“The Dirty Fuckers are my friends, and I’ve fucked them. I’m not suffering for it.”
“But you’re here because of that guy, that lawyer guy hurting you. You’re in love with him. How can that not hurt?”
Chloe was silent. “Drake is not like Richard. They’re two completely different people, and you can’t compare the two.”
“Have you ever thought of talking to Richard?” Grace hated to see her friend hurting. Chloe deserved so much better. She was such a sweet woman, and not many people saw it, but she put others’ needs before her own.
“I’ve tried to talk to him. He’s not interested in talking to me. He just wants to dominate me, and that’s not the only thing I’m interested in.” She stuck her bottom lip out. Grace reached toward said lip and tugged, stopping the action.
“Don’t cry.”
“It hurts, Grace. I’ve seen him in town with other women, and seeing him hurts. I feel like I’m being torn in two, and it’s all my fault.”
Wrapping her arms around Chloe, she waited as Chloe sobbed against her shoulder. “Why is it all your fault?”
“Because of who I am. I’m a whore.”
Capturing her chin, Grace forced Chloe to look at her. “Don’t call yourself that. Never call yourself that.”
“It’s what the men call me. I’m a club whore. I’m not some old lady.”
“That’s not who you are on the inside. You didn’t fuck anyone outside of the
club, did you?”
“No.”
“Then you’re club property. You’re not anyone else’s property,” she said. Grace had been around Drake long enough to know the difference between club property and not. “If Richard can’t see your loyalty then he’s not worth your time, and you shouldn’t worry about him. He’s an asshole.”
“I wish I hadn’t fallen in love with an asshole.”
“I know, honey. They don’t say love is easy.”
“Do you love Drake?”
“I don’t know. I care about him, and sometimes I’m so nervous in case this all goes wrong.”
“If it goes wrong you still have us. Life is about having fun, and all we’re doing is dealing with the possible heartbreak.” Chloe chuckled.
There was a knock at the door, and Grace shouted for Suzy to enter.
“Do you know how late it is?” Suzy asked.
Grace glanced across at the clock to see it was just after nine. “Seriously? That’s not late.”
“I’ve not been sleeping well lately.” Suzy held Fluffy in her arms, and Grace moved over to give some space for her friend.
Suzy sat down, and Fluffy curled up in a ball on the bed.
“Why haven’t you been sleeping?” she asked.
“Pixie came to the shop earlier this week, and he brought a woman with him.”
“Why is that stopping you from sleeping?” Chloe asked.
“Yeah, I thought you hated Pixie.”
“I do hate him. He was still trying to ask me out, and I was helping the woman he’d brought with him. When he went off to look for something else, the woman told me in no uncertain terms that my fat ass would never make it in the club, that the women would tear me apart.” Suzy sighed. “Why do women have to be so mean to each other?”