Page 16 of Her Beast

Once the door shut behind the two women Carl turned Julia around as easily as he might position a doll, pressing his body against hers, his huge hand splayed across her lower back, his fingers dangerously close to her buttocks. He took her chin with his other hand and tilted her head back so sharply that pain shot down her spine.

“You listen, girlie,” he said, staring in a way that sent a bolt of fear—as well as a darker, even more concerning emotion—ricocheting through her body. “Your father left me in charge of you—body and soul. I can tie you to your bed and give you nothin’ but bread and water and nobody would stop me.”

Julia knew that was no empty threat.

“Or I can bring you tasty little treats and make your life all around sweeter. It’s up to you, luv.”

As much as Nadine and Carl resembled each other physically, their speech and behavior couldn’t be more different.

Nadine spoke with the cut glass accents of a social climbing cit while Carl sounded like an Irish lad from the stews.

“Well, girlie? If I remove my hand, will you scream?”

Julia gave a minute shake of her head and staggered back when he released her.

Rather than leave, as she’d hoped, he stood his ground and stared down at her.

“Wh-What else do you want?”

A slow, oily grin spread across his face. “You need to be punished.”

“But you just said—”

“I’m going to punish you for bein’ mouthy in the store today,andfor goin’ into the store after Netta told you not to.”

“Punish me how?”

His eyes fondled her body like small, groping hands. “I think you’ll like what Uncle Carl does to you.”

Julia swallowed down her bile, but wisely kept her mouth shut.

He sat down on the padded bench at the foot of her bed. “Take off your dressing gown.”

Her jaw sagged. “Absolutelynot.”

“Strip off your robe or I’ll tearallyour clothes off you.”

Julia’s mind staggered like a syphilitic man she’d once seen wandering down Oxford Street. How could this be happening? Surely this couldn’t be what her father meant? But if she screamed for Netta would she—

Carl began to stand and Julia squeaked and hastily pulled the sash at her waist.

Carl sat back down and nodded. “Go on.”

She fumbled with the buttons that ran down the front of the robe, her hand shaking so badly by the time she got to the last button that it took her four tries. She reflexively clutched the two edges of the dressing gown together once it was unbuttoned.

“I won’t tell you again: Take it off.”

She hastily shrugged the garment off, letting it slide to the floor.

Carl’s eyes dropped to her chest and stayed there. He made a disgusting grunting sound and his lips parted, his expression ravenous as he stared at her ridiculously large breasts, which were rising and falling faster than usual.

Even though she hated Carl with a passion, her body responded to his hungry gaze and her nipples hardened against the whisper thin lawn of her nightgown.

Worse than that was the way her sex swelled and slicked the longer he looked, her body’s response to masculine admiration making her hate herself even more than the man across from her.

Her father was right: shewasa whore.

Carl shifted on the bench, looking poleaxed, his mouth agape as if he needed more air.

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