Page 63 of Love in Unexpected Places

“That I’m not sure about that,” he answers, inclining his head so we can walk to my bed chamber. “I haven’t found my mate yet and wouldn’t know if it were human or demon. But I think you’ll find him, Master. You are too determined not to.”

He is correct on that front. I will not give up until I find the man whose sad voice echoed in my head.

chapter two

LUCAS

White puffs leave my lips as I breathe out into the winter cold. I curse my pimp’s name as I walk up and down the strip, avoiding piles of dirty snow. Since it’s the holiday season, Brooks has me dressed in a fucking Santa jacket that doesn’t button, a thin Santa hat that barely offers my ears any warmth from the freezing temperatures, short-shorts that don’t cover my ass, and fishnet stockings. Thankfully he let me wear my tall boots with the flat heels so I’m not a complete popsicle.

Thank god for small favors, right?

I’m not on the best side of town, but I can still hear the kids singing Christmas carols and shouting with glee. Christmas lights hang from almost every window around me, giving off the feel of the season, even though I hate the holidays now.

Ever since I was forced on the streets by Brooks three years ago, I’ve hated the season with everything in me. For some reason, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have been my biggest earners. All I can think about is men leavingtheir homes and their families to stick their dicks in my ass or mouth.

I fucking hate my life.

My boot connects with a clump of snow as I walk past it, trolling for a client. I wish I could say I’m here of my own free will. That would make being out here less daunting. But Brooks slowly made me his whore, slowly made me into the downtrodden man that has sex for money in exchange for a place to stay.

I thought Brooks was my boyfriend. We’d been together for three months before we even had sex, and before that, he told me he loved me often. Three months after that, he convinced me to have a threesome with his best friend. No big deal. Then it was him asking me to have sex with men while he watched. That escalated to him sending men to a hotel room he rented for me, telling me to make them happy.

Three years later and I haven’t found a way to get away from him. Thankfully he’s stopped having to give me drugs to get me through the night. I’ve become his pliant little whore. That has more to do with Tara than it has to do with Brooks. He brought her in a year ago, and I’ve been wracking my brain for how to get her out of this life. Brooks ran his game on a naive twenty-year-old woman, and now she’s trapped. Hopefully, not for much longer.

I spot her in the distance, and I hurry over to where she’s standing. Like me, she has on a Santa hat, a tight dress that mimics my Santa jacket, and the same fishnets and thigh highs. Tara’s arms are wrapped tightly around herself, as she’s trying to keep some warmth in. Her shaky smile is out of place in this gloom, the only bright spot in my life right now.

“Hey, babydoll,” I say, wrapping my arms around heras well. She’s a sweet-looking girl with brown curls, blue eyes, and cute dimples in her cheeks. “How ya doin?”

She scoffs. “Brooks said I’m to work out here since I didn’t make him come last night.” She muffles a sob in my shoulder. “I’m so sore, Luc. It hurts when he gets close to my … I can’t take anymore.”

My blood boils. I fucking hate Brooks. If it’s the last thing I do, I will fucking kill him for what he did to me, Tara, and the others he keeps housed and doped up. He’s ruined too many lives. If I get away, he’ll just find others to replace me with. I can’t have that. He needs to be gone. Permanently.

“It’s fine, babydoll. I’ll take the next car.” I peer right and left up and down the street. There are no cars coming, so we have a bit of a reprieve. “With these guys, it doesn’t matter if it’s a pussy or an ass, as long as it’s a hole to fuck.” She chuckles halfheartedly. “Come on, let’s find somewhere warm for you.”

Before we can walk more than a few steps, a car appears out of fucking nowhere and stops beside us. I push Tara behind me and face the person that stopped.

The passenger window is rolled down, and a sloppy, sweaty man ducks his head, eyeing Tara and me lecherously. Luckily, his gaze roams over us both with interest, so I don’t have to convince him to take me instead of her.

“Well, looks like I may be on the naughty list,” he says in a nasally voice. Tara and I both shiver, though I’m sure hers wasn’t a cringe like mine. “Which one of you Santas is gonna check their list twice for my name?”

Swallowing hard, I push Tara away and step forward. “I will, stud,” I say in my most sultry voice. I’ve perfected it over the years, and my clients love it.

“Well, alright,” the man rumbles in a nauseating voice. “Is your friend joining?”

“Why would you want a green girl when you can have a man that knows what he’s doing?” I ask with a pout while shooing Tara away. She whispers a quick thank you, and I hear her heels clicking on the sidewalk. “You ready, darlin’?”

He nods then inclines his head for me to climb in. Pasting on a fake smile, I do what he wants. He places his hand on my knee and steers us down an alley with the other. I can barely contain the vomit trying to claw its way up my throat. The inside of the car smells like old feet, sweat, and cheese. It’s the disgusting combination that’s also clinging to the man’s skin. This will be my only client tonight. I can’t stomach anyone else. I’ll take a beating from Brooks if I have to, but I can’t do it again tonight.

Once we get into a wide alley with large dumpsters on both sides, my client puts the car in park and leans over the seat, kissing along my neck and shoulder. I dry heave but cover it with a chuckle as I push him away. “Hold on,” I say with a fake, high-pitched giggle. “Let’s climb in the back. We’ll have more room.” I need the time to pull in a few deep, clean breaths before I get back in the car. Even the alley lined with dumpsters is better than the inside of this car.

The man smiles a lascivious smile and pulls on my arm, opening the door and dragging me across the center console to exit.

“Hey!” I shout as my arm is wrenched to the side roughly, and my knee scrapes the ground when I fall to the concrete. “Be careful.”

A hand blasts across my face, and I’m shocked into silence. I drop to the ground again, holding my face and looking up at the man in shock. If anything, his smile is wider now that he’s struck me.

“Shut the fuck up, whore. Sluts like you don’t call theshots. You make me come and be grateful I’m even fucking a lowlife like you.”

His words send a pang through my heart. I know what people think when they see me standing on the corner. They assume I’m on drugs, and I’m selling my body to support my habit. They don’t know I was forced into this life and I’m being held hostage with no money of my own and no way to escape.

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