Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Lucian

Ishould’ve gone straight to Violent Delights and found a woman to scene with. That’s the beauty of having your own personal BDSM club—you treat it like one. Everyone in there was mine. They belonged to me, just like the building they were playing filthy games in.

They just didn’t know it.

It was the perfect addition to my portfolio. I didn’t have to lift a finger to oversee the place. Clark Ventana did all the grunt work, and I cashed in on the profits. It was my kind of team.

It meant nothing to me that night.

My chauffeur pulled up at the rear of the Constantine compound and opened the back door for me. My right-hand man, Trenton Alto, answered on the first ring as I dropped into the leather.

“I want one of Rex’s girls. Now.” I breathed in Elaine’s scent on my fingers, imagining I was still with her. “Blonde. Blue eyes. Young.”

He cleared his throat. “Where do you want her?”

The sweep of Bishop’s Landing was outside the windows when I gave my answer. I’d had enough of it. I needed the hub of the city. “Manhattan.”

“Sure thing. I’ll have her over within the hour.”

I ended the call and leaned back in the seat, thinking of Elaine’s mouth on mine. Her hot little moans. I would fuck some nameless, faceless woman and pretend she was Elaine.

Without missing a beat, the chauffeur changed the route.

It was the third of my properties, positioned right at the heart of New York. At least the blonde would get a nice skyline view while I played with her.

I pulled my mask off and dumped it out the window long before the car pulled up outside the main entrance. I took a deep breath of city air before I reached the doors and stepped inside. I loved the city. I loved the buzz; I loved the life; I loved the thrill. Sure, I’d traveled the globe plenty through my thirty-five years on this planet, but nowhere had ever captured me like this place.

The team at reception tipped their heads as I walked on by. I held up a hand and paced through to the elevator.

I reached level thirty-two in a flash after giving a nod to the overhead camera as I passed level thirty-one. My security team is on constant high alert. Anyone trying to get to my suite would never make it without being stopped and shot. My drug dealer and erstwhile pimp Rex Halloway would be plenty safe with the whore I ordered in his grip, but very few people could say the same. No one had access. Family only.

I was standing at my main suite windows, surveying the city lights, when the buzz of my door sounded. Rex arrived well within the hour. Excellent service. So it should be, since I was paying a fortune for this. He gave me a nod and gestured at the girl for my approval.

She was small. Pretty.

And scared.

Something was wrong. She kept her eyes on the floor as Rex prodded her inside.

“She’s a real sweet one. New to the business, if you know what I mean.”

The girl didn’t know what to do. She was wearing a slip of lace, white and sweet, and trembling like the apartment was freezing. “Leave us alone.”

Rex left.

There’s fun to be had in directing some pain and punishment. But this one—she looked like she’d already had enough. She’d be no substitute for Elaine. Elaine had wanted me, kissed me like she’d needed me. There was no hope of even an initiation from Rex’s girl.

Change of plans.

“What’s your name?” I asked her, and her voice was a delicate quiver when she answered.

“Natalie, sir.”

“Come sit down.”

I strode back through to the main living room, then turned back. She stood by the door, uncertainty in her eyes.

“Sit here.”

She came across the room, her steps light and dainty. She looked relieved to sit, but it was short-lived. Her eyes latched onto a throw blanket that hung over the back of the sofa. I picked it up and dropped it over her lap.

Confusion.

Natalie looked from the blanket to me. “This isn’t what Rex said would happen.”

“How old are you?” I asked, and her eyes stayed fixed on mine.

“Eighteen, sir.”

“And this is your first night out.”

“Yes.” She clenched her jaw tight to keep from crying. I’d seen that expression on some of the girls at Violent Delights. It was a big, flashing sign. Crying was to be expected at a BDSM club. Trying not to cry before the play had even started?

Irritating. On the surface I was annoyed that Rex had brought me someone this breakable. But underneath, I was…pissed. That I wasn’t with Elaine, doing what rich people do after events like Tinsley’s birthday. Fucking in a hotel room. Going to drive-throughs in formal wear.

Wanting to do those things with Elaine was against everything I stood for.

Natalie’s presence in my apartment became a distraction in an instant. I couldn’t let my mind wander over Elaine’s body with Natalie clutching at the blanket on my sofa.

“What do you owe?”

She blinked, shrinking down under the blanket, pulling it up to shield herself. “I don’t think I’m supposed to talk about that.”

“You’re in my apartment now. Tell me.”

Natalie’s shoulders let down a fraction. Lots of the girls were like that. Relieved not to have a choice. “Ten thousand dollars.”

The amount was nothing to me. Less than nothing. Like a ripped-up dollar bill. But Natalie’s face went pink, then red, and she looked down into her lap to disguise the tears gathering in her eyes.

“How’d you end up owing that much money, Natalie?”

Her eyes met mine again, and she took a determined breath. “I was trying to save for college. A guy in my neighborhood said I could earn some money delivering packages.” Jesus, the innocence. “One night I got mugged, and—”

“And now you have to pay for lost merchandise.”

“Yeah.”

She looked so fucking mortified.

“And if you pay it off?”

The corners of Natalie’s mouth turned down. “I won’t be able to do that any time soon.”

“Play along.”

A little sigh. “If I paid it off, I could go back home.”

There was actual longing in her eyes. Longing for home. If I didn’t want her gone, I’d have asked her about it. I wouldn’t know what it’s like to miss the place you grew up. “Your parents don’t know where you are?”

Laughter burst out of her. “No. I said I was at college. I said I didn’t want to see them anymore.” Natalie straightened her back. Shook her head like it would wake her up from a nightmare. “One of the girls said you made it hurt, but you made it good, so if you wanted to start, we could—”

“No.”

She jumped at the word, her face paling. “But—”

“I’m not going to fuck you tonight. What I’m going to do is settle your debt so you can go home. Go to college. Whatever.” I could feel her watching as I went to the small safe set into a panel next to the TV. One of quite a few I had in the apartment. This one held emergency cash. I pulled out two of the bundles.

Natalie couldn’t take her eyes off it.

“This one is for you.” I handed her the smaller bundle. Five thousand dollars. “For school. Not for fucking around. Do you understand?”

She nodded, cradling it in her hands like it was a fortune.

“And this one is going with my driver. So are you.”

“What?” New fear washed over her face. “Your driver? I thought—”

“You thought you were doing a job. You’re done with this job. You don’t go back to Rex.” I wasn’t having the chauffeur take her anywhere. This was a job for the security team. I took out my phone and tapped out a message. “You give the driver the address. He’ll settle the debt and take you home.”

Natalie took in a steady breath.

And burst out crying.

Fucking great.

She cried like she’d been delivered from the gates of hell back to earth. Her tears landed on the money in her hands. Natalie couldn’t let go of it. Wouldn’t put it down.

Cried and cried and cried.

I patted her on the shoulder.

What the fuck else was I going to do?

She kept crying.

I gave her another cursory pat and went into the bedroom. My clothes were going to be enormous on her, but she couldn’t go home the way she was. I went back out into the living room and put a pair of joggers and a plain sweatshirt on the sofa next to her. Natalie hiccuped. “What are those?”

“Do you want to show up at your parents’ doorstep looking like a whore? They’re clothes. You’re in fucking lingerie.”

“Right.” She scrambled up off the sofa and threw the clothes on. Natalie swam in them. She bent to roll up the ankles of the pants, then did her sleeves. She never let go of the money. Not for a second. “So when—”

The elevator tone sounded, and the door opened. Mark, a guy from my security team, stepped inside.

Natalie froze in place, her mouth working. “Are you—” She glanced up at me. “Would you come with me?”

“Jesus, no.”

Her face fell.

“I’m busy.” I forced the edge out of my voice, but it was fucking difficult. “Mark will drop you off at home. Mark, how much do I pay you?”

“Three hundred thousand a year,” he said.

“Are you going to fuck around and not take Natalie where she needs to go?”

The corner of his mouth twitched. “No. I will not fuck around.”

“See?” I put a hand between Natalie’s shoulder blades and took her to the door. Then I put a hand under her chin and tipped her face up. “Do not. Ever. Go back to Rex’s.”

“Okay,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

“You can thank me by getting out.”

They went.

And I was alone with my thoughts. No idea who I was, this person who sent whores home to their parents.

I laughed out loud. Elaine Constantine wasn’t going to change me in a single night. No. She was just going to spoil me for everyone else. I shucked off my clothes from the party.

But Elaine’s scent followed me to the master bath.

In the shower I stroked my cock, working myself fast as I thought of Elaine. That young woman had stared up with pretty eyes, blue and wide. But they weren’t the eyes I wanted. Not the ones that kept haunting every one of my black heartbeats.

I gritted my teeth and stroked faster.

Nobody would ever understand me.

Nobody could ever understand my body, so tainted in its strengths, and my mind to match.

Not even Elaine fucking Constantine.