Read Liberty Begins (The Liberty Series) for Free Online Page B

I didn’t trust him. I knew enough about people and what they could say to you to get what they wanted. John obviously wanted something from me. Maybe he ran another club, in Phoenix, or one of the ones in North Dakota, where the oil towns were booming and the clubs were looking to hire. I’d heard there’d been recruiters coming around. They needed girls badly. The thought that John could be trying to enlist me for something like that made my stomach hurt.
    Or maybe he was just one of those guys who was determined to play me. Alex had told him I wouldn’t do lap dances ... maybe John just thought I was pretty and wanted to be the first, so he was trying to ride in on a white horse, to make me feel special, and then break me. He would try to get me to dance for him and then get me to do Lord knows what else.
    As all of this was running through my mind I said nothing, but when I snapped out of it I noticed that I was sitting at the table with my fists clenched, and that John was looking at me with a serious expression. No longer chewing the fry.
    “Who are you?” I asked, and I was afraid for him to answer.
    “I’m someone who cares about you,” he said, and my stomach twirled. As silly as it was, I almost believed him, with those clear blue eyes looking at me like that.
    I took a deep breath. “Not gonna happen, John,” I said, and pushed my fake glasses up on my nose for emphasis. “I’m not that kind of girl.” I stood up and started walking. I was going to break whatever spell he was trying to put on me. Stripping in Vegas was bad enough — I’d heard the guys in North Dakota were rabid. No way, no how was I going up there and dealing with worse, getting pawed every minute and attacked in the parking lot. Not me.
    And as for him, if he was trying to play me? He should know now. Hot as he was, I wasn’t going to be anyone’s whore.
    “What kind of girl, Liberty?” John asked, jumping up after me. I saw the group of suits follow his movements without seeming to watch us.
    “The kind of girl who has people care about her? Or the kind that won’t give lap dances?”
    “Both,” I say, over my shoulder. I’m trying to move fast and make it to the locker room before he can stop me. I don’t want him to try to break me down with any more of this crazy talk.
    I also didn’t want to look at him. Even though I wanted to get away, being this close to him and being riled up was making me feel out of my mind. Looking into his eyes wouldn’t help. The fact the he was practically running after me was making my breath come fast and ragged. Part of me wanted to hurl myself at him, into his arms. That same part — a very primal, confused, not-to-be-trusted-part that existed in between my legs — wanted him to catch me. I had never felt the sensation I was feeling there before, the overwhelming ache, and it made me feel out of control. John clearly wanted something from me. I needed to get away from him before I went crazy and had to find out what it was or even worse, offered to give it to him.
    “The glasses look great,” he called to my back.
    I stopped and looked at him over my shoulder, warily marking the distance between us. “Are they from you?” I asked, breathing hard. I was suddenly afraid that they were.
    “How ... how did you know where I live?” I asked, and I felt myself start to shake. Crazy talk about everything happening for a reason was one thing. Stalking me was something else.
    John’s sun-kissed, lined face twisted all of a sudden. He winced. He hadn’t meant to scare me. That’s what his face said, anyway. He hurried over to me and almost put his hand on me, but looked at my face and thought better of it.
    “Liberty, I am so sorry. I don’t know where you live. I promise. I asked Alex to have them delivered to you. I swear,” he said. “I thought the glasses would compliment your outfit, that’s all. I just wanted to help. I’m sure it’s not easy making a living the way