Bend Me, Daddy

But I knew it wouldn't last. With every birthday, I felt my father's eyes on me more and more often. At twenty-five, I was well beyond the usual marrying age for the daughter of a mafia man. We women were used as a gesture of good will, or sometimes bargaining chips to placate the men. Make them feel bigger than they were. More important. And the thought of becoming some gangster's trophy wife, of sleeping in the same bed with him and letting him rut over me every night, made me want to vomit. So one day, I just walked out of the house, got into my car, and left. No one stopped me. No one even thought to question me because I'd always been such a good girl who never caused any trouble. I drove as far as I could go without any money to get gas, which was three hours away to Austin. I pulled up right outside of this club, walked in, and asked for a job. I'd only planned to stay long enough to get a paycheck, until I'd found out exactly what type of business it was and decided it was safe enough for me to stay for a while. And that's how I met Jade, who offered me a place to stay when she found out I was sleeping in my car and washing up in the restroom at the back of the club before my shift every night. I'd been at her place about two weeks when I asked her if I could take her place one night on one of her dates. If I got rid of this pesky virginity, I wouldn't be nearly as valuable if I was ever found and forced back into my father's home.

If I survived the beating he would give me for running off and "defiling" myself, maybe, just maybe, I'd be able to have some semblance of freedom. Or at the very least, have a say in who I ended up marrying.

It'd seemed like a good back-up plan at the time. However, after my scare the other night, I'd decided I would concentrate on saving money so I could leave this state as soon as possible. Losing my virginity along the way would be nothing but a bonus, but it would be by my choice. Not a decision forced on me by my situation. And not with someone who knew my father.

I took Enzo's drink and put it on my tray, along with a few others for the next table. Drinks that would also come out of my paycheck for making my customers wait while I "took a break to flirt" per Rob. I dropped those off first before taking Enzo's whiskey over to him. Setting it on the table, I turned to check on the rest of my tables.

"Why are you wearing that?"

His question caught me off guard. I turned back around. "What?"

Enzo ran his eyes up and down my body. And even though I was sufficiently covered, I felt naked and couldn't stop myself from looking down to make sure he hadn't singed the clothes from my body with nothing but his burning gaze. One I could feel even with the sunglasses acting as a barrier between us. I couldn't even imagine how scorched I would feel if they weren't there. "It's my uniform," I told him. "I wasn't really given much of a choice." Every waitress here was a different character. With my height, curves, pink hair, and piercings, I was a "naughty little girl." Sloane, the head server, picked the looks for us.

He took a sip of his whiskey and set the glass back on the table. "None of the other waitstaff are dressed up like a man's fantasy come to life."

I frowned down at him. "The other waitstaff here tonight are men." Their uniforms weren't as diverse. Just similar combinations of black slacks and shiny, silver shirts with black vests.

His phone vibrated on the table, and he picked it up from the table and turned his attention to the screen. Breathing a sigh of relief, I took advantage of the opportunity and went to check on the rest of my tables.

The rest of the night was uneventful, other than the fact that Enzo's eyes followed me everywhere I went. Even when I wasn't looking, I could feel his gaze on me. It burned along my skin everywhere his eyes touched until I felt like I was sunburned. And I didn't know if it was his presence or if the gentlemen in the club were just busy with other things, but they were much less handsy than normal tonight, and for that I was thankful. It wasn't unusual for me to find bruises on my skin in the mornings because someone was having a hell of a good time and grabbed me a little too forcefully as they tried to force me to join the party.

However, by the time I cashed in my tips and walked to the back to get my things out of my locker, my nerves were so on edge I wanted to jump out of my skin. So, when I heard his voice directly behind me, I bit back a scream just in time. "Now can we talk?"

Spinning around, I slammed my back against the wall of lockers, trying to put some space between us, but he was having none of it. One of the handles dug into the back of my hip, but I ignored it. "What do you want, Enzo?" I asked, transferring all of the fear I felt into annoyance. Even though my feet were fucking killing me, I stood tall in my heels, glad I hadn't changed into my slip-on sneakers yet. At least with these ridiculous shoes on he didn't tower over me quite so much.

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ne5s.org to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now!

His nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. He didn't answer me right away, and when he did, I was surprised by what he said. "Come with me back to the hotel."

"No." I didn't know how he was even standing straight. He'd just sat at my table for six straight hours and drank whiskey, not moving except to go to the bathroom a few times. And as ready as I'd been to hop into bed with him the other night, I wasn't so eager now that I knew who he was. I needed to stay away from him. Not get more intimate. But obviously he wasn't used to taking no for an answer.

"That wasn't a request, Sera." He paused, and I tried desperately to see his eyes to get an idea of what he was thinking. "Or should I call you Fina?"

My heart dropped into my stomach as I tried to keep my face straight. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

I was planning to change my name completely, but because "Serefina Cordaro" was on my license that I had to show to get this job, I went by Sera, hoping that would be enough to throw people off. "My name is Sera," I told him. "Good," he said, surprising me. "I prefer Sera." He glanced over my shoulder at my closed locker. "Do you have everything you need?"

I swallowed hard and nodded, but my mind was racing, trying to think of a way I could get out of this predicament I'd made for myself. But all I could think of was to tell him the truth. "I don't want to go back to the hotel with you. If you want to talk, we can talk, but I'd prefer somewhere more public."

Lost in the world of this story? Make sure you're on Ne5s.org to catch every twist and turn. The next chapter awaits, exclusively on our site. Dive in now!

He cocked his head. "Smart girl. However, I don't want anyone to see us talking, so I must insist on somewhere more private. After all, I assume you don't want it getting back to your father that you're here." He raised one eyebrow, and I shook my head in confirmation. "And I don't think you'd want to find a table here, since it is your place of employment and someone might overhear us."

"No," I whispered. The people here didn't know where I came from, although it wouldn't be hard to find out. But I didn't think they really cared as long as I showed up to work and did my job. However, if someone overheard us and I was found out, they wouldn't be able to ignore it.

"So that leaves us with the hotel."

"But people there will see us come in together."

"The people there are paid well to stay out of my business. And they know what will happen to them if they don't."

Chills chased each other across my skin. He never raised his voice or changed his tone, yet I felt the cold fingers of death skim the back of my neck at his careless words.

Gently, he took the tote bag that held my things from me, set it down, and helped me into my coat. Then, with a hand on the small of my back, he ushered me out of the break room and to the back door of the club. The night air was chilly when we stepped outside, and I could smell rain. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself.

He pointed with the hand holding the bag. "My car is right there."