Page 16 of Blood Money

No. This wasn’t happening.

The other men at the table were clapping and giving Liam more money.

I heard one of them yell “I’m next”. That was all I could take. With a growl, I marched toward them.

8

LIAM

Ishrieked when someone grabbed me under the arms, lifting me up and off the red-haired man who’d paid for a lap dance.

I struggled until I realized my captor was Val.

“What the fuck?” the man yelled.

I grabbed Val’s arm when he set me on my feet. “What are you doing?”

“No lap dances. Not for you.”

“I paid for that,” my customer yelled. He was the same man I’d seen at my building and at Benny’s. I wasn’t really angry at Val for stopping things. The man gave me the creeps, and it couldn’t be a coincidence that he was here now.

Val snarled at him. “What you paid for is not for sale.”

The man stood, clearly ready to fight, but his friends pulled him back. One of them shook him saying, “Don’t you know who that is?”

Val pulled a hundred from his pocket and tossed it at the man. “There’s a refund.” He took my arm and began to drag me away.

“I’m supposed to go on stage again in a little while.”

“We have to talk first. There are some ground rules you clearly don’t understand.”

I wanted to argue with him, but we were in the middle of the crowd. We’d already made a scene and negative attention was the last thing I wanted. I didn’t want any of the other customers thinking I wasn’t available. Whatever Val said, I would argue with it because I was here to earn money, and I needed to do that as fast as I possibly could. That meant giving lap dances and other private services.

Val took me to Trevor’s office and slammed the door behind us. I was shocked that Trevor wasn’t sitting at his desk, I’d yet to see him anywhere else in the club.

Val glared at me. “You’re not allowed to do anything but dance. I thought that was clear.”

“I was dancing.” I knew I shouldn’t argue with him, but he’d brought me here to earn money and I was going to do that as fast as I could.

“I told you, no one here touches you.” He took a step toward me, and I forced myself to stand my ground.

“He wasn’t touching me.”

Val narrowed his eyes. “I don’t want you touching them either.”

“How am I supposed to earn the money to pay you back if I can’t provide private services?”

He just growled. “I don’t want them that close to you. I don’t even want them….”

“Don’t want them…what? Looking at me?”

“Lap dances are out.”

I forgot to be afraid of him. What was the point in being compliant if I was never going to be able to pay off my loan. “Why did you agree to me working off my debt if you were just going to make it impossible for me?”

Val slammed his fist against the wall, making me jump. “You can earn your money by dancing.”

I held his gaze despite the way my heart was pounding. “Lap dancing is dancing.”

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