closed my eyes and rested my head on the pillow of the couch. It was so comfortable.

  “I'll come with you! I miss that little man,” Rose said with happiness. Tommy's my stepbrother. He's seven. Long story short, my father cheated on my mom and got his mistress pregnant. The latter died and my dad refused to take responsibility for this little boy with cancer. My father was heartless. My mother was worse. She said she was praying for Tommy’s death.

  Why should he suffer for my father’s mistake?

  I left home after having a huge fight with my parents. Hatred built up inside of m
e after I saw who they really were. Which is why I was now living with Rose. I had to pay my college fee and Tommy's treatment myself. It was getting difficult. I was glad that Rose and my sister, Alena were there to help me.

  Alena has always been there for me. It really hurt her the day I left her and at first, she didn't understand why I was taking care of Tommy, the child of my father's mistress. I explained and she conceded to meet the little boy. She instantly fell in love with the cute little boy. It broke my heart each day, thinking that one day cancer might take over his little heart. I tried not to think about it too much. Tommy needed me, and I needed him as well. He was like a little ray of sunshine.

  I stood up and went to my room. I have to change my clothes. I was so tired right now. I took off my dress with a sigh. My eyes soon met my reflection in the mirror in front of me. Why did life have to be so hard? But again, if it was easy, it would be boring. I pulled out my jeans and a top. Having put some clothes on, I decided to put my sneakers on too.

  “Ready?” Rose asked from the door. I nodded and picked up my handbag. We walked to the car in comfortable silence. Rose knew that whenever I was tired, I was a little grumpy.

  “I just wanna get on my bed and sleep tonight,” I said as I started driving to the hospital. I was glad I didn't have to work tonight.

  “You really need to rest,” Rose told me, staring at me in concern. I nodded and put on some music to get my mind off all the problems that I had.

  As I stepped out of the car, my face crumpled as the smell of the hospital hit my nose. I hated hospitals and the smell of medicines. Rose seemed to agree with me as she made a gesture that she wanted to puke. A doctor passed by and stared at her as if she was crazy. Suddenly he rushed to her and held her arm.

  “Miss, are you alright?” the doctor asked with wide eyes. He seemed to be in his forties. Rose nodded and gave him a smile.

  “Yeah, I am. Don't worry,” she told him as she slowly pulled away from him and started walking towards me.