Chapter 11 - Cherry's Advice.
1961 Words
Nicole's P.O.V.
I've only got one more hour left of my shift here at the club and even though I've had a great first night here, well, except for the altercation I had earlier on with Temu Regina George, I honestly can't wait to go home and have a relaxing bath and a nice glass of red wine before going to bed.
Damian has remained by my side for most of my shift which I thought would get annoying but it didn't, if anything, I found myself really enjoying his company and I also got to know him better as well which was nice.
Damian's a really cool guy and we seem to have a lot in common with each other, from our awful mothers to having similar life experiences and other things such as tastes in food, movies, music etc.
He's also insanely freaking hot and he gives off this dangerous, bad boy vibe, you know the Jax Teller kind of vibe, where he's got grown men running away from him in fear and fathers warning their daughters to stay away from him but they refuse to listen and date him anyway.
This is the type of vibe Damian's giving me which totally contradicts the kind of guy he actually is, especially when he's talking with me because he's always super sweet and nice with me but he's completely different with everyone else who he's more cold and stoic with.
This was kind of weird for me because he's the complete opposite of what Cameron was like.
My ex was always cold and stoic with me and was sweet and nice with everyone else around us but this isn't the case with Damian and I don't know how to feel about that.
"Hey there, sugar, can I get an apple martini, please?"
"Sure, coming right up"
I say with a smile.
"You're the new hire here, right?"
The girl asked with a strong Southern drawl to her voice, you know the one which pronounces thing as thang.
"Yeah, I am, my name's Nicole, what's yours?"
"Well, my momma gave me the name Carol but folks around here call me Cherry"
"After the pie?"
I ask whilst handing Cherry her drink which she quickly thanked me for before taking a sip.
"No sugar, I was named after the song"
Cherry says and I narrowed my eyes in confusion at her.
"Oh come on, you know the song...she's my cherry pie, cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise, tastes so good, make a grown man cry, sweet cherry pie, that song"
"Oh, I get it now...wait, why would they call you that?"
I ask feeling curious.
I mean, it's not the worst name in the world but it's still an odd choice for a nickname.
"They call me it because Cherry Pie was the first song I danced to in this joint, one of the brothers called me after I had finished dancing and it just kind of stuck"
"Hmm, makes sense, I guess"
I said with a shrug of my shoulders.
"So, if you don't mind me asking, Cherry, how did you end up working as a stripper here in South Dakota?"
"You're a blunt little lady, aren't you, sugar?"
Cherry asks whilst narrowing her eyes at me and I chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess I am"
I said with a smile which she reciprocated.
"Well, since you asked, I came here for a fresh start away from my asshole ex-boyfriend after he cheated on me with his ex-wife"
"Wow, meet your sister"
I say and Cherry looks at me shocked.
"You got cheated on, too?"
She asks me and I nod my head.
"Yeah, my ex-husband repeatedly cheated on me with his first love who also happens to be my sister"
I tell her and she gasps.
"You're kidding me?"
"Unfortunately, I'm not"
I say with a shake of my head.
"Wow...well, if someone like you is getting cheated on, then we're all doomed with these horny motherfuckers out here"
She says and I chuckled.
"Girl, I've been preaching that song since Beyoncé got cheated on"
I say with a sigh.
If Jay Z can cheat on someone as hot as Beyonce, then there's honestly no hope for the rest of us to have a monogamous relationship.
"So, what happened with your ex after you left? and yes, before you ask, I'm a nosy little lady as well"
I say with a smirk and Cherry chuckles.
"Well, after I caught him in our bed with his ex-wife, he performed the usual cheater's song and dance before he attempted to gaslight and manipulate me into thanking he wasn't cheating on me"
"Urgh!!, let me guess, he told you it's not what it looks like"
I say and Cherry gasps loudly.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Because that's the song of every cheater, Cherry"
I say whilst rolling my eyes.
"The moment they're caught with their pants around their ankles and their tongue down another person's throat, they immediately start to panic and say s**t like it's not what it looks like, I can explain, baby, please give me a chance and then when you do give them a chance to explain even after you've caught them with their hands in the cookie jar, all they do is bumble and stutter like an i***t who can't string two words together"
I explain to Cherry who burst out laughing.
"That sounds a lot like my ex, he was like baby, it's not what it looks like, I can explain and I was like, SIR!!...I literally caught you with your wiener in your ex-wife's buns, how is that not what it looks like?...my god"
Cherry says whilst rolling her eyes and I laughed.
"The crazy thang is that when I did give him a chance to explain and it was a bunch of the same old usual bullshit, he begged and pleaded with me to stay with him and give him a second chance and I said hell to the no and do you know what he did afterwards? this man who was so desperate for a second chance with me?"
She asks me and I shake my head.
"No, what did he do?"
"He went to Vegas with his ex and we all know what Vegas is known for, the dirty bastard"
Wow.
"Sounds like a real charmer"
I say sarcastically.
"Oh, it gets worse, honey because you see, he and his ex-wife ended up in a relationship with each other and I found out from my sister that they broke up six months later after he'd caught her cheating on him with his papa and his grandfather"
EWW!!, what the f**k?.
"You're kidding me, right?"
"I wish I was...just the thought of those two old bastards railroading that w***e makes me wanna vomit"
Oh god.
"Well, that's just nasty"
"You're telling me but I don't care because I won in the end"
Cherry says excitedly as I narrowed my eyes at her.
"How do you work that out, Cherry?"
I ask her as she takes a sip of her drink.
"Because I'm in charge of my life and my decisions and any assholes who come into this joint that reminds me of my ex and watches me dance and thinks yeah, I'd tap that, I happily flip them the bird and tell them sugar, no the f**k you won't"
She says and we both laugh.
"Oh god, I see you've met our Southern belle, little lady"
Damian's sexy, husky voice said as he approached us.
"Yeah, she has Dame, why? you worried?"
"Nope, why would I be worried, Chez?"
Damian asks Cherry whilst standing really close to me.
He was so close to me that I could feel his body heat against mine and I could smell his cologne as well which made him even hotter, if that's even possible.
Oh god, what's wrong with me?.
Why am I so horny for this man?.
I wasn't even this hot for my ex and I truly believed that I was in love with that prick from a very young age, so what gives with Damian who is a complete stranger to me?.
"Because you're worried about me spilling all of your dirty, little secrets to the new girl but don't worry, I haven't said anything to her about you...yet"
Cherry says with a smirk whilst taking a sip of her drink but what she said made me curious.
"Hmm, what secrets?"
I asked whilst looking up at Damian who was looking down at me with a smirk as he bit down on his lower lip.
"Wouldn't you like to know, little lady?"
"Don't worry, Nicole, I'll tell you all of the Tinman's secrets later on when we've got time"
Cherry says with a wink earning a groan from Damian.
"It's Tinhead, you red-headed gremlin"
Damian says before walking away, leaving Cherry and I chuckling.
"Damn, that boy has got it bad for you, sugar"
Cherry says forcing my laughter to quickly subside.
"What are you talking about, Cherry? we literally just met each other today"
"So? have you never heard of true love, soulmates and love at first sight? that s**t is real, you know"
Cherry says and I rolled my eyes.
"Yeah, in movies, this is real life, Cherry"
I say whilst cleaning up the bar.
"Wanna bet? watch this"
She says with a cheeky smile and I had no clue what she was about to do or say until I was left completely shocked and frozen to the spot by not only Cherry's question but also by the angry growl coming from behind me as well.
"So, Nicole, when am I gonna see your fine ass swinging around one of these poles, huh?"
What the f**k?.
"Never, she'll never be a f*****g stripper, stop being a bad f*****g influence on my...I mean, on the girl, Cherry"
Damian growled before storming off.
"Your honour, I rest my case"
Cherry says with a chuckle as I stood there in shock whilst continuing to stare in the direction where Damian had stormed off into.
"What was that? what the hell just happened?"
I asked Cherry who was staring at me all smug.
"That boy just staked his claim on you, that's what happened, sugar"
What? no way.
Why would Damian stake a claim on me? he doesn't even know me well enough to do that.
"You're kidding me, right?"
"Nope"
Oh god.
I thought to myself as Cherry rested her elbows on the bar and looked at me intently.
"I should warn you, though, Nicole baby, that you should be careful, especially now that Damian's staked his claim on you, Vipers and Vixens was named after our prez and his old lady but that doesn't mean that there aren't other meanings for it as well"
Cherry says whilst narrowing her eyes at a group of girls, one of whom was Brianna who was sitting there like a queen b***h amongst her loyal subjects which kind of reminded me of my sister Lily.
How are women like this idolised? it's truly sickening.
"There are a lot of vipers and vixens in this place who won't hesitate to fight you for what they believe is theirs, so I plead with you darling, don't get involved with Damian Donovan unless you're fully prepared to enter the snakes den and take them all on because these bitches will fight dirty but you need to make sure that you can fight even dirtier than them, do you understand me?"
She asks me and I nod my head as one thought continuously fills my mind.
Jesus.
What the hell have I gotten myself into by working here?.
- Writer
