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)
Committing my name to an application seemed too real. I didn’t have another choice, but somehow, I didn’t want to make this real. “Why don’t you just make something up if you don’t need real info?”
Val huffed. “The government frowns upon that.”
“I bet they do.”
Trevor snorted. “You’re going to have your hands full with this one.”
“No, you are.”
It seemed likely Trevor was the manager. Was he family? There certainly wasn’t any resemblance between them.
Val turned back to me. “Just do what I say without question, and you’ll be better off. You don’t need to know the intricacies of this business. You need to get up on stage, prance around, and make the customers throw you money. That’s all.”
I used my forearm to wipe sweat from my forehead and push back my hair, then I filled in the information they needed without asking any more questions. Val was right. I didn’t want to know how they ran this business. That might be even more deadly than borrowing money from them.
When I signed the forms, I felt like I was signing my life away. Hell, I probably was.
“Do you want me to call one of the guys to show him around?” Trevor asked.
Val shook his head. “No, he stays with me.” As much as I knew I shouldn’t trust Val or let my guard down around him, I was relieved he wasn’t handing me off just yet.
“It’s going to be damn hard for him to get up there on that stage if you don’t leave his side.”
“Like you said, he’s not stage ready. He’s going to audition for me privately.” I could practically feel the chill in Val’s tone.
“So I don’t get to see if he can dance, but I have to hire him and I have to deal with him?”
I squeezed my hands into fists and bit my lip to keep myself quiet. Why couldn’t Trevor talk to me instead of Val? Was I nothing but a commodity to him? I needed to remember that’s likely all I was to Val too.
I followed Val into the main area of the club. The space for the audience was bigger than I expected. The bar itself was old wood, thick and sturdy. The building was probably a hundred years old, and the Marchesis had clearly kept all the bones of it. It was a beautiful space. Too bad it was kept so dark except for the lights illuminating the stage.
The bartender gave Val a flirtatious smile. My jaw tightened, and heat rose into my face. Why the fuck was I reacting like this? I couldn’t be jealous. I wasn’t that stupid, was I? Just because Val had decided to show me around personally didn’t mean I had any claim on him. He was a dangerous man. The Marchesis were known to be ruthless. One of the regulars at the bar where I worked had told me how to contact them, but he’d warned me they were merciless. With Val’s reputation, I had no doubt he’d killed before and would again.
I was jolted from my thoughts when Val wrapped his arm around me as he pulled me closer to the bar. His touch sent heat right to my dick, which urged me to ignore everything I’d just told myself. Why did this man have to turn me on more than any I’d met in ages? I had a thing for dominant men, but did I really have that big of a danger kink?
“This is Tyler, our best bartender. Tyler, this is Liam, our newest dancer.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Liam. I can’t wait to see all your moves.” Tyler’s smile and easy-going vibe gave me hope I might make a friend here.
Before I could reply, Val growled. “Hands off. He’s not available.” His tone made me instinctively pull away, but he wouldn’t let me go.
Tyler jumped back and his smile disappeared. “Yes, sir. No offense intended.”
“Why did you say that?” I asked Val as we walked toward the stage.
“I don’t want any of the employees thinking you’re available.”
I understood he didn’t want me working for anyone else, but why did he care if I hooked up with the bartender? “Why do you care as long as I earn money for you?”
Val stopped, and I stumbled into him. When he turned around, his eyes were hard. “I don’t want you involved with anyone here. That’s all you need to know.”
“Yes, sir.”
His eyes widened and he seemed to be fighting a smile. I liked that I affected him. I shouldn’t, but I did. I was starting to think of him as my protector here. That was a bad idea.
You like him. You like how controlling he is. You just don’t want to admit it.
No. That wasn’t true. Was it?
Even if it was, this was nothing more than a professional transaction.