“Then we have an agreement.” He arched an eyebrow. “I have to meet with Gina, so please make yourself comfortable. I won’t have your things packed and moved over until we make an announcement—I don’t want to cause an uproar.”

“I should say something to my friends,” I said. Tate and Macy would be worried about me.

“I’ll handle it,” Cassius said. “For now, why don’t you make yourself comfortable? There’s a private pool out back. You’ll find suits and towels in the pool house. I’ll be back in an hour, and I expect you to be waiting for me.”

A flicker of hope—that same, stubborn hope—ignited inside my chest. “Yes… Sir.”

For the first time that morning, the billionaire smiled. “I’ll have some food sent for you. I’ll see you soon, Faith.” He came closer and gently kissed my cheek.

And when he left, I realized that I had no fucking idea what had just happened between us.

CHAPTER FOUR

steps

Cassius

I was relieved the grounds were empty as I hurried back to the mansion to meet the Madam. Thoughts of Faith consumed me; I wouldn’t have been able to converse with anyone if I tried.

Them: Good morning, Cassius. How are you?

Me: Good morning, my virgin is pregnant. And I have no FUCKING IDEA WHAT I’M DOING.

Faith was pregnant. The news shocked me—I’d never expected those words to come from her mouth. I knew that she’d taken a contraceptive shot, which was highly effective. On top of that, we’d only begun our sexual relationship a few days ago. How on earth was she already pregnant?

More importantly, what was I going to do?

I’d planned to buy out her contract and send her away. But when she told me about the test result, I couldn’t go through with it. How could I banish her when she might be pregnant with my child? I hadn’t wanted to say goodbye, anyway. Perhaps I’d just been looking for an excuse not to end things. In any event, I’d found one.

I mulled the situation as I entered the mansion, speaking to no one as I navigated through the halls to the administrative wing. It was blissfully quiet. The girls were still fast asleep after the weekend’s endless, orgasmic partying. The patrons had left, returning to their “real” lives. I was grateful for the break. Club 444 was an unbridled success, but everyone needed some downtime.

I sat down in Gina’s office. The Madam, though lovely as ever, looked concerned. A tiny crease lined her brow as she neatly stacked some papers on her desk. “Good morning, Mr. Blackwood.”

“Good morning, Gina.”

We regarded each other for a moment. She knew better than to ask too many questions, so she waited for me to begin.

“How many platinum memberships do we have left?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer.

“None. We completely sold out. Elana has been actively recruiting, so I have good news.” She smiled at me. “We’ll have a fresh batch of virgins arriving next month. Elana said she can supply us with ten additional young women if you’re interested.”

I smiled back. “That’s incredible, Gina. Excellent work. I’m going to start giving both you and your sister bonuses for each virgin you recruit.”

Her eyes sparkled. I was making Gina a very wealthy woman. “That’s very generous of you, Mr. Blackwood.”

“You’ve earned it. The platinum-level membership has been an enormous success for us. There’s a high demand amongst our patrons—everybody loves the exclusivity of it,” I said.

“I agree. I think it’s brilliant, and I love that the girls profit from this.” She took a deep breath. “Speaking of which, we have a bit of a situation.”

“I’m listening,” I said.

“Elias Cartwright asked to buy out Macy’s contract this morning,” the Madam said. “But after speaking with Macy, I must tell him no.”

I sat back, surprised. Macy would earn significant money from having her contract bought out. “Why’s that?”

“She doesn’t want what he wants,” Gina said. “Elias asked her to move in with him. He was planning to propose. But Macy said she’s too young and isn’t ready to commit like that.”

My stomach somersaulted. “I see.”