tabby

opulence of this place.
“You rang?”
“I believe our guest, Miss Kitty, is probably hungry and thirsty. Can you please bring her a meal and a small snack for myself?”
The man nodded and backed out of the room.
“The wardrobe contains some clothes if you would prefer to change out of your dressing robe, not that I mind knowing you’re naked under there.”
I repressed the shiver that went through me at his leer, but somehow, I felt like it was a test. Maybe a way to see if I was who I was supposed to be. So instead of taking him up on the offer of changing, I shrugged and moved to perch on the arm of a wing chair. “Thanks, but I’m good. Maybe later I’ll change after a shower.” I allowed the robe to slip open a little over my thigh.
His eyes followed the movement. A small smile played on his mouth. But he refused to take the bait. Instead, he picked up a remote, turned on a movie, and slumped back on the couch as if he were here to stay. Not something I wanted.
“So, you know who I am, but I haven’t got a clue what to call you.”
“Touché.” The man chuckled. “How about you call me Mr. X. That way there won’t be any issues in releasing you if your brand-new manager and makeup guy don’t follow through. By the way, I was wondering who suggested you hire them? And why did you fire your old ones?”
I had to thank my lucky stars that Bae, Arin, and Kasim were such experienced agents. Having a backstory to answer these types of questions wasn’t something I would have thought of, but they had. And Arin had even planted verifiable evidence to match the story. “Jimmy, my old manager, wanted to take me down south to the big cities. He said it would bring in more money, but it wasn’t something I wanted.” I shrugged. “I’ve already made lots and wanted to dance for the fun of dancing. Besides, coming to a place like this makes me a really big fish in a small pond, and what woman doesn’t like that? So we decided to part ways. I encouraged him to sign a few of the women who worked with me, and to help him out for all the things he did for me, I trained them to be lead dancers and designed a few routines for them. I believe that they’re planning on opening an entire Vegas show in a couple of months.’
To distract him, I shifted a little on the arm until my entire upper thigh showed through the opening of my dressing gown. The fabric draped enough to cover my pussy but gave the illusion that one small movement would bare all. And sure enough, his gaze dropped to where I wanted it to be. But now I needed to go on the offensive. Maybe he’d slip up and give me some information that I could find a use for. “Tell me about yourself, Mr. X. What sort of business are you in?”
He lifted an arm and draped it across the back of the couch as if he had nothing to lose. “Oh, it varies. A little here and a little there. Whatever strikes my fancy. So who told you to hire your Mr. Jones and Mr. Kane?”
“Oh, they came recommended from Jimmy. Guess he worked with Mr. Jones way back in the day and knew that Mr. Jones was wanting to slow things down a little. You could say that he wanted to enjoy the finer things in life that his money could buy.”
“Did you know them for long?”
The door opened again, and the butler entered, pushing a tray filled with food, which he wheeled over to the dining room table. Instead of answering Mr. X’s question, I rubbed my stomach. “Mmmm. That sure smells wonderful. Thank you for thinking of me. I would have forgotten all about food until the morning if you hadn’t ordered it.”
Mr. X stood and held out his hand to me, and I took it. He tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow and led me to the table. “It was nothing, my dear. I thought you might be a little concerned about your future. And the last thing I want is to harm you.”
I had to hand it to the man. His comments oozed sincerity, but they felt oily on my skin. And until I could be rescued, I was on my own. I needed to play the next few days safe and learn all that I could. Even if that meant sitting down with my captor for a beautifully prepared meal.

18
Kasim
The moment I felt the 911 jolt from my cell phone, my heart stopped. I didn’t even have to look at it. I already knew in my heart that it was Tabitha. But to meet Bae and Arin at the back of the club and have them confirm it... I couldn’t even begin to describe what it did to me.
“She’s gone,” Bae said as he paced on the edge of a pool of light. We’d chosen the back of the club to meet, by the parking lot where the lights left large adjoining areas in the shadows.
“What do you mean she’s gone?”
Arin turned to look at me. Pain, anger, regret, and guilt lined every facet of his face. “She was only at the midway point of her dance when one of the stage hands informed that Bae needed me immediately. Since I knew he was searching the back area where I thought I may have seen a possible entrance to a secret room, I raced there, thinking we would switch spots if he’d found something. But...” He stared out toward where Bae continued to pace.
“But what?” I growled, not bothering to hide the voice of the beast inside me. My panther and I were in complete agreement on this. I needed to know what happened