Relinquish(51)

“You said you would be right back,” she pouts, trailing a manicured finger along his jawline. He looks down at the woman and gives a wrinkled smirk.

“I was just meeting our new girl. Tara, this is Charlie” He squints and cocks his head to the side, hitting me with that conflicted stare again.

“Oh, hello. I’m Tara,” she greets, her voice high-pitched.

“Hi.” I smile. My back breaks out in a nervous sweat, feeling Miller staring at me. I don’t need to see that he’s looking at me. I can just feel it.

“We have paperwork to do, Charlie,” Landon clips. I sigh in relief, actually thankful for that damn paperwork for once.

“Yes, well, I won’t keep you.” Miller gives a tight-lipped smile before heading past me with Tara close to his side. He glances over his shoulder, a look of confusion on his face as he and Tara make their way upward.

“Want to go for a swim, lover?” Tara asks him, bringing his attention back to her. She trails her hand along his neck and down the back of his shirt, revealing a few inches of skin. Tattooed skin.

“Charlie?” I hesitantly break my stare from Miller as he and Tara round the stairs to Landon who is looking at me with furrowed brows.

“I’m coming,” I mumble, looking back up the stairs to where Miller just left. Lost as to why my body races with dread when our eyes met.





FIFTEEN


CHARLIE


“Please sit.” Landon directs his hand toward the chair in front of his desk.

I comply, crossing my legs and sighing loudly. I’m so ready to get this over with.

“Rules are as follows,” Landon remarks, tapping his fingers on the desk, his other hand in his pocket. “You are to come to me every day for your agenda of clients.” Landon adjusts his tie and sits in his chair. “You will not receive any payment; that’s something I take care of beforehand. You are to make sure your clients wear protection at all times, and our doctor will be placing you on birth control when your test results have come back,” Landon rambles, as if he’s reading a list of rules off a piece of paper.

I nod, but all I’m really focusing on is the gorgeous green tree he has outside his window. Fresh air. I feel like I haven’t been outside in forever.

“If you are to escort a client to a function, you are to keep quiet unless spoken to. You are not the center of attention; the client is. Understood?” Landon’s voice is serious and stern, making me turn my gaze from the tree to him.

”Yeah,” I mutter, blinking rapidly to clear my thoughts of fresh air. He lowers his head and raises a brow at me, and I shrug and look away. I’m not sure what he wants from me. Hearing how you are to behave like an object and not a human, it’s breaking. But to show that emotion, he’ll just play off it, use my weakness as his power.

“Money. What you make will determine what you receive. But since you live here now, I don’t see money being a problem for you anymore. You’ll have anything you ever need.”

I roll my eyes and stare off.

“In that case, I’d like to send what I make to Jayden.” I cross my arms and sit back in my seat. Landon’s face takes on a softness, his lips parting with a look of shock. It’s like he’s surprised I would just give my money to Jayden. But if I have everything I need here, why make Jayden work in a dirty motel room for money, when I can just give her my earnings? I don’t need it.

He shakes his head, as if he’s clearing his thoughts, and slides a packet of papers across the desk to me. I arch a brow at him and lean forward to collect them and a pen.

“This is just some information for our records,” Landon explains. I look over the papers and notice it asks for name, health history, medications, and if I’m a drug abuser. I fill out the paperwork, starting with the question of any previous STDs or pregnancies, and if I have any family around the area. My eyes widen a little when I come to the question asking me for my number of sexual partners.

“Um, why do you need to know how many men I’ve slept with?” My eyes flicker from the paper to Landon.

“To know how experienced you are,” he answers, rubbing his scruffy chin with his fingers.

“You’ve slept with me twice, what do you think?” I tilt my head to the side and squint in questioning. I notice the corner of Landon’s lip twitch, trying to keep from smiling.

“I think– It doesn’t matter what I think.” Landon stumbles on his words, causing me to laugh silently.

I sigh and resume filling it out.

“How many?” Landon mutters softly.

“How many what?” I respond, lost answering the next set of intrusive questions.

“How many men have you slept with?” he asks, his tone deep. I take my eyes from the paperwork and find Landon looking at me closely. His hard stare pins me, causing my heart to beat rapidly. I close my eyes and bite my bottom lip.

“Three. I’ve slept with three men,” I murmur. I risk a glance at Landon; his strong jaw is clenched and his face takes on a shade of red. He stands and runs his hand through his hair, staring out the window behind his desk.

“Just finish the paperwork,” he rasps. I swallow the lump in my throat and finish the last question before sliding it back on his desk.

“Terrific,” Landon remarks. He turns and sits, his face unreadable as he takes the paperwork.