It's sort of strange that Ricardo doesn't have more people surrounding him at all times, but maybe I'm just seeing what he wants me to see.
I've been made an idiot underestimating what a man could do in the past, I refuse to let that happen again.
"I'm back here," Ricardo says from down the hall in his creepy jerk-off room.
I approach, my footsteps pattering against the floor and doing a poor job of blocking out the sound of my racing heart.
Entering the room, Ricardo holds out his finger to me and continues with the phone call he's on.
"Uh huh, I understand." He pauses. "Yes, call me back when you have more information." He hangs up and faces me with a sigh. "There's my pet." Ricardo coughs and pounds on his chest with his fist. "I'm glad we'll have no distractions today."
He's referring to London, who's still in the hospital, but I don't dare say that to him and rile him up before we've even begun.
"Shall we get started?" I walk in further, trip over the corner of the rug, and fall into a heap on the floor, my clutch spilling open the contents.
"Clumsy bitch," he slurs and doesn't bother moving from his spot to help me up.
But that's what I was counting on.
"I'm so sorry," I say as I reach for the items, making sure to leave the false tube of lip-gloss tucked under the couch it rolled beneath. I brace myself on the corner table, sticking another one of the bugs underneath the bottom of the surface. "I'm such a klutz."
"Whatever." Ricardo lowers himself onto the couch and wafts his hand in the air. "Stop wasting time. Clothes are in the bathroom down the hall."
I nod in compliance, slip out of the room, and breathe a sigh of relief at the first phase of the plan working. Now, here's to hoping I can pull the rest of it off.
My stomach coils at the pile of measly fabric waiting for me, but I come to terms with the fact that this must be done. It's the only way forward. I maneuver myself into a bright red piece, the sheer lace barely covering my most private areas, and slide into a pair of heels sitting on the floor. In the mirror, I adjust my tits and mentally give my reflection a little pep talk.
With every ounce of confidence I can muster, I strut down the hall and into the room, catching his attention the second I'm through the door.
"Damn, pet, you're really wearing that one." He licks his lips and reaches for the waistband of his dress slacks. "I'm already hard just looking at you." Ricardo points. "Come, stand here while I take a closer look."
I walk over to the spot and muster the courage to remain in place while he violates me with his stare. "I wanted to ask you...about my mother."
Ricardo's brows pinch together. "After, pet, not right now." He pulls out his drooping cock and squeezes it in his hand, stroking the length to get himself harder.
"I just thought I'd be more compliant if, you know, I knew she was okay."
Ricardo clenches his jaw and his hairy nostrils flare. He smacks at the couch to locate his discarded phone, his eyes still trained on my body as he jerks himself. He only glances away briefly to push a couple of buttons on his screen, the speaker crackling to life.
He doesn't take his hand off his cock as a voice comes through the speaker.
"State your name," a man says.
"Suzannah Price."
My mouth nearly drops open at hearing my mother's voice.
"And state your current condition, on a scale of one to five," the man asks of her.
She clears her throat. "A four, maybe. I'm feeling quite better, honestly. Very pleased with the results and ready to go home."
I chew at the inside of my cheek to stop myself from crying. I had worried so fucking hard this entire time that I never pushed to find out how she was because I couldn't come to terms with the idea that maybe this had all been for nothing, that my mother was already dead.
But upon hearing her voice, I'm filled with hope that this really might be over soon. That my mother might make it out of this alive, despite the cancer that I only recently found out she had.
Ricardo clicks off his phone and tosses it aside. "Happy?"
I nod and step closer to him. "Yes. Thank you."
