Page 9 of Wild (Chicago Underground 4)
Shit. She was going to get herself killed that way. Beaten, at the least. Didn’t she know that? Didn’t she care?
But Henri didn’t do hand-holding. Had he recruited this girl fresh out of high school? Given her money she desperately needed to get away, to help her friend, only to indebt herself to him forever? Dumped her at this party without any training or knowledge or a goddamned thing?
This wasn’t about me. I told myself that, but it didn’t help.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside. Four guys, not counting the ones out in the sitting area or my erstwhile boyfriend.
I smiled and set my hips to sway. “Hello, gentlemen. I see you’ve started the party without me.”
Three of them shifted their attention to me, though one kept struggling with the girl. And she kept fighting, clearly too panicked or just stubborn to let me take the lead.
The one with an earring in his eyebrow grinned and patted his knee. “There’s always room for one more girl.”
I trailed my finger across his jaw as I passed him. “Always, honey, but not before the big show.”
“The show?” another one asked, his voice breaking. Jesus, younger and younger.
“Didn’t you know about that?” I paused in my contemplative pose, often applied to men who liked to kneel, to pretend submissiveness while I spanked their behinds—at least until they turned the tables. “I wouldn’t want you to be late.”
I stopped by the bed, where both the girl and the guy half sitting on her were watching me with bemusement. They actually made a cute couple if I ignored the whole sordid violence routine. It was always the handsome ones.
With a wink for the good-looking asshole, I leaned over the girl and skimmed a finger up the middle of her belly and between her breasts, hoping it would cause her the least discomfort. Then I kissed her, soft, gently, for show, not pleasure. Never that.
The tension prickled at my skin as the men in the room held their breath. Without asking, the man eased up on her, more interested in seeing where this would lead than expressing his dominance.
I frowned slightly, a little slow on the uptake. “We had it all planned out. Practiced it just to show you. But I guess if you’ve already started, we don’t have to do it.” I straightened and tugged at my dress, all businesslike. “We can just get it over with, if you want.”
Before my words were even out, the girl was released and practically thrown at me. They wanted to see it, they assured me. Please, they asked so nicely. Yes, absolutely, whatever you wish. I’m at your command, but give us a moment, just a moment. The men obediently trooped out to the sitting area, almost tripping over each other to nab a good seat for the nonexistent show.
The girl
yanked her shirt on, still shaking. “Who the hell are you?”
My eyebrows rose. “Your fairy godmother. Who do you think?”
“I think you’re just a dirty prostitute. Like the other girl out there.”
Her voice caught, but the unspoken words hovered in the air. Like me.
I softened my tone. “Look, hon. It won’t be that bad. I’ll take the rough ones for myself, and—”
“Fuck you. I’m not doing that.” Her words were angry, but fear radiated from her.
This night was going from bad to worse. A sigh escaped me. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Go to hell!”
I took in her wide eyes, her flared nostrils. She looked like a pixie—a pissed-off, belligerent, terrified pixie. Selling her body for possibly the first time was a big drop, but she couldn’t get off the ride at the top of the hill.
“You’ve at least had sex before, right?” I asked.
“Of course I have!” she squeaked.
Ah shit. There was definite glistening happening in her ocular area. And that annoying snuffling sound. Apparently it was contagious, because now my insides had gone all quivery as well. This was exactly why I didn’t do people, why I didn’t do touching, at least not without the cold accompaniment of currency.
I forced down my emotions, pushed back my own revulsion and anger and fear, and patted her shoulder, proud of myself for managing it. There.
She swung around, and before I could blink, her fist connected with my face. Surprise and pain forced me back, and I fell against the wall.
