THE DON’S DESIRE

TANYA’S POV

They say life can fuck you up with the glimpse of an eye. Well, they didn’t lie because my Father did.

Never did I think I would be standing in front of this ruthless man my Gambler of a Father sold me off to in a bid to pay off his debts.

I could feel his eyes glued on me in a desperate attempt to get under my skin, probably to find out what I was thinking.

We were standing inside a club. I was looking at my feet, ignoring the other girls around me. Some of them changed into other wear while some adjusted their make-up.

I felt my heart pounding so loudly against my ribcage. My hands were shaking vigorously while I bit on my lower lip to stop myself from breaking down.

My Father ruined me. He jeopardized every chance of me going back to school again, just like back then when I had to drop out because we ran out of money while he continued to show up with betting tickets.

I thought his addiction would only last for a while, and maybe soon he would lose interest, but I was very wrong. He started to bet everything and anything we had till this happened.

“Remind me your name.” He said, his masculine voice thick and fearful.

It sent dread through my spine. My heart made a huge flip out of fear.

“Tan…Tanya, Sir.” I sauntered while trying to sound as polite as I could.

I had no idea what I was here to do.

“Good.” He responded.

I felt him run his eyes over me once again, taking as much detail as possible. He then turned his head sideways towards the others.

“Olam!” He called out.

The next I heard was her heels clanking hard against the floor. It stopped immediately as she got closer to us. My eyes were now glued on her neatly painted toenails and those smooth, glowing skin.

For a second, I was jealous. But I had other things to bother myself with.

“Glam her up and bring her to the main bar.” He ordered.

I heard no response from Olam and only brought my head up to watch his retreating. Letting out a sigh, I squeezed my eyes briefly.

I could feel my life breaking apart. I feel every wall of sanity I have grown to build being carefully demolished as their laughter rang loudly in my head, taunting me like some nightmare.

“Follow me,” Olam ordered, making me drag my eyes toward her.

She was dressed in a Red glittery crystal Bra and a short skirt that I could barely call a skirt. For me, it felt too revealing, but I sensed how comfortable she was with the way she carried her body. Her short brown hair pulled behind her left ear. Her face was made. Her lips were covered in a bright shade of Red.

I watched her catwalk forward, and I followed closely behind. A bead of sweat broke across my face from the stream of nervousness that threatened to consume every inch and part of me.

I knew I didn’t deserve to be here.

This was definitely no place for me.

****

Olam was done ‘glamming’ me up. Dressing me up in a Yellow crop top and a pair of Blackshirts that felt too short for me. I brought my right hand near it and attempted to pull it down, but it wouldn’t work.

Because I still felt naked.

“Can I get a change of clothes?” I managed to ask her.

One of my hands clutched onto my top while the other managed to hold my skirt. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me, staring deeply at me.

I felt a combination of anxiety and dread. My palms got sweaty as I managed to maintain eye contact with Olam despite the questioning look she sent me. My heart rate increased while my stomach fluttered terribly.

“Can I meet Beyonce?” She responded, arching her brow up. “We all have wants, girl. That doesn’t mean we get it.” She added, giving me a last glance and then turning around to leave. “Follow me.” She ordered and started to walk away.

I felt the urge to stand my ground and tell her I wouldn’t leave until she gave me a change of clothes. However, the words only form on the tip of my tongue, but I never got the courage to. I feared what she might do if I disobeyed her, so I walked behind her instead, my hands still holding my clothes in place.

We walked into the crowded room. The colored light graced the whole place with its beauty while song emanated from the speakers all around. I could see the waitpersons dressed in a White cropped shirt and skimpy Black skirts while they went about with glowing trays of drinks, and some had empty cups in them.

We stopped right in front of the man from before, but only this time, he wasn’t alone. Sitting beside him was a man with Viking golden hair.

I watched him closely as he picked up his glass cup to take a sip from it. His slender, long fingers holding onto it gently and without stress. He had bristly eyebrows that clung so perfectly to his face. His hawkish nose sat prettily to compliment his well-defined cheekbones.

His concrete jaw held high, giving me a clear view of his titan's shoulders.

“Mr. Rodrigo. This, here, is the gift I have for you.” He informed, pointing towards me.

Gift!

Was it a gift?

I hated that he called me that. It made me feel the urge to step forward and hit him in the face and leave, but deep down I knew that would only aggravate things. My Father’s life was on the line here. Even though he wasn’t exactly the best Father, he was still the only family I had.

I could feel the intensity of Rodrigo’s eyes on me. It unsettled me. It gave me the chills, yet I felt this excitement.

Weird!

“You didn’t have to do that, Enzo.” He responded his eyes not leaving me. “You know I don’t have a thing for…” He paused as though thinking of not saying it. “Escorts.” He added.

I heard Enzo laugh—the same man who brought me here. I was more than baffled to know that he had intended to use me for ‘this.’

Prostitution.

I was not too fond of the thought of that. He lied to me. My Father had lied to me when he said all I would have to do here was work. When he went on his knees, shedding tears as he promised to change after this.

News Flash: HE DOESN’T CARE

“You don’t refuse a gift. That’s what people say.” Enzo said while I gulped down a lump of saliva.

My hands were on my sides, grabbing tightly to the hem of my skirt.

Rodrigo let out a laugh. A soft yet dangerous laugh.

I watched him wave a hand to one of the men in suits that stood all around them. He whispered something into his ear while the bodyguard nodded and then walked to me.

“Follow me.” He ordered.

I dragged my eyes to him and nodded. My breathing rate increased, sending a signal to my heart to do the same as I feared what my fate would be now.

***

My eyes accessed the whole room while I sat on the edge of the bed. A part of me knew where this was heading, but it also wished it was wrong.

I didn’t want to bed a stranger. Not now. Not with…

I heaved out a sigh as I cussed my fate for making things complicated for me right from the start. Mom died while I was young, and then I had to do minion jobs to keep the family together at the age of thirteen.

Exhaling deeply, my eyes took in every detail of the room as I tried to figure out if there was any way to escape.

Maybe jump down and run away.

But that would be impossible due to how high the room was from the floor.

Fuck!

My eyes landed on a brown file that sat on the wooden table beside the bed. Curiosity found its way into my mind, urging me to go forward and check it out. A small voice at the back of my head told me how it would help me kill time and take my mind off the dangerous stranger I had met earlier.

Giving in to its tactics, I stood up from where I sat and walked towards it, bending to pick it up. My fingers moved so fast, flipping the top open to reveal the papers in it.

I pulled them out one after another, my eyes running over them carefully.

There were details on them that made no sense. Details that I didn’t understand. It was something about a company, and it looked like some analysis.

It caused my head to ache. Of late, I have had way too much on my plate, and I wasn’t ready to add to that.

So, I had no interest in looking further. I proceeded to put the ones I laid on the bed back into the file, thereby causing more to fall out.

I could feel sweat gathering in the back of my neck as I thought of a million things that could go wrong if he ever found me here. Fidgeting, I struggled with them, putting them in as fast as I could even though they only increased in my sight.

“What are you doing!” I heard a familiar, deep, masculine voice roar.

My head turned immediately to land on him. His sea-rover blue eyes threatened to consume me.

My heart skipped.