Page 24 of His Property

I don’t respond, and he smiles and scoots closer to me.

He drags the blanket down and takes in my naked body with a sigh. My core heats just from him looking at me, and no matter how hard I try to suppress the desire it ignites, I can’t.

He caresses my knee then pries my legs apart and smooths a hand up my thigh.

I know something’s coming. Of course it is. He’s pissed. But the knowledge that it’s coming doesn’t stop the shock that lights up every pain receptor in my body when he takes my clit and pinches.

“Stop!” I yell and grab his hand.

He shoves me back and climbs on top of me, slapping a hand over my mouth. My body adjusts to the initial shock of pain, but tears still spring to my eyes and I whimper into Victor’s hand.

“I want you to listen closely to me, you little bitch,” he whispers, his face inches from mine. “I amverygood at getting rid of bodies. I’ve had plenty of practice. Maybe they would find out. Maybe they wouldn’t. But if you threaten me one more time, I’ll take my chances. Do you fucking hear me?”

I nod vehemently, and Victor lets go of my clit. He pulls away from me, and I close my legs and sob.

“What part of the contract would you like to negotiate?” I can hear the smile in his voice, but every word is meant to be threatening.

I pushed it too far.

I keep quiet, and Victor stands from the bed. “Good.” He tosses me the ice pack, and I let out a cry. “Put that on your head and have the contract signed by the time I get back. I’ll only be a few hours.”

He goes to leave but then pauses. He turns, and I flinch as he kneels on the bed and pulls me onto my knees. “Almost forgot.” He grabs the gag and forces it into my mouth before clicking it into place.

He throws me down then hops off the bed and walks away without another word.

He’s gone for at least ten minutes before I’m able to settle down. I pushed too far, and I regret threatening him, but I still think I have a place in this power struggle. If I don’t use what little control I have over this situation, I know he’ll be the one pushing too far.

I sit up, grab the partially-thawed ice pack and bring it to the swollen bump on my head, then I take another look at the contract. If I piss him off again, I’m afraid of what he’ll do, but I’m even more afraid of what will happen if I truly give him complete control of this agreement.

I take a deep breath and start writing out my demands.

8

VICTOR

The bags are especially heavy today.

Lorenzo had me take care of a giant of a man. His limbs alone have filled two trash bags that I push on the metal cart toward the enclosure that overlooks my boss’s animal den, situated in the basement of his hotel.

I reach the edge that looks over the lions and tigers, and I lean over it to make sure no animals are directly below. If I hit one of the tigers with one of Andre the Giant’s parts, Lorenzo would throw me off the edge to let his cats take revenge. No one fucks with the animals.

One tiger lazily rests in a corner, and the others must be farther inside the den, out of sight. I lug one of the bags onto the edge, letting out a low groan as my muscles strain, and I empty the contents into the pit. I hurry to dump the other two bags before the animals start feasting.

The door to the enclosure opens just as I toss the last empty bag onto the cart and wipe the sweat off my forehead. I worked quickly today, so it was actually a little draining to saw the guy up.

Lorenzo walks toward me with his eyes narrowed. “You’re finished already?”

I tuck my hands into my pockets and nod. “Yes sir. Is there anything else you need?”

Instead of answering me, he eyes me skeptically and walks up to the ledge. He peeks down at his animals before returning his attention to me.

“Are you in a hurry?” he asks.

I purse my lips and shake my head, but inside I’m itching to get back home. “No sir. Just figured I’d get out of your hair.”

Mae kind of killed my excitement earlier, but she was still all I could think about while I was taking care of the giant. It took about twenty minutes to get the information I needed from him, and then I made quick work cleaning up. So, yes, I’m in a hurry.

Lorenzo stares at me with a blank expression. His eyes bore into me long enough that discomfort settles, and I get the urge to look away, but I don’t.

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