Hell (Black Heart Romance)

I need another drink. Since when do I give a shit either way? She’s money on two legs, nothing more. And she owes me. She walked into this with her eyes open. I don’t even have to give her this chance to pay off her debt.

So long as I don’t think about what she’ll look like by the time he’s finished with her…

“You better finish that. I pride myself on punctuality as well as discretion.” I suck down another whiskey with my back to her, telling myself to forget about it. Adults make decisions, and they have to learn to live with the consequences. That’s all there is to it. I don’t make the rules.

By the time I turn around, her glass is empty. I take it from her without meeting her gaze, turning away again. I can’t look at her.

“Alexei?” The door opens an instant later, the way I knew it would. “Take Rowan down to Hell.”

The chair creaks slightly when she stands. “I feel like I should thank you or something…”

She doesn’t know it, but that’s the worst thing she could possibly say. I have to grit my teeth and will away a rush of something that feels suspiciously like guilt. “Don’t bother. Just do what you came here to do. That’s all the thanks I need.”

Alexei mutters something unintelligible, and Rowan’s heels click across the floor. The door closes, leaving me alone.

What the hell is wrong with me? I never get sick, but this must be an exception to the rule because there’s no other explanation for how twisted up I suddenly feel inside. That girl has no idea what she has gotten herself into.

But she did get herself into it. She borrowed a lot of money with no means of paying it back, then let the interest build until the amount was in the five-figure range. She signed a contract to pay that debt back, and now she has to live up to the terms she agreed to.

It just so happens some men will pay a lot of money to get what they want. The shit they crave, no matter how twisted it is. So I provide a service in a safe, clean environment.

And Rowan is perfect for him. Alexei was right about that. Skin like alabaster, unblemished. Young, innocent—no way has she ever been in a club like this before, for any reason. Not with those wide, innocent eyes with a hint of fear.

But dammit. Even though she was scared, she didn’t flinch. She didn’t back down.

And she followed Alexei like a lamb to the slaughter.

“It’s not up to me.” My voice rings out in the otherwise empty room. There’s no one to agree with me, to tell me I’m right. To ease the nagging sense of something being very wrong with this situation.

I’ve got to get my head screwed on straight. I didn’t spend ten years building this business from the ground up to start growing a conscience now. She’s just a girl, like every other girl working for me. And once tonight is over, she can go back to her narrow little life.

Glen’s kink isn’t even the strangest I’ve ever indulged here. At least that’s what I tell myself as I sit behind my desk. I’ve had clients who were into branding. One burned his name onto a girl’s ass, then jerked off onto her wounds after she passed out from the pain. I’ve had a few who dabbled in vampirism, for lack of a better word. One of them will never be back here again so long as I own the place, the greedy, disgusting fuck.

But Glen? He likes pain. Especially the kind involving knives and bare skin. And he’ll just love all that smooth, unscarred skin, too.

People have to live up to their word. Rowan’s not the only one who’s made promises. Hell-level clients expect freedom and protection, and they pay handsomely for both. I can’t go back on that.

Fuck, but I can’t stop thinking about her, either.

Alexei’s three knocks tell me he’s back. “It’s done.” Meaning his job is finished for now. She’s down there, and the fun’s about to start. “She’s good, right? Like I said?”

“She’s good.” I can’t help but ask my next question since I wasn’t precisely paying attention when we first discussed her. “What were the circumstances of your running into each other?”

“She was a waitress at that diner near the college.” Yes, more than a few of our short-term employees come from the college. “I was on my way in one night, and I saw her sitting there on the curb, crying. I thought she might be a good prospect. She told me she’d just got fired and would get kicked out of her apartment since she had no money for rent.”

He shrugs, grinning. “It was like she was waiting for me. Perfect.”