.....
The concierge caught my attention as I returned to the lobby, calling out to me as I fleet-footed it to the door.
“Miss Newton.”
I turned to see him standing behind the front desk with a letter in his hand. He fluttered it about in the air as my eyebrows set down into a frown.
“I have a message for you Miss Newton,” he continued as I pressed forward towards him.
I took the message, a blank envelope with a folded piece of paper inside, and looked into his eyes. “Who gave this to you?”
“She didn't give a name Miss. I assume her identity is revealed within her words.”
I slipped the note from the envelope and opened it up. It was hand-written, but the writing was alien to me.
“Alice,
Tell the driver outside you don't need him and come to the hotel bar. I've something I need to talk to you about.”
There was no name, nothing to say who it was from.
“A girl gave you this?” I asked, turning my head back up to the concierge who had begun to busy himself with another task. “What did she look like?”
“Well, I'd say about your age, 5 feet 5 or thereabouts, brown hair, very attractive.”
“Thank you,” I said, before turning away and setting to the instructions.
I went straight to the driver and knocked on the front window. My heart jumped briefly as the window wound down in the hope that Kyle would be sat there as he had before. It wasn't him.
“Yes?” the man said.
“I won't be needing you to take me home,” I said. “I am meeting a friend for a drink.”
“But Mr Logan told me to make sure you get home safe,” he argued.
“Look, I'm a big girl and can get home fine alone. You can tell Mr Logan I told you that if you want.”
The man grunted before begrudgingly closing the window and driving off into heavy traffic. I turned and walked back in towards the hotel, the inquisitive eyes of the concierge on me once more. I approached him and prepared to open my mouth but he got there first.
“The bar is to your left, Miss Newton. Down the corridor and you'll see it.”
“Thanks,” I said, following his simple directions and moving off to the left.
I walked in to the room, my heart beginning to pulse more powerfully as I scanned for this mystery girl. It was dimly lit in there, a romantic lighting that complimented the dark wooden tables and red carpet. I walked further in, ignoring the men whose eyes lingered upon me, and continued searching.
Then, I saw her, sitting alone at a table, her face solemn and watchful.
Oh my God....Jen!
I quickly moved towards her. Finally I'd get some answers. Finally I'd find out what really happened with her.
“Did you tell the driver to leave?” she asked quickly as I arrived at the table, her voice hushed.
I nodded. “Yeah Jen. What's going on? You're looking...well.” I couldn't help but hesitate with my final word upon her appearance. She looked slightly unkempt, her eyes darting here and there, her expression uneasy.
“What's up,” I continued, “you look a little jittery there hun.”
“I need to tell you something Alice, you need to know what you're getting yourself into.”
And I thought I was paranoid. I looked like the calmest person in the world next to her, a still pond next to a raging sea.
She quietened her voice further and leaned in towards me. “I know what you're doing Alice, and I know who you just danced for.”
“Yeah, Mr White, what's the problem.”
“Stripping is just the first step Alice, it doesn't stop there.”
Her words cut into me. “What do you mean it doesn't stop there?”
“Why do you think they're spending so much money sending you to Mrs Jones? Do you have any idea how much she charges? She doesn't come cheap, you know. They're grooming you Alice, like they groomed me.”
My voice was now lost of its flippancy, a sense of dread climbing onto me. “Grooming me for what?”
She looked to the left and right before setting her eyes back on me. “For prostitution Alice. They're trying to open you up sexually so that you'll take the next step. It's what they do - they can charge a whole lot more for sex than stripping.”
I shook my head. “No, Kyle wouldn't do that, there's no way.”
Her face turned to anger as her words went blank. “You'd be amazed at what Kyle would do. Anyway, it's not just him, he's not the one calling the shots.”
“His father,” I said quickly, “Kyle's dad's doing it?”
She nodded, her face growing more fearful.
“You've met him?” I asked, seeing the look in her eye.
She nodded again, slowly this time. “I have, and trust me, you don't want to.”
A silence fell between us for a moment as I read her eyes. “Is that what happened to you? Is that why you left college?”
She nodded, a tear beginning to trickle down her cheek as she recalled what had happened that night - the night she returned to the dorm only to leave as I slept.
“I came here for Mr White. I had danced for him a few times as you have. I knew he liked me, he told me as much. They convinced me to do it, to sleep with him. They said the money was good, that it was all monitored, all safe. Mrs Jones, she gets in your head, makes you feel empowered, makes it seem like a good idea.”
She paused, taking a sip of wine and catching her breath.
“What happened,” I whispered, eager to know more.
“I couldn't do it. It was too much, too far for me. He put his hands to me and it felt wrong. I - I hit him to get away, and went back to the dorm. That's when you saw me Alice, that's why I left so early the next day. I wasn't chucked out of college, I just needed to escape them.”
“But surely if you don't want to do something you don't have to? They can't force you.”
“No, they don't force you, not against your will anyway. They force you in another way - by polluting your mind, by easing you into it, by making it seem natural. By the end, you go through with it willingly. You have to get out now Alice.”
She was shaking now, her mental state clearly affected by what had happened to her. But that wouldn't be my experience - I'd never agree to that.
I took her hand and brought her eyes back to mine.
“What are you doing now Jen? I thought your family lived on the West Coast? Why aren't you there?”
I could see the tears building in her eyes, about to spill over as she spoke. “I couldn't go back, I couldn't tell my parents what I'd been doing. I've been staying in town, trying to figure out what to do. That's when I saw you Alice, I saw you here by chance weeks ago, I saw you get out of the car and go into the hotel. When you'd gone in, I saw Kyle get out of the drivers seat. I knew then that he'd got you as he had me. You can't trust him Alice.”
She looked a wreck, her hands getting progressively fidgety. “Where are you living Jen? Do you need some money?”
She shook her head violently, her eyes growing wide and wild. “No, no, I can't tell you that. I don't trust anyone Alice, you might tell them about me.” She seemed overly paranoid, blowing things way out of proportion. I'd never felt manipulated by Mrs Jones, by Kyle, by anyone. I was there of my own free will and I could leave if I wanted to.
“Well do you have a phone number I can reach you on, a way of contacting you. You don't seem completely OK babe.”
She continued to shake her head. “No, I can't give you my number. If I want to talk, I'll find you.”
With that she stood up, did one more check of the room, and then turned and rushed off towards the exit, leaving me suddenly alone.
Chapter
28
The moon was shining bright in the night sky as I stepped out of the Globe Hotel and into the cold evening air. The traffic on the road was beginning to thin as I walked to the edge of the sidewalk and raised my hand for a taxi.
Within moments one had swooped in beside me. I stepped in and asked him to take me back to my dorm. All I wanted now was a good long rest, let my subconscious process what Jen had told me. I was way too frayed by everything that had happened recently to make any sort of judgment right now.
The driver tried to engage me in some light chitchat as he drove but I wasn't overly receptive. He didn't seem best pleased by it, his driving turning more aggressive as we went. Perhaps that was just his way.
When we got to my halls he snatched the note off me and sped away without giving me any change. I shrugged it off - frankly, I really didn't care right now.
The dorm was quiet as I walked in through the main doors. I headed up the stairs in the hallway to the first floor and rounded the corner towards my room. I turned the key in the lock, went inside, staggered over to my bed, and collapsed.
It had been a long night and I was exhausted, both mentally and physically. Everything - from the whole thing with Tess to seeing Jen again tonight - it was all so much to take on board. I lay there, eyes shut, light on, too tired to even undress, my mind quickly giving way to sleep.
A click at the door broke me from the edge of slumber and I opened my eyes sharply. It sounded like the door being locked.
I quickly leaned up from my bed and saw a figure in the room with me, my eyes quickly coming into focus to see who it was.
It was with a mixture of trepidation and relief that I saw Kyle standing before me, his expression somewhere between anger and desire. My voice was caught in my throat as he stood there looking at me, his mouth slowly opening to spill forth an explanation for his presence.
“I'm sorry for breaking into your room again Alice. I needed to see you, and it needed to be private.”
Jen's words were ringing in my ears at the sight of him. You can't trust him Alice.
“What are you doing here,” I asked, my words trembling slightly. “You can't just break into my room like this.”
He nodded his head, his expression placid, detached. “I know, but I feared you wouldn't let me in had I knocked.”
His eyes were locked on me, his gaze going right through me. “I know who you've been speaking with Alice. I can only imagine what she told you.”
My pulse increased under his glare, his calm disposition strangely unsettling. “I didn't know she'd be there Kyle. I hadn't seen her before, I swear.”
He smiled lightly. I couldn't tell whether he distrusted me or not, whether he thought I was telling the truth. His eyes gave me no hint either way.
“I know that Alice. What I don't know, however, is what she told you. Would you explain that to me please.”
He walked calmly over to Jen's old bed and sat down, a smile creeping over his face as the irony of that fact washed over him.
“Ummm, she was just there to see how I was, to see how college was going.” I calmed my voice, trying to sound as normal as possible, but I could tell he knew I was lying. I'd never been good at that.
“Alice, please tell me the truth. You know I would never hurt you, don't you?”
His chameleonic eyes changed again, turning softer, more comforting.
I took a deep breath. “She said that you groomed her to be a prostitute, that you're doing the same with me.” My eyes hardened in contrast to his expression. “Is that true?”
He looked away from me, a look of remorse gathering on his face, his hand brushing through his dark wavy hair. It cascaded back down his forehead and he turned back to me, leaning forward with his elbows to his knees. He looked to the floor as he spoke, his words now lost of their cool, filling instead with shame.
“She's not lying, but it's more complicated than that. We don't push girls to prostitution, it's a choice they're allowed to make themselves.”
He stood and walked towards me, kneeling in front of me, more anxious than I'd ever seen him. “But I'd never wish for you to do that Alice,” he said, taking my hands in his. “I'd do everything I can to keep you away from all of that.”
I slowly slipped my hands out of his grasp. “So that's why you were looking for Jen that day? The commitment she made, it was to sleep with someone?” I asked it like a question but she'd already told me as much. I wanted to hear his side, hear what he had to say about it.
“I was under instruction to do it Alice. I'm not proud of that, I'm not proud of any of this.” He stood again and paced across the room, a deep anguish inside him.
He leaned against the wall with his back to me, his head dropping and words shallow. “It's hard with you Alice. I don't like it that you do this. You can't go further.”
“But you're the one who brought me into all of it Kyle, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be doing it at all!” I spoke quickly, incredulously.
“I know, but I didn't know you then. Now the thought of you stripping for another man - it eats away at me. The thought of you doing anything more....” He trailed off, shaking his head lightly.
I stood and walked towards him, reaching for his arm to turn him back towards me. He stood fast, his voice growing quieter. “I care about you Alice, I would see you away from all of this.”
He turned and looked at me. I could see a deep burning in his blue eyes, a passion for me I had no idea he had. “I want you...and I want no one else to have you.”
With those words he reached for my waist and pulled me into him, my chest pressing against his, strong and lean beneath his clothes. I gazed up towards him as his lips met mine, my drowsiness intensifying the moment, his soft lips moist and warm. His hands squeezed hard on my ass, grabbing at my dress and pulling it up and over my head.
I could feel the bulge in his pants harden against me as his lips trailed over my neck, his fingers clicking open my bra and shedding it from me. He stood back and lifted off his top, his body tanned and crafted from stone. I lost breath at the sight of him, his wide shoulders rippling with muscle, his pecs shaped by God, not a drip of fat obscuring his abs.
He moved in to kiss me once more, his hands covering every contour of my body, his fingers teasing at my nipples. My breathing increased as he tugged at my thong, my panties growing wet, my thighs warm. He pressed his hard cock against me as he slipped his fingers below the lacy fabric. I could feel a smile grow on his face as he toyed with me, my light moans giving him pleasure.
I reached for his pants and undid his zip, reaching my hand inside and feeling his body pulse and breath go short. We tore the underwear from each other in a frenzy as we stumbled dizzily towards the bed. I saw him in full view as I fell down onto the duvet, his obliques cutting a line down towards his cock, strong and hard. He climbed upon me as I spread my legs, thrusting deep.
I could see the pleasure in his beautiful eyes as his hips moved back and forward, reaching my hands to his firm ass and squeezing tight. His lips covered my breasts and shoulders, kissing at my neck and cheeks as they rounded back towards my mouth. I moaned and groaned under his weight, his hard body pressing against me and causing me to spasm.
In a flash I could feel my body begin to convulse, a tingle coursing through it as he lunged, his arms starting to shake as they extended, propping him up above me. He breathed deep as my head spun, his arms giving way and sending his throbbing chest to mine. He lay on me panting, his loins convulsing, his eyes dreary and sleepy.
He slipped out of me and I shut my legs, a smile spreading on his face as he stood and walked back over to his clothes.
“You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that to you Alice.”
I laughed coyly, thinking t
he same. It was the first time I'd had sex in over a year.
He picked up his things and came back over to the bed, sitting down beside me, his lean body glistening in sweat. He gazed at my body as he draped his fingers over it, running them down my neck towards my inner thigh, his fingers drifting upwards and off my skin as I writhed in pleasure.
“I've never seen a body like yours,” he said as he continued to drink me in. “You're perfect.”
I smiled and said nothing, my eyes telling him everything as they spread across his ripped torso and up towards his unblemished face.
“Will you stay?” I asked, seeing his hands reach for his underwear.
He turned back to me as he dropped his briefs, lying down beside me. “You'd have to drag me away,” he said smiling.
Chapter 29
I awoke in my bed, the covers wrapped over my naked body. A smile crashed into my face as I remembered the previous night, and quickly turned to see an empty room. Kyle wasn't there.
I looked to the floor to see that his clothes were gone, mine still crumpled in a heap beside the bed. I slowly got up and walked to the door to put on my dressing gown, a feeling of disappointment inching into me.
I turned back to the bed to see a note, folded into a tent shape, on the bedside table. I reached for it and opened it up, my eyes scanning over the words quickly.
Dear Alice,
Last night was amazing. You are amazing.
I'm sorry you're waking up alone but I had to leave.
I hope you know that you're more than just a once night stand to me. I want you, I want you all, every inch of you. But it's not that easy. It must be secret. Whether you work for me or not, it must always be secret. I hope you understand, and I hope you agree.
Think about it.
Kyle
A smile grew across my face as I read the words. Sure, he'd broken into my room twice. Sure, he was my boss. Sure, he ran a strip club and pimped girls out for money. Whatever shades of truth there was to any of that, right now I didn't care.
The Logan Brothers - Books 1-4: (EXPOSURE, CRASH, TWIN PASSIONS, and ADDICTED TO YOU) Page 11