Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 75585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75585 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 378(@200wpm)___ 302(@250wpm)___ 252(@300wpm)
“Watch your mouth.”
I looked up at him. This time there was no mistaking the look in his eyes. I saw anger and heat. His hand felt like a brand around me.
“Yes, sir.” My words were soft and compliant.
He smiled. “That’s better.”
I could barely think clearly enough to make it into a dressing room. What was going on? Val had turned down my offer, but now he was treating me like I was his kept man. The haircut and wax had been extravagant but could be explained as part of the job. I doubted it, but it was possible the club paid for that basic maintenance for other dancers. But street clothes? There was no way this was motivated by anything but him wanting to do it for me.
When I’d put on a pair of black pants and a teal T-shirt made of incredibly soft fabric, I stared at myself in the mirror. The clothes fit perfectly. The pants showed off my ass to perfection and the T-shirt was just tight enough to show some muscle definition without being vulgar. How had Val known my size? How did he know how to pick what would look good on me?
As I stared in the mirror thinking about how crazy this day had been, the room started to spin around me.
“Liam?” Val sounded impatient.
“Out in a second.” My voice shook. What was wrong with me?
Shit. I realized I’d never actually eaten anything that morning. I needed to get something in me as soon as I could, or I was going to pass out. How much longer was Val going to want me to be there?
I stepped out of the dressing room, and he smiled. “I approve.”
“I’ll bring in plenty of customers for you.”
He frowned. “Turn around.”
I started the protest, but what was the point? He already knew he could make me do whatever he wanted to.
I spun around too fast, and the room began to whirl again. Val must have noticed that I was unsteady on my feet. “What’s wrong?”
“I haven’t eaten today. I just started to feel a little light-headed.”
He narrowed his eyes and studied me. “How long has it been since you’ve had something to eat?”
I didn’t want to answer, but I knew I didn’t have a choice. “I had lunch yesterday. I was trying to save my money.”
“What did you eat then?”
I didn’t want to tell him the truth, but somehow I was sure he’d know if I was lying. “A peanut butter sandwich.”
His eyes widened. “And before that?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure.” I tried not the think about how little I was eating lately.
Val stomped into the dressing room I’d vacated and grabbed the rest of the clothes, including my old ones. “We’re buying all of these, then we’re going to lunch.”
“But you don’t even know if those fit, or how they look on me.”
“The ones you have on fit perfectly; these will too, and you’ll look just as good in them.”
I forced myself not to let the compliment distract me. “But these haven’t been paid for.” I pointed to what I was wearing.
“I’m going to take care of that. Come with me.”
We went to the register where he asked for a pair of scissors so he could cut the tags from the clothes I was wearing. As his hands brushed against my waist to get the tag from the pants, I sucked in my breath. The warmth of his touch radiated through my clothes, and I wished he was touching my bare skin.
That was a very dangerous thought.
You offered yourself to him.
I offered a transaction, but this…whatever I was feeling wasn’t supposed to be part of it. I didn’t need to do anything but focus on paying off the loan as fast as I could. Then I needed to walk away and never see Valentino Marchesi again.
7
VALENTINO
Liam hadn’t eaten for a whole day and who knew how long it had been since he’d had a real meal. How had he had the energy to dance for me? I remembered times when I’d gone days without any decent food. It had been hell. For a moment I considered telling him the whole thing was off, pulling the money from my account, and paying his debt myself.
Had I lost my mind? How many desperate men had I tormented until they either found a way to give me what they owed, or they became an example to everyone of why you didn’t cross the Marchesis? Why was Liam getting to me? I wanted him, but that wasn’t all of it.
You want to accept his offer to fuck the debt out of him.
I did. But I’d wanted to fuck clients before and had managed to resist with minimal effort. Liam was different. There was something about the desperation in his eyes that I couldn’t ignore like I could with other clients. Maybe I connected with him because he valued his sister the way I valued Vito. Maybe it was because of the way he responded when I touched him.