Bound To Protect. Anya Summers

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СКАЧАТЬ to pay for Alex’s care was the only option Sabrina had left for quick cash.

      And she was up next. She tried not to hyperventilate.

      “You’ll do great, honey,” Betty Lou said, and squeezed Sabrina from the side. Her raven hair was styled up in a high ponytail, her makeup expertly applied, and she wore nothing but a royal blue thong. Sabrina had to admit, the woman had a great pair of boobs, and she wondered if they were real or not. If she was a betting kind of individual, she’d place money that they were fake. No woman she knew had breasts which were that big, and that perky, without support.

      Although her size C cups were nice enough, or so Sabrina thought, Betty Lou made her feel like she had tiny apples by comparison that shortly dozens of men were about to see in all their glory. Sabrina would have to get over her modesty, and fast. “Thanks, Betty. I appreciate all your help. I’ve got to admit, I’m a little nervous.”

      “So was I my first time. It’s a lot like having sex. The first time, you’re a scared virgin, but after a while, it becomes old hat. The guys out there are going to love you.”

      Yeah, that was part of the problem. The whole virginity thing. Sabrina had been taking care of people for the last thirteen years, and working to keep a roof over their heads at the same time. There’d never been time for sex—or dating, for that matter. She worried that at twenty-nine, she was what society would refer to as a dried up old maid—or at least would have, a hundred years or so ago.

      “Sabrina, you’re on.” The director’s voice boomed in the dressing room.

      Fear squeezed her chest, and she prayed she wouldn’t pass out from lack of oxygen. She just had to remember to breathe. “Coming.”

      Betty gave her a thumbs up. Sabrina wished she could say that she strutted to the curtain with confidence. But in all honesty, it felt like with each step she took, another piece of her soul was extinguished. She wanted to rage at the unfairness of it all, of her burden. And she hated herself for even considering her brother a millstone. When their mom had died, she’d made Sabrina promise that she would take care of Alex, even though her mom had understood the immense responsibility of what she was asking of her daughter.

      That had been ten years ago. And the weight of it hadn’t gotten easier to bear over time; it had only gotten heavier.

      “Bayou Sin would like to welcome to the stage for the first time, the lovely, luscious Lola. Let’s give her a big round of applause.” The director’s voice came over the loudspeaker, announcing the stage name Sabrina had picked to provide her with some anonymity.

      The black velvet curtain was drawn back. The bright spotlight blinded her. She tried to remember to paste a seductive smile over her lips, which she had painted a bright, siren red. With her stomach in knots, she put one foot in front of the other, making sure her hips swayed in the sensual fashion that Betty had instructed her to use. And she was swamped with male catcalls, whistles, and applause.

      She tried to focus on anything but the men’s leering faces as she swayed her hips to the music and gripped the pole. She crawled inside herself, pretended she was at a club on the beach, dancing with no cares or worries. It was the only way she would make it through the next ten minutes of her life.

      She swung her body around the pole. But some of their words bled through.

      “Take it off, honey.”

      “Show us your tits.”

      “Don’t be shy, baby.”

      After her next turn around the pole, her hands went to the front clasp on her studded bra. This was it. The moment she had been dreading. She wanted to back out. She wanted to run and hide, and forget that she had ever had to go to these lengths.

      Alex’s face flooded her vision. He would suffer and eventually die without his medication, without a roof over their heads.

      Sabrina unhooked the clasp, and let the material fall, pasting a fake smile on her face as the men went crazy. She did a little shimmy and looked above the crowd going wild and tossing money in her direction. She swung around the pole again, and was brought up short.

      What was he doing here?

      It was Dante Rousseau, owner of Bayou Sin, and one of the people Sabrina cleaned for during the day. With a scowl marring his strong brow, he pushed through the throng with ease, his wide mouth set in a grim, firm line. Before she realized what Dante was up to, he’d grabbed her by the wrist, hauled her forward, and tossed her over his shoulder.

      Over the din, Sabrina heard the director introduce Jessica. Shock gave way to fury. How dare he?

      “Put me down!” She kicked and pounded her fists against his back. Male laughter reached her ears, and it only made her rage burn that much brighter.

      “Quiet,” he ordered. His iron grip on her body tightened, and he swatted her rear with a hard wallop.

      He had spanked her, like she was a misbehaving child! She was too stunned to respond.

      His broad, muscled shoulder dug into her belly. She grew dizzy from having her world turned upside down. Where was he taking her, and why? The scent of frying food assailed her as they left the main floor, while an old Etta James number played in the background. But Dante kept moving, kept walking, passed through another door, and shut it behind them.

      Her world was righted, and she found herself sitting on a leather couch in the man’s office, with Dante kneeling before her.

      “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she snapped.

      “I’d like to ask you the same thing.” His gaze dipped to her chest. And for the briefest of moments, she spied hunger in those intense chocolate depths before he flicked his gaze back up to hers. Dante reached over his head and dragged his tee shirt off.

      Miles of smooth, contoured chest muscles were now exposed to her gaze. She’d always thought Dante was hot, with his simmering, magnetic stare, but that was before she had seen him without a shirt on.

       Holy Mother of God!

      Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. They were both half-dressed and alone in his office. When he reached toward her, she stuttered, “W-w-w-what do you think you’re doing?”

      His dark brow rose. “Covering you up, love.”

      Shame, thick and putrid, slammed into her. Because, for the briefest of moments, she’d thought he might want her in that way. Now, instead, her naked chest made her feel ashamed.

      “I don’t need your shirt.” She crossed her arms in front of her breasts and stubbornly refused the offer. He’d made her a laughing stock in his club.

      “Put it on. Because I sincerely doubt you’re going to like being dragged down Bourbon Street with your cleavage on display.”

      “I’m not going anywhere with you.” Especially when I still have to figure out how to make enough cash to pay rent. She was paying an in-home nurse to watch Alex, which was extra money they couldn’t do without if she didn’t make up the difference.

      He cocked his head. “Or maybe not… maybe you want to strip. Do you? Is this the life you want?”

      Sabrina СКАЧАТЬ