This is just child’s play to him.
“You have an impressive setup here,” Nick says, raising his voice just enough for me to hear him over the beat of the music.
There’s an ease about him tonight. He knows he’s in charge, and it shows. I dig my nails into the palm of my hand, trying not to grimace as he runs his eyes over my body.
“You know, there might be a way we can resolve this issue once and for all.”
My jaw aches from clenching my teeth so hard, and I raise my eyebrows at him. “Oh yeah?”
“How about you give me a stake in this place instead of all these inconvenient repayments? Twenty percent ought to do it.”
I hold back the urge to scoff and keep my expression as blank as possible. If Flynn found out this schmuck was asking for twenty percent of his pride and joy, he would explode on the spot.
“I’ll think about it,” I murmur, not knowing what else to say. I have no leverage over this asshole. He could ask for anything he wanted tonight, and it would be almost impossible for me to refuse. I shift my weight as he scoots toward the edge of the booth and leans toward me.
The boys around him are drinking and talking amongst themselves, settling in for the night. Monroe is relaxed and suave, as if he already owns the club.
“You look beautiful tonight,” he says, and there’s a honeyed quality to his voice now, genuine interest in his eyes.
He moves along the seat, shucking off the ridiculous cape and putting an arm over the back of the booth. Tyrel stiffens beside me but doesn’t move.
“You know, I understand that this is a stressful situation for you,” Monroe continues. “Your brother really did a number on you, and his bad choices are causing you a lot of aggravation.”
His other hand moves to the edge of the table, inches from my thigh.
“I don’t want to make your life more difficult, Jax. You and I could reach an arrangement that’s more pleasing to all parties. We won’t have all this sordid money changing hands. It can just be you and me.”
I glance down as his finger extends, caressing the front of my leg. I hold my breath, counting to ten. This man is repulsive to me in every sense of the word. I don’t want him to be within one hundred feet of me, but I also know we don’t have enough money to pay him for the long term.
If I reject him, will he take it out on Scott?
Sensing my uncertainty, Monroe rises. He’s not much taller than me, but it doesn’t seem to bother him as he slides a hand around my waist.
Nausea rises as I feel his chunky fingers curl against my flesh. Tyrel is tense beside me, waiting for the signal to punch the guy in the face.
“So,” Monroe purrs, “I could let you off ten grand if you let me taste you. Maybe if we go somewhere private, I can make tomorrow’s total zero.”
I stare into his eyes, disgust consuming me, praying it isn’t showing on my face.
He has very dark eyes that look black in this lighting, just like a shark. His fingers tighten enough that I can feel the press of a nail against my waist.
Is this really so different from what I do with Gray?
The thought isn’t a pleasant one, but I can’t shake it off once it springs into my mind. I take money from Gray for sex, and that money goes straight into Nick’s pocket. If I let Nick touch me, doesn’t that just cut out the middle man?
But as I consider that, I know two things with absolute certainty.
First, this man is the opposite of Gray Jones. And second, if I let him touch me once, he’ll never leave me alone.
I pull gently away from him, fighting the strong urge to shove him back into the booth. The men behind him have noticed me now, sneering and whispering to each other as I try to keep a hold of my composure.
“I’ll think about that,” I say, my voice hollow. “But right now I’m afraid I’ve got a job to do.”
Fuck my life, and fuck Scott for putting me in this position.
“I’ll hold you to that, Jax,” Monroe says, his lips tipping up at the corners. “I’d enjoy making you scream for me.”
The only man who has ever made me scream is Gray Jones, asshole.
