Chapter 4
Creek stepped into the shop, his eyes automatically looking around for Violet. They’d been dating for a week now, spending every night together. His control was wearing thin, but he was determined to treat Violet right. He couldn’t scare her away with the force of his desire. He had to remain cool and in control.
“She’s not here,” George called out, stepping through the storage room doorway.
The grumbling voice startled him and he swung around, watching Violet’s stepfather munch away on another sandwich. The man even wiped his hands on his jeans after shoving the last bite into his mouth. Creek wasn’t sure if wiping his jeans was effective since the fabric was already so filthy.
Creek accepted that he really didn’t like this guy. There was just something about him that made his skin crawl. But Violet seemed to think the guy was…well, Creek didn’t really understand how Violet felt about her stepfather. Whenever he’d brought up the subject, she’d switched to another topic. Was she just trying to be nice by not saying a bad thing about someone? Or was there something going on with the man and Violet didn’t want Creek to know about it?
Either way, the man was a leech. Seemed that all he did was sit around on that stupid stool while everyone else worked around him.
“Where is she?” Creek asked, tucking his motorcycle helmet under his arm and pulling his leather gloves off. It was a great day to go riding on a motorcycle and he was hoping to take Violet out for a drive. Nothing long, but he was craving her slender arms around his waist and his mouth actually watered at the idea of her pressing her perfect breasts against his back.
George sighed heavily. “She went out. It’s time you and I discussed business.”
Creek’s hands paused and his stomach tightened. “Business,” he repeated, wondering what kind of business George might be into. Whatever it was, Creek was instantly wary. And from the look in George’s eyes, Creek was pretty sure that he wasn’t going to like whatever it was that George was going to propose.
George stood up, and rubbed his flannel covered sleeve over his still-greasy mouth. “You want my girl.”
Creek stood still, not replying in any way. Of course he wanted Violet. She was beautiful and sexy, not to mention smart as hell. She knew her way around business even though she hadn’t been to business school. She’d built her business up by reading through all the textbooks she could get her hands on. As pretty much self-taught himself, he respected that more than he could ever articulate.
“What of it?” Creek asked, tucking his leather gloves into his belt. He wanted to find Violet and take her out for a drive, maybe get some lunch and just talk with her, kiss her and feel the brightness of her smile. He definitely did not want to deal with this blowhard this afternoon.
George huffed up a bit, his already bulging stomach coming out several inches more and he tugged his loose jeans up underneath that gut. “You want her, she needs to be paid.”
Creek froze with those words. Paid? He repeated the word in his mind. Then again. The implications made his blood run cold. “Excuse me?” he finally said. Surely the man didn’t mean that…
“You want her, you’re gonna have to pay for her. She won’t go for free. I’m just the middle man, here to negotiate on behalf of my daughter.”
“Stepdaughter,” Creek corrected, not wanting any blood relationship between this man and the woman he wanted. Badly.
“Whatever,” he grunted. “Like I said, I’m just here to negotiate. You want her, you gotta pay. She wants five grand.”
Creek wasn’t sure he’d heard correctly. “Dollars?” he almost choked out.
The disgusting man didn’t even blink. “Yep. One night. Five thousand dollars. And you’ll be her first.” He shrugged. “Or so she says. I don’t know what happened with the other men. I just run the deals. What she does with you guys is her business.”
Creek couldn’t believe this. Other men? He’d be her first? And what the hell kind of deal was he talking about? Five thousand dollars for…sex? Then something else struck him. “You mean, there have been other men before me?”
George chuckled. “Buddy, did you really believe that you’re the first?” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Look, all I can say is that her specialty is the date night experience. Other women in this career, they have their own specialties, but Violet, she’s good at making the guy feel special, like a real date. You want that experience, she wants five thousand dollars. You don’t want it, fine with me. All I know is what she tells me and she says she’ll make it extra special for you.”
Creek couldn’t believe this. “What you’re saying is that Violet is actually a high-priced call girl who specializes in date night experiences.” He didn’t believe it. He couldn’t! Not Violet! She was different! All women wanted something and he’d never paid for sex. Oh, he’d given women a night on the town, dinner at a restaurant that no one else could get into…hell, just being seen on his arm was all some women wanted.
But outright cash? Never had he heard of anything so…crass!
Okay, that wasn’t true. He knew that call girls, street hookers, and ladies of the night abounded. But he’d never…
“Violet?” he asked again, still trying to absorb the words George was saying. Every muscle in his body was stiff with the effort not to react in any other way. But Creek was fighting the impulse to reach across the countertop and slam his fist into the disgusting man’s face.
“You got it in one,” he said. “You want the experience or not? Cause I have other things to do and there’s more than one buyer. So lock in the date if you want it. Otherwise, move on because she has a business to run.”
Creek stood still for a long time. Then he realized that he was actually debating the idea in his mind. Pay for sex? Seriously?
George sighed and leaned against the counter, arms spread wide and his eyebrows moving up and down. “It isn’t like you haven’t done this before.” He chuckled and shook his head. “You’ve done this before, it just hasn’t been this out in the open with your other transactions,” George said, obviously reading his mind.
Creek shook his head. “I’ve never paid for sex in my life.” And never would, he vowed silently.
“Sure you have. How many times have you bought the woman an expensive, sparkly trinket?”
Creek didn’t say a word since, yes, he’d given some of his mistresses expensive jewelry on occasion. Especially when they’d pleased him or when he was ready to move on, end the relationship.
Somehow, the two transactions seemed different.
This was not happening, he told himself. He was not hearing this about Violet. She wasn’t like that!
“Get a grip, buddy,” George laughed. He leaned in closer. “She really is good, isn’t she?” he said, almost in a whisper.
Creek was repulsed and not sure if he believed what he was hearing. It couldn’t be true.
But he’d said just last night that she was too good to be true, he thought. Maybe she really was too good to be true. Maybe Violet had given him a taste, knowing that he’d crave more.
His thoughts were out of control and he hated the idea of Violet actually being a prostitute. It seemed impossible, but could any woman really be so…amazing?
“I’m out of here,” he growled and turned around, intent on getting the hell away from this conversation. He couldn’t believe that the man was actually pimping out his stepdaughter. It seemed…foul. Disgusting.
“Call me when you change your mind,” George said before the door slammed shut on Creek’s departure.
Creek slapped his helmet onto his head, not bothering with his gloves in his need to get away as quickly as possible. He needed a shower, he thought as he slammed the power on and sped away. He took the corners fast, angling through the narrow streets. It took the entire ride back to his place before he could calm down.