The huge men were getting closer, and I leapt to my feet in growing panic. Looking up at my sudden movement, Clarice wagged a lecturing finger at me. "Ah-ah, Rachel, remember, the contract is harshly punitive should you try to evade delivery of the goods. We don't want to go there, do we? I know you really need this money for your family, after all." The blood drained from my face, leaving me cold and clammy. This evil woman clearly knew far too much about me!
Her goons hadn't stopped moving during this speech and I was nearly within their arms-reach, trapped against the table. Panting with fear and desperate, I knelt by Miles' chair. He turned to me slowly, face still disturbingly blank. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Clarice raise a hand, and the two men stopped in their tracks. "Miles, please, help me! Don't let her do this!"
Not meeting my eyes, he spoke, his voice dull. "And you accuse me of playing sick games. What do you want, Clarice?"
"Why, Miles, I'm so glad you asked." Clarice beamed at us, and I itched to slap her. I clenched my fists in my lap as her sweet voice drawled on. "I just need you to vote my way at the board meeting next Wednesday, is all. Just agree to vote with me, and I'll lend Rachel to you again."
Miles jerked back, a bit of color returning to his face. "You bitch! You know I'd never... that fucking merger is obscene, Clarice. It's against everything I ever worked for. It's against everything this company stands for!"
Clarice rolled her eyes, unimpressed. "What the company stood for, perhaps. But times have changed." Miles hesitated, and she pressed on, her voice cuttingly sharp. "You are no longer in control here, Miles! I am. You can't stop me; you can barely even slow me down. All you can do is get your new toy hurt. Is your pride worth her suffering?" She twitched a finger, and the grinning men stepped in closer, looming over me as I knelt on the floor.
I could see the intense conflict playing across Miles' face. The upcoming vote must be about something deeply important to him. And really, why shouldn't he value the company he built from nothing over the well-being of a girl he had met less than a day before? How could I ask him to make this sacrifice to save me from the contract I'd voluntarily signed? I was fucked anyway, quite literally. I couldn't let him do it. No, I had to stop this nightmare myself, whatever it took.
I took a deep breath and stood up straight, squaring my shoulders. "I'll do it." My voice was barely a whisper, unheard. Nobody was even looking at me. I was a trophy being fought over, not a person, and the realization pissed me off. Anger gave me strength and I tried again, forcing the words past my reluctant tongue. "I said, I'll do it!" Everyone stared at me, startled at my shout. I swallowed hard, one hand clutching the back of my chair as my knees shook.
Clarice opened her mouth, but I talked over her. "I signed the fucking paper, not him. This doesn't involve Miles. I'll fulfill the god-damned contract."
Miles turned to me, his expression unreadable. I couldn't meet his eyes. God only knew what would happen next, but I was certain that I wouldn't be going home with him again. The feel of his hard body against mine flashed through my mind, the way he angered and aroused me, like no one else ever had. Selfishly, I wanted to spend more time with the infuriating, fascinating, complicated man I so recently come to know. That was an impossible fantasy, though, and I had to face reality. I looked away, biting my lip.
Clarice had closed her mouth, her eyes calculating. I met her gaze, unflinching, and she nodded with grudging respect. "Very well, Rachel. Let's finish this."
I swayed on my feet, blinking hard and fighting down the revulsion and terror swirling inside me. Then a huge hand closed around my upper arm, painfully tight. The bigger of the two men, Harry, dragged me forward, knocking aside chairs and heading for the open space on the far side of the room. I guess he didn't want to do it on the table, after all. I kept my head down, panting and trying not to stumble, my mind strangely blank and numb.
I heard a clatter behind me, and then Clarice's hated voice. "Stay, Miles. I think you should be here as a witness. We wouldn't want any misunderstandings that would keep Rachel from getting her hard-earned money, would we?" It was a clear threat, and Miles snarled a reply. I couldn't make out the words through my growing horror. Miles was going to have to watch these brutal men fuck me, and that somehow made this horrible situation a hundred times worse.
The huge brute released me in the center of the clear space. He rumbled a command. "Take off yer dress." His friend snickered, and I flushed. With trembling fingers, I reached for the hemline of my dress, and slowly dragged it up over my head. The crude men made appreciative lip-smacking noises as my panties and bra were exposed. I couldn't help the hot blush staining my cheeks.