Page 23 of Burn for Me

I hadn’t even noticed the music ending.

Phoenix sat next to me, the violin resting on the bench.

Be meek. I told myself.Trick him.

My breath hitched. He ran his scarred fingers along my collar bone, stopping at my pulse point and closing his eyes. Fear made my heart beat faster, and his fingers pressed more firmly into the hollow of my neck. Tracing his other hand against my thigh he spelled out a word.

SCARED?

I nodded, keeping my focus on his dark eyes, the fire’s reflection dancing in them.

Was he going to fuck me?

To my dismay the bile the thought brought was swiftly followed by a pulsating between my thighs. It had been a long time since I’d let myself fall into bed with someone. I’d beenwaiting for Massimo. Our love story was going to be one for the ages. I’d been so sure of it.

Phoenix’s thumb tilted my jaw up, and had it not been for the mask covering his mouth, I’d have thought he was going to kiss me. It would be one thing to endure his dick, but the softness would be too much to bear.

‘Make it quick,’ I begged, my words coming out strangled.

His fingers moved against my leg once more, this time on my inner thigh.

NEVER

‘Please, just get it over with or let me go.’ I should have stayed in the bedroom.

His throat moved as he swallowed, the phoenix emblazoned mask just millimetres from my lips. The fingers on my throat wrapped around my neck, tightening. The gasp it drew from me, made him give a deep, low groan.

GOING TO MAKE YOU BEG FOR IT

Each swipe of his finger made me hate him more.

I pushed him hard, and he relaxed back against the boat’s railing as I stood, my cheeks blazing.

‘I will never beg.’ I spat the words at him, my promise to be meek fleeing. ‘Stop toying with me. It’s worse than just fucking me.’

My head spun as I backed away from him, half expecting him to chase after me. Phoenix looked completely unbothered by my reaction, sitting there as if nothing had happened.

Moving as quickly as my feet would carry me, I fled back to the cabin, shutting myself in the bedroom and pushing a chair up under the door handle. Throwing myself onto thebed, I screamed into the covers, letting all the anger and frustration pour out of me. Tears wet the pillow, and I didn’t stop until my voice grew hoarse and my body grew limp.

At last, sleep took me.

Light streamed in through the windows when I awoke. Peeling my hair from my face, I groaned.

God, how long had I slept?

Rubbing at my face, I pulled myself upright, seeing the chair still wedged beneath the door and feeling a sense of satisfaction. At least I could sleep soundly knowing I could shut him out.

In the washroom, I relieved myself, hunting through the cabinet for mouthwash. My mouth tasted like I’d licked the deck clean before heading to bed.

Standing in front of the small mirror, I pulled my hoodie up, looking at the angry red scar on my chest. It was beginning to knit together, the scabs starting to fall away. Even if I made it off the boat and away from Phoenix, I’d always carry the marks of that night with me.

I’d just had to make sure the scars I left behind were much worse than the ones I carried.

Flopping back down on the bed, I looked out of the window, my heart all but stopping at the sight of a tiny harbour.

Crushing myself to the window, I saw people. Fishermen!

I banged on the window, but they were too far away to hear me.

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