Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25357 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 127(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 85(@300wpm)
The two blondes nod silently. I swallow again. “Well, Flora came over to watch us have sex, and there was something a little creepy about it,” I say in a hushed voice. “I'm not sure what it was, but I just had this weird feeling that something was off. What?” I ask, tilting my head as I stare at the two suddenly wide-eyed women. “What’s wrong? What did I say?”
“Well,” Star murmurs, sharing one more look with Lacy before turning to look at me again. “Okay, don’t freak out, but actually, Flora is …Well, she’s—“
“Spit it out!” I demand.
“She’s actually Barron’s sister,” Lacy finishes.
My jaw falls to the floor as I stare at the two girls, trying to figure out whether they’re joking or not. But I can tell that they’re not because they both look sympathetic and maybe just as uncomfortable as I feel.
“What the hell?” I whisper-yell. “You’ve got to be kidding me! There’s no way Barron invited his own sister over to watch us have sex! Goodness, there’s no way his sister would even agree to come over and watch us have sex! That’s so gross!”
“I know,” Lacy murmurs.
“But we’re not lying,” Star sighs, sending me a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
“There’s no way,” I repeat quietly, shaking my head. My temples are pounding and I feel the beginning of a migraine at the base of my skull. I try to make sense of it all, but I just can’t. Who would do something like this? Why would Barron agree to let his own sister watch us have sex, and how could she get off at the visual? On top of it being fucked up for obvious reasons, it’s also all kinds of messed up because Barron, who I thought cared about me oh-so-much, didn’t even have the common decency to clue me in on the situation so that I could know and decide for myself whether I wanted to take part in it or not.
Which, obviously, I wouldn’t have wanted to which is obviously why he didn’t tell me, but still. I should’ve had the choice. Now I just feel so gross and disgusted, and it wasn’t my fault because I didn’t know!
“How could he do this to me?” I ask in a plaintive wail. “How can he be so twisted, period?”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Lacy tells me as she reaches across the table to grab my hand. “Men are dogs, honestly! I mean, we love Barron because he’s generally decent, but yeah. This was messed up.”
My bottom lip trembles as tears fill my eyes.
“But now that I know, what do I do?”
The two blondes exchange a look before looking back at me.
“You have to leave him,” Star says in a quiet voice. “It’ll hurt, but you can’t stay with him while processing something like this.”
“You know how Barron is,” Lacy adds. “He’s charismatic, persuasive, and could charm the pants off a snake. He’ll soon have you questioning yourself and wondering if you’re the one in the wrong. You need to leave.”
“But I don’t have a job,” I whisper. “I quit my job at the Hotel Nova to move in with Barron.”
The two girls are sympathetic.
“It’s fine. You can always find another job. Or hell, you can even apply to work at City Girls with us.”
“As an escort?” I gasp.
Star shrugs.
“It’s not that bad. I’m not saying you should, only that it’s a possibility. But the most important thing is to leave Barron immediately. You have to get out of there.”
My heart feels as if it’s been ripped into a million tiny pieces as I nod silently, tears dripping off my chin. Maybe Star and Lacy are working girls, but they’re smart, and I know they’re right on this. Barron’s done something beyond the pale … and I can’t stay with him as I muddle my way out of this mess.
8
DANIELLE
A week later.
“I really don’t think that there’s anything that I can do for you, Seymour,” I rehearse to myself in a quiet voice. “I’m so sorry.” I shoot a glance at his office door, hoping to get myself away from this odious man. Instead, here I am, right back where I started: at the Hotel Nova, under the thumb of my old manager.
Of course, Seymour cackled with glee when I came begging for my job back.
“I told you!” he practically shrieked with delight. “Those rich guys will use and abuse a woman, and this time it was you, Danielle. Didn’t I warn you? Didn’t I? See, you should have listened. Daddy was right.”
I wanted to scream at Seymour that day, but I kept my mouth shut because I needed a paycheck. After leaving Barron, I wasn’t sure what to do. But the Hotel Nova was my first stop, and fortunately, there was an opening in housekeeping. I was hired immediately.