“Room four is ready,” she said in a hushed voice, obviously not to me. She must have an earpiece as well. Her heels tapped out a slow rhythm away, and I heard her sink into the chair.
There were a million thoughts running through my mind while we waited in silence. The straps weren’t uncomfortable, but they weren’t great, either. I wanted to get on with it even as I was petrified. What if he wanted to start with one of the three boxes I’d checked at the last minute? Disaster, that’s what would happen.
I heard the door swing open and I stopped breathing. Heavy footsteps entered, and I could make out his raspy breathing.
“Good evening, sir,” she said. “Can I show you what I’m featuring tonight?”
“Yeah,” he said. The heavy footsteps plodded closer. “Good lord, I think they get better with each room.” He had a southern accent.
“I don’t know, I think you’ll find she’s the peak. And she’s an exclusive.”
“What’s that mean?”
“She’s here for one night only. She can be yours alone.”
“Yeah?”
They lapsed into silence for a moment before Tara spoke again. “You don’t sound like you’re originally from here.”
“Nashville.”
“Oh? Bet the traffic took some getting used to.” So, he was fugly, as Payton had put it. Maybe he could put up top dollar and be done in five minutes . . .
He sighed. “She’s real pretty and all, but I’d kind of like to see them all before making a decision.”
“Of course,” she said in her honey-sweet voice. I heard the door open and close. “Thanks for telling me he’s showrooming,” she grumbled, again I assumed into the earpiece. “Okay, got it.”
It sounded like she returned to the chair.
Without my vision, it felt like hours had passed.
I waited.
And waited.
But the door never creaked open. I tried counting in my head to distract myself. What if no one else came? Whoring myself out was bad enough; what if no one wanted me?
“Tara?” I asked, panic rising in me. It had to have been at least thirty minutes, and I worried she’d left and I hadn’t heard her, or she’d fallen asleep.
“Yes?”
“Does it usually take this long?”
“No, but we’ve . . . run into a situation.”
What? “What kind of situation?”
“Someone’s requested a hold be put on you. He’s not a member of the club, and only members have that privilege.”
My heart leaped into my throat, making it difficult to breathe. Blake. Was he going to screw this up for me? Was he going to come in here and have me? The door swung open abruptly, and there was a sharp intake of breath that made me tremble.
“Good evening, sir,” Tara said. “I believe this is what you’ve been waiting for.”
“Yes.” It was almost inaudible, making it impossible to recognize.
“She’s an exclusive, one-night only experience. Please, take a closer look.”
His footsteps were quiet as he came near. I had to remind myself to breathe, to relax.