Page 21 of Salacious Desires

When I don’t answer right away, he squeezes my hand. “I’m sorry, Lily. I’m asking too many questions. You’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

Shaking my head, I let out a deep breath. “It’s okay. Until I got away from there, I never knew how unconventional my life was. Now that I know, I’m embarrassed.”

“Hey,” he says softly. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. You had no control over how your parents raised you.”

I stay silent for a few seconds, gathering my courage. “Girls leave school at sixteen because that’s when they get married.”

The car swerves slightly. Drake is squeezing my hand so hard it’s almost painful, and when I glance at him, his jaw looks like it’s about to explode.

“You were forced to marry someone at sixteen?” he asks in a low, deadly tone.

“Yes. I mean, it wasn’t legal through the court or anything. It was just a spiritual ceremony.”

“How old was the guy you married?”

Warning bells go off in my head. Answering his question is only going to make things worse.

“Lily,” he growls.

“He was twenty-five,” I blurt out.

“Jesus.”

“I’m sorry.”

Drake pulls over to the side of the road and puts the car in park before he turns toward me and cups my face between his warm hands. “Don’t ever apologize for your past, Lily. Do you understand me? Never. The only people who owe any sort of apology are the people who abused you.”

“They never hit me.”

“It doesn’t matter. Abuse isn’t always physical, baby. What they did to you was abuse, and it was illegal. A grown man took advantage of you when you were just a child. That’s rape.”

My head spins, and I think I might throw up. Is what he’s saying true? Deep down, I know it is. Tears burn my eyes, but I blink them away.

He keeps hold of my face and kisses my forehead before he releases me. “They’re going to pay for hurting you.”

Then, he straightens, puts the car in drive, and takes off toward Hannah’s house.

What does he mean they’re going to pay? That sounds terrifying. It also sounds like a promise. “My parents are already gone. They had me later in life and died not long after I married.”

When he parks in the driveway and shuts his car off, I turn toward him nervously. “Thank you for the ride home. I’m sorry I upset you.”

He squeezes the steering wheel until his knuckles turn white. “You did nothing to upset me, Lily. Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me a little bit about your past.”

With a trembling hand, I reach out and touch his forearm. I’m not sure why I do it, but it feels right and I think it must be. He lets go of the wheel and turns to me, studying my face.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” he asks.

“Shelly told me to put my feet up on my days off.”

His lips curl up in a smile. “You’re an obedient little thing, aren’t you? Too bad Shelly isn’t your Domme.”

I jerk back slightly, giggling. “She’s a Domme? I should have guessed.”

He chuckles. “I’d like to see you tomorrow. I’ll make sure you have plenty of time to put your feet up. Can you be ready by noon?”

Butterflies erupt in my tummy. “Um, sure. I mean, yes. I’ll be ready.”

“Good. I want you to wear one of your dresses that isn’t black. And wear those flat sandals I saw you in the other day. Understood?”

---