Page 51 of Ruined
CHAPTER 14
Lucas
When it came to my daily life, work was now the distraction I needed. Being the owner and CEO of Conway Capital meant that most of my tasks were bigger picture items. Yet lately, I found myself doing day-to-day tasks. Menial activities. Anything that took time. The Dahlia District was taking up most of my free thought process, and I needed relief from it. Anything to get my mind off of her.
She was never supposed to consume me like this.
Haley had asked me about love. Because it was on her mind, and she had no reasonnotto ask me if I had ever been in love. Why should she be afraid of a question like that? And for some stupid reason, I told her the truth. But she wasn’t trying to be my friend. She was asking because she was bored. Because it was the polite thing to do. To make conversation.
Or was she trying to get to know me? Was it part of her tricks to lure members into paying for her time? The illusion of a more substantial relationship, without anything actually existing?
The monitors in front of me displayed spreadsheets and the current market reading, but I didn’t see anything. Not the numbers. Not the charts. Not on what it would mean if I could just focus for a minute and move forward.
I only thought of her.
It didn’t matter if she was trying to get to know me for her own personal reasons, or if she was trying to dig deeper into my pockets. It didn’t matter, because she was no one to me.
She was supposed to be no one.
But she wasn’t only a part of the bet with Aldrich anymore. I didn’t know if I loved her, but I feltsomethingfor her.
More than love, I trusted Haley to be honest. Despite my better judgment, my conscience now saw her as a person with feelings. Someone who should be protected. Someone that I couldn’t discard or ignore. She had too much going on in her life to worry about someone like me playing with her mind and heart. She deserved better than what I was doing to her.
Perhaps I could use the bet to help her. I knew, now, without a doubt, that it was only a matter of time before I claimed Haley’s virginity. And once that happened, I would be the owner of Aldrich’s company. I could sell it and use the funds to pay for Haley’s debts. To pay for whatever she refused to tell me about, what she was risking. She might have had secrets, but she was too honest to be deceitful. I believed her now.
I couldn’t pretend to work anymore. I dialed the Dahlia District, and after some discussion with the secretary, I was finally offered an appointment with Dahlia that afternoon before the club opened.
Nothing would change the fact that the bet would never let our relationship survive. Haley and I were doomed.
But at least I could make things better for her.
***
Dahlia wore a form-fitting dress with intricate lace, the neckline wrapping around her thin, veiny neck. The white color of the dress contrasted with her tanned skin and her cheekbones were prominent and rouged. She was a few decades older, but she took care of herself. As if she had gone out of her way to prepare for this encounter. This was a negotiation, nothing more.
“Mr. Conway,” she said, her raspy voice soaked in flirtation. She stretched out a hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
I shook her hand. “I should be saying that. Finally meeting the famous Dahlia of the Dahlia District.”
“Infamous,” she corrected, and grinned. “Can I offer you a drink? Food from our gourmet restaurant? Maybe somethingmorefrom the club?”
I got the feeling she was hinting at something off-limits. “I’m fine. Thanks.”
She crossed her legs. “You understand that anything we discuss here is covered under the NDA you signed with your membership?”
“Right.”
“Very well, then.” She sat up in her seat. “My servers tell me you’ve taken an interest in Haley. Is that what this meeting is about?”
The way she said ‘servers’ was eerie. The word was close to ‘servants,’ and while the women who worked under contract were not technically slaves, something seemed off about her relationship with them. How much did she know? What did they tell her? And beyond that, how loyal were the servers? Did they tell her everything they saw? Perhaps telling each other’s secrets gave them more leverage over others, or kept them on Dahlia’s good side.
There was a coldness to her poise that suggested that she did what she had to in order to keep her entertainment club alive.
The more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea of Haley working at the Dahlia District. Where she’d be forced to deal with this woman and pretentious pricks. People like me.
“I came to negotiate on Haley’s behalf,” I said. “I don’t know how much her debt is—”
“Three.”
