Page 215 of Hate Mates

He’s swapped his suit for grey sweats and a tight black T-shirt that shows off more of his muscles than before. He looks like danger and sin personified, and it terrifies me even more.

Benji holds out a bottle of water as he approaches the bed, but I turn my head to the side, clamping my mouth shut as my death glare tells him everything he needs to know.

I let him drug me once. It won’t happen again. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice…fuck, no.

Benji chuckles as he rolls his eyes, almost like I’m entertaining him. “This one isn’t drugged, Kitten. It’s just water.”

I turn to face him, so he can see his words mean nothing. As if to prove a point, he unfastens the cap on the bottle and bringsit to his lips, keeping eye contact with me as he takes a large gulp of the water. He then holds it back out to me again.

I want to decline out of principle, to tell him to go to fucking hell, but without water, I’m not sure I can say anything. I really need a fucking drink.

I lift my head up as much as I can, given how tied down I am, and Benji leans close enough to place the opening of the bottle against my lips. He tips it slowly, pouring it into my mouth at just the right speed for me to savour the cool liquid as it coats my throat.

When my mouth no longer feels like cotton wool, I pull back slightly, letting him know I’m finished, so he can move the bottle away. He secures the lid and places it on the bedside table.

Now that my throat isn’t as sore, I find my voice again. “What the fuck did you do to me?” I wanted to sound tough and angry, but it came out as terrified and lost.

His face twists into a scowl. “Not as much as I’d planned to.”

“What?” I ask in confusion.

Benji takes a seat on the bed next to my hip, sitting much closer than I’m comfortable with, but given I’m tied down, I can’t really move away. He’s staring at me with a look in his dark eyes, like I’m the confusing one.

“The plan was to drug you, fuck you, film me taking your virginity so I could send it to your dad, before dumping your naked body back in the car park for anyone to find.

“Well, actually, that was the revised plan. Originally, I was just going to kill you, but it changed when I learnt about your dad trying to preserve your virginity.”

Holy shit, this just got so much worse than I thought.I don’t know which of those scenarios scares me more. All I know is that I need to get out of here before he gets the chance to act on his plans. I’m just not sure how yet.

Tears stream down my face as I struggle to catch my breath, panic hitting me even worse than before. I can’t think straight when all my thoughts are of the horrible things he might do to me.

My vision blurs and my chest burns as I struggle to pull in enough oxygen.

“Relax. Breathe,” Benji says in a calm, soothing voice. “That’s it, focus on your breathing. I didn’t go through with the plan, so you don’t have to be so scared.”

The hilarity of the situation is not lost on me. I’m tied to his bed, discussing my immanent rape or death, and he’s telling me to breathe and stay calm as he’s not done it yet.

Strangely, I pull in air every time he tells me to breathe, and it helps immensely. My heart rate slows down and my vision isn’t as blurry, so I focus on keeping my breathing steady.

“Why?” I’m not entirely sure what I’m asking him, but I have to say something.

“After talking to you and getting to know you, my plans changed. There’s something about you, Kitten,” he says, his eyes boring into mine with such intensity, it makes my stomach flutter.

“What are your plans now?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “That depends on you.”

What kind of fucking answer is that?I scowl at him as the silence stretches out between us, making it clear I’m waiting for him to elaborate.

“Can you be honest with me?” His eyes are assessing me, looking for any signs that I might be lying to him.

“Given the circumstances, I’m not sure what the point would be for me to lie?”

His eyes flash with something like excitement, accentuating his dangerous aura. “Good answer, Kitten.”

I roll my eyes at his patronising tone, despite the flutters in my stomach at his praise. He definitely doesn’t need to know I have a bit of an unexplored praise kink.

“Ask your fucking question,” I snap, trying to hide the confusing feelings beneath the surface.

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