Total pages in book: 171
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 162003 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 810(@200wpm)___ 648(@250wpm)___ 540(@300wpm)
I wanted to ask him about it, but that was one of the specific clauses of the agreement. There would be no discussion with Brayden about anything to do with his case or what I was doing. Not only Brayden but anyone else either. As if I hadn’t isolated myself enough already, this man was going to ensure I continued to do so.
I walked to the bathroom and glanced in the mirror, horrified at what I saw. He had marked me. Everywhere. Bite marks and bruises littered my body from front to back. I braced myself against the counter and took a deep breath. I couldn’t even recognize the girl staring back at me. My hair was a tangled mess, my pale skin flushed. My mascara was smeared beneath my eyes, and it reminded me of Norma-Jean. I hated that.
His cum still dripped down my thigh, and I couldn’t go to the doctor this way. Ignoring his instructions, I turned the shower on to a scalding hot setting and stepped inside.
The marks on my body couldn’t be washed away, but I hoped that my guilt and shame might. Would he know what I had done? I didn’t care. If he had to punish me, so be it. But I needed to feel clean. To feel like I hadn’t just sold my soul to the devil himself.
***
My cleansing took a lot longer than it should have. I was late to my appointment, but the doctor waited for me. An hour and one Depo shot later, I headed back to the apartment.
Nicole was waiting for me when I walked inside, and she looked sick with worry.
“Brighton?” her gaze swung to the red mark below my neck. She trembled and put a hand to her mouth. “Oh, God.”
“I’m okay,” I assured her. “I went to meet… an old friend. Things got a little crazy between us that’s all. It’s fine.”
My voice was flat and totally unconvincing. Nicole collapsed onto a stool as her head fell into her hands. “What have I done?”
“What are you talking about?” I took a seat beside her and rubbed her back. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
She looked at me with bleary eyes and shook her head. “I should have stayed home with you today,” she whispered.
“Nicole, I’m okay, I swear it.” I mustered up a smile for her benefit. “I… I wanted this. It’s like a game. But seriously, I am tired, though. So would you mind if I went to bed?”
“No.” She stood up and grabbed her keys. “You should get some rest. I have errands to run anyway.”
***
I woke to pitch black, and the foreboding sense that something was wrong. When I opened my eyes and saw nothing, it only served to confirm it. I moved my hand to my face in panic when a voice across the room froze me.
“Leave it on,” he said.
Every instinct inside of me told me not to. That I was being stupid earlier when I said I didn’t want to see. Because now, I definitely needed to. To know who this man was. The man that was clearly stalking me.
“I changed my mind.” I reached for the cloth over my eyes.
Before I could remove it, a hand wrapped around my wrist and pulled my arm back into my lap.
“Again,” he said. “Not your decision to make. I agree its better this way.”
“What are you doing in my apartment?” I asked. “My roommate will be home…”
“She’s out with a friend,” he replied.
“How do you know these things about my life?” I croaked.
He pulled me against his chest, smoothing his palm up and down my back as held me close. It was a gesture of comfort, one I really didn’t understand.
“I wanted to check on you,” he said. “To make sure you were alright.”
This time it was regret in his voice, and I wanted to laugh and tell him how ridiculous that was. To pretend he cared about my welfare at all.
“I’m fine.” I pulled away from him, curling my knees into my chest. “So just do what you came here to do.”
He sighed. “That is all I came here to do, Brighton. I was rough with you today. And although I liked the things I did with you very much, I want you to know I would never take things further than that. I’d never really… hurt you.”
Something about the way he said those words, so wracked with emotion, made me believe him. But it changed nothing between us, and I wasn’t dumb enough to think it did. This man was a monster, and I needed to remember that. To remember the reason he was here, in my bedroom, and the pain he had caused my family.
“With that being said,” he continued, the weight of the bed releasing as he stood. “I gave you an order, and you disobeyed me. I will have to punish you for it. There is no leniency in this agreement, and you need to understand that. But I will allow you some time to recover. We’ll meet again on Thursday.”