nod. “Mmm hmm.”
He gives me a tight smile. “That brings us to rule number three.” He keeps rubbing my feet and holds my gaze. “Who do you belong to, Elle?”
I feel my eyes widen and my heart skips a beat. I know the answer, but it’s caught in my throat. I swallow the lump in my throat and answer him with a whisper. “You.”
“That’s right. And you’re going to listen to what I say, aren’t you, sweetheart? You’re going to do as you’re told.”
My pussy clenches at his words. He obviously doesn’t realize how fucking hot that makes me. I’m fucked up in the head for wanting him like that in this very moment, but I do. I nod my head to try to keep the lust from coming through my voice.
“Answer me, sweetheart.” There’s an admonishment in his tone and he stops rubbing my feet.
“Yes. I’ll do as I’m told.” My voice comes out breathy and a smirk kicks up his lips. He drops my feet to the floor and moves closer to me, but a hard knock at the door interrupts us.
He stands up, then bends at the waist to cup my jaw and plant a kiss on my lips. It’s forceful and full of need. “Stay here, sweetheart.”
My heart races in my chest. I’ve agreed to be his, and I fucking love that idea. But I have no idea if it’ll be enough to save me.
I hear Vince open the door and I grip the mug with both of my hands. Surely anyone in my position would say they’d listen. They’d do whatever they could to stay alive. I just hope he believes me. Because it’s true. I’ll listen to him. I want to listen to him. Some sick part of me wants to be his.
Heavy footsteps bring my eyes up past the kitchen to the foyer. His father has an arm braced around Vince’s shoulders and he’s talking in his ear. I don’t like it. It makes me feel uneasy, like he’s trying to convince Vince to get rid of me.
Vince must feel my eyes on him, because he looks over in my direction and stares back at me. He smiles at me and turns to his father. His warm expression relaxes me some. My shoulders feel heavy with weight of the heating pad so I pull it off and stand on shaky legs.
“No need to stand for me, Elle.” Vince’s father gives me a tight smile. His hair is peppered with grey and his eyes are a light blue. The laugh lines on his face make his age apparent, but his body is still muscular. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s lethal.
I swallow thickly and try to smile up at him, but I can’t. My mind keeps racing with the memory of yesterday. My hands grip the back of the chair.
“Sweetheart, go grab yourself another cup of coffee.” Vince places his hand on the small of my back. My eyes are focused on the table as I try to will my fingers to just let go. I nod and as soon as I release the chair, I grab my cup and walk quickly to the kitchen. I stand with my back to them trying to listen to their whispers. I can’t make out what they are saying.
Tears come to my eyes and my heart races. This is stupid, so fucking stupid. He isn’t going to keep me. They’re going to kill me. I walk to the sink and dump the lukewarm remains of my coffee down the drain. My hands grip the front of the sink, and it feels like my legs are going to collapse. I close my eyes and try to steady my breathing. My back is still to them.
If they’re going to kill me, I wish they’d do it like this. During some mundane activity like washing the dishes or something. That’d be an okay way to go, I guess, if I didn’t see it coming. I squeeze my eyes shut and then jump and scream at the feel of hands on my waist.
“Sweetheart.” There’s a note of warning in Vince’s tone. “Whatever’s going on in your head, knock it off.”
I force my eyes open, but I can’t turn to face him. “If you’re going to kill me, please do it when I don’t see it coming.”
“Elle, stop it.” Vince pulls my body close to his so that my back is right up against his chest. He kisses my neck.