Page 20 of Elicit (Decadence After Dark)

A deliberative pause.

“I’m good. I think I’ve monopolized enough of your time.”

“Nonsense. It’s what I’m here for.”

I reluctantly stand up. Her eyebrows pull together as I drop a kiss on her forehead. I wonder if she notices how I let my lips linger a beat too long.

“This has been a very strange first day,” she muses as I straighten to my full height.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Take advantage of your downtime tomorrow. I have a feeling, after your performance tonight, you’re going to become a very sought-after girl.”

If I know Trent, word of Mansion’s newitgirl is going to spread like wildfire.

“I can handle it,” she assures me.

“Something tells me that’s more than true.” And I can’t wait to watch. “Sleep,” I instruct.

London is going to need all the rest she can get.

I WATCH JETT LEAVE THEroom, still as awake as I was this morning. Sleep.Yeah, right.

I toss the covers off and slide out of bed. I pace the room, inspecting every nook and cranny of my new abode. It’s spacious. And elegant. Warm, comforting. A good haven. I almost can’t believe it’s all mine. The vibe of the house is very much like Sasha’s, with attention given to the girls’ well-being. Only on a grander scale. With more expensive clothes and more demanding clientele. A gangbang isn’t anything new. Those guys were puppies compared to the pit bulls I’ve come across.

I sit on the velvet-covered bench framing the bay window and look out over the manicured grounds. The silvery lawn seems to go on forever under the moon’s pearly glow. I breathe calmly through a fleeting moment of insecurity. For the moment, I’m safe. I’m hidden and was able to survive one more day clutching onto my freedom.

I rest my head on the window. Am I really free? To a point. Maybe. More so than before. But I still wouldn’t risk walking down a busy city street. A mansion in the middle of Nowhere, New Jersey, is much safer.

I roll my shoulders, surprised at how loose they feel. I can’t remember the last time tension didn’t reign over my body. My new employer definitely has a way with his hands.

And his words.

And his presence.

I still can’t believe I confessed one of the darkest experiences of my life to him. A man I barely know. A man who is going to make a profit by sexually exploiting me.

At that specific moment, none of that mattered. At that specific moment, I was lost in my own head and the feel of the most non-threatening male hands. I don’t think a man has ever touched me like that. I can’t recall one time a member of the opposite sex ever cared about my well-being. Ever pampered me or tucked me into bed. Not even my own father.

I don’t want to believe I can trust him, but something deep down whispers that I can.

Which is terrifying. No man has ever proved his worth, and I’m skeptical an affluent pimp is going to be the first.

But the way he watched me tonight. Those vigilant turquoise eyes. The way he lingered in the background, a residing presence over the proceedings, spoke volumes in an authoritative and overpowering way.

That presence ensnared me. It turned me on and made me feel powerful. It created an unspoken connection I wasn’t aware of until he put his soothing hands on me. Until he washed away the night with more than just soap.

How can a man in his position possess such talents? And why am I so drawn to him?

The answers don’t really matter for a girl like me.

A girl who’s nothing.

No one.

I SIT AND WAIT ONthe tarmac as the plane taxis.

Kayne has been gone for three days.

We’ve had zero communication, and although I don’t portray it, my worries have been running rampant.

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