Chapter 25: Chapter 25

There she was... Love... the beauty with wild curly hair whose blue eyes would melt anyone...

And there they were... nocturnal men who desired her and they wanted to claim for themselves.

But there were limits ... limits that seemed extremely important to her and that she would never let anyone cross.

But what happens when two men walk into your life who don't seem to believe in boundaries?

What happens when they storm their walls of self-defense and throw them completely off course?

Love will find out !

***

Love ...

A short, almost inconspicuous name, behind the four letters there is so much more than just calling a person...

and behind this very person, there is more than just the facade that radiates so much grace and self-confidence, but also coldness and distance.

Because behind the walls she raised herself , which arose out of pure instinct and self-protection , there is still this little girl.

A girl who longs for love, security and closeness, but would never admit this publicly.

Too great is her fear of the pain that she believes will eventually follow everything beautiful.

Because every bright light, no matter how hopeful , casts a dark shadow and thus every beginning, according to her conviction, also has a bitter end.

Hate and love are so close together, just like good luck and bad luck and why risk everything when it will destroy you?

Why fly high when you have to land again at some point?

Why dance in love when every song eventually ends in silence?

Love, the girl who learned to live her name, because two men tried everything to break through her walls.

"You have five minutes, Love."

I nodded to Pablo and then looked back at myself in the large makeup mirror in front of me as I sat nervously on a stool, busy styling my wild brown curls.

My blue eyes darted across my reflection, but even when I looked at myself, I no longer recognized the woman in the mirror...

The last few years had changed me and while I was still the petite girl with the beautiful hair on the outside, my insides had undergone a total transformation.

Instead of dancing with my eyes closed and arms open like I used to, I stripped on a pole that felt just as cold as everything inside me.

So it was no wonder that I ended up here... in Juneau, in the middle of cold, gloomy Alaska, which with the cold and constant darkness just suited me and my life.

As always, before I got up to get my performance over with, I took a moment to mentally say goodbye to myself.

Out there, surrounded by horny men, I was different. I acted confident, brave and always smiling because what man would want to see a broken woman feeling sorry for herself?

Certainly not and I really depended on the tip, because I didn't earn much here.

Taking a deep breath, I got up, straightened my police outfit, which seemed exaggeratedly real, and put on new lipstick again, before leaving the small room that we women used as a changing room.

There was nothing more than a make-up mirror and several clothes rails, but Pablo wasn't known for investing a lot of money in us women. The bottom line was that asshole was just using us for his purposes anyway...

When I stood right next to the stage behind the black curtain, I just waited for my name to be called, but everything turned out differently than expected.

"Honey," Roberta addressed me, chewing her gum loudly as usual while twirling strands of her red hair with her fingers. I really hated the fact that she was still dancing here at her old age, but the men loved her for her honest, open manner and she had helped me out of trouble one or the other time. "You should go to Pablo in the VIP area. I'll take over."

She winked, spat her gum into the little trash can next to us and then when I heard her name clapping instead of mine and the men clapping, she disappeared through the curtain and put on her show.

I watched her for a moment as she elegantly began to undress at the top, but then I thought of Pablo again, who didn't like to wait.

I quickly walked down the dark hallway that led to the bar and looked curiously through the crowd of men who were all sitting at the red, round tables and slipping Roberta bills.

"Officer?", a male voice spoke to me from the side and immediately I had to smile before I had turned around.

Behind the counter stood Josh, our little angel, who really didn't fit into this run-down shed at all. At just 17, he wasn't even of legal age, but after the death of his father, he quickly had to look for something to support his mother financially. A really tragic story, but it didn't take away from his zest for life.

"What would you like?" he asked smiling and without waiting for my answer, he pulled out a bottle of orange juice. He always knew what I was after. An alert, sweet little fellow, with his tousled blond hair and warm brown eyes.

"Thank you," I uttered quietly and took the glass to scrutinize him for a second before disappearing to the spiral staircase next to us.

From up here you had a direct view of the stage, without the people in front blocking your view. That's why Pablo called this increase VIP area, although there was only a black leather couch and several armchairs.

Pablo was sitting on one of the dark armchairs and he looked really great in the colored lights, but appearances were deceiving for him. He wasn't great, not a good man, on the contrary...

He was only too happy to let me know that I would be nothing without him and on the worst days he would use me for his urges like a puppet and then throw me away like a piece of dirt.

But I didn't have anyone but him, so I put up with it.

"You asked for me?" I called over the loud music, ignoring the two men sitting with him.

"Love," he said with a smile and got up with his arms outstretched to come towards me beaming. "Sit down my beauty."

He took my glass from me, sniffed it and made a disgusted face, then put his arm around my shoulders.

"Gentlemen," he cleared his throat, causing the men to stand and turn to face us. "That is her."

With these words he introduced me and almost pushed me over to the two guys, who I now looked at more closely.

One looked almost like everyone else here in Juneau. A thick vest, a red shirt underneath and his dark hair, he wore a dark beard on his face.

He introduced himself as Howard.

When he sat down again and started a conversation with Pablo, I suddenly felt goosebumps on my arms without understanding where it came from so suddenly.

"Hello, Love," I heard the other's voice, the tone of which immediately made me look up at him.

His eyes seemed almost black here in the gloomy light, but they still shone brightly, which immediately fascinated me about him. But not only that, in contrast to the others, he was far too beautiful for this shed. Surely a man like him, with the perfectly set black hair, the bright smile and the body of an Adonis, could have anyone. What was he doing here?

What was I even looking for here?

I just gave him an embarrassed nod and then looked questioningly at Pablo, who was sitting next to the other on the couch enjoying my orange juice.

"Pablo?" I raised my voice, probably looking more nervous than ever, but only because I still felt the perfect man's eyes on me. They literally pierced me, almost depriving me of the ability to breathe.

"Oh sorry," Pablo finally turned back to me, standing up in a hurry. "They're both old friends and only the best for good friends. You're the best, love. That's why you're available to them 24/7."

I froze for a moment, completely taken by surprise, before I grabbed his arm and ran with him to the stairs.

"You always said I could choose my customers here," I said, still shocked, but his smile faded and only the real, emotionless Pablo remained.

"Do as I tell you, or you can sleep on the street in -16 degrees!" he retorted in an angry voice, lightly slapping my cheek several times. "So now go to the two of them and just be yourself."

I wanted to set that shop on fire, but I was nothing without him, so I ran back to my boss's good friends with a fake smile.

Good mine to the bad game...

It's Showtime Love!