A note to readers: As promised a word of caution for those who do not like coercion this part has hints of mind control. It is used for non violent sexual purposes but if it is an issue for you please don't continue reading.
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"I could spend a lifetime in this moment." The words ran through Em's head for what seemed like the five hundredth time that day while she stood at the bar waiting for Bastion to pour her order. The short message had been written in a very masculine cursive on the back of a photo of Balthazar and herself. It was one of the most sensual images she had ever seen, the two of them locked in an embrace, she was looking at him with pure desire as his lips hovered over hers. She sighed softly.
What the hell did that mean? Who writes something like that and then just takes off?
She shook her head slightly as the drink was set on her tray.
"Thanks hun." She smiled, picked up her tray and went to deposit the drink in front of an older man at a table close to the stage before making her way back to the bar. It was a light crowd that night, the large room was just over half full. Most of the customers were regulars. She scanned the tables as she moved, no one looked like they needed refills yet so she headed back to her spot at the bar. She set her tray down and leaned against the dark wood watching the woman dancing on stage in the big mirror behind the bottles on the back bar. Diana was undoing her top, smiling at the nearest customers, her brassy blonde hair swaying with the music. Em looked away with a little frown. That was going to be her in a little while.
The door of the bar opened letting in a blast of humid summer heat. In walked sin in a leather jacket.
It took every ounce of effort that she could muster to keep her jaw from falling open at the sight approaching them. He was tall, broad shouldered, with long dark brown hair pulled back in a simple low ponytail, amber eyes that swept the room lazily, and sexy lips curved in a bit of a smirk. It gave a person the impression that he found everything and everyone around him lacking something.
"Hello." Bastion greeted the newcomer cheerfully. "What can I get for you?"
"Whatever's on tap." The man said. Em grabbed her tray off the bar simply to have something in her hands to hide a sudden tremor. His voice was just above a baritone and held a hint of an accent she couldn't place. Bastion winked at her as he turned to grab a mug.
Emmeline looked back at the stage with a sinking heart. Of all the nights for her to finally relent and give Sam what he'd been asking for. It would be just her luck that a demigod of sex would be sitting in the room while she made her debut. Her stomach clenched with dread.
"Bastion." She turned to the bar, carefully keeping her eyes off the stranger. "Where's Sam?" She felt the man's eye's run over her and her body responded, every cell leaping to full quivering attention. If her ovaries could have jumped and waved at him she was sure they would have. She shook her head slightly.
"I think he's in his office." She nodded and took off for the door next to the stage. She found Sam in his office talking on his phone. Her knuckles rapped on the door frame softly and she stepped forward when he waved at her with a smile.
"Hey I'm gonna need to call you back." He set the phone down. "Em, you sexy thing. Are you ready?"
"About that." She sat down on the edge of the chair. "I don't think I can do this tonight."
"Come on Em. It's a perfect night for it, we've got a smaller crowd than normal."
"I know but—"
"We had a deal." His voice had a note of menace twisted through it.
"I'm really sorry. I'm just so nervous I'll probably mess up and embarrass you."
"Well." He leaned forward with his elbows on the desk, resting his chin on his steepled chubby fingers. "I suppose I can let you out of our agreement if you make it up to me."
"What do you mean?" She frowned.
"You're a smart girl." He smiled.
"Sleep with you?" She stood. "You can't be serious."
"Those are your options. I took away Gabby's spot for you tonight. Knowing her she's already halfway to blitzville so I can't call her in." He spread his hands open. "You can't expect me to ask one of the other girls to fill in because you got cold feet." His smile turned predatory around the edges. "I suppose I could be persuaded to talk one of them into it if you give me what I really want instead."
"Sam, please." She backed up a step.
"Either I get to see what you've been hiding under those clothes on that stage or right here. Otherwise I just can't see how I can keep employing you."
"That's blackmail."
"Uh huh." He sat back. "Which is it going to be?" He looked at his watch, his gray eyebrows lifted. "Come on Em, it's just dancing. You're an old pro at that."
"It's not the same."
"So you show a little more skin. What's the big deal?" He lifted his bulky body out of his chair and came around the desk. She backed up another step. "Just think, you'll make more in tips tonight than you made all week teaching those little brats."
"They aren't brats," she whispered. He stepped closer reaching for her hips. "I'll dance."
"Good. I've been looking forward to this for a long time." He took hold of her squeezing her lightly. "Go get ready. You've got twenty minutes." She nodded pulling free of his grasp and darting for the door, her feet dragged slightly as she walked to the dressing room.
"Hey Em." Rachel greeted her turning away from the mirror where she was applying another layer of makeup. "I hear you're going to show us how it's done tonight."
"I highly doubt that." Em murmured. "If I manage to get through this without tripping and doing something stupid I'll be amazed."
Rachel came over to Em patted her shoulder gently and gave her a smile. "You'll be fine. Just pretend you're back with your troupe at a performance. Smile, have fun and it'll be over in no time."
"She's right." Barb called over from the other side of the dressing table. "Pretend those bills are roses and gather them all up. That's what I do."
Em tried to pay attention to the banter around her but it was too much effort with trying to keep from having a complete panic attack. Twenty minutes passed in what felt like a few heartbeats. She walked to the side of the stage and stood behind one of the huge red curtains. Her pulse picked up speed as she spied the demigod. He hadn't left as she'd hoped. Instead he'd taken a seat at one of the tables closest to the bar, a full mug of beer in front of him. If he'd just started a new drink it was highly unlikely that he was about to leave soon.
She was going to take her clothes off in public for the first time and it was in front of one of the sexiest men she'd ever seen. The only other man she'd ran across recently that could compare was Balthazar. She frowned.
That situation hadn't ended the way she thought it would. Instead of a few weeks of incredible sex followed by an awkward 'I'm not looking for a relationship right now' conversation and then the two of them trying to avoid each other in the hallway the guy had just disappeared. And she wasn't at all sure how she was supposed to take that.
The DJ announced her pulling her out of her musings, she forced herself to walk out onto the stage. She'd decided to use choreography from one of her last performances with her old troupe. It was something her body knew well and it could easily be modified to allow her a few opportunities to remove articles of clothing as she moved. She asked for a slower Marilyn Manson song that was quirky and appropriately dark for the occasion.
