14. Liam

14

LIAM

V al walked me to the dressing room and offered to take me home, but I didn’t want him to know I’d been evicted so I assured him I’d be fine. I was lying. As I sank down onto a bench by my bag, my head was spinning after all that had happened: Val breaking through the glass and killing a man because he’d touched me, the most amazing blow job that blew my mind as much as I hoped it had his, and then realizing I’d forgotten the dead man and all I wanted was to stay with Val. Fuck. What was wrong with me?

I knew I’d gotten in over my head with the asshole I’d accepted as a private client. I should never have agreed to come on his side of the glass. If he’d wanted a lap dance, I could have told him I only did those out front, but I wasn’t earning money as fast as I’d wanted to. I convinced myself I could handle the man, but if Val hadn’t come in when he did, I don’t think he would have stopped with wrapping a hand around my dick. Now he wouldn’t be touching anyone else. I probably should feel worse about that, but maybe Val was right. Maybe the fucker needed to die.

I wished I hadn’t seen his body, though. The angle of his neck was just wrong. I was probably going to have nightmares for a long time. And the dreams I might have about Val. They could be nightmares or the best fantasies of my life. Was I really better off giving him a free pass to have me any way he wanted than I’d been taking chances with customers? Would he really have me watched so closely I couldn’t earn anything on the side?

Yes. Yes, he would.

I shivered thinking about it. I was in danger no matter what path I took, but at least with Val, I’d enjoy myself some of the time, right? How far would he push me? Maybe I should be a lot more scared that I was. And Val’s father? I hoped I never had to meet him. The rumors I’d heard about Dominic Marchesi were chilling. Some said he was immortal and couldn’t feel pain. That might not be true, but I believed the people who said he never hesitated to kill when someone crossed him.

I gathered my things and forced myself to stand. I needed to get out of here. Maybe if I did, I’d stop seeing that man’s broken body lying on the floor and the look on Val’s face as he slammed him into the wall. Val had become pure aggression, fury personified. I wanted that to terrify me, but no one had ever fought like that for me, and it made me feel warm all over. I wanted him even more than I had before.

I was in so much trouble.