Page 6 of Dangerous Contract: Part 2

Fuck!She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. Wiping the tears from her cheeks, she resumed staring at the wall, determined not to let them break her. However, she could already feel the cracks forming.

“I’ll grab these other bowls and go,” her dad told her.

She ignored him. Finally, he turned away from her. As the door closed behind her father, Monique couldn’t help but wonder where Orazio was. Why hadn’t he come for her yet? Why hadn’t he answered his phone when Trevor forced her to call him? Was he okay?

Damn it.She hated not knowing what was going on. Monique stood and stretched. Her gaze drifted to the bedroom door. She strode forward, walking as far as the chain would allow her to go. She stuck her hand out, reaching for the door.So close.

Her fingers could almost touch the knob. But that was as close as she could get to it. Even if she could open it, she wouldn’t be able to leave. Lowering her hand, she returned to the bed and lay down.

Closing her eyes, she did the only thing she could do: try to go to sleep. It was either sleep or allow her mind to wander,and that would only add to her stress. She’d just started to drift off when the door swung open. Opening her eyes, she watched Trevor enter the room.

Him again!

“Still no word from Orazio?” he snarled, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed off the barren walls, making Monique wince.

She glared at him, her body tense. “My dad brought me the phone and ordered me to call him about an hour ago. He didn’t answer. I still can’t reach him. Dad said we’d try again in two hours.”

Trevor’s jaw clenched. Rubbing a shaking hand through his tousled hair, he began pacing back and forth in front of her like a caged animal. Yeah, he was definitely on something. He seemed like he’d snap at any moment. Monique hoped she and her friends were far away from him before that happened.

“You know,” he sneered, stopping abruptly to face her. “I shouldn’t have expected him to answer you. I mean, look at you.” His gaze raked over her. The look of disgust on his face stung her pride more than it should. “He’s probably glad to be rid of you. I know I was. Fuck! I’m probably doing him a favor. Nothing is going according to plan. Damn it! Why can’t you keep a man’s attention?” he yelled.

Her heart thudded painfully against her chest, but she refused to let him see the hurt his words caused. “I didn’t ask to be a part of your scheme. So, why are you yelling at me?”

“I wouldn’t have to yell if you weren’t like this!” Trevor shouted, taking a threatening step toward her. “Maybe if you were better at keeping a man around, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

Monique bit back a sob, focusing instead on the sting of the chain around her ankle. She couldn’t let Trevor get to herlike this. She couldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her defeated.

The truth was, she, too, was wondering why Orazio wasn’t answering her. She, too, was wondering if he’d turned his back on her. Were all those sweet words he’d whispered to her just empty promises?

Were their talks about the future just pillow talk and nothing more? Was their time together a game to him, a distraction from his everyday life? Did he know that Trevor and her father had her but didn’t think she was worth the hassle of negotiating with her ex?

Monique blinked back tears. This was why she didn’t like for her mind to wander. It always brought out her darkest thoughts. She couldn’t sink into the darkness. She couldn’t despair.

She had to hold on to hope. What she and Orazio had was real. And he was coming for her. She just had to hold on a little longer.

“Is that really what you think?” she asked, her voice laced with contempt. “That my inability to ‘keep a man’ is the root of all our problems?”

“Damn right, it is,” he spat, his face inches from hers.

She could smell the bitter tang of his breath, feel the heat radiating off his body. But despite the danger, Monique couldn’t help herself.

She leaned in closer, her lips near his ear as she whispered, “Get real. You should take a good look in the mirror and ask yourself why I couldn’t keep you. Was it really me who was the problem?”

He released a bark of sarcastic laughter. “Of course, you were the problem. How could I continue living with a woman I no longer found attractive? If you’d lost weight, things could’ve been different. I might’ve kept you around if you would’ve slimmed down as I asked.”

“Just admit that I have too much ass for your tiny dick to handle.”

Trevor jerked back, his face a mask of fury. He raised his hand, palm facing her, ready to strike.

“Do it, and I promise you I won’t be making that phone call you so desperately need me to make,” she hissed.

His hand trembled. His eye twitched. For a moment, he looked like he might hit her anyway. Monique refused to flinch. She held his gaze, glaring at him with all the defiance she could muster.

“Plenty of bitches want my dick,” he spat.

Monique chuckled. “Is that why you’re single?”

“Watch your mouth,” Trevor growled, lowering his hand. “You’re playing with fire, cupcake.”

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