Chapter 26

Katja~

I t was said that we never knew what we were capable of until we had to do it, and I was finding myself in that exact situation now. When my grandfather had asked me about my night, shame had almost eaten me alive. However, instead of telling him that Maksim Barychev was going to parade me around town as the newest Kotov whore, I had lied to his face, making him believe that I was actually going out on a date with some nice, unassuming, irrelevant gentleman.

Things had only gotten worse when I had opened my front door to Maksim standing on the other side, deviating from our regular routine. While I'd known that I hadn't had a choice when he had summoned me to join him tonight, I still hadn't had enough time to wrap my mind around what I'd learned at the supermarket, and I honestly didn't know if I was hurt, angry, ashamed, or just empty inside.

I'd also be lying if I'd said that I hadn't thought about the bids coming in to be with me. While I never imagined that I'd ever be in this position, knowing that men were willing to pay up to twenty-thousand dollars to sleep with me made me understand a little more why women sold their bodies. It really was the easiest way to make money, and with that kind of income, my grandfather would want for nothing. If I kept my regular job, then I'd only need to have a few clients a month to keep my grandfather with me. While I had no idea if the bratva permitted a part-time arrangement, maybe I could do that and not want to kill myself so much afterwards.

It was also hard not to keep my eyes glued onto my purse like a lifeline. I had no idea how many men or women in this place had seen my body and knew what I looked like while having sex, and I almost couldn't breathe with the weight of humiliation that I felt. It was one thing to sell your body and do it in the privacy of a hotel room or wherever, it was quite another to be used on stage for complete strangers. Consent was also a key difference. Now, even though it wasn't my thing, I'd already proven that I'd do anything for my grandfather, so it wouldn't have been a big deal for Maksim to tell me what his plans had been. So, I just couldn't understand why he'd hadn't.

"Oh, I'm so glad you made it." I looked up from my purse to see Janet smiling down at me. "Is it okay if I sit?"

Since I didn't know the rules, I should have told her no, but I needed a friend in this world, and if I was going to be pimped out after all this, then I needed someone that could help me navigate through everything that I didn't know. Of course, that didn't mean that I was going to just give in if that was the plan. I could always take on a few guys until I made enough money to put me and my grandfather on a plane to another country. Again, I'd do anything for my grandfather.

"Yea, of course," I said, doing my best not to look or act damaged.

"So, I see that you're here with Maksim, but there are a lot of guys here tonight that you probably should get to know," she prattled on, sounding like she genuinely wanted to help me. "Now, there's a rumor that you're no longer available, but I think that's only until Maksim gets tired of you, so you really should know what your other choices are."

‘Until Maksim gets tired of you.'

"No, yeah…you're right," I said, smiling at her. "I…I really appreciate you doing this for me."

"No problem" she replied sweetly. "Us girls have to stick together, right?"

I nodded. "Right."

"So, David Winston pays decent enough, but he's not a regular, so you can't depend on him as part of your steady income," she said as she pointed to a blonde man that had a sultry brunette on his lap. "Plus, if your hope is to mix a little pleasure with business, then he's not your man. He has no idea where a woman's clit is, but he's safe."

"Safe?"

Janet looked at me. "Yeah, he's not into rough sex or anything like that. He's missionary for the most part."

Needing to know, I asked, "What happens if a man gets too rough?"

"Luckily for most of us, there are a few girls that are into that," she answered. "If a man is looking to really knock a girl around during sex, then they're steered towards the girls that are willing to do that."

"Seriously?"

Janet nodded, "Never underestimate the power of money, and never underestimate what someone is willing to do for it when they've no choice. While those girls might have to suffer a knock to the head, a broken nose, or whip marks on their backs, they're also rich for their troubles."

My stomach clenched hard enough that I was grateful that I hadn't eaten anything before coming out tonight. Once upon a time, I would have said that I'd never be one of those women that would allow a man to beat me for money, but once upon a time, I also would have said that I'd never whore myself out for anything in the world, yet here I was, doing exactly that, and the reason didn't matter. Everyone's reasons were noble to them, and since we all led different lives, it wasn't fair to say that my reason was more acceptable than someone else's.

"Oh, there's Jack Garrett," she said, pointing to a very tall man making his way up to the bar. "He's good in bed, and he also tips. With the prices that a lot of men pay to be with us, many don't tip, figuring that they're paying enough, but Jack tips on top of what he pays."

"That's…that's rather generous," I muttered for lack of something better to say.

Janet just nodded absently. "Even though he's not here tonight, Ben Hillar is also a good tipper, but he's an anal freak and likes it rough. Though he's not what I would call aggressive, he likes to plow his girls hard, and it's not always pleasant unless that's your niche."

"My niche?"

"Yeah…like, you know…there are some girls that have been conditioned to take two cocks up their ass, so I can't see a hard screw in the ass really hurting them much." Janet shrugged like this conversation wasn't absolutely horrific. "But just like we have some girls that are game for some violence, we also have girls that are down for multiple-partner situations. You'd be amazed at how many men get off on gangbangs. There's just something about watching a woman getting used that does it for these guys. Like they get off on reminding us of our place or something."

I didn't know what to say to that because I enjoyed rough sex, so was I advocating for that kind of behavior, or was I supposed to insist on respect in the bedroom to remind men that I was more than just three holes to be used as they saw fit? Even knowing what I knew now, I couldn't deny that Maksim Barychev was the best sex that I'd ever had, and that was partly due to the fact that he was rough and dominant in the bedroom.

Christ, I was so confused.

"Oh, there's Fredrick Milkov," she said, but her voice lowered to a whisper, almost like she wasn't supposed to speak his name out loud or something. "Stay away from him."

I glanced over at the man that she was looking at, and had it not been for being here and the tone of her voice, I would think that he seemed decent enough. He was dressed in a suit, his dark hair was styled expertly, and he looked like he belonged at the head of the table inside any boardroom across the country.

"Why?" I asked, merely curious.

"He's violent," she answered. "He likes to watch women being abused, and the more that she cries, the more he enjoys it. He's a sick puppy, and though the money is supposed to be worth it, I'm not sure if I agree with that. One girl was out of commission for two weeks because of him, but since she had agreed to it all, the bratva had let him be."

Just then, a pair of shocking blue eyes looked my way, and Fredrick Milkov was staring at me like he was already undressing me in his mind. His stare was intense and powerful enough to steal my breath, even from across the room. The vibe that I was getting off him had me believing every word that Janet had just said, and hopelessness already rose up to strangle me.

What was I doing?

"Am I interrupting?"

I looked up to see Maksim staring down at me and Janet, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to see that he was pissed. Granted, I never should have allowed Janet to get comfortable in our VIP booth, but I was driving blind here, so I was bound to make some bad decisions along the way.

"Oh, sorry," Janet quickly rushed out as she stood up. "We were just having a little…little girl talk."

"Well, you are done with your girl talk, kukla," he told her.

"Of course," she muttered before quickly scurrying away.

As soon as Maksim was sitting next to me again, I asked, "What does kukla mean?"

"It means doll," he answered. "It's what I call all women that are empty-headed."

"She's not empty-headed," I snapped, automatically defending my only friend in the building.

Maksim's dark gaze narrowed at me. "She approached you without my permission, so that tells me that she is."

Seriously, what a fucking asshole.