The men grasped Tate tighter, and I knew that Mac was being serious.
Had I gotten it all wrong? Was it possible that Tate was the good guy here? I’d been so presumptuous, thinking that his insistence on paying me was degrading. But when push came to shove, maybe he was the only one in this for the right reasons.
It made me wonder…
Looking to Mac, I asked, “Were you the one who told the press all that shit about Dazzlers? Because I’ve worked there for six months — and before that, spent a lifetime in the casino — and I’ve never seen any of the stuff that article suggested. In fact, the only place I’ve ever seen women sold is at RES.”
Mac shrugged, turning his back to me and whistling as he paced the room, the harsh halogens reflecting off his bald head.
Tate nodded to my question.
“Yes, Kiki, it’s all a lie. Mac made everything up to discredit Dazzlers and take his revenge against me. He admitted as much when you were asleep, but of course he won’t say it now.”
Words floated back into my head as if from memory, like a déjà vu I’d never quite lived.
I knew with an absolute certainty that Tate was telling the truth, knew it as though it were the very blood in my veins. He wasn’t lying to me. He never lied to me. Tate was only ever trying to protect me.
I’d tried to pass Tate off as some scumbag or lowlife, but if I was honest with myself, it was only because I’d been terrified of the connection between us and how instantly it had blossomed. I’d make up one excuse after another to avoid my real feelings to Tate, the stunningly handsome and kind man I’d spent a perfect night with, to whom I’d lost my virginity.
I was only just then realizing that my affection for him ran deep, and it might have been too late.
If only my pride hadn’t made me take another job, if only I’d let Tate, who was wildly rich, help me with my expenses… if only…
I regretted everything.
As I broke free of my trance, I saw Mac reaching for the bag on the floor, about to palm Tate’s money as though it were rightfully his. I’d had enough of men deciding my life for me.
“Tate!” I cried, shaking in my chair. “Don’t give him the money. It’s not his, and you shouldn’t have to kneel to lesser men. Please, Tate. Don’t let him have the satisfaction of winning this round.”
There was a distinct sparkle behind Tate’s eyes.
Shit was about to hit the fan.
CHAPTER 29
Tate
KIKI’S WORDS filled my ears as Mac’s security guards tightened their grip on my arms.
Lesser men.
Did that mean she felt something for me? That, in spite of all my many errors, there was still a chance that we could grow together?
“The money is already mine, sweetie,” Mac told Kiki with condescension. “But nice try.”
There was a future for Kiki and me, I was sure of it. The way she’d just spoken, her energy — she didn’t hate me anymore. In fact, I reckoned she just might love me. I thought of her body on mine, the way we’d moved together that night.
In a sudden surge of strength, I ripped my arms free from the guards and bolted to Kiki.
“Tate, don’t!”
Just as I was about to reach her — to set her free, to kiss her, I wasn’t sure — their hands fell on me once more. Only this time, one kicked me in the knees, the other landing a firm punch to my eye. I went to the ground, legs buckling beneath me as the world swelled.
With my good eye, I could see Kiki fumbling and thinking, her brow furrowed and ruby lips spread wide.
“Stop!” she shouted at Mac. “Stop it! If you harm Tate or take his money, I swear to fucking God, I’ll go to press about the virginity sales you run.”
“What did you just say?” Mac intoned, his eyes going dead like a shark’s.
“I will, I swear, I’ll do it.”
He dusted an invisible piece of lint off his shirt, and with sudden ease, replied, “I don’t believe you. It would mean telling the whole world that you sold your body.”
“Oh please, like I care? Women sell their bodies every day. I won’t be ashamed of what I did just because you want me to be.”
I suspected that that wasn’t quite the truth, but I held my tongue. Telling the world that you were part of a virginity sale couldn’t be easy. Being known as the once twenty-one-year-old virgin was also hard, especially in a town like this. And, given how much she cared about her father, I imagined it would be challenging to reveal just what lengths she’d gone to protect him. Even so, this was the right thing to do. If it meant exposing herself, I guess, so be it. Taking the high road ain’t always easy.