Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,22

own.

The finest education.

A new car before leaving for college.

Holidays had been joyful, especially Christmas.

What if the money he’d used had been stolen?

Maybe my father’s ability to hide behind a mask could no longer be ignored.

I’d lost my mother before I was old enough to remember and there was no other family. I felt like I didn’t know who I was any longer.

I stood at the single window of my new bedroom peering out at the world below. I’d been poked, prodded, every cavity searched, the final humiliation the horrible shapeless dress I’d been forced to wear. I could still envision the way they’d stretched my legs far apart, my feet strapped down to the steel poles to ensure I’d have no chance of escape.

The moment the speculum had been inserted, I’d floated away to another realm, a place of beauty and tranquility. However, the embarrassment of the rectal exam had been the most humiliating. The cold steel slipping past the tight ring, stretching my muscles was something I would never forget.

And he’d been watching.

The monster who’d purchased me.

I stood barefoot, shivering even though the room was warm. The doctors had taken away my clothes, disposing of them in a plastic bag, as if I didn’t deserve to wear anything but a feed sack.

While the room itself was lovely, the view of the pool and the range of mountains stunning, the majority of pieces of furniture had been removed. What remained were a twin-size bed, a nightstand, and a single lamp. The glistening underwater lights in the pool held my attention, even though I had the distinct feeling that I would never be allowed to use any of the extraordinary amenities.

Then I’d been left alone.

I’d been kept in silence for two days, a woman bringing food and water, retrieving what little I’d been able to eat later. I’d been purposely left in silence because of my insolence, another method of punishment.

While I’d spent the first day frightened, hiding under the thin covers on the bed, my resolve had grown, my anger off the charts. I’d been forced to accept my father had sold me off, as if I’d mattered very little to him. That was my new reality. My life had been a lie. Then there was Bobby Rivers and the scuttlebutt around him, whispers that he was a horrible man and I should stay far away from him. I’d chosen not to believe them. Maybe I’d wanted something special for myself, even if the relationship had been completely platonic.

Whatever portion I was missing from the night of the stabbing was important. My gut told me that. Maybe I should point this out to Mr. Masters, although I doubted that he would give a shit. He’d already made up his mind how to use me.

I walked toward the mirror positioned in the middle of the wall, my legs quivering. Was he standing behind the obvious second two-way mirror watching me? Was he laughing at the deal I’d been coerced into signing, the foolish girl who’d been railroaded because of fear? Was he hoping I’d give him a little show, dancing for him like the slut he no doubt wanted me to be?

“Fuck you,” I said, praying he heard the two ugly words.

Only that could bring another round of harsh punishment.

The asshole wanted me to call him ‘sir.’ He was insane. Respect was earned and he would never garner that from me. Never.

Ever.

Turning away, I fought the ugly emotions threatening to drag me into darkness. He wasn’t going to best me in any manner. None.

What disturbed me more than the austere surroundings was the copy of the signed contract that had finally been offered, brought in with lunch as if it was no big deal. In addition, a portion of my father’s will had been attached, something I’d yet to see. I’d even asked Stephen if he knew if my father had left one but I’d never received an answer other than he would check. The asshole had lied to me.

I had yet to bring myself to reading either one of them for fear of learning the ugly details.

I’d never been a stupid girl and the fact I’d been coerced into signing the contract was disturbing on several levels.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Maybe so.

I palmed the glass, my fingertips overlapping the windowpanes, the mantra swimming through my mind like a broken record. This had to be nothing more than a nightmare I’d wake up from.

I had no idea how long I’d