by J. L. Beck
I need to use my head to protect Keira…
…not my heart.
Chapter Fifteen
Keira
I stare at myself in the mirror. Damon has me changing in the stripper’s dressing room. I feel cheap, but I don’t object. He has business to attend to, and he all but pushed me into Candy’s arms as soon as she entered his office.
Coldness washed over him earlier, hiding all his emotions now. He’s changing, reverting to his old self—slowly, so slowly. Maybe he doesn’t think I see it. I don’t know. I thought after last night we had made some headway…that things had changed, but…
“What are you thinking about inside that head of yours?” Candy asks while I start to get undressed. She already has my hair up in big rollers, making me look ridiculous. I hope she doesn’t plan to keep these in my hair as part of the hairstyle tonight.
“First of all, I’m glad you picked this dress for me. I was worried you would choose something…um, more—”
“—like this?” She holds up one of the stripper’s outfits from the nearby rack. The damn thing is made with less fabric than some of my underwear—and that’s being nice.
“Yes,” I giggle. “No offense, but I’ve never seen you in anything besides super revealing clothing, so I just didn’t know what you would choose.”
“Hon, I work in a strip club. Revealing clothing is our uniform. That doesn’t mean I don’t know how to dress for a dinner party.” She winks at me, and for the first time, I wonder why she’s working here. Does she like it? How does she know Damon? I think about asking, but then decide against it.
Her business is none of mine, and with the shit storm called my life, the last thing I need to be doing is questioning someone else’s choices.
“Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry.” I feel ashamed for judging her—when clearly my own life is in shambles.
“No, don’t be, honey. It’s okay to be curious and question things, but I only dress this way for the tips. The more revealing the clothing, the better the tips. Now, enough about me, why don’t you let me put this beauty on you.”
She holds the dark green ombre dress in front of me so I can step into it easily. She zips it up like she’s been doing this her whole life, and I run my fingers against the material. It’s soft and clings to my curves. It doesn't show any cleavage, but it highlights the shape of my breasts, and the collar falls over my shoulders. It fits like a glove—even though I never told Damon my size.
Taking a step forward, I look in the mirror, realizing how far the slit on the side hikes up, revealing a lot more leg than I’m used to. It’s sexy, but not overly—plus, it suits the design and adds to its beauty.
My thoughts turn to Damon. I think he will appreciate this dress. After all the things he said to me in his office, I want to be any and everything for him.
“You look beautiful, Keira.” Candy smiles at my reflection in the mirror. “Now, sit down over there so I can do your hair and makeup.”
I tense. Makeup and hair. Oh god, it’s a dinner, not a party, right?
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to go crazy. No stage makeup for you, just something simple and natural. A little mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow. That should do the job,” Candy reassures me, and I really hope she knows how much this means to me.
“Thank you. Seriously, thank you for being so nice to me.” I take a seat in one of the makeup chairs, and Candy starts working on my face. I close my eyes as she starts to apply powder with a large brush, then the eyeliner, mascara, and lipstick.
“There you go. Just some blush so you don’t look so pale, and your makeup is all done.”
I swivel in my chair so I can look at myself in the vanity mirror. My mouth pops open, and the words I want to say are there, but they just won’t come. I almost can’t believe my eyes. She only used a few items, but I look so much different. Like an entirely new person.
“I’m glad you like it.” Candy chuckles. “Now, let’s get these curlers out of your hair and you’ll be all done, Cinderella.”
Just as she removes the last roller, the door to the dressing room opens. A string of high-pitched giggles fill the room. My stomach knots. Not only do I have to face the possibility of death tonight, now I have to face Damon’s strippers.
I avert my eyes to the floor, and let Candy finish my hair.
“Oh my, look who it is, girls? Are you finally starting to work the stage, or are you going straight to the backroom for blowjob duty?” Hayley asks me with her nose in the air. She has bitch written all over her face, and suddenly, I realize why I left high school.
The girls flanking her must be part of her bitch-squad because they look down at me the same way.
“Just shut up and get ready for work,” Candy snaps, but it’s apparent Hayley doesn’t care what Candy says. She blows past her and steps directly in front of me.
“You know you’re just some temporary toy to Damon, right? He is going to throw you in the trash as soon as he gets bored playing with you.”
Each word stabs me like a knife straight to the heart.
“He’s had a lot of girls, but he always comes back to me.” Her pink-painted lips twitch into an evil smile. “He’s been doing it for over a year. I’ve been his one and only, and to this day, I’m the only one who knows how he likes it.” She keeps talking, and each statement twists the knife deeper and deeper.
“You will never satisfy him like I do—hell, like any other woman.” Her eyes move over my body. “You’re garbage compared to us.” She all but spits, and she may as well have slapped me across the face. I’m sure it would’ve hurt a lot less.
“Hayley!” Candy shouts, but once again, she’s ignored. All eyes are on me and Hayley.
I can feel pressure building behind my eyes. Stupid tears are about to fall and mess up my makeup. I can’t believe I’m letting this bitch have so much power over me, but I can’t help it. Not when she’s highlighted every insecurity I have and rubbed it in my face. Thoughts of Damon enter my mind he said so himself—he held back with me. He wants to fuck me hard, and I don’t know if I can give him what he desires.
What if I can’t and he comes back to Hayley for sex?
The thought sickens me beyond belief.
Bile rises in my throat. This is the last thing I need right now—not when I have to spend an entire evening with people who want to kill me.
“Oh, I’m sorry did I upset you, sweetie?”
When I look up at her, I want to slap that stupid grin off her face. She’s close enough now that I could if I really wanted to.
“Maybe I should just teach you how to suck him off or fuck him better so you can last a little bit longer…since clearly it upsets you to know he’s going to come crawling back to me.” She snickers like it’s the funniest thing ever—and it hurts…it hurts so bad.
I can’t compose myself a second longer. The tears slip from my eyes. I know it’s weak and stupid to cry over something someone says to you, but I just...I can’t.
A large body walks up behind her, and I nearly flinch. The look in Damon’s eyes is sinister. It promises death and destruction.
“You’re fired,” Damon snarls.
Hayley’s eyes go wide before she turns to face Damon. As soon as she sees his face, she takes three steps backward, nearly running into me.
“Y-You don’t…mean that,” she stutters.
“Take your shit and get the fuck out of here!” He looks around at the other strippers. “And you all better get the fuck ready for work or else you can leave too.”
Hayley clutches her purse to her chest and starts crying, but even she’s not stupid enough to stand around and question him. She scurries away, pushing past Damon and through the exit door.
At the softening of his whiskey-colored eyes, I calm down, making the tears stop.
Never in my life did I think I would be happy about someone getting fired—let alone watching it happen right before my eyes. I hide my excitement of her rele
ase. I don’t hate many people, but after the things she said to me, I’m confident I hate her.
I want to jump into Damon’s arms and kiss him, but I know better—he wouldn’t allow that, not in front of other people…especially the people who work for him. So, I just clench my fists in my lap and wait for him to say something to me.
“Come on. We’ve got to go,” he orders, an edge to his voice. He doesn’t even give me a chance to respond. He turns around and heads out the door without looking at me. My legs move on his command.
I make sure my dress is in all the right places, covering everything it should be. I catch Candy smiling at me out the corner of my eye as I follow Damon out of the dressing room. I want to thank Candy for all she’s done, but I know I don’t want to speak out of line. I return the smile, hoping when and if I come back, I’ll get a chance.
I can barely keep up with Damon’s fast pace as he makes his way through the club. It doesn’t help my case of keeping up when he’s almost a foot taller than me and I’m wearing heels.
I see some of the men looking at me, their eyes lingering far longer than a moment, and I drop my gaze. I want to hold up a sign that reads Don’t look at me if you value your job or life to warn them to stop before Damon sees.
When we reach the back door, he finally stops, but by then, I’m out of breath. I suck in copious amounts of air, trying to figure out how the hell he isn’t struggling. When he turns around and looks past me, checking if we are alone, I don’t understand why—and then I feel his lips on mine.
His kiss is consuming and steals the remaining oxygen from my lungs. I moan into his mouth at the touch of his hands roaming my body, skimming over the thin material of my dress.
It feels like nothing separates his fingers from my skin.
When he breaks the kiss, I’m even more out of breath than before.
“You look so fucking beautiful. If we didn't have to see my asshole brother right this second, I would lock us in my office and fuck you until Sunday.”
I don’t really know how to respond. All I know is I’m turned on and want him to fuck me. I want him to fuck me like he wants to—not like I’m a fragile doll he’s afraid he might break.
I don’t care where or how; I just want him to fuck me.
“I want you.” I paw at his chest, realizing he changed his clothes as well. He’s looks mouthwatering in his black-on-black suit. I can tell it’s hand tailored, and it fits him perfectly, making him seem bigger, meaner.
“You know I want you too. Fuck, I want you so much, my balls ache.” He takes my hand from his chest and places it against his thick cock, barely restrained by his dress slacks. “But we can’t. Not right now. We’re already running late, and if there is one thing you will learn about my brother, it’s that being late isn’t tolerated.”
I pout, looking up at him, wanting to kiss him, but knowing he’s right.
“Okay...maybe later?” I lick my lips, anticipating his answer.
“Definitely later. Right now, we really need to go.”
Damon helps me step into the Cadillac, and I buckle up. I’m nervous, and I think it’s more from the unknown than anything else. The low hum of the engine fills the cab as Damon speeds down the road, heading out of town.
Most of the ride is in silence. Damon’s tense, and his grip on the steering wheel has his knuckles white.
The ride is longer than I expected, and the more we drive, the less houses I see. I’m slightly terrified we’ll be out in the middle of nowhere with no escape plan—or maybe that’s the purpose of this entire thing.
“Where is it we’re going? I haven’t seen a house for, like, five miles.” My eyes scan the scenery. There really isn’t anything out here, nothing but road and trees.
“I can’t disclose the exact location, but it’s as far away. Secluded deep in the woods. My father built this place, and Xander moved back when he took over the business. I haven't been here in a few years, so I’m not sure how much it’s changed.”
Eventually, the car slows, and I see a huge metal gate in the distance. As we grow closer, and Damon slows down even more, the nervous knot in my belly starts to unravel. I feel like I might puke and faint at the same time.
Damon doesn’t pay any attention to me as he pulls into the driveway and up to a little panel box. He types in a code, and the gate opens. The path is dark—so dark, I can barely see anything.
We drive through the gate, and I hear it close, making a loud creaking sound as it does The noise adds to my nervousness. I feel like we’re driving into a prison compound and I’m not sure when my release date will be.
Damon continues down the long driveway as if he’s driving into his own personal hell. I wonder what he’s thinking. What he’s feeling. But I don’t have the courage to ask. After a few minutes, I spot lights in the distance.
The place is huge, and I do mean huge.
“You lived here?” I gasp, realizing Damon wasn’t lying when he called the place a mansion.
“Yes. And it was some of the worst years of my life.”
I swallow around a knot of fear lodged in my throat. Damon pulls the SUV around a huge loop before putting it in park. I shiver, looking up the steps leading to the entrance.
This place is more than intimidating.
“I’m going to warn you now, Keira.” Damon’s voice is cold and almost lifeless. It scares me. “I don’t know what’s going to happen here. I don’t know if my brother is going to try to take you away from me, or if he’s going to try to kill both of us. But I want you to know I will do my damndest to protect you. I will bargain. I will steal. I will use whatever power I still have in this family to make sure we both walk out unscathed.”
I force myself to breathe, knowing he means every single word.
“But I must ask one thing of you.”
I nod my head without thinking twice. “Whatever you want.”
Damon smiles, and it makes me feel warm inside. “Listen to me. If I tell you to do something, just do it. Trust me and my word enough to know whatever I am asking you to do is for a reason. My brother sees women as garbage—as a hole and nothing more—so if I come off as harsh or mean, that’s why.”
I nod again.
Got it. Speak only when spoken too.
That shouldn’t really be a problem—not with how scared of his brother I am.
The bruises on my throat confirm how dangerous he is...and how stupid Damon and I are for walking right into the lion’s den.
Chapter Sixteen
Damon
I push down and swallow every single fucking emotion inside me. I cannot show weakness in front of my brother—or any other member of my family. I blink slowly, exhaling, feeling the invisible mask slip across my features.
As I open my car door, I spot my brother at the top of the steps. He’s dressed similar to me, and I realize some things never change. It may have been years since we’ve last seen each other, but he is the same person he was when I left—and vice versa.
I walk over to the passenger side and open Keira’s door. She eyes me with a hesitant glare before stepping out. Everything about Keira screams innocent—from the softness of her eyes, to the way she sees people as if they could do no wrong. She knows I’m a bad man, yet she thinks I can save her. Taking her hand into mine, I squeeze her fingers and close the door. I can feel my brother’s eyes on us, and I know I need to prove a point.
Without warning, probably catching Keira completely off guard, I sink my fingers into her curls, wrenching her head back. Then I press my lips to hers. Her body shakes, and a cry of pain escapes her, filling my mouth.
I kiss her hard, bruising her lips, making certain my brother sees the ownership I have over her. When I release Keira, she wobbles, and the need to pull her close overwhelms me—but I’m not dumb enough to make such a grave mistake.
We ascend the steps together, and when we reach the top, I stand man to man with my brother.
He has a satisfied grin on
his face. His eyes are dark, the color of coffee mixed with a dash of darkness like mine—hell, looking at him is like staring at my reflection in the mirror. He’s only older by a few years, and his age doesn’t show. He looks the same…right down to the monster flickering deep in his eyes.
I watch those monstrous eyes move from me to Keira.
“I like the way you dressed up your doll today. She’s beautiful.”
“She is—and she’s mine,” I sneer. “By the way, I enjoy placing bruises of my own on my property, so the next time you decide to touch something that isn’t yours, you’ll return it the way you found it.”
Xander’s eyes ghost over Keira’s throat. “I’m sorry, little brother. I didn’t mean your pet any harm. She is a fragile little thing. Her skin bruises with barely any force I see.” He snickers. “However, we shall predict her future this evening and see who she truly belongs to. Until then, you can keep her at your side.”
The smile on his face makes my stomach turn. Life and death are nothing but a game to him. He doesn’t care who lives or dies. He only cares about making an example of someone.
Xander strolls into the house through the huge, wrought iron door. Like everything else here, this door holds nothing but bad memories. I should be thankful it holds the memories inside the house and not outside them. God forbid I let them control every single aspect of my life.
As I walk up the steps, my heart sinks. A memory slams into me so hard, it steals the breath from my lungs.
I can’t believe she’s dead. I stare down at my hands. She’s gone. That’s what Father said, but I don’t believe him. She was fine this morning—happy, smiling, and now, I’ll never see her again. The thought hurts. My father told me not to cry for her, and I’m doing my very best, but my eyes are burning with unshed tears.
They are going to spill over soon, proving again how weak I am to my father.
I clench my tiny hands into fists
I better go outside so Father won’t see me. I run down the stairs. I think he’s in the study. I can’t pass him by accident.