Mr. Billionaire, Care to Make an Heir?

Nina “I don’t understand,” I say, but the words are too quiet and go unheard as my dad storms away. Running to catch up, I fall in step beside him, wishing like hell he didn’t intimidate me as much as he does. Even in his early fifties, he’s still a formidable presence that has the people in front of us stepping aside as we walk away from the campus that I have no desire to leave. When he still ignores me, I ask, “Why do I have to leave? What’s going on?” Annoyed, he turns to look down at me. His dark eyes, so brown they’re almost black, the same exact ones that I see in the mirror every damn day, are devoid of all feeling as they lock on mine. “I pulled you from school because you need to take a small break.” He says it very slowly like I’m a small child and he’s at the end of his rope. “But I don’t want to take a break.” He quirks a brow at me, ignoring the fact that I’m twenty-two years old and perfectly capable of making my own decisions in life. Leaning closer, he says, “Get in the f*****g car, Nina. Your mom is waiting.” Knowing it’s useless to argue, I clutch my backpack and get in the waiting limo where my mom is sitting picture-perfect in her black, pencil skirt and peach blouse, not a dyed blonde hair out of place. I know better than to look to her for comfort, but it doesn’t stop me from trying to get information. “Mom, what’s going on?” She finishes reapplying her lipstick before closing her gold compact and meeting my eyes. “Stop being so dramatic, Nina. It’s just a small leave of absence from the university. You can go back once everything is settled.” “Once what is settled?” I ask, watching my dad get in and motion for the driver to leave. My mom sighs and shrugs her slender shoulders. “Your father needs your help.” “With what?” I look at my mom and dad, seeing them as they really are instead of the happy façade they show everyone else. My mom’s sitting as far away from him as the limo allows, and when she looks over at him, I can see the look of absolute disdain she gives him and the way her mouth hardens into a tight line whenever he speaks. “He’s racked up a bit of a gambling debt, and they’re not letting him sweet talk his way out of it this time.” My father groans and cuts my mom a deadly look before turning his focus back to me. “It’s not a big deal, Nina, and I hope you’re not going to act like a baby about this. I’ve arranged for you to work off my debt.” My mind reels with the information, trying to make sense of everything they’re saying. “You want me to work to pay off your debt? Why me? I don’t understand.” “Because I’m a man and your mom is too old to attract the kind of attention they want.” “Bastard,” my mom mutters. “Wait, so you want me to strip to work off your debt? Are you kidding me?” “You’re being dramatic, sweetheart,” my mom says. “It’s just a cute little lounge. They just want pretty girls to sit around and bring in male customers. You’ll be expected to look pretty and flirt a bit. It’s really not a big deal. How hard is it to smile and hand out drinks?” “How the hell is that going to pay off dad’s massive debt? They could hire anyone to do that.” Neither one will meet my eyes, and it’s painfully obvious there’s more to this story. I sit back in my seat and say, “I’m not doing it. You’re going to have to get yourself out of this mess, Dad. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to whatever slimy club this is to work off your damn debt.” My dad lunges forward and grabs my wrist, pulling a surprised yelp from me. He tightens his grip, squeezing hard enough to hurt. “Yes, you f*****g are, Nina.” His voice is low and hard, and the look in his eyes is wild, like a man unhinged. I’ve seen him lose control before, but never like this. “The men I owe money to are dangerous, so if you don’t do this, then they’re going to come after your mom and me. And don’t f*****g forget that it’s my money that’s paying for your goddamn degree.” “What do you mean dangerous? I thought you said it wasn’t a big deal.” “It won’t be as long as you go work at this f*****g lounge,” my dad says. “All you have to do is work there for a little bit, and then my debt will be erased and I’ll never have to see these bastards again. This is the arrangement they offered, and I have no choice but to take it.” When he loosens his grip on my wrist, I jerk my hand away and sit back. My mom moves to sit next to me. Her cold blue eyes offer me zero comfort, and her rigid body posture makes it clear that a hug is not in my immediate future. “Really, Nina, it’s no big deal. Men like to look at beautiful women.” I don’t bother arguing that I’m guessing they’d prefer someone taller with bigger t**s because I still can’t believe this is about to happen. “This is so f*****g degrading,” I say. “What if they want more than just some friendly conversation?” “We were assured that it’s not that kind of establishment, weren’t we, Richard?” My dad nods but doesn’t quite meet my eyes. This whole conversation is making me feel queasy, and when we begin to enter downtown, I stare out the window, wishing like hell I was back in my Russian literature class. We pass the turnoff to go home, and a sense of absolute dread starts to wash over me. “We’re not going home?” “We told you it’s already been arranged,” my mom says, clearly exasperated at having to repeat herself. “We sent some of your belongings on ahead so everything would be ready for you.” I let out a harsh laugh, feeling my body start to shake. “Wow, I really didn’t have a say in this at all. You’ve already signed me over to this place, and it doesn’t matter what I want.” “Welcome to being a woman, sweetheart,” my mom says, looking at me like I’m a moron. “Consider yourself lucky that you’re just now learning this hard life lesson. I was forced into a marriage with your father when I was barely eighteen. You think I wanted that?” “For god’s sake,” my dad mutters. My mom ignores him. “My parents wanted to connect our families, and it’s been beneficial to everyone involved, but it’s not what I wanted. I did my duty, and now it’s your turn.” “I’m nothing but a f*****g pawn, is that what you’re saying?” My mom’s cold stare sends a shiver down my spine. “I’m sorry if I ever gave the impression that you were anything else.” I turn my head, unable to look at her a second longer, and will myself not to cry. She’s always been distant, but I naively thought that underneath it all she cared, that she loved me, but it’s clear I mean nothing to her. When the limo pulls up in front of a small, nondescript building with Ruby’s Lounge written above the door, I try to convince myself that this won’t be all that bad. I can wear a dress and smile and try to get men to buy drinks. Yeah, it’ll be a bit degrading, but as soon as I’ve worked off my dad’s debt, I can finish my degree and leave this city and never look back. My mom doesn’t even bother to get out of the limo, just pats my thigh and opens her compact, giving me a dismissive, “Don’t embarrass us, sweetie,” as she uses her finger to wipe away some lipstick at the corner of her mouth. Stunned, I grab my backpack and leave the car without even managing a goodbye. My dad leads me into the small, dark lounge. The place isn’t at all what I was expecting. There’s only a handful of tables, and not even those are full. Aside from a surly looking bartender, the place is empty. “Dad, it will take me a lifetime to pay off your debt in a place like this. Does anyone even come here?” “Don’t be ridiculous. The place is packed at night. You won’t be here long at all,” he assures me, but I can tell by his tone that he’s just telling me what I want to hear.” Before I can say anything else, a tall redhead walks into the room. A huge smile lights up her face, highlighting how stunningly gorgeous she is. She claps her hands together and runs her eyes over me. “She’s perfect, Richard, exactly what I’ve been looking for.” Her voice is sultry, and her green eyes are piercing when she asks my dad, “Our arrangement is still in place?” “Yes, yes,” my dad assures her. “Nina knows she’ll be staying here until the debt is paid.” “Wonderful,” Ruby says, smiling at me. “I just need to have you sign a few things, and then we’ll get you settled into a room.” I look up at my dad. “I’m staying here?” “Yes,” Ruby says, leading me down a small hallway. “There are several nice rooms upstairs. It’s just easier this way. Plus, I need to make sure you aren’t going to run off. Your dad owes a lot of money to some very dangerous men, and I’ve given them my word that it will be paid off, so if you decide you don’t want to work here, then it’s my ass on the line.” “I wouldn’t just run off,” I say, following her into an office that’s barely big enough for the desk and two chairs that are stuffed into it. 1799