Mr. Billionaire, Care to Make an Heir?

2

She shrugs her bare shoulders. “I’m afraid I can’t take that risk. The rooms are nice. You’ll like it here.” Her tone makes it clear that it’s not up for debate. She opens a drawer and pulls out a piece of paper, sliding it over to me. Handing me a pen, she says, “I just need you to sign this agreement.”

My hands are shaking when I pick it up, and I have to read through it twice before it starts to make sense. The gist of it is that I’m agreeing to work off my father’s debt at Ruby’s, and when I sign my name, it feels like I’m signing my life away. My dad rests his hand on my back when I set the pen down, letting me know he’s pleased. When I was young, I would’ve done anything to get his approval. Now, it just makes me feel sick. I don’t want to be here, and I sure as f**k don’t want to live here. I’ve heard enough rumors about the mafia slowly taking over the city to know that if my dad is mixed up with them, then we’re all f****d if I don’t do this. Anyone who’s ever watched a mafia movie knows that family members are often the first to go bye-bye.

Ruby smiles and puts the signed document away. Turning her big, green eyes up at my dad, she says, “I’d like to go ahead and get Nina settled so she can start work tonight.”

My dad takes the hint and kisses the top of my head. “Be good and listen to Ruby, Nina. This will all be over before you know it.”

That’s the only goodbye I get before he’s walking out of the office without so much as a backward glance. I try not to feel the sting of it, but the cold exit leaves me feeling more alone than I’ve ever been. Ruby’s face is still lit up with a smile when I turn back to her. She stands up, moving her tall, lithe body around the desk and motioning for me to follow. She leads me down another hall and up a narrow staircase. The top is blocked by a shut door, and when she knocks and yells, “It’s Ruby. Open up,” it immediately swings open, revealing the largest man I’ve ever seen.

Ruby walks past him, and when I hesitate, she sighs and points to the man. “This is Bruce. He works security. Bruce this is Nina.”

Bruce smiles down at me, but it’s not a friendly smile. It’s the kind of look that makes you feel like you need a bath afterwards. His eyes are smallish and too close together, and when he smiles, I try not to cringe when I see how many teeth he’s missing. I grip the straps of my backpack and scurry past him, trying like hell to not touch him, but he’s the type of guy who has a decent layer of fat on top of a ton of muscle, and there’s no way to avoid touching him a little bit as I squeeze by. He makes a soft noise that sounds a lot like a moan when my arm rubs against his sizeable gut. I’m just about to say to hell with all this and run down the stairs when he shuts the door and positions his massive frame in front of it.

I turn to Ruby and gone is the big smile that had just lit up her face, and in its place is a cruel grin that makes my heart speed up and my palms start to sweat.

“What’s going on?” I ask, darting my eyes back to Bruce, wanting to keep him in my line of sight.

“Welcome to your new home,” Ruby says. Her voice has morphed from sultry sexy to harsh and cold. “I’ll go over the rules while I show you to your room.” I follow her down the dark hallway, my eyes widening when deep moans start filtering out from behind the closed doors on either side of us. My heart is pounding so fast I feel lightheaded as the truth of what this is hits me full force.

“You don’t want me to just sit downstairs and smile, do you?”

Her harsh laugh momentarily drowns out the grunts coming from the room we’re passing. “Wow, you do catch on quick. How old are you?”

“I’m twenty-two.” I tighten my arms around my chest and force myself to take a couple of deep breaths. “I don’t want to be a prostitute. I can’t do this, Ruby. There’s been a mistake. My parents didn’t know this is what I’d be doing.”

She turns around, looking at me like I must be the world’s biggest i***t. “They know exactly what this place is. Hell, that debt your dad racked up wasn’t just from gambling. He’s a frequent customer of mine.”

Everything starts to spin as I brace a hand against the wall to steady myself. My lungs don’t seem to be working because as much as I try to suck in air, it’s not enough. Ruby’s saying something, but I can’t hear any of it. Her voice gets further and further away as everything turns black. When I wake, it takes me several seconds to figure out where I am. The room is small with a tiny bathroom attached to it, and there’s also a bed, nightstand, and dresser. I jerk up when I realize I’m naked beneath the bedding, pulling the sheet tightly against my chest.

“She lives,” Ruby says, giving a soft laugh from the corner of the room. She’s sitting in a chair, watching me with a wicked smile on her face. “You know, I knew you were going to make me a lot of money. You have an innocent look about you that men can’t resist, but I had no idea just how innocent you are.”

“What do you mean?”

“After you passed out, I gave you a shot to make you sleep for a bit while my doctor examined you.” She laughs again. “A f*****g virgin. I hit the jackpot with you, Nina.”

“That’s why I can’t do this,” I say, hoping she’ll understand. “I’ve never been with anyone. I can’t be a prostitute. Please just let me go. I’ll figure out a way to pay off my dad’s debt,” I beg, willing to say anything to get my ass out of here. After what she told me about my dad, I never want to have anything to do with him or my mom ever again, but I’ll agree to pay whatever the hell she wants if it gets me out the door.

Her laugh is like a sharp smack to the face. “Oh, I don’t think so. I’m going to make a ton of money auctioning off your cherry. I also had you waxed while you were unconscious. Men prefer a smooth p***y, Nina.”

“How can you be so damn cruel? I don’t want to be here. You can’t f*****g keep me here against my will.”

She stands up and walks closer to the bed. “How the f**k can you be so naïve? You think I’m cruel? I’m just doing what I need to do to make a living. This used to be a bar, just a regular bar for people to stop in and have a drink at, and I nearly went bankrupt. I had to learn a s**t ton of things the hard way, but I learned them, Nina, and I clawed my way up, doing whatever the hell I needed to do to make it happen. You are a way for me to make money. That’s all you are to me, and before you go getting some grand f*****g idea into your head, your door will always be locked, and even if you do manage to get out, the main door by the stairs is always guarded, and the men who will be visiting you don’t give a flying f**k that you’re here against your will. They all have things to lose by being caught here, and they’re sure as hell not going to risk everything to save your ass.”

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