Page 9 of Dance for Me

“Sure you can. There’s no strings attached to it, little one.”

“There are always strings attached, one way or another.” When he wouldn’t take the money from her hand, she slapped it down on the bar. “There. Now I owe you nothing.” She visibly quivered under his assessing stare, her eyes meeting his for a few seconds before they dropped meekly to study his boots. “I appreciate it, I really do, but I can’t take it.”

Submissive, Braun thought with satisfaction. He’d bet the full amount of cash he’d given her she didn’t even know what these moments of capitulation were. She was too full of piss and vinegar, brimming with that simmering antagonism, to truly understand what a treasure she had to offer. “Tell me, little one, when was the last time you ate?”

Liam was wisely holding his tongue, but his gaze arrowed in on Boadicea—and wasn’t that just a lovely name—with all the focus of a hunter sighting his gun on an albino moose.

Bodie’s eyes flickered from side to side without lifting. Braun studied the flutter of her lashes as she worked out truth and lies. She wouldn’t look at him when she whispered, “Lunchtime.”

Little fibber. Hardening his voice to steel, Braun snapped, “Don’t lie to me, girl. One thing I won’t tolerate is being lied to.” He gave her a few seconds to shudder in the face of his displeasure, her arms coming up to self-comfort, then asked again in the same tone of voice. “When was the last time you ate?”

Her weight shifted from foot to foot. “I don’t know.”

Braun growled. Her face held a gauntness that spoke of several days’ starvation. She might be scavenging scraps here and there, enough to keep her body functioning, but it wasn’t enough. He snapped his fingers and pointed between his spread legs, intrigued whether she’d obey his silent order or give him a resounding fuck you.

The pretty little thing bit her lip worriedly, then stepped forward into the cradle of his legs. But when he stroked his hands gently down her arms, she snarled at him and stepped back again.

Interesting.

“I’m not going to hurt you, little one. Come back here please.”

Hands wringing together, she shook her head. “I didn’t come here to play twenty questions with a stranger. Whatever games you play here, I don’t want to know. I just want to go home and forget I was ever in this place.”

His eyebrow winged high. “Well, darlin’, you’re in this place right now, and anyone who comes into my domain shows me respect. Dominant or submissive, kinkster or vanilla. Have I shown you respect under my roof, Boadicea?” He drew her name out, adding a hefty dose of thickened Irish accent to lure her in. There was always the softest twang in his voice if people listened carefully enough, but he knew how to broaden it for maximum impact.

Her blush turned crimson, rising up her neck into her cheeks and ears. It was a nice change to the almost sickly pallor of her skin. “I...yes.”

He’d prefer a yes, Sir, but he had no right to push it. Already he was standing on his own boundary lines. “Good, I’m glad we both understand the rules. Now, would you please come stand here so you can look me in the eyes when you lie to me.”

Her breath hitched, but instead of the tears he expected, she battled the emotions bubbling under her skin back. Rather than a boiling pot of upset female, Bodie presented him with a calm, controlled woman in charge of herself. She moved to stand in front of his knees but came no closer.

“Right, now we’ll have some answers.” He reached out and clasped her forearms in a loose grip. The alarm in her eyes when she glanced at him spoke volumes. “So we’ve established you haven’t eaten in some time. Liam will remedy that for you, won’t you, lad?” Without waiting for an affirmative, Braun continued ruthlessly. “At a guess, if you have no money for food, you won’t have the resources to pay for the basics like rent and utilities. How much debt are you in, little one?”

Poor frightened little bird was trembling in his hold. She avoided his gaze with admirable effort, looking everywhere but in his eyes. He’d correct that in just a moment if she decided to lie to him again.

“I-I can’t make my rent next month,” she admitted softly, tugging lightly on her arms as though that would make him release her. “Most of the utilities have been cut off already.”

“For fuck’s sake, Bo,” Liam muttered.

“Quiet, Liam. There’s no judgement here.” Braun slid his hands up her arms to her shoulders, willing her to lift her gaze to his. After a few moments of silence, the little mouse dared to look at him. “There she is, good girl. Keep your eyes on me, darlin’. So, you turned down the offer to dance here for me, yes? How did you figure on making your rent, catching up on your bills?”

The downturn of her mouth said she didn’t have a clue how to get herself out of this hole. Her continued silence solidified his theory.

Something she’d said when she first came into the club stuck with him and he called her on it now. “What strings did you assume would be waiting to tangle you up, Bodie? You could have kept the money, ignored the card and the bracelet, and I’d have been none the wiser. It’s not like I know where you live.”

Her lip curled. “He’d have told you if you asked.”

A pained exclamation erupted from Liam, as though she dealt him a solid kick to the balls. “Jesus, Bo, is that what we’ve come to now? I wouldn’t break your confidence that way and you fucking know it.”

Braun lifted a hand. “You two can hash things back to normal when Boadicea and I are done with this clusterfuck, William. Attention on me, little one, and answer the question please.”

Her breath shuddered out. “If I’d kept the money, you could’ve asked for anything in return. You could have asked for the money back with interest, and I wouldn’t be able to pay it.” She bit her lip and swallowed hard. “Sex is always a commodity. Maybe you’d tell me I’m stuck performing here for you for the next ten years. I don’t know what the strings are when I can’t understand your motives.”

“Clever girl,” he murmured, impressed with her honesty. Maybe she was a quick learner. “Let me say, for the record, there were absolutely no strings involved. After your quarrel with William over here, he’s had a face like someone punched his puppy. I like my staff happy and my customers content, little one. I’ve heard from different people about a very talented dancer showing off her skills in Phoenix, so when I had a meeting there today, I decided to see if I could find you. Struck gold after an hour, and you looked as miserable as this one,” Braun told her with a jerk of his head toward Liam. “My hope was you’d come back here so we could discuss the offer Liam made you a couple weeks ago regards dancing for the club, hence the card and the entry bracelet. If you decided not to return, I would’ve been out a grand, but that’s the way things go.”

“So it was a bribe.”

He grinned, giving her a wink. “Sure it was. Worked, too.”

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