Five

 

 

Giovanni

“It’s a pleasure doing business with you.” I stand up and shake the hand of a high-power defense attorney. He’s married with two kids and he’s just paid a small fortune to be an exclusive member of La Stella’s Gentleman’s Club. Just another example of a man not being faithful. But who the hell am I to judge when it means more money in my pocket.

“Thank you, Mr. Valentino.” I walk him out of my office and down the hall to the common room to meet Cecilia so she can help him pick out the woman he would like to spend time with. “I am looking for a companion. It’s not about sex,” he said. If I had a dollar for every man that walked through my doors trying to convince me and themselves that it’s not about sex, I would be even richer than I already am.

“Cecilia, this is Mr. Steele. Please show him around. He’s looking for a companion.”

“Will do, Sir.” She beams at Mr. Steele, giving him a flirtatious wink.

I walk over to the bar and have a seat on one of the cushioned stools in need of a drink. “Emilio, whiskey neat.”

“Sure thing.” He makes my drink and sets it down on the bar top.

As I sip the whiskey, enjoying the warmth it brings, my mind can’t get off the beautiful woman at the senator’s house. When she begged me to save her, it took everything in me not to pick her up and take her out of that house. And the fact that I even considered it, scares the ever-loving shit out of me. What got me was the desperation in her eyes. I’ve been raised around whores my entire life. For god sakes, I lost my virginity to a whore at this bordello, courtesy of my father when I had barely hit puberty, who told me it was time to become a man.

But the difference is, every one of those women choose to spread their legs. The women I employ make the choice to have sex with men for money. No woman here is ever forced to do anything she doesn’t want to do. While a member has the right to request a particular woman, she in return has the right to deny him.

And watching that girl—who I recognized from the picture in the senator’s office—looking so helpless in the living room gutted me. When she informed me, he was holding her captive, I saw red. But taking her then would have made me look weak. I am a business man and my only business with Weston is the money he owes me.

I tried to ignore her. I tried to deal with the issue at hand but when she stood up and looked at me with such pleading eyes, there was no ignoring the beautiful woman. Shiny golden brown hair came down in waves along the outline of her face. When she looked up at me as I wiped the fallen tear from her cheek, her eyes nearly knocked me on my ass. Deep sea-green, clear and luminous, with a darker blue rim around the outer part of the iris—in contrast to her brown hair and bronzed skin—had me in a trance.

But what got me the most was how dim her eyes were as she pleaded with me. The light in her eyes had been switched off. As she stood in front of me—naked and vulnerable—trying to cover her clearly malnourished self, I knew right then and there I would give this woman anything she asked for. And so, I had no choice but to turn my back on her. If I took her, I would have to keep her. She would be Weston’s payment and I wouldn’t be able to let her go. She would be forced from one prison to another so to speak. But at least here, she would be fed properly and taken care of.

My chest tightens as I think how beautiful she would be if her eyes were lit up once again. How badly I want to be the reason her eyes light up, again. How defeated she looked when she realized I wasn’t going to be her savior. How badly I want to be her savior. Fuck! But I wouldn’t be her savior. I would be her capturer. Sure, I would be taking her out of that shitty situation but only to bring her into another one. But on the other hand, she’s better off being held captive here than with that piece of crap senator.

Without thinking another thought, I put my drink down and text Johnny to bring the car around. It’s time to pay the good senator one last visit. It’s been thirty days. I’ll be getting paid today one way or another.

We get to the senator’s house and his car isn’t in the driveway so I knock and wait. When nobody answers, I give Johnny a nod. “Let’s take a look around.” Johnny chuckles and goes about breaking into the house. Once the door is open, I start searching through the house. I check the living room, reading room, kitchen. Nobody appears to be home. Then I hear water running.

“Do you hear that? Where’s that water coming from?”

Johnny looks around. “I think from here.” He points to a door off the kitchen.

“I’m going down to check it out. Wait here. Text Rome and Caesar and tell them to meet us here.”

“You got it, Boss.”

Opening the door, I notice a dark staircase. Looking back into the kitchen, I see a light switch next to the door. I flip it on and the stairs illuminate. I pull my gun out just in case and walk cautiously down the steps. When I get to the bottom, the water is being turned off and out stumbles the woman from before. Only this time, her face is completely bruised. She’s sporting a fat lip and two black eyes. She is naked once again and there are black and blue marks marring her body. She is hunched over and limping slowly to her bed. She looks up and sees me, her eyes going wide for a split second.

“Great. You here to cause more trouble?” she hisses, wrapping herself up in the nasty looking blanket on her bed. She isn’t even phased by the fact that I’m holding a gun in my hand. I place the gun back into my waistband and advance toward her.

“Trouble?” I question.

“Yeah, trouble. When you came here the other day and I opened my mouth. As you can see, Weston wasn’t too thrilled with me begging for you to save me.” My heart squeezes and my breath catches. I’m the reason for her looking like she was run over by a train several times. I didn’t even think about the fact that Weston would punish her. When I saw her, she was giving old man Nelson head. They weren’t beating her. Fuck! I should have seen this coming. He brutalized Natalie twice. I was so busy trying to get Aria out of my head, I ignored what was going on right in front of me.

“Johnny!” I call up the stairs.

“Are you guys going to rape me?” The woman who was just giving me lip suddenly looks at me with fear that just about has me dropping to my knees.

“No, sweet girl. I’m about to get you out of here.” And for the first time, she smiles, and the way it fucks with my heart, I know I’m the one in trouble.