Page 33 of Craving You
“He has video, Rob.Of me.Of the back rooms,” I say.“Every single client…”
“Fuck,” Rob snaps.“Come on.Let’s tell the girls.”
We follow Rob out to the main floor, and he calls all the girls out.“So many boobs,” Tris says.
“You’ll get that in a strip club,” I laugh.
“Okay girls…” Rob sighs.He tells them what I told him, and they all listen without interrupting.All of them look sad, but a few look like they’re mad.
“So, what now?”Angel asks.“Are we going to jail now?”
“No,” Rob says.
“Don’t lie to them,” I say.
“Girls… I knew that this was a possibility.None of you have done anything wrong.I’ve always believed that you should be able to do whatever you want with your body, so I’ve kept you safe and allowed you to do what you want… I’ve never forced any of you ladies to do anything.You aren’t a hostage,” he says.
“Rob.No.Absolutely not,” I say, but he ignores me.
“When the police show up… Tell them I made you.The only way you get out of this without getting in trouble is if they think that I trafficked to you,” he says as he gets emotional.
“Rob, you can’t just…” Dazzle starts to say.
“Girl, stop.I know you don’t want to do this.I know it feels wrong, but I’m not letting you all get in trouble,” he says.“I’ll destroy my records and… Well, just lie.Just get your story straight.”
“Rob,” I say tearfully.He walks over and hugs me.
“Lorelei, honey.I can’t let you get in trouble for this.I can’t,” he says.“Tell them I made you do it and I took half.You were too scared to speak up.”
“Are you sure about this?”Cam asks.
“Absolutely,” Rob confirms.“I don’t have a wife or kids.It’s just me.I’m not leaving anybody behind.”
“I’ll make some calls and make sure you have a good lawyer if this is what you really want,” Remy says.“Thank you for looking after them.”
“I did everything I could to keep them safe and let them do what they wanted.No one should have the right to tell these girls what they can and can’t do with their bodies.All the clients treated them right, and we hardly ever had issues.When we did, it was handled,” Rob says.“I’ll throw myself under the bus to make sure they don’t get in trouble.”
“Uh… Lori,” Tris says slowly.“He didn’t wait an hour.”
“What?”I snap, turning to her.She handed me her phone, and I see the video.
“It’s everywhere,” she says sadly.“It’s been up for less than five minutes, and it’s already like five hundred thousand views.”
“Was she named?”Cam asks.
“Yeah,” she says.She plays a breaking news story from the media, and everyone is silent as they listen.
“…Breaking news.Lorelei Belmont, COO of Saltz-Belmont Technologies, has been seen in a recent video as an adult entertainer at a local club here in New York City.There are reports coming in that she was soliciting sex for money.One source says that the business owners, Cameron Belmont and Remington Saltz, were using Lorelei to blackmail other executives into business dealings for the technology company.We will have more information as it becomes available…”
“Y’all need to get out of here before the cops show up,” Rob says.“Girls, go about your business, but do not take any clients to the back rooms.Understand?”
“Rob,” I say tearfully.
“It’s okay, Lorelei,” he says as he hugs me.“You girls are like my kids.Let me protect you.Okay?”
“You’ll go to jail, Rob.Forever.Human trafficking is a huge charge,” I sniff.
“I know, hun.I know,” he says.“I’ll do what needs to be done to make sure none of you gets dragged into this.You all have bright futures ahead of you.I’m just an old man.”
