Filthy: A Mafia Romance

And now…what was left?

I shook my head. I couldn’t afford to lose The Cut and then owe Ethan on top of that.

The tears came unbidden, no matter how hard I tried to stop them. I felt them tip over my lashes and slide hot and wet down my cheeks. I didn’t bother to wipe them away or even acknowledge them.

“Please,” I heard myself croak. I was disgusted with the sound of begging, but I couldn’t deny the fact that that was what I was doing. There were no other options now. “I can’t pay you protection. You have to know that.”

He smiled and nodded his head. “I’m sure we can work something out.”

I stared at him through my tears, wishing I had a card left to play. Wishing I were a stronger person who could stand up to a man like Ethan Chambers, but he held all the power. “You don’t understand. I can’t even afford to give you a cut of—”

He held up his hand to stop me. “No, no. I have something else in mind.”

Chapter 7

“You’re going to pay me with your body.”

I was frozen to the chair. Stuck to the worn vinyl seat cushion in Ethan Chambers’ office, watching him like he had just grown a second head. Because there was no possible way he was saying what I thought he was saying.

“No.” The one word answer was out of my mouth before I had a chance to even think twice about it. It was an automatic, instant reaction on my part that was more instinct than anything else. Because my brain may have still been processing what Ethan was talking about, but my body was already responding. I felt greasy, disgusting. Like he’d just dumped slime over the top of me, coating my body until I was both a game show reject and a sewer rat.

My mind was trying to tell me I must have misunderstood him. Even a bastard like him couldn’t mean that.

No, he just burns people’s workplaces down. He wouldn’t charge sexual favors in exchange for protection against him, I thought dryly.

Ethan lifted a single dark brow at me, a smirk playing at his lips. He didn’t seem the least put off by my answer and I knew why.

Because I might have said no right away, but we both knew I wasn’t in a bargaining position. He’d get what he wanted—or I’d lose more than my store.

“No?” he parroted back to me, mocking my tone. “But you haven’t even heard the details yet.”

I felt bile rise in my throat. It took everything I had to not puke right there. Though maybe that would be enough to put this sick, twisted idea out of his head. I doubt it. He’d do it just to make me pay.

Trying to control the tears that weren’t doing me any good, I folded my arms across my chest and acted like I was in charge instead of utterly terrified. “I don’t need to hear the details,” I assured him. “They can’t be interesting enough to make me consider it.” I was doing well until that tremble entered my voice in the end, announcing to everyone in the room that I was anything but confident.

What was worse, as I said those words, my mind decided to flash with images of my dream. Being tied up at The Cut as I was manhandled by sexy, dominating Ethan Chambers.

It was horrible. How could I be both terrified and turned on? How could I be disgusted and thrilled at the same time? It wasn’t right and it only served to make me feel worse about the whole thing. Because now not only did I think he was a piece of shit, but I was, too.

Ignoring my bravado, Ethan described this new deal to me. “As I said, you’ll pay your fees for my protection with your body.” He took a moment then to let his eyes drag slowly over my form. I wished I’d worn something less flattering—maybe sweats or a burlap sack. When his eyes came back to my face, it was burning. “I’ll do whatever I want with you, whenever I want. You’re my newest plaything and I intend to take full advantage. Starting now.”

I blinked at him, my brain seriously lagging on its processing time. “What?”

He stood then and began to undo his well-fitting jeans. I watched with wide eyes as he deftly undid his button and jerked down his fly. Horror had to have been written across my face as I looked around the room in a panic. I recoiled, trying to put as much distance between myself and Ethan as possible, but being in the chair didn’t really make that an easy task.

Raising a brow at me, he motioned towards his desk which was mostly bare. Just a few papers, a cell phone, and a laptop off to the side. I stared at it like it was the devil’s own bed and it was going to bite me if I touched it.