Page 57 of Servitude to Serpents

Stuart joins us. Ignoring the two women entirely, hoping to avoid a stroke. “Shall I have the chef start dinner?”

“No, that won’t be—”

“Oh yes, dinner! I can get you all dolled up! Surely, he’s got you a fully stocked wardrobe by now,” Mahari exclaims, casting me what I can only describe as a death stare.

Andres nods. “I never conduct business with friends on an empty stomach.” He pats his large belly. “Especially when they invite us to their home, right, my love?”

Friends? I’m fighting the impulse to not kill both of you. I only let you come here because I wouldn’t put it past your wife to steal my pet had we met anywhere else.

“It is one of the old man’s rules,” she agrees, booping Pup on the nose like a fucking toddler.

Pup loves it.

I need Tylenol.

And bourbon.

Maybe a bullet in the skull, depending on how the night goes.

It’s been long enough for my lawyer to finalize the amendment to my will,another bizarre decision that defies all logic. I will ensure she wants for nothing should something happen to me.

Pup laughs at something Mahari says, making me still on our path to the lounge. I’d heard her laugh before, sure, but right now…. Aside from the collar on her neck, she almost looks like the girl in the pictures. It’s a glimpse of who she was. Of Chloe, not Pup. She’s fucking beautiful. Again, I get the slightest tinge of guilt, a tiny pinprick in an otherwise flawless façade of indifference.

“Master.”

I turn, no longer pretending to listen to Andres.

I turn as if I’m on a swivel, because she called, and like a fuckingdog,I halted, ready to give her anything she asked.

“Is it alright if—" She swallows past her anxiety, wringing her hands in front of her. “Is it okay if Mahari helps me get ready for dinner?”

“No.”

Her face falls, and immediately, I feel it in my gut, knowing how much it probably took for her to ask.

I sigh. “She can assist you, but you will dress yourself.Alone.If you wish to change your collar, bring it to me.”

Her friend rolls her eyes, shooting me another death glare.

Pup beams, her sleek ponytail bouncing as she runs over to me, lifting on her toes to place a kiss on my cheek. “Thank you. I’ll be quick.” She takes Mahari’s hand, giggling as she tugs her up the stairs, barely giving the woman enough time to hand her bag off to her husband.

My face feels hot as I clear my throat, adjusting my jacket. “How about a drink, Andres?”

“They’ll do that to you.”

Apparently, they will.

Chloe

I sit on my unused bed, the lavish room rapidly filling with trinkets Master has delivered to me. He simply drops them into my palms or has them carted in when they’re too heavy. He acts like it's nothing, just an object he’s throwing around, but I don’t miss the way he watches, gauging my reaction every time. Even with his permission, I can’t shake the feeling I’ll be punished for having Mahari in here. The ray of a woman doesn’t seem to mind, gushing over the wardrobe I’ve never spent much time looking at. Even when she’s excited, there’s a calming gentleness to her that seems to balm something that smarts. I’m not sure what it is exactly that needed balming, perhaps all of me. The parts of me that wake up in the night, drowning in that deep, dark water. The bits of me that break out in cold sweats when phantom hands pull, tug, and penetrate. The little girl who just wanted a hug seems to be most enthralled. Mahari gives good hugs. Even if they upset my master, I’ll soak up each one, knowing how sparingly life has handed them out to me.

“This is perfect!”

I smile at the one she picked. I’ve never seen it before, but it’s pretty, more…modest than anything I’ve worn in a long time.

“What do you think, Chloe?”

My smile falls, my name slipping off her lips, catching me off guard. “I-I, uh…” My throat clogs, choking off my words. I slam my head toward my lap so hard, it makes something in my neck tweak painfully.

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