“Lauralyn!” Lola’s head lifts from her desk as I enter her office. “Oh my goodness, hon.” She’s out of her seat and rushing around to me. “What happened? Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?”
The words don’t want to come out, but I push them past the tears, telling her everything. Starting back when we were young. Then filling her in on the weekend. All the things Holt said to me last night, how he asked me to move in with him. And then… how he ripped my heart in two as he sold me to Hemsworth.
“Oh, honey.” She hugs me tighter. “What did I tell you? I didn’t want you getting your hopes up for a future with that man because I know exactly what he’s like. No matter what. The club will always come first. Those men want to own the entire strip, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it.”
I know she warned me. But somehow, I managed to believe that our past meant that this was real. I thought he truly loved me. But she was right. I should never have trusted my heart with him.
“I have to leave, Lola.”
“Sure, hon. You’re off the clock until you feel better.”
“No.” I shake my head. “I have to leave town. I can’t stay here. It’s going to hurt too much.” I never should’ve taken the job. She was right; memories last a lifetime, and these are going to eat me alive. Especially if I have to walk past his casino to get to my bus every day.
“Where you gonna go, hon? And what about your schooling?”
“I’ll transfer. All I know is that I can’t stay here.” Thankfully, I have an account full of blood money now that I can go anywhere. I’d give it back, but I earned it with my heart. My consolation for the pain I’m going to forever endure.
“I never should’ve asked you to take the job. You just have to promise me that wherever you end up, you’ll keep in touch. I feel like I’m losing my own kid.” She hugs me tighter, and the sobs break in my chest again. I don’t want to leave her, but I have to in order to survive.
“You aren’t losing me, Lola. You’ll never lose me.”
“Alright. Get on out of here before I force you to move in with me. Truth is, a girl like you doesn’t belong on the strip. You deserve so much more. Knew that the day you walked in, but I could never put you out on the street.”
She deserves more too. But considering where she came from, she’s built an amazing life for herself. Something she should truly be proud of.
“I love you, Lola.”
“Love you too, hon.”
15
Deuce
My phone starts going off right as I exit my office. The contract is in place and Hemsworth is on his way to the bank to do the transfer. It’s gonna be a great fucking day.
It’s Lola calling. She probably just saw the amount I deposited in her bank account and is calling to thank me. I was feeling extra generous this morning. Love is definitely in the air.
“No need to thank me, I’m the one…”
“You son of a fucking bitch!”
Her sharp tone has me jerking my head back. Did I somehow miss a zero when I transferred the amount?
“I told you not to fill that girl’s head with false hope. I told you not to lead her on. And you did it fucking anyway.”
Lead her on? She’s talking about Laur. She’s mistaken. I’m not trying to toy with the girl; I’m playing for keeps.
“She’s the one, Lola. She’s it for me.”
Now, Lo’s the one who’s grown silent. I hope she’s not offended, considering she and I have history together. I think myheart secretly always knew who it belonged to. It belongs to my first crush.
“Then why the hell would you sell her to that man?”
Sell her?
“I’m not following.”
“You told him he could have a night with her. It doesn’t matter how much money you’ll get for it. No amount was worth that girl’s broken heart. You should’ve seen the pain in her eyes. It was pure devastation.”
