The Infamous Ellen James (Infamous Series) (27 page)

"I'm surprised you two didn't screw right here while Candy was showing us her pole skills."

"Sorry to disappoint. I know you have a voyeurism fetish, but we decided to avoid being arrested for public indecency."

"Not to sound like a sappy idiot, but Elle, I'm so happy to see you so happy," Amy says before jumping out of her chair and practically suffocating me with a tight hug. During her public display of affection for me, she also happened to spill her entire glass of vodka and cranberry all over my white tank top.

"Shit! Sorry, Ellie Belly!" Amy is giggling uncontrollably, and I just look back at her with an annoyed stare.

"Where's the bathroom, idiot?"

"It's in the back near the strippers' dressing room," she says as she points towards the back of the club.

I head to the bathroom only to find out it's not
near
the strippers' dressing room; it's actually
in
the strippers' dressing room. I make my way toward one of the wall-length mirrors and see that my white tank top is covered in pink cranberry stains. Fuck, there is no way to remedy this situation.

"Uh oh. Looks like someone needs a new shirt." I glance up to see Candy, the stripper from earlier in the night, standing behind me.

"Yeah. My friend Amy got a little hug crazy and ended up spilling her entire drink on my shirt."

“Here, let me give you a shirt." Candy turns around and pulls something out of her locker, her bare ass staring back at me.
Yes, her fucking locker.
This club is as classy as they come.

"This is all I have for you to borrow. It's a promotional tee for the club, but at least it's dry," she says as she hands me a black shirt.

"Wow. Thank you so much. You have no idea how much I appreciate this."

"Sweetie, I've gotta get back out there, but I hope you enjoy the rest of your night," Candy says before striding out of the dressing room on her ridiculously high stripper heels.

I replace my ruined tank with the black promotional tee that Candy, the hot and seemingly friendly stripper, gave me. I see my reflection in the mirror and can't help but to laugh. I'm now sporting my black mini skirt and a tight black tee that is short enough to reveal my belly button. The shirt just has the word
Trixie's
written over the chest, accentuating my boobs with sparkles.

Oh my, Trent is going to have a field day with this one.

I head out of the dressing room and make my way back over to my friends. Trent is sitting down next to Amy, and a huge grin spreads across his face when he takes a gander at my new shirt.

"Damn, I leave you alone for five minutes and you're now promoting this club. Did you get a job here? When I said I wanted you to dance for me, I meant for my own personal entertainment, baby." The asshole is grinning so hard, I can't help but to smile back at him.

"Shit, I thought you wanted me to dance for you. I've agreed to go on stage next, and there's no backing out now I already signed a stripper contract."

He roughly grabs my hips and pulls me to his lap. "No fucking way anyone is going to watch my girl dance or see any part of her naked. These tits, this hot ass, and your sweet, tight pussy are mine and mine alone."

I giggle at his demands and find myself swooning over the idea of only being his. This was definitely a night to remember. I look down at the man staring back at me with his sexy, dimpled grin and mentally take a picture of him for my Trent album.

Click
.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

“If the chicken shit shoe fits, go ahead and wear it, you pussy.”

“Honey, I'm home!” I holler to Trent as I walk into his apartment. I see him sitting at his kitchen counter, laptop in front of him, and he's motioning for me to come over towards him.

“Wow! That's awesome, Mia. Do you like your kindergarten teacher?” Trent is talking into his laptop.

I just got done taking a yoga class with Amy and Lizzy. We just started this new hot yoga class that, no joke, kicked my ass. I've never sweated so much in my life. My hair is haphazardly thrown into a messy bun and I'm still sporting my yoga pants and tank top. I'm a hot mess right now and planned on taking a quick shower once I got to Trent's place. I set my gym bag down near the kitchen island and stand behind him, my hands resting on his chair.

“Miss Ann is so pretty and so nice and she brought us cupcakes today!” A sweet little girl's face is on Trent's laptop screen. He's Skyping with his niece Mia, and this is the first time I've actually gotten to see her cute dimpled face in person—in a virtual perspective at least. She looks so much like Trent, with dark black hair thrown up into adorable pigtails and the brightest blue eyes I've ever seen on a child.

ADORABLE. So freakin' adorable.

“Cupcakes! How many cupcakes did my Mia eat today?”

Mia holds up two fingers and smiles. “Two! I wanted three, but Miss Ann said no.” Her bottom lip puckers out into a heartbreakingly loveable pout. That one little look has Trent wrapped around her little finger.

“Aw, baby. Next time I'm in Seattle, I'll buy you five cupcakes and you can eat every single one of them. Just don't tell your mom.”

Mia claps her hands excitedly. “Yay! I love you, Uncle Trent! You comin' home soon?”

“Yeah, sweet girl. I'll be coming home for a little bit really soon. We'll have an entire day to spend together.”

“Who's that?” Mia is now looking at me through the screen. “Is that Ellie? I've heard Mommy talking about your girlfriend Ellie.” She giggles excitedly.

Trent laughs and leans to the left, allowing me to get closer to the screen. “Mia, this is my girlfriend, Ellie. Isn't she pretty?”

Mia nods her head several times. “Very pretty! Hi, Ellie! My name is Mia and I'm four” She holds up four fingers, grinning widely.

“Hi, Mia.” I'm smiling back at her cute dimpled grin through the screen. “Four years old? Oh my gosh, you're so grown up!”

“I know. I'm going to drive my daddy's car soon and I have a boyfriend at school and my mommy painted my fingernails pink because she says I'm a big girl!” She holds up her hands to the screen, showing the already chipped pink fingernail polish on her cute little fingers.

“You're such a big girl! I love your pink finger nails—”

Trent cuts me off before I can say anything else. “Boyfriend? No way. My Mia is not allowed to have a boyfriend until she's thirty. What's this little asshole's name?”

“Trent! Language please!” Trent's sister Leah is now standing behind her daughter's chair, scowling at him, while Mia bursts into a fit of giggles.

“Mia is four, Lee! No way should she have a god damn boyfriend!” Trent's response makes me chuckle out loud, and Leah just grins back at me.

“Mia baby, tell Uncle Trent and Ellie good night then go upstairs and get ready for bed. I'll be up in a few minutes to read you a book.” Leah glances down at Mia with a warm smile.

“Good night, Uncle Trent! Good night, Ellie!” Mia kisses her sweet little hand and blows us a kiss before hopping off of her chair, her pigtails swinging lightly as she quickly walks away from the laptop.

Leah sits down in front of the screen, her pretty face in full view. I can now see why Mia looks so much like Trent—Leah and Trent also share an uncanny resemblance. Leah is gorgeous with jet-black hair cut into a short, layered bob, contrasting her sky blue eyes in a very striking way. “Trent, you're right, Mia is only four years old, so I'll stop letting her go for drives in Matty's car and staying out past her one a.m. curfew. I probably shouldn't have been so lax on her punishment when I found beer in her bedroom…” Leah is grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and I honestly think I just fell in love with this woman. She is a total ball-buster, and I love that she gives her protective brother such a hard time.

“Not funny, Lee.” Trent runs his hand through his tousled hair, causing it to become a hot mess of inky-black deliciousness.

“Actually…” I can't help the laugh the escapes my throat. “I think it's very funny.” Trent peers back at me and gives me an annoyed look. Leah starts to chuckle hard on the other side of the screen.

“I'm glad to see my sister and my girlfriend are finding humor in screwing with me.”

“It's only because we love you so much, little brother.”

“Yeah, yeah. Now you're just patronizing me.” His lips quirk up into a smirk.

“So this is Ellie? I'm so glad I get to finally put a face to the name and all of the wonderful things you've been telling me about her.” Leah's eyes lock with mine. “Seriously…he can't stop talking about you. Every phone conversation I've had with him since he got to Charlotte has revolved around talking about how awesome you are.” Her face is beaming with amusement.

“Please don't hold anything back on my account.” Trent flushes with embarrassment as he gives Leah an exasperated look before glancing back at me with a tight smile.

“Awww, you talk about me? You know he started stalking me the moment he stepped foot in Charlotte—” I quickly say before Trent cuts me off again.

“Jesus…” He is shaking his head in exasperation. “I should've known you two would get along so perfectly.” Leah and I snicker at Trent's expense. He's just so damn easy to get riled up, and it seems that we both have a way of giving him a hard time.

I hear my phone ringing loudly from my purse. “Leah, it was so nice to meet you! I hope we can do this again really soon!”

“You too, Ellie! Get my number from Trent so you can call me, and I'll give away
all
of my little brother's secrets and most embarrassing stories.” Leah gives a smile and light wave before I leave the kitchen to go grab my phone from my purse.

I take a quick phone call from Amy. She just wants to know if I am going to come back to the apartment tonight or stay at Trent's. I guess she and Lizzy have an entire night planned of Chinese take-out and sappy romantic comedies. I'm happy they have become really good friends.

I've felt extremely guilty at times since Lizzy moved in. I've been so wrapped in Trent over the past several weeks, spending the majority of my time with him, and I kind of feel like I haven't really been there for Lizzy.

She's going through so much with everything between her and her husband, Matt. She's in a foreign city and most of her friends and family are still back in Louisville. The guilt was building up, and finally last night, I had dinner with her in hopes that I could make up for all of the times I've felt like I've let her down. She reassured me that everything is okay, that she's actually happy here in Charlotte, and she's been using this time away from Louisville to find herself again.

Lizzy has started taking online classes through a local college; she has dreams of finishing her teaching degree. She's also shown a big interest in working out at a nearby gym. Ryder, her personal trainer, is beyond delicious. Someone that good-looking should not be allowed to walk around in a gym all day flexing his muscly biceps, making women cream their panties. Because seriously…he's that fucking good-looking. I'm not sure how Lizzy is managing to get through her training sessions without dry humping his leg. Amy and I got to meet him tonight at the gym after our hot yoga class. Let's just say I had a hard time convincing Amy to leave.

After I end my conversation with Amy, I start heading back into the kitchen, but I stop when I overhear Trent and Leah still Skyping.

“So things with you and Elle seem pretty serious?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that… I love her, Leah. I really do.”

“Wow… I never thought I would hear those words come out of my little brother's mouth.”

Trent lets out a small laugh. “I know. I never thought those words would come out of my mouth either. My career has always been my focus, and I couldn't have given two shits about getting into a relationship, but she's just so perfect… I can't wait for you to meet her in person.”

“What about Seattle? Dad told me University Hospital has made you a big offer. Head of Trauma Surgery. That's a huge deal, Trent.”

Head of University Seattle's Trauma Surgery? Oh my god.

Just hearing Leah say that has my stomach turned up in knots, and I have the urge to run to his bathroom and vomit. I start to hear Trent's voice giving Leah a response, but I just can't do it. I just can't eavesdrop into their conversation. I quickly walk into his bedroom, away from hearing distance, because I definitely can't hear what he's going to say to Leah. I just…
can't
.

I'm a fucking chicken shit and more than aware of this. I'm just too scared to hear him say he's taking University Seattle's offer.

I mean, who wouldn't accept their offer?

Why in the hell would he refuse an offer like that to stay in Charlotte to play house with his girlfriend?

A girlfriend he's known all of two months…

Push it down. Way…way down.

Fuck my life and my shitty, shitty way of handling things. If I had some god damn balls, I'd just ask him straight up what his plan is. But, no. I'm a flaky, fickle,
chicken shit.

Someone just go ahead and smack me.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“It's okay to break down. Pent-up emotion will find its way out no matter how hard you fight it. So don't fight it. Cry. Scream. Be angry. Let the grief come out. Don't put up walls. Don't hold back, because holding back will only get you…nowhere.”

I pull into my designated parking spot near my apartment and put my Mustang in park without cutting the engine. My mood is somber. Devastation and defeat are creeping through my thoughts. I glance at the clock and see that it's already midnight.
Something I Can Never Have
by Nine Inch Nails is blaring through my speakers as I watch raindrops slowly drip down the window shield. My mood is falling deeper into the black abyss. The combination of music and rain is only taking me further.

My sixteen-hour shift in the ER ended with several victims of a highway auto accident coming in by squad. Four compact cars and one semi-truck were involved. One of the victims was a three-year-old boy who had been in the backseat of his mother's car. A beautiful blue-eyed, brown-haired baby named Tommy who happened to be sitting on the side of the car that took most of the impact. Tommy's injuries were critical, and when I left the hospital, Trent was still in the OR with him.