Heartbreak Me by T.L. Smith Page 0,45

nothing more than to take it off and be in my own clothes. I don’t need to check the tag to know it’s a designer label.

We enter a foyer that would make a king or queen delighted. Checked marble floors with high ceilings and white walls, white and black tableware with only one splash of color. Blue. People, well, I should say guys, stand around, and all eyes turn to us as we enter the room. Sydney steps to the side as we walk in.

Men of all ages stand in front of us, some with drinks in their hands, others without.

I scan the room, looking for Atlas but don’t see him.

Stepping back, so I am next to Sydney, I turn to her. “What am I meant to be doing?” I ask her. She doesn’t reply, so I face her. “Sydney! What am I meant to be doing?”

She turns to look at me. “You do whatever it is the client wants and needs,” she snaps. “Now go. You need to make more money than the rest of the girls here.” She gives me a little shove in the direction of where all the girls have gone, and I put one foot in front of the other, my heels clicking as I walk.

One guy in particular stares at me, as if I’m the finest whiskey he’s ever seen, and I smile. It’s all I can manage to do. He isn’t old, maybe mid-thirties and good looking. He steps closer to me. “You must be new. I haven’t seen you before.”

I look past him to Sydney who simply nods her head at me.

“Yes, new,” I say, confirming his words. “What is it you’re drinking?” I already know the answer, but I reach out for it anyway and take a sip.

He smiles when I hand it back. “Keep it. I’ll get another. But you won’t get in trouble, will you? Most of the women here do not drink.”

Fuck! I forgot about that. Every time I have a drink, Atlas pulls it from my hand.

“It was only a sip, something to take the edge off.” I smile up at him.

He nods and turns away, gesturing for me to follow him. I look back to Sydney who gives a little shooing gesture and inclines her head to the guy I am with.

“Is this your first time here?” I ask as we go to a corner of the room.

He waves his hand at a seat, and then he takes the one closest to me. Our knees rub together as he sits.

“No, second. But the first time I only played, as I didn’t want to lose concentration. I like to gamble,” he admits.

“Don’t we all, in some way or another.” I smile.

He smiles and seems pleased with my answer as he offers me his drink again. I don’t take it this time. Instead, I look around the room and spot Ruby straight away, standing between two guys, her hands are touching the one behind her as she looks up, interested in whatever the one in front of her is saying.

“The girls can get real dirty,” my stranger says next to me.

I turn to look at him. He has brown hair with a slight reddish tint. A suit worth God only knows how much, and what seems to be under that suit is a good body.

“You like that?” I ask him.

He pulls his ankle up to his knee and leans back, putting the whiskey to his lips. “As I said, I’ve never indulged before. Usually, my women are willing.”

“And the women here aren’t?” I ask.

He looks me over with his bright green eyes. “Something tells me you aren’t all that willing, though I could be wrong. You don’t indulge like the other women do, nor do you seem to care like they do.” He nods to where all the women are located who seem to be throwing themselves at the men. “You do know you could earn a lot of money from talking to someone other than me, right?” he asks.

Fuck money.

“I’m sure I’ll survive.” I offer him a smile, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me as he watches. “What do you do?” I try to change the subject.

“Do you want to get out of here?” he asks.

“Yes.”

He stands, offers me his hand, and I place mine in it. The smile on my face is forced as we pass everyone else, including Sydney who gives me a look of approval as we walk out. I look back