Never Say Never, Part One (Second Chance Romance, Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

dinner with Chastity, and there was no way she’d let herself be abused again.  
    She wanted more than a stripping career and a dead drug addiction, but she had to get her life back on track. More than her future alone depended on it.  
    Emily set her jaw and clip clopped down the road in her stilettos – she was used to dancing and walking in them by now. The shadows on either side of the road spread far over the sidewalks, but she wasn’t afraid tonight.
    Big Nick hadn’t threatened her since Chase had turned up outside The Tease. Maybe he was worried she’d report him to the police.  
    She skipped over the blood stain on the concrete – the spot where she’d found Chase – and hurried towards the corner.  
    “You’re gonna be late, girlie.” Nick appeared beside her and nabbed her arm.  
    Emily wriggled it, but he didn’t let go. “All the more reason to get to the club on time.”  
    “Where’s my money? It’s been a week.”  
    Fear pooled in her mind, filling the calm gaps. In the rush of discovering Chase and the lack of attention from Big Nick, she’d completely forgotten.  
    “I don’t have it,” she replied through gritted teeth.
    “You don’t have it.” A slow grin opened in front of her, revealing yellowing teeth and that fantastic nicotine breath she loved. What a turn on.  
    “I have about $1000 at home. I can give you that so long.” She’d have to set aside money once a week. Maybe she could convince him to let her pay in installments.  
    “That wasn’t the deal, girlie. You owe me 10 000 big ones, and you had a week. Now, your ass is finally mine.” Nick reached around and grabbed her butt with both hands.  
    “Let go.”  
    “A deal’s a deal, bitch.” He forced her backwards and pinned her up against a dingy brick-faced building. “Wanna bring out that pepper spray now?”  
    “Get off me, Nick. I can get you the money, I need more time. Be reasonable.”  
    “You’re a coke whore. I can’t trust your word, only your body.” There was a soft release of pressure above her crotch. He’d undone the front buttons on her jeans.  
    This couldn’t be happening.  
    Big Nick pressed against her and his crotch invaded her privacy.  
    Oh yes, this was happening. It wasn’t a nightmare, the haunted dreams of a past life or a future terror. This was her against a wall, facing off against a witless drug dealer who’d attempted murder a week before.  
    “Nick,” she gasped it and he guffawed into her hair, “get off me. There must be another way.”
    “I gave you months, bitch. No more chances.” He pulled her jeans down an inch and she grabbed them and pulled back.  
    The street was empty. There wasn’t hope of help. She’d have to handle this herself. How?  
    “Please, give me another week. I can get the money.”  
    “No.” He forced his mouth onto hers and stuck his slimy tongue between her lips. She bit down hard.  
    “Aahhhhhhhh!” Nick’s muffled scream rose above them in a cloud, and she tasted the copper of blood. She let go of his slug of a tongue and spat the blood on the ground.  
    “Don’t fuck with me!” She yelled at him, but he spat too and then backhanded her across the cheek.  
    Emily’s slammed into the bricks behind her.  
    “You’re gonna die, you little bitch.” Nick drew back his fist and she shut her eyes. This was what she’d amounted to. A statistic on a dark New York street. ‘Unnamed Victim of Mugging Dies Outside Mediocre Strip Club’. That was her tiny heading in a local paper.  
    “Having fun, meathead?” A familiar voice spoke up nearby.  
    “What the fuck?” Nick let go of her, and she slumped against the building and sank to her haunches, her stilettos dug into the backs of her thighs.  
    “There a problem here?” It was Chase, standing in a clean white shirt and tailored pants. He was a vision off Wall Street, without the tie and smoking cigarette.  
    “You.” Big Nick backed off