Page 4 of Rayna's Daddy

I swallowed and gripped the door.

“Natalie, Bella.” Natalie’s father stood and wrapped his arms around her thin waist. He lifted her off the ground, kissed her neck, and sat her back down. He placed a meaty paw on her cheek and brought her face to his for a kiss on the lips. I looked away and flicked my finger, anxiety ripping through my stomach. Maybe that’s how they did it in Italy.

“Rayna.” Natalie’s accent made my name sound like ‘Rouna’. She motioned me forward. “This is my father—Albert Santorini.”

I approached with my hand extended. The faint flush of eyes devouring my body, leaving an uneasy feeling in their wake. Making the hair on the back of my neck stand on end, and unfortunately, not in a good way.

“Mr. Santorini, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” My hand disappeared in his. “Thank you so much for the job this summer. You’re a lifesaver.” It was true. He was saving my life. While my scholarship paid for my tuition, I had lost my job near campus, and had no funds left over for room and board. Getting a job was imperative. Natalie had come at the right time and said I could join her in Vegas for the summer to work in her father’s hotel.

“You are quite welcome, young lady. Please, call me Daddy.” Mr. Santorini didn’t stop at just a handshake. He pulled me into him. My chest collided with his rotund belly. He smelled like cigarettes and whiskey. He laid a wet kiss on my cheek and held my hand as he walked me around the room. “I was so happy that my Natalie brought you here to spend the summer with us.”

Again, their eyes followed me, making my skin crawl. I had to fight the urge to wipe the kiss off my cheek. My stomach churned at the thought of spending another second, let alone an entire evening, with a bunch of strange men.

“Well, you ladies go get dolled up.” He kissed my hand. I discreetly wiped it on my skirt. Natalie headed for the exit. I shuffled across the floor to catch up with her. “Rayna?”

I turned back around. “Yes, sir?”

“I’ll see more of you later.” He chuckled, and the men in the room followed suit. Mr. Santorini radiated mob boss energy. I would not be seeing him later if I had anything to say about it.

* * *

The next coupleof hours went by in a blur. Natalie dragged me to her room and passed me off to a woman dressed in all black. Her jet-black hair was bone-straight, and her pale skin made her look like a ghost in desperate need of sunlight.

“Hello. I am Helga.” Her thickly coated accent gave off western European vibes. “Oh, your nails are a mess.” She grabbed my hand. Before I could ask her where she was from, she reached for the bottom of my shirt.

“Hey,” I pushed her hands away. “What are you doing?” I stumbled back.

She sighed heavily and pointed. “Go shower. No wash hair, no time to blow dry.”

I blinked and leaned over to see where she pointed. It looked like a padded cell with large, gleaming white tiles. I could barely discern where the floor ended, and the wall began. A long countertop covered the back wall, lined with four small mirrors framed by bright Hollywood-style lights.

“Quickly, the other girls will be here any minute.” I stepped behind a three-quarter wall into the shower stall. “Put that on.” She pointed to the robe hanging on a hook.

I shrugged out of my clothes and turned on the shower. The steam from the hot water billowed out of the stall. I stepped into the spray and sighed. The heavy water pressure helped ease the tension and anxiety building in my gut. Being in this strange place with strange people would take some getting use to.

“You done yet?” The woman yells. At least she had the common courtesy to yell from the other side of the closed window.

“Almost,” I yelled back, quickly soaping, rinsing, and drying off. I slipped on the robe, and a pair of plastic slippers sitting outside the shower stall. I glanced around, wondering what to do next. I gathered my clothes and walked to the door. “I’m done.”

The door swung open. “I’ll take those,” she said, snatching my clothes. I clutched my purse to my chest. “That too,” she added.

“No, I’ll hold on to it, thank you.”

She shrugged. “Wait out here while they get set up.”

Two other ladies and a man were standing outside the door. The man peeked in my direction, rolled his eyes, and went back to scrolling on his phone.

They must not have heard Helga’s command.

“Go!” she yelled. One of the women gasped and jumped. They scurried around, pulling hair and makeup products out of bags. By the time Helga got back, they were all set up.

“Rayna.” I jumped. Thank God Natalie was back. “I come bearing gifts. Here, drink this.”

She had on a similar robe. She handed me one of two glasses of champagne. In the other hand, she was holding a box. She walked into the bathroom and sat down in a chair in front of the man and put the box on the counter.

“Mario,” she cooed. “It’s so good to see you.” Mario kissed both of Natalie’s cheeks.

“Ciao, bella.” She lifted a strand of Natalie’s hair. “Who has been doing your hair?

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