Page 6 of Filthy Desire

The only sound in the room was the pounding of her heartbeat and the ticking of the clock on his desk. What else could she say? The man had a long reach in this city. A reach that could cut her off at the knees.

There had to be a way out of this.

“How did you get into the sex business?” Gio asked, surprising her. His intense gaze surveyed her. “Your accent is hard to pinpoint but your mannerisms reek upper class.”

Kara lifted her chin and crossed her legs. “I’m from Washington D.C.”

“Well, that explains it. The boardrooms and bedrooms of that city are dirtier than the underbelly of Hell’s Kitchen. A good training ground for a high-class call girl.”

The insult meant nothing to her. She’d been called worse. And Gio was talking, not kicking her out, so that was a good sign.

Keep talking. Tell him who you really are.

“Indeed,” she replied. “Are you familiar with Senator Josiah Karryn?”

Gio nodded and leaned forward. “My father made several donations to his re-election campaign. And then, shortly after he was sworn into his second term, the scandal hit. The steadfast married senator from New Jersey had an affair with his rival’s PR director, a man named Leon Lourdes. It made national headlines nine years ago. Why?”

“I’m Jessica Karryn. His daughter. Or, at least, I was.”

Gio’s black eyebrows nearly reached his hairline. Kara would bet money that very few people surprised Gio Ferraro. A rush of exhilaration swept through her.

Kara continued. “I had just graduated from the economics program at Georgetown when the story broke. Like everyone in my family, I was hounded by the media. It got so bad, I couldn’t land a decent job interview. No one would talk to me, let alone consider me for a position with their firm. People I thought were my friends turned on me. I lost everything and it made me incredibly angry and frustrated. My parents refused to help me in any way. My mother took off for Europe, divorced my father, and started a new life. My father moved in with Leon. And I was left to fend for myself. They cut me out of their life, and I did the same. I changed my name and moved to New York.”

“That’s a sad story but it still doesn’t explain the sex work.”

Kara leaned forward. “When I came to New York, I had nothing but student loans. Despite the name change, I was still recognized. So, I needed a business I could create from scratch, something that was in demand but that would enable me to work behind closed doors. And I was desperate for cash. A lot of it. So, I asked myself. What do people want most? What can I offer? And the answer was simple.”

“Sex.”

“Yes. But I wasn’t going to pimp myself out for a handful of cash for the rest of my life. I was going to be the madam. I had experience hobnobbing with the wealthiest people in the country, so I knew where they frequented, what they were looking for, and how to set up a discreet service.”

“Only you forgot the first rule. The customer is always right,” Gio snapped.

“I already told you, I will do whatever it takes to make up for what happened this evening.”

“Tell me something, Kara,” Gio murmured as he stood up and rounded his desk. “When was the last time you personally offered your services?”

Kara didn’t flinch. It was a near thing. Should she lie or tell Gio the truth?

Glancing at his turbulent blue eyes, she had her answer. And she wasn’t ashamed of doing what she needed to to survive.

“Not for years. When I was starting out, I needed the money.”

“But not recently?”

“No.”

Gio slowly smiled again, and goosebumps popped out all over Kara’s skin. The man had a wicked grin that was far too alluring.

It was lethal.

“If you want to satisfy this customer,” he pointed to himself. “And save your business from complete annihilation, you better be prepared to do what it takes.”

“I’m ready,” she replied without hesitation.

“Good.” Gio nodded, the ferocious gleam in his eyes telling. “Get on your knees. Now.”

Despite her sweaty palms and racing heart, Kara obeyed Gio’s order. A surprising heat bloomed inside her at his command, but she ignored it and did as she was told.

---