Three Hard Lessons by Nikki Sloane Read Free Book Online

grand as payment for the use of the room. That thought quieted the whore looping in my brain somewhat.
    Joseph’s deep-set eyes hardened. “Yeah, maybe I could pull it together, but I won’t.”
    “Why?” My voice broke on the word. I think my shattered self was unnerving to Joseph.
    “The only reason you want that money right now is so you can return it.”
    “Yeah, so what? It’s my money, I can do what I want with it.”
    I’d never seen Joseph upset before. We’d had some intense situations, but he was always calm and collected through them. The man in front of me was not calm. His face flushed with anger.
    “I can’t have the girls giving back money either. Same issue. This only works as a business, not a fucking charity.”
    The walls closed in on me. “I can’t . . . please, Joseph. I need this.”
    Even as I was falling over a cliff into the unknown, my thoughts were on the man waiting in Room One. I didn’t want to be gone too long and have him investigate where I’d run off to.
    “What happened in that room?” my manager asked. “Did he threaten you?”
    “No, no. He . . . I don’t know what happened. I lost control and it, like, meant something. It felt real.”
    “It wasn’t real.” There was a shift in the man before me as his spine lengthened him to stand his full height. His voice was dark and shocking. “Get on your knees.”
    What the fuck was this? Cold dread filled my belly. I craved command, and occasionally Joseph would satisfy that need when a client failed. Underneath, Joseph was ultra-dominant. We had a fucked-up, symbiotic relationship at the “office.” But now? Please, not tonight.
    “What? Why?” I said.
    “You shouldn’t have to ask why.”
    “Joseph—”
    His face streaked with authority, and in the darkened room, lit only by the monitor and a soft desk lamp, it was terrifying. Any other night, I would have been on my knees in an instant. I would have thought this was the hottest it had ever been with Joseph. Instead, I wanted to run.
    “Payton, get on your fucking knees. Now. You’re going to suck my cock and forget all about him. You belong here. That’s what’s real.”
    I wanted to cry, if I was capable, but I wasn’t. I didn’t cry. I understood why Joseph was doing this. His grip was tightening on me as he felt me slipping away.
    Joseph’s hand undid his belt. It worked the button.
    “No,” I whispered. “Please, no. I can’t do this.”
    “I don’t want to lose you, but if you can’t do this . . . what are you doing here?”
    He undid his zipper and shoved a hand inside his pants, stroking himself. My gaze drifted from his fly, working its way up to meet his eyes. This moment showed me that I couldn’t do this anymore. Any of it.
    “I can’t.”
    He stilled and took a deep breath. “That’s such a disappointment.” Hands did up his pants. “I’m sorry, I’m going to have to ask you to get dressed and Julius will escort you to your car.”
    “No, the guy’s still waiting for me in the room, I need–”
    “I’m no longer interested in what you need, Payton. You’re fired.”
    The air drained from my lungs. “I get that, but I’m going back to that goddamn room first.”
    “There’s no point.” Joseph tapped the earpiece he was still wearing. “Marquis took him to the payment room already. It’s over.”

    I’d stormed to the door in the back and banged my fists against it when the cashier refused to buzz me in. There weren’t windows, so I couldn’t tell if Dom was still there. Julius hovered nearby like he was afraid of me. He was an enormous black man and built like a truck, but he was also a giant teddy bear. He had a not-so-secret crush on me, and even though I flirted endlessly with him, he never asked me out. He was loyal to Joseph’s no-dating, no-fucking policy between employees, even when Joseph himself was not.
    My next plan was to get dressed as quickly as possible and wait for Dom outside the club. I