Page 45 of Arseni
And still, I’m repulsed.Even more desperate for escape.The reaction only makes me feel guilty because mylackof repulsion toward Arseni stands out like a glaring red flag.
“I don’t mean plain to be boring.Just the opposite,” Nikita says, catching onto my discomfort.“The way you disguise yourself is admirable.”
I lower my hand and peek at him through my curiosity.“What?”
He smiles wide, showing some of his bleached teeth.I wonder if he and Austin even go to the same dentist.
“I’m referring to your taste in men, Margot.Or… boys.”He lifts a shoulder like the clarification is hardly necessary.But to me, it’s everything.It’s everything I’ve hidden, everything I hate myself for.
Cold dread hugs my face as blood drains.My heart stops beating.
How does he know?
“You know what I bet?”He shakes a finger at me while scraping his bottom lip with his teeth.“I bet you convinced the kid everything between you was his idea.You probably let him hit on you for a while before yougave into the chase.”
Oh my God.
My heart palpitates until I feel faint, but I just stare at Nikita as calmly as I can.“And by kid you mean…?”
“Arseni.But I’m sure this applies to the rest of them.”
The rest of them.
I shake my head, but Nikita speaks before I can.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Margot.I didn’t really want you here.But now…” As he leans toward me on the table, I get the urge to shift away.I didn’t notice just how dark his eyes were before.I didn’t see the malevolence in them.“I think we could have somefun.”
I shudder at his enunciated word and can’t help myself from sitting back farther in the chair just to get another couple inches away from him.“I’m not sure what you’re getting at…”
The pull of his lips relaxes, unveils a face that strikes me as his true identity.This is definitely the boss.He definitely has blood on his hands.And he may wear a blue suit as good as Austin, but the comparison ends there.
He takes the folded-up paper and places it in front of me.“Is this you?”
I squint at the black and white, skating across an article about the city garden to one with my work photo—an unflattering pose where my eye looks lazy from twitching during the flash.I hated that photo.Every time someone looked at my ID badge with it attached, I fought the need to slap my hand on top of it.
Now, the whole world can see.
My fingertips dig into my lips as I glimpse the article through wide eyes.I don’t need to read much to get the gist of what it says, but I still latch onto every word, my throat shrinking with each line.
No.
No, no, no, no, no, no.
“You don’t have to be scared,” Nikita says, sounding perfectly relaxed.“The cops won’t touch you as long as you’re here.”
The cops.
I close my eyes as my lip quivers.The cops aren’t even on my radar.I could go to prison for the rest of my life, and it wouldn’t be as great a hardship as the knowledge of what everyone thinks of me.
This was my worst fear.
The source of every nightmare I’ve had for seven years.
I begged Arseni.I told him this would happen.
I should’ve begged harder.
“Don’t cry,” Nikita says when a sob bubbles out of me.“Look at this as an opportunity… Kinks are not shamed here.Iappreciatedeviance from my guests.You’ll have opportunities to live out your fantasies in much more fulfilling ways than looking at kiddie porn.All you have to do is let me and my guests watch.”
