Page 40 of Dirty Dillon

“I don’t belong to my father, either. I’m not a possession. Blake, let me go. You’re a lawyer, you have to know how much trouble you could be in.”

“Only if I get caught. Which I don’t intend to do.” He grabs a handful of my hair. “I don’t like uppity women who don’t know their place.”

“Then why do you want me? I’m as uppity as they come.”

He crouches down. “I can break you of that.”

Cold fear washes over me as I realize the full extent of his plan. I’m going to be his prisoner, and he’s going to do whatever it takes to make sure I’m obedient and submissive.

“Please, Blake. Don’t do this. Let me go.”

He shakes his head and stands. “You belong to me now, Cressida. Get used to it.”

I swallow hard, my throat dry with fear. I have no idea how I’m going to get out of this.

“My father believes you are going to take care of me.”

Blake laughs, but it’s not exactly filled with joy. “Your father doesn’t care about you. You’re a liability to him. He was happy to make the trade for my silence.”

The truth of his words cuts through my heart. My father sold me to this man to protect himself. He really doesn’t care about me at all.

“Now, I suggest you get used to being my possession, Cressida. I’m not going to let you go.”

“Why did my father...what are you hiding for him?”

“Your dear daddy has been sabotaging Tempest behind everyone’s back,” he reveals with a wicked grin. “He’s been doing everything he can to make sure that town crumbles into oblivion, all for his own personal gain.”

“I don’t understand.”

Blake sighs like I am trying his patience. “I’m not your father’s attorney. I represent the Billacombe Corporation. They sent me here to get him back on track. They want Tempest for the river access and mining rights. They also want it cheap. Unfortunately, while your father has been driving down the land value, he’s also been working with the Farugi family on a side project.”

If this is supposed to make sense, it doesn’t. I shake my head. “I don’t know who the Farugi family is.”

“Well, they are not a family you want to be in debt to. Not if you like living. Your father is stuck in the middle of two very powerful entities, and now he’s unable to fulfill his promises to either. Much like he screwed up his promise to me.”

My heart sinks as the weight of this knowledge settles over me.

“Your father is already a dead man. The Duke brothers sealed his fate when they bought up the properties he’d been saving for Billacombe. As property values continued to plummet, he stood to make a bigger bonus from Billacombe. Now, with Tempest businesses getting filled again, he can’t pay back the Farugis either. You’re lucky I got to you before they did.”

I shudder. I don’t know the name Farugi, but what he’s describing sounds like mafia or something. Are they after me too?

“You don’t have to worry about them,” Blake says, as if he can read my thoughts. “You’re mine now, Cressida. Your safety is my top priority.”

I don’t feel safe. “What are you going to do with me?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

Blake’s lips quirk up into a small smirk. “Oh, Cressida. You’re going to be my very own little pet. You’ll do what I say, when I say it.” He leans in closer, his fingertips brushing the side of my face. “You’re mine now. Finally.”

“Blake, you don’t have to do this,” I plead, desperate for any chance of escape.

Blake unties my hands and feet, leaving me momentarily disoriented as the blood rushes back into my limbs. “I don’t have to do this,” he repeats. “But I want to. I’m going to take care of you, Cressida. And you’re going to take care of me.”

He stands, pulling me up, his eyes filled with lust and cruelty. I know what he intends to do, and fear courses through me.

“Such a pretty little thing,” he murmurs, reaching out to touch me. “I’ve always admired you, Cressida. Now I finally get to claim you as my own.”

“Get away from me!” I shout, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. I don’t have much strength. Whatever he drugged me with is messing with me. The world goes topsy-turvy when I move my head too fast.

“Feisty, aren’t we?” Blake chuckles, clearly not dissuaded. “That just adds to the fun.” He grabs me suddenly, and I’m too weak to resist. “You’re mine now,” he repeats, his lips coming closer and closer.

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