I listen in humiliation as whoever it is crosses the room to stand opposite the large desk.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir,” the man says, obviously able to see everything that’s going on.
“No matter, what is it?” he asks, exhaling smoke through his nose like a dragon.
“Julius sent word to tell you that the club opening has been changed.”
“To when?”
“Tonight, sir.”
“Damn it,” Valentine growls, and I feel his body tense beneath me as he momentarily stops moving my head to look down at me. “Hmm. Maybe tonight isn’t such a bad thing after all, heaven knows the girl could use some training.”
My face burns with further embarrassment at this.
“Fine, ready the car. Oh, and here, take this.” Valentine says, sticking the cigarette between his lips as he leans forward, inadvertently pushing himself deeper into my throat and cutting off my ability to breathe. I struggle against him, but he pays me no mind as he pulls open another drawer and takes out a bag of black liquid that he tosses to the man. “You know what to do.”
“Yes, sir,” the man says before turning and exiting the room.
Valentine leans back finally giving me access to oxygen again, even as I continue to choke on him and the smoke. He looks down at me, his face hard before he draws from the cigarette one last time, he releases his hold on me and pulls out of my mouth.
My relief is short lived, however, when he suddenly grabs my hair again. Yanking my head to the side, he leans forward to press his cigarette to the space behind my ear.
I cry out as it burns my skin, the pungent smell filling my nostrils. My eyes watering, I glare up at Valentine, but he’s completely unfazed by this.
“Get up, we’ll finish this later,” he says, and I don’t need to be told twice as I scramble off his thigh and to my feet. “Can you find your own way back to my room?”
“Yes.”
Valentine rises, looking thoroughly annoyed until he notices the wet spot I’ve left on his pants. He fingers it, the corner of his mouth twitching.
“Yes?” he repeats, his eyes narrowing on me.
“Yes …daddy,” I say through gritted teeth.
“Good girl, go clean yourself up,” he orders. “I’ll have the outfit you’re to wear tonight sent up to you.”
I don’t waste any time making my way toward the door, crossing my arms over my body in an effort to hide as much of myself from view as possible.
“Oh, and Evelyn, gostraightto my room,” Valentine calls out just as I reach for the door. “Otherwise, I cannot begin to account for what some of my men may do to you in your current state. Now, get out of my sight.”
14
Seven
Seven?
I furrow my brow, shaking my head clear again as I let myself fade back into the darkness. Several peaceful seconds go by before I hear my name again.
Seven!
Taking a deep breath in, I exhale slowly, trying to remain calm.
Damn it, I don’t have much time!
Get out of my fucking head, Luci!
I force my eyes to remain shut, unwilling to let Luci use my eyes to see. Even so, the nothingness I’d spent the last however many days trying to get is completely shattered as thoughts and emotions flood my mind and body again.