Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 76082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76082 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“What the fuck? No!” Animal rears back like I slapped him.
“Then just tell me! I do owe them money because of drugs, but it’s not because I’m on them. I… um… I was dealing, and… uh, lost the drugs.” It’s what I sort of imagine happened with Sandra anyway, before rehab, but there’s no point in dragging her into this
“You?” they say together.
“Yeah?”
Quickshot snorts. “Fine. Keep your secrets. As long as they don’t fuck with us, it doesn’t really matter. The Unwanted have a hold on you. Whatever it is, we’ll make it disappear. All you have to do is be what you already are. Ours.”
“Forever?”
“Three months.” Animal’s expression is all business for a change.
“Months!? I thought—”
Badass cuts me off with a laugh. “Don’t take this the wrong way, honey, but I don’t think you’ve been doing a lot of that lately or you wouldn’t be sitting here with us negotiating for your freedom. Maybe it’ll be a little faster, maybe slower, but three months should give us time to get our business with the Unwanted cleaned up. We’re not gonna hold a gun to your head, but you got two choices right now: either we let you go and you take your chances with them again, or you stick with us until it’s safe. I think I know which you’d prefer.”
“You think I want to be with the three of you?”
Quickshot steps forwards and puts his fingers under my chin, slowly raising my head until I find myself standing and looking up at him. God, all it takes is a single finger and suddenly my belly is all butterflies. Why am I like this? Why do they make me feel this way so easily?
He leans in as if to kiss me, and my stupid traitor body sways towards him. The other two men are right behind me, I can feel it in every bone of my body, and heat pools between my legs. He chuckles, the sound rich and dark with cocky promise. “Don’t you? If not, you’re a good fucking actress, but that’s all we need. Make everyone believe you belong to us. When it’s over, you can walk away, your cherries still intact.”
“We don’t have to—you know—for real?”
“Have to? Nobody’s going to fucking force you, but we’re no saints. Baby, if you keep offering, don’t be surprised when we take you up on it. Personally, by the time we’re done, I think you’ll be fucking begging for it.”
11
NATALIE
“So, what do you think?” asks Jewel, the club girl assigned to get me ready.
She has long pink hair, and reminds me a little of the girls that hung out with the Unwanted, but more relaxed and less… desperate is the word that comes to mind. They let me stay in Animal’s room last night, and Jewel showed up this morning to give me a quick tour of where to find food, and the locker room the girls use.
“It’s a little much.” I pull up on the front of the black corset top but it just makes my boobs jiggle.
She throws her head back and laughs. “Damn, how drunk were you that you ended up coming home with Quickshot and those boys? Nothing personal, but you don’t seem the type.”
Our story was that I hooked up with Badass, Animal and Quickshot last night after we met at a bar, and then they invited me to a party at the club tonight, but I didn’t have any extra clothes with me. I’m a little sick of having to borrow from strangers, but at least these are freshly washed, and apparently needing underwear is a big enough problem around here that the bathroom Jewel showed me has a literal basket of individually wrapped thong panties
“I’m not, usually anyway. But they were very convincing.” My cheeks flush.
“Oh, I’ll bet. I’ve heard some stories. Me and Chef saw you come in last night and it looked seriously intense.”
There’s a knock on the door, and then a girl who looks to be a few years older than me comes in. She’s small and curvy, with long brown hair and a bit of a bump in her waistline that looks like she might be early on in a pregnancy. “Okay, who’s the new girl?” she says with a clear, high laugh, but she’s eyeing me suspiciously.
“N—Natalie,” I stammer, holding out my hand.
“So polite. I was like that once, but hang around here long enough and it’ll wear off. Nice, ta meet’cha, Natalie. Hey Jewel, people are starting to show up. Can you go help my mother get the kids upstairs so she can watch them tonight? I’ll keep an eye on her.”
Jewel nods. “Sure, Em.”
We both watch as Jewel leaves, and then the girl turns on me, looking much less friendly. “I know you’re new here, but I’m Emily, and just so you know, if you do anything to fuck with Quickshot or the others, I will personally kick your ass. Don’t think I can’t do it.”