Page 34 of The Don
“I’ll have to check the calendar,” Noah says.
I sit back and let him bring up the bookings. “Tanya and Stephanie each have a client arriving in the next half an hour, but are free now.”
I look to Noah. “I want to see them both.”
“I’ll go get them.”
He leaves the room and I continue to look over the calendar. It takes only a few moments before he returns with the girls. Both are incredibly beautiful women with immaculate hair and makeup. Both are wearing silk robes that just cover their bodies, and both are wearing heels that accentuate their already long legs. I stand when they enter and gesture for them to sit opposite me. They appear frightened. “Out.” I flick my hand toward the door, throwing both Noah and Dante out. “Ladies, how do you like working here?”
“Good,” they both respond in tight voices and look to one another.
They’re hiding something and think they’re going to get into trouble by telling me. “Is there anything I can do to improve your working conditions?”
The girl on the right—Tanya—looks down at her hands and slightly shakes her head. Stephanie looks to her friend and mimics her behavior. Something is not adding up. “How are the clients?” Tanya flinches. Okay, so I’m getting somewhere. “I need to know so I can fix the problem. What is going on?”
“Nothing.” Stephanie tries to discretely look over her shoulder toward the door.
So it has something to do with Noah. “Does Noah take care of you girls?”
Neither reply and both refuse to meet my eyes. This definitely has something to do with Noah. The fucker better not be touching them, or I’ll fucking end him. “Does he hurt you?”
“No,” they reply in unison. Both shake their heads.
“It’s not that,” Stephanie says.
“Steph,” Tanya warns with a small voice.
“Then what is it?” I ask as I sit back and wait to find out what’s happening. Tanya looks at Stephanie and shakes her head. Tanya is scared of him, which means he’s been threatening them. “What’s he doing?”
“He doesn’t hurt us,” Stephanie begins.
“Don’t do it,” Tanya whispers.
“Tanya, you can leave.” She’s not going to tell me what I need to know, and I’m not letting my business go to shit because of some asshole who’s not doing the job I’m paying him for. “Go on back to work,” I say when Tanya hesitates to leave Stephanie alone with me.
Tanya looks at Stephanie and shakes her head as she stands and takes small steps toward the door. “Steph,” she whispers as her eyes become large.
“Thank you,” I say as I stand and walk over to the door to open it for Tanya. I look to Dante and Noah and say to Noah, “Escort her back to her room.”
“Sure thing.” He grips her upper arm and starts tugging her toward the stairs. I narrow my eyes and watch how he’s handling my merchandise. I think I know what’s happening, but Tanya isn’t going to speak up because she’s probably frightened of him. He’s not hurting her, but he’s certainly not gentle either.
I close the door and return to my seat. “What’s he doing?”
Stephanie lowers her chin as her shoulders sink. “He’s forcing us to give him part of our money, Mr. Sacco.”
“He’s doing what?” He’s taking my girls’ money?
She gulps and looks up at me. “We know you have high standards here, and he’s taking advantage of it.”
“How?”
“After every client, we need to change the sheets, towels, and replenish all the stock we’ve used.”
“Of course.”
“He’s said we need to pay five per cent of our take for sheets, five per cent for towels, and pay for the products we used that are priced anywhere from ten dollars, up to a hundred.”
I sit back and cross my arms in front of my chest, my hands curling into fists. “Let me get this straight, he’s charging you girls for sheets, towels, lube, condoms, toys, everything?”