Page 39 of Neverland

“Let’s,” Dominic agreed. It was strange hearing him be so amicable. “Diamond is just going to freshen up a little while we talk business and then we can indulge in a little pleasure.”

“Absolutely,” Sol agreed. “There’s a bathroom to your left as well as bedrooms. Help yourself.”

Taking my hand, we bypassed the group of men who’d gathered in the living room and found one of the bedrooms. Dominic switched on the side lamp and closed the door. “Stay in here until I come get you. You’re of no use just yet. I’ll bring you out earlier if I feel like the deal needs sweetening. Got it?”

I nodded.

“Say it.”

“Got it.”

He watched me, just like Sol had before finally leaving me alone. Sitting on the bed’s edge, I willed my queasy stomach to settle. Breathing deeply, in and out, I feared the side-effects of what Momma G gave me were taking over, and I was no longer feeling chilled and relaxed. My body was weak, vision a blur, and I felt the need to vomit. I slipped from the bed to the floor, clutching my stomach. It felt like a hand was reaching down my throat and twisting my gut.

Crawling to the ensuite toilet, I balanced my elbows on the seat and stuck my fingers down my throat. My body heaved a few times before I finally threw up. It was all liquid because I couldn’t recall the last meal I’d eaten. It had to have been more than seventy-two hours ago.

Flushing the toilet, I lifted myself to the basin. Vomiting had done nothing except make me feel disgusting. Searching the drawers for some mouthwash, I came up empty. Literally empty. There was not a single item to be found in the drawers, or on the vanity, or anywhere in the bathroom.

“Damn it,” I cursed, bracing myself against a crippling head spin. Sinking low, I turned on the polished faucet and after several swills and spits, I wiped my face and reapplied gloss.

The bedroom door unclicked. Game time. The urge to be sick returned, but this time it was different. I was nervous. Nervous about fucking up out there. Nervous because I didn’t have my wits about me. And nervous because I was a stripper, alone in a penthouse with four mobster men.

“Look at me,” Dominic instructed when he appeared behind me in the mirror. I turned, his hands on my shoulders while he assessed my condition. “You look so fucking high right now.”

“My vision… I can’t see well. It’s really blurry.”

“Did you throw up?”

“Yes.”

“Fuck.”

“I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

“We’re going to go back out there,” Dominic warned. “You give them a show but for fuck’s sake, if you feel the need to be sick, signal to me and I’ll bring you back here. Do you understand?”

I nodded.

“Say it.”

“I understand.”

“Don’t fuck this up, Lucy. I have a lot of money riding on this.” Taking my hand in his, he held so tight it hurt. I figured he too was nervous. Definitely a side I hadn’t seen of him before. He led me back down the hall and into the dimmed room overlooking the city. Above the music, the men were laughing and chatting freely. The padded leather sofas framed a glass coffee table where the men could easily talk business.

“Here she is,” Sol greeted. I forced a smile, one I hoped was dazzling enough that it would hide how I truly felt. “Diamond, these are my colleagues, Charles and Xavier. Gentleman, this is the lovely Diamond.”

With a hand at the small of my back, Dominic stepped me forward. “Now the formalities are over, we can drink to the future, and enjoy what my finest girl here has to offer. Diamond has been my club’s drawcard since the day she arrived.”

“Trying to sweeten the deal, Dominic?” Charles asked. While I couldn’t make out his face, his voice was deep and mature. The world around me was starting to take shape, enough for me to navigate around the room myself in the event Dominic left my side.

“Gentleman, everyone needs a little piece of Diamond in their life, deal or no deal,” Dominic joked, all eyes on me. He turned to the man on the left. “You like what you see?”

“What’s not to like?” Xavier finally asked.

Tension grew thick in the air and I wondered why Dominic brought me here if he was going to allow his jealousy in the way of sealing his business deal.

“Let’s drink,” Sol announced, breaking the silence that had followed. Dominic led me to the middle of the sofas where he handed me a glass.

The other men joined us around the table, holding their own glasses high.

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