Whipped) by Karpov Kinrade Read Free Book Online Page B

week to ask her out. I gave her a necklace I made. She said 'why not?'"
    Duke leaves his chair, slaps Ricky on the shoulder. "Still don't know why you did that, buddy." His black beard runs up the side of his face, wolverine style. He's a huge guy. Bigger than me. He has the second largest number of solos. When my contract is over, he'll take my place.
    Ricky chuckles. "All I know is, every night I fall asleep with the woman of my dreams."
    Duke grins. "I fall asleep with two."
    Ricky nods, smiling. He's used to this kind of taunting. The guys don't get why he'd settle down when there's a fresh pussy to fuck each night. I’m starting to side more with Ricky now, though.
    "Don't worry, Ricky," I say. "Duke gets two girls a night, but they all leave him the next day. Wonder why?"
    "I don't do emotional crap," says Duke. "And next day, things get soft real fast."
    I rub my chin thoughtfully. "Huh. That's what she said."
    The guys laugh. Duke frowns. Sorry, Dukey. But I don't stand for taunting couples. Not since I decided to be part of one. Even if it’s only been a few hours.
    "You have a problem with me?" asks Duke. He walks up to me. I'm still sitting. Fuck, the guy is huge.
    I give him my most charming smile. "No problem."
    Duke snickers. "Then don't be a fucking hypocrite. I saw you tapping that redhead tonight. What a fucking slut. You get her number? I could use a good ass—"
    I jump up and my fist slams into his jaw. He stumbles back. "Don't fucking talk about her," I growl.
    He rubs blood off his lip. He smiles. "You little cocksucker." He slams into me. It's like being slammed by a wall. My back smashes against a mirror. It shatters.
    There's a code of conduct when two men fight. I don't give a fuck. I knee him in the balls.
    Duke collapses on the floor. I expect him to clasp his precious jewels in pain. Instead, he grabs my leg and yanks me down. I fall on broken glass. It crunches. He climbs on top of me. He raises a fist.
    "What’s happening here?" The voice is deep and loud. It's Darrel. He stands at the doorway to the dressing room. He wears a white suit.
    Duke crawls off me. "Lach lost his fucking mind."
    I want to say some witty comeback, but the adrenaline is wearing off, and my back is on fire.
    Darrel walks through the room and towers over me. "Since when do we attack our fellow brothers?"
    I speak through a clenched jaw. "He's not my fucking brother."
    Darrel shakes his head. "What's happening to you, Lach?" He crouches down and wipes something off my forehead. I smack his hand away. He frowns. "You think you're better than us?"
    I don't answer.
    He yells. "You think you don't need us anymore?"
    I don't acknowledge him. I stand up and grab my jacket. Glass still digs into my skin. I'll deal with it later. "I'll see you tomorrow."
    "Take tomorrow off."
    I turn back to him. "What?"
    "You're off tomorrow. Use the day to get your shit together. Until you do, Duke has your solos."
    "Fine with me." I'm done soon anyway.
    Darrel smiles. "Fine. As long as you're not soloing, your pay is cut in half."
    I curl my fist. It's covered in blood. "You can't fucking do that. We have a contract."
    "And you're not living up to your end."
    Fuck this. I don't need the extra money that bad. My investor will come through. As I leave, Darrel pats Duke on the shoulder and congratulates the guys on a great show. They smile and nod. They act like children around him. I remember when I did the same.
    ***
    I drop by a clinic on my way home. They remove the glass from my back. The pieces are small. I don't even need stitches. The whole time, I think of Vi. I need to talk to her, tell her what I want. Ricky kicked things off with a gift, so I head to a store and pick out something appropriate.
    When I enter the apartment, Vi jumps off the couch. She's wearing a blue sweater. Her face is red. An open bottle of white wine is on her desk.
    I want to throw her back on the couch and tear her clothes off. But I resist. I close the door