Page 57 of Dirty Dean

“We are going to talk about what you were going to do in the library, Jasmine.”

Chris says as we drive up to the house. He opens the garage door with a press of a button and parks us inside.

“There’s nothing to say. The only reason you have me back at this house is because of the contract. You came out of obligation to get me off campus now that I’m no longer a student.”

He sighs and it hurts to know I was right. Chris didn’t come to save me. He came to lord his power over me. “Get out of the vehicle, buttercup.”

“No thanks. I’ll sleep out here.” I inform him as he gets out on his side. He has the keys so I can’t lock myself in, but if I’m holding my body around the seatbelt, he can’t exactly extract me from the seat.

I can feel him staring at me through the window, and I smile. For the moment, I’ve won. Not like that means a damn thing though. He takes my bag from the backseat and slams the door. The door to the house opens. Closes. Chris comes back out, opens the door and with a knife he cuts the seatbelt off me.

“If I have to carry your ass inside, it won’t end well for you.” He growls in my ear as he throws the destroyed seatbelt onto the garage floor.

“Like any of this ends well for me.” I smart off and stare daggers at him. I’m angry that he thinks he’s the one in the right here.

“Well, there you are. You finally decided to talk.” He smirks at me and I roll my eyes as I step out of my seat.

“There, I’m out of your precious car.” I walk into the house and immediately go to the guest bedroom.

“Where the fuck do you think you are going?” His grip on my shoulder halts me from moving, and I huff.

“To the guest bedroom.”

“Oh, little one.” He laughs and wraps his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. He feels so good. I wish things were different, and we were back to a few hours ago. At least then I could pretend he loved me.

“Don’t oh, little one, me. I’m nothing to you. You simply brought me here to save face, I’m sure.” His hands run up and down my upper arms and I want is to sink into him, but it would be foolish of me.

“I need to fix your arm since you were so drastically acting out.”

Yanking myself from him, I turn around to see him looking at me. “Acting out.” I can barely breathe at the audacity of this man.

“Clearly, Jasmine. You decide to do the most drastic thing in the world and not think about the consequences. Of course, you are acting out. Naive…”

I slap him. My palm stings as it makes contact. “I’m not naive. Far from it.” The anger in me is bubbling. Setting my panda on the kitchen counter, I stand there, trying to catch my breath. “You are… are… the most…” Words fail me as he stands there, calm and collected.

“What, buttercup? I’m the most, what?”

He steps closer to me and I back up. My back ends up against the counter and the feeling of being trapped overwhelms. “No. You stay over there. Stop trying to intimidate me. You used me.”

Chris pushes a piece of hair out of my face and forces my face upward to stare at him. “There’s no denying that. I did all those things.”

“You told me to get out of your house. You didn’t want my filth around you. Well, why did you bring me back?”

Building a wall around my heart isn’t easy when he’s my everything. But, the next words out of his mouth could crush me. Hell, all he has to do is push me away again, and I’d crumble.

Kissing my forehead, he releases me. “Follow me,” he says softly, and I grab my panda. It’s my comfort right now.

Instead of arguing, I follow him into his office. The one I found the notes from Lillian in. Ugh, to think about her right now just makes things worse. I know she’s an old friend and jealousy wouldn’t have been a factor but it is now.

He opens a safe and produces a stack of papers. I already know it’s the contract. Of course, it’s the stupid contract. My lower lip trembles as he turns the pages one at a time and stares at me.

The words I’m dreading leave his lips. “I, Jasmine Clarke, the slave, declare that my life choices are the sole responsibility of Christopher Groveton, the master, has full rights to strip me of all decisions and will defer to him for all of life’s needs.”

Chris looks at me and sighs. “I, Jasmine Clarke, the slave, declare that in the event that I wish to end our contract, I’m not allowed to do so without the expressed consent of Christopher Groveton, the master. In the event that Christopher Groveton wishes to end the contract, he will give written notice to you within twenty-four hours that you are to leave the premises.”

“You can stop,” I whisper. “I told you, I read the contract. I understand what you did. You changed the wording and…”

He talks over me. “I, Jasmine Clarke, the slave, declare these are my duties as a twenty-four seven slave, and I will do everything and anything that Christopher Groveton, the master, demands.”

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