Page 48 of His Property

He comes around to face me before lifting me off the stool to set me on my feet. The knife still in his hand has me paralyzed, and all I’m able to move are my eyes. I dart my gaze between him and the blade.

He doesn’t seem to notice my apprehension because he paces the room, not looking at me, not even seeming to notice I’m here. He leans over, a hand to his forehead, and when he jerks upright, he curses and throws the knife across the room. It hits the wall of instruments before clanging on the toolbox.

He runs his hands through his hair as he looks at me. A moment passes, and he blinks. His shoulders slump, and he takes a deep breath.

“It’s okay,” he says, his voice telling me this is anything but okay.

He comes toward me, and I back away. His brows crease, and he frowns. “What are you doing?”

“What’s going on?” I ask, backing up until I hit a wall.

He comes toward me but stops when I put up my hands to block myself.

“Mae, what the hell? I’m not going to hurt you.”

I lower my hands, and he glances across the room at the knife he threw, as if he’s just now realizing what it looked like he was about to do.

“Mae…”

“Just tell me what’s going on.Please.”

Someone bangs on the basement door, and Victor’s head swivels toward it. “Victor, what the fuck is going on?!” a female voice asks. She bangs again.

“Jesus Christ,” he says under his breath. “Just a minute!”

“Victor!”

More banging.

“Just a fucking minute!” Victor shouts, then turns back to me and ignores the banging that ensues.

He stomps up to me, his patience with my fear seemingly gone, and he grabs the back of my head. I yelp but then silence as his lips crash to mine. He pulls back, and I stare at him, wide-eyed.

“I willneverhurt you like that.” His voice is so full of passion that I believe him. “I know I like to play, but fuck, are you really afraid of me taking a knife to you?”

“I don’t know what to think,” I snap, my own patience running out. “You ran down here, grabbed a knife, and came at me like you were set on doingsomething. What am I supposed to think?”

I glance up at the basement door when the woman screams, and I don’t understand why she doesn’t just come down here. Or why she left only to hurry back.

My worry changes from fearing for my life to fearing for… I don’t know. Victor? “Who is that?”

“My sister,” he says without missing a beat. “The woman who saw you is a coworker of mine, and she must’ve followed me home. She’s going to tell my boss you’re here, if she hasn’t already, and I didn’t want you tied up when he gets here.”

Blood drains from my cheeks, and Victor takes my face in his hands. The banging on the door ceases, and the woman abruptly stops yelling. He glances behind him then back at me.

“You’re going to be fine,” he assures me. “You need to say that you were here willingly, though, okay? You can tell my boss I paid you or I forced your hand or whatever you want, but donottell him I kidnapped you or anything like that. If you feel like getting me into trouble, fine, I get it, I’m already in deep shit anyway. But if you tell him I kidnapped you or raped you or whatever and he has even the slightest suspicion that you’ll go to the police, he’ll kill you. Do you understand?”

I open my mouth, trying to process all this, but I don’t get the chance to answer. Both of us jerk our heads to face the basement door when it opens. A woman scoots on her rear onto the first step, and she slides down the stairs, knocking into each step painfully on the way down.

Victor gasps and runs to the woman. He lifts her up to sitting while she groans.

My mind doesn’t know how to respond to this, but I still register my naked body, and I cover myself the best I can. I can hide my sex and chest, but it does nothing to hide all the bruises.

“Are you okay?” Victor asks the woman, but she doesn’t answer him.

She opens her eyes, and her gaze locks on me. Her expression twists from one of pain to one of surprise, and she moves her gaze around the room, her eyes widening by the second, and then she focuses on me.

Victor throws me a glance over his shoulder then goes back to the woman. “I can explain.”

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