Page 124 of Secret Love
He furrows his brow. “Yes.”
“What’s her name?”
“… Lucy.”
I offer him the frame and he takes it back. His hands jitter so badly he can’t set it on the shelf behind him. Finally, he gives up and lays it down flat before spinning around to me, too frightened to keep his back to me for very long.
I smile. “How much money do you owe Mr. Zappia?”
“Uh…” He twitches even more. “Twenty-thousand, I think.”
Chump change. This guy must be deep in the red if he can’t handle that. This hit is hardly worth the effort at all.
I stand up and step behind his desk. He tremors in his chair beside me. “Mr. Vaughn, what if I told you that you and I could come to an arrangement?”
I set the frame up so I get another look at the dancer within. My eyes lock on hers, blissfully stunned for the first time since…
Well, ever.
Mr. Vaughn stares at me over his shoulder, his eyes jerking down to my hands in search of a knife or anything else I might shiv him with. Not my style, but I’ll let him fear it anyway.
“What kind of arrangement?” he asks.
I wander back around to the front of his desk and take a seat in the chair across from him. “I will be more than happy to take care of your debt to Mr. Zappia tonight. In exchange, I’d like to meet your daughter.”
“What?” He shakes his head. “I don’t understand…”
I gesture to the frame. “She’s rather beautiful. I’d like to meet her.”
His cheeks turn red with fear. “No, please. Don’t hurt my daughter. She’s all I have.”
“I don’t want to hurt your daughter,” I say. “I simply request the pleasure of her company for the evening.”
“You…” He shifts in his chair. “You’ll pay my debt for a night with my daughter?”
“Yes.”
He deflates and awkward laughter spills off his lips. “You can’t be serious.”
“You will pay me back for the loan, of course. I am not in the business of good deeds.”
“And Mr. Zappia…” he stutters, “will allow this?”
“Mr. Zappia cares about his money. It doesn’t matter how he gets it. If I go back to him tonight with enough to cover your debt plus interest, he won’t bat an eye as he marks your name off his books with a big, black pen. Then, you will be indebted to me instead, and I am far more lenient than Mr. Zappia.”
There’s hope in his eyes. Fearful hope. “And my daughter?”
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll send her back to you with an adjusted sum and a plan for payments that you will make directly to me until your debt is paid… assuming she cooperates, of course. If not, I’ll send her back with a few broken toes and you and I will have another conversation.”
“Please,” he begs. “She’s innocent. Don’t bring her into this—”
“The choice is yours, Mr. Vaughn. Your life or her virtue. In fact, we can safely say the more enthusiastic she is, the more reasonable your payment plan will be.”
“You won’t hurt her?”
“You have my word, Mr. Vaughn,” I say. “As long as you keep up with your payments, neither of you will be harmed in any way.”
He closes his eyes in defeat. “May I speak with her privately first?”