by Vi Carter
Bile makes a burning path towards my throat and I swallow. Her explanation didn’t make this any better, it was still sick and twisted and now I was a part of it.
CHAPTER FOUR
HIM
“We have a problem.” Words that were spoken here nearly daily leave Linda’s lips. I don’t respond as I walk away from Cara’s room. The accusation is there in Linda’s eyes.
“Or two problems actually.” Linda tilts her head and I stop walking. “Jessie can’t dance; she's in pretty rough shape and the boy who hurt her...”
“Mickey,” I say.
“Yeah Mickey, well he’s here.”
I continue to walk. “Good.” I had a job in mind for him. I needed a new spotter to find me more dancers, the last one had started out well, but drugs and drink had really screwed with his eyesight as the girls he was bringing back here weren’t dancers, not in the least.
“With his dad.” She adds.
I glance at Linda over my shoulder and she starts walking with me again. “I’ll deal with it,” I tell her.
She nods. “Yeah, I think Lady Linda dealing with it will give them an opening for an argument.” I fully agreed with Linda. “I left them in your study.”
We stop outside the door and Linda folds her arms across her chest. She’s still pissed about me being in Cara’s room. She doesn’t like the idea of Cara being here. I had never done this before and change didn’t sit well with her. I don’t owe her anything but we have always worked well together and I didn’t want to jeopardize that.
“We need a new girl, so take Cara.”
Linda’s hands fall limply to her sides and she tilts her head again, this time with narrowed eyes. She isn’t trusting me.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. I think she will be a great addition.”
“They’ll eat her up, Gerald.”
“You keep an eye on her. Introduce her to the girls and see how it goes.”
Linda refolds her arms. “I know what you’re doing and I don’t think it’s wise.”
“I’m not looking for your approval, Linda.”
Her tongue flicks out angrily touching her teeth. A reaction that tells me she’s getting pissed but she is wise enough to keep her mouth closed.
“Is that all?” she asks.
I hide the grin as she battles with her temper. “No. I want you to let her see a little deeper into the club.”
I don’t wait but enter the library where Mickey and his dad wait. Mickey is lounging behind my desk, a navy and white striped tracksuit on him, but nothing would take away from his beat up face. His dad has his back to me as he looks at the books on the shelves.
When I close the door behind me they both face me. Mickey grins like I’m in a world of trouble. His father removes his glasses that are perched on the top of his nose.
His split blond hair is highlighted under the lighting of the library. “Are you the man who hurt my son?” He steps towards me and I don’t move.
“Yes.” I let my word sink in as his father shrugs out of a camel suit jacket and hangs it on the back of the chair that visitors normally sit on. I want to tell him he won’t be staying for long, but instead, I allow him to believe that he controls this conversation.
“You’re a big man and he’s a small boy.”
Mickey stares angrily at his father, not liking being called little at all. “I don’t think the fight was fair.”
“I agree. It wasn’t. But the fight between him and Jessie, one of our dancers, wasn’t fair either. In fact, it was so unfair, that she’s fighting for her life as we speak.” Now I step into the room and sit on the chair where Mickey’s father had placed his jacket. “Your son could be looking at murder charges.”
“Dad that’s bullshit.”
It happens so fast, but I have respect for Mickey’s father as he strikes his son. “You said you hit her once. You said it was a slap.”
“A slap doesn’t leave people in comas. He really lashed out at the poor girl.” I cross my legs and rest my hands on my thighs; a very non-threatening gesture.
Mickey’s father pushes his hair back off his forehead as he steps away from his son. “Did you point a gun at my son?”
“Of course not,” I answer straight away.
“You’re a fucking liar.” Mickey’s hopping on the spot and his father strikes him again, this time drawing blood.
This was easier than expected.
“What happens now?” Anger and worry fill his eyes.
“That’s up to Lady Linda.” I pause and join the tips of my fingers together. “We have the footage of what happened, but we would prefer to not have negative publicity tied to this place.” I gesture around the grand library.
He’s nodding eagerly. “Just tell me how much.”
I grind my jaw and stand.
“I already offered…” Mickey’s cut off with another slap and I’m starting to see a picture forming. Maybe he was violent for a reason. My own violence was a seed that was planted and nourished with force.
“How much?” Mickey’s father offers again.
“Money won’t fix this. But we can come to an agreement.”
Mickey’s father laughs. “Money fixes everything.”
I flash a false smile. “Mickey can work for us.” Mickey sits back down into my chair no longer protesting, he touches his swollen face gently and when he notices me watching, he stops, his eyes are as hard as stone.
“Doing what?”
“Helping around the bar. Think of it as community service.”
He glances at his son while shaking his head. “A son of mine working in a bar.”
Mickey doesn’t hold his father’s stare.
His hand is warm as I take it in mine. “I’ll let Lady Linda know we have a deal.” He doesn’t release my hand straight away but moves closer to me until our toes are nearly touching.
“Don’t ever put your hand on my son again.”
I nod in agreement. I wouldn’t. If he crossed me again, he would be six feet under.
“Be here tomorrow at eight,” I tell Mickey as his father slides back into his jacket.
“Yeah.” He licks his lip that still leaks a small amount of blood.
His father pushes him out of the room. “I’m glad we could come to an agreement.”
“Me too.” They leave the study and I straighten my chair and fix anything they have touched.
***
It’s early so the club has only a few clients, all are relaxed and look to be enjoying themselves. I move to the back of the club where I won’t be noticed. I can see the back of Cara’s head as she watches Wendy dance. I can’t see her face but I know she’s really watching Wendy, who is a fantastic dancer, but once Cara settles in, she will be the new star. One of the clients approaches her and I step out of the shadows. I keep a watch as he sits down and they talk. I know I’m being watched and I step back into the shadows before meeting Linda’s eye, she walks away like she owns the club and I grin.
My attention returns to Cara, after a few minutes she’s standing and the outfit fits her like a glove. My body responds instantly. She’s divine and I start to regret my decision to allow her here. I didn’t want to share. She walks away from the man and glances around before she keeps walking. My heart picks up as Damien steps away from the curtains, something he would never do. Linda was following my orders to let Cara see more of the club. Cara pauses at the large wooden door before slipping behind it. I wasn’t sure who was back there or what fantasy they would be living out, but she was in for a show.
I’ve just stepped out of the shadows and am spotted by Wendy, who smiles at me and makes her way over.
“You did a great job,” I tell her.
She leans against the back of a booth across from me. “I know, I always do.” She pulls in a red painted lip between white teeth before pushing off from the booth and stepping close enough to me so we are toe-to-toe.
“We never went for that drink.” S
he looks up at me from under her lashes. The look she is reaching for is innocence, but she lost that a long time ago. As I wait for Cara, I decide to play the game with Wendy.
“You know staff members aren’t allowed to date.” I move a little closer and can see the pulse flicker in her neck.
“No one said anything about dating. It’s only a drink.”
“I’m not a one-night stand kind of guy,” I say.
Her laughter is loud and rings out across the club. “I won’t say I’m not trying to sleep with you because I am.” Her hands touch my chest gently and she leans in, the smell of her perfume is over-powering.
I glance at the oak door to see Linda slip through. “I can’t say your offer isn’t tempting because it very much is…” I trail off and she’s holding her breath waiting to hear my answer.
It doesn’t take long for Linda to return to the club with a very dazed and pale looking Cara.
A small hand touches my jaw redirecting my attention back to her. “What do you say?”
I lean in close and feel the soft tremble of her body. “I’ll think about it,” I whisper before sidestepping her. I don’t look back as I stick to the shadows and return to the house.
***
Walking down the hall I take out my ringing phone.
“You have a meeting at twelve.”
I check my watch and it was five to twelve. “For what?” I enter the library. I hadn’t seen that in my planner. Opening up the laptop I sit down.
“A security issue that needs to be addressed about the outside parties. Mary will be there to discuss the details with you.” It wasn’t something I normally did.
I can hear the voices of girls in the background. Linda was still at the club.
“I better go.” She hangs up and I leave to make my way into the visitor’s part of the house.
The elevator dings as the doors open and I step out into the large open hallway. I sometimes forget how beautiful this house is. The white marble floor under me is polished to a degree that I can see my own reflection. I walk past three large white pillars, large enough to hide behind. My eyes are drawn to three large gold framed paintings. Two are of the forest that surrounds the castle, the middle one, my grandfather. I had sworn once he was dead that I would burn the castle to the ground. Yet, here I was doing worse to it. I would tarnish it with all the dirty people and money around me.
“Mary.” I greet her with a soft kiss on both cheeks. “Lady Linda explained you had some security concerns.”
Mary was in her sixties, her face cost a small fortune, and honestly, it was money badly spent. Her clothes spoke of wealth along with the jewelry that dripped from her hands. No matter how much work she got done on her face, she couldn’t hide her age with her turkey-like neck.
“It wasn’t as much of an issue, but we had some awkward people with us, who we can’t leave out this time either.” Money and power came with its own set of rules. Everyone is fake and you had to mingle with people you didn’t like, but having sex with people you didn’t like had me fighting a grin.
“We would like to have extra security there, so, Lady Linda said she would speak with you.”
Did she now?
“Of course we can arrange extra security,” I say while touching her forearm gently and she smiles at me, the twinkle in her eyes has me removing my hand.
“I don’t want just any security. We’ve requested you. Some members know you, trust you. So you will be there.”
I keep a poker face and pretend that her demand doesn’t bother me, but with everything in life there was always an opportunity to fulfill my own needs.
“Can I bring a friend?”
Her eyes sparkle at my request. “Of course you can.”
“I’ll be there.”
I leave Mary to return to her group where they sit around a small table sipping tea and eating cucumber sandwiches like they were the cream of the crop. One thing I had learned about this world of money and privilege was we were the bottom of the barrel.
Tonight, I would join in their game. The night would be warm, and the thoughts of having Cara play this game had everything tightening in me. Would I take her tonight? I had to catch her first. All the women would run into the forest, everyone was masked and then we would follow. Whoever you caught, you got to have in the forest, whatever happened there, stays there. A lot of the women would be old and slow and eager to be caught, but Cara would be afraid. She would run for her life and I would give chase. I could almost taste her panic and it delighted me.
I return to the hall and pause once again at the painting of my grandfather. His high chin and thin lips screamed all about the asshole he was. How I wish he was alive. I could picture him walking back into his castle only to find a lot of the rooms upstairs hosting swinging parties, private parties, and some pretty twisted things.
Stepping into the elevator his face disappears and I see my own reflection. I had his wide jaw, but that was it. My blue eyes and black hair came from my mother. My mother, who they mistreated along with me, her bastard son. The car accident that took her life was no accident and everyone knew it, but I could never prove what I knew they did. She had shamed their family and she paid for it with her life. Once my mother was gone, no one wanted me, so I was transported to my grandfather and he took all his anger out on my flesh. Pain seeps out and I stop it, allowing my mind to wander to tonight when I would chase Cara through the forest. When I would catch her. When I would take her.
Let the games begin.
CHAPTER FIVE
HER
After Linda leaves me alone in the dressing room, Candy appears. Turning my back on her I hope she gets the message that I don’t want to talk. The chair beside me creaks as she sits in it and twirls while pulling her legs up.
“You okay?”
I spin my own chair so I’m fully facing her now. “No,” I answer honestly.
She rests her hand on my leg. “I’m going to make a few guesses, one is that this is like really new to you, secondly I don’t think you want to be here.”
I go to protest but Candy stops me. “I don’t want to know your business sweetheart. We all have our stories, but I just want you to know that I’m here if you ever need to talk.” She pats my leg before fully sitting back in the chair.
“I appreciate it, this place is just … full on,” I tell her.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet.” Candy winks and drops her feet to the floor. Pulling up her white gloves to her elbows she rises. I’m staring at this girl in pink wondering if she knows of the horrors that are going on just a few feet away, or if she has ever taken part in those horrid acts. She doesn’t look like the type of girl who would do any of that. She looked … happy.
“You like your job?” I ask, swinging the chair again so I’m facing the mirror.
“It pays well and I’ve made friends for life. So will you.” She smiles at me in the mirror before leaving.
I look so pale. The palettes of makeup in front of me are overwhelming. I wasn’t one for painting my face but a bit of blush might take the frightened look away from me.
The rest of the day moves quickly and without incident. My mind can’t stop replaying what I saw. I keep an eye on the door waiting to see the girl walk out but she doesn’t. I can only assume she left while I was out back. The club gets busier and Linda is around less. Today all I have to do is watch the girls dance. My stomach tightens and twists when I think about tomorrow. Will I be made to dance then? Candy has taken the center stage. She’s good but not as good as Wendy. The unfortunate part is, Wendy knows how good she is. Her laughter comes from my right. She’s talking to two men while sipping a drink that she holds low like she won’t be caught.
I didn’t want to judge, maybe being in a job like this long enough would push anyone to drink.
Candy’s dance finishes and when she sees me watching her, she smiles and slips down from the stage. “You want to try?”
Everything in me tighte
ns and she laughs.
“Girl it’s fine if you don’t. You look ready to run.”
Her laughter loosens some of the tightness. “Yeah, I’m not ready for that.”
“Cara.” Linda stands by the door waiting for me.
“See you,” I say.
Candy gives me an apologetic look “You take care.”
Her kindness was a spark in the night and I would hold onto it. We leave the club and make our way back to the house. Small back halls that were used by servants allow us to move unseen around the castle.
I hate the feeling that settles across my shoulders as Linda pushes open my bedroom door. I’m waiting for her to leave but she doesn’t.
“You need to get changed. Your master will be here later.”
My head snaps up to Linda. “In my room?” I question, thinking about the night he arrived and made me dance.
“Yes Cara.” Linda’s holding the door handle ready to close the door. “Like last time?”
“No, not like the last time.” She closes the door and I slump down onto the bed. Holding my head in my hands I try to subdue the headache that is threatening to start.
The white material that’s laid out on the bed is what I’m meant to get changed into. If I wasn’t ready when he got here, what would happen? The thought has me rising and picking up the dress. My stomach twists as I hold the light and partially see-through material. It was like something for bed-time. My chest burns as I pick up the scrap of material that’s supposed to be underwear.
The bizarre thing about the outfit, is the shoes. White sneakers are at the foot of the bed. I strip and start to get dressed trying not to think about what I could possibly be doing. The white lacy bra doesn’t hide much. The stitched material still showcased most of my breasts. My face burns when I have the outfit on.
The final piece was a white mask that covered the top half of my face. Staring at myself in the full-length mirror I can’t look away, I was like something out of a fairy tale. A bit of a twisted one but the flow of the see-through dress and the mask was magical, or like a fantasy. I inhale deeply and pull the mask off. Oh, God, was I fulfilling someone’s fantasy? His fantasy? A weakness enters my legs and I move back to the bed. My frantic mind gets cut off as the door opens and there he stands in all black.
