Sixty-seven.

Dirty Destiny has been closed for sixty-seven straight days, and I can’t help but wonder if it’s going to ever open its doors again. I think of it day and night and, if it weren’t for Austin, I don’t think I’d be able to sleep at all.

I tried calling Lester but, of course, that didn’t solve a thing. “I warned you,” he told me, and I could almost sense his satisfaction over the line. “You should've taken me more seriously, babe,” he continued, going off on an endless monologue about how I was covering for Austin and how I was being a complete fool for trusting a man like him.

“You know what I feel about you, Destiny. Just cooperate and I’ll make it alright… Trust me and I’ll make it worth your while.” Those were his last words to me, and you can already imagine what I did; I hung up on him, seething at his arrogance. He ruins my business, messes with my girls, and then has the nerve to ask me for my help again? “Fuck you, Lester,” I told him right before I slammed the phone down.

It’s not like I could help him, even if I wanted to. I’ve never seen Strokes or whatever her name is again, and Austin isn’t talking about her.

Not that it worries me, even if I knew where she is, I wouldn’t tell Lester. I don’t care about what he does, I’m not helping him, even if that means my ruin. And let me tell you, since he closed down my club that ruin seems like the perfect word for what’s happening.

The first few days after Lester shut us down were the hardest ones. I barely left Austin’s house, completely glued to the TV and the laptop, soaking every bit of information I could get. Most of the girls working under me managed to get away and I owe that to Lux, but some of them were held up at the police station for days. It seems that Lester tried really hard to screw me over; he checked for work visas, immigration status, and all kinds of STD tests. Of course, in the end he got nothing. I didn’t open Dirty Destiny to make a quick buck; I did it because I knew how the industry worked, and I thought that women needed a safe place where could they could work, make money, and still keep a regular life. Sure, it helped that I made a lot of money with the club, but that wasn’t really the main purpose behind it.

And now that bastard is stepping all over my dream. You wanna know how much money I invested in that club?

Yeah, let’s not even go there, hun. Let’s just say it’s more than 99 cents, or 2.99 if you bought this book at full price.

Twelve.

That’s how many proper dates Austin and I have had. No strip clubs or bars; we agreed on that pretty early.

Lester is very probably still keeping tabs on us, so we’re trying to keep it low profile. We've been going out for dinner just like a regular couple, and we’ve gone to the movies. Can you imagine it? A man like Austin, who calls himself Python, capable of making women’s panties drippy with just one look, taking me to the movies.

In the end, I think it were those little things that made me fall more and more for him. In those moments I could see that, beyond the bright lights and the stages, there could be a future for us. I know, I know… Is Destiny falling in love?, you’re probably thinking. As much as it is out of character for me, I guess that yeah… I’m falling for Austin.

Look, it’s not a conscious choice, okay?

It’s just… I don’t know. I can’t put it into words; I never felt something quite like this.

I find myself waking up in the middle of the night, anxious about Dirty Destiny’s future, and then I just look to the side and there he is: sleeping peacefully by my side. And, just like that, all anxiety goes away and everything’s perfect.

At least as perfect as it can be with you know, my career in ruins.

Of course, it also helps that whenever I wake up during the night, Austin tends to wake up as well. And when that happens, what follows is pretty clear cut. You probably don’t need me to tell you exactly what I’m talking about, right?

You’ve probably pieced it together by now too; I’m living in Austin’s apartment. I mean, it’s just for the time being. He doesn’t want me all by myself in my apartment, now that Lester has spun out of control.

Sure, I protested at first, but it was like fighting with a fucking brick wall.

But you wanna know something? Can’t tell him though, okay?

Well, I didn’t want to look like I was over the moon when he asked me to move in, but, yeah, I was completely over the moon when he asked me.

In fact, he didn’t even ask; he told me. “You’re moving here,” were his exact words.

Since then my sex life has evolved into something out of a porn movie. And, God, I used to work in porn…so you go figure how crazy that is.

I mean, I just never expected that it could be real, you know? Loving the same man that gets me so drippy and shoots me into orbit.

But it seems like it is; I mean, we have fucked everywhere in this house.

Kitchen? Check.

Balcony? Check.

Bedrooms? Check, check, and check.

Yeah, I could go on and on, but you know where I’m going with this.

The best time was when he cooked for me. He left Maverick running Python and stayed home with me that night. I wasn’t expecting it, really; he’s usually so busy. But he showed up during the middle of the afternoon, carrying a bag. “Wear it tonight,” he told me with a grin.

As I was preparing myself for our homemade dinner, I looked through the bags and fished out a racy red lace thong, a matching bra and stockings. I wore a tight fitting dress, the hemline just above my knee; I wanted to hide the sexy underwear under something classier… I wanted it to be a big reveal.

He prepared a mouth-watering carbonara and we went through his private wine cellar. I don’t even want to think about the price of the Cabernet Sauvignon we popped open. We finished the bottle by the balcony, taking in the sight of New York, the city sprawling with its bright streets and never-ending turmoil. In that moment, standing by his side, I really felt at home… And, let me tell you, I haven’t felt like that in years.

“Fuck me. Right here,” I said, turning to him and placing my glass down. He didn’t even say a word; he just pulled me into his embrace, kissing me as he squeezed my ass. I ended up with my hands curled around the balcony railing, my torn dress at my feet as Austin pounded into me. I came twice like that, and then we moved inside the apartment; I went on all fours on top of his couch and he drilled me until I came twice more. When he finally came, he almost drowned me in his cum. Seriously.

Okay, look, I’m not trying to make you jealous. I’m just telling it as it is. Sorry if I’m going into the details, but I tend to forget myself whenever I’m thinking of Austin and his twelve-inch python-sized cock.

But, yeah, there’s also trouble in paradise. And trouble has a name: Lester Vicks.

Twenty-four.

That’s how many hours have passed since I found my phone ringing, Lester’s name plastered on the screen. Austin wasn’t home, and it was around midnight.

“This is it, Destiny,” he said, and I could notice that he was slurring his speech. He was drunk, but I could still tell that he was serious. “You seem you still haven’t learned your lesson. You either sit your ass in front of me so we can have a little chat, or I’m making sure Python goes up in flames just like your club.” This time I didn’t even get the chance to hang up on him. No, he did it first, and that was when I realized Lester was preparing to take things to a whole new level.

I still haven’t told Austin about Lester’s threats, but I’m going to have to do it soon. And what then? No idea, honestly. But I don’t think that Austin will be able to keep his secrets from me any longer… It’s not that I don’t trust him, but our lives are so entangled now that I just need to know if there’s a way out of this mess that we’re in.

Five.

That’s how much time has passed since I discovered something that’s going to change things forever. And when I say five, I mean five minutes. Yeah, in fact, I’m still in the bathroom, looking at the small plastic stick in my hand. I’m still reeling from the shock, to be honest.

You see, I’m late. And you know what I mean when I say late, don’t you? Yeah, I figure that you do: I’m fucking pregnant.

That’s right, Austin has gotten me pregnant…

And this right when we’re going through a crisis. I’m happy, I really am. I never thought about having a baby, but now that I’ve met Austin…

Things have changed. I just wished this could've happened some other time.

But there’s nothing I can do. I’m pregnant, and that’s it. Now we really have to find a way out of this mess. And if we can’t, if there’s no way out, we’ll just run someplace far away. Build a new life for both of us… Sure, to start from scratch would be hard, but we’d think of something.

But, no, I can’t think like this.

We can’t allow Lester to dictate our future and the future of our child. I won’t allow it, and I’m pretty sure that Austin will have none of it as well.

But what can we do?

How is Happily Ever After even possible now?