Danielle's POVI couldn't believe I was actually doing this tonight. It's been over a week since Lady Misaki introduced me to her "business", and although she didn't force it on me, I had a feeling like she wasn't leaving me with much of a choice either. Besides, I really needed the money to survive on my own in this town.I looked up at myself in the dressing room mirror, frowning slightly at the flimsy, see-through attire I was putting on. One could literally see my naked body underneath the tight dress, if you come close enough. Moments like this made me question myself, and my decisions.I hurriedly put on my mask, concealing my face like the other strippers in this club. I took in a deep breath, as I turned towards the door.Why was I feeling like this? Why was I feeling so bad about doing anything I can to survive? Why does he still haunt my mind? Why do I still keep hearing Brandon roaring and telling me that I belong to only him? I shouldn't have to feel bad, right?"Champagne
Brandon's POVI casually walked into the apartment like I owned it. The furnitures although simple looking, were actually ridiculously expensive. I could see that she still had the money splashing habit that I knew her for.There were no personal pictures on the walls, only expensive portraits that looked like they were supposed to be in the museum. I scoffed at her alcohol collection, knowing she hardly ever drinks them.Running my fingers along her large, mahogany, dinning table, a flashback of our time together hit me, or should I call it... nostalgia?I suddenly felt a presence behind me, and I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. I also didn't need to turn around to know she had a gun pointed at me."You must have a death wish, showing your face here again, Bran." She said, clicking the rifle in her hands.A smile tugged at my lips, as I turned around to face her, holding my hands up in mock surrender."Don't shoot... please?" I grinned toothily, earning a pointed glare
Danielle's POV"Yes!" The older man chuckled in excitement, as I flung my bra at him.He caught it, bringing it up to his nose and sniffing it like a freaking hound. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with lust, as he eyed my body hungrily. He was my first client tonight, and was fast becoming a regular.I wasn't too keen on performing for him and letting him ogle my body, but then again, that's what strippers do. At this point, it didn't matter what I liked.I hoisted myself up an the pole, grinding against it to the rhythm of the background music. I could see the man grab the handle of his seat, before he suddenly stood up."You should sit down, Mr..." I said, arching an eyebrow at him."The name's Wellington." He smirked, taking a deep Inhale of his cigarette."Well, Mr. Wellington...the show is better enjoyed on your seat." I said, sounding a little more stern, as he took a step forward.The rules clearly stated that clients aren't supposed to touch the strippers, unless they had
Danielle's POV"You need to back off, Brandon!" I seethed, as I finally approached my apartment. It was still pretty dark, as we were in the early hours of the morning, and I was just too sleepy to deal with a mafia boss, stalking me closely."So...this is where you stay?" He snorted, looking around my neighborhood, his hands in his pocket. I found his remark quite offensive, and I didn't hesitate to lash out."Yeah. Better than staying in a luxurious mansion with a bloody murderer." I spat at him, earning a tight smile."That's not fair, I ...""You killed my mother, Brandon. How dare you show your face here?" I yelled at him."How dare you go to my Aunt Mallory and Oliver in Ohio, acting like some saint?" "Does my aunt know you killed her sister?" I chuckled bitterly, as he just regarded me with a cold expression."Does Oliver know? He had always looked up to you. Does he know?" I felt my voice crack, as I uttered those words."She asked me to run." Brandon suddenly blurted out, ma
Danielle's POVI let out a groan of frustration at the sound of Brandon's Italian ramblings on the phone. He seemed to be really mad at the person on the other end of the phone, so mad that he decided to disturb my sleep with his loud ass voice.I could have sworn I asked him to leave like a hundred times, last night. However, there he was, shirtless and pacing around my living room, while he speaking on the phone. He was oblivious to my presence, as I was peeking at him through my slightly opened door. I let out an annoyed huff.Finally deciding that I'd done enough staring and peeking, I tied my robe properly and exited the room, walking towards my kitchen for some coffee. I decided to ignore his presence, not even sparing him a glance, as I walked past.He continued with his conversation on the phone, as I busied myself with the espresso machine. Just as I was done making a cup of coffee for myself, Brandon came up from behind me, casually snatching the cup from me and downing the
Danielle's POV"Remember! You have them in the palm of your hands." Flashback of Lady Misaki's words invaded my head.I remembered frowning and looking at her, as if trying to ask how she could be so sure. I mean, these are full grown men we're talking about. Some of them were either very wealthy, powerful, dangerous and influential. Lady Misaki grinded up her hips against a blindfolded man in the room. He had his hands tied above his head, as we both took turns teasing and tormenting him with our bodies. What really baffled me was the fact that the man literally signed up for this."See how he shivers at my touch?" Lady Misaki purred, running her fingers down his bare chest. I watched him try so hard to hold back his moans."No matter how powerful they might be..." She whispered, slowly bending down in front of the man."No man can resist a good ole feminine touch!" She grinned, while I just watched her blankly.Many thoughts ran through my head and at the center of those thoughts,
Brandon's POVI clearly forgot how easy it is to slip out of control, whenever I'm around...her. Danielle had always been good at effortlessly getting to me in a way that not many people would. However, it seemed like she was on a whole new level now.It was true that I wanted to keep her safe, by keeping her hidden but somewhere in my heart, I also knew that I couldn't bear the sight of another man's eyes, roaming her body. I'd already seen enough of that, and poor Mr. Wellington had to pay.No one should look at her lustfully, other than myself!I knew Danielle was probably feeling some animosity towards me, and that's to be expected, after what I've done. If I hadn't killed her mother, she wouldn't have had to suffer in the first place. She would have had her complete family with her, and wouldn't have had to enter a single strip club in her life. Her life wouldn't have been filled with bullies and too many responsibilities to carry.I brought this suffering upon her, and I won't
Danielle's POVEven though my eyes were closed in pretense, I could still sense his presence in the room, glaring holes into my head. Brandon definitely wasn't going to let me off easily."Anytime now, mia cara.... anytime now!" He mumbled to no one in particular, and I could sense him standing just a few feet away. How long could I keep up with the deceit?I decided to open my eyes just a fraction, but I regretted that action as soon as I did. He was right in front of me, and our eyes met, making me shut my eyes instantly.I soon felt him climbing the bed, making the mattress dip around me. He seemed to have just taken a shower, as he smelled strongly of shampoo and soap. Drops of water from his body fell onto my face, and I resisted the urge to scrunch up my face. I was supposed to be fast asleep.His fingers were suddenly grazing a side of my cheeks, brushing hair from my face."As much as I find this cute..." He whispered huskily, and I was sure as hell that he was talking to me.
Danielle's POVHe came back to me! Brandon came back to me, after six months in a coma, after six months of helplessly waiting for a miracle. He made my nightmares disappear with just his presence."Momma!" My four years old son exclaimed, right before hugging my legs. From the looks of it, he went fishing again with his father.He looked up at me with his big, hazel eyes, and that was all I needed to confirm my suspicion. "Did you go fishing with your father again?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him."Um...Aurora also came with us?" He confessed, making me roll my eyes, before bending down to meet his height."I wasn't going to punish you, Austin!" I said, making him sigh visibly in relief."Come on! Go ahead and call your sister. Dinner is almost ready." I told him, ruffling his hair fondly.My son's eyes grew even wider, and his face went a bit pale. It was like he suddenly remembered something that scared the hell out of him."What is it, Austin?" I asked, as he suddenly held o
A/N: Alright, readers! Since we're coming to the end of this book, allow me to present y'all with a happy chapter, lol! I promise you won't be mad this time.]Danielle's POVThe beeping of different monitors and his steady breathing, were the only sounds that kept me company. It's been what? Six months since I last looked into his vibrant, blue eyes.My stomach was now bigger, as I was slowly nearing my delivery date. However, I didn't think I could do any of that without him, without Brandon.I let out a sniffle, like I had been doing for over a million times, taking his large hand in my smaller ones, and squeezing lightly."There you are, Danny! Come on and have your bath now!" Aunt Mallory called out from the doorway. Her and Oliver had come all the way from Ohio, as soon as they heard of Brandon's... incident. They've been keeping me company ever since."I don't want to!" I answered her stubbornly, not wanting to take my eyes off Brandon's unconscious body, even for a moment. He w
Danielle's POV:I didn't realize I'd stopped running, until someone grabbed me by my wrist, and my eyes widened in terror. It was that Calaveros man from earlier; Diaz."Where do you think you're going?" He grinned sinisterly at me, before attempting to drag me off to the direction of their minivan.I started yelling, punching, kicking and scratching as much as I could, but it only seemed to anger him, as he kept tugging at my wrist. I let out a gasp, as a bullet suddenly went through his head, splattering blood all over my face. I watched him fall to the ground with a thud, and I turned around to look for who fired the shot. It was Micheal, and he kept gesturing for me to keep running towards the car.Looking down at the corpse before me again, I suppressed the urge to gag. He had a gun on him, and I bent down to take it from his lifeless hand. I'd seen men using guns before, so it shouldn't be too hard for me, right?Brandon was now clearly winning, as he stood over Sam, who was br
Danielle's POVA fight to the death? What the hell was he thinking? What sort of barbaric, mafia tradition is that? Why is it even a thing?I was suddenly dragged down from the vehicle I'd been boarding, and my eyes immediately started searching for Brandon. We were now on some sort of old, abandoned bridge, and armed Calaveros men were everywhere. I was yet to spot Brandon, even as Sam slowly emerged from behind me. He was shirtless, giving me a much clearer view of his tattoo adorned body. I glared at him."What's the matter, Dee? Nervous?" He smirked at me.I made a move to lunge at him with an attack, but one of his men was quick enough to hold me back, making me groan out in frustration."You won't get away with any of this. I promise you!" I threatened. In that moment, I had finally realized what Sam truly is, who he truly is; an enemy!A minivan finally arrived at the bridge, and all attention were on it. Immediately it stopped, Brandon came out from the back, wincing slightly
Danielle's POVWith one arm around my neck, Sam forcefully dragged me along, towards the noise of the ongoing gun battle. He had a gun pointed to my head, which he used to threaten me to move. I struggled as much as I could, while he just kept laughing like some evil villain."No matter.... what...you do.." I managed to say, as his arms were literally choking me.He loosened up, when he realized I was saying something, and I took that opportunity to gasp for breath, before speaking."No matter what you do, Sam. I'll never love you." I spat at him.For a moment, I thought I saw the old Sam, the one I'd always trusted. His eyes widened in an emotion that resembled... regret? He was however quick to get rid of the look, as soon as it came."This isn't about you, anymore." He seethed, tightening his hold on my neck again and dragging me along.I continued to struggle against his hold, as I we moved closer to the direction of the gunfight.Soon, we were in some sort of courtyard, which w
Brandon's POV"I'm sorry Brandon, I should have told you earlier." Those were her last words, before Sam snatched the phone from her. He wasn't lying about her carrying my child. How could I be so careless and stupid?"Boss...it's a trap. You can't just go like that?" Micheal said to me, suddenly coming to stand in my way, as I had been moving towards my car."Move!" I growled at him, but he wouldn't budge. The rest of my men just stood, watching us in silence."You're not thinking straight, right now." Micheal complained."Of course I'm not. Didn't you hear that bastard? He has my family and he's threatened to harm them if I don't show up!" I yelled right into Micheal's face."He's trying to goad you!" Micheal argued."What will you have me do, then?" I yelled even louder."Will you prefer that I let them die?" "That's not what I said." Michael said, his voice cracking. I knew my words struck a nerve. His own family had been murdered in front of him, a long time ago. It was a very
Brandon's POVI was looking right at the scene before me, but I was too afraid to accept what might have happened. There was need for a closer inspection.This was obviously one of my cars, and it was destroyed almost beyond recognition. My legs moved me faster towards the scene, as I feared the worst. Anissa and Danielle aren't in there, right?"This is bad!" One of my men said, as he approached me, Micheal following right behind me.My men had found this scene first, in their search for Anissa and Danielle, who were supposed to be on their way to join me for tonight's date. They contacted me, and I had begun running here, as fast as I could."We found two bodies, boss. They are badly burnt, but we were still able to save what we can." Micheal announced, making me hold my breath for a second. He just said "two bodies"!"Let me see them." I grunted, shoving Micheal out of my way, as I advanced towards the scenery. It wouldn't be long before the cops show up, so we needed to be quick h
Danielle's POVPanic coursed through me, as Sam finally closed the gap between us. I found myself backing away from him and turning around to make a run for it. All my warning bells were ringing like crazy, and I knew something unpleasant was about to happen.I instinctively ran towards Anissa, who had been standing there all along. I tried to drag her along with me, but she suddenly pushed me to the ground with one swift motion, leaving me more stunned than terrified.I now had beach sand all over my face, as I raised up my head to look at her. I searched her eyes, and I was taken aback by the look of indifference in them. She looked down at me with so much coldness, I couldn't recognize her anymore. That was when I started making sense of what was happening."I've done what you asked." She said, finally facing Sam, who had a gleeful look in his eyes."You wanted her, she's here." Anissa said again, pointing at me, as I remained in my spot, too stunned to move."I can see that!" Sam
Danielle's POVTonight I was finally going to let Brandon know. I was going to let him know that I was carrying his child; our child.I already had a whole week to think about it and now I was convinced that telling him might not be such a bad idea, afterall. The possibility of starting a family with him, got me so excited and I just couldn't wait.I looked at my reflection in the mirror with so much joy, thinking about the many things that had happened in my life to bring me right to this very moment. My hands instinctively reached out to touch my stomach, rubbing it soothingly, as my smile widened.I still couldn't believe that there was a new life forming inside me. It made me look at life in a whole new perspective and I just wished Brandon would see things the same way too."Now that's one hell of a dress." Anissa said softly, as she emerged from behind me.She had been the one taking care of me more closely than any other member of Brandon's staff. She was very protective of me