Page 75 of Ryker

His eyes squeeze shut. “Stop it,” he whispers. “Stop saying my fucking name like that all the time.”

I don’t want to call him Mr. Hudson or Sir. I want to call him by his real name because this feels like a real goddamn problem. “Why can’t I call you, Ry—”

He claps his hand over my mouth. “Every time you say it, you make it sound like a good thing. Like I’m some kind of hero coming to your rescue. Like I’m a fantasy come to life for you.”

You are.

“I’m a whore, Tara. Nothing else. And when our month is up, you’ll never be in my bed again.”

Knocking his hand off my mouth, I want to cry. “Why not?”

He doesn’t say anything, so I push. Not just the subject, but also him. Shoving my hands against his chest, my fury unleashes. “Am I not good enough for you? Not rich enough? Pretty enough? Smart enough?” I drive him backwards until his ass hits an armoire. “Fuck you, Ryker.”

“That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it? For you to get fucked until you can’t walk, can’t think, can’t move? It’s what you pay your membership dues for, Miss Reed. To be railed by a whore like me.”

My temper gets the better of me and I slap him. Well, almost slap him. He blocks my strike, then pins my arms to my sides. “You wanted to play with fire? You said you wanted to see how fucking hot I’ll burn, and I warned you, Butterfly. What did I fucking tell you?” He clamps my hands behind my back. “Say it. What did I fucking tell you when you got me on my knees?”

“To… to do my worst.”

“And why was that, Miss Reed?”

“B-because you would also do your worst to me.”

Oh shit.

Ryker’s entire demeanor changes. Any cracks I made in his armor have somehow welded closed again. Lifting his chin, he glares down at me with a victorious grin. “Get on your knees and open wide, Butterfly. It’s time to put your fucking mouth to work.”

Chapter 27

Ryker

If I don’t reel myself in, this very instant, I’ll explode and there’s no way I’ll be able to clean up the damage. This woman has unraveled me.

Groveling, check.

Flogging, check.

Forcing me to say I’m a great man? Hard stop.

I appreciate her effort—my back and ass haven’t felt this good in a while—but I’m not about to lie to this woman. There’s nothing good left in me. Those things she said about me being a protector and all? They don’t make me great; they make me a decent human being.

Fuck, my body feels boneless. The impact of her strikes with that flogger grew harder and harder and now I’m melting. She did it perfectly, which is incredible for someone who’s just learning basic methods of impact play. My girl’s a natural.

When Dmitri flogs me, I’m already well-versed on how it will go, how it will feel, and the only sound between us is the crack of the whip on my back. There’s no talking. The silence grounds us both and he’s never gone too far. D knows the rhythm and pace I love that will ultimately drop me into a glorious subspace in a matter of minutes.

I trust him, implicitly.

Tara, on the other hand, just tipped my world upside down. She threw the importance of trust in my face and when I gave her some of mine, she bent it into something more.

Bless her heart.

It almost fucking worked, too. In the dark recess of my mind, I almost believed what she said could be true. Almost. She’s sweet to think I’m all greatness and strength, but if she knew me—the real me—she’d run for the hills. I’m not a hero. I’m a villain. I came from nothing, and I still have nothing. I’m a piece of meat, a fantasy, a luxury. My anger and torment fuels everything I do. The need for ultimate control comes from years of not having any.

I’ve made my fortune off sex and being objectified while maintaining a club that’s safe for my members to indulge in their most intimate desires. Tara’s the first member of the club I’ve taken to my bed. She’ll be the last one too. I can’t put myself through this shit ever again.

“Say it. Say you’re a great man.” Her words have cut me bone deep, and I’m bleeding out. With every lash of her flogger, I sank deeper into my darkness, where I sit with my demons in peace. Now I have to claw my way back to the light. The only problem is my demons are going to come with me.

I warned her. I said to do her worst, because I wanted to return the favor.

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