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“How did a prick like Jed get a girl that looks like you?”
The greasy scent of fries from the bar clung to the air, making me want to throw up. My legs weakened.
His lips pulled into a tight smile. The hairs at the back of my neck lifted at his sinister expression. “Now, this isn’t normally the place for this, but if you’re willing.” He glanced down at his lap and quirked his eyebrow suggestively. “You can get this debt paid off quicker.”
I sucked in a steadying breath and resisted the urge to fly out of the room.
“No.”
“You don’t mind if it’s Gabe Rivers.” He pouted and gave me a wounded little boy look. “Isn’t this easier? You may as well if you’re here anyway.”
“I’m dancing, that’s all. This isn’t prostitution.”
I backed away. He lurched. His fingers wrapped around my wrist and my gut filled with panic. He pulled me into him. A scream left my mouth. No one else was around. Nobody would hear us above the pound of the music.
The vodka on his breath filled my nose. He yanked me, trying to pull me down onto his lap. I struggled, managing to free myself and dash to the curtain. He grabbed my wrist and jerked me back again. My heart pounded. White noise pushed every thought from my head. I balled my hand into a fist and aimed for his face.
Chapter 15
Gabe
Idrainedmybeerand called Karl to meet me out the back. I needed to find Violet and give her a tip. I’d come here for some company to relieve my frustrations, not make them ten times worse. What the hell had I done? I’d tried to be a gentleman, tried not to encourage it, but the chemistry was undeniable. She’d destroyed any attempts I had at self-restraint the moment she’d dragged my hand down so desperately between her thighs. Guilt made my stomach sour. Men who paid for sex sickened me. Normally, I wouldn’t be so weak but I hadn’t been able to resist once I’d realized how much she wanted me to touch her. One story in the press and my dreams of the men’s team were over. Still. It had been worth it. The little whimpers she made had almost been enough to push me over the edge with her. It had been so long, and this woman had a body to die for.
I wasn’t the kind of seedy shit that would take advantage of a woman in a difficult situation. I’d come here trying to get another woman out of my system. When the girl in the mask had been riding me, my mind wouldn’t stop drifting to Miri Forster. Miri Forster with her muddy knees and her bruised face. Miri Forster with her hair that smelled of earth and wet turf. What noises would Miri Forster make grinding over me like that?
An odd sound like a scream broke through the low pulse of music. I stepped outside the private room. Violet stood in the narrow hallway. Shock was etched into her features, and she cradled one hand in the other.
“Are you okay?”
She pointed a trembling finger at the red curtain in front of her. A man lunged out from behind the curtain. She leaped out of his way. I intercepted, shielding her behind me. The man planted himself in front of me, poking gingerly at his bloody nose. His eyes passed over me and he forced a tight smile onto his lips.
“Excuse me, Mr. Rivers. I’ve got some business with this woman.”
He looked around my shoulder, and he beckoned the girl who stood behind me with a curled finger. “That’s enough. Come with me. Let’s go.”
Violet’s labored breathing was audible at my back. “I don’t want to.”
“If you know what’s good for you, then you’ll come with me.”
I pulled out my phone. “I’m calling the police.”
Violet’s hand curled around my arm. “Wait. No. No police. This is my fault. I owe him money.” Her fingers trembled as she smoothed her purple bob.
The guy’s menacing gaze tracked over her and a sneer twisted his face. Anger made my jaw tense. No way. No way did this man get to intimidate a woman like this.
“How much money does she owe?”
The man gave me an appraising glance. “Twenty grand.”
“Nine. I owe you nine,” she cried.
“It’s twenty. Your sugar daddy looks like he can afford it.”
“If I pay you now, will you leave this woman alone?”
Violet stood next to me. “You don’t have to do that.”
I patted down my jacket. Not that I’d have that cash on me. I unfastened my watch and put it in the man’s hand. “Here. Take this.”
