Page 32 of Crawl
I may be able to get revenge. I can poison him like he assumed the other night. And if it comes down to it, my mom will have my back.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“Think of your biggest offer, then triple it.”
“Why?” I snicker. “What’s so hard about a double date?”
“I’ve never cared to meet family.”
I squint at him, trying to read between the lines. His eyes darken, knowing that I have nothing to give.
In the long run, Cash and I are business. I just need someone to tag along.
“It’s not like we’re getting engaged,” I insist. “I’ll tell my mom that you’re my boss, not my boyfriend. She won’t care.”
“That’s an add-on, not an exchange.”
I flatten my palms to my sides. I try to think of what a supposed recluse billionaire wants. He likes tormenting me, but apparently hates double dates and family. What’s the best mix of both worlds?
“You can see how awkward and awful it is for me to meet my mom’s new boyfriend?” I offer.
“I don’t care.”
My face reddens. He’s serious; he doesn’t find my joke funny at all.
“You can screw me in my old bedroom,” I say.
A twist of lust crosses him like he’s considering it now.
“I can fuck you right here if I want.”
A chill runs through me. “It’s hard for me to be in my old room,” I explain, trying to appeal to his twisted side. “You like seeing me squirm? Trust me; I don’t want to be in that bed.” And yet the thought of being in that bedwith Cashmakes my thighs part. Maybe he can help me take back those memories. “And after that, you can embarrass me in front of my mom and her new boyfriend, making innuendos and bawdy jokes. I don’t care. I justdon’twant to suffer through this alone.”
A few seconds pass between us. I clench my sweaty palms, then rub them against my pants.Please,I beg internally.Please. Just give me this.
“Honestly, Remedy, I don’t care about any of that.” He tilts his head, a hint of irritation in his voice. “Is that why you brought me here? To be your accomplice?”
My stomach seizes with nerves. “I just thought—”
“Meeting your mother, sitting through a family dinner, shit-talking about her new boyfriend? That doesn’t appeal to me any more than going to a zoo. The only way I’d be interested is if I get to fuck you over the dinner table in front of them.”
Everything inside of me is on fire. The image of him fucking me over the round dinner table in my mom’s apartment flashes in my mind, the vision real and enticing: Red cheeks. The choke chain around my neck. Cash holding the chain tight enough to make me struggle, but not enough to keep me from talking.Tell them that you’re mine,he’d say. My chest banging into the table as my mom stares at me, jaw dropped, her only daughter writhing like a whore. But in that vision, I’m doing it to prove that I can control my body. I can indulge, even if it means my destruction.
It almost sounds nice.
Cash stands from the table, then squeezes my shoulder in the exact place that Peter did. But with Cash, his touch doesn’t bother me. I lean into him, and his hand moves to the back of my neck, rubbing my tender muscles. Shivers travel down my spine.
“Think of something better to offer me, and I’ll consider it,” he says. “Or bring your cop friend.” There’s a subtle hint of jealousy in his voice, like he can read my thoughts and knows that I actually considered Peterbeforehim. My stomach drops with nerves. He rips the scarf from my neck until it’s loose in my lap. “And when you’re around me, lose the fucking coverup.”
I touch my neck, blinking rapidly, completely stunned. But in an instant, he’s gone and I’m alone again.
CHAPTER 8
Cash
Another day passes and the sun beats down as it gets ready to set, letting everyone in Key West forget that it’s winter. Lush palm trees hang over the narrow pool, shielding the back porch of the estate from the rest of the street. Moisture clings to my skin, the salt drifting in the air. But no matter how much luxury or beauty surrounds me, I only think about her.
Remedy with my blood striping her nose. Her cheeks rust-red. The purple bruise on her neck. The popped vessel in her eye, matching the freckles in mine. The lacey tattoos covering her like armor. The skeletons on her back, mocking the world.
