Page 48 of High Roller

Finn and I had a threesome once, but he got angry because I and the other woman had more fun with each other than we did with him.

The memory of Grace and Victor lying in bed with me flashes through my mind, and I bite the inside of my cheek to make the visual go away.

“I talked to Bellamy. Is there anything you need that she can get for you?”

The vision is shattered by Grace’s question, and I smile.

“If I’m going to be here for a while, I need my own body wash. I’ve got an allergy to the stuff in the bathroom.”

Grace runs a hand through her chin length curls. “Just tell me the name and I’ll text it to Bellamy.”

I give her the name of the expensive body wash I use, and she doesn’t bat an eye. She either has no idea how much it costs or is used to the owners of this club spending big dollars on things.

“I’m… sorry you have to stay here.”

I shake my head. “Don’t apologize for something you didn’t do.”

“I’m not apologizing,” she retorts. “Just saying I feel bad.”

I wave a hand. “I’ve simply traded one prison for another. At least this one has more interesting guards.”

She cocks her head to one side. “What do you mean?”

I pat the edge of the bed and shift to make room for her. “How much time do you have?”

She laughs and looks at the smartwatch. “Apparently all day. Bellamy will be here in three or four hours.”

“How long have you been part of the club?” I ask as she sits next to me.

“Since they opened, but I want to talk about you. What did you mean when you said being here was trading one prison for another?”

The answer isn’t complicated, but it’s not easy to talk about. Still, I want Grace to like me. Something tells me that is key to surviving this ordeal. “I mean, my marriage was arranged for me, and the man that I married is a monster. But he and his mother—who is also a monster—hold a lot of power. I’m trapped for all intents and purposes.”

“Is that why you have all those scars on your legs?”

I tuck a leg under me and prop a pillow up so I can lean against it. “Let’s just say that Phineas prefers to leave marks where no one else will see them.”

Grace winces, and I hope I’m not making her uncomfortable with my story. It’s one I’ve gotten used to, though I’ve never really told it out loud like this before.

“Tell me something you do like about your life,” she says.

“That’s a lovely question, Grace. I like the people that I get to help. I work for several really meaningful charities and try to do more than just go to fundraisers. My mother-in-law doesn’t always like it, but I like getting my hands dirty. And when the press catches wind of it, it’s usually a boost in the pools for her, so she goes along with it most of the time.”

Grace smiles. “I love that answer. I was worried it was going to be something like fancy clothes or a nice house. It sounds like you’re actually a good person. I’m sorry again that you’ve been dragged into all of this.”

I sit forward and squeeze Grace’s thigh. “It’s not your fault. You shouldn’t apologize. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s Victor.”

“Speaking of,” I say with a wink. “Tell me about him. How long have you two known each other?”

Grace blushes and looks down at her lap. “I met him in high school. His parents sent him to the States from Mexico, and we ended up at the same school. We quickly became friends thanks to my clumsiness. I dropped a pencil and when I bent to pick it up, I fell, and he helped me up and made sure I got back to my class. I ended up with a scholarship to Yale but had to drop out early because… well that’s a story for another time. But he talked me into coming to Las Vegas with him and the others when they moved here after graduation to open this place.”

“What are you going to study? Creative writing, perhaps?”

Grace shakes her head with a smile. “I’ve thought about it. But I enjoy the way I write, and I don’t want some stuffy college professor telling me it’s wrong. I’m sure there are things I could learn, but I want it to stay fun. That’s why I’m studying to become a nurse.”

“I can see you in the medical field, Grace. You’re going to make an excellent nurse.”

“I thought I was supposed to be telling you about Victor,” she says, shifting uncomfortably.

---