Page 24 of Deadly Rival

Shit, shit, shit.

The composure I’ve been clinging to wobbles, and I close my eyes, willing it back. I can do this. I’m strong. He won’t break me with a stupid outfit and a ridiculous collar. He can march me around naked if he wants. I’ll still be Ophelia Calder.

Why did I think that? Once that image brands itself into my brain, there’s no scrubbing it out.

“Ophelia.” Sebastian’s sharp voice pulls my scattered thoughts back together. “Look at me.” I do, really studying him as he unbuckles the strap on the platform. His long fingers make deft work of the process.

Then he spins my chair away from the table, sinks to one knee beside me, takes hold of my foot, and places it into the shoe.

I don’t know what I’d been expecting, but this wasn’t it. There’s something so intimate about the act that I freeze as he cinches the strap around my ankle, lifting the cuff to get it in the right place. His fingers are gentler than they should be, given where I am.

The shoes are gaudy monstrosities with a see-through PVC platform heel and glittery silver straps, but he fastens them with care, checking the strap sits snug to my skin. Once the first is secure, he moves to the second, and my paralysis breaks. “I’ll never be able to walk in these things.”

Why, of all the things happening to me, did I choose that to complain about? Maybe because it’s a small problem. Something I can see the beginning and end of.

“You’ll learn. We’re not going far, but people here are very curious about you. I want to show you off. Ophelia Calder, at the end of my leash.”

Amusement and satisfaction vibrate through every word, and it sends a rush of heat through my chest, up to my cheeks. Showing me off. As if I’m a prized possession.

Sebastian finishes with the second shoe and pulls back to look at me. His pupils are still large, blotting out the vivid blue of his eyes. He’s excited. Or something worse. He runs the tip of his finger over my flaming cheek with a smile.

“Does that embarrass you? I wonder what your father and brother will think once word gets back to them. I’m sure there are some little moles in here that will give them every detail. Maybe even a photo.”

God. I hadn’t even thought of this in those terms. My father and brother have always guarded me like a bone china figurine, erupting if I dared show too much leg or cleavage. I have to be beautiful but demure. After a while, it became the way I felt comfortable.

Seeing me paraded about like this…

I shake my head. “It’ll kill them.”

I don’t even mean to say it out loud, but Sebastian’s smile grows. “Fabulous. Let’s get going.”

He stands, moving behind my chair to detach the remaining cuff from the seat. It still dangles from my wrist, and before I get the chance to stretch my shoulders, he’s gripped my right hand, pulling both behind my back. “No, please. I’ll—”

He ignores me, snapping the cuffs into place. Fuck. Why didn’t I realize he was going to do that? Why didn’t I try to stop him? I’m slow, dopey from the shock and stress. I need to be sharper. Not that I could have fought him off, but I should have tried. He can’t start to see me as easy prey.

The cuffs press into the small of my back, forcing me to arch, and the move shoves my tits forward. The damn bra pumps them up so far you’d swear I have huge implants. A sharp breath from Sebastian tells me he’s noticed exactly what the position is doing, and the next second, he’s in front of me, staring down with a look I can’t define.

His brows crease, and he examines me with a critical eye, as if I’m a car he’s thinking about buying. Then he reaches down and adjusts my top. He tugs it down even lower, so the lacy top of the bra shows. Somehow, that little strip of fabric makes the outfit ten times skankier. “Better. Don’t you think?”

My mouth comes back to life. How dare he? “No! It’s disgusting. What are you trying to prove with this? Do you think it makes you a scary, tough guy? It doesn’t. It’s pathetic.”

“And when word gets back to Daddy, he’ll hunt me down and string me up by my balls?” He offers the suggestion with a knowing eyebrow raised. “Or slice me into tiny pieces and mail me to my father? Not that he’d give a shit.”

He doesn’t sound the tiniest bit concerned. Is it all an act? He knows what my family is capable of. His dad used to be our lawyer.

“Only if my brother doesn’t get hold of you first.”

I feel dirty even saying it. My father can be savage as all hell, but at least he follows his own twisted code of ethics. My brother, though? He’s something else. Sometimes, I think even Dad is scared of him. Sure, Harrison would kill Sebastian for what he’s doing to me. But then he might just kill me too, if he thought he could get away with it.

The last time a man touched me and he found out, it got very messy very fast. I’d shamed the family. I was damaged goods. Even if I make it out of wherever this is alive, will I be safe from Harrison?

Don’t think about that now. The man in front of me is a big enough threat.

Sebastian’s mouth is a thin line. “Oh, if your brother comes looking for you, I’ll be ready. Don’t you worry about that, pet. “Now—” He holds up the collar. “—walkies.”

“Fuck you.” It’s out before I can consider whether it’s a good idea or not. The heat is back, rushing up my neck, and knowing he’ll see the blush makes it so much worse. “I’m not wearing that stupid goddamn thing.”

“Not your decision.” He smiles, and I catch a hint of teeth.

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