by Andromeda -
Table of Contents
Chapter One: The Broken Bottom Bitch
Chapter Two: Summer Break Beginnings
Chapter Three: Get a pedicure, get your hair did.
Chapter Four: Evacuate the Dance Floor
Chapter Five: Pyromania
Chapter Six: A Date…
Chapter Seven: ...And A Date Night
Chapter Eight: Beaten and Betrayed
Chapter Nine: Leaving
Chapter Ten: Loss
Chapter Eleven: New Home
Chapter Twelve: Learning to Settle
Chapter Thirteen: Not exactly a secret
Chapter Fourteen: Many Kinds of First
Chapter Fifteen: Violets
Chapter Sixteen: Gifts from the Heart
Chapter Seventeen: The Royal Truth
Chapter Eighteen: Sacrifice
Chapter Nineteen: Finally Free
Epilogue – Ten years later…
The Duke's Diamond
A Novel By,
Andromeda
© 2017 Published by After Hours Publications, Inc.
www.afterhourspublications.com
All rights reserved.
Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage without express permission by the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Contains explicit language & adult themes suitable for ages 17+
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Other Novels by
Andromeda
Love Contract
Sugar Love
Royal Affair; Craved by a King
Captive Bride Series
Passion and Sand Series
Dedication
All my friends, family and fans…
You are the lifeblood that runs through me.
Chapter One: The Broken Bottom Bitch
It was a cool night, as Diamond Williams sat in her car. It was parked in front of a hotel, as she waited for the girl inside to finish up her work. At times like this, she hated herself, as she felt no better than the man she worked for. But then again, what would she expect being his bottom bitch? Though the term might seem derogatory, it came with a lot of responsibilities.
The term was used for a prostitute who sat atop the hierarchy of prostitutes who worked for a pimp. This girl was usually the prostitute who had been with the pimp the longest and consistently made the most money. She had power and control over the other women, but it did not mean all she did was sit back on her ass all day.
She had to be perfect, both in looks and temperament, but also had to have a sharp mind. When he was out of town, or busy, she had to both control his girls and his ‘empire’ at the same time. That consisted of collecting money from the other girls, training any new girls that came, and even ordering shakedowns of men who thought it was all right to get too handsy with her girls.
Diamond looked at the girls she worked with as her sisters, as none of them wanted this life but had no other way to escape it. Their pimp kept them under a heavy hand, though Diamond tried her best to protect the girls from most of his wrath.
Her phone beeped, and when she saw the name on it, she sighed. It was her pimp who was checking up on what was going on.
A: Is she out yet?
D: No, not yet, but she has nine more minutes.
A: She better get all my money, no cuts this time.
D: Yes, I know. I'll make sure of it.
Diamond had a habit, at times, of giving the girls small cuts of the money they made. After all, they worked for it. Most people believed that prostitutes were dirty women who were nymphomaniacs, but this was not always the case. About ninety-nine- point nine percent of prostitutes were in it against their will but leaving was a lot harder than most people thought.
Then again, she figured that not everyone cared about the women trapped in this. It was easier to demonize them than try to help them.
She looked up as a woman not much older than she was came out of the hotel dressed head to toe in green. Green tube dress, makeup, shoes and even a purse that she had in her hands.
Emerald was done early.
Diamond started up her car and flashed the lights, and Emerald ran over and got inside.
“You all right?” Diamond asked her. “He did not get too handsy with you, did he?”
Emerald shook her head and smiled a bit. “No, he never does.”
She had a regular, who always paid top dollar for just her. Diamond always asked, though, if he ever tried to hurt her, mainly because of her own disbeliefs in men having any good in their hearts.
“He even gave me extra,” Emerald continued, as she held up the stack of hundred dollar bills.
Diamond counted them out and was surprised to see seven hundred dollars. Her normal fee was five hundred, which meant a two-hundred-dollar extra tip for Emerald. Seeing this, Diamond smiled, gave her the two hundred extra and put her finger to her lips, before putting the other five in her purse.
This had to be a secret, of course.
Their pimp would be furious if he knew this, but Diamond always tried to skim off the top every time they made a sale. The girls all had allowances, but most of the time that only covered the basic rent at a crappy hotel and minor personal items; everything else they had to pay for themselves.
“We just have to go pick up Sapphire and Jasper before it’s time to head home,” Diamond said as she started up the car.
As she drove, she glanced at Emerald, who was on her phone. Her real name was Emily and she was one of Diamond’s first trainees when she became their pimp’s favorite. A small woman, who had short brown hair, caramel skin and large green eyes. She was a sweet girl, who was only sent to the best because of her petite stature.
Like Diamond, she was one of the broken, used by those she thought loved her and instead, they betrayed her in the worst conceivable way.
They picked up the other two girls before they began the drive to the hotel. It was really an apartment complex their pimp bought for the girls to live in, which wasn’t far. As they drove through the streets of Las Vegas, Diamond looked at the flashing lights and couldn’t help but marvel at how beautiful it was. But it was also so artificial.
Flashing lights to block out the real stars above.
Sometimes their pimp would take her out camping in Death Valley, and Diamond could see the endless upon endless swarm of stars in the sky. With all the lights going on in Las Vegas, no one could see the night sky in its true naked state.
Dropping the girls off at the hotel, she began the short drive to her home, and to her pimp.
✵✵✵✵✵✵✵
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" The voice that belonged to her most valued treasure on this earth called, as Diamond walked through the door.
She smiled and bent down as her heart ran forward, brown curls bouncing, and leaped into her arms. Diamond laughed and spun her around, kissing her cheeks before blowing a raspberry on her cheek.
"How goes my beautiful little girl?" she asked, as she set her down.
Her daughter Dalila smiled at her, revealing several milk teeth. “I'm good, Mommy,” she chirped. “Daddy just finished dinner.”
Diamond arched an eyebrow. Dalila’s father, Alfonzo, hardly ever cooked dinner
. The only time he did was when he wanted her to do something. She sighed and picked her up, putting Dalila on her hip as they walked into the dining room.
Their home was large with five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a game room and pool in the backyard. Her favorite place in this house, however, had to be the kitchen; she practically grew up there. Her own mother, when she was sober and wasn't trying to sell her daughter for her next fix, would cook the most delicious and wonderful smelling foods. That brought everyone in their old apartment complex to their house for a group meal.
Those times seemed so far away now.
As she walked into the kitchen, she saw Alfonzo place a bowl of yellow rice on the table. Diamond then looked at the other foods. Steak and cheese quesadillas with four different dipping sauces, fried beans, fresh salad and strawberry wine to drink. For Dalila, it would be strawberry soda.
"Bienvenido a casa, mi amor," he said in his deep voice when he saw her. Smiling, he walked over and gave her a quick peck on the lips. “How did everything go?"
"Good," Diamond said simply. "I got it all. It's in my bag."
"I'll get it later," he said. "But right now, let's have dinner!"
Taking Dalila from her, who giggled with delight being in her father’s arms, he tossed her in the air a couple times and then set her in a chair. Walking over to Diamond, he pulled out her own chair, and when she’d taken her seat, he pushed her in.
Dinner was a quiet affair, but when Dalila took her plate to the kitchen to wash it, Diamond decided to make him come clean.
"What do you want me to do?" she asked simply, as she sipped her wine.
He arched an eyebrow and then laughed. "Oh, mi amor, you always are so sharp! Nothing gets past you."
Being your girlfriend/baby mama makes me have to, she thought to herself, though aloud she said, "What is it, Alfonzo?"
"Well…," he said, fidgeting with his napkin a bit. "There is this party in a couple weeks… A bunch of high ends are going to be there and I want you to take some of the girls out."
She frowned slightly, taking a moment to think over his words. He wanted her to go to this party and get him clients. Several high ends meant more money. Honestly, she didn’t want to, but she was his bottom bitch, and it was her job. She could not refuse.
"How many girls do you want to go?" she asked softly, after several moments of silence.
His face lit up. "A couple of our best ones. Take Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald and Jasper."
Most pimps change their girls’ names to make them more attractive, thus making more money for them. In Alfonzo's case, he named all his girls after the following gemstones: Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby, Emerald, Jasper, Lapis, Amber, Pearl, and Jade. There was a strict hierarchy, with Diamond at the top. It also helped that Diamond was her real name.
"Fine," she sighed with a shrug. "But where is it going to be? I will need to take them out to get better clothes."
He dug around in his pocket and took out a credit card. "I trust you," he said. "Get whatever you need. The girls can just work it off."
She took the card and put it in her pocket. He walked over and pressed his lips to hers. It took all in Diamond to not pull away, but she did not want to get slapped. When she felt his tongue flick against hers, she quickly pulled away when she heard Dalila begin to return.
She didn’t like doing anything sexual in front of her daughter.
"I'm going to put her to bed," Diamond whispered softly. "But I'll call up the girls and get them ready. When is the party?"
"About a week, and it's going to be at a club downtown. Tony will get you in," he said, referencing one of his many men working in Las Vegas.
She nodded and swept Dalila in her arms, walking up the stairs.
✵✵✵✵✵✵✵
“There you go, sweet one,” Diamond said softly with a smile, as she tucked her daughter into bed. “You ready to fall asleep now?”
Her daughter was her life, and even though she had her young, she didn’t regret it. She regretted who her father was, as Alfonzo didn’t believe in using protection while they had sex. When she found out she was pregnant and felt her moving within her, Diamond knew she was her gift, a guiding star for her to have a fresh look on life.
She wanted Dalila to have the life she never had, to have a formal education and go to school. Alfonzo was against that, though, so Diamond was forced to home school her. It helped that Dalila loved to read and learn, just like her mother, so homeschool was great, though Diamond was forced to do it when she wasn’t ‘working’.
Dalila was her livelihood, the only reason Diamond hadn’t gone insane right now. She didn’t want her to grow up living the life she had. Beaten by her mom, raped for several years by her stepfather and any man her mother ‘sold’ her to for her next fix, running away when she was fifteen and meeting Alfonzo, who made her his right hand when he saw how smart she was.
But Diamond didn’t want Dalila to see that as a standard in life.
Yes, prostitution might be legal in the areas around Las Vegas, but she did not want that life for her daughter.
Not at all.
But in this cruel world, what other choice is there for a broken girl?
Chapter Two: Summer Break Beginnings
Jonathan Somerset hummed softly to himself as he tapped his foot to the beat of the song he was listening to. The thirty-year-old Englishman had flown first class from London after a meeting with his father.
"Excuse me, sir?" a female voice suddenly said, followed by a tap on his shoulder.
He lifted his head and saw a flight attendant. "Aye?"
"We are about to land; can you please buckle up?" she asked.
He nodded and put back in his earbuds, humming along as he buckled in.
The plane touched down at the McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada. Moments later, and when it was allowed, he got out of his seat, tipped the flight attendants one hundred dollars each, before getting his bags and leaving. When you were a duke's son, you had plenty of money to spend; and this was his summer holiday, so he could spend freely.
Growing up, he was not a spoiled child, as his father, the Duke of Beaufort, and his mum instilled a sense of strong values into he and his sister, Jane. That being said, they also had a sense of pride placed inside them as they were of noble blood and needed to act as such. Not just anyone was their equal.
A car was already rented for him, and Jonathan put his items in the trunk before getting in the driver’s seat and beginning the drive to his hotel. As he drove down the streets, he marveled at the various kinds of hotels, clubs, and restaurants that were on both sides of the busy streets. Not only that, but the thousands upon thousands of lights that decorated them.
He wasn’t in London anymore.
As the car drove down the streets, he saw a woman with a little girl who seemed to be shopping together. The woman was breathtaking, with her hair wrapped up in a colorful scarf that intrigued him. It made him wonder about her hair, which was hidden behind the cloth: was it long or short? Black or brown? Curly or straight? All this and more he wondered.
The car came to a stop at a red light, and it enabled him to look at her better, even though it would be fleeting. She had the smoothest looking toffee skin with almond shaped eyes, and though he could see a couple strands of hair escaping from her headwrap, he was too far to see the color of it. Dressed in a brightly colored dress that whipped and snapped in the wind, it looked to be made of silk, and he got a strange, selfish pleasure as he could see her outline as the sun was shining on her back, making the dress almost see-through.
Her daughter was a miniature version of her dam, with the same almond-shaped eyes and toffee skin. She was quite adorable, dressed in a pink skirt, sneakers and an animal-print shirt.
Then, as if she sensed his gaze, the woman raised her eyes in his direction, and Jonathan swore she was looking at him. An unexpected sensation shot through his body the moment their eyes met and he felt as if he was froz
en in stone.
And then the light turned green.
Forced to tear his eyes from her, he began to drive away, but not before he tried to turn his head and look back at her. But the moment he did, his heart fell because she was gone.
✵✵✵✵✵✵✵
The car pulled up to the Venetian Las Vegas, the most famous casino/resort in Las Vegas. Jonathan pulled up to the front and gave his keys to the valet, who gave him a number, then went to park his car for him. The moment he stepped inside, his jaw dropped as he took in the breathtaking beauty.
The Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino was a five-diamond luxury hotel and casino resort located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, United States, on the site of the old Sands Hotel. It was the world's second-largest hotel with almost five-thousand rooms, in the three-hundred-and-sixty story high building. Pricing ranged from almost two hundred dollars a night to ten thousand dollars a night.
The design inspiration was from Venice, Italy, and featured architectural replicas of various Venetian landmarks, including the Palazzo Ducale, Piazza San Marco, Piazzetta di San Marco, the Lion of Venice Column and the Column of Saint Theodore, St. Mark's Campanile, and the Rialto Bridge.
This was the best Las Vegas had to offer, and Jonathan could not wait to enjoy it.
"Welcome to the Venetian Las Vegas," a man behind the desk said in a friendly voice. "How might I help you?"
"Jonathan Somerset," Jonathan answered as he stepped forward. "I have a reservation here."
The man typed on a computer, and then his eyes widened. "Found you right here, Mr. Somerset, but…it says you are here for a two and a half month stay. T-that can't be right…"
"No, it's right," Jonathan said simply. "I am here all summer break. Where is my room?"
The man handed him his key card, then called a bellhop, who helped him with his bags, then took him up an elevator to the top floor and to a room marked, P134.