“Hey, sugar,” one man slurred.

“Come sit that fine ass over here,” another mumbled.

Lucky’s jaw tensed and he closed in on the men. This was going to end badly if he lost his temper.

Baby batted her eyelashes at the group. “Why don’t you fine gentleman have a round on me. Let me go take care of that and I’ll handle this big brute.” She patted Lucky in the center of his chest. He glared at the men as Baby drug him away by the arm.

“You’re not seriously going to give those jackasses more alcohol are you?”

“No, of course not. It’s something I like to do to calm the situation. The bartender knows to give them shots of water with a little lime juice. I tell them it’s a tequila shot.”

“Is that legal?” Lucky asked.

“Sure, they’re not paying for anything.” Baby leaned across the bar and told the weekend bartender to serve a round of douchebags to the rambunctious table across the room.

Jimmy replied with a wink. They had been serving the appropriately named drinks for years.

“I have a set, and then I’m on stud duty. That ok with you?” Baby’s lips twisted into a knowing smile.

“It’s better than ok.” Lucky’s deep voice dripped of carnal innuendo. His hand brushed hers as she sauntered away.

The remainder of the night was smooth. Mickey went about his business. Baby Jade finished up all six performances without a problem, and enjoyed the back and forth banter with Lucky in between sets. Although, he wasn’t too happy when she had to perform a few lap dances. Most of the customers were on their best behavior. Baby wished she could say the same for the girls.

Jewella and Barbie drank the night away, and by the way they were both twitching all night, they had done their fair share of dope too. She suspected that Jewella was smoking crack when she couldn’t get the good stuff. Dumb bitch. If she wanted to waste away to a crackhead, that was her business.

Baby sat on the stool next to the entrance waiting for Lucky’s shift to end. He had gravitated between her legs, and they were sharing an intimate moment, reminiscing about the night before when Jewella crashed the party.

“Well, aren’t you two chummy. You two hooking up?” Jewella leaned against Lucky. His face warped into repulsion and he threw his hands in the air, not wanting to touch her. The slut-red negligee she wore appeared to be three sizes too big, hanging off her bony frame. She had lost at least twenty pounds over the last year.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Baby asked. It made her stomach lurch, leaving her wanting to hurl watching Jewella slither on Lucky’s hip.

“Oh, honey. I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else.” Jewella ran her hand over Lucky’s chest, making Baby’s skin crawl.

“Yeah, well. I can’t keep an eye on the club when I’m distracted. I’m gonna get back to work.” Lucky pushed her hand away.

“You don’t find Baby as a distraction?”

“Mickey assigned her to the door for a reason.” He took a step backward trying to put some distance between them.

“Jewella, go take it up with your man if you have a problem. Remember him, your man? Mickey?” Baby added sarcastically.

“Don’t be such a smart-ass, Baby. You need to know your place around here.” Jewella stumbled and kicked off her heels.

“What the hell’s going on here?” Mickey’s voice boomed from halfway across the room. Baby spotted him stalking in their direction, already brooding.

Lucky threw up his hands in protest. “Hey man. Nothing’s going on. Seriously.”

“Dammit, Baby! Can’t you get one damn thing right?” Mickey yelled in her direction, making Jewella bubble with laughter.

“What the hell are you talking about? No one can contain that hot mess. You need to keep her on a leash,” Baby shot back.

“This is bullshit. I gave you one job to do. She’s not a fucking infant. She’s a grown ass woman. How hard does it have to be to do your fucking job?” Mickey fumed, glaring down into Baby’s face. Lucky had inched his way closer, ready to strike if needed.

Now it was Baby’s turn to chuckle. “If she’s that easy to keep in line, what the hell do you need me for?”

Jewella grabbed a hold of Mickey’s arm, unable to hold herself up. “An infant?” she said through a giggle. “No, no. Baby doesn’t have an infant. Remember, Mick? She got rid of it.” She gave a half hiccup/burp and rubbed the back of her hand across her face, smearing what was left of her robin’s egg blue eye shadow.

Her face went pale. Baby looked at Lucky, who was using both hands to rub the sides of his beard, his hands shaking. Baby wasn’t certain but thought she saw tears pool in the corners of his dark eyes. Quickly blinking them back, Lucky turned his back to her, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Everybody get back to work.” Mickey ended the conversation and snatched Jewella by the elbow, dragging her away. Baby couldn’t make out what he was saying, but he was in her ear until they were both out of sight.

Baby moved toward Lucky, close enough that she smelled the familiar musky scent of his skin. She extended her hand to touch his back but stopped when Lucky took a step forward out of her reach.

Shunned, Baby Jade bolted from behind Lucky and ran downstairs to grab her bag. She threw her clothes on over her corset and ducked out the back door without a word. She used the sleeve of her sweatshirt to wipe the tears that poured down her face. The tears flowed as she ran all the way home. She jammed her key into the lock, her fingers barely able to make it work. Once inside, she leaned against the door and fell to the floor, allowing her emotions to take over. All the pain she had been harboring over the years welled to the surface. The grief of her own decisions from her past gnawed at her insides.

She bawled, rocking in a fetal position against her front door. She never let herself think about the baby that she had aborted almost two years earlier. It was the hardest thing she had ever done. Normally you wouldn’t be allowed to be inebriated when undergoing a procedure, but, of course, Mickey knew a guy.

When Baby found out she was pregnant, a small part of her was excited. She had never thought about being a mother, not after the hand she had been dealt where mothers were concerned. However, something in her longed to share her heart with the tiny life growing inside her.

Mickey heard about her pregnancy and immediately started hounding Baby about getting rid of it. He asked who the father was, and, of course, at that time in her life, she couldn’t pinpoint the exact person. Most nights were a blur. He tried to play up to her needy side, and when that didn’t work, he went for ruthless.

He made sure to tell her she should never be allowed to have children. She was a psycho like her mother. He told her the child wouldn’t have a chance in hell with a mother like her, it would probably end up disabled or crazy. He stabbed the knife in and then dug it around for his own pleasure.

“You would screw that poor kid up.”

“Your mother was a crazy bitch, but at least she was smart enough to cut you loose.”

“That kid would only end up hating you.”

“If it’s a girl, be sure to save her a place on the pole.”

It all became too much. It was all she heard, day in and day out. Baby Jade became miserable and depressed. Slade fed her pills and liquor until one day she was too far-gone, she signed the papers and let Mickey drive her to his guy’s office, which ended up being an abandoned building with running water.

The whole time it was happening, Baby knew her life would be forever changed. It was the first time she wasn’t able to turn off her emotions, to shut down. It was the one time she knew she wouldn’t bounce back. She would never be the same again.

When it was over, Mickey gave Baby the weekend off to recuperate. Everyone was overly nice. Jewella seemed sincere when she offered to clean Baby’s apartment, helping do her laundry and bringing her soup. Baby figured she had probably been in the same situation a time or two.