Showtime.
Chapter
TWENTY-FOUR
It sounded as if Payton stood quickly from the chair. “Good evening, sir. Welcome.”
There wasn’t a response. He was probably too busy looking at my tits. I clenched my teeth so tight my jaw ached. You’re almost done. I’d agree to whatever sum he offered, because the faster this was over, the better.
“I heard it’s your first time here,” Payton said. “On the wall you’ll see a list. These are areas she’s interested in, if you are, too.”
God, filling out the willing list had been painful. Not that it’d ever get that far, but I didn’t want to leave something off that Roland would be into. I needed the sale as enticing as possible, and in the end I’d checked all of the boxes except for the extreme fetishes.
“May I take your coat?”
There was rustling as he slipped it off and passed it to her. He didn’t utter a thank you, and I don’t know why I was surprised. The more I’d dug into his background, the more I’d uncovered he was an arrogant prick.
“Let’s talk money,” he said abruptly, his voice harsh.
“You want to dive right into the deep end?” She gave half a laugh.
Was that a sports reference, or just an idiom? I would have put him more in the average category rather than attractive, but looks were subjective.
“I don’t like to waste time,” he said. “I’m a busy man.”
“All right. Nine.”
“Hundred?”
A noise cut off from her, like shocked offense. “Thousand.”
He responded with his own sound of disapproval. “You’ve got to be joking.”
“You came here specifically for her.”
He shifted on his feet, the shoes scuffing on the floor. “I won’t pay anything more than two, and she’d better be worth it.”
I couldn’t see Payton, but I knew her well enough. I pictured her hands clenching into fists and a tight smile plastered on her face, masking her irritation. It was fine, though. I’d dealt with my fair share of clients who had difficulty letting go of their money, and it was hardest with brand new clients.
“Satisfaction is guaranteed,” she purred. Could he hear the undertone of contempt? “If you don’t enjoy to the very last drop, you won’t be charged. So, to be clear, your offer is two?”
He seemed to consider her statement, then sighed. “Yes.”
She fiddled with the strap holding my blindfold in place. She thought this was the highest he was willing to go.
The words were bitter on my tongue. “I accept.”
“Congratulations, sir.” Payton’s hand lingered on my shoulder.
What was she doing? As soon as the deal was made, I got out of the client’s way as quickly as possible.
A beat passed before she spoke again. “Tonight’s the first time she’s offered herself. You’ll be her first client, so make it special for her, okay?”
He said nothing.
Payton’s palm squeezed, and her fingers brushed over my skin as they trailed away. Her footsteps drifted to the door, and then it was shut.
All alone now, Roland. I probably had enough already and could use my signal, but no way was I going to go through this and leave the lawyers room to argue it was a misunderstanding. He’d need to make a move on me so it was concrete. It’d be impossible to argue against the video evidence.