I stroll across the grass, keeping my head down. The ground is a little cool and damp tonight, making me miss my cloth shoes with the hole. The back door to the house is less than a hundred metres away. I’m less than a hundred metres away from taking this dress off and climbing into my own bed, unscathed.
I glance up from the ground, and directly ahead, I see Vince leaning against the dark bricks of the mansion. He’s watching me. Even from this distance I can tell. My fingers clench involuntarily around the glass, but I keep moving forward. Get it to the kitchen. Go to bed. I nod my head. Right.
As I draw nearer, Vince’s stare becomes almost physical. I can feel his dark irises sticking to me like hot tar. It doesn’t send shivers down my spine… it sends painful spasms along the ridge of my back. There’s nothing I can do but keep my head down and hope he doesn’t pull me up.
“Heading off?” he shouts to me when I get within distance.
“I’m returning Master Kade’s glass,” I tell him, angling my body to the left to enter in through the door. Seven more steps and you’re inside. I square my shoulders and take another two steps. Before I make the third, Vince shoots in front of me and I jump, dropping the glass. It falls to the ground with a heavy thud, spilling its contents all over my feet.
I bend at the knees, lowering myself to get the glass. As my fingers touch the cool material, I glance up at Vince, who’s beaming down at me with a look so dark and sadistic, it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on its ends.
“You know, I prefer you even more from this angle.”
Master Kade’s voice echoes through my mind, “imagine hardcore throat fucking.”
I shoot to my feet, brushing hair out of my face. “If you’ll excuse me,” I say politely and swallowing hard. “I have specific instructions.”
Vince shrugs and stuffs his hands into the pockets of his black slacks. “Forget them. I have new ones for you.”
“I can’t—”
He snaps forward, slapping the glass out of my hand. It falls to the ground once again.
“Pick it up.”
I crouch low and retrieve the glass. When I stand, he smacks the glass from my hand again. Tears burn my eyes, but I don’t dare let them fall. I lower myself once again and grab the glass before straightening my posture.
“Do you see where I’m going with this?”
I nod. It doesn’t matter to Vince that Kade is the only one with authority to demand things from me.
“You will do whatever the hell I tell you to, got it?”
I nod again, blinking quickly. “Yes, Master Vince.”
His thin lips curl into a wry smile. “Tell me, Unfortunate, has my brother had the chance to play with you yet?”
I shake my head. Vince steps forward and pinches a thick lock of hair that drapes over my chest. He draws it to his mouth and runs it underneath his nose, smelling it.
“I bet that upsets you?”
I want to tell him that it doesn’t or shake my head again, but I know better than to provoke any Fortunate. They’re like wild dogs, provoked by fear, so, despite my real thoughts and feelings, I nod my head.
“Kade likes to act all high and mighty, but I know he’s a predator like the rest of us—maybe even worse. He can’t deny himself a pretty object—just like me. It’s his birthday, Unfortunate.” Vince glides the very tip of his index finger up my forearm. “Go surprise him.”
My stomach churns, tying itself into phantom knots. “I’m not sure I understand…”
“I want you to go upstairs, take that pretty little dress off, and wait for him on his bed. When he comes up, I want you to seduce him, to get him to fuck you. Then we’ll see how precious you are to him.”
My throat constricts and I begin to shake my head. “I have strict orders from Master Kade and they are to take his glass to the kitchen and go to bed.”
He raises an eyebrow. “But he didn’t specify which bed.”
“Well, no, but—”
He snaps forward. He’s so close I can feel the heat of his breath directly on my face and our noses barely graze.
“You will do as you’re fucking told, and if you so much as disobey me, or tell him that I sent you to do it, I’ll be the one to take your innocence, got it?”
“I can’t—”
He reaches around and grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks it back. I yelp and cover his hand with mine. I try to pry his fingers away, but his grip is too tight and my scalp burns. My eyes grow misty and I sob.
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes, Master Vince.”
He lets my hair go and I almost slump into myself. Vince snatches the glass from my hands and gestures to the door.