Page 23 of A Billionaire Gentleman

Except I kept hearing it in my head the entire way home. Between the way men looked at me at work and the proposition I’d just received, I was feeling less like a strong woman leaving an abusive situation…and more like a whore with a nicer label.

I slammed my door behind me and took my bags into my kitchen. I had everything I needed to make a good, nutritious lunch that Dallas and I could share tomorrow. I had a screwdriver that I could use to fix my dresser all by myself. These were good things, but all of the joy I’d felt just an hour ago was gone.

I needed to push that odd meeting out of my mind, and putting things away gave me the sort of monotonous work I needed to calm me. I’d almost succeeded when someone knocked on my door.

My heart pounded as I went to it, hoping it wasn’t Mead. A quick glance through the peephole showed someone else I didn’t really want to see, though she was always more welcome than my ex-husband.

“Mrs. Islip,” I said as I opened the door. “Please, come in.”

“Mrs. Stafford.” Marge Islip had only ever referred to me by my married status and name, but since it was still my legal name, I wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it.

“What are your plans for today?” she asked, opening the folder she always had with her.

I was used to her abrupt manner and knew not to take offense. While she didn’t seem to be a member of Mead’s fan club, she also didn’t treat me as if I’d been wrongly accused. She didn’t care that I’d always claimed to be innocent, but she didn’t insult me either, so it definitely could have been worse.

“Ms. Stanton is bringing Dallas by for a short visit tomorrow, so I’m going to do my cleaning this afternoon, and after that, I have a shift at work.”

She knew where I worked since keeping track of my place of employment was her job. Since my official job description was showgirl and the club had a relatively clean reputation, she’d approved it from a legal standpoint. I’d gotten the impression that she didn’t personally approve of it, though. Whether for good or bad, she didn’t let her private opinions about anything come into play.

“Your last drug test came back clean.”

I held back the comment that all of my drug tests had been clean. She knew that because she had the results of every single one of them right there in that file of hers. She hadn’t looked surprised at any of them, but I’d gotten the impression that she would’ve had the same non-reaction if it’d come back positive.

“I’ll be speaking to Ms. Stanton on Monday morning to discuss her observations during your visits.” She made another note. “Please stay here while I do my walk-through.”

I nodded, crossing my arms as I leaned against the table. The first time she’d told me that, I’d been annoyed but hadn’t argued. Now, I knew that it was the way she did things. I didn’t like being treated like a criminal, but I understood why she’d want to have the exact same routine with each person. It saved her from accusations of favoritism.

Besides, I didn’t have anything to hide, and not really anything that would even embarrass me. Despite the sexual nature of my job, I had absolutely nothing sexual in my apartment. My underwear was all simple cotton, my bras as plain as possible. I owned no lingerie, and the very idea of sex toys embarrassed the shit out of me.

Mead was the only man I’d ever had sex with, and he’d spent the entire time we were together shaming me, humiliating me. He’d said it was my fault that I hadn’t ever climaxed with him. That I was barely good enough for him to fuck.

Before meeting him, I’d masturbated every so often, using my fingers to get off, but he’d told me I wasn’t allowed to do that anymore. That if I couldn’t manage to reach an orgasm when we were having sex, I didn’t deserve to have one.

I’d never been able to decide if he was ignorant or cruel, but I’d always suspected both.

“Everything seems to be in order,” Mrs. Islip said as she finished her inspection. “This is my last required surprise visit. Unless you’ve violated your probation or I receive a negative report from Ms. Stanton, I’ll be scheduling any future visits until your probation is complete. Do you have any questions for me?”

“Just one.” I straightened and put my hands in my pockets. “Will this help with my custody case?”

She didn’t seem surprised by my question, but considering how my entire world revolved around Dallas, it made sense. “I have no involvement in custody issues. My reports will be filed as they’re supposed to be, and it will be up to your lawyer to utilize anything needed for your case.”

My lawyer. Right. That massive number I’d put together had never seemed as far away as it did right now. I could make lunch for Dallas, keep doing all of the things I needed to do to make it through my probation, and still never have more than short visits simply because I couldn’t afford to fight.

The business card in my pocket suddenly felt heavy.

And it felt like it might be the answer to everything…if it didn’t cost me my soul.

Fourteen

Deklin

We landedin Vegas earlier that afternoon, and not long after we’d settled into the hotel, Grandad had told me he had an appointment that I didn’t need to go to, and then he’d disappeared. It was Sunday, and we hadn’t scheduled anything for today, but Grandad had insisted we get here right away.

My suspicion that he was trying to keep Aurelia and me apart just kept getting stronger, but I didn’t know how to confront him about it. Or if I even should. It seemed sort of pointless since Aurelia and I were engaged. That was pretty much the opposite of apart.

But that was a problem for another day. Right now, I had a ‘date’ of a different kind waiting for me in the hotel restaurant.

From the doorway, I could see him at the bar, and I chuckled as the bartender leaned closer to him. His hair was the dark kind of blond that was just this side of light brown, and I didn’t need to see his face to know that he had light blue eyes women swooned over.

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