I stood up and stared at him. This time it was his eyes that were dazed, and I could hear that his breathing was now uneven.
“I guess it’s time for my next test.” I smiled at him sweetly while gently pressing my br**sts against his chest. “Thanks for making this one so enjoyable.” I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and then grabbed my bra and put it on quickly.
“You’re not what you seem, are you?” Greyson’s voice was deep, and I could hear a hint of surprise.
“You’re not the only one who’s not transparent.” I grabbed my shirt and pulled it on before walking quickly to the door. My heart was beating fast and my legs were trembling with fear. I was scared that he would come and stop me.
I knew that if he touched me again, it would be all over. I would be begging him. My panties were moist and my ni**les were on high alert. My body was calling out for his touch. But I didn’t want him to know. I wanted him to think that I couldn’t care less. I wanted him to beg me.
“You don’t want to play with me, Meg.” His voice was soft. “And you don’t want to doubt your gut instincts about me. What you first thought was correct. I’m not the sort of guy you want to play with. I know what I want and I take it. No questions and no regrets. I’m not the bad boy turned good. I’m just me. You don’t want to forget that.”
“I won’t,” I whispered back to him.
“If you’re here to get answers for your friend Katie, then you’re not going to be very lucky. If you want to be a good friend, I’d leave now. I’d leave while you still have your dignity intact.”
I opened the door slowly and was about to walk out when I heard him speak again.
“I’d leave and I’d go and tell your friend to get as far away from Brandon Hastings as possible. Because yes, he’s bad news. He’s very bad news.”
I walked out of the door and then ran to the bathroom. I walked quickly to the sinks and splashed water on my face. I smoothed my hands over my hair and took a deep breath. I stared at my reflection in the mirror and studied my face to see if I looked different. I certainly felt different. My body felt more alive and my brain was buzzing with adrenaline. Then I heard a sound and froze.
“Hello?” I called out, and a door opened behind me.
“Meg?” Nancy’s voice called out to me and she stepped out of a stall. Her eyes looked bloodshot, and I could tell she had been crying.
“Are you okay?” I walked over to her quickly, concerned.
“I’m fine.” She nodded and rubbed her eyes. “It’s hard being here.”
“Did you find out anything?”
“No,” she sighed. “Not really, though Frank said he recognized me.”
“He did?”
“Well, he said I looked familiar. Asked if I had a sister or relative that used to work at the club.”
“What did you say?”
“I pretended to be confused and said no.” She bit her lower lip. “The way he looked at me, it made me shiver. He looked so menacing.”
“Did Maria ever mention him before?” I asked thoughtfully. “Frank doesn’t look that old. I doubt he would have been here when Maria was here.”
“I don’t know, but the look he gave me...” She rubbed her eyes again. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
“You’re strong.” I grabbed her hands. “You want to know what happened to your sister, right?”
“Yeah.” She nodded. “He asked me what room I was staying in, and he asked me who my roommate was.”
“Frank did?” My eyes narrowed. “Why does he care?”
“I don’t know. I told him.” She looked at me with wide eyes. “I couldn’t think of a reason to not tell him. What if he comes to our room tonight?”
“He won’t.”
“He asked me about you.”
“About me? Why?”
“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “A lot of people have been talking about you.”
“Why?”
“I, uh, I...” She blushed and looked away from me.
“What is it, Nancy? Tell me?”
“You’re older than the other girls.” She shrugged. “I guess everyone is just surprised.”
“I’m only twenty-five.” I’d never felt so old before in my life.
“I know.” She shrugged. “I guess it’s just unusual.”
“I guess,” I sighed. “I wonder what really goes on at this club. I’m so confused.”
“Yeah, I wonder if it’s a prostitution ring.” Nancy gave me a look. “Like a whorehouse.”
“Whorehouse?” This time it was my eyes that widened. “I thought it was a strip club or something.” I paused and thought for a moment. “Though, I guess the next logical step would be a whorehouse.” I felt an impending headache looming. Was Greyson in charge of a whorehouse? I felt saddened as I thought about it. Was I just another whore to him? And what did that mean about Brandon? Was he also in charge of a whorehouse? Was Katie dating a pimp?
“We better go.” Nancy sighed and pulled out some lipstick. “I think it’s time for the next room.”
“What was your first test?”
“I had to do a spelling test.” Nancy made a face and I stared at her in shock.
“What?” I asked her with an open mouth.
“I had a spelling test. I think I failed. I’d never even heard of half of the words.”
“Are you joking?” I burst out laughing. Was this some sort of big joke?
“Not at all.” She made a face. “That’s why I was crying. I’m worried I may not make it through the training period. I know I failed that test.”
“I thought you were crying because of Frank.”
“Oh, no. He creeps me out, but I knew coming into this that there would be plenty of creeps to deal with.”
“Oh?”
“Well, Greyson Twining is the owner.” Nancy shrugged.
“You know him?” I asked lightly.
“Maria told me some things when she first started,” Nancy whispered. “I was young so didn’t really understand then. But sometimes I remember things that she said.”
“What did she say?”
“He’s a bad guy.” She looked at me with a worried expression.
“In what ways?” I questioned her.