He nodded, a small smile playing about his lips that I didn’t trust for a second. Why was this motherfucker always grinning?
“How long do you think that will that take?” I asked, nightmares of being forced to pretend I actuallylikedthis man for months on end running through my mind.
“That depends on what kind of players you recruit.”
“Me?” I said, incredulous. “I’m supposed to do the recruiting, too? You just said that you’d be the one collecting clients.”
“Yes. But I don’t know these people. I’ll need you to point out who the best candidates are. Who might be more accepting of a little illicit fun without leaking my secrets.”
I rested my elbows on the table and rubbed my temples. “You don’t know what you’re asking of me. I haven’t been around any of these people in years, and I hate most of them.”
“First off, I don’t care,” he said with such obvious disdain that I felt like an idiot for thinking that could change his mind. “Secondly, not liking them should make your job easier.”
I lifted my head to meet his gaze. The candle flickered between us, light dancing across his features, sweeping along his jawline and cheekbones, softening his skin and lending it a golden hue that gave his face a dreamy, surreal quality. My fingers itched for a sketch pad, and it made me hate him even more. His beauty was a trap. A lie. Nothing but a paper-thin façade hiding the monster beneath.
My eyes rose back to his, and I found him watching me, waiting, like he had all the time in the world for me to come to terms with my situation.
It could be worse,I told myself.
God, it could have been so much worse. He could have forced me to sell the tattoo parlor, take out astronomical loans I could never hope to repay, threaten to go after my parents or ruin my brother’s life. Compared to all that, pretending to date him should seem like a cakewalk. But I didn’t know if I could stomach it, if I could believably pretend to enjoy Theo’s company when all I’d be thinking about was how many other people were trapped beneath his thumb, how many more souls I’d be forced to deliver to his doorstep.
Unbidden, an image of Blake popped into my mind. Of him sitting in my tattoo parlor the other night, head in his hands, terrified that he’d ruined his life.
I took a deep breath. For him, I could do this. I’d already destroyed my life once, so what did it matter if I did it again? I knew that I was strong enough to endure this, believed that I could find a way to climb out of this hole and eventually return to a somewhat normal existence, because I’d done it before under much worse conditions.
Blake might not be fully innocent of any blame for this situation, but to me, the only thing he was guilty of was having the world’s worst luck. Theone timehe (understandably) got blackout drunk and acted out of character, he had the misfortune of blundering straight into someone more than ready to take advantage of him. It didn’t seem fair, but then life wasn’t known for its fairness.
I was now in a position to keep Blake from facing the same devastation I had, to keep my family from enduring another scandal, and after everything I’d put them all through, it felt like the least I could do.
Blake was going to be furious when he found out I’d traded places with him. And probably try to do something stupid like switch back. But that was a problem for future Stella. Current Stella already had enough on her plate.
I met Theo’s unforgiving gaze. The gym bro was long gone, and in his place sat someone far more formidable, far more dangerous.
Oh, fuck. This was happening.
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry, and nodded. “Okay. I’ll do it.”
His lips curled into an antagonistic grin. “I knew you were smarter than you looked.”
I fought to keep from scowling at him. “Don’t you think this is going to be bad enough without you insulting me every few seconds?”
“But insulting you is so much fun.”
I was about to clap back when the waiter reappeared with Theo’s entrée. He wisely kept his focus on Theo, asking if he wanted any fresh asiago grated over the dish. Theo acquiesced.
“And can you bring us a spare plate?” Theo asked. “This looks so good, my girlfriend might decide she’d like to try some.”
The waiter hesitated. Glanced my way. I kept my gaze fixed on Theo. Hisgirlfriend? I was already supposed to play my part?
“Sure, honey,” I said, my voice dripping poison.
The waiter scampered away.
Theo chuckled. “Feral little thing, aren’t you?”
I didn’t respond. Didn’t trust myself to not bite himif I opened my mouth. He’d returned to being smarmy, but I wasn’t about to be lulled back into complacency. I’d glimpsed something far more treacherous lurking beneath the surface: therealTheo.
He lifted his silverware, his fork in his right hand as he speared a piece of chicken.
