“Hey, if you want, she can suck you off.” Ashmore brightened as if he’d just come up with the most brilliant idea. “Yeah,” he said, nodding enthusiastically, “you should let her. She’ll swallow every drop. Or you can come on her tits if you want. Not on her face, though.”
I stood, somehow managing to move slowly even though the anger in my throat now pounded at my temple, testing my control. The woman looked at me then, her eyes widening ever so slightly when she did, though her body stayed rigid. She was afraid. Of Ashmore, of me probably, and that had the corners of my vision going white with rage.
“Of course,” he continued, voice turning coy, “I’d have to watch. Make sure you don’t try to take things too far.”
As if he could stop me if I wanted to. As if I had to take things from women when they were freely offered. As if I were a victimizing piece of garbage like him.
I stared at him, not moving, though the urge to knock all of the teeth out of his mouth boiled inside me. I couldn’t place the source of my rage, had seen women treated worse. But something about her roused my sympathy. Or maybe it wasn’t her. Maybe it was the fact that Ashmore had control over anyone, let alone someone who was powerless against him. Someone who couldn’t fight back, who didn’t have the ability to end him without thought or consequence, something the rage that had my vision clouded almost compelled me to do.
I had no illusions about who I was, where I stood, which was why men like him bothered me so. He was scum. I’d known him for less than twenty minutes and I knew that. He was lower than dirt, and he had no idea. Thought that his ties elevated him. Thought that whatever power he had over defenseless women like her made him something.
In that instant, I decided I was going to disabuse him of that notion, end his life if it came to that.
“Wait a second. I’m treating you like some banger off the corner. But I know you’re an important man, a powerful one, and I’d like us to be friends.”
The rage that sparked at that suggestion had me taking a step toward him. She flinched, the movement slight but enough that I noticed. Ashmore did not, and instead he stared at me, his eyes gleaming conspiratorially. “I’ve never offered this, but if you want, you can fuck her.”
The woman reacted even more strongly then, inhaling sharply, but just as quickly going placid. It seemed Ashmore still didn’t notice, for he watched me, his eyes gleaming even brighter. I exhaled, a sense of purpose beating back the rage, pulled myself to my full height, and then walked to where they stood, towering over him and the woman both. A glance at her showed that she watched me, but I turned my attention to him and stared down at him until he blinked.
“I keep her,” I said after a long moment.
Ashmore blinked as if confused, looking worried, slightly panicked, mouth opening and closing, but then he smiled and his face brightened as if a light was coming on inside him.
“Yeah, yeah,” he said, voice high-pitched. “You can stay the night. She’ll entertain you, won’t you, bitch?”
As if I would lay my head in his home.
When I stayed silent, the panic on his face spiked, worry filling his eyes, but still he forged on. “Show him to our guest quarters.” Then he lowered his voice, the threat hanging clear. “And don’t give him any trouble.”
The woman didn’t move, and instead stared at me, eyes so wide that even through her false lashes, I could see that her brown orbs were marked with terror, and unbidden, the desire to comfort her, to see that terror fade sparked in my chest.
“Now!” Ashmore yelled.
The woman jumped and then went to move, but I caught her and wrapped my hand around her wrist, the bones feeling delicate in my grip even through her padded flesh. I looked back at Ashmore.
“No. I keep her. For good.”
Two
Fawn
* * *
I followed the man, or more accurately, was pulled behind him, fear of toppling off my shoes making me keep pace. He opened the opulent doors of David’s home, and the cool breeze against my mostly bare skin made me shiver even harder than the fear that snaked down my spine.
My gaze was centered on the broad expanse of his back, the tight T-shirt that pulled across his shoulders leaving no question of the powerful physique underneath. I kept my eyes there, the unreality of the situation making it impossible for me to look elsewhere, not even as I heard David behind us screaming at the man to stop.
An instant later, I felt the familiar wetness of David’s palm around my wrist, and then heard the snap of one of my heels after it got caught between two of the stones that lined the driveway.