ONE
“Argh.”
Nolan’s hand tightened around my neck, his bulkier body stiffening on top of me as he came. I didn’t care one way or the other about what we’d just done. He would never have been my choice—if I had one. Sleeping with him was a necessary evil and came with the job description. As his favorite prostitute.
At least I’d aimed to be the best at something. No one could ever complain I wasn’t a high achiever.
He fell onto the bed beside me, and I sucked a deep breath into my starved lungs. I stroked my neck and turned my head to the side to hide my scowl. Hopefully, this time, the marks he’d left wouldn’t be bad. Maybe he would be so pleased by my performance tonight he wouldn’t send me out.
A sharp slap connected with my ass, ringing out in the room, and I jerked up to a sitting position.
“Go get cleaned up and put on your kitty costume.”
So much for hoping.
“Do I have to go out tonight?” I peered up at him from under my eyelashes. Sometimes if I was extra sweet toward him, he kept me for the night instead of sending me out to work the streets. I’d made enough for the week already. “None of the other hookers pull even half of what I do.”
“And that’s exactly why I need you on the streets, sweets. Your ass is the only one making me enough money right now. Never thought I’d see the day boy pussy sells more than actual pussy, but what do you know? Here we are. Can’t afford to give you a night off, babe. Sorry.”
No, he wasn’t sorry. Nolan had two needs in life: sex and money. From me, he got both. Now that I’d given him sex, he wanted me to deliver the cash.
“But I’m tired. Just this once, please.”
“I have just the thing that’ll help you keep your energy up, and it’s premium shit too.”
He shuffled over to the end of the bed and jerked the drawer of the nightstand open, cursing when he pulled too hard and it fell on the floor. I peeled the sticky sheets off my body and hopped out of bed.
“No, thanks.”
It wasn’t the first time he’d offered me drugs since he coerced me into “working” for him. I wouldn't say yes tonight. I’d held out for the past six months, and I would for as long as I could.
“Suit yourself. I don’t give a fuck what you do. Just bring me back some money.”
I glanced over my shoulder. He sat with his legs spread, coke or whatever shit he’d mixed in a bag between his naked thighs on the bed. I hastily shrugged on my shorts and T-shirt. Without a word to him, I slipped out of his bedroom. I wouldn’t want to be caught dead with him when he was on that shit. He was tolerable when he was sober, but coked up, he was downright evil and cruel.
“Baby,” he called after me. “You bring me back what you did yesterday, and I’ll buy you something really special.”
Of course, with my money.
I closed the door behind me and—
“Watch where you’re going, bitch.”
Fuck. Not him.
I adopted a contrite expression and turned toward Stu, who’d placed a target on my back since the night Nolan brought me here under false pretenses. The black-haired he-devil wore shorts and a see-through tank top. He was ready to work.
“I’m sorry.”
“One day you will be, bitch.”
If I had a dime for every time he called me bitch, I would make easy money. I turned toward the stairs and rolled my eyes. Suck my dick, you jealous asshole. In my head, I always won these battles, but I knew better than to speak my thoughts. The taunting, torment, and threats would only get worse. I was lucky some other prostitute hadn’t beaten me to a pulp already, only because of Nolan. The last boy who’d touched me had been sold to a sadistic bastard. Nolan had warned them about touching his prized possession.
I knew better than to think he cared about me. He was only interested in the money my ass earned him every night.
I escaped to the room I shared with one other guy and two girls without further incident. The girls, Gina and Kelly, were cool. They made my living situation tolerable. Raj was always too high to care much about anything besides getting laid and a hit. He was one of the few who didn’t mind his job. In fact, rumor had it that he came from a wealthy family and could go back anytime, but he remained at the whorehouse to live his own life.
“You were with Nolan?” Gina asked when I entered. She was doing Kelly’s hair for the night.