Read Duplicity for Free Online Page A

pulling the fat envelope over to him and
staring at her for a beat longer than normal. “You have steady business?” Smith
was careful as always to keep any accusation out of his voice. He could have
been talking about the weather.
    For some reason, his question put her on the defensive. “So what
if I do?”
    “Don’t get testy. It’s just an observation. You didn’t go home
with as many clients as you could have in the last few weeks.”
    “Yes, I have a regular who keeps me busy.”
    “Hmm.”
    “You have your cut, so what do you care?”
    He narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. “Again, it’s just an
observation.” He looked toward the door. “Now go get dressed.”
    She did as she was told, wandering into the dressing room,
wondering why she felt so .  . . would
protective be the right word? It was hard to pinpoint why Trey and the arrangement
she had with him made her nervous sometimes. Most of them being fickle frat
boys, her regulars came and went; they were only regular for a few weeks or a
couple months at a time.
    An uncomfortable feeling had begun to settle in the pit of her stomach.
It was beginning to occur to her that if Trey outgrew their partnership, she
stood to lose something.
    The thought put a damper on her mood.
    As she dressed, reaching for the Goth outfit, she tried to lower
her raised hackles. For the kind of work he did, Smith wasn’t a bad guy. People
had a certain image in mind when they thought of any man who would own a club
where women sold their bodies. Smith, his club, and his girls didn’t match the
preconceived notions people came in with for the most part. Hell, the lies
Lilith spun to keep her clients interested were much more exciting than any of
the girls’ real stories, her own included.
    All of Smith’s girls were clean and regularly tested. They were
held to strict standards. Most of them were good girls just trying to work
their way through college like anyone else. They had their problems, but none
of them were coked out or anything of that nature.
    It could have been a lot worse. Maybe she didn’t get benefits and
a 401k, but Smith was fair. Dana often complained the girls at the office where
she worked part-time were backstabbing vixens. The girls at the club tried to
help each other as much as they could. They all had bills to pay and times were
hard.
    Calmer now, Lilith spent some time straightening her black hair.
She finished off the look with too much dark eye makeup and black lipstick.
    The Goth girl was standoffish, so she didn’t approach any of the
milling patrons. Instead, she sat on the edge of the stage, crossing her legs.
Lilith wasn’t very tall, but her legs looked long for someone so short. That
night they were encased in black fishnets that disappeared under a super short,
dark purple skirt. She leaned back, both of her hands on the stage, showing off
the way her body looked in the dark corset she wore.
    Some men found the Goth girl’s total lack of interest appealing.
The thrill of the chase, she supposed. So she bounced one leg, put on a bored
expression, and waited for the little fishes to take the bait.
    It didn’t take too long. A couple of drunken buddies wandered over
within a few minutes. She traded a few coy words with them, flicking their
hands off her leg when they tried to touch. It was the appeal of what they
couldn’t have that drove them, and sure enough, they started digging deeper for
the pleasure of having a piece of her.
    Before she could seal the deal, though, an imposing figure
sauntered over.
    “Move along, children. This one .  . .”
He trailed off as he took a good look at her. “Oh, it’s you.”
    Of course, Lilith would know him anywhere. It was dear Francis.
    She sat up, her body tensed and her eyes scanning the crowd for
Ethan.
    “Never mind, boys.” Frank stepped back, crossing his arms and
glaring at her. “But if you want my advice, you’ll stay away from this one.” He
pointed at her. “Oswald