Page 102 of Mob Princess

I’m going to hurl.

I’m going to kill her.

I’m going to?—

I don’t even fucking know at this point. All I can do is keep swallowing down this bile. I’m awake, so why won’t my eyes open? What the fuck happened to me?

Fucking hell. That stings.

My eyes are finally open, and I see the needle in my arm. It’s attached to nothing, but it has the same clear tape cover that was on the back of my hand while I had an IV in the hospital. I’m bound to this fucking chair.

My premonition. Thank God it’s me and not Lina.

Lina?

I’m frantic as I look around in the dim light. I can’t tell where I am, but I can see enough to know I’m alone. Lina’s not here. At least, she’s not where I can see her. Did they go to our place? Did they hurt or take Shane when they went for her?

I’ve never hurt a woman before, but I’m going to kill Lucy. Fucking cunt. And not the type I like—not Lina’s. This is her fault. It’s all coming back to me. Why I ended things with her and what she did.

I knew something was off when she was at the club. Ever since we ended things, she’s avoided me. She never worked at 4Play, but she was there tonight. Normally, she hides in the dressing room if I’m at either of the other two places she dances. She only makes an appearance when it’s her turn on stage.

We met at one of the BDSM clubs I’m a part owner of. No one outside my family knows we all own various clubs where we’re silent investors. Comes in handy for work and for pleasure. She and I were masked, so we didn’t recognize each other. When I scened with women, my voice was always deeper and rougher than it usually is. It wasn’t until four months later, after meeting each other three times a week, that I spotted a birthmark on her left hip while she was performing.

I confronted her, and we created a new arrangement. We still met at the club when we wanted that environment. I had a studio I’d used with previous subs and was between renters at the time, so I made it a place where we could go when we wanted more privacy or just something different. She never came to my home. I never went to hers. We never went on dates. We didn’t talk or text beyond confirming our rendezvous.

But she started hinting at more. She wanted a more permanent arrangement. One that involved us seeing each other more than two- or three-times week. It was when it started falling down to only twice a week that she hinted we should see each other outside the club and studio to be sure we had time. She didn’t hint at a romantic relationship, but it became clear she wanted a 24/7 dynamic. One where we would go to each other’s places and go out on what would appear like dates to most people, but they would be scenes.

It didn’t interest me. I didn’t want a commitment to her of any kind. Letting her come to any place I owned was as close to her coming to my home as I would allow. I didn’t want to go to her place. I wanted to fuck. I wanted to bang. I wanted to tie her up, edge her, spank her, toy with her, and make her come. I enjoyed that, and she was good at being a sub. But that was purely in the sexual sense.

I ended it when she pushed too hard and told me—told her Dom—that we would go to the movies together, so I could edge her then make her come in public. I punished her for it. That didn’t deter her. That same week, she showed up at 4Play when I was running payroll. No one thought it unusual for her to go to the office. She told the bouncers she needed to see me about a problem with her paycheck. She slipped into the office, locked the door, and stripped. I watched her.

When she was naked, I stood up from where I sat behind my desk. I walked over, reached past her, and opened the door. I told her she could get her arse on stage, or she could leave and never come back to any O’Rourke establishment. That if she tried that shite again—taking control and backing me into a corner—I would make sure no club or bar would hire her.

She had a key to the studio, so I changed the locks. I made sure the desk staff knew she was no longer allowed anywhere past the building’s front door. Inevitably, she pitched a fit. But she never pushed the issue again and accepted we were through. We enjoyed our arrangement for more than a year. It was good while it lasted. But it would have ended the moment I met Lina if it hadn’t already been done.

“You’re awake.” I don’t know the voice.

It’s piped in from speakers in the ceiling. I sweep my gaze around the space again, and I realize I’m in a gymnasium. It’s not a vacant school; it’s obvious students have been here recently. Why the fuck would this person bring me here? Because it’s so unlikely?

“Thanks for the nap. I needed the sleep.”

“Because you’ve been so busy fucking your new subby that you haven’t gotten any rest. You even moved her into your place.”

How does this stranger know that? I didn’t get the sense Lucy believed I’d replaced her. Just the opposite. She spoke as though we’d pick things up where we left off because I’d had time to miss her. She’d been fine with the distance because I’ve been traveling a lot during the past six months.

“What do you want?”

“To have a little fun. I won’t kill you. But I am going to make your family search. I am going to make them frantic. I am going to make the skinny bitch believe it’s her fault you’re missing. It’ll be a few days, but once I’ve tormented them and you enough, I’ll knock you out again. Then I’ll dump you in the Bronx. Mott Haven most likely. We’ll see how long a white guy with red hair lasts.”

Mott Haven isn’t a good area. None of the Bronx boasts the best of New York City. But Mott Haven has been among the poorest neighborhoods in the poorest borough for decades. He’s not wrong that I probably wouldn’t last long if I’m drugged or hung over from them.

I glance at my arms again. Nothing makes me think he gave me heroin or meth. It was some type of anesthesia or heavy sedative. It’s wearing off faster as I continue to speak. I need to keep the conversation going, not just to learn where I am and why but to recover sooner.

“You’re a friend of Lucy’s.”

“Hardly. That bitch is the last person I’d trust enough to call a friend. I know you two used to fuck, and she’s pissed you aren’t anymore. She was happy to help dick you over. Don’t you remember?” There’s a pause, then a laugh. “She let me in through the back door. She kept you occupied, arguing with you while I checked out the best way to get to you and get you out of the place without any questions. She left an hour before we did, so people won’t guess she was part of this.”

“My ex-sub comes to see me, and we argue. You think no one noticed. I remember that part. She confronted me near the bar. I didn’t take her to the office but down the hall toward it. We were in front of cameras the entire time. My family has already reviewed the footage and will know Lucy was part of it. Why take an interest in me?”

---