Page 8 of Ruined
He was referring to our past, when he stole what I thought was mine. I begged to differ. Absorbing Aldrich’s company would be the best revenge I could dream of. Fucking the woman he couldn’t have. Like he had married Isa.
Pretending not to hear his response, I said, “And the current marriage situation?”
“Gone, I told you. Dead.” He smirked. “I’m a lucky bastard. So much easier with them dead. Can you imagine dealing with divorce proceedings with wealth like ours?”
As if that was the only reason to be worried about the end of a relationship. “I can’t,” I said. Because I wouldn’t marry. Not after what had happened.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t seen anyone since Bella,” he said. He slapped my back. “My friend, once you’ve used up your stay, you move on. There’s always something newer. Something shinier.”
His disrespect for others, especially women, was a quality I had chosen to ignore when I worked for him. Before he betrayed me, I had found it endearing. He was like the perverted uncle I never had. Now, I found it repulsive.
I would wait for the right moment. I needed to keep him close for now.
But relationships? “I haven’t had the time,” I said.
“Bullshit. And you know it.”
It was true, to an extent. I may not have had relationships. But I wasn’t about to divulge my pattern of one night stands with anonymous submissives. The truth was that my hatred for Aldrich had little to do with what had happened with Isabella. She was after me, and even Aldrich, not for love, but for money. The betrayal hurt less once I realized that. It was part of why finding anonymous submissives who didn’t share names, was easier. We could indulge without knowing anything about one another.
Which made a situation like the one with Haley interesting. She was a new challenge. The women at the Dahlia District, or the ‘servers’ as they were called, were there to entertain. To convince members to spend money. Whether it was with drinking games or a private show, or perhaps even a dungeon negotiation, it didn’t matter, as long as they made their entertainment money.
I had the feeling that there was no amount of money that could be offered to Haley for her to break the rules for sexual entertainment. Aldrich would have found that amount, and then the bet wouldn’t have been an option. So what was her ticking point? What would make her break?
Aldrich had been pulled by one of the servers to a smaller stage in the corner of the building, but I stayed in the seat near the main stage, where I had a view of everything. Across the room, Haley had her arms around one of the servers, tucking her in close for a hug as they both spoke to a member. Then the other woman took the man’s hand, and the two of them disappeared down a hallway, labeledTerrariums.
Alone now, Haley looked around, considering her next move. When her eyes found mine, she opened her mouth, then shook her head.
A hand squeezed my upper arm. “Hi, sir. What’s your name?” A woman with dark red hair and bright blue eyes took the seat next to mine. “I’m Mel, and I—”
“Mel,” I said. I took her hand and removed it from my arm. “I’m preoccupied tonight. Thank you, but your time is precious and I don’t want to waste it.”
She nodded her head curtly. “That’s respectful of you,” she said.
A few others approached me that night, but I sent them on their way. Tonight, I would observe. Haley flitted about the room, talking to different guests, even taking a shot of vodka with Aldrich and a few other servers. She never came to me, but even with the distractions around her, her gaze always found mine. Her parted lips. The flush of her cheeks. Those green eyes searched me, then wandered, as if she couldn’t hold my gaze.
Oh, sweet Haley. I would take every pleasure in breaking you down. Making you do exactly what I wanted. Making you beg for me to take you. To ruin you completely.
When dawn came, the Dahlia District began closing. Aldrich had long since disappeared into the Terrariums and had yet to emerge, but I hadn’t stayed for him. Once Haley made her way into the Greenhouse, I left too.
The Dahlia District was set in the old mill town of Cresting Heights, about an hour away from my home in the heart of the metropolitan area, Sage City. I had never been to Cresting Heights before, but I enjoyed the drive. The early morning sunlight touched the trees, illuminating the misty fog. I cruised down the freeways, making it back to my home in record time. I suppose the Dahlia District was in Cresting Heights for the purpose of discretion, making it hard for billionaires to cross paths with those they kept their lives private from. But I had no one to keep secrets from. I was on my own.
In my home office, I turned on the computer screens and clicked the Dahlia District’s website. I had overheard one of the servers say that there was a twenty-four-hour surveillance footage stream from the Greenhouse. I paid the overhead access to the live stream and clicked to access the first room: long sets of mirrors, ample counter space, small uncomfortable chairs. So the Greenhouse was a dressing room. Much like a theater company would call it ‘the green room,’ the Dahlia District preferred to keep with a botanical theme. At six a.m., the dressing room was empty. Another click, and another dressing room.
Then the small bedrooms. Each one with a different woman asleep on a fluffy mattress, most with sleep masks covering their eyes. Full pajamas on their bodies. Perhaps because it was easier to stay clothed with watching eyes, like mine. It was hard to recognize the women. Some of the servers must have gone home, choosing not to stay on the property. Haley had entered the Greenhouse, but she could have been packing her belongings from the dressing rooms.
A view of the hallway with a large man standing with his arms crossed. A guard. Then, an empty room. Another sleeping woman.
And finally, Haley’s room.
The camera was in the upper corner of the room, aimed towards the bed. She faced a vanity mirror on top of the dresser. She ran her hands along the sides of her face, as if trying to wake up. Her hair looked wet and curly, pulled into a pile on the top of her head, the opposite of the sleek strands she had tucked behind her ears the night before. Those green eyes were piercing, even through the surveillance footage. Her soft lips were rich in color.
The mask was pulled off, and she still looked beautiful. Why hide this side of herself?
The question only increased as she grabbed a canvas shoulder bag and threw her wallet and phone inside. It wasn’t seven yet. Where was she going? What did she have to do this early in the morning? What was she hiding?
Knowing her, unraveling each layer, would get me closer to figuring out who she was. What she wanted. What sheneeded. What would make her mine.
If it had taken Aldrich this long and he had still failed, I had no doubt that he would continue to fail. But what would it take to break Haley? I relished in a challenge, and revenge was the only push I needed.
Haley was a victim, but she would be willing. I would make her so.
