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to observe him before he got to me.
    This guy was big. Not big in the gut, like Gus, but big like he could comprise the entire defense for a pro football team all by himself. We got high profile clients all the time at the Cat Haus, so for all I knew he might be a pro ballplayer. If this guy was pulling down six mill a year, I'd definitely negotiate a higher price and not feel one bit of guilt.
    I really should keep up with sports more.
    He wasn't bad looking. Not at all. He was white but with skin that hinted at a bit of black or maybe Hispanic blood somewhere in his heritage. His dark hair was cropped short. High cheekbones set off piercing blue-green eyes some girls would kill to have as their own.
    There was a lull and I realized that while I had been distracted, they'd reached my turn in the lineup.
    "Hi, I'm Cate," I introduced myself and hoped no one noticed I hadn't been paying all that much attention while I sized up Mr. Big's wallet along with his bulk.
    Next to me, Sahara had just opened her mouth to say her name when our guest pinned me with his gaze and said, "I'll take you."
    "Me?" I asked.
    "Yup." He nodded.
    "Sure. My pleasure. Have you been here before or is this your first time?" I stepped forward and looped my arm through his as I launched into the standard repartee we'd all been trained in.
    He glanced down at me and I realized exactly how tall he was. "I'm not real into small talk."
    "All right. Would you like a drink from the bar?"
    "No."
    "So you want to go in back?" We negotiated in the privacy of our rooms. What he wanted. What I was willing to do. What he was willing to pay for it. That kind of stuff.
    He nodded again. The silence was a bit unnerving, though I guess it was no worse than having to deal with a chatterbox. Some guys never shut the hell up. Nerves, I guess.
    I led him back to my room. He watched me close the door. His gaze tracked me to where I'd picked up a menu of what the Cat Haus provided customers. "Would you like to take a look at what we offer?"
    "I know what I want."
    "Okay." I smiled. "Tell me. What do you want?"
    Big man reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He tossed it on the bed and I could see it was all hundreds. A few thousand worth. "I want two hours."
    My brow rose. "It's usually best to negotiate the acts we'll be doing, rather than the time you want to spend since that can vary."
    "I want to do anything I want for the next two hours."
    I glanced at the wad of bills. It wasn't nearly enough for me to allow this man to do anything he wanted to me. Some guys were into some pretty sick shit. I shook my head.
    "That's not enough?" His brow drew down low. His tone sounded angry.
    "It's not the amount that's the issue."
    "Then what is it?"
    I chose to tell him the absolute truth, which didn't happen all that often. "It's the word anything . That leaves quite a bit open."
    He glanced at the door, and then at me. "That big guy who let me in is still out there. Right?"
    "Gus? Yes. He owns the place so he's pretty much always around here somewhere."
    "Then what are you worried about?"
    He was right. Gus may be a dickhead but we were his income and he wanted to protect at least that, if not us. What big guy here didn't know was that though Gus wasn't just outside my door, ready to swoop in and rescue me from any deranged whackos, he had installed a button in every room. It turned on an intercom that fed directly to the office, which was manned by someone twenty-four/seven—the hours the Cat Haus was open for business. If any girl got nervous, she just had to hit that button and the office could listen in, and come help if the situation warranted.
    "All right. Deal." I scooped up the cash and tossed it into the drawer next to the bed. I turned back to find he'd advanced toward me. He was so close and so large, I felt very small and in spite of our agreement, a bit uncomfortable.
    Fisting my hair, he yanked my head back with one hand until I was staring up at him.