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I choked back a sob, my legs shaking.
Oh Heidi.
I had made things so much worse for myself in my pursuit of something better. I’d have been better off forgetting Zaqiel and going back to Tyson, accepting this was it, and nothing would ever be better. I was foolish to try for anything else.
Now I was going to pay for it.
Gasping as his hand snaked up my body, purposefully grazing my breasts before coming to rest on my throat, my eyes watered as he increased his grip against my windpipe.
“I like you, Evie, I do. So, I’m going to give you one more chance.” He licked his lips. “You have until midnight tonight to be back in your apartment, or I’ll send the boys after you.” He snarled, “All of them.”
Releasing my throat and hair at the same time he dropped me to the floor, I curled into a defensive ball as he aimed several kicks at my stomach and then my kidneys as I tried to roll away. I screamed against the onslaught and cried out loud when I opened my eyes, and his face was inches from mine.
“Whatever the clients want to do, I promise it’s nothing compared to what I’ll do to you if you don’t come back.”
Either I’m a glutton for punishment, or I had an inch of hope left within me.
Or I was hoping that the client Leo had set me up with was a psychopath who would kill me and put me out of my misery.
Whatever the reason, I kept my dinner date with him.
I was able to wear a little black dress with stockings and heels, which covered any bruises I had around my ribs and all the scars on my legs. I had long ago given up trying to hide the scars on my back and arms, and I wasn’t about to live my life in a turtleneck.
I spotted him almost immediately. He was wearing a tweed jacket of all things, and honestly, my joy was genuine. Because there was something so incredibly endearing about an older gentleman in a tweed jacket. I imagined he’d wear a matching cap some days, his silver hair peeking out from underneath. He looked like a deer caught in headlights as I approached the table, weaving my way through the other tables and chairs before extending my hand out to him and tucking my clutch under my arm.
“Clive?” I asked.
“You must be Evie.” I smiled at him again, trying and failing not to stiffen as he took my hand, his hold on me lingering.
Endearing in a tweed jacket, yes.
But trustworthy? I had too many experiences that taught me the failings of trusting anyone straight away.
A shadow of a frown passed across his face when he noticed my physical reaction, and I cringed internally. If he gave feedback to Leo that one of his girls was scared of being touched, then it would be over.
Who am I kidding? It would be over anyway. Tonight, I’d have to go back to Tyson.
Even Carl couldn’t protect me now.
Zaqiel might be able to, but I didn’t want to ask him.
Clive came around the table and pulled out my chair for me, handed me a napkin to drape across my lap as I sat, and indicated to the waiter to fill my wine glass.
We studied each other for a short while. I kept my back straight and my body as still as possible. His head was slightly cocked, and his hands twisted in his lap until the waiter left.
“First time,” he mumbled.
I was about to tell him he wasn’t my first client when I realized it wasn’t a question but a statement.
“I’m sorry?”
“It’s uh…” He looked around the restaurant, an expensive place bordering an area between the good and bad ends of the city. Perhaps so those with money could come here and feel dangerous. Perhaps so they could tell themselves they were helping, knowing the waitstaff and the valets were likely from my area. Or maybe it was the perfect place for men like Clive to meet with women like me. “It’s my first time meeting with someone. Someone like you.”
I smiled.
It was fake, but I smiled anyway.
“There’s no need to be nervous, Clive. We’re just out to dinner, to have a chat, get to know each other a bit, and enjoy each other’s company.”
