Teasing the Billionaire - Krista Lakes Page 0,1

it was practically a miracle, that she seriously had a guardian angel watching out for her. Tracy might have believed that if she wasn’t already thinking about how much this was going to cost her without insurance. Just one more thing, she thought.

She returned home that very evening, refusing to spend a night in the hospital bed that would have just cost more money. She wondered how she would ever fall asleep with as much pain as she was in, but as the taxi dropped her off, she realized she could barely keep her eyes open. Must have been that pain medication they gave me, she thought. She managed to get inside and lock the door before stumbling to her bedroom and falling into bed. Instantly asleep, she dreamed strange dreams for a while, but eventually fell into a deep slumber.

***

Tracy called in sick, or rather injured, to work the next day, but she knew she couldn’t take much time off work. She agreed to come back in on Friday and Saturday night to make up for it, and knew she’d be doing that an awful lot over the next few months. Kiss my life goodbye, she thought to herself. Friday night she rousted herself out of bed, took some pain medication, and made it to her waitress job only fifteen minutes late.

The manager, while mostly an uncaring prick, let it slide this one time, making it clear he thought he was doing her a huge favor. A great way to start the night, she thought. She was mostly slow and stiff doing her job, but she could do it. The three days she had taken off ended up being a life saver. All of her bruises were gone, and the stitches had already dissolved, leaving a small scar that ran from the edge of her right eyebrow to the middle of her forehead. It wasn’t too noticeable, and in fact she thought it looked kind of cool. She had thrown a little blush on to mask it, but otherwise didn’t think it hurt her appearance whatsoever. She was a little slow serving each of her first customers, but soon she was back into the swing of things, with just a little creak of pain here and there.

At about eight, Mr. Hayes came in with a new young woman on his arm. She showed the two of them to their table, and his date quickly excused herself to go to the bathroom while Tracy went to take the rich man’s wine order.

“Tracy, when I heard what had happened to you, I hoped everything was okay. You look remarkably well healed,” Mr. Hayes said, actual concern in his voice.

“Oh I’m fine, sir. I must be made of steel,” she joked.

“You know, if any of your medical bills are going to be an issue, I have a friend or two at the Chamber of Commerce who might be able to help you out,” he said, very matter of factly.

“Really?” she said, maybe with a little too much hope in her voice.

“Yes, really. Why don’t you come back to my place with us tonight and we can talk it over?” he said. The tone of his voice betrayed exactly what they’d be “talking” about if she went home with him.

Tracy’s hope instantly deflated. It's not that she didn't want to have sex with him, but she knew that if she went home with him tonight, she'd just be used up and thrown away in the morning. He might not even have the connections he claimed to have, but there’s no doubt that he’d pressure her into sleeping with him if she went home with him. “I’m sorry, I’ve got to get home early tonight, doctor’s orders. Maybe another night?” she said, hoping it wouldn’t come to that.

He sounded honestly a little deflated himself by her answer. “Yes, of course. Another time.” He looked down at his menu, then his eyes slowly crept up Tracy’s body, as if taking a panoramic snapshot. Tracy let it happen of course. After all, he was probably going to be her biggest tipper of the night, but it still felt demeaning.

She expected him to stop at her tits, but he kept going, and they locked eyes. Suddenly, Tracy felt a blinding flash from behind her eyes, and nearly lost her balance. She closed her eyes until the sensation went away, and opened them again when she heard the rich man’s voice.

“Are you okay?” he asked, the real concern