Page 43 of Rescued

A look of outrage came over his handsome features.

“Has that fucking Sluggorn done that to you? Has he put you in ‘The Box’?”

“No, no!” Sonya said quickly—there was murder in his pale blue eyes. And though she could tell his anger wasn’t directed at her, it was still scary to see such a big, muscular guy get so furious. “I’ve just heard from other girls who have disobeyed him,” she told him. “I don’t want to go in The Box—I don’t think I could stand it!”

“Of course you couldn’t. I know how claustrophobic you are, baby girl,” he murmured, some of the anger clearing from his face.

Sonya stared at him.

“How could you possibly know that? I mean, yes I’m claustrophobic but you just met me!”

He frowned and looked uncomfortable.

“I just guessed. You, er, look like you’d be the claustrophobic type.”

Sonya didn’t have any idea how someone could “look” claustrophobic, but she decided to let it drop. He had healed her, after all and he seemed concerned about her well being—which was completely unlike her usual clients, who only wanted their own gratification.

Just because they weren’t forcing her to do something she considered sexual, didn’t mean that it wasn’t sexual for them. If her singing in their ear—or multiple ears—got them off, it was no sweat off her brow, but it was still kind of nasty, when you thought about it.

Davrik, on the other hand, hadn’t appeared aroused when they were singing together. At least, he hadn’t been rubbing his crotch or actively jerking off, as some of her clients did when she sang. He seemed to just want to sing with her for the pure joy of it. Just as he only seemed to want to heal her without asking for anything in return.

Just as Sonya was considering all this and wondering what to think of it, the damn bracelet started beeping again.

“Oh no!” She glared down at it in exasperation. “Stupid-ass thing!”

“Here.” Davrik put out one big hand again. “Touch me,” he said simply. “And we’ll talk about what to do about this problem, since you don’t want to risk letting me take the bracelet off of you.”

Sonya laid her hand in his again—marveling a little at the difference in their size. It was like putting her hand against the hand of an NBA player or a professional wrestler, she thought. She was very aware of the warmth of his skin and that warm, masculine cedar and spice scent that smelled so good. Was that some kind of cologne he was wearing? If so, it was the best thing she’d ever smelled.

“I don’t know what to do,” she admitted candidly. “I mean, I know what they want me to do. Oozle expects me to be having sex with you twenty-four/seven. Though to be honest, I don’t see how we could, er, do that,” she added, looking at him from the corner of her eye.

He might not have a roll of bologna in his pants the way the damn Trollox did, but from the bulge she could see under his black trousers, he was still big enough to split her in two. No, thank you!

“I don’t expect that from you—I would never take what you weren’t willing to give,” he said at once. “But we do need to have physical contact.”

“Not just physical contact…some kind of sexual contact,” Sonya said reluctantly. “Oozle has ways of knowing if the girls here don’t give the clients what they pay for.” She lifted her chin. “You’d better let me blow you after all.”

Actually, the idea wasn’t nearly as distasteful as it would have been with any other client. Davrik was so big and handsome and there was something about him—a gentle but commanding presence that something deep inside her responded to. The way his eyes had gotten so stern when he ordered her to come to him so he could heal her, had done something to her insides. Sonya almost thought she might not mind it if he ordered her to get between his legs and suck him…almost.

But he shook his head firmly.

“No, I won’t ask that of you. You don’t know me well enough for it to be a pleasure to you as well as to me—I don’t like that.”

“Well then…what are we going to do?” Sonya asked, shaking her head. “Please—I don’t want to be punished! I don’t want to go in The Box!” she added, tears stinging her eyes.

She didn’t like to cry in front of him but the idea of being shoved into that horrible torture device made her feel sick and trembly inside. She had avoided it so far, but if she failed to deliver on a VIP client, she could definitely see the inside of The Box in her future.

“Oh, baby girl…” His eyes filled with compassion and he tugged her to him.

He lifted her gently into his lap and Sonya was surprised to find she didn’t mind sitting on his knee, even if it did make her feel kind of like a little girl since he was so much bigger than her.

“I don’t want that either. I never want to see you get hurt,” he murmured, cuddling her close to him. His deep voice seemed to vibrate through her and Sonya had the strangest feeling that she’d done this before—that she’d been right here, sitting on this man’s knee as he held her. But that couldn’t be, could it? Was it a dream she’d had once? She wished she could remember.

“Thank you,” she whispered, sniffing and swiping at her eyes. “That’s…very nice of you.”

It should have been uncomfortable, sitting on a stranger’s lap and letting him hold her and comfort her, but somehow it wasn’t. Maybe it was because he smelled so good or the fact that he treated her gently. He seemed very aware that he was much bigger and stronger than her and could easily hurt her if he wasn’t careful.

“We still have to think of what to do, though,” she added, looking up at him. “I mean, we have to do something or Oozle will punish me—no question about it.”

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