"Lily Anna," I whisper, and she tries to pull her hand away at the sound of my voice, but I don't let her.
I keep her caged under my hand. Her own is shaking now, trembling lightly beneath my touch.
"Look at me," I say, and her eyes flutter to mine, then away again, like a butterfly trying to decide which flower to land on. "Please, Lily Anna."
She shuts her eyes tightly, as if she's trying to force me out of her thoughts, away from her. It doesn't work though, because I'm not going anywhere.
"Who gave you those bruises?" I ask, and she shakes her head wordlessly. "Please tell me. I want to help you."
She doesn't.
Instead, she scoots closer, and suddenly, her lips are pressed against mine and she's kissing me.
Her lips are the softest thing I've ever felt, the skin on her hand cold as ice. I'm terrified, my heart pounding in my chest as she deepens the no-longer innocent kiss, greedily demanding more from my mouth. I try to give her what she so desperately needs. Her body shivers against mine as I pull her on my lap. The silk is soft, cold against my skin, and I want her to give me so much more than she's offering.
Her teeth dig into my bottom lip and I groan, my hands going to her hips and trying to pull her off. She's not letting go, though. She clings to me like I'm her lifeline. I feel blood trickling down my chin as she bites down, but I let her. I allow her to give me the pain she must feel deep down, and she doesn't pull down until moments later, her lips smeared with my blood.
"You're crazy," I mutter.
"Maybe."
She grins, wiping her lips with her hand. It's bloody when she stops, traces of what she did to me staining the porcelain skin into a dark red.
"You need to tell me who gave you those bruises," I demand. "I'm going to kill them."
"You're not serious," she laughs easily. "And you're just a kid, like me. What the hell are you going to do?"
"Nothing right now," I reply. "But I don't forget the bad things people do, and I'm going to punish whoever did this to you. Even if it isn't right now... it's going to happen."
She remains stubbornly quiet, but she does lock her eyes with mine, staring me down with a wicked little grin playing on her lips.
"You like me, don't you, Dexter?" she asks, and I find myself nodding before she's even finished the sentence. "Good, that's good. I like you too. You know what that means?"
"What?" I whisper.
"You're mine," she grins. "All mine. Forever."
"Forever," I repeat, enchanted by the girl. "Forever and a day."
She sticks her palm out, grabbing a letter opener from the coffee table in front of us.
"Lily Anna, no!" I demand, but it's too late.
She's already dug the knife into her skin, drawing blood. She makes me hold out my hand next and does the same to me. I wince at the pain and watch our blood mix on our hands as she gives me a firm handshake.
"Now we're bound together," she says, sounding pleased with herself. "And you can never run away from me, Dexter Booth..."
Chapter Two
Pandora
Present time
"...pop it."
He pushes through me and I howl at the sudden pain between my legs.
"Look at that, toy." Dex speaks in a low, throaty voice that calms me, like applying salve to an open wound. "Look at you taking me, you're such a good girl, just like I knew you would be."
"I can't believe you did that. Dexter, how could you?"
There's no point in holding back now. I'm crying openly, sobbing for the remains of my innocence. He's taken everything from me now. I'm officially ruined.
"I'm sorry, toy," he mutters, slowly starting to move his hips and pushing deeper inside me while I gasp. "I just had to do it. One day you'll understand."
My cries turn into gasps of pleasure. It's incredible how fast my body is adjusting to his insistent pushing inside me, adapting to his painful length and impressive girth. My pussy accepts him, sucks him in deeper, and I realize I want so much more while the shame of it all burns my cheeks.
"Keep going," I beg my fiancé in a desperate, shame-filled voice. "Please don't stop, Dexter. Please keep going. Please, I need more."
He smirks above me. With a start, I came to a horrible realization. He hasn't even kissed me yet. He hasn't kissed me once, and he's already stolen my virginity.
"Dexter, will you kiss me?" I whisper.
"What?"
He looks down at me, stopping the movement of his hips driving his cock deeper inside me. He looks so lost as his eyes meet mine. Like a boy, not the man he's proved himself to be.
"You haven't kissed me yet," I go on. "I just wanted one kiss... I want to feel your lips on mine."
I watch a silent battle raging inside his head. A part of him wants this, but he's resisting it as hard as he fucking can. I want to beg him to reconsider, but I'm tongue-tied, still in too much pain to get the words out.
Then, slowly, he lowers his lips against mine. He doesn't make contact just yet, instead blowing a cool puff of air against my mouth and making me arch my body against his as best as I can in my restricted position.
"You want it?" he whispers, and I nod my head, eager for his cruel touch.
He moves his lips just out of my reach, making me huff in frustration, then presses them against mine unexpectedly. I exhale against his mouth and he swallows my protest, kissing me deeply and demanding I give him my full attention.
It is then that I realize I am a toy indeed. Not because I want to be, but because my fiancé has made me into one. He's cruel, unforgiving and mean, and I crave all of it.
"Dex," I whisper against his lips. "Please... give me more."
He kisses me viciously, with a need that's unparalleled in this world. I find myself responding to his caresses, my mouth reaching up for more of him. I'm eager. Desperate. Needy. I want so much more than what he's willing to give. And he keeps me wanting it, right at the edge of madness.
Dex's tongue swirls in mine in cruel patterns that tie my stomach into knots. He grabs my face, holding me in place as he takes more and more from my lips, his hips starting to pump into me again. I mewl in pain, but he pays it no mind, driving his cock into my tender hole again and again until I'm a mess of whispered pleases and noes.
"You've had enough," he finally mutters against my lips, pulling away despite my muttered protests.
He's surprisingly gentle when he takes his cock out of me, and we both look down at the spot between my legs where blood marks his entry.
"Goddamn," he murmurs. "You did so well for me, little toy. I wish I could come in that tight little hole right now. And you know what... I just might-"
There's a noise underneath, then sounds of angry shouting coming up the stairs. Dex and I exchange glances. We have company.
In moments, Dexter unties the belts holding my wrists in place and I groan with relief. Finally free. I pick myself up, sitting up on the chair. I'm a fucking mess.
"Dexter fucking Booth!"
The voice is booming, loud and sends shivers down my spine. Dexter gets off me and reveals a sight that makes my skin erupt in goosebumps. My father is standing in the doorway, an expression of pure madness on his face as he takes in the situation before him.
"What the fuck have you done?" he snarls. "What have you done to my daughter, you sick fuck?"
He grabs Dexter by his shirt, but my fiancee is too strong for the older man. Before my father can slam him against the wall, Dex regains the upper hand, shrugging free of his grip and advancing against him with a growl.
"I took what's mine," he spits at my father. "I've waited long enough. You think I'm some fucking puppy you can keep on a leash away from her?"
"What did you fucking do?" my father demands again, his eyes crazed with anger. "Is she a virgin, you goddamn bastard? Did you touch her?"
Dexter laughs, shaking his head.
"Oh, I did so much more than just touch her. I fucked her, Mr. Oakes. I fucked you
r precious little daughter for the very first time."
"You son of a bitch!" My father's face is so red I'm afraid he might pass out and I'm just watching all this play out helplessly. "You ruined her! She's as good as worthless now, you piece of shit!"
Dexter laughs in his face, and my father gathers all his strength to push the boy away, advancing on me. I cower in the office chair, rubbing my wrists where the belts were placed to restrain me.
"Come on," father spits out at me. "We're fucking leaving."
I manage to pick myself up, hating the fact that I'm completely naked and my father can see every inch of exposed skin. I'm ashamed, embarrassed. The horrible realization of what's happened is finally sinking in and I feel hot tears running down my cheeks, reminding me that this isn't over just yet. My father knows now, so there's no hope of keeping this a secret. And there will be hell to pay for what Dexter has done to me tonight.
Dexter watches us impassively, without saying a single word. I'm ashamed by the need to call out to him, to beg him not to let me go. And before I can stop myself, the words tumble from my mouth, desperate for him to stay. To tell my father he's keeping me.
"Dexter, don't let him take me away," I beg, my voice hoarse and raspy. "Please don't let him! Tell him you're not allowing this to happen, please."
He just stares at me intently without saying a word, and a new pit opens in my stomach, old wounds coming to life as I realize fucking me has changed nothing for him. He still sees me as a toy and nothing else. Except now, I've already given him what he wanted from the beginning. He has no use for me anymore.
"Goodbye, Pandora," Dexter mutters as my father drags me out of the room.
Hot tears of shame and regret spill down my cheeks, and I hate myself for getting so emotional for a boy who obviously couldn't care less about me. I'm still naked as father drags me through the house. Father doesn't give a damn. When I resist, he makes a fist in my tangled hair and keeps dragging me out of there, not giving a shit what I want.
There's a limo waiting outside, with Kelley standing in front of it. His eyes widen when he takes me in, and I burn up with more shame as he rushes to open the door of the car, and my father stashes me inside. The leather is sticky and cold under my bare skin.
My father is about to slam the door when Dexter appears in front of the house, his cold eyes fixated on mine.
"Wait," he calls out. "You forgot something."
My heart pounds in expectation as he approaches my father. The two men face off. I'm half-expecting one of them to strike the other, but it doesn't happen. Instead, Dex places a tiny scrap of fabric in my father's hand.
"Her panties," he smirks. "They might be a little sticky now. Sorry about that."
I really think my father is about to blow a coronary. My own heart is in tatters at my feet and I'm fucking terrified of what's about to happen next. Father crumples up the piece of fabric in his hand and approaches Dex, slamming his finger into my fiancé’s chest.
"You will not tell anyone about this," he snarls at my husband-to-be. "No one can know what you've done here tonight. It's a secret. If I find out you've told anyone she's not a virgin anymore, you're as good as dead, Booth. You got that?"
Dexter smirks in response without replying. He's got the upper hand now, and we all know it.
My father walks away from him, getting in the car beside me. Kelley closes the car door. Now it's just me and father in the back of the car, and I'm still shivering, naked.
He regards me with a cool gaze and almost looks like he's about to offer me his jacket, but he changes his mind at the last minute.
"I cannot believe you let that boy do that to you," he mutters. "You're a slut, daughter. Nothing but a whore. You know you've fucked up your life now, don't you?"
"I didn't have a choice," I get out through gritted teeth. "He took that away from me."
"Sure," father laughs in my face. "I don't buy it. You're like a bitch in heat, for God's sake."
I burn up with shame as the quiet, tense ride back home begins. Only after several excruciatingly long minutes does my father speak up again.
"You know you've fucked away your Firstborn rights, don't you?"
I press my lips together tightly. Fuck. He's right. Now that I'm no longer a virgin, I won't have the same rights as the rest of them. I've just lost my upper hand. I've just lost... everything.
"Not if nobody finds out," I mutter.
"What, you don't think Booth's going to brag to his buddies about this?" my father shakes his head. "You're delusional if you believe he actually cares about you. The only reason he'll stay quiet is if we make him."
"He still needs to marry me," I mutter.
"We'll see if he still wants to," father groans. "You're ruined now. He can just as easily back out of the marriage."
Tears pool in my eyes and I fight the urge to ask for his empathy, kindness, anything to make me feel better. I know he doesn't have any to give.
"But he will still need an heir," my father ponders out loud. "So if we're lucky, he'll keep quiet about this until we figure out what to do."
The car pulls up in front of Oakes Estate, and he gets out of the limo with Kelley's help while I hesitate inside.
"Well?" he demands in a growl. "Are you coming, or do I have to drag your bratty ass back home?"
"But I'm... I'm naked," I manage. "Can't you give me something to cover up with?"
His jaw sets and he shakes his head.
"No. You got yourself in this damn mess, now suffer the consequences."
I get out of the car, the chill of the night air sending shivers down my spine as I regard my father with rage-filled eyes.
"Someday everything you've done will catch up to you," I tell him. "Someone will make you pay for all the bad shit you do."
"Sure," he laughs. "Everyone has a price, daughter. Even whoever would try to make me pay."
He marches me into the house.
The first one to see me is Tianna, who's standing in the hall arguing with my stepmother Bryony. She gasps, a hand flying over her mouth as she takes in the state I'm in.
I let out a sob as father marches me up the stairs. By now, Bryony's looking too, her cold eyes glaring at me as if somehow, this is all my fault.
He shoves me into my bedroom a moment later, and I stumble inside.
"Needless to say, the locks are going back on today," he tells me with a sneer. "Since you're not to be trusted."
"Please," I beg. "You can't let Dexter get away with this. He did this against my wishes. I never asked for him to... to..."
"To fuck you?" father asks coolly. "I should hope not, but you still let it happen, and that cannot go unpunished. Now think about what you've done. And do not tell anyone that you're no longer a..."
He gesticulates with his hand, his face contorted in disgust.
"Just don't talk to anyone about it," he finished coldly. "I'll fix this myself, since you're useless. And stay out of goddamn trouble!"
The door slams behind him, and sure enough, the lock clicks into place yet again.
Once more, I'm trapped.
Chapter Three
Dexter
My hands form fists at my sides in the car. I've done it. I've actually fucking done it. The first step of my revenge against Emilian Oakes has been completed. The plan has been set into motion. The vendetta is motherfucking on.
I smile to myself, but there's no denying the rapid beat of my heart in my chest. I'm thinking about her. Wondering what Oakes is going to do to my no-longer innocent toy now that she's let him down. I'm worried for her, even though I don't want to admit it. I know she's in big fucking trouble. But what's done is done - I can't change fucking her now. She'll just have to deal with the consequences.
Guilt cools my already frozen heart, a feeling long forgotten gripping me in its icy fingers. I shouldn't feel this way. I shouldn't give two fucks about Pandora, but I can't help it.
The driver pulls up in front of Booth Man
or, and I tip him before getting out of the car. As soon as I set foot on the paved driveway, I know something bad has happened.
Anders is standing in front of the Manor, clutching his hand to his chest.
"What's happened?" I question right away, coming up as the driver backs away from my property. "Are you hurt?"
"I'm sorry, Master Booth," Anders mutters, his voice shaky, his eyes never quite meeting mine. "I can't do this anymore. I really... I just can't."
"It's okay," I say gently, placing my hand on his shoulder. "I'm home now, everything's going to be alright. Don't worry. Come inside with me, tell me what's happened."
I lead him inside the building, noticing how much the old butler has changed over the years. He's no longer the spritely man he used to be. His steps are a little slower, his shoulders carrying more weight these days. He knows so many of my secrets. Not all of them, though.
He doesn't know about the feelings I've started getting for Pandora, and he can never find out. Nobody can. I'm not going soft for the new girl. I never will.
I sit Anders down on the eggplant-colored velvet sofa in the salon and pour him a glass of whiskey. He gulps at the amber liquid when I offer it to him, making me wonder just what went down while I was gone. My butler isn't one to drink, but he's accepted my offering gratefully - like he desperately needed it.
Fuck. This is going to be bad.
"Is it her?" I ask, motioning to the sealed-off room upstairs.
When Anders nods, my heart and my head start to hurt. I'm scared of what he's about to tell me. I'm scared she's getting out of control.
"She escaped," he admits, rubbing his weary eyes.
"Did you find her?"
My voice sounds alarmed to my own ears, but with good reason. I can't fucking afford to lose her. Not now, not ever.
"Yes," Anders mutters, and a huge weight falls off my shoulders.
A Hurt So Sweet: Complete Dark Bully Romance Series Box Set: Elite of Eden Falls Prep Page 18