Muse in Lingerie (Lingerie 1)

He moved his hand to my arm and slowly trailed it down. “Everything.”

“Then you expect me to sleep with you?”

His fingertips stopped at my elbow. “Yes.”

The money had been placed on the table, but now it didn’t seem appealing. “I’m not interested in providing sex for money. I may wear nearly nothing on stage, but I’m not a whore, Conway.” I was desperate for money, but I wasn’t that desperate yet. Anyone else would have taken the offer because it was a great one. It solved my problem with the American authorities. But something about the offer rubbed me the wrong way. Conway touched me like I mattered. He kissed me so gently, held me when I felt most afraid. He praised me when I felt insecure. Perhaps I’d developed feelings for him along the way. The fact that he only saw me as a sexual object was insulting. I probably would have slept with him anyway…but I wanted it to mean something. “Maybe I misjudged you. I thought we had a connection…but I guess I was wrong.”

“We do have a connection, Sapphire. But sex is just sex to me. I like it hard and meaningless. I like it purely physical. I only want to fuck you, only want to use you—I’m sorry if that was unclear.”

I had no reason to expect anything else, but I was still disappointed in him. When he was surrounded by gorgeous women all the time, there was no incentive for him to have a relationship. They were just toys in his eyes. But I didn’t want to be a toy…at least not for my first time.

“Take my offer.” He moved his hand to my waist, and he squeezed me gently. “I want you to be my fantasy. I want you to fulfill my desires. I want you to inspire the sexiest line of lingerie I’ll ever create. And in return, I’ll make your problems go away.”

Even if I stayed, I still had a bigger problem on my hands. Knuckles would find me, and he would cut me into pieces before he dumped me in the river to be fish food. It was too risky for me to stay behind. I owed nearly another million to that man, and there was no way Conway would offer to pay for that. “No.”

Conway stared at me in disbelief, his right eyebrow cocked. He could have any woman he wanted without paying a dime. He knew I was attracted to him, must have realized the way I reacted to him. For me to turn down both him and the money must have been a surprise.

“I may have nothing…but I won’t settle for less than nothing.”

* * *

Walking away from Conway was more difficult than I let on. I’d become attached to him in the last month, enjoying the way he put me on a pedestal and called me a queen. I liked being his fascination, the inspiration for such beautiful lingerie. He was one of the most handsome men I’d ever seen, and the fact that he thought I was worth anything was incredibly flattering.

I felt a connection with him.

He made me feel safe, made me feel treasured. I called him an asshole to his face, but he never got upset about it. He seemed amused by my attitude more than annoyed by it. And once he knew my secret, he’d offered me a way out.

He basically wanted to pay his way between my legs so he could fuck me on his terms, but since a beautiful man like him didn’t need to pay for anything, that made me feel special too—in a twisted way.

But now I would never see him again.

That chapter of my life was over.

I wasn’t sure how many chapters I had left.

I returned to my hotel room to sleep for the night. First thing in the morning, I’d be out of the city. I hadn’t decided where I would go yet. Staying in Italy seemed too risky. France and Switzerland were close, both countries I could reach via train. Each with hostels I could crash in. Having a phone would make my travels easier, but I refused to ask Conway for anything else.

That implied I needed him.

I could figure this out on my own.

When I stepped inside my room, I noticed the paper sitting on the bed the maids had already made. I tensed in the entryway because that piece of paper looked familiar—too familiar. Silent threats had been unleashed exactly like that before, finding their way into my bag or on the couches where I slept.

I inched closer, aware of the blood pounding in my ears. It was like a current rushing in my canal. I could feel my heartbeat quicken as I prepared to read the words that still haunted my dreams.

One step closer and I could read it. In masculine handwriting I’d recognize anywhere was the message I most feared.