Stone Cold

Chapter 2

Tommy had Cecelia set up by the next day, to work for him and the Peaky Blinders as a prostitute. Although he felt guilty, he knew if his boys discovered that there was a young girl who was in no way paying for their services, they would hurt her, or worse. Tommy figured that the best way to keep her safe; and close to him at the same time, would be to have her working for them. He didn't know what he was feeling and why he was feeling it. He'd never felt like this towards anyone. He didn't understand why he felt this way. 

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Cecelia was scared. But she knew she should be less afraid of the Peaky Blinders and more afraid of the dangers outside. Besides, Tommy had promised that no one would hurt her. He had been very kind to her. But she knew he wouldn't be around all the time to 'protect' her. She knew that when you were in the business she was in, you were bound to be hurt, whether it be physically or emotionally. Prostitution would have been the last thing she would have chosen for her life, but it seemed now to her to be the only option. She'd only men one man in her business that she'd had an attraction to, but he turned out to be an abusive jackass who, to her knowledge, was still trying to hunt her down since she ran away from him. She just wished that, for once, a man could want her for more than her body.

***

Tommy hadn't seen Cecelia since the previous night, but according to the rest of his gang, she was already doing her job very well, and no one seemed to have a problem with her not having any money. They were glad to protect her, just as long as she kept offering herself to them whenever they wished. Tommy could tell that Cecelia did not want to be a prostitute; for them, or for anyone else, but he didn't see another way around it. Also, then he could perhaps have her for himself when he pleased, which he would soon realize he would want to do often.