Page 17 of Blood Money

“No, it’s fucking not. You stay up on that stage, or we’re going to have to find another way for you to pay your debt.”

“I offered another way, and you turned me down.”

I barely processed him moving before he had me shoved up against the wall, arms pinned above my head, his hands gripping my wrists so hard I thought he might break them.

I sucked in a breath when the door opened, and Trevor stepped in. “Don’t damage the merchandise. He’s going to bring in lots of money.”

“Get out. Now,” Val roared.

“Piss off. It’s my office.”

“It’s my club.”

Trevor casually leaned against his desk. “What are you going to do? Run to daddy about it?”

Val shifted his grip, clasping both of my wrists in one hand as he pulled out a gun and pointed it at Trevor’s face.

Trevor didn’t look fazed. “Lock the door next time if you want privacy. Jesus.”

“I said get out.”

Trevor held up his hands in surrender. “Shit Val. What’s got you so on edge lately?” Clearly not expecting an answer, Trevor walked out, closing the door behind him.

Val stuck the gun back into his waistband and turned to face me, using his free hand to brace himself against the wall.

“You’re the one who owes me money you can’t repay. I don’t have to make this little trade. I could treat you the way I do most of our clients who miss their deadlines.”

Don’t let him see how scared you are. “Are you going to hit me? Or are you going to torture me? That’s not going to get you your money either. This is the best chance for both of us to get what we want.”

He leaned against me, pinning me with his body. “Do you want those assholes out there touching you? Do you want their hands on you? Do you want them using you?”

I just stared at him, knowing he felt me trembling. I wasn’t really hiding my fear at all.

A moment later, he let go of my wrists, pushed off the wall, and ran a hand through his hair as he began pacing the room.

“I’m not doing this because it’s what I want,” I said when I thought I could keep my voice steady. “I would have been happy to never see that man again, but he was a paying customer, and I knew you were here if he tried to break the rules.”

“See him again? Did you go out with that son of a bitch?”

“No, but he’s been around my apartment a lot and I’ve seen him at the bar where I work. I guess he lives near me or has a friend there or something.” I downplayed how worried I was. I didn’t need Val interrogating me. I could handle myself.

Val scowled. “I don’t want him near you again. No lap dances. If you agree to one, you’ll be punished.”

What did he mean by that? Would he add to my debt? Could he do that? I supposed he could do anything he wanted.

Would he hurt me?

Would he spank me?

Jesus. I did not need to turn this into a fantasy. There was something seriously wrong with me. “What about private clients?”

“You may have them in the designated rooms here, but nowhere else. And you stay behind the fucking glass. No one touches you.”

If he trapped me into these rules, I’d never get away from him or his family. “You want my money. You want the debt paid, right?”

He huffed. “Yes, that’s the point of all this.”

“Then let me earn the money the best way I can.”

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