Free September: Calendar Girl Book 9 by Audrey Carlan

holding all of Las Vegas in the palm of his hand.
    Such a smug piece of work.
    “No, Blaine, I had what you offered, and I walked away from it.” I stood, my chair falling to the ground with a loud bang behind me. “And I’m walking away from it now. This was a mistake. I’m calling the cops.”
    “Your friend will be dead by morning,” he grated just loud enough for me to hear.
    I turned around, my entire body alight with anger. The hair on my arms and neck stood on end. That tone—I’d heard that tone before when he was barking orders into his phone, arranging plans to make people pay. Hurting anyone who dared to cross him in the most vile and violent ways possible. This was the kind of man I was dealing with. Not the ex who used to hug, kiss, and love me to oblivion. That was the man I’d fallen for. This was his alter ego. Everyone looked at this side with cold, hard fear. It was his world. The rest of us only lived in it.
    “What do I have to do for you to let her go?” My voice shook, emotion controlling me. I lifted the chair and looked around the restaurant. Most of the patrons were openly staring, watching the fireworks evolve. They probably thought we were having a lover’s quarrel. In a way, we kind of were.
    “Earlier, I was feeling nostalgic, being here, looking at you across from me, knowing that it’s the view I want to see for the rest of my life.” His eyes hardened, and he squinted. “Now that you’ve embarrassed yourself, and therefore me, with your antics, I’m not feeling so generous.”
    “Name your price,” I stated plainly.
    “The four hundred thousand you owe me, or you, for a single night in my bed.”

Chapter Six
    B laine’s eyes were a glassy , bright, yellowish green. Those were the eyes I’d looked into every time he kissed me, touched me, and made love to me. The conversation we’d just had that made every facet of my being want to curl up into a fetal position and die…turned him on. God, the man loved to have power over people and things. Got off on it, too.
    “So what do you say?”
    I licked my lips, took a massive gulp of my wine, and let it burn like acid down my throat. Looking out over the water, I thought about my predicament. I could end it easily by just letting him fuck me. I’d done it before. He was great in bed, always had been. Giving, loving, worried about my pleasure. I could down a couple bottles of wine and let him have his wicked way with me, and all of this would be over. Done. Finito.
    “If I let you have me for the night, you’ll call our debt paid, let Ginelle go, and leave my family alone? Including my father?”
    Blaine’s lips twisted into a smug grin. If I thought it would make a difference, I’d punch that look off his smarmy face so everyone in the near vicinity could see how much I despised him. He took a slow drink of his wine and hummed. A shiver ran down my spine, and my belly clenched. I used to adore that sound, worked for that hum, down on my knees while worshiping his cock. Now, the gentle hum was like the warning before an explosion. The little red light that lasered in on the criminal before the SWAT team blows his head off, like in the movies.
    Finally, Blaine responded. “Yes. Your father’s debt will be cleared, your friend released unscathed, and you and your family will be off our radar.” Blaine glanced down at my chest, tilted his head, and licked his lips. “I cannot wait to taste your cunt, hear you cry out when I use my teeth and tongue on that sweet button. It will be music to my ears.” He sucked in a breath through his teeth. His eyes were blazing hot. I’d have bet all the money in the world that his dick was hard as a rock as he imagined all the things he’d do to me. Only problem was I didn’t have that same response. His filthy words used to turn me on. Used to, but not now. I’d always been a woman whose panties got wet when her man talked dirty to her, and Blaine knew that better than most. It