Page 6 of Worthy: Cassius and Faith 3

I wrapped a towel around myself and called the Madam.

She picked up after the first ring. “Mr. Blackwood, thank you for responding so quickly,” she said breathlessly. “The security guard said that you’d left the premises with Faith. Is everything all right?”

“Yes, Gina.” I removed Faith’s note so that no one knew she’d quit. “Faith needed to see her brother, so I’m making arrangements for her.”

“Do you have her phone?” Gina asked.

“Yes, it’s here.”

“Are there…” She hesitated. “Are there any other instructions?”

“Not at this time. Please tell my brothers that I had business to attend to in the city but that I’ll be back soon,” I said and hung up.

I dressed quickly, lost in my thoughts. I knew what I was doing was wrong. It was against club rules to have contact like this with one of the employees. I’d exercised my platinum-level rights to Faith; we’d had our three encounters. I’d taken her virginity. She was no longer mine.

But as I was the club’s owner and everyone—including Faith, my brothers, and the Madam—worked for me, it was none of their fucking business. Gina was curious about what was happening between Faith and me. Other patrons wanted to be with her. The truth was, I had no idea what Faith would do. Her note said she wanted to quit. I was most likely returning to 444 Hawthorne Drive alone.

There was a knock on the door, and I cursed again. “What is it?”

“Sir?” Faith opened the door. She’d showered and changed and was wearing a simple gray sheath that was both sophisticated and sexy. But her pretty face was twisted into a frown. “There’s been a problem at the center. Can we go now? Or I can call a cab?—”

“Give me one minute,” I ordered.

For better or worse, I wanted to take her myself.

* * *

My Bentley was ready and waiting as we exited The Stratum five minutes later. Faith was tense and shaky as she fastened her seat belt. I pulled into the light traffic, grateful that GPS indicated a quick, easy drive to Brookline Avenue. “What happened?” I asked.

She took a deep breath. “The case manager called me. There was an incident this morning.”

“What kind of incident?”

Faith shook her head. “Nothing I want to talk about. My brother’s okay. It’s nothing about his health. Well, maybe it’s about his mental health—I don’t know.”

“Could you be more specific?” I asked.

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Faith admitted. “It’s embarrassing.”

“You don’t need to be embarrassed with me,” I said. “Don’t you remember what we did last night?”

Her cheeks flushed pink. “Of course I do.”

“Then you can tell me what’s happening,” I insisted. “I’m not going to judge you.”

“Fine,” she sighed. “My mother showed up at the treatment center this morning. She was demanding to find out how Lucas’s bill was paid. She caused an uproar, I guess.”

Faith’s scowl deepened. “She’s camped out in the waiting room, demanding to know how we paid the bill.”

I knew little of Faith’s background, only that her mother was mainly out of the picture and that Faith had cared for her brother alone for a long time. “Why would she do that?” I asked.

“My mother only cares about one thing—herself. So I don’t know why she’s doing this, but I do know it’s got something to do with helping herself. It’s definitely not about Lucas,” she said bitterly.

I nodded. “We’ll handle it,” I assured her.

Faith glanced at me. Her cheeks were still red; she looked miserable. “You don’t have to help me. You’ve already done enough. Lucas would be out on the street if it weren’t for my signing bonus.”

“You earned it.” An image of Faith beneath me, writhing in ecstasy, flashed in my mind. “And I’m sure you’re more than capable of handling your mother,” I added.

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