To Die For - Davidson King Page 0,25
after that, and I was glad when Tank woke up. “I need to give him his pain pill and feed him.”
“Right, so tomorrow when I see you we can figure out when?” Max stood and moved out of the way as I got Tank’s things.
“Perfect.”
“Great.” He walked to the door but didn’t leave. “You really mean yes?”
I chuckled as I crushed the pain pill and sprinkled it on a spoonful of food for Tank. “Yes. I won’t bail on you. I promise.”
“Okay.” He stared for a moment, nodded, and then walked out.
I was still chuckling a few minutes after he was gone. I gave Tank his pain pill and he ate. Afterward, he curled up on my lap, and I figured that was fine. He was tiny enough that I could answer some emails while he dozed on me.
I was so lost in thought as I scrolled my emails, wondering where Max and I would go for our dinner date…wow, date…that I didn’t notice anyone stepping into my office.
“What is that?” Dorian’s voice snapped me out of my daydream, and I realized he was sneering at Tank.
“My dog. What do you want, Dorian?” He made my skin crawl, and remembering what his touch felt like made me want to vomit.
“I don’t think animals are allowed on these premises.” He slapped a few papers down on my desk. “I may need to make an addendum in the new lease if you can’t seem to realize that,” he snapped, but I was too busy staring at the papers.
“This is the new lease?”
He grinned. “It is.”
I took the papers and began reading. I saw Dorian sit on the couch; obviously he wasn’t going anywhere, so I did my best to ignore him and read the lease. With each line, article, new rule, my heart sank. I realized in that moment that Dorian was going to make my life a living hell until I couldn’t take it anymore.
“You doubled the rent?”
He shrugged. “Earl was undercharging you.”
“I’m going to guess you’re going to double the rent at the apartment too?”
He chuckled darkly. “Probably. I suppose that depends on you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Tank stirred on my lap, likely noticing the shift in my temperament.
“It means whatever I say it means. Now, I know you can afford the rent increase…unless you need to shut this place down, leaving your friends jobless and you dreamless.”
When I left Dorian and took that money, for a brief period of time I’d felt guilty. But then I’d remember the verbal abuse, the beatings, the ownership he felt he had of me and wished I’d taken more.
“No. This will be fine.” I slipped the lease into my drawer. “I’ll just have my lawyer go over it. I’ll return it to you soon.” I turned away from him, facing my computer screen.
“I don’t want to see that rat here again,” he snapped.
“Have a nice day, Dorian.”
I felt a drop of sweat slide along my neck. He terrified me. Seventeen-year-old me would have apologized profusely for Tank, would have begged Dorian to forgive me. But I wasn’t seventeen anymore, and I wasn’t begging.
“Watch your tongue,” he growled.
“Or you’ll cut it out, right?” I spun in my chair; Tank yelped but I placed a hand on him. “Isn’t that what you used to say to me when I spoke out of turn, Dorian. That you’d cut it out?”
“And don’t act like I won’t!”
We stared each other down, and I had no doubt our conversation would have escalated had one of his men not entered my office, telling Dorian they had to go for a meeting.
When he left, it was as if all the energy had been zapped out of me. I had no idea what I was going to do to get out of this web Dorian had spun for me. But I knew I had to figure out something before he destroyed me and everything I loved.
Chapter Fifteen
Max
A few hours before we opened Joker’s Sin, all the performers of the night met on the floor. Some of them were half-dressed in character. I had the utmost respect for drag queens, and seeing all they did to prepare for their act made that grow immensely.
Atlas was going over the order and schedule of the show. They had done a sort of dress rehearsal with him on their own time, so he was ready for this. I was excited to see what they had in store. People were paying a hefty