Blurred Lines (Blurred Lines Volume 1) (5 page)

Chapter 10

John thanks the driver, whose name is Justin, and we
walk into the hotel. It’s like time stands still when we enter the lobby. Everyone seems to freeze for a moment.

A woman comes around the front desk and moves toward us. “Welcome back
, sir. Is there anything I can get you and your…” she pauses and eyes me, then continues, “guest?”

“We’re good,” John says and takes my hand. We walk to the elevator, which is open and waiting with a new bellhop.

“Thirteen please.”

“Of course, Mr.
Cruze.”

We ride up in silence.

John gives the guy a twenty—for nothing.

“Thank you, Mr.
Cruze.”

“You’re welcome,” John
says tightly.

We walk to his room and he opens the door. Once we’re inside he breathes a huge sigh of relief.

“Sometimes it’s really hard to be
on
all the time.”

“I bet.” I search the living room
looking for my stuff. I took off my dress and shoes there. Neither is anywhere to be found. The wine and cheese has been removed, and the blanket we snuggled with while we watched the movie has vanished. Obviously the room has been cleaned. “Any idea where my dress and shoes might be?” I think about my purse. I left it in the bathroom and dash in there, ignoring the doctor’s orders and the pounding in my head. It’s gone. “My purse isn’t where I left it,” I yell, frantic.

John comes into the bedroom and
opens a door. It’s a walk in closet filled with his clothes. On a shelf is my purse and my dress has been dry-cleaned. There’s a bag over it with a receipt stapled to the top.

I open my purse and check inside. My
mace, phone, money, condoms, and keys are still inside.  A strangled sigh of relief escapes my throat. I reach up and grab my dress. When I turn to leave, I see John standing in the doorway.

He really is the hottest guy on the planet, just like
People
magazine claims. It still blows me away I didn’t recognize him.

I take a tentative step forward.

“Thank you so much for everything. I’m really sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused. If you can forgive me, I’ll be on my way, and you’ll never have to see me again.” I try to smile, but the thought of never kissing him, touching him, twists my heart. The feeling pisses me off. I fucking can’t believe I’ve let myself have feelings for him. If I could, I’d punch myself in the face. I mean how much of an ass am I? If there was one guy in the universe I could have feelings for or see myself with, it wouldn’t be John Cruze. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I try to push past him, but he grabs me by the shoulders.

“Cadence, I…” His eyes look sad.

“We don’t have to make this difficult. I fucked up and while last night was awesome, it was also a mistake. Fileze is furious and I’ve got to t
ry and make things right.” I have no idea how to do that, but I have to figure out a way. And I can’t do that while I’m here with him.

John nods.

I quickly head toward the door. For some reason, tears are threatening.

Don’t be such a fucking idiot!

Even if he felt something too, it’s like what his manager said: I’m bad for his reputation and he isn’t going to give up his career in the spotlight for a chance to date and get to know a hooker.

I
’m fucked.

“Cadence, wait.” He comes up behind me.

“What?” I say with more irritation than I feel.

He reaches out, strokes my cheek with his thumb. “Stay. Please, just… stay.”

“And what, be your live-in hooker? Hang out in the hotel room and fuck you when you’re around?”

John flinches. His jaw clenches.

My shoulders sag. I’d love to stay and hang out with him. Really get to know him. See if what we had last night was just a fluke, a fucking amazing fluke, or if it meant something. But I can’t. We can’t. It would never work.

“Whatever,” he says, and I realize I’ve hurt his male pride. It doesn’t matter though. He’ll get over it way before I will.

I open the door and walk to the elevator. Push the down arrow. The bellhop is waiting.

“Hey,” John calls and my heart flips in excitement. Maybe he doesn’t care about his career. Or maybe he’s willing to give it a try. Fight for what happened last night. For the sparks we both felt.

“Yeah?” I turn and look at him, trying to hide my hope.

“Justin will take you home.
He’s waiting out front.” My heart sinks.

“That’s very thoughtful. Thank you.”

He nods and closes the door.

Chapter 11

When I get back to my apartment, I fall into bed. Jessica is asleep, snoring softly. I turn on my phone and read the texts. The more I read, the worse I feel. Fileze was really pissed. Now I understand why. The John I was supposed to meet is the one who had Fileze beat into hamburger.

“Fuck.” I check the text Fileze sent me about the hotel and room number. I went exactly where he told me to go. It isn’t my fault the wrong person answered. How can I fix this? Can I? Should I leave? Disappear? My options are limited. The way Fileze was talking, he won’t stop until I’m dead. But I have nowhere to go.

Last I checked my dad was still dead and my mom was still in prison. The streets of L.A. swallowed my little brother a long time ago. I have no idea if he’s dead or alive. My parents never discussed their families. They were always too fucked up to say or do much of anything, let alone tell us if we had extended family or not.

The tears that have been threatening spill over. I’m well and truly fucked. Unless I leave.

And do what?
I ask myself.

I got my GED when I was seventeen and I’ve been saving to go to the local community college. I want to major in business, but I still don’t have enough for the tuition.

My dad escaped his problems by overdosing. He left a note:
I know I’m a low life fuck. The world is better off without me. Peace out.

He definitely took the easy way out and I can’t help but have the thought cross my mind. Is the world better off without me? Am I better off not being in it?

“No,” I whisper fiercely. My dad gave up. That isn’t the kind of person I am. So what do I do?

Before I can figure it out, there’s a knock at the door.

I check the peephole. There’s a tall, super big guy wearing sunglasses and a suit standing there.

“What do you want?” I ask, locking the chain and deadbolt.

“I need to speak with Cadence Norton.”

My heart is pounding so hard I can hardly hear.

“Who are you?” I finally ask.

The big guy leans forward. “I’m here on behalf of Mr. Zane. You missed an appointment with him last night and he’d like to discuss a new arrangement with you.”

“I don’t know a Mr. Zane. And besides there’s no one by the name of Cadence who lives here.”

He pulls a gun from somewhere and holds it up so I can see it through the peephole. “Either you come on your own or I take matters into my own hands.”

“But I’m not Cadence,” I yell, pressing my hand against my mouth. Holy shit. What am I going to do? I should’ve stayed with John.

“I think you’re lying,” he says.

“What the hell is going on? What’s all the noise?”

I run to her. Throw my duffle bag on her bed and start stuffing clothes from the floor in it. “You need to get out of here. Go out the window. Don’t come back for a few days. There’s…”

I’m interrupted by pounding on the door. “Miss Cadence, I’m giving you to the count of three to open this door or I’ll break it down.”

Jessica looks at me, her blue eyes wild. “What did you do?”

“Nothing. Everything. I fucked up. Okay. Just go. Hurry.” I open the window and push the metal stairs down.

“One!”

“Hurry,” I whisper-shout. “Please. I’ll call you later and tell you everything.”

She nods, pulls on a pair of imitation
Uggs and climbs out the window. “You better,” she says and flings the duffle over her head.

“I will.”

“Two!”

Jessica climbs back up. “Come with me,” she says.

I shake my head and stuff the money I’ve saved, more than three thousand bucks, in her hand. “He’ll keep looking until he finds me. Hurry.”

Her eyes get wide and she swallows. “Okay.”

“Three!”

I quickly slam the window and lock it. Then close the curtains.

The door splinters open. The big guy steps in. He didn’t even break a sweat.

“Let’s go, miss.”

My heart falls into my stomach and I nod. “Fine.”

This isn’t going to end well
, I think, grabbing my purse.

Big Guy pulls it from my hands and tosses it to the floor. “Where we’re going you won’t need anything. Mr. Zane will take care of all your needs.” A
wisp of a smile crosses his lips. He grabs me by the elbow and pulls me along.

A few other people in the building are standing in their doorways. When the
y see Big Guy is holding a gun, they quickly go back inside their apartments and lock their doors. In this neighborhood nobody ever “sees” or “knows” anything. It’s the only way to stay alive. I don’t blame them. It’s the way of the street.

When we get outside, he pushes me into a waiting car.

A feeling like I’ll never see this place again washes through me. And I say a silent good-bye.

Chapter 12

We drive in silence. Big Guy has his gun aimed at me the whole way. We drive to a part of town that I won’t even go. The car stops in front of an old warehouse.

Shit, this is it
, I think and try to come to terms with the situation.

The car stops and Big Guy forces me out.
The air smells like metal, rotting fish, and salt. I’d hold my breath, but at this point, anything is better than being dead.

The door to the warehouse opens and another man in a suit
steps through.

“Mr. Zane wants her put in the blue room.”
He holds a set of keys out.

Big Guy nods
and takes them, shoving them in his pocket.

I
’m scared. My heart is beating so fast I think it’ll explode from my chest. Because whatever is coming, it isn’t going to be like last night. There won’t be any kindness. This is more what I expected from Fileze.

We walk down a
hall. The only light comes from a single fluorescent bulb. Our footsteps echo off the aluminum walls and ceiling.

Big Guy stops in front of a door, takes out the keys and unlocks the door. There’s a light switch on the left and he flips it on before pushing me inside the room.

I hold down a scream.

There’s a four-poster bed in the middle of the room. Chains
are attached to all four sides. There’s a chain next to a toilet, sink, and shower at the back of the room. Shelves filled with soaps, towels and washcloths are next to the sink.

Chains
are attached to the left wall. There’s a wooden machine with straps at the four corners along the right one. No windows.

Whips, knives, and
various other sex toys are sitting on a table.

On the bed lays
a collar and four cuffs. Immediately I know what’s going to happen and I pull away, making a run for the door. I wouldn’t care, but normally the client and I have agreed if something like this is to take place.

There’s a man standing in the doorway, blocking my escape. He’s wearing black chinos, a baby blue shirt with the buttons undone
, and black shoes. His hair is long and blond. It’s thick, wavy, well kept. He uses a hand to flip it behind his shoulder. His light skin is smooth. He handsome. Not as handsome as John Cruze, but not bad.

He grabs me by the wrists and holds me. I try to fight him, but Big Guy
picks me up by the waist and tosses me on the bed.

“You better show some respect for Mr. Zane. The more you fight the worse time you’ll have in here,” Big Guy says.
He’s removed his sunglasses and I see his dark eyes are serious.

I stop fighting and Big Guy puts a cuff on each of my wrists and ankles
, then pulls my sundress off as well as my flip-flops. I cover my breasts with my hands.

“Chain her up to all four, Lincoln,” Mr. Zane says. His voice is low, gravelly.

Lincoln, the man I call Big Guy, grunts. “Yes, Mr. Zane.”

When
he’s finished I’m spread wide and naked.

“Leave us. I’d like to make the
lady’s acquaintance.”

“Yes, sir.” He gives me a pointed look and I get that he’s telling me to behave. The truth is that I’m chained up. I have no choice but to behave.

Once the door clicks shut, Mr. Zane comes over and climbs on the bed. His focus isn’t on my face, but my pussy.

“Am I to understand you are adamant about protection?” He puts a hand on each of my thighs.

When I don’t answer right away, he pinches my inner thigh. I can’t help but cry out.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s one of my rules.”

He smiles. “I see. You have rules. What are they?” He pulls his gaze from my pussy long enough to catch my gaze a moment before returning his attention to my most private part.

“
Cash only. Use protection. Carry mace. Don’t fall in love,” I tick off my rules robotically.

He chuckles.

“Excellent.” Then he pushes a finger inside and pulls it out. “My name is John Zane, but you can call me Zane. I’m the man you were supposed to spend the night with. It seems you ended up with a John Cruze. How was the movie star? A good fuck?”

I don’t answer and he pinches my other leg.

“Not really,” I say, gasping, trying to push down the pain.

“I see. Well you can be assured that you’ll be thoroughly fucked over the next few days. And if you’re good, and don’t cause any trouble, I’ll let you live. Understand?”

I nod and he slaps my pussy hard.

“Yes. Yes. I understand.”

“Good. Then I think we can begin.”

I close my eyes, desperately trying to prepare myself. Last night really fucked me up. My head is pounding so hard, I’m beginning to see sta
rs, but I need to be at my best for this one. My position is nothing new. I’m a prostitute. Aside from my four rules, nothing is off limits. I’ve been chained up before. Not like this. I would’ve insisted my hands or my legs were kept free, but I can handle it. Get through it. I need to moan, pretend I’m hot, and he said he’d let me go.

The truth is, even if he doesn’t, even if he kills me after, it won’t do any good to fight.
This John paid Fileze for my services. I agreed to do whatever he wants. So I’m going to be the best fucking hooker John Zane has ever fucked.

I steel myself and open my eyes. John is naked and standing in front of me.
His body is fit, lean. Strong.

“Here are my rules: Scream when it hurts.
Moan when it feels good. And say my name in either situation. Got it?”

“Yes,” I say.

He climbs on the bed and I see his cock is hard. I can’t help but compare him to my John. He’s close. Not as large, but almost. He isn’t wearing a condom, though, and I shake my head.

“Please, my rules. Wear a condom.”

His face hardens. He walks over to the table. When he comes back he’s holding a Cat of Nine Tails. The ends are tipped with tiny shards of metal. He whips it across my stomach, and I scream out.

“Good. Very good.” He maneuvers between my legs and sticks a finger in my pussy, massaging my clit with his thumb. His touch is tender and I’m surprised. My body starts to respond. It’s what I’m trained for and
I sink into it. He sticks another finger inside of me, and another. I start to get wet and I see he’s pleased.

“What a good girl. Fileze was right. I am going to enjoy you.”

I smile. “I want you to.”

His face goes hard again and he whips my stomach. Tiny beads of blood appear. “You don’t get to want anything. You’re my whore. You’ll please me and do as I say when I say it. Nothing more. Nothing less.”

“Okay,” I answer and pant. He’s still massaging my clit with his thumb and the pressure is building. He sticks his pinky finger in my ass. My orgasm is close and I’m surprised. This asshole is going to make me come.

I come on his fingers and his features lighten. He pulls them out and licks them.

“Delicious.” He moves so that he’s straddling me, his dick in my face.

I resist. “Please, can’t you use a condom?”

His hand covers my neck and he presses down. While he’s choking me, he massages my clit softly. Amazingly, my body responds.

“I won’t wear a condom. You’ll suck my cock and you’ll like it. Got it?”

There are more stars but I try to say yes.

“Very good.” He shoves his cock in my mouth and I suck it, swirl my tongue around it, and do my best to give him the best blow job ever. I hear him moan so I know
it’s working. Finally he pulls out and positions himself to enter me.

When he shoves himself inside I scream out.

“Say my name,” he says, rocking into me.

“Zane. Zane. Ah, fuck me, Zane.” He rocks into me harder and faster, massaging my clit and I’m going to come again.
It’s a fucking miracle.

“Come for me Cadence. Come for me.” And I do come for him.
His orgasm happens rapidly. He sneers. “Very good. So fucking good. You’re a super star, Cadence.”

When he’s satisfied, he stops and climbs
off the bed. He goes to the sink and I hear the water turn on. Then he comes back and wipes the blood off my stomach, kissing each little cut. “You taste sweet,” he says, his words caressing.

Finished, he goes back to the sink and I hear the water running again. He returns, cleaning my pussy.
Then he tosses the washcloth on the floor and walks to the door.

“I’ll be back, sweetie.”

And he’s gone.