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“My name is Jack Murphy, and I’ve wanted to meet you for a while,” he says calmly and my stomach clenches in fear. I fucking knew it! Jack Murphy, Jack Murphy... I can't help but think I've heard that name somewhere before. “As for what I want... you, Heather. I want you.”
I shivered as I hear his name. I’d heard rumors and they weren’t all that innocent. I have never been one to listen to gossip, but if they were true, then this guy was a known mobster and that was definitely something I didn’t want to know for myself.I can’t let him see my worries thought.“Well, unfortunately for you, I’m off the market.” I snap, crossing my arms defensively over my chest.
Jack saunters toward me with a cocky grin on his face. Backing up, I can only get so far before my legs collide with the sofa table behind me. He reaches out a hand, and I hold my breath as he quickly grabs my shoulder and pushes me onto the couch. Even though his touch is feather soft, I can feel the heat of his palm through my shirt as I look up at him in a daze.
“Have a seat. We need to chat,” Jack's declaration swirls around me as I shuffle to the far end of the sofa, the furthest I can get from him. He perches on the coffee table, clasping his hands on his knees and resting his chin on his fingers. His eyes bore into mine, searching, and he frowns.
“You moved here with your father after your mother died, yes? “Did you know about his exorbitant gambling addiction?” he inquired.
Gambling addiction? Pulling my knees up to my chin, I shake my head even as memories beat against the backs of my eyes.That makes sense...
“My dad?” I ask. Jack nods, tilting his brows at me expectantly. My mouth dries as I try to think. “Uh, uh... he was a lawyer, and just— judging by what he left me in his will, not a very good one. Even this house... it was my grandmother’s— his mother’s. This gambling addiction of his…How exorbitant are we talking about?”
“Do you know how much he owes me? A quarter million dollars.” Jack replies.
"Oh, God!" I squawk in shock, quickly covering my mouth and nose. My eyes flutter in surprise, slightly watering, but Jack simply stares at me evenly. Panic floods my system, causing my mind to race at a breakneck pace. "Are— are these legal loans? Or is it more of an IOU situation? I don’t have that kind of money, and if you’re some kind of shady, illicit loan shark—”
My words dry on my tongue when Jack throws back his head and laughs. Genuine merriment spills from his mouth, his smile wide and the sides of his eyes crinkling as they lock on me. I blink quickly, tightening my grip on my knees.
“Oh, you can’t be serious, Heather,” Jack chuckles, waving his hand in dismissal. “Of course, that doesn’t matter. I’m shocked by what your mind went to. I am decidedly a shady, illicit loan shark. With your father dead, the unfortunate situation has fallen on your shoulders.”
“What if I tell you to fuck off?” I ask cautiously, and Jack’s grin widens. He'd have a beautiful smile if he wasn't so creepy. I nervously lick my lips, and his gaze darts down briefly. “W— what if I just run away and go into hiding? Or kill me?”
“At least hear me out before you get all desperate, Heather,” Jack chides in a soft, almost soothing tone. I gulp harshly as his voice prickles up my arms and shins. He takes a deep breath and raises two fingers. “You have two options here. I can use you until I feel you’ve repaid his debt.”
Jack pauses when my phone starts vibrating loudly against the hardwood. He waits, allowing his first option to sink into my bones. I can't believe what he's saying. He'd pimp me out? I had no idea how I was going to make a quarter million dollars like that! He nods and draws my attention when my phone stops.
“Or, you can, more or less, willingly work for me.” Jack concludes. The silence pierces my ears, and each option he presents me with races through my brain. He's threatening to force me into prostitution if I don't accept being at his beck and call? Those are both dreadful options!
But, then again, they're supposed to be bad. The one Jack prefers is simply less bad.
“What if I sold you my house? That would cover it and more,” I offer, but he immediately shakes his head. Disappointment and resentment mingle in my veins, and my lip twitches in aggravation. “Then you don’t actually want any money from me.”
“As I said, I want you to work for me,” Jack responds, and I tense up as he reaches for my chin. Despite his work-hardened fingers, his touch is startlingly gentle. My heart is racing as I hold my breath and he leans in close to my face. I can see the gold specks in his eyes as well as each individual eyelash. “I want your innocent face... your calm demeanor... your normal… normalcy. Everything I know about you from being in this house is completely at odds with what I know on paper. I have plenty of jobs that can use a face like yours, Heather. Make no mistake... it’s not going to be easy, but really, anything worthwhile is difficult.”
“J— jobs?” I whisper, my voice cracking.
“Jobs... jobs only a face like yours could do and get away cleanly from. Enemies of mine that can sniff out the stink of a hard woman but wouldn’t look twice at your pretty, round face.” Each word that escapes his lips exudes confidence and something that snares me; his sentences wrap around me like an invisible wire.
“Y— you want me to kill people?” I stammer, my throat burning as a fierce prickling envelopes my eyes.What the fuck! What the fuck?“I— I can’t do that. I’ve never been in a fight, let alone—”
“Don’t lie to me, or I’ll rip out your teeth one by one, and then what would become of your only use?” Jack growls lowly, and the hairs on the back of my neck bristle wildly. His eyes shine with a warning glare. “You went to the roughest school in New York City and grew up living in the worst section of low-income housing. Don’t tell me you don’t have it in you because you wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t defend yourself.”
“My mom… she taught me,” I admit; a growing sense of defeat engulfing my entire being.
“What did she teach you?” He presses mercilessly, and the need for air causes my chest to burn. “I’ll assume you know the whole ‘key between the fingers’ technique,” Jack continues, leaning away from me. His grip on my face eases, and I take a shuddering, weak breath.
“I— I can use a gun.” I breathe.
Gently, he caresses where his fingertips had dug into my skin. “Heather, that's a good starting point. I was expecting less. You surprise me. We're off to an excellent start. Get up. Go ahead and get your phone.”
I just stare at Jack for a long, heavy moment, and he nods encouragingly. I set my feet on the floor sluggishly, my gaze fixed on him. He doesn't move, so I scoot across the sofa to get to my feet and immediately think of a way to try to run away. But Jack seems to quickly understand my idea. He is faster than me, and quickly grabs my wrists the moment I straighten up. I stiffen and hold my breath as he releases my free arm and securely wraps his hand around my waist.
“Do you know, Heather,” he breathes hotly in my ear, and my eyelids flutter shut tightly. My skin crawls, his breath rolling down my neck and under my shirt. “The only reason I’m giving you an option is because I think you’re cute. I also think you’re worth more if you submit to me than my forcing you.”
“But I have my limits,” Jack takes my hand in his and pauses his hoarse whispers to lift my phone, and unlocks it by forcing my thumb down on the biometric lock. He navigates my contacts and adds a number without saying anything. It seems like an eternity, and I feel dizzy when he takes the phone off my palm and tosses it on the sofa. I shiver as Jack tangles his fingers in my hair at the base of my neck and kisses my cheek with feathery softness, flattening his palm against my abdomen. His touch gave me goosebumps. “Don’t make me kill you,m'eudail. And about before, being off the market, as you said, just remember that blonds have more fun.”
When I return a sharp look, Jack smirks broadly, his eyes twinkling with mirth. When he lets go, he palms my hip heavily, and the tingling under my shirt intensifies. His smirk broadens as he secretly raises his finger to his lips. Walking past me, he raises a hand in a leisurely wave, rendering me speechless.
