Chapter Twenty-Two

Even though the night before had ended on a rather sour note, Jewell still found herself locked in Blake’s arms, his hands rubbing along her naked back, as she woke up early the next morning…it was Wednesday. She had only four more nights left with this man, and though he didn’t deserve her affections, a piece of her would always belong to him.

That frightened her.

“So tell me, Jewell, why are you doing this? You’re clearly not stupid, and though it’s not easy to find jobs in this economy, you don’t seem the sort of woman to stoop so low, to sell your body.”

“We’ve discussed this before, you know.”

“And we’ll discuss it again. Tell me the real reason you’re doing this.”

“You wouldn’t believe me, Blake. And I don’t want this to get back to Ms. Beaumont. Let’s just say that I have my reasons and leave it at that.”

“If you have nothing to hide, then tell me. I might well believe you.”

She took a breath, fighting with whether to say anything. She wanted to speak about Justin, to have someone understand, and for some reason, she wanted Blake to know she wasn’t some scarlet woman. But at the same time she feared he would quickly turn on her.

“Maybe I just like to screw different men,” she said as cavalierly and as crudely as she could. His arms tensed around her and she knew her answer hadn’t pleased him.

“I don’t buy that, Jewell. You were a virgin. Women don’t just wake up one day and decide to turn tricks. There has to be something behind it. We’re you hoping to hook yourself a billionaire?” He asked the question as if the answer had to be a simple yes.

That sure as heck ignited her wrath. Why did he always have to go for the jugular, to say the meanest thing he could think of?

“Does it give you pleasure to be so rude? Maybe we’re a lot alike. Maybe I did want to hook a billionaire. Maybe I will indeed do just that,” she said, not believing she’d just been about ready to tell him about Justin. That could be a fatal mistake if his attitude was any indication.

Blake fastened on her question. “Yes, it usually does please me to be an ass. That way people know where they stand. They don’t have any expectations of me.”

The slight vulnerability in his tone made her want to open up a bit more to him. She thought back to her conversation with Bill and the pain Blake and his brothers had suffered. She really wanted to know that story, but she had a feeling today wasn’t going to be the day she learned what happened back then. She probably never would find out how his parents died. So she decided to tell him nothing.

“Well, since we’re only together for four more nights, Blake, you don’t have to worry about my intentions. We will go our separate ways and never have to bother each other again.” She really wasn’t sure how she was feeling about that.

He wasn’t the devil. She didn’t know exactly who or what he was, but she was certain that she could have been set up with someone much worse than he was. At least his company didn’t repulse her and at least the sex was beyond anything she could have ever imagined sex feeling like.

But sex wasn’t enough. Sure, it was wonderful in the moment, but when it was over, emptiness swamped her, even while lying in his arms, because she knew it wasn’t where she was supposed to be, knew that he would have another woman lying there with him before the bedsheets even grew cold.

“Do you think I like repeating myself, Jewell? But I will. Tell me why you are doing this.”

“You really don’t give up, do you?”

“No. You should know this by now.”

“Fine… I have a brother. A younger brother.”

He paused as if taken aback by her words. Whatever he’d expected to hear, it most certainly wasn’t that. She practically held her breath as she waited for him to comment.

“He must be very proud of his big sister,” he finally said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

“If he ever found out, I’d… Oh, I just can’t imagine what I’d do. But I have no other choice. I have to do what I’m doing now. There isn’t another option, any other way. I have looked and looked for work…” She trailed off when she saw his body grow increasingly tense. He wasn’t her friend. He didn’t want to hear her story. That was more than obvious.

He surprised her, though, when he spoke again. “No other way to what?”

Maybe he did care, if only the slightest bit. After all, he wasn’t a man who lacked any proper emotion. And it was clear how much he cared about his own two brothers, so why wouldn’t he understand her love for Justin?

“To get him back. He’s in foster care, and I need to get money fast so the judge will let me keep him. I couldn’t get a job anywhere else, so—”

Blake cut her off. “You were right, dammit. That’s the worst B.S. I’ve ever heard. I’m sure that every hooker on this wretched planet works up a little sob story like that.”

“But it’s not a—”

“Yes, Jewell, it is a sob story. You know I’m a wealthy man. You want a piece of that wealth. Did you really think I would be affected by your lie and hand you a bunch of cash so you can go out and get your next fix, or whatever it is that is driving you to work as a common…okay, an expensive prostitute? I thought maybe you would try honesty, but obviously you’re not capable of that.”

“Why in the world did you even ask if you weren’t going to believe me?” she said, fighting the urge to cry. Why his lecture even mattered she would never know.

“I guess I’m a fool, because I was almost taken in a little by the innocence I’ve seen in your eyes. You are very good at looking like the girl next door — like a lost little puppy who needs to be taken care of. But I guarantee you that I can’t be fooled,” he said, sounding almost proud of himself.

“Well, I’m so glad you have me all figured out, Mr. Knight,” she told him, her body stiff next to him. She knew that was something he wouldn’t tolerate.

And he didn’t. He quickly flipped her onto her back and covered her body, staring down into her face, refusing to release her eyes as he made it abundantly clear which one of the two of them was in charge.

“Stop it now, Jewell. If you ever mention this lie again, I’ll send you straight back to McKenzie — Ms. Beaumont to you — and tell her you’re a liar who can’t be trusted. Liars never get anywhere in life. Remember that. I’ll even tell her what you’re lying about. You’re not too smart, after all,” he said with a sneer.

“Don’t worry. I won’t even think of telling you anything again.” How she hated that her traitorous body was responding to his even when he was belittling her.

“I’m not worried, Jewell,” he assured her. “There’s nothing you could do or say that would ever make me feel that emotion.”

Then before she was able to reply, he pushed forward, sinking inside her and making her gasp in outrage as she glared at him even as her body responded.

“I own you, Jewell,” he said, his eyes shining with victory.

“For four more days,” she said, unable to hold back the words that furthered his anger.

He leaned forward and shut her mouth the best way he knew how. Although she couldn’t help but kiss him back, Jewell hated him and herself just a little bit more over the next hour.

When they were finished, she knew she’d been used, but that was what she was there for. He stood up and dressed, making her feel even cheaper.

“By the way, you have a dress fitting in an hour or so. We’ll be attending a function on Friday night and you need proper attire.”

He didn’t wait for her response, but instead left the room. She got up, showered and made her way down the stairs, surprised to find him sitting there. Looking at the clock, she knew the person coming over to help her would be there soon.

“Why aren’t you at work?” It was a natural question, as he was normally gone by now.

“I decided to take most of the week off. I want to get my money’s worth,” he said, not glancing up from the tablet he was most likely reading the paper on. “You should be happy. You’ve complained about being watched on camera, so you’re free from that for now. Just watching was taking up too much of my time, anyway.”

She didn’t bother with a response to that, not understanding his sudden need to hurt her. He’d asked her to tell him the truth, and she had, and now she was being punished for that. It didn’t seem fair to her at all.

When the doorbell rang after half an hour of uncomfortable silence, she was almost relieved, but when a petite woman walked in, with an assistant behind her dragging a rack that had several dresses on it, Jewell tensed up all over again.

A dress fitting — really? Just one more thing in a long line of things she had never thought she would have any part of before. It was okay, though. It wouldn’t be so bad to go to some stuffy event. It wasn’t as if she would ever socialize again with any of the people who attended.

“You must be Jewell,” the woman said, then proceeded to look her up and down with what seemed to be a suppressed sneer, and circled around her. Jewell wanted desperately to fidget.

When Blake sat down on the couch and leaned back, she felt like screaming. He was going to just sit there the entire time and make her even more uncomfortable. Why? This couldn’t be his idea of a good time.

“I need you to strip down to your panties,” the woman said as she pulled out a tape measure.

“Excuse me?” Jewell looked over to the young man who was standing silently by the clothing rack.

“I need you to strip down to your panties,” she repeated as if she were dealing with a small, disobedient child.

Jewell was about to throw a fit, so maybe she was a child, indeed.

“Um, can we go into the bathroom, or something?” Jewell asked as she again looked at the young man — a kid, really — and then at Blake, who wasn’t even looking at the tablet anymore, his attention now fully focused on her.

“No. I need the light in this room. You’re wasting my time, Jewell,” the woman said, and she took a step closer.

Jewell had no doubt that if she didn’t strip, the woman would do it for her. And that wasn’t going to happen.

She began taking off her clothes, trying to remind herself that this kid had to have seen it all before. It didn’t help ease her humiliation one bit, however. When she was down to her panties, which didn’t cover much, Jewell closed her eyes and stood there awkwardly while the woman told her to hold out her arms, and move this way and that.

By the time the measurements were all finished, she had been touched and poked, and the woman had even had the gall to comment on some of her troubled areas. Jewell didn’t know how she managed to hold back the scream lodging in her throat.

She refused to make eye contact with Blake, but she was sure the jerk was thoroughly enjoying himself at her expense. Her week with him couldn’t end soon enough.

Next came a show of dresses. Of course there wasn’t time to make one from scratch. She’d have to choose one, and then the woman would tailor it to her body. Blake rejected dress after dress, and by the eighth one she was sick of slipping them on and off.

“No. That one isn’t right. Didn’t I give you specific directions on what I wanted?” Blake snapped.

The woman’s nose turned up an inch higher at that comment, and Jewell was surprised. She hadn’t though sticking that snoot up higher were humanly possible.

“I assure you that I have never not pleased a client, Mr. Knight,” she said, her tone respectful even if her expression wasn’t.

She pulled out another dress and he sat forward. “That one,” he said before Jewell even had a chance to try it on.

“Let’s see how it looks,” the woman said in a warning tone as the young man slid it over Jewell’s head.

The material was similar to a few she’d already tried on, but the fit was better, even without any tailoring. It dipped low in front and back and ended high on her thighs, but it almost felt like she was wearing nothing at all, it was so light.

“Yes, that’s the one.”

The boy helped Jewell out of the dress, and she stood there with her arms crossed, trying to protect her naked body from their view, even though they’d all been staring at her shamelessly for the past hour.

“I’ll have the dress ready by Friday morning,” the woman said before making a quick exit.

Jewell finally breathed. She moved over to her discarded clothes and gathered them to go upstairs.

“Meet me in my room.”

She didn’t even bother looking at him as she moved to the staircase. This day just wasn’t ever going to end. The really depressing part of it all was that although she knew she was his sex toy, and she knew he had no respect for her, she also knew she would enjoy their lovemaking. She assured herself that each time it was finished, she would also hate him that much more.