He releases me and I wrap my hands around my neck and gasp for air, just as the waitress reappears. She must see the distress in my eyes because her eyes narrow and she looks uncomfortable. Michael tosses a $50-dollar bill across the table and snarls, “Beat it.”
She scurries off without a backward glance leaving me at his mercy once more.
Then, he picks up the bottle and pours me a glass, pushing it toward me.
“You may as well drink up my dear. It will give you Dutch courage. Tonight is all about educating you on the job on offer. I’ll show you what to expect and tomorrow you will turn up here after the dance studio closes and start your future. I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”
He raises his glass. “Here’s to you, Sydney. To a new partnership that will be good for us both. You will look back on today as the day your life started, and it all began to make sense.”
I sip the cold, sparkling, liquid with his words ringing in my ears. He’s right about one thing, today is the day my life begins again. The trouble is, I’m no longer sure who the girl is inside. Which path do I take and who with? Whatever decision I make will have repercussions on so many people. I’m not sure I’m ready for that yet.
Later that night I lie in bed and take sanctuary under my pillow. The images of the club are on repeat in my mind as I think over what I saw. Michael made me watch every depraved minute of the customers having fun. He pointed out what the girls do to earn extra money and little tips to get the customer to part with even more of their hard-earned dollars.
All the time he kept his hand on me in some form or another. A little touch here and there. A whisper of a promise of what’s coming. An inappropriate hand in a forbidden place and a word of warning if I moved away. Tonight, he wanted me to show me he owned me. He made it clear I had no other choice and would end up doing what he wanted.
He took me on a tour of the club and then we arrived at a room out the back. I shiver as I remember that room. He pulled me over to a window at the far end and I felt the scream inside me as I saw a couple intimately occupied on a big round bed on the other side of the glass. I felt sick as I watched the couple having sex in a hard and brutal way. I remember Michael laughing and whispering, “They don’t know we watch them. We like a little insurance policy if they ever step out of line.”
I tried to look away, but he held my head firmly in place and made me watch every sordid minute. He whispered, “One day you will be in that room, Sydney and I’ll be watching. Does that turn you on like it does me?”
I shake my head and he just laughed and pushed me hard against the wall. “Maybe you want it now, do you? Does seeing them turn you on because it does me? What do you say, shall I show you what’s coming now, or shall I let you wait for it?”
He laughed and pulled away, growling, “You can wait. The thought of what’s heading your way will keep me in your thoughts and your dreams. You won’t escape any of what I have planned for you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Then he pulled me from the room and marched me through the club, back out the way we came. He snapped at his driver. “Take her home. If she doesn’t show up for work here tomorrow night, you have my permission to make her by any means possible. If she resists, well, I’ll leave it up to you to convince her.”
He bundled me in the car with a parting shot.
“Sweet dreams, darlin’. I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
The pillow turns wet under my tears. The panic is setting in and I have no one to turn to. The weight of responsibility sits heavily on my shoulders as everything races through my mind at once.
I lie like that until morning.
8
Sydney
I hear the door opening softly and try to raise my head from the pillow. The bed bends under the weight of another person and I feel someone stroking my hair reassuringly. Lucy whispers, “Are you ok, honey? I’m sorry I wasn’t in until now. We had a meeting out of town and only came back this morning.”
I blink as I pull myself up into a sitting position and say softly, “What time is it?”
She looks worried. “10 am. But don’t worry about the time, what happened to you? You look awful.”
I feel the tears threatening and see the concern in her eyes. I sniff and shake my head wearily. “I don’t know what to do, Lucy. Yesterday changed my life and not in a good way.”
She grabs my hand gently and says with determination, “Come on. I’ll make you coffee and some breakfast and you can tell me everything.”
As I follow her out, I’m not sure she will be ready to hear what I’m about to say.
“What the fuck, you’re kidding me.”
I shake my head as the tears spill. Lucy is looking at me with total shock and says angrily, “Bastards. Both of them. How dare they? You’re not going to do either of the things they want ... are you?”
She looks concerned and I shrug despondently. “What choice do I have? I’m caught between a rock and a hard place as they say. What do you think I should do?”
She looks at me thoughtfully. “Option 1 is the only one as far as I’m concerned. Surely it’s better to be married to a really hot guy than groped by many creepy ones.”
“But what about my life here? The studio, the children? Everything I’ve ever worked for is here. You’re here, Lucy. I can’t leave you, you’re all I’ve got.”
I slump down with my head in my hands and she places a comforting arm around my shoulder and says softly.
“Listen, I’m due a couple of weeks leave from work. How about I take it and fill in for you at the studio? You go with hot pants and see where he takes you. If by the sounds of it he’s about to get you what your crazy billionaire father failed to give you. Then you could return here and buy your own fucking dance studio outright. Think about it, it’s the best option.”
I shake my head. “But can I trust him? I’ve met him briefly and now he wants to marry me and take me across half of America to claim something I never knew was mine. What if it doesn’t work? What if it’s all a trick, and he wants me for something else? This man is controlled and closed, Lucy. He gives nothing away and what if he’s some psycho?”
She raises her eyes. “Tough choice. Hot psycho or bastard psycho. Um ... I know which one I’d take my chance on.”
She leans across the table and grasps my hand, squeezing it reassuringly.
“Listen, surely it’s worth two weeks to see if there’s a way out of a lifetime of misery working for the mob. You would always wonder if you don’t go with him. My gut feeling is to take a chance on this guy. Invite him here and I’ll give him the once over. I’ll make sure he knows you’re protected and if anything happens to you, he’ll have me to deal with.”
I smile softly, “He’ll be so scared.”
She rolls her eyes and looks at me with a fierce expression. “I’ve got your back, honey. I’m your mama bear and won’t rest until you’re safe.”
Sighing, I reach into my purse and pull out the card he left me.
‘Tyler Donahue'
Two words and a cell. Nothing else and nothing to indicate who this man really is. Lucy looks at the card with interest and then smiles reassuringly. “Call him. Let’s do this, babe. We’ll do it together.”
Nervously, I take the phone from her outstretched hand and dial the number.
Tyler
All this waiting is a major head fuck. I need Sydney so badly for my plan to work that I can’t think straight. When I left her, I returned to my hotel and hit the gym. I needed to channel some of my pent-up energy and try to put aside my desperation.
I’m not sure what I’ll do if she doesn’t take the bait. The plan begins with her and ends with her and the bit in the middle is up for debate. I’m not gonna lie, it’s that part that’s interesting me way more than it should. The thought of spending a long amount of time with the intriguing blonde is a pleasant addition to the mission. Sydney Lawrence, becoming Sydney Donahue. Why do
I like the sound of that so much?
Hanging around hotels is an occupational hazard for me but this time I’m the one buying. This time I’m the one searching for a woman and this time failure is not an option.
When I think of my sister hiding away relying on my success, it spurs me on. I sold her to some powerful men in Washington for enough money to fund her escape from an arranged marriage and a lifetime chained to a vile man. The trouble is, things didn’t go well and her experience was memorable for all the wrong reasons. They never knew she was my sister because Ashton goes by our family name, ‘Mortimer’. I distanced myself from that name when I set up my business. This is my insurance policy. Oil Baron by day, a dealer in high class company at night.
As I work out, I think about my business. I run an exclusive agency. Women come to me through recommendation and I don’t advertise. They seek me out because of the company I keep. I mix with senators, actors and powerful business men. Billionaires and royalty all have my number and I serve them well. Women flock to me in their droves begging for a chance to hit the big time. They have their fun and some find employment that pays more than the average person earns in a lifetime. I am discreet and selective which earns me their trust. The men pay a high price for discretion and women who will satisfy them in every way. The money I earn funds my new life and I am almost there. Sydney is the last piece in a very intricate puzzle. Without her it can’t complete and everything else will have been futile.
Finishing up, I head to my room for a shower. With any luck the wait will almost be over. Then I can put into motion the plan that will set us free. I can’t wait to look into those men’s eyes when they realize what I’ve done.
It’s not until late the next morning the call comes. Once again, I return from the gym and as I leave the shower my cell rings. My heart thumps as I see the unfamiliar number and I grasp it like a lifebelt to a drowning man.
“Tyler Donahue.”
There’s a short silence and then a shaky voice says, “Um... it’s Sydney Lawrence, we met yesterday. You told me to call if I wanted to hear the rest.”
I smile inside. Gotcha.
We arrange to meet at her apartment and she texts me the address. I quickly get ready and head off. It’s time to move this on and then get the hell out of this place.
Sydney’s apartment is in a fairly pleasant part of town which surprises me, although why it should I don’t know. She’s a nice girl, I could tell that immediately. Why wouldn’t she aspire to live in a decent place?
I park my hire car and head toward the main door. I call up the number and hear a soft voice say, “Can I help you?”
I smile to myself. So polite and softly spoken with a beautiful lilt to her voice. I say my name and she buzzes me in.
Feeling strangely nervous, I head up to apartment 250. I don’t intend to leave without her.
The woman that opens the door looks at me with an intense look and narrows her eyes. “Tyler Donahue, I presume. I’m Lucy Armstrong, Sydney’s friend.”
She sticks out her hand and grasps my hand in a firm handshake.
“Come in and tell us why you’re really here. I warn you though, I’m a good reader of people and if I suspect anything dodgy, I’m calling the cops. I can take you on if I have to so you’ve been warned.”
I smile and laugh to myself. I like this girl. She has spirit and I know nothing will get past her keen eye.
I follow her into a small apartment that is tastefully furnished and kept clean and tidy. They obviously take care of this place as much as they do themselves and a little part of me softens as I see the love they have lavished on this small home. Photographs nestle among vases of flowers on polished wooden surfaces. The air smells clean and perfumed and the furnishings clean and presentable.
Then I see her and my heart starts thumping. She is watching me approach with worried eyes. She stands in front of the window and the sunlight catches her hair and renders her an angel. She is wearing a simple yellow dress which shows off a golden tan and her feet are bare. Her face is devoid of makeup because her natural beauty needs no embellishment. The only flaw in the angel before me is the worry in her eyes. I want to know what it’s like to see those eyes sparkle and look at me with excitement. I want to see that cute mouth laugh instead of her chewing her bottom lip with worry. Then I want to take those lips in my mouth and feed off them forever.
This woman is everything. She is everything I crave, beauty, innocence and a softness that brings out the protector in me. She’s not hard or grasping like most of the women I meet. She is perfection in every way.
She smiles nervously and points to the couch. “Thanks for coming. Please take a seat. Can we get you anything to drink?”
I shake my head and look at her like a starving man must feel when he faces his first meal. I want her so badly it hurts. Not that she will know. I’m a master at the hard expression and any clues to how I feel are hidden away.
I shake my head. “I’m fine. I expect you have many questions.”
She nods and sits on the chair opposite and leans forward. Her friend sits in another chair and looks at me with a hard expression. “We want to know what your game is? Why have you come here and told Sydney all those lies? What’s in it for you? Is it one of Michael’s tricks? I wouldn’t put it past him.”
I raise my eyes. “Michael who?”
Lucy narrows her eyes and cocks her head to the side. “Are you telling me you weren’t sent by Michael Santobello?”
I stifle a grin. I love this girl. She’s a force to be reckoned with. I shake my head. “No, I’m from out of town. I know nobody here.”
The girls share a look and Lucy says harshly. “Well, you certainly must be out of town if you haven’t heard of him. He owns this town. Every business, most of the real estate and every person in it. If he doesn’t own you now, he’ll work out a way he can. Well, now he’s got his sights set on Sydney here and she doesn’t have a say in the matter.”
I feel myself tense at her words and the blood rushes to my head. The thought of some low life mobster trapping this sweet girl in his web of depravity sends me wild with anger. I clench my fist and say in a tight voice, “What does he want?”
Sydney sighs and looks so damned sad I feel my heart twisting painfully inside me.
“He thinks I could earn him more money if I danced at one of his clubs. He’s threatening to increase the rent on my dance studio to an amount I can never afford. If I dance for him, the rent stays the same.”
I bristle with anger and shift on my seat, desperately trying to get my feelings under control. I look at her and say softly, “You do have a choice.”
She shakes her head. “So, you say. But I don’t know you or anything about what you have planned. Everything I know is here, and I have built up a business I can’t turn my back on. I suppose I needed to hear you out before I take up his offer. I have until tonight when I am expected to report for work.”
She looks at me through heavy eyes and the world stops still. Everything else fades into the background as I hold the eyes of the woman who is fast becoming everything to me. The vulnerability in that look couples with the animal attraction that calls to me as my body responds to hers. This girl is mine, and she doesn’t even know it yet. It’s just a good job that I do.
I smile softly and lean forward, holding her eyes with mine. “I came here for you, Sydney. I told you that. What I didn’t tell you was why.”
I think she holds her breath as she stares at me intently. “Then tell me everything.”
9
Sydney
I think I hold my breath as I focus on the man sitting opposite. Lucy falls silent as we stare at him with expectation. Seeing him here in our apartment has reinforced the fact he is somebody I need to know. Somebody who feels familiar to me and someone who holds my life in his hand. Now he is about to tell me what the connection is we share.
I stare into his captivating eyes and drown in their depths. Tyler Donah
ue is an enigma. A closed soul who exudes authority and power. He is also the single most attractive man I have ever met in my life and I need to distance myself from that thought. If I allowed my mind to wander, I would imagine all sorts with this man. He is spellbinding and once again I wonder what it would be like to own his heart.
He starts to speak in a low, deep, voice and I lean forward in anticipation.
“Like I said before, your parents are dead. One died with nothing, one leaving a billion-dollar fortune. However, not all of your family is dead.”
I look at Lucy and see the curiosity in her eyes. She smiles reassuringly as I say faintly, “What do you mean?”
I see a flash of anger pass across his face and think I hold my breath. It’s in his eyes. The person he is about to describe is an enemy to him.
He spits, “Marshall Emmerson Junior is Marshall Emmerson Senior’s only son and heir to his vast fortune. He is also the man who drove my mother to an early grave with the help of my father.”
I gasp and my heart reaches out to him. I can see the pain in his eyes from here and want to comfort him but stay firmly rooted to the spot.
“My father worked for Marshall Emmerson’s father and was extremely good at his job. It wasn’t long before he drew the attention of the big man himself. Unlike his own son, my father had a knack for the business and was soon promoted over Marshall. This didn’t go down well and there was lots of trouble. Then one day Marshall turned up with his new girlfriend. She was a real beauty and turned many heads, my fathers included. Marshall was a bit of a playboy and liked to play the field. Because of this, his father wanted him to settle down and provide the next generation. They were married in the biggest wedding Texas had ever seen. However, it didn’t take long for Marshall to revert back to his old ways and his wife left him. The trouble was, she left him for the man he hated the most—my father. Despite still being married to Marshall she soon became pregnant with me. The scandal hit the headlines and my father was sacked on the spot for bringing the company into disrepute. My mom stayed with him though and soon became pregnant with my sister, Ashton. My father had no contacts who would touch him for fear of the powerful Emmerson family and had to take what work he could. They were hard times, and it was only when Emmerson Senior died that things changed. By now my father had begun to drink and grew depressed. It was hard on us as a family, to have so much and then nothing. Then one day Marshall Emmerson came to visit. I must have been 4 years old by then and Ashton 2. Marshall made a deal with our father. He would reinstate him at the oil company and set him up with his own division. To everyone else it would be our father’s company and he would reap the rewards as such. Marshall wasn’t the businessman our father was and recognized that if he carried on the way he was going, he would be left with nothing. My father was desperate and had only one thing Marshall wanted in return—my sister.”
The Billion Dollar Baby_A Billionaire Romance Page 4
