Page 7 of His Christmas Gift

“Do you understand? You’re mine. Always will be.” My lips find her throat, trailing down, my tongue licking and my teeth nips at her delicate skin. I want to mark her even if my mother notices. I want the whole world to know she’s mine.

“I’m not anybody’s. I’m me. I take care of myself. I have my own apartment I pay for. I pay for my own food. My own clothes. I pay for the water and electricity use. I don’t use anyone.” Her blue eyes have a determined gleam, she’s very proud of herself. She should be, we pay our interns well, where most don’t.

“You’ve done well, but you are mine. Always have been I’m just realizing it now.” I plunge my mouth onto hers, my tongue seeking entrance, ready to show her how much she’s mine.

Katrina pushes me away, slipping away like a ghost, putting the desk between us, her hands lay on the back of my chair, her gaze slides back and forth for a way to escape me. She can’t. There is no escape.

Her eyes are dark, pupils dilated, breaths fast and light as if she can’t get enough air into her lungs. As if she’s excited about this. Something to think about, her liking being chased. And caught. Catching her will be the ultimate trophy. The ultimate reward.

My heart pounds and my lungs seize with the power of terror that grasps me in its fist. A fist that squeezes my body like a giant squeezing a Lilliputian. This terror though isn’t fear. It’s the terror I might like what he’s planning. I can see it in a gleam in his eyes and a smile that only lifts the corners of his mouth. It’s a secret smile. One that promises vast rewards if I consent and vast penalties if I reject him.

Griff moves suddenly like a panther, bounding over his desk, grabbing me by my upper arms and yanks me to his hard body. How did he do that? The desk is tall and wide. He doesn’t give me anymore time to think about it, he tugs my head to his. His large hand cups the back of my head and his lips fall hard against mine. Forcing me to accept him. Both my body and mind. Yes, I want him. More than anything or anyone.

I open my mouth to accept what he has to give. His tongue is as forceful as his personality. My arms wrap around his shoulders and reach to the back of his head, grabbing his hair and holding on. Tugging the soft strands. He slants his head slightly to the side and fills my entire being with himself. His other hand slowly trails down my body to my ass and grips a cheek, hard. His hand opens and closes against my soft flesh as if he’s milking me for something.

I press my core against his hard dick, rubbing, wanting more. We rub against each other, humping as if teenagers again. My tight jeans and his slacks hinder what we both want. And his mother upstairs.

His hand comes down hard against one cheek of my ass and I gasp, a flashback of my rape hits me. I start to draw my body back, tears fight to be released. All I can see is the boy slapping my face when I start to cry and I cringe now. Griffin feels my mental withdrawal and releases me instantly. I raise my hands to my face still feeling that slap as if it just happened, expecting to feel heat and pain when I touch my face like I did that night. His hand over my mouth, his other hand tears at my clothes. The boy expected me to put out since he bought me dinner and took me to a movie. When I said no, he took it anyway. My virginity harshly and without any gentleness. Luckily he wasn’t very well endowed and after a couple pumps was done. My parents and I tried to prosecute but his father was and still is a senator and now he’s starting in politics himself even at his young age. It was all swept under the rug, his father threatened mine and it all came to nothing. I took a day after pill and sought help with my nightmares and they helped some, but they’ll always be with me. I see it over and over. Never going away in my dreams.

“What’s wrong?” His hand that was holding the back of my head now cups my cheek with a tenderness I’ve never felt with another man besides my father. He acts like he cares for me.

All I can do is shake my head and try to step away, put as much distance between us but he won’t let me. I try to remove not only my body from his, also my mind. He won’t let me.

“I’m going to say it again and this time you’re going to tell me. What’s wrong? You were fine then suddenly not.” His voice is a deep rumble of concern. With the hand cupping my face, his thumb lifts my chin until I look up. I don’t want to look into his eyes. There must be disgust at my sudden change of mood. The concern is fake I’m sure. Men only want one thing and if they don’t get it, it’s your fault. You’re a tease. I’m sure that’s what he’s thinking now.

“Hey, look at me. Kat, tell me what’s wrong? Why the sudden change? You wanted me a minute ago.” His voice is soft and caring, I lift my eyes to his, which are soft. I’ve only ever seen him look at me like this was when I was a kid. He would give me everything I could want. If my parents wouldn’t give it to me he would sneak it to me. Even got me a puppy, my parents said no. Of course, the puppy peed all over at first and the next morning it was gone. As if he never existed. Griffin got me a kitten and I did everything for her until someone left a door open and she was hit by a car. This was just last year. That was when I moved out. I saved enough money.

“Kat, where are you?” His hands go to my upper arms pushing me away, bending his knees so he can study my face better. The thumb on my chin rubs lightly back and forth in a soothing motion. “Talk to me.”

“I…I can’t.” Tears threaten to fall, I won’t let them. I’m not weak. I won’t cry in front of him. He won’t want me if I tell him. I can’t have that, I want something for myself and I think this might be it even if it’s only for three months. I shake my head back and forth to emphasize my intentions.

He takes a step away from me and his hands release my face and ass. I take a step toward him, my hands out but this time he’s the one shaking his head. He’s giving me whiplash with the way his moods change.

“You tell me what’s wrong first. I can tell it’s something sexual and I don’t want to do something to make you afraid of me. I’m possessive and dominant but not evil. I would never hurt you in a way you wouldn’t want, Kat. You know that. Right?”

I’m crying hard now. Tears and snot run down my face in rivers. I take my arm and wipe at my face. Griff reaches into a pocket and hands me a handkerchief. I didn’t know men still carried them. I swipe at my face, wiping all the excess off and hold the scrap of cloth back to him. He shakes his head, “you still might need it.”

I nod, tears still flow from my eyes and I give a big sniff. Staring down at the handkerchief I’m now twisting between my hands, absently noting the GVH monogram in one corner. Of course, he’d have a monogrammed handkerchief.

He reaches out, and takes both my hands into his, even the one holding the snotty now rag. “Tell me.”

“I think I need a drink for this.” I sniff again needing some liquid courage for this conversation. I haven’t talked about this in years, since I stopped going to the therapists.

He smiles. Only slightly and goes to a bar cart I hadn’t noticed, splashing a dark-colored liquid in a glass. “Go slow. It’s bourbon.”

I throw the bourbon into my mouth swallowing and choking at the same time. I can barely get the words out but I do. “It happened when I was sixteen.”

My fingers tighten around the neck of the bottle I hold in my hand. I wish it was the neck of the boy she’s telling me about. She hasn’t mentioned his name yet, I’ll get it out of her. Even if it’s the son of the President of the United States, he’ll pay. Oh, he’ll pay. With as much if not more than she’s had to live with all these years. All the pain she’s had to deal with. I’ll triple it. With the mafia influence I have. Oh yeah. He’ll be in so much pain. I’ll ruin his fucking life for now. And forever.

A sadistic smile lifts the corners of my mouth as I imagine it. My fingers tighten even more and I hear the thick glass in the bottle creak, ready to break if I press any harder. I interrupt her, “what’s his name.”

I know my words are a threatening growl, I can’t help it.

“W…what?”

“What’s his fucking name?” I spit the words out as if bullets ejecting from a gun. I will fuck him up for this.

Katrina shakes her head again. “I can’t let you do anything. I don’t want you hurt. His father has connections.”

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