To give herself a moment to figure out the layout, she studied the interior. There seemed to be only men inside, five of them, not counting the clerk. Dusty racks held dated DVDs sectioned off by genre in the front of the shop. Lights surrounded a back door that led into another room, but Yvette made a beeline for the action flicks to her left.
Unfortunately, two men loitered there, talking to each other. It wasn’t until she got nearer to them that she wondered if they were making a drug deal, given the close, quiet conversation combined with their shifting gazes.
Looking for something to catch her interest, Yvette pretended to ignore them as she perused the shelves. They got quiet, watching her in such a calculated way that she could actually feel their smarmy attention moving over her. Growing nervousness made her hands clammy.
Anxious to be on her way, she snatched up an older Tom Cruise movie and headed to the register. The clerk was younger, his shaved head tattooed, but it was the way he smiled at her that made her want to mace him.
Get it together, she told herself. You’re in a public place. The front door is open. People are on the street—
“Anything else?” he asked with sneering suggestion.
She jumped at the sound of his deep voice. “No, thank you.” As quickly as possible she finished up. It wasn’t until he handed her the movie that she saw the stack of returned DVDs behind him.
Sex videos.
Porn.
She jerked around to stare at that damned lit door in the back of the room.
How could she have been so stupid?
Seeing her realization, the two men leered at her.
She snapped around to leave, and ran face-first into a tall, hard body. The guy caught her arm to steady her. “Hey now. Easy.”
She looked up into deep brown eyes and wanted to melt. “Armie.”
The shock on his face might have amused her at any other time. “Yvette?” Still holding her arm, he glared around the room, mean mugging all the other customers.
Everyone turned away.
Voice lowered, he asked, “What the hell are you doing in here?”
She held up Tom Cruise—and saw the tremor in her hand.
His mouth flattened with disapproval. “You shouldn’t be in here.”
“I didn’t realize...”
He looked over his own shoulder, then back at her. “Cannon is going to have a cow.”
She almost choked on her laugh. Seriously, Cannon was the very least of her concerns. Freeing herself from Armie’s hold, feeling plenty brave now with his presence, Yvette relaxed her knotted muscles. “So what are you doing here?”
“Buying p**n .”
Now she did choke. “No, I meant...” She rolled her eyes. Armie was one of those sexually outrageous guys that no woman could take seriously, but that every woman probably felt safe with. “I thought you were with Cannon tonight.”
“Yeah, I am. He stopped to visit with some, ah...” He rubbed the back of his head, making his already spiky blond hair messier. “Some local people, so I came on ahead to do my business.” Clearly trying to distract her, he gave a shameful grin. “I’m entertaining a lady tomorrow who goes wild with a few visuals.”
Yvette crossed her arms and tapped her foot, and damned if Armie didn’t squirm. “So,” she said, squinting. “Cannon is visiting some women?”
“Not the way you’re saying it, no. I mean, he could visit them that way because they’re all kinds of willing, you know. But he’s been dodging them for years.”
Sort of the way he’d dodged her years ago? “Who are they?”
Now that he’d partially fessed up, he jumped in with both feet. “Topless dancers. Used to work at Rowdy’s bar before he bought it. Rowdy got rid of the pole, and all but one of the gals moved on to another place so they could keep the tips they made from working their wares.”
Wow. Yvette had no words. Just...wow. Why was Cannon visiting with them if he wasn’t interested? She seriously doubted they discussed the weather.
Finally, when Armie said, “There are five of them,” she found her tongue.
Five? “Wonderful. I’m sure they appreciate his attention.” She made a move around Armie and he, the jerk, fell into step with her.
“Ready to go, huh? No more shopping to do? Got everything you...need?”
Yvette didn’t answer, but that only encouraged him.
“You check out the back room? No? It’s a sight. They have toys hanging from the ceiling.”
Sheer surprise tripped her up and she stopped to stare up at him. “Toys?”
“Yeah, you know. Different-size vibrators, some clamps, a variety of dil—”
“No!” She started walking again, a little faster this time. “Just hush.”
Grinning, he said, “Okay. But I’ll walk you out.”
Glad for the company after getting shaken, she still said, “Aren’t you forgetting your p**n ?”
“It’s not going anywhere.”
Yvette could hear the snicker in his every word. She sighed.
“They have plenty to choose from.”
“I wouldn’t know. I went only as far as the action section.”
“Oh, they have action. Naked action. Threesome action. Discipline-and-bondage action. Backdoor action. Doctor-and-nurse action. Every kind of action you could think of.”
He couldn’t know about her past. About the animals that had forced her to watch as they’d videotaped a drugged woman. The sick cretins who had threatened her—
Unfortunately, two men loitered there, talking to each other. It wasn’t until she got nearer to them that she wondered if they were making a drug deal, given the close, quiet conversation combined with their shifting gazes.
Looking for something to catch her interest, Yvette pretended to ignore them as she perused the shelves. They got quiet, watching her in such a calculated way that she could actually feel their smarmy attention moving over her. Growing nervousness made her hands clammy.
Anxious to be on her way, she snatched up an older Tom Cruise movie and headed to the register. The clerk was younger, his shaved head tattooed, but it was the way he smiled at her that made her want to mace him.
Get it together, she told herself. You’re in a public place. The front door is open. People are on the street—
“Anything else?” he asked with sneering suggestion.
She jumped at the sound of his deep voice. “No, thank you.” As quickly as possible she finished up. It wasn’t until he handed her the movie that she saw the stack of returned DVDs behind him.
Sex videos.
Porn.
She jerked around to stare at that damned lit door in the back of the room.
How could she have been so stupid?
Seeing her realization, the two men leered at her.
She snapped around to leave, and ran face-first into a tall, hard body. The guy caught her arm to steady her. “Hey now. Easy.”
She looked up into deep brown eyes and wanted to melt. “Armie.”
The shock on his face might have amused her at any other time. “Yvette?” Still holding her arm, he glared around the room, mean mugging all the other customers.
Everyone turned away.
Voice lowered, he asked, “What the hell are you doing in here?”
She held up Tom Cruise—and saw the tremor in her hand.
His mouth flattened with disapproval. “You shouldn’t be in here.”
“I didn’t realize...”
He looked over his own shoulder, then back at her. “Cannon is going to have a cow.”
She almost choked on her laugh. Seriously, Cannon was the very least of her concerns. Freeing herself from Armie’s hold, feeling plenty brave now with his presence, Yvette relaxed her knotted muscles. “So what are you doing here?”
“Buying p**n .”
Now she did choke. “No, I meant...” She rolled her eyes. Armie was one of those sexually outrageous guys that no woman could take seriously, but that every woman probably felt safe with. “I thought you were with Cannon tonight.”
“Yeah, I am. He stopped to visit with some, ah...” He rubbed the back of his head, making his already spiky blond hair messier. “Some local people, so I came on ahead to do my business.” Clearly trying to distract her, he gave a shameful grin. “I’m entertaining a lady tomorrow who goes wild with a few visuals.”
Yvette crossed her arms and tapped her foot, and damned if Armie didn’t squirm. “So,” she said, squinting. “Cannon is visiting some women?”
“Not the way you’re saying it, no. I mean, he could visit them that way because they’re all kinds of willing, you know. But he’s been dodging them for years.”
Sort of the way he’d dodged her years ago? “Who are they?”
Now that he’d partially fessed up, he jumped in with both feet. “Topless dancers. Used to work at Rowdy’s bar before he bought it. Rowdy got rid of the pole, and all but one of the gals moved on to another place so they could keep the tips they made from working their wares.”
Wow. Yvette had no words. Just...wow. Why was Cannon visiting with them if he wasn’t interested? She seriously doubted they discussed the weather.
Finally, when Armie said, “There are five of them,” she found her tongue.
Five? “Wonderful. I’m sure they appreciate his attention.” She made a move around Armie and he, the jerk, fell into step with her.
“Ready to go, huh? No more shopping to do? Got everything you...need?”
Yvette didn’t answer, but that only encouraged him.
“You check out the back room? No? It’s a sight. They have toys hanging from the ceiling.”
Sheer surprise tripped her up and she stopped to stare up at him. “Toys?”
“Yeah, you know. Different-size vibrators, some clamps, a variety of dil—”
“No!” She started walking again, a little faster this time. “Just hush.”
Grinning, he said, “Okay. But I’ll walk you out.”
Glad for the company after getting shaken, she still said, “Aren’t you forgetting your p**n ?”
“It’s not going anywhere.”
Yvette could hear the snicker in his every word. She sighed.
“They have plenty to choose from.”
“I wouldn’t know. I went only as far as the action section.”
“Oh, they have action. Naked action. Threesome action. Discipline-and-bondage action. Backdoor action. Doctor-and-nurse action. Every kind of action you could think of.”
He couldn’t know about her past. About the animals that had forced her to watch as they’d videotaped a drugged woman. The sick cretins who had threatened her—
