The Border Part Three by Amy Cross Read Free Book Online

night at the club, she was starting to think that maybe she’d reached her limit.
    “You okay?” Hayley asked, stopping next to her and nudging her in the ribs. “Hey Katie, snap out of it. Are you okay?”
    Turning to her, Katie saw the grin on Hayley’s face.
    “Third night blues, huh?”
    “What?” Katie asked.
    “Third night blues. Don’t worry, it’s totally normal.” She grabbed a jug of water and poured them each a drink. “The first night is whacked out. You’re still adjusting, everything’s nuts. The second night, things seem more normal and you start to think that maybe you can handle it after all. And then the third night…” After letting some ice cubes drop into the glasses, she smiled. “The third night, it always gets to be too much. Your head spins, you body aches, and you consider quitting. Come on, admit it. You’re thinking about it right now.”
    “I just…” Taking a glass, Katie downed the water quickly. “I mean…”
    “You’re doing really well.”
    “I’m not.”
    “You are. They love you down here. Seriously, I can’t even remember the last time a new girl made such a big impression. Not since me, at least. Mr. Crutchlow’s been asking about you.”
    Katie winced. “Really?”
    “I think he wants to talk to you privately. Don’t be scared, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Not usually, anyway.”
    “Talk to me?” She paused, before looking back over her shoulder. The red light of the club was so intense, the air seemed to have become a permanent haze, but she could see some naked men lounging around one of the closer tables. “What does he want to talk to me about?”
    “Mr. Crutchlow’s different to all the other men down here,” Hayley continued with a grin. “He never misses a night, not ever. I mean, you’d think at his age he’d need to slow down a little, but if anything he’s speeding up. It’s kinda impressive when an old guy manages to keep up with the world. I hope I’m like that when I’m, like, ninety or whatever he is, although I don’t wanna be still hanging out at a place like this. One of the other girls here says he’s been coming to The Border since forever, and when he decides he likes a girl, he really likes them. Know what I mean?”
    Katie turned to her. “No.”
    “His fancy is fleeting, but you should take advantage of it while you can.”
    “Take advantage?”
    “You’ll see,” Hayley added, biting her bottom lip for a moment. “Someone’s coming up behind me, yeah? I can feel the floor vibrating.”
    Katie watched as a naked guy in his fifties approached Hayley from behind. Reaching around the girl’s waist, he clamped a hand on her bare right breast and gave it a squeeze, letting his fingertips linger over the nipple.
    “Just remember the rules,” Hayley said with a smile, before turning to the man. “That goes for you too, Sir. Rules are everything in The Border. This ain’t the Wild West.”
    Katie watched as the man’s hands wandered south over Hayley’s body, eventually cupping her buttocks and giving them a quick squeeze before parting them. Letting out a giggle, Hayley took one of the man’s hands in hers and began to lead him away, although she glanced back briefly at Katie before disappearing entirely into the red haze of the room. The last Katie saw of her was a pair of buttocks, swinging out of view. With music pounding so loud that the bar was actually vibrating, the whole club seemed to be throbbing more than ever, and talk of ‘the rules’ seemed to mean nothing on a night when lines were being pushed and possibilities were being explored.
    “Hey there,” a voice said suddenly.
    Turning, Katie saw a late-middle-aged man with graying hair, grinning at her as he leaned on the bar. She felt a shiver pass through her body as she realized that she recognized him from the ‘real’ world: his name was Tom Lanegan, and she knew he worked at one of the offices on the industrial estate with her old