Page 61 of Neverland

“Lucy, come up to the office.”

He turned and I followed him behind the DJ booth and through a staff door. I hadn’t been down this part of the club as it was where the dancers got ready. The girls moved around freely, wearing lace, pearls, diamonds, and anything that sparkled. Their bodies were perfectly fit, sculpted, and smelled divine, their fragrance lingering in their wake.

We took to a narrow flight of stairs, the music pulsating through the walls. When we entered the office, Mr. Salvatore was already waiting, sitting on the corner of the grand mahogany desk. He smiled but his eyes were telling a very different story. Dominic stood to the side, his expression still unreadable. I guess he was still learning the ropes of the industry and his father was about to give him a lesson.

“Look at you all grown up,” he greeted in a deep, gravelly voice. I swallowed hard, fearful of being found underaged in a place like Neverland. He eyed the length of my body the way so many had since I started working, but none gave me the chills quite like when he did it. “That lingerie looks almost too good on you. Too good for you not to be the center of attention.”

“What do you mean?”

“When are you putting her up on the stage?” Mr. Salvatore addressed his son. “She deserves to be under those lights, not on the floor.”

“I agree,” Dominic said, the corners of his lips twitching as he looked at me. “I’m just not ready to share her yet.”

“You’re only sharing if you’re fucking her. So if you’re not fucking her, get her up on that stage.”

A heat wave ran through me, and I felt my cheeks turn a deep red. I wanted nothing more than to crawl under a table.

Why were they talking like this? I was hired to be a server, not to be a dancer.

“Take your clothes off,” Mr. Salvatore ordered.

“I’m sorry?” I paled, the humiliation from seconds ago turning to horror. This was Franco repeating himself.

“Take off your clothes, Lucy.”

I wanted to yell that I was only fifteen. I wanted to scream that no grown man should ever ask that of a child. But I wasn’t a child anymore. I was forced into this adult world, by adults who should have treated me as a child.

No options. Two words that rang on repeat in my ears.

Swallowing my pride, I did as I was told and removed the lingerie I was wearing until I stood bare before both men.

“You have the shape of a woman,” Mr. Salvatore said, his approval for both business and pleasure. “I can see why my son doesn’t want to share.” I stole a quick glance at Dominic whose expression took me back to the day in Mr. Hopkins store when he held me against the wall.

The look of possession.

The face of someone who’d hurt me and suffer no remorse.

I was a fool to think he was any different two years on.

“She’s a money-maker, son. Get her up on the stage as soon as possible. You’ll have men booking her out for VIP weeks in advance.”

Dominic nodded. Unlike his father, his desire conflicted greatly with business. He didn’t want to share me, so his decision was made in sufferance. “She’ll celebrate her sixteenth up on stage. I’ll make sure she’s trained.”

Mr. Salvatore seemed pleased with his son’s decision. “And her name?”

“Haven’t got that far yet.”

Mr. Salvatore considered me a moment. “Lucy, isn’t it?” he finally asked.

I nodded.

He started humming a tune I was familiar with.

“Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds,” he sang The Beatles’ song. Mr. Salvatore smiled, pleased with himself. “Diamond. That’ll be her stage name. I wanna see her up there in two weeks when I get back from New York. Get word out.” Mr. Salvatore closed the space, stopping just shy of me. He was a tall man who towered over me. “I’m looking forward to seeing all you have to offer.” Casting one last look over my naked body, he walked past, knocking shoulders.

When I heard the door close behind him, I scrambled to gather the tiny scraps of material they called lingerie. Trembling, I held them close to my chest, Dominic already by my side, eyes hooded with lust.

“I can’t do it, Dominic,” I said, hoping he’d be able to persuade his father.

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