Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32396 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 162(@200wpm)___ 130(@250wpm)___ 108(@300wpm)
One of his hands was pushed into the pocket of his grey pants. The white shirt looked very crisp and clean, not like it could have been worn for the past day. It was late, it was dark, and the light cast a glow on the porch.
She held onto her bag and stared at the man who’d given her an ultimatum. There had been no time in his threat against her brother to warn him that she was a virgin. Through school, she’d been so focused on studying that boys didn’t even enter the equation. It also didn’t help that her parents had such bad reputations. She tried to avoid the guys who only wanted to use her, which turned out to be a lot of them.
“Hello,” she said.
“You always speak to your brother that way?” Rome asked.
“Not usually, but I think after what he has done, he deserves it.” She stepped up toward him. “Would you rather I not?” She wasn’t going to call Ben and apologize. He was her brother, and he’d all but sold her body to keep his ass out of trouble. There was no getting away from guys like Rome Hayes.
He had eyes and ears everywhere. Cops were probably doing his bidding this very second, and they were certainly paid to look the other way. She’d seen it all before with her parents and some of the men they had worked for.
She was so angry at Ben. His claim for them to start a new life was bullshit. She knew it wasn’t exactly bullshit but she should have seen the path he’d been going down. No job, shady friends, and she hated to admit it, but rent money had also begun to go missing.
When this was over, she was going to move out.
She didn’t have a lot of possessions, but she refused to live her life in fear. This was supposed to be their fresh start away from all the crap, not about finding new stuff to be afraid of. Ben was not going to turn into her parents.
“No, it’s nice to know you’ve got a backbone. For a second last night, I didn’t think you had it in you. You seemed a little too nice.”
Beth took a deep breath.
Nice, sweet, kind, gullible—she had heard it all before, and it did in fact suck. It didn’t, to those who appreciated those qualities. For those who didn’t, she hated as they took advantage of her, like her brother.
Just because she was nice and kind, and tried not to cause conflict, it didn’t mean she wouldn’t beat the shit out of her brother for what he had done.
She was about to lose her virginity to a man she didn’t know, who also happened to be some kind of crime lord, or king, or boss, or whatever they called men in charge in the dark underbelly of the city. His home was a very clear indication of the fact he had power. The guards a second one.
Rome Hayes was not a man to mess with, and her brother attempted to steal from him. She had to pay the price, otherwise her brother would be dead.
****
Rome moved back, giving Beth just enough room to slide right inside. The scent of strawberry assailed him, and it was the same scent that had been driving him crazy all day long. From the moment he saw her last night, he’d not been able to get her out of his mind.
She stepped into his home, and he closed and locked the door. There was no need for pleasantries. He’d been clear last night about what he wanted from Beth.
He was used to getting what he wanted, but with her, he had to be a little more persuasive. He’d already hurt her brother, and he did have every intention of making him suffer, but staring at Beth, he’d known what he wanted.
She’d answered the apartment door dressed in a pair of sweatpants, and a too-large t-shirt that had been torn at the neck, and hung off her arm. Her blonde curls had been pinned on top of her head, and she looked like she had just woken up.
To him, she’d looked like she had just been fucked. She’d stared at him, and he’d sensed her panic at what her brother had done. That panic had soon changed to anger.
In a split-second, he’d been intent on Ben packing up his shit, and he was going to make him work. The moment he looked at Beth, he’d wanted her. Rather than do the chasing, he’d decided to offer her a deal. For the next month, she was going to live with him, and be at his disposal to do with as he pleased.
Since she had agreed, admittedly reluctantly, he’d called up one of his guys on the police force and asked him to dig up as much information on Beth and Ben Hunter as soon as possible.