by Penelope Sky
“New rules.”
I couldn’t believe I was negotiating with a woman I bought for a hundred million dollars. “What the fuck does that mean?”
“I want to be an equal in this house.”
My name was on the deed to the property, so she would never be equal.
“No bossing me around. I do what I want, and I have every right to refuse you.”
Why didn’t I just tell my parents I was out of town? I never should have let them come over here unless Muse was locked away behind soundproof walls. “Be careful, Muse.”
“Be careful?” she asked. “You’re the one who should be careful.”
“If you want free will, then just walk out,” I threatened. “Leave. I’ll tell everyone that I’ve let you go. I’m sure Knuckles will find that information most useful.” Perhaps I needed to remind her what I saved her from. She had me by the nuts, but I had her by the tits.
Her anger died away slightly. “You’re right. I don’t want to leave because I have nowhere to go. Outside these four walls and your protection, I’m absolutely nothing. I get it.” Her voice broke, and she swallowed. “But I want to be treated differently in here. I want rights and respect.”
If I didn’t respect her, she wouldn’t have any rights at all.
“First of all, you knock on my door. I decide whether I want to let you in or not.”
I didn’t like that one bit.
“I decide if we have sex or not.”
I actually growled. “You forget how much I paid to save your life.”
“And you forget I’m a human being and shouldn’t have been sold like cattle in the first place.”
“Not my problem,” I snapped. “You got yourself into that situation in the first place.”
“Whatever.” She held up her hand. “Thirdly, I do what I want when I want. If I want to work in the stables all day, I will. If I don’t want to eat with you, I won’t.”
“So you’re basically just some woman that I completely support and from whom I get nothing in return?” I asked incredulously. “Because if you’re completely useless to me, then I may as well just kick you out.”
“No, I won’t be useless to you. But you’re going to treat me like a human being from now on. Consider it a compromise. I work so I have a place to live. You treat me with respect so you keep your glowing reputation to your parents. That’s fair if you ask me.”
If I weren’t so close with my family, I would just tell them the truth so we could return to the previous arrangement. I liked doing what I wanted, bossing her around whenever I felt like it. It was one of the best perks of the entire situation. “You’re missing something.”
“What?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“My parents actually believe this bullshit relationship is real.”
“So?”
“So?” I snapped. “Now I have to keep up the charade. You think I want to do that?”
“You will if you want to keep your end of the deal.”
My palm twitched because I wanted to slap that beautiful face. “We’re messing with their feelings.”
“People have relationships all the time. People break up all the time.”
“But my parents think this is serious. I’ve never introduced them to a woman before, so they probably think I’m going to marry you or something stupid like that.”
“Not my problem,” she said coldly.
I never should have underestimated this woman. She managed to escape from Knuckles in the first place and get hired as one of my models. She was able to win me over, to convince me to buy her for a hundred million dollars. She was no average person.
Looked like I’d met my match.
3
Sapphire
I sat on my bed with an open book. My day had been spent in the stables, and my shoulders were sore in a way they’d never been before. I’d never truly had a hard day’s work in New York—not like I did here. My fingers started to callus and my muscles toned, but I enjoyed it.
But I still hadn’t ridden yet.
Marco said I wasn’t ready.
I was getting to know the horses, but the one I still hadn’t connected with was Carbine.
That horse was an asshole.
Footsteps sounded on the other side of my door in the hallway, and judging by their weight and speed, I knew it wasn’t Dante. Conway and I hadn’t spoken since his family left yesterday. I went to my room, and he went to his study.
I could admit my actions were a bit shady. I held his family as collateral because I knew he would rather die than let them know what was really going on between us. He made the mistake of telling me how close they were.
But it was the only leverage I had.
If I was going to spend a lifetime here, I didn’t want to be an obedient slave.
I wanted to be a partner. Maybe I wouldn’t be his girlfriend, but maybe I could be his friend. Maybe our sex would always be just sex, but at least it could be different now. At least everything could be different.
He walked in the door without knocking, still acting like he owned the damn place.
“Knock.” My eyes shifted to his gaze, seeing the burning rage exploding inside him.
He stayed on the threshold and didn’t move.
“Go back out and try it again.”
He clenched his jaw so tightly it seemed like his eyes might pop out of his head. “I’ll remember next time.”
“No. Do it now.”
He slammed the door shut behind him, solidifying his decision. “I’m not your bitch. Let’s get that straight.” He walked toward the bed, his thick arms rigid by his sides.
I shut my book and met his gaze, suddenly aware that we were alone together in my bedroom. Last time he fucked me, he gave it to me hard and good. There was no kissing or gentleness. And he didn’t let me come.
I still hadn’t forgiven him for it.
He stood right next to me, his piercing eyes billowing with a storm.
I didn’t command him to leave and try knocking again. I knew his buttons had been pressed enough. “Yes?”
“I want sex.”
I cocked an eyebrow, unable to believe those words really left his mouth. “And what do you want me to do about that?”
“Spread your legs. What else?”
I picked up my book and hit it against his chest. “No.”
He didn’t move despite the heaviness of the book. “I asked.”
“Just because you asked doesn’t mean you get it.”
Both of his hands formed fists.
“And you didn’t ask. You just came in here and spoke like a caveman.”
“I’m liking this arrangement less and less…”
This wasn’t a robotic relationship. He didn’t just ask for something, and I fulfilled his desire. “If I were a woman in a bar, would you have said that?”
“Depends. Did I buy her for a hundred million dollars?” Both of his eyebrows furrowed.
I ignored what he said. “You would be nice to her. Buy her a drink. Flirt with her…not just blurt it out.”
“You’re telling me you want me to romance you?”
“I guess…maybe you could kiss me or touch me…get me in the mood.”
He sighed. “You know how I feel about kissing.”
“I know how you say you feel. But when you’re kissing me, it sure seems like you enjoy it.”
He stepped back from the bed and slid his hands into his pockets. “You said this was a compromise, but I feel like the only one making sacrifices here.”
“Just treat me like a human being. Why is that so hard for you, Conway? I’m sure you’ve been with lots of women. You know how to get them into bed. Why can’t you do that with me?”
“You think I buy them flowers and tell them they’re beautiful and shit?” he snarled. “No, that’s not what happens. Conway Barsetti gets pussy the second he walks into a room. Women throw themselves at me everywhere I go. I’ve never fucking swept a
woman off her feet in my entire life, alright? I like it that way. It’s ridiculous for you to expect to be any different.”
“You bought me for a hundred million dollars…I have to be different.”
He turned his gaze out the window, breathing through his rage. His chest rose and fell rapidly before he controlled it.
“How long do you expect to keep me, Conway?”
“Right now…I’m not sure.”
“And you say I’m your fantasy, right?”
He slowly turned back to me, his eyes not quite so hostile.
“I can be your fantasy. But you need to be mine. That’s what I’m asking.”
He stared at me for a long time, never blinking his eyes.
“I want to feel beautiful. I want you to touch me gently. The first night we were together, you did everything I wanted. That’s what I want all the time. I want you to treat me well. I want you to be a friend. When we first started working together, you were an ass sometimes…but you were also very sweet. That’s what I want, Conway. If you start to treat me that way…I can be what you want. I’ll make you feel wanted. I’ll make you feel like a king. I’ll say your name in bed or when your cock is in my mouth. I’ll be what you want half the time, and you be what I want half the time. If this is a lifetime commitment, we should be what we need to each other.”
He finally sat on the edge of my bed, his powerful muscles tense underneath his t-shirt. He rested his elbows on his knees and leaned forward. He stared out the window before he released a quiet sigh.
“Do you want to know about the first time I saw you?”
He finally blinked.
“I was sitting in a bar drinking scotch. I’d hit rock bottom, and there was a note from Knuckles sitting on the counter in front of me…”
He turned his gaze on me.
“An entertainment show was on TV, and they did a brief segment on you. They showed some pictures of you, talked about your fashion show, and showed a video of you before some award show…I thought you were the most handsome man I’d ever seen.” Perhaps I should have kept that information to myself, but I decided to share it with him. This relationship would never change unless I made it change. “When I saw you in person, I thought the same thing. But then you opened your asshole mouth, and I realized you were too good to be true. You were harsh, arrogant, and rude. But that didn’t change my attraction to you. When we have sex, I enjoy it. I try not to…but I do. I understand you don’t want intimacy because it affects your work, but I’m asking you to make an exception for me. If I’m your fantasy, the inspiration for the greatest designs you’ve ever made, then perhaps I can inspire you even more. Perhaps if you take a chance, I can lead you to even greater success. I know there’s a connection between us…you’ve felt it too.”
He turned away when I finished speaking, rubbing his hands together as he stared out the window. He stared into the darkness before he shifted his gaze to his hands. Callused and corded, his hands belonged to a real man. His forearms were long and chiseled, and his biceps stretched his t-shirt. The lines of his body were so hard he seemed to be chiseled out of stone. “I don’t like the idea, but I admit what we’re doing now isn’t working…”
“No, it isn’t.”
He continued to stare at his hands.
“I know you act like a bad guy sometimes, but I don’t think you really are. I think you’re a wonderful man, but you try to hide it to protect yourself. I think you have a heart, but you’ll die before you let anyone go near it. I see it the most when you’re with your family. If someone were to lay a single hand on your sister, you would murder him with your bare hands.”
“Just because I love my sister doesn’t mean I’m a good guy, Muse. Think about all the things I’ve done to you.”
“And all of the things you’ve done for me…”
He looked out the window.
“I’m not saying you’re perfect. You’re complicated. That’s fine. But I don’t think you’re as bad as you pretend to be. So stop pretending with me. You can be you when it’s just the two of us.”
He massaged his knuckles.
“We both know what would have happened to me if you didn’t buy me.”
“Yes. But I also just wanted to fuck you. I also wanted to be the one to take your virginity. So please stop rewriting history. Stop making me out to be some kind of hero. I’m not a hero, and I never want to be. Yes, it would be nice if you accepted me for who I was—the good, the bad, and the ugly. But don’t pretend I’m something I’m not…that’s annoying.”
If that’s what he wanted, I would drop it. “Can we try this, Conway?”
He didn’t answer me.
I slid my hand across the bed and rested it on his arm.
He tensed at my touch.
I slid farther until I reached his fingers. I moved my hand between his and then finally grabbed him.
He didn’t pull away.
I tightened my fingers between his.
He didn’t respond. His body was immobile. He was lifeless. Then he released a quiet sigh and squeezed my hand. “Alright…we’ll try.”
* * *
Carbine moved to the opposite side of the pen, his tail swishing about like he was irritated. The second I approached the fence, he developed this attitude. He didn’t seem to like anyone, not even Marco. “I just washed and scrubbed these carrots. You’re telling me you don’t want them?”
He neighed and nibbled at the grass.
“You’d rather eat grass than this?” I asked incredulously.
Carbine ignored me altogether.
This horse had more sass than I did.
“He moves to the beat of his own drum.” Conway approached me from behind, wearing brown boots, tight jeans, and a black t-shirt. His hands were in his pockets, and the scruff on his jaw made him look weathered like a man who really worked outdoors.
My heart immediately picked up when Conway drew near. Last night, we held hands for thirty minutes without speaking. It was the most intimacy we’d ever had, even more than the first time we were together.
Ever since that moment, it felt different.
“Then why do you keep him?”
He took one of the carrots from my hand. “He’s a beautiful horse.”
“But he doesn’t like anyone.”
“Not true.” He rolled his tongue and released a loud whistle.
Carbine immediately lifted his head and looked toward Conway. Then he walked over, his footsteps increasing in pace the closer he got. His mane shifted in the breeze, like a snake crawling across a desert. He trotted to the fence and immediately smothered Conway with his breaths.
“Hey, boy.” Conway scratched him behind the ear. “Is this what you’re after?” He held the carrot out, and Carbine devoured it. But once the food was gone, the horse stayed right along the fence with Conway.
I stood in shock. I’d never seen Carbine do anything but ignore Marco and me. But he clearly loved Conway. “I’ve never seen him act that way.”
He rubbed him along his neck. “He and I just understand each other. Give him the carrot.”
“Uh…he might bite my hand off.”
“He won’t. He’s got an attitude, but he’s not mean.”
I held out the carrot, and Carbine ate it. He wasn’t hostile toward me, but it was obvious he was only there to see Conway.
Conway rubbed him for a few more minutes before he rested his arms on the fence. “He’s a beautiful stallion. I used to let people breed their mares with him, but I stopped.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “I felt wrong pimping him out.”
“Well, maybe the reason he’s so irritated is because he’s not getting any action.”
Conway chuckled. “He gets action with the mares sometimes. We usually sell those horses.”
“Do you ever ride him?” He seemed too volatile to be controlled.
“I haven’t in a while, but yes, I do.”
“Does he try t
o buck you off?”
“No.”
When Carbine stopped getting attention, he started to chomp on the grass again. His large lips pulled back as his teeth nibbled the short stalks. We stood together and watched him, the warm breeze moving across our skin.
Conway looked good in jeans that tight.
“How’re the stables today?”
“Good. It doesn’t seem to matter how much work I do, there’s always more waiting for me the next day. It’s impossible for it to be perfect for even a few days. Always requires attention.”
“I can imagine.”
“But I enjoy it. I was actually wondering how you’d feel about getting ponies…”
“Why would I do that?” His eyes were focused on Carbine.
“Because they’re cute…”
When he turned back to me, he was smiling with his eyes. “I’m not interested in cute things.”
“What if I took care of them?”
“What purpose would they serve?”
“What purpose do the horses serve?” I countered.
The corner of his mouth rose in a smile. “Good point.”
“So…?”
“I’ll think about it.”
“We have the space. And we already have the feed and everything…it’s not like it’s that much of a hassle.”
“Wow, you really want one, huh?”
“Well, it would have to be at least two. Having just one is cruel…they need a friend.”
“I’ll think about it,” he repeated.
I stopped staring at Conway and looked at Carbine again. “What were you doing today?”
“I went to the studio for a few hours and met with Nicole. Those pieces I displayed have sold out a few times. She says I should start planning my next release. I have to strike while the iron is hot…”
“Not a bad idea. Do you have any thoughts planned?”
“A few,” he said vaguely.
I glanced at the sun to see what time it was since I didn’t have a watch. It was between three and four, and I had a few things to finish before the day was through. “I should get back to work.”