Page 12 of Tell Me Your Desires
The uneasiness in Lady A’s stomach lessened slightly. “So, what’s with the police tape in the parking lot?” She just couldn’t get Mr. Bishop’s words out of her head. That, along with Maisie never calling her back, caused Lady A’s anxiety to go through the roof.
Frank waved his hand dismissively. “Some homeless got in a scuffle. Got carved up a bit. You know how the cops are. They only give a crap if they can use it to hurt our business.”
“Is he alright?” Lady A asked. Another wave of relief—coupled with guilt for being glad it wasn’t Maisie—flowed through her.
“Who?”
Lady A frowned. “The homeless man.”
“Oh. Yeah, fine. Fine. Nothing for you to worry about. You need to get ready for your first session.” He picked up a piece of paper and handed it over. “Listen, A, I know you’re a stickler with your rules, but I need you to break one of them tonight.”
Lady A raised a brow. This hadn’t happened since she first started at the club. When Frank took over, he gave her a hard time when she told him there were stipulations for Lady A to keep working there. But to her surprise, he went along with it. When she started bringing in more clients than the other girls combined, he never bothered her about it again.
“Frank, we’ve discussed this. I don’t break my rules.”
“I know. But this guy is paying a pretty penny to do more than role-play with you. He wants the full package.”
“I don’t have sex with men,” Lady A stated firmly.
Frank’s mouth curved into a frown. “You’re going to have to tonight. The club could use this big payday, Lady A. Take one for the team. Plus, I’m sure you could use the coin.”
Lady A stepped forward, unintimidated by the sheer size of Frank. “I don’t have sex with men, Frank,” she repeated. “Give it to Sapphyre. She’ll sleep with anyone. I won’t.”
“He wantsyou. Ten thousand dollars.That’swhat we’re talking about. People do it all the time, A. Gay for pay, right? Well, you can do straight for pay for one night.”
“My rules are simple, Frank. No rape scenarios, pet fantasies, mommy fantasies, or sex with men. If he wants sex so badly and you think it’s easy to be something you’re not, thenyoufuck him. I’m not one of your young girls working their way through college or needing rent money. I can walk out of here without a worry, and Iwillif you don’t stop insisting that I break my rules.”
“Now, now. Let’s not be hasty. I’m sure we can work around this.” Frank scratched his jaw. “Maybe you and Sapphyre can double-team him. Keep him blindfolded, so he thinks it’s you.”
“No. I work alone, and I won’t manipulate a customer like that. I will be in my chambers. If a client is willing to follow my rules, I will see them.” Lady A turned to walk out.
“Have you ever been with a man, A?” Frank called out. “The right one could change your life.”
Lady A’s hand tightened around the doorknob, causing her knuckles to turn white. “I’ll be in my chambers, Frank.”
Chapter Five
“Did you eat?”Max held the club door open for Jaime, a whoosh of cold air filtering out into the humid night.
“What are you, my dad? Jesus, Max.” Jaime immediately noted the darkness, the…unease of the place. She grimaced, not knowing what to expect as they followed the corridor. A well-maintained, black velvet carpet paved the way. “I’m a grown woman. I know how to take care of myself.”
“I’ll take that as a no,” Max gruffed. “I may not be your ol’ man, but I’m your partner. How are you supposed to have my back if you can’t fuckin’ stand because of starvation?”
Jaime scanned the interior of the club. It was high-end and clean, unlike some places she’d set foot in during her career. Her eyes tracked the main area, knowing that Lady A could be any of these women hanging all over the patrons. She tried to confidently put one foot in front of the other, but the idea of not knowing what she could come across weighed heavily on Jaime’s mind. She had no qualms with sex workers—mostly, anyway—but places like this creeped her out.
The doors that lined the wall to her right, well, what was going on behind them? Were the women safe? Consenting? Did theywantto be here? This club screamed, ‘I’m a guy, and I’lldo what I want,’ with the focus clearly on the male clients. Only this time, the walls weren’t dank, and the stench of spilled liquor was nonexistent. She scanned the room again. Did these women really want a profession like this? It didn’t matter. It wasn’t Jaime’s business to save them.Ifthey wanted to be saved.
“Baros?” Max nudged her.
“I had a sandwich,” she said distractedly. “I tried making something at home, but it tasted like shit. So, I grabbed something on the way back to the precinct. Happy?”
“As a matter of fact…”
Jaime eyed her partner. “Can we get back to being detectives now?” She smirked when Max flipped her off.
“Hey there. You’re new here. Come for a threesome?”
Jaime jerked her arm away from the buxom blonde. Calling the woman a blonde was generous. It was obvious that the color came from a bottle. It was too platinum to be real. And her makeup was caked on so much that Jaime couldn’t gauge exactly how old the woman was. But if she had to guess, she was probably in her early thirties.
