Page 2 of Protected By Saint

I jump back at his harsh tone. I wet my dry lips, trying to ignore the rapid beating of my heart. “Um, what do you mean?”

“Why the fuck do you think I would care about the shitty jobs you’ve had before?”

I swallow nervously, confused. Don’t employers typically ask about your work background before hiring you? “I’m confused…”

“What the hell are you confused about? No one gives a fuck about any of the work you’ve done. You are acting like you are here to work the club floor or something,” he says with a sneer, bringing his cigarette back to his lips.

I stare at the man, blinking rapidly at as I try to make sense of his words. Is he not hiring servers? But Natalie told me…our conversation…

What am I doing here if he’s not interviewing me for a server job? And why does he keep asking about my experience if he doesn’t want to know where I’ve worked before? This feels like some crazy fever dream. Nothing makes sense.

“It seems there’s been some kind of misunderstanding,” I say, reaching over and tugging my file back. “I was told that there is a job opening and that you are hiring servers. That’s why I’m here.”

Silence.

Tense silence as I wait for the man to explain the misunderstanding. Instead, he stares blankly at me before his mouth opens and the most horrendous sound I’ve ever heard roars out of him. He’s laughing. It takes me a couple of seconds to realize that the sound he’s making is laughter. He gasps and chokes on the smoke from the cigarette before releasing a series of coughs, but he recovers fast enough to keep on laughing.

“Oh God, that’s a good one. A server?” He coughs, wiping a stray tear with the back of his hand. “Jesus Christ, I don’t know how Natalie comes up with these stories.”

For the first time since walking in here, I question if maybe I’ve gotten myself into a dangerous situation. Natalie assured me that Buck was a nice guy and that she’d put in a good word for me to get hired, but something about all this is obviously wrong. “There is no job opening, is there?” I ask as the truth slowly dawns on me.

“Oh, there’s a job opening alright, but not one that involves serving drinks.” He chuckles, fixing those bloodshot dead eyes on me. “You, sweetheart, will be offering up something entirely different on the stage.”

“S-stage?”

“Exactly. You’re going to stand up there and charm our clientele into bidding on you for the night. A pretty thing like you will fetch a tidy sum for the club. Natalie said you’re a virgin. If that’s true, you’re going to be real popular with tonight’s crowd. Do a good job tonight, and it will make your time working for the club easier.”

I wait for him to tell me that he’s kidding. Maybe this is some kind of a prank that Natalie and this guy are pulling on me, and yet, something feels off. The urge to leave this room becomes insistent. I still don’t quite understand what’s happening here, but I don’t want to stay long enough for the man to explain. I just need to leave.

I push up from my seat quickly, which sends it toppling over. My knees are a little shaky, which makes me stumble back, and I grab the wall to keep myself upright. “I…I don’t know what kind of game you are playing, but I’m leaving.” I say shakily. “I don’t want this job anymore.”

Buck puts out the cigarette with the stack on his desk before tossing it to the floor. “Leaving is no longer an option, sweetheart.”

Oh, I’m done listening to him. Whatever sick games he’s playing, I’m done entertaining him. I’ll go to Natalie for an explanation. I’m sure she’ll have a good reason for sending me to someone like this. We haven’t been roommates long, but she’s never given me any reason to doubt her before this. With that in mind, I turn around and grab the doorknob, letting out a relieved sigh when it turns. I open the door, ready to make my escape, but standing on the other side is the biggest man I have ever seen, well over six feet packed with muscles and eyes so cold, I freeze on the spot.

“W-what the hell is this? You can’t keep me here!” I stammer, turning around to look at Buck, who’s not even gotten up from his seat.

“You’re here for work, aren’t you?”

“I…I don’t want it anymore,” I whisper. “You c-can’t keep me here against my will. Let me go, or I’ll call the cops!” The smile drops from his face at the mention of calling the cops, and it’s enough to have him rising from his chair. He rounds the desk and walks toward me, and I can almost feel my knees buckle from the weight of nerves. “You can’t keep me here! Natalie knows where I am, and she’ll call the cops if I don’t get back to our apartment.”

“Do you still not understand what’s happening here?” Buck scoffs, raking his eyes over my body once more. “There is no server job. Natalie sent you to me knowing fully what is going to happen to you. You belong to the club now, sweetheart. You’re not going anywhere.”

“What do you mean Natalie sent me knowing what was going to happen to me?” I ask, my heart racing with fear. “People aren’t property! You have to let me go!”

I lurch forward, willing to take my chances getting past the giant in the doorway, but he grabs my arms and pins them at my side. No matter how much I struggle or kick, I can’t get away. But I don’t stop, not until Buck shoves a gun in my face.

“You are going to make this club a shit ton of money,” he says. “And if you want to stay in one piece while you do it, you’re going to have to learn to shut up and play nice.”

“N-no. You can’t k-keep me here,” I cry.

He only chuckles. “Oh, the men are going to love you. It’s not often that we get virgins. I was ecstatic when Natalie mentioned your lack of experience, and the men will go wild for it too.” I evade his touch when he brings his fingers up to caress my cheek. “Tonight, we are going to offer you up on auction to some very wealthy men, and they’re going to bid huge sums of money on you. I can already imagine them foaming at the mouth with desire to corrupt a pretty little flower like yourself. There will be a bidding war for a chance to claim you—take you—but only one lucky man will have the opportunity to do so tonight. Only one man can buy your innocence. Maybe he’ll share, who knows?”

Is that what he meant byexperience? Sex?

My heart races faster with every word the man is saying, and by the time he’s done, it’s pounding hard and threatening to break out of my chest. I’m a trembling mess, backing away from the man, but there’s nowhere to go with the giant’s hands still holding my arms. “I…I don’t consent to this,” I say weakly, praying to whoever’s listening to wake me from this nightmare.

“Doesn’t matter,” Buck says with a twisted grin. “Putting up a fight will only excite those sick bastards more.”

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