Hotel O

“Lie down,” the woman tells me.

I do what she says.

I don’t even think about it.

My brain is on complete survival mode. Completely shut off from reality.

When my body hits the cold table, I go into a trance. My breathing slow and soft, my muscles letting go. With my eyes wide open, I stare at the man propping himself in front of me. His hands grasp my face, tilting my head back over the table until everything is upside down.

The only thing I see is his hard dick bouncing up and down as it comes closer to my face.

Two hands suddenly grip my thighs, fingers digging into my skin.

“Wait.”

A burst of panic flows through me. I break free of the stranger’s grasp around my throat and lift my head. When our eyes meet, my heart stops beating.

Declan.

Chapter 17

Declan

It’s her.

I knew it the moment I laid eyes on her when she first appeared through the crowd of people coming into the ballroom. She had that same walk, that same long ponytail, that same devious smile on her face. It had to be her.

I was hesitant to approach at first because I didn’t want to make a scene and upset the customers. But the moment Greta called her out to come forward, I knew I had to put a stop to it.

And holy shit, the moment our eyes connect, an ungodly amount of rage fills me to the brim.

Why is she here? How did she pull this off?

Goddammit, so many questions with no answers because I can’t ask her right now.

She’s on that table, about to get fucked by a client.

No, not just one … twenty or more.

They were all going to have their way with her, coming on her body, her hands, her face … inside her.

And the mere thought of that angers me so much that I squeeze her skin and don’t let go.

“Hold on, one second,” I say to the man, trying not to sound like a growling animal even though I feel like one.

I lean in and grab her hand, slowly pulling her up, keeping an eye out for the clients who are still fucking the other girls. I don’t want them to stop. The event must continue, no matter what.

So I lean in and softly whisper into her ear, “Follow me.”

She nods, staring at me as if she’s seeing a ghost.

She looks completely out of it. The perfume, music, and atmosphere have done their jobs well, it seems. But it wasn’t supposed to happen to her. She wasn’t supposed to be one of the girls. She wasn’t ever supposed to see any of this.

And now she has.

I snap my fingers at Greta, who immediately pulls another girl from the crowd and puts her on the table as a replacement. I turn my head to her and say, “Take over for a while.”

She nods and eases the clients back into the event. I don’t want them to pay any attention to me. In fact, I don’t even want them to notice I’m gone.

Nor do I want them to know they ever saw her.

Kat … what the hell is she thinking?

With her wrist firmly in my grasp, I pull her outside the ballroom and instruct the staff not to let anyone in unless they can show a card. Then I proceed through the hallways.

“My clothes …” she says as I pull her down the stairs.

But I don’t give a shit about her clothes right now. If she has the balls to dress up as one of the women hired for this event, then she can walk naked through the lobby too.

“Wait!” she says, trying to pull away, but I won’t let her.

I push her against the wall and hiss, “You loved the shame, remember?”

Then I tear off her mask and throw it on the floor, exposing her face.

I’m not mistaken. It’s really her. And it doesn’t even fucking surprise me.

She seems shocked. Scared, even. I almost feel guilty, but then I remember why I’m so angry.

“You put this on. You made that choice,” I growl. “Now c’mon.”

I drag her along down more stairs and into the hallway until we finally reach my office. I push her inside and slam the door shut behind me.

Kat

For every step he takes, I take one back until my butt leans against the desk. I search around to try to find anything to defend myself with, but all I find is a pen. It’s enough … no, it’s not nearly enough, but it’s something.

I don’t even know why I think I need something to protect myself with.

But damn … that look in his eyes … it’s murderous. And I think I understand why. A grin spreads across my lips, and the fear fades by the second. Now I know his secret. And boy oh boy … how juicy it is.