Page 17 of Damaged

“He’s not here, Silver. No one’s here to tell you no or hurt you if you do something wrong. You get to choose. I know that’s easier said than done but based on what I’ve seen, that’s what you want. To choose. To be free.”

Silver managed a shaky nod but that was it. Several long seconds passed before he finally said, “Tell me which one to start with.”

My heart ached to know that he wanted to take this step, but he still needed that moment of direction to proceed. “Start with this one,” I said as I pointed to the first drink on his left side. “It’s the same as what I’m drinking. It’s called Coke.”

Silver didn’t even hesitate to reach for the drink after I pointed to it. He took a sip of it and then sat back, his body stiff, his eyes wary.

Waiting for the first blow from a cruel fist to strike his flesh.

When nothing happened, he let out the breath he’d been holding. “It’s very sweet,” he said.

“Most of them will be like that,” I responded. “Especially if you’re just used to drinking water.”

Silver nodded, then took another deep breath before exhaling loudly and reaching for the next drink in the lineup. It wasn’t until he got to the lemonade that I saw his expression change.

“This one,” he affirmed. “What is this one?”

“Lemonade,” I said with a small smile. “Try the last one… the shake.”

Silver nodded and pulled the shake to him. He couldn’t see the contents because it was in a Styrofoam cup, but that didn’t stop him from wrapping his lips around the straw and sucking. I decided to take the small sign of trust as a victory.

“Nothing is coming out,” Silver said as he sat back in disappointment.

“Shakes have ice cream in them, so they’re really thick. You have to suck hard.”

Silver picked up the cup and sucked hard on the straw. The sight of his hollowed-out cheeks went straight to my dick. Shame crawled over me. I was sitting across from a young man who’d clearly been abused in every way possible for years and here I was getting yet another hard-on just from the sight of him drinking.

The shame quickly turned to anger but not at Silver.

At myself.

I knew what Silver had been turned into. I might not have known the details, but I didn’t have to. If he’d been with someone who’d made their living off of trafficking humans for sex, it meant Silver hadn’t gone untouched. Before me sat a young man trying a milkshake for what was probably the first time in quite a while, if not ever, and I was getting turned on.

What kind of sick fuck did that make me?

“We should order the food to go. I want to get back on the road,” I snapped even as I saw the pleasure light up in Silver’s eyes when he’d finally managed to get his first taste of the shake. “Do you want anything else besides the pot pie?” I asked as my eyes searched the restaurant for our waitress.

Silver watched me warily as he carefully picked up his menu. He scanned it quickly then put it down before saying, “The milkshake is enough. I… I don’t need the pie thing.”

“Yes, you do. You need some real food in your belly.”

Something flashed in Silver’s eyes for the briefest of moments. Without another word, he stood and left the table. I watched him walk toward the doors but assumed he was going to veer left and go to the bathrooms. To my surprise, he just kept walking straight and right on through the main doors, leaving me gawking.

My anger notched up another level as I stood and fished out my wallet to leave enough cash and a hefty tip for the drinks and food we’d ordered but hadn’t eaten. I snagged Silver’s milkshake and hurried as best as I could to catch up to him.

I was stunned to find his ass hanging out of the back seat of my SUV. I went ahead and put the shake in the front seat cup holder and then stepped back. By then, Silver was backing his way out of my car. Even with my loose-fitting sweats, his small, tight ass was on perfect display. His awkward movements as he tried to back out of the rear seat had my dick filling painfully as the material tightened over his backside even more. The sight of him on all fours reminded me how long it had been since I’d thrust my cock into the welcoming grip of a man’s body.

How many empty days had gone by since I’d last experienced that heat enveloping me and making me feel?

“Fuck,” I whispered under my breath as a storm of emotions swept over me.

It wasn’t until I felt something soft hitting me in the face that I returned to reality. To my disbelief, Silver had taken the sweatshirt I’d given him and removed it, right there in the parking lot of the gas station/restaurant combo. Before my muddled brain could catch up, he ripped the sweats off his lower body and kicked them toward me.

It took way too many seconds for my scrambled brain and hardening dick to comprehend that the man had stripped himself completely bare right there in the public parking lot for anyone and everyone to see.

“Silver—” was all I managed to get out before he was on me.

Verbally, at least.

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