Chapter 2

"Come on Ty," Dan said in frustration. "You know I'm right about this."

"It's not a question of being right, it's about me trusting her."

Dan shook his head, staring at his friend in frustration. "Trust is one thing, but five hours a day in that place... five days a week? That's asking too much from anyone, especially you."

"Look, I understand what you're saying, but it's not that simple."

"Now you're just being pig-headed. You cannot sit there and tell me this isn't tearing you apart. She's there for hours in her underwear, with guys buying her drinks and telling her anything, trying to get laid. Any time someone wants to feel your girlfriend grind against them, they just have to give her twenty bucks. It's been five months. How can you keep going along with it?"

Tyler gave him a smoldering glare. "It's not like I have a choice. I love her, but this is what she does right now. No, I'm not happy, but I trust her."

Dan's expression softened, trying to be conciliatory. "Ty, I'm not attacking you... or Faith. I think she's great. Hell, I wish I would have been lucky enough to meet her first. But one of these days, she's going to drink too much or run into some guy who knows just the right thing to say. There's no way she can live like that and not eventually slip up. Could you?"

Tyler looked at Dan, his eyes blank as if he couldn't even see his friend. "No, I couldn't."

Pulling up to Johnny's, Tyler turned off the ignition and stared at Faith's car. His mind flashed back to the night he got up the nerve to invite her over for Christmas. That day had been perfect, the night even better. Everything had just fallen into place after that, like a jigsaw puzzle when you finally find the one piece that makes it all work.

They had been inseparable since then, enjoying everything together. Their interests were similar, but even when they weren't, both of them enjoyed seeing new things through each other's eyes.

The only area of disagreement between them seemed to be her job. It was a knife, twisting in Tyler's gut, pushing the two of them slowly apart. All of his friends saw it, although his father felt it more keenly than anyone.

Ray had come to love Faith like a daughter. Seeing the two of them going through something that could rip them apart was very painful for him. Every time he tried to help, however, it only seemed to make things worse. He finally decided just to be there for both young people and hope for the best. At night, he would talk to Marie, just like when she was alive. He wished there was a way she could answer him. She had always been better at dealing with people and their emotions.

"Faith, " he would whisper. "You'd tell me to have faith, wouldn't you, honey?" After the talks with Marie, he'd stare at the ceiling restlessly, trying to find a way to believe as passionately as she would have.

Nothing Ray, Tyler's friends, or even Faith said seemed to help. Despite every effort to understand and not blame, Tyler felt the nagging doubt.

Just like Renee, the voice would taunt him. Tyler was unable to forget how she had manipulated and lied to him. After it ended, it was so easy to see the signs he had ignored. The way she acted when she had been with the other guy, how she put distance between them, yet told him it was his imagination. He felt like a complete fool for believing her. Now he was in a similar situation. Was he playing the fool again?

He stared at her car for several minutes, trying to wash the doubt from his mind with memories of how happy she made him. Faith was warm, caring and supportive. She embodied everything he had been looking for in a woman, plus a number of things he never imagined being lucky enough to find. She was adventurous, witty and had a wry sense of humor that often had him guessing what she might do next. The way she constantly surprised him was something he looked forward to every day.

Thinking about her wonderful qualities caused him to feel guilty for his doubts. What are you doing? She's nothing like Renee, Tyler scolded himself.

Pushing Dan's warnings from his mind helped him feel a little better. Tyler got out of his car and headed for the entrance. Faith was already supposed to be off work, so he didn't hesitate to go in. Tyler found out long ago that he couldn't watch her work with customers. Instead of driving himself crazy (and her too in the process), he had learned to just meet her after work. It was easier not to think about what she might have done that day, or with whom.

He shoved the front door open and stepped inside. The place was more crowded than usual for that time of night. It was strange because there weren't more cars than he would expect, but almost twice as many men. There was a large group in the back by the pool tables hooting and hollering, but it was impossible to see what they were doing. Tyler turned to the front, but didn't see Faith anywhere. He walked to the bar to say hi to Susie, the bartender.

"Hey gorgeous, how's it going?" he asked with a smile.

"Tyler!" she said, reaching over and grabbing him in a hug. "I haven't seen you in ages."

"Well, you know," he said, a little embarrassed. "I don't like to watch her work."

Susie looked at him sympathetically. "I understand, Ty. You should know that she's still working."

Tyler looked at her, confused. "She is? I thought she was supposed to be off twenty minutes ago."

"She was, but we got a group of yuppies in here an hour ago and they've been dropping a lot of cash. None of the girls have left." Susie looked around nervously. "Maybe you should come back a little later."

"Why, where is she?" Ty asked, looking around the front. Suddenly it hit him. "She's in the back with them, isn't she?" he said with an edge to his voice. When Susie nodded, he could feel the anger building. "What's going on with the group back there? I thought you had a rule about only one at a time for the dances."

"Well," she said evasively, looking away from him. "You know how it is. Sometimes when they're dropping a lot of cash, the rules get bent a little." She looked back apologetically. "Seriously, she won't be on much longer. Why don't you go grab a bite to eat and I'll tell her to call you?"

"Fine," Tyler said hotly. He turned without another word and headed for the bathroom before leaving. He resisted the temptation to look over, afraid it would only make things worse.

He walked in and headed to one of the stalls. As he unzipped his pants, he heard the door opening and the noise level rise, then fall again.

"Shit, can you believe her? What a fucking slut!"

"I told you, man. Paul's a fucking machine. He nails more of these bimbos than anybody I've ever met." Tyler felt his throat tightening as the other man responded.

"You think he'll really get to fuck her? She is so hot!"

"Dude, he knows all the tricks. Spend the money on them, get 'em all hot and bothered, then work out the details. Shit, have you ever seen a stripper let a guy touch her like that? It's in the bag."

"Well, maybe he can get her to come over for a party. I'd love a piece of that."

"You never know. Paul's cool. If he can work it out, there'll be enough for everyone."

"All right, I'll catch you back there," the first man said excitedly. "I want to see what he'll be able to get her to do."

The volume swelled as the bathroom door opened, then faded. Tyler stood silently, frozen in shock, unable to say or do anything. Finally, he heard the other man leave and he stepped out of the stall. He turned on the faucet and washed his hands, watching in detached fascination as they shook uncontrollably. When he finished, his eyes rose until he saw himself in the mirror. His face was pale, sweat beaded on his forehead.

"Get it together," he said quietly, closing his eyes. "They're full of shit, and you know it."

Tyler took a second to compose himself, then reached for the door, realizing that his hand was still shaking. He stepped back into the bar, the scene feeling more like a dream than reality. In a haze, he walked robotically to the back of the room where there was still a group of eight men blocking his view of the area where the women danced.

As he walked toward the scene, he had a vision of the first time she danced for him. It was still so clear in his mind that he could remember most of the details, even after so long. He reached to the group of men and pushed his way through until he could see what everyone was cheering about.

Faith was dancing in front of a man, but Tyler couldn't see what the man looked like because she was blocking his face. She was between the man's legs, grinding her ass against the crotch of his slacks. Her head was back on his shoulder, her cheek rubbing against his as her hips moved to the beat of the music.

Although her dancing was very erotic, what caught Tyler's attention was the fact that the man's hands were running from her hips to her ribs, then back down again. There wasn't supposed to be any touching at the bar, at least by the customers. A couple of times the man's fingers caught in the waistband of her panties, threatening to pull them down. Faith managed to reach down and grab them, although she did it with a laughing reprimand. It did little to discourage his attempts.

When the song ended, he reached both hands around her stomach, touching her just over the top of her panties, then held her against his crotch as he moved his hips in a thrusting motion against her. Again she laughed and playfully swatted away his hands. There was a pile of twenty-dollar bills on the table next to her, and the man reached into his pocket and pulled out another, setting it down on top of them.

"More, more," the group chanted as the man rested his hands on her hips, his fingers caressing the top of her thighs. He gently prevented her from getting up as she was now straddling his leg. The man was bouncing her on his thigh to the delight of his friends. Tyler knew her thong-covered pussy was being pressed into his leg.

"How about it Faith," he asked, kissing her on the cheek. "One more dance?"

She smiled, then looked back at the group. "What do you say guys, one more d..." Her voice stopped abruptly and her smile disappeared as her eyes locked onto Tyler's. He could see her lips moving, but no sound came out. Without a word, he turned and walked quickly toward the door.

Tyler wasn't aware of any sound or feeling as he stumbled through the door into the warm night air. The fog he was in as he left the bathroom had deepened, and he barely comprehended anything except the need to get to his car immediately. Once he reached it, Ty realized he couldn't get his keys out of his pocket because his hands were shaking so badly. In frustration, he stepped forward and brought his right hand down, striking the hood as hard as he could. The sound ricocheted through the parking lot, bouncing back to him a split second before the pain hit.

"Ahhh!" he screamed, cradling his injured hand against his chest.

"Ty!" he heard Faith yell, her voice wavering. "What are you doing?"

Shocked, he realized that she had followed him out of the club. She stood there staring at him, wearing just her panties and a jacket pulled over her shoulders, looking at him with concern.

"What was going on in there?" he demanded angrily.

She looked down, unable to meet his glare. "I was just working late."

"Really," he said sarcastically. "So when did the bar start doing shows for groups of men in the back?"

"Look, I can explain Ty, just calm down, please," she implored. "They came in together from a bachelor party and were throwing money around like crazy to all the girls. After a while, they started singling me out for dances. Once I started dancing for this one guy..."

"Paul," Tyler interrupted with a snarl.

Faith seemed to be caught off guard by Tyler's comment. "Yes... er, he started asking for dance after dance. His friends came back after the first couple. I told them they couldn't stay, but he insisted."

"Yeah, well good to know how much influence Paul has over you."

"How do you... never mind. Ty, I know it was wrong, but I made more in the last hour than I normally make all night."

"And why do you think that is, Faith? You know how I feel about this and you know why. Then, even when you know I'm coming by, you break a half-dozen rules and rub my nose in it."

"That's not true!" Faith said, defensively. "Yes, I let it go further than I should have, but it was no big deal. I wouldn't have let it get out of control."

"Well maybe you should have let Paul know that. His friends were under the impression you'd be fucking him tonight. They also were hoping for a little gang bang later."

"What?" she shrieked. "Please don't tell me you believed them."

"I believe my eyes," he shot back, daring her to deny it.

"Listen," she said, refusing to back down. "I admit it, I shouldn't have danced in front of them."

"Or let him touch you like that?" Tyler added venomously.

Faith took a deep breath. "No," she said quietly. "I shouldn't have let him touch me. It was wrong and I'm sorry. But you have to understand, he had already paid me over two hundred dollars."

"Yeah, what would he have gotten for three hundred?"

There was a moment of silence while Faith felt his words cut into her, slicing deeper than she thought possible. Without thinking, she reached up and slapped him.

Tyler looked back at her unmoved. "Why don't you go back inside, before you lose a good thing," he said. Then he pulled his keys out, ducked into the car and drove away before Faith could make herself move.

As she watched the car pull onto the street, she whispered, "Tyler, I'm sorry."

"Uncle Tyler, can we go see Santa now?" Janie whined.

Tyler did his best grinch face, then laughed. "He's on break for a little bit. As soon as it's over, I promise we'll see him."

"Yay!" both kids shouted.

"Until then," he said, waving his arms to calm them. "We have some shopping to do for your parents. Let try this place." He pointed to a store that sold knickknacks. He saw some fancy birdhouses in the window that he knew their mother would like.

Tyler used shopping as an excuse to take out his cousin Randi's kids. He hadn't been the same since the breakup with Faith. With Christmas just one week away, he just wanted to do something with them to make himself feel alive again. He wouldn't have believed it was possible, but he actually felt worse this year than the previous one.

He had avoided Faith for weeks after the fight, so angry that he couldn't bear the thought of talking to her. She tried calling a number of times, but he refused to speak to her. The anger hadn't been one sided. She talked to his father several times and Ray confided that she was very hurt and angry about the way he had treated her. Tyler tried to explain what he had seen, but his father wouldn't hear it. He really cared about Faith and couldn't see her as anything like Renee.

After about a month, Tyler decided that he missed her so much he couldn't take it. He went to the bar to apologize and see if there was any way to fix the mess. Unfortunately, Susie let him know Faith was gone. She had quit soon after the blow up in the parking lot. He went by her apartment, but she had moved.

Although he had met a couple of her friends, Tyler didn't have their phone numbers or addresses. He was supposed to meet her parents, but the fight happened about a month before the visit, so had never even talked to them. There was no way to contact her and even if he could, Ty had to admit to himself that he had gone too far. It was doubtful she would ever talk to him again.

He looked down at Janie and Steven's smiling faces and tried to forget about how empty he felt. They walked through the store until the kids picked out a set of wind chimes they liked. Tyler grabbed a box and walked to the front counter. There was one other person in line, so he joked with the children for a moment. The man in front of him turned to leave, revealing the attractive woman behind the counter.

"Faith?" he stammered. Her reaction was a mirror of his own surprise.

"Tyler," she stuttered. "What are you doing here?"

He looked around behind him, struggling to regain his equilibrium. "I'm here with my cousin's kids." He turned to the two children. "Janie, Steven, this is my friend, Faith."

They enthusiastically said hello, and Ty was deeply moved to see how affectionately she greeted them. It was exactly the way he remembered her, warm and loving.

"So, what are you doing here?" he asked timidly.

She shrugged. "I started here a while ago. It's been really crazy because of the Christmas rush." She glanced behind him, making Ty realize there were other customers waiting. He put the box on the counter, nervously trying to think of something to say.

"I'm taking them to see Santa. Do you think I could buy you a cup of coffee?"

Faith looked at him thoughtfully, considering her response. "I have a break in about fifteen minutes. Would you like to meet me by the coffee stand?"

Tyler breathed a sigh of relief. "Sure, I'd really like that. I have to keep an eye on them, but that should work out." He took the gift and smiled nervously, before urging the children toward the exit.

"Was that your girlfriend?" Steven asked, sensing the tension between them.

Tyler took a quick glance over his shoulder to see her waiting on another person. "She used to be," he said somberly.

Twenty minutes later, the kids were standing in line to see Santa and Tyler was sitting at a table in front of the coffee stand, sipping on a café mocha.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," Faith said nervously, startling him.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just keeping an eye on them." He gestured over to the stand. "What would you like?"

"Actually, I only have five minutes. We're really busy and someone called in sick." She paused and smiled. "I think I've had enough coffee to last a week, anyway." She pulled up a chair facing him, so he could keep an eye on both children while talking.

"So, how have you been?" she said tentatively.

Tyler shrugged, "You know how it is, Christmas... 'tis the season." His solemn expression spoke volumes to her about his mood. "And you?"

"Just working hard. Who knew retail would be this tough?" She tried to smile, but looked uncomfortable.

"Faith, I tried seeing you after... I was such a jerk. I'm sorry."

She looked at him with regret. "It was a fight. We were both jerks. I should have never slapped you."

Tyler shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Everything was crazy that night." He shifted awkwardly, trying to think of a way to turn the conversation in a positive direction. "So how did you end up working here?"