Chapter 22 #2
Moments later, the sound of shoes storming down the hall made her look up to see Nikos standing in the doorway. They stared at each other until Nikos took off his jacket, came over, and draped it over her shoulder before pulling her into a hug.
“Did he do anything to you?” he asked.
For some reason, his question made her cry harder, but it seemed that Nikos wanted answers. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into his blue eyes.
“Did he do anything to you?” he asked again, demanding an answer. Honey sniffled.
“He tried to force toys on me, which wasn’t a part of the deal, and when I said no, he tried to force a gag in my mouth,” Honey said, shaking. “I know he might be an important member, but—”
“No,” Nikos said, cutting her off. She stared at him, confused, wondering if she had crossed a line, knowing that if one of the other girls did this with an important client, Antonis would not be pleased at all.
He treated his important elite client members like gods here who could get whatever they wanted, and she had just broken that rule.
When James came back into the room, Nikos turned to him.
“I want that man out of here and never let him back on the premises,” Nikos said. “Tell Christos to handle him.”
Honey’s eyes widened. She didn’t want him hurting anyone on her behalf. It was enough that he was gone.
“Nikos—”
“It’s more than just you,” Nikos told her. “He needs to know that he can’t treat women however he wants, especially the women who work for me.”
Honey found herself staring at Nikos, feeling like she was speaking to a man she had never met before. None of the owners of clubs ever spoke like this before, especially the men. They usually didn’t care.
“But I promise I won’t kill him,” Nikos told her. “I won’t put something like that on your conscious.”
She was grateful that Nikos understood her apprehensions without her explaining them. He helped her off the floor so she could sit on the bed. James took his orders and left, giving her a sympathetic look, but she was glad he had stayed true to his word and immediately came to her rescue.
“I thought I could do this,” Honey said, shaking her head. “I don’t think I can anymore.”
She had wanted this for so long, thinking it would be the easiest way to achieve her dream, but the reality of it was haunting. To be under that gaze, looked at like that, and treated like a toy was something she couldn’t accept, especially when her words didn’t matter at all.
“I’ll have Angela vet them for you, so you won’t have to experience anything forceful like this again,” Nikos told her, but Honey shook her head.
“I don’t think I’ll be ready to do something like this again yet,” she said as she looked at the room in disgust before she bit down on her lip, frustrated with the situation and herself.
“I was this close,” she said. “I wanted this for so long and begged for it, but now this happened.”
It was quiet for a moment as she simmered in anger while Nikos sat beside her, providing comfort in him simply being there.
“You might not be quite ready to work back here yet after what happened,” Nikos finally said, ending the quiet between them. “But I know that you need the money, so for the time being, you can do it with me.”
Honey whipped her head to look at him, surprised but mostly uncertain.
If this had happened a few months ago, she would have thought Nikos was trying to take advantage of her.
But now that she knew him, Honey knew his offer was coming from a good place rather than him trying to take advantage of her.
On the other hand, she didn’t know if she wanted to cross that line with Nikos yet. But, worst of all, her pride wouldn’t let her. It chained her acceptance.
“No,” she said stubbornly, even though she knew it would probably be easier to have sex with Nikos than with a stranger, and apparently, Nikos was a sex god, according to the girls here. “I don’t want a handout.”
“That’s why I’m not offering you money,” Nikos said, laughing, and she arched a brow, not getting it. “This is the only thing I could think of where it won’t feel like a handout. It’s not as if I’m giving it to you for free, and at least it’ll be with someone you’re comfortable with.”
“But I’m not comfortable with you at all,” Honey joked.
Nikos smiled, and Honey quirked a brow.
“Why are you smiling?”
“I’m just happy to see you’re okay,” he told her. “Because if you weren’t, I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep my promise.”
Honey stared at him for a second before she sighed.
“Okay, I accept,” she said. It was a good deal, and all the points Nikos listed were good. She would rather do it with him than with a stranger, and she would still be getting paid to achieve her goal.
“Thank you,” Honey told him gratefully. Nikos had been worried that she wouldn’t be okay, but if it weren’t for him giving her comfort and another chance, she probably wouldn’t be.
“Has this happened to any of the other girls before?” Nikos asked, and she nodded. Nikos gritted his teeth.
“I need to fix that,” Nikos said. “None of the women here will be hurt while I run the club.”
His words warmed her, along with his jacket. She felt protected as she inhaled the scent of his clothes. She felt okay.