Page 38 of Pushed

Imperial didn't speak, she kept her eyes locked on mine, letting them float under hooded lids. I should have been angry and enraged, I should have coiled my fingers around her neck and choked her until she turned blue just to prove that I was serious.

But that wasn't what I felt. My heart clamored inside my chest, bursting with raw desire. My muscles surged, wanting to touch her more, wanting to feel every dip and curve of her body.

My lips tingled, itching to feel her crazed heat and taste her brackish muscles as sweat beaded up on her skin when I split her thighs apart with my hips.

Grunting in frustration, I snapped my head up and let her go, taking a giant step away from the bed.

“Why did you bite me? Can't you just listen and play nice?”

Wiping her lips, she smeared a small amount of blood off her mouth and down her chin. A smile spread across her face, one that was devilish, one that made me second guess everything I thought I had seen in her eyes. “Why would you ever deserve nice?”

Am I wrong? Is she fucking crazy?

Or is she just throwing a deck of cards at me?

It won't work if she is, she has no fucking clue how deep she's in right now.

“What the fuck!” I yelled, reaching for my ear and feeling the hot blood bubble up where she had dug her teeth in hard. “You're making this more difficult than it needs to be.”

Imperial let out a crazed giggle as her thighs swept over each other. Shrugging her shoulder, she draped her hands over her knees, pulling them into her chest. “I'm not for sale, Machi, I'm damaged, I'm a fucking psycho. Who'd want to bid on a short fuse like me?”

I see your game. . . I can see it now.

“You're wrong, Pixie, you're so goddamn wrong. Do you really think that if you act insane, no one will want to buy you?” Pacing in a circle, I continued to massage my ear. “It doesn't work that way.”

Her eyes darkened, the bright blue clouding over in a thick gray blanket. “The girls I saw last night were so sad, so lost and soulless. That's what they want, isn't it? They want a girl that will listen and be quiet, they want a girl that won't defy them and will just be a fucking puppet. I'm not going to give them what they want, I won't be that, I won't become that person.”

Gripping the sides of my head, I dragged my hands down my face. “Yes, that's exactly what they want.”

“So if—”

Slashing my hand through the air, I cut her off. “So nothing!” Dropping to her side, I braided our fingers together, pulling her up. “It doesn't matter, you can't stop it.” Staring into her eyes, I tugged her hands up to my chest. “If you fight, they'll fight back, if you act crazy, they'll return it ten fold. I told you what to do, I'm practically giving you the answers. All you have to do is listen. Why is that so fucking hard?”

“Maybe I don't like what I'm hearing. I can't deal with being sold to a man who's going to treat me like a fucking pet, who's going to force me to do things I don't want to do. I'm not going to be someone's slave, Machi.”

“Fuck, Imperial!” screaming in her face, I threw her hands down. “ You don't fucking listen! I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. Can't you feel it? Can't you see it? I'm not here because I enjoy this shit, I'm here—” Shutting my mouth, I dropped my head and plucked my lower lip.

“What are you here for then? Tell me! Fucking tell me why!” Sitting up on her knees, she wrapped her arms around her ribs. “Tell me why you do this, why you take girls to be bought like they don't matter.”

Sighing, I raked my fingers through my hair. “Forget it.” Standing quickly, I tugged my phone from my pocket and looked at the time. “If you don't want to listen, then don't. I won't stop you from doing whatever the fuck you're thinking about. But don't look at me like a fucking monster when I'm forced to do what they expect me to. I already told you what to do, I'm not repeating myself anymore. From here on out, whatever happens, it's on you.”

“Don't look at you like a monster? You killed a man! You kidnapped me and brought me here! You sell women to sick fucking assholes! What else could I see?”

I'm not the person you think I am.

My reasons were mine, they stayed with me and weren't for anyone else to know. Monsters can come in many forms. I was a creature, I was black and cold, I was willing to kill to get what I wanted. . .

But for her, for Imperial; she was lucky to have this monster on her side.

“You're only seeing what you think you know.” Stalking to the door, I held the handle in my hand and looked straight into the wood. “Get up, it's time.”

If she refused to listen to the tone in my voice. . .

If she refused to see what I was offering her. . .

Whatever I was forced to do, I wouldn't apologize for it.

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