Page 190 of The Sinner: James

She does as she’s told while I inch closer to her.

Holding my cigarette between my lips, I nudge her legs open.

“Where’s Lex?” she asks in a trembling voice.

“What do you need Lex for?”

She stays quiet.

I lean closer to her, my palm sliding to the small of her back, my cigarette dangling from the corner of my mouth.

“What is it, babe?” I ask.

I look down, observing the slow motions of my hand as I cup her butt. I feel her tense beneath my touch.

“Are you scared?” I ask in a hoarse voice.

She quivers even more.

A muscle ticks in my jaw as I continue.

“Tell me, darling… Isn’t this what your line of work is all about?”

She stays quiet.

“Isn’t trading your body for money what this shit is all about? Isn’t letting someone have you, use you, and break you as often as they want the thrill you’re seeking?” I ask before tearing the cigarette away from my lips and blowing the smoke to the side.

“It’s not––”

“Shut up. I’m not paying you to talk.”

I lean toward her again, bracing the hand holding my cigarette against the wall as I murmur in her ear.

“See, Red... Men are not the friendly creatures that you think they are. They may lose their heads over your pretty face and sexy body and how you make their blood simmer and their cocks hard. Their dicks are always stronger than their minds. But in the end, they’re all beasts at their core. They want to claim you, break you, and destroy you. It’s in their nature, babe. I thought you knew that already…”

My palm goes down her back again––my touch is softer than my words.

Slightly pressing my body against hers, I slide my fingers below her butt and touch the flesh between her legs.

Her breaths turn quickly shallow.

Smoothly, I slide two fingers into her and stroke her. A shudder falls through her, and her bottom pushes up, her thighs slightly parting.

“Hmm... You like this, Red. Fear and pleasure––it’s always a wicked combination, isn’t it? But see… You’re walking a fine line here.”

I tilt my head down, my gaze floating over her body.

The garter belt is still on her, and so are her heels. Smooth skin encases her perky ass and long, toned legs.

She looks like a fucking million bucks.

I pull all her hair over one shoulder and run my hand down her back, goosebumps forming beneath my fingers.

The bathroom door opens and closes before Lex swaggers into the room.

“Our little minx needs you,” I throw at him, earning an angry look from him.

Still glaring at me, he crashes onto the bed.

---