My heart, which had finally returned to its regular beat, felt as though it was cracking in my chest as I listened to what Frank said. Of course, that was why they were here.

“I told you I wasn’t a virgin,” Frank Jr. said in a low voice.

Frank chuckled. “That may be, but any one of these ladies will make sure you’re well taken care of. You might learn some things. It’s your birthday, enjoy it.”

Frank Jr. replied, his voice still low, “Whores aren’t my thing.”

“These are the finest ones around, son. You’ll be in safe hands. Take your pick, and then I can pick mine.”

“And if I don’t?” Frank Jr. asked.

“Then you’ll piss me off,” Frank stated, giving Frank Jr. a stern look.

“I can assure you,” Madam cut in, “all of my girls are clean and well trained. They aren’t like high school girls.” She chuckled.

Frank Jr. looked at his father another moment and then stepped toward the line of girls. He still hadn’t taken a sip of the vodka in his hand, and that made me nervous. I wasn’t sure what Madam would do to me if Frank Jr. asked for something else. Was Grey Goose not a good brand?

Just like Madam had done not ten minutes prior, Frank Jr. walked by each girl, looking them up and down from their heads to their feet and back up. When he got to the end, I expected him to walk back down the line because he hadn’t made a decision yet. Instead, he stopped in front of me, looking back at Frank and Madam. “I choose her,” he said.

My eyes widened as Madam said in a raised voice, “Zell isn’t one of the girls.”

“She’s not?” Frank Jr. questioned and turned his head to look at me.

I lowered my gaze while I waited for Madam to respond. I expected her to say something about me being her daughter, and therefore, off-limits. Instead, she said, “She’s never been with a man before. She wouldn’t know what to do. Pick one of the others. They will show you a good time.”

My face got hot again, and I was certain I looked like a tomato. I couldn’t believe that Madam had told Frank Jr. I was a virgin. I’d read about a virgin once. She met a guy with a helicopter and had weird sex with him. She seemed to like it, but that didn’t mean I was ready for this handsome boy to know I was a virgin.

“Is that true?” Frank Jr. asked as he looked into my eyes. “Are you a virgin?” I nodded, not able to speak. He turned back to Madam and his father. “Then, yes, I want her.”

“She’s not even groomed,” Madam stated to Frank.

“Son, why don’t you pick someone else?”

“With all due respect, Father, you brought me here to, what was it? Become a man? Being a man is choosing who I want to sleep with, and I choose …” He paused for a moment. “Zell.”

The tray I was still holding fell from my grasp and clattered onto the floor. Madam’s gaze snapped to me, and my eyes widened before I quickly bent to pick it up. My heart was beating so fast in my chest that I was certain Frank Jr. could hear it. I kept my gaze on the floor, not able to look at anyone. I couldn’t believe this was happening.