Hudson pulled me forward, and snapped me back into reality. I could see the ocean for miles. I wondered what it would be like to watch big ships come in the morning over cup of hot coffee. Hudson took my hand and led me further into the apartment, and I attempted to take in as many of the details of this place as I could. It was nothing like the cottage in France; here it was modern, posh, and it looked like it been put together by some young, hot designer. I felt like the house in France had more touches of Hudson, but maybe it was more of his true home. This is just another stop along his trail of deals.
“Why Boston?”
He moved closer to me, and I felt my heart rate increase. “The club.”
I was confused. “What about it?”
“How many of those men do you think are my clients?”
I'd never thought of it that way. He probably worked with most of the men that sat underground and smoked cigars while they looked at beautiful women. They were all wealthy and connected, just like Hudson. It made me think about how many of them were dabbling in illegal activities in order to pad their bank accounts. But, I didn't have time to think. Hudson pressed his body against mine, and I found myself nearly tripping over a chaise lounge in front of the windows.
“Lay down,” he instructed.
All I could do was nod. I had somehow lost my voice. I sat down on the edge of the chaise, and then pushed myself back until I felt my back touch the fabric.
“Take off your clothes.” I removed my shirt, and then wiggled out of my jeans, so that all was left was my bra and underwear.
“Stay here.” He walked away from me, and I looked around the apartment until my eye caught a riding crop leaning next to the slate gas fireplace. Would Hudson use that on me? Somehow, I knew that he would. He walked back into my line of vision with a blindfold and a set of handcuffs.
“I'm going put these on you. Tonight, you will completely submit to me.”
I chewed on my lower lip in anticipation. I could already feel my pussy getting wet.
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes sir,” I added.
He pulled my arms above my head, and placed the handcuffs on them tightly. I heard the clink of metal as they locked into place. Then, he took the blindfold, and placed it over my head and my eyes, so that the world went dark. I was totally vulnerable. I waited for something to happen, anything to move forward with our evening. My senses reached out for some sort of comfort, but they were met with a shocking discovery. Hudson had something cold and wet, what I assumed was ice, rolling down my stomach. I felt his hot breath on the top of my underwear, and then I was met the opposition of the frozen water. I writhed under his touch.
He lightly caressed the tops of my thighs with his fingertips, and I waited for the ice to come after, but it didn't. He ran his fingers over the lace of my underwear teasing me slowly.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. I felt him begin to turn me over, and I helped by putting my handcuffed hands below me, so that I was on my knees with my ass in the air. Hudson took the ice, and slid it along my back until he reached my bra strap. He undid the clasp, and my bra fell down onto the lounge. He rolled the ice, slippery and smooth, back and forth along my spine until I shivered.
“Unexpected, isn’t it?” he whispered hotly in my ear.
“Yes, sir.” I couldn't believe how heightened my other senses were without my vision. The ice cube laid in the center of my back while he just took his fingertips where my ass met the tops of my thighs. Occasionally, he would run his hand over my underwear, and my body would ache in response. The ice continued to melt on my back as he tantalizingly pulled down my underwear to expose my dripping pussy. I desperately waited to see what he would do next, until I felt the sting of his hand on my bare ass. My body jolted forward, and I moaned in pleasure. I heard his pants drop to the floor, and I waited for him to push his cock into me.
“Do you want this?”
I did. So badly it hurt. “Yes, sir.”
He pushed his dick into me, and put his hands on either side of my hips. I imagined him behind me, completely naked; his body barely glistening with the slight amount of sweat from being out in the evening air. He pulled me back into him, and rammed me hard until I felt like I could barely breathe. I took my restricted hands, and placed them between my legs, rubbing my clit furiously as I got close to my climax.
“Are going to come for me, Calla?”
“Yes! Yes, sir!”
He leaned onto my back, the ice cube now completely melted. “Then, do it.”
He pushed into me deeper and faster as I rubbed myself furiously. And, as I felt him come inside me, I allowed myself the release I had been to so desperately waiting for.
He whispered to me again. “Submission is good, isn't it?”
I could barely breathe out. “Yes, sir.” And it was.
Twenty-Five
A few days later, I was lying in bed, on Hudson’s bare chest, when I looked at the time. “I have to get ready to go.”
He turned to look at me. “Why are you going to work?”
“Because I have to pay my bills.”
He moved towards me. “Calla, you are dating a billionaire. I can pay off your apartment, any bills you have. You’re set.”
I got up from the bed, and began to grab some clothes. I had borrowed some outfits from the club to change at home from now on. It was more comfortable.
I put my underwear on. “Hudson, I don't want to feel like some sort of charity case from my boyfriend. And what if this doesn't work out? Then what do I have left?”
He looked puzzled. “I mean, if that's what you're worried about, we can come up with some sort of agreement. Even if things with us would end, I wouldn't just leave you with nothing.”
An agreement. Just another business arrangement. I grimaced at the thought. “Hudson, you know how I feel about that. I need to do this, for me.”
He shook his head. “You don't know who's all at the club. We don't know who we can trust.”
“You don't have to trust anyone but me.”
“I don't want to have to worry about you,” he said, in a gruff voice.
“You don't have to worry about me. I can protect myself. I'm a big girl, Hudson.”
“Some things are bigger than you, Calla. What I do for a living is bigger than you.”
“I can handle it. Not like I'm going to go in there and say, oh my boyfriend, millionaire Hudson James, is dealing pharmaceuticals on the side, did you know?” I raised my voice at the end to sound immature. But he didn't look amused.
“I just wish you could understand how much I care about you and your safety.” He stood up from the bed, and walked towards me, but this time I didn't pull away. He put his hands on either side of my arms. “I don't want anything to happen to you. So, if you have to do this, just be careful, okay? I want you to have your eyes open, regardless of the money that's being thrown at you.”
I sighed. “Okay.”
He pulled me into him, and crushed me against his thick body. He ran his fingers through my hair, and I felt comforted. Besides Alexis, Hudson was really the only other person who had my back, and with such a small team, it was nice to have one more.
I finished getting dressed and left for my shift. Hudson agreed that he wouldn't come to the club anymore; it would create tension between him and the customers. We agreed to one other condition: no sex with any of the clients. It wouldn't be hard to do, since many of the vets still had their regulars, and I was still new enough that most of those clients weren’t interested. Hudson seemed comfortable with our arrangement, and I was fine with that as long as I could still make some money. I didn't want to be someone he had to take care of. He could protect me, sure, but I wanted to be my own person. I was hoping he finally understood that.
I signed the book at the front desk, and I walked upstairs to the dressing room. Some the girls had already started their shift; I was working fairly late. Monique pass
ed by me and gave me a wink. I was glad that we were finally friends. At least, I think if Monique had friends, I would be one of them, and I knew that she would bail me out of jail anytime I needed it. I could trust her, but Hudson didn't trust anyone, so I couldn't tell her about us. She sashayed down towards the wooden doors, and out onto the ramp down at the club. I dropped my coat at my station, and shook out my hair before following her. As soon as I walked into the cigar smoke-filled room, I felt safe. No one would ever try anything at the club; they weren't that stupid. Security was tight, and the Madame knew everyone’s secrets.
Immediately, I noticed a few men eyeing me up, and I walked over to the bar to get a tray full of drinks. It was the easiest way to get an introduction. The bartender quickly filled the tray with six shots of tequila, and I began wandering around the tables. I noticed many of the men were already preoccupied with other girls, so I steered clear of those tables. Getting into a catfight was not my plan. I noticed a booth in the back that was for some of the higher-end clientele where their glasses were empty. I figured, if nothing else, I could at least get a tip.
“Drinks, boys?”
A man in his early fifties with a black suit and red tie spoke. “What do you say, gentlemen?”
They nodded in agreement.
The first man spoke again. “What do you have?”
I smiled at him flirtatiously. “Why don’t I sit down and show you?”
“Join us.” I thought I heard a hint of a Russian accent, but it was just my nerves.
I sat down on the edge the booth next to him, and put the tray on the table. “Tequila,” I said, winking at him.
He smiled broadly at me, and then took a shot in his hands. “Gentlemen? We don't want to turn the nice lady down, do we?”
There were three other men at the table, all in similar suits and red ties. They looked at me greedily, and I suddenly wondered if I'd gotten in over my head. I'd never been to one of the high roller tables before. This may have not been my best idea. The other men raised their shots, and all downed them in one gulp.
The man I had been speaking to shook his head as he set the glass back down on the tray. “That's got a bite to it, doesn't it?”
“I'm sure it does. Only the best tequila served here.”
“Are you new around here, girlie? I don't recognize you.”
“I've been around. But not for long.”
One of the other men spoke, sounded more like a growl that a voice. “What's your name?”
“Calla.”
The first man I’d been talking to nodded. “We might have some information that could interest you, Calla. Perhaps a business arrangement.”
This was moving a lot faster than I expected. “Oh? And what is that?” I asked innocently.
“Why don’t you take my card?”
“Your card? You mean your membership card?”
“No. My business card. In ten minutes, we’re going to leave this table, and I will leave it here for you. I think you're going to be very interested in who I do business with.”
I gulped. “Okay.”
“Time for you to go, Calla, so we can make our exit. Leave the tray.”
I nodded, and swiftly got up from the table. I walked back to the bar, and stood leaning on it, watching the table like a hawk. In just a few minutes, they left, and I took a deep breath before walking back over, and picking up the tray. Beneath it was a hundred dollar bill and a business card.
In red letters it read:
Rudolph Lenko
Shit. I was in trouble.
Twenty-Six
I picked up the card, and slipped it into my bra. I dropped the tray off at the bar, I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was watching, while I stealthily moved up the ramp, and back into the dressing room. I felt like I couldn’t breathe. All of Hudson's concerns were validated in just a single introduction. I grabbed my phone, and dialed Hudson's number. I needed that protection, now.
“Calla? I thought you were working tonight.”
“I am. Your boss is here. You are right, Hudson. I can't work at the club anymore. I need you to come get me. I don't want to leave alone.”
“God dammit. I knew this would happen. Greedy Russians.” I heard him sigh on the other end of the line. “I’ll send my driver right over. I’ll be following in a separate car, so I can see if you're being watched. Do not leave the club's doorstep until you see the car pull up. Do you understand me?”
I nodded. “Yeah, I got it. How long?”
“No more than ten minutes. Get your belongings and don't tell anyone where you're going.”
“Okay, got it. I'll be here.”
The phone call ended, I quickly gathered all of my belongings, and shoved them into my purse. I wrapped my coat around me, and put my hair up in a bun. I thought if I looked just a little bit different maybe I would be safer.
I waited right next to the club’s entrance until I saw the black town car pull up. The driver waved to me, and I ran quickly across the sidewalk. “Ms. Hart?”
I nodded.
“Let me get the door for you, miss.”
He opened the door, and I got inside. I breathed a sigh of relief that no one had tried to grab me or, even worse, shoot me. I didn't know how they would feel about Hudson and myself being a real couple. About me knowing all his secrets and knowing that he wanted out. I saw a car following us, and I felt comfort in knowing that Hudson was close. I closed my eyes, and rubbed my head for a moment, trying to dissolve the stress headache that was beginning.
We drove in silence for a while, and I guessed that we were going to the airport. I wasn't worried that I had hardly any of my own things. Hudson would take care of all that. It was just another advantage to having a boyfriend with an unlimited checkbook.
The car stopped abruptly, and I expected Hudson to open the door, so I could fall into his arms. But that wasn't who opened the door. I looked down at the short balding man with a broad smile who I now knew as Rudolph Lenko. I gasped for breath as he smiled at me, looking devilish and smug. I tried to open the other side, but it was locked.
“Like I said, Ms. Hart. We have some business to discuss.”
My mouth dropped open. Suddenly, the driver side door opened, and a gloved hand was over my mouth. “Help!” I screamed, but the glove stifled it. I couldn’t breathe. I was kicking and attempting to bite my assailant, but it was useless. Within seconds, the world went dark.
Twenty-Seven
I felt sick, and my head was throbbing. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt like they were so heavy that I would never get them open. I rubbed the back of my head, and felt the sticky substance of my own blood. I didn't remember getting hit, just the gloved hand stifling my screams as they attempted to pull me out of the town car. For a moment, I kept my eyes closed, and I wondered what Hudson's reaction was when he got to the club, and realized I was already gone. They must've had my phone bugged; it was the only way they would've known Hudson's plan to follow the town car. They were smart, smarter than I'd given them credit for.
Slowly, I willed my body to open my eyes so I could take in the sights around me. If I got a hold of Hudson, anything I could tell him could be paramount in my rescue. But the world was blurry and dark. I felt around on the floor, and I realized it was cold, concrete, and a little damp. I was probably in a basement somewhere, or maybe a warehouse. I'd no idea how much time had passed, and if they had flown or driven me to a new location. I couldn't imagine that they would have kidnapped me and kept me in the same place. I was praying I was still the country. If I wasn't, Hudson would have no chance of finding me. I reached into my coat pockets, hoping that possibly I had some way of contacting him, but of course, they took my cell phone. They would have tracked the call anyway.
The room started to take shape as my vision cleared, and, sure enough, I was in a warehouse, kneeling with my legs splayed out to the side of me on the cold floor. There was a chain-link fence behind me, and when I turned aro
und, it was clear that this was a holding place for some of the goods. Bottle after bottle of prescription drugs filled shelves in the caged area; this is where they kept their money. I couldn't believe the amount of drugs in the eight by ten area here that was gated. As I carefully swiveled my head around and continued to look at the warehouse, I realized that there was at least eight other cages like this one. There were millions of dollars worth of drugs in this place. Shit.
When Hudson had talked about it, he was helping clinics and people who couldn't afford the proper insurance for their drugs, but that's not what these guys were doing. This was their stock, and if they had this much, they were making a lot more than Hudson was. I looked for an exit, and saw the red lights to my right at the other corner of the warehouse. But, right in front of it, sitting around a table were four of Rudolph's thugs playing poker. One was smoking a cigar while the other was raking in some chips. If I could just slip by them unnoticed…
“Looks like the girl’s awake,” one of them said in a gruff voice.
Another one chugged a beer, and slammed it down on the table. “I thought you gave her enough to last a few more hours. The boss ain’t even back yet.”
“This one’s strong-willed, I tell you.”
“You already jumped her once, then you had to hit her over the head as she woke up on the way here, and now she's fucking awake again. You must not know your script, man. You’re not dosing her high enough.”
So I'd been drugged, twice. And the thug that hit me over the head had made quite a dent. I tried to seem like I was still pretty out of it, but my alertness was coming back to me piece by piece. The pain was excruciating. He really ripped open my skull. I didn’t look at the floor, I didn’t want to see all the blood.
Kept: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 12