Trashy Read Free Page B

the rain started falling. The clouds were still far offshore, so I knew I had a while, but it was as good a reason as any to push it hard.
    At least if I used this excuse, I wouldn’t have to think about the other.
    I ran every morning, had been running for so many years it was second nature to me. I was naturally athletic, even if being that way was a lot more work than it used to be. I wasn’t going to let that part of myself go. A lot of other things had come and gone in my life, including some of that athleticism, but I was going to hold on to what I could.
    My building came into view and I slowed, my body giving a sigh of relief. The familiar twinge of pain in my knee greeted me, but I ignored it. It would probably bother me the rest of the day, and I might even regret the hard workout.
    No. Scratch that.
    Regrets were for pansies. I was not a pansy. And regretting anything was a waste of time.
    After I did some pull-ups and upper body work, I took a shower and got dressed in my usual button-up dress shirt and dark-colored dress pants. Even though I owned a strip club, I still dressed nice. Strip club or not, the Mad Hatter was my business and I was going to treat it as such. Wearing jeans and T-shirts to work (even if they were comfortable) didn’t give off the impression I wanted to.
    I dealt with suppliers, delivery guys, dancers, customers, etc. on a daily basis. I wanted them all to know I was in charge. Sure, most of that was portrayed through attitude, work ethic, and drive, but I also needed to look the part.
    I grinned ruefully at myself for my thoughts. Several years ago, I never would have dreamed this would be my life.
    I glanced at the clock. It was still fairly early in the day, so I figured I’d have time to grab some coffee and food on the way into the club. I’d still make it in plenty of time for the phone call I was expecting.
    The call was of a more personal nature, and one it seemed like I’d been waiting on for a while. Today was finally the day. The day I would officially be free.
    Well, assuming there were no issues that popped up last minute.
    God, I hoped not. I was ready to just move on.
    And I knew exactly in what direction I wanted to go.

3
     
    Roxie
    As soon as I pulled out of the parking lot onto the main road, the sky opened up and rain began pelting my car. And then my gas light came on.
    Of course I would need gas in the middle of this monsoon!
    I took my chances and drove closer to the Mad Hatter, thinking maybe I would get lucky and the rain would slow down.
    It didn’t.
    So I ended up driving the entire way in the pouring rain, biting my nails and glancing at the gas gauge like every other second. When I got to work, I was sneaking behind the bar and taking a shot. Not that Adam would likely care.
    I pulled off the main road and into the lot of the gas station, lucky enough to get a spot at one of the tanks in the center of the roof that covered the pumping area. The rain was thunderous when I climbed out of my old Mazda. After I set it to pumping, I dashed back into the car so I didn’t have to stand outside, but the humidity and loudness of the rain was almost intolerable.
    When the tank was full, I hopped out and closed the gas cap. A quick glance around told me no one was waiting for my spot so I left my car there and dashed inside to pay. Inside, the smell of coffee captivated me, totally stealing my attention and making my mouth water. Clearly, my taste buds didn’t care where the coffee came from so long as it was fresh.
    Taking a sharp turn, I yanked a paper cup out of the dispenser and poured it almost full with fresh brew. Then I dumped in about five little cups of vanilla-flavored creamer and gave it a stir. I liked a little coffee with my creamer. Once it was good and mixed I snapped on a black lid, snagged a roll of SweeTarts off a nearby rack, and got in line.
    What little sun was allowed to peak through the storm clouds had started to set as I made my way