“I never went back,” she whispers. “I just—it doesn’t matter. Let me tell you what happened, okay?”
“Okay, okay. Go ahead.” I both want to know more and hope she doesn’t say anything else. As in, I’m quietly freaking out over here, but keeping a straight face because I want her to confess. I want her to be h
onest and open with me.
“One night, my boss tells me a customer likes me, and asks if I would be interested in providing—extra services to him. At first, I tell him no. Absolutely not. But then Don says how much the guy wants to pay, and it’s so much money, I have to say…yes.”
“Jesus,” I mutter, cradling my head in my hands. “When did this happen?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
I lift my head. “Yeah, it kind of does.”
Calm down. Don’t make her run.
“Please, Rhett. I’m not even done with my story. Let me get it out.” She clears her throat before she continues. “I met the guy in one of the private rooms we have, and at first, everything was…okay. He was a little older, a good-looking guy, though, in good shape, wearing nice clothes, and I’m pretty sure he was very wealthy. But, he would give me backhanded compliments, and he never seemed that in to me.”
“You wanted him in to you?” I can’t even wrap my head around this.
“When he’s paying ten thousand dollars to be with a girl for a few hours, you’d think he would be interested, right?” she asks sarcastically.
“Ten grand?”
She nods. “I know. That’s a lot of money, and I was going to get a huge piece of it. More money than I’d ever had in my lifetime. That’s why I said yes.”
Money is a huge motivator when you don’t have it. Something I’ve never had to experience before. Does that make me privileged?
Yes. Yes, it does.
“Anyway, it started to downward spiral quick, and I got irritated with him, and he got mad at me. Then he started getting rough with me, and I had to fight him off. Luckily, I got away from him. And he never came back either. He left his ten thousand dollar payment with Don, and disappeared.”
We’re both quiet and I try to process what she said. She’s so matter-of-fact while telling her story. Hardly showing any emotion when it sounds like it was a terrible experience. And the same thing keeps running through my brain: He got rough with her.
“What do you mean, he got rough with you? Are you saying he tried to—assault you?”
Jensen nods again, lifting her chin, trying to look tough. But she doesn’t. She looks vulnerable and scared and a little shaky. I have no idea what it’s like to be in her situation, to live her life. From everything she tells me, she had it far from easy growing up, and I wish I could change that.
I can’t, though. There are reasons she makes certain choices, ones I can’t begin to comprehend, and when she’s ready to share more with me, I’ll be there for her.
I want to be there.
I’m here for her now.
“Come here,” I whisper as I open my arms wide.
She dives into me, slinging her arms around my neck, burying her face against my shoulder. She’s trembling, and I hold her close, smoothing my hands up and down her back. “It was so scary. I thought he was going to rape me,” she whispers. “I’ve never run so fast in my life.”
“You haven’t seen him again?” My voice is tight, my anger barely contained. If I knew who the asshole was, I’d beat his face in.
It’s probably best I don’t know who he is.
“No. He told me his name was Greg. Savannah said he specifically asked about me that night, because he was sitting at one of her tables. But he wanted me to be his server instead of her.” She sighs, her cheek on my shoulder. “I’ve done a lot of stupid things. I let my emotions drive me. But that was the scariest thing that’s ever happened to me, and I told myself never again.”
“That’s why you shouldn’t work there, Jensen. You need to quit that place.” The words fall out of me before I can stop them, and I clamp my lips shut, hoping she doesn’t think I’m trying to start another fight.
She lifts her head, her gaze meeting mine. “You’re right,” she whispers. “I should leave City Lights.”
Relief floods me, making me hold her cheeks with my hands and lean in to kiss her. “It’s not safe there,” I whisper against her lips. “What if he comes back?”