Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 131209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131209 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 656(@200wpm)___ 525(@250wpm)___ 437(@300wpm)
I hoped.
“Nothing’s going on. I’m just very grateful that you were there and helped me out like you did. You didn’t have to do that.”
“Why? Because, I would have gotten into a lot of shit for hiring a minor?” I finally disclosed.
“What? You knew?” she asked shocked.
“I knew,” I admitted with a crooked smile.
I thought if I told her that I knew, then she would trust me and maybe open up. It never came though… not till years later.
“You’re a good guy, Devon. How the hell did you know?”
“I didn’t at first. After a few weeks of you living with me, I accidentally saw your driver’s license when I was grabbing money to pay for pizza.”
“You never said anything. I mean, Devon, I was a huge liability for you. You were harboring a minor in your home and workplace,” she reminded me.
“I like to live on the edge. Besides, you’re too pretty to push away. I got attached to you,” I simply stated, speaking the truth.
“Devon, you’re too good to be true. Do you know that?”
I laughed, “I’m a good listener too. You sure you don’t want to talk? I feel like you are doing something that maybe you’re struggling with.”
She suddenly stood, looking at the time on her cell phone. I stood with her. “I’ve got to go. I promised a friend a ride home from work,” she lied.
I hugged her tight. “Make good choices,” I whispered in her hair.
Something told me that her life was about to change. When she pulled away from me with a weak smile and patted my chest, I knew I was right.
She left my apartment that afternoon a new woman.
I wouldn’t come to understand until several years later…
VIP.
It wouldn’t just change her life.
It would change mine as well.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
<>B<>
Six years went by like a breeze, I blinked and I was twenty-eight years old. I was a VIP, living the life most people only dreamed of; if they could come up with such a vision. I had everything I ever wanted and more. I lived life on the edge of my seat; always bordering on the brink of falling over, exactly how I wanted to. I had no causes for concerns or even complaints.
My parents never knew what I was up to. At that point in my life, I didn’t care if they found out. As the years went by, I became more involved in VIP and less with my family and friends. Christine and I hadn’t spoken in years, but I knew our families still remained close. I never spoke to Landon. To be honest, I hadn’t thought about him in years. Last I heard he was married with kids or something along those lines, but I didn’t care.
I wasn’t that girl anymore and I hadn’t been for as long as I could remember.
My life, my family, and my love were to VIP.
Only.
It was my beginning and ending.
It always had been. Six years ago, my life changed in more ways than one. I met my best friend and soul sister, Ysabelle Telle. She had come to VIP when she was eighteen years old; Madam had found her at a bar. I loved Bella instantly. We never shared our pasts with each other; we didn’t have to. We shared an instant connection and sisterhood that couldn’t be put into words. It was just a feeling.
Madam and Ysabelle had a unique and special relationship since day one. None of us understood it. Though trying to understand The Madam and everything she stood for and did, was like contemplating why the sky was blue and the grass green.
She did it because she could.
That’s what made her…
The Madam.
She owned this town and everything in it. I’d love to say that I was her second favorite. She often used me for new recruits, and showed me sides of the business that she never shared with anyone. I had been with her longer than any of the other girls at VIP. I knew the ins and outs of the business, and what was expected of me and everyone else included.
I was the fantasy.
I was the dream.
I was an illusion.
I was VIP.
I owned and governed my own life, without anyone telling me what I could and could not do. No one crossed me. I was loved and adored wherever I went. I heard countless “I love yous,” several “Marry mes,” and even more “You’re the ones,” than one person could ever possibly comprehend.
I didn’t care. I let them believe whatever they wanted and pretended to be what they wanted me to be. Except, once their time was up I was out. I didn’t think twice about leaving them naked, with their emotions pouring all over the silk sheets.
Love and I were not friends… we weren’t even on the same page. I treated the four-letter word like my favorite four letter word.