Page 8 of Ravaged
The man leaned back in his seat, eyeing me with those dark, almost black eyes. Stubble curved over his chin and jaw. With his strong arms laid back over the seat, he portrayed an aura of dominance. He might have been new around here, but he knew better. Better than I did.
His eyes met mine, dissecting me. Giving me chills. What did he see?
I turned away, focusing on the music, ignoring the blush creeping over my skin. I had to concentrate on the harp. Music connected with people. And if this new club member had no desire to socialize, then maybe I could connect with him through music.
As I finished the song, a few people clapped, including the new club member. I went to the wings and found my sheer cover, then walked down the stairs to the main floor. The new club member was leaning against the bar along the back, brooding and sinister, his eyes locked on me.
Was Iris right? Was he waiting for someone?
Was he waiting for me?
I angled towards the lounge, but he came towards me. I froze in place.
“You played the harp,” he said.
“Are you a fan?” I gave a cheesy grin, but he stayed serious.
“What’s your name?”
I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. “Teagen.”
“You played beautifully,” he said, his voice almost a growl.
It was supposed to be a compliment, but somehow, it seemed as though I had offended him. I had wronged him in some strange way. His angular jaw crooked towards me, and his entire demeanor darkened.
“How does someone like you end up in a brothel?”
Someone like me? “Entertainment club,” I corrected automatically. Even if I knew the truth, I was basically programmed to rehash the same lines. “A brothel would be illegal in our state.”
“Because prostitution is the only illegal activity taking place here.”
There was no mistaking it; he was scowling now, his eyes cast in disdain. I glanced around; a few of the servers were watching from the lounge. Many of them had approached him, but I was the only one who had gotten this much out of his mouth. But I didn’t know if that was a good thing anymore.
“Lighten up,” I teased. “It’s not like your mother works here.”
“Don’t talk about my mother.”
My chest squeezed shut. Of course, Teagen. Of course. Of course you make a mom joke to the one man in the entire club who can’t take a joke. But if I had already played music and I didn’t have my humor to use, then what did I have besides my body to attract him?
“There are private rooms here,” he said.
“Yes. The Terrariums.” I pointed in the direction of the door.
“Brothel.”
I ignored his comment, pretending not to hear. “Are you interested?”
“Take me to them.”
I shrugged my shoulders and motioned for him to follow me. On the one hand, this made it easy. We didn’t have to make small talk for hours until he decided he was ready, well-oiled and foreplayed enough to justify spending money on a server’s time. That was the usual pattern with many of the other club members here. On the other hand, I didn’t understand why he was being so aggressive. He had been waiting for me. Why was I the only one that he wanted to be with?
I nodded at the security guard, then I took the new member to one of the plainer rooms. Long black couches adorned the walls, mirrors hung on the open spaces. A hidden cooler held chilled champagne and hand-crafted truffles. A generic sort of room, but one that would be comfortable.
I pulled a sheet of paper out from a hidden compartment under the couch.
“This is our terms paper,” I said. I jotted down my hourly rate at the top. “It’s what we can agree to.”
“I’m not interested in that.”
