17

Rae

November 16th, 2019

Everything was sore for the 7th morning in a row. My throat, my wrists, my thighs, my stomach. Everything, and my head was throbbing.

My skin had been rubbed raw everywhere the ropes had touched. I was exhausted and spent, in every way a person could be exhausted, but I felt amazing too.

A week of being locked in this room, tied up in various ways, fucked in ways I could never imagine. It had been the best most exhausting week of my life.

Something was different this morning though because the routine we had gotten into had shifted. Usually, as soon as I stirred in the morning, he was forcing water down my throat, forcing me to eat, brushing my teeth, and tying me up again.

I particularly liked the doggy-style position. I wore my favorite Louboutin heels. He tied a T-rod across my hips, forcing them up, and then tied my wrists to my ankles, forcing my forehead into the bedsheets. He then tied my ankles down, tying them off to some metal rings he had installed under the bed.

He must have lined the bottom of my bed with over a dozen of them, because it seemed like no matter what position he had me in, there was always a ring he could tie me too.

But this morning the bed was empty, and the water was on my bedside with a note that said ‘Drink’.

I closed my eyes and sagged back into the bed, releasing a sigh. I wasn’t sure if I was relieved for a break or disappointed that he didn’t think I could take more.

Could I?

I wasn’t completely positive, but I would have given it my very best shot.

In a world that didn’t make sense, Jack did. His want for me was clear. Not muddled by forgotten memories or unclear intentions. Everything he did had a purpose. Everything he did was intentional. It made sense.

What didn’t make sense was everything else.

This is what they didn’t tell you about the best night, or in my case the best week of your life. The mental drain it had on you when you finally had a moment to think.

I didn’t want a break, I decided. Not because my body could take anymore, but because I wasn’t ready to think. About any of it. If it were an option, I would avoid the whole ‘what comes next’ forever.

It took all of my strength to get up, to get to the bathroom and go through the process of getting ready for the day.

I stared into the mirror as I brushed my teeth, my hair matted, gauze wrapped around my wrists, my waist, the bandages on my hips where his nails had dug in, the bruises around my neck, my breasts.

Something in my mind had altered this last week. And not in the ‘best sex of my life’ kind of way, but the kind of way that changed a person permanently.

Or maybe that came with the identity crisis I was having now that I had a moment to think.

I wasn’t Rae Bennett.

My mom wasn’t Marla Bennett.

Max wasn’t my brother.

Viv wasn’t my best friend since High School.

Did I even go to school?

Who was I but Jack’s Princess?

My eyes fell to that scar on my chest, nearly healed, to the collar around my neck. I remembered seeing the key around Jack’s neck while he forced me into multiple orgasms. I wondered why he kept it. If I was his little pet, why keep the key?

I finally tossed my hair up in a messy bun and pulled on some oversized clothes before finally heading for the bedroom door, only to pause when I heard another voice drifting under my door.

A woman.

There was a woman in my house talking to him. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but I knew for certain it was a woman.

I swallowed, placing my hand on the doorknob. I prided myself in not caring about what others did, who they were friends with, but there was a very small twinge in my gut at the fact that he had gotten up early and invited some girl over to my place after the week we had had.

Had I not been enough?

I had given it my all. Everything I had, I had given to him. All of it.

I was enough though. I was enough for me. If this was what he chose, then fine, I could figure out where to go from here. I wouldn’t, however, let him disrespect me no matter how much it hurt. I was worth more than that, so if this was what my exhausted mind was telling me it was then fine. I’d move on. I’d drink some wine, eat some really good chocolate cake with extra frosting, maybe buy a new pair of heels, and use them to walk away.

Cool and aloof. I wasn’t going to let him see the state I was in mentally after what he had done to me. Not until I understood who he had let into my house.

I lifted my chin and fell into one of my roles. He could have all the friends he wanted, I didn’t care about that. The first time I had met him he had been balls deep in another woman’s ass, so I certainly wouldn’t let this get to me.

I wouldn’t allow it.

I was beautiful. I was confident. I was amazing. I had money and style, great taste in everything but guys. This was fine. I was just in a state of mental shattering, that’s why I was doubting, but I shouldn’t be. I should be fine.

I was fine.

And if not, there was always that cake.

I opened the door, finding them at the kitchen table, facing each other.

They both looked up when I stepped out.

Fuck, she was beautiful.

My height, thicker from muscle building. She was fit in every sense of the word. She had short hair, darker than mine, but not so dark it could be considered brunette, and her eyes were almost the same shade as Jack’s.

They could have been cousins.

My shoulders fell an inch at that. See? I was worried over nothing. It was stupid. I was being stupid, and I didn’t want to be stupid.

My eyes shifted to Jack’s.

His eyes narrowed slightly, challenge in their depths.

I took it personal.

“Morning,” I greeted, giving her a warm smile. “I’m sure you know everything about me already.”

She leaned back in her chair. “Blood type and everything. I’m Zo, Jack’s partner.”

I walked up to her with every ounce of confidence I could muster up and held out my hand.

She took it, shaking it once before I took it back. “Good to meet you.” Partner. I guess I never thought about him having a partner. “Coffee?”

“Made,” Jack stated as I made my way to the kitchen.

My eyes found the pot and I grabbed a mug. Why would he make me coffee? That seemed too…mundane for a guy like him.

“So, what’s the plan?” I heard Zo ask as I grabbed my creamer from the fridge. “You’ve claimed her. What’s next?”

I suppose nothing would be a secret between partners, especially not that. He had made it clear that he wanted the world to know who I belonged to. It made sense that she would already know that.

“Kill whoever is after her before she gets killed,” he answered simply.

I shivered unintentionally at the way he said that. I had almost forgotten. It wasn’t just that I had lost my entire life, but there was a reason they were here. Someone had hired them to kill me, and the only reason I was alive was because Jack was curious.

Lucky me.

“With her,” Zo stated coldly. “What’s next with her? Are you moving her into the building? Are you leashing her up and dragging her with you on assignments? What’s the plan?”

I opened the fridge, sliding my creamer back, glancing over towards them at her question.

Jack was looking me over, his eyes lingering on my ass, despite the fact that I was wearing shapeless, over-sized grey sweatpants.

I straightened with a frown, shut the fridge and turned for my coffee.

“I’m still on assignment,” he finally answered. “Her leash is tight.”

Dick.

Rather than picking up my coffee, I walked over to the pantry, opened it up, and crouched down in front of the box of files I had. I feathered through it until I found my notebook. Pulling it out, I walked back over to the counter and flipped to the first clean page I could find.

Dicks in Masks, I labeled it.

“The man in the mask was mysterious. Showing up out of nowhere, he decided to lay a cla—”

The notebook was ripped from my hand, causing the pen to leave a long, gouging mark across the page. “Hey!” I snapped, straightening.

Jack’s eyes narrowed as he read over it. “No recording.”

I lunged for the book, but he pulled it out of reach, which wasn’t hard to do considering his height on me and how he stood across the island from where I did.

I glared. “I’m not recording your fucked up agendas, I’m writing a book.”

He studied me carefully, his chin lifting. “You don’t write books.”

“No authors write books until they pick up a pen and start writing books,” I reminded him.

He eyed me carefully before turning to the table. “Sit,” he ordered.

Rather than listen, I turned for the other counter, picked up my coffee, turned back to him, and took a long drink, eyeing him over the rim of the mug.

He didn’t look back until he reached his chair. “Rae,” he warned, setting the notebook down in front of the chair right beside him. “Sit down.”

I kept my glare locked on his. “I am not a dog, no matter what your partner says. I can do what I want in my own home.”

He stalked over to me, becoming this…this…wall of darkness and evil.

“Coffee,” I said quickly, stumbling back a step as he neared me. “Coffee!”

He snatched my cup out of my hand and wrapped his hand back into my hair, somehow managing to spill not a single drop. He leaned in until our lips nearly touched, our eyes so close, I had no other option than to look at them. “You’re not a dog, Princess, but you will do as I say, when I say it, how I say it.”

I swallowed, his grip tightening in my hair, my new underwear soaking through as I fought the urge to touch him. “Or what?” I asked through my teeth. “Or you’ll tie me up for another week?” Because that seemed well worth it. Another week of not thinking about anything but how his cock felt inside of me and how much everything hurt.

“Or I will take things away from you that you never knew you needed.”

I bared my teeth at him. “What? Like your cock? I’ve got plenty of toys for that.” Nothing like him though, I had to admit.

He laughed, the sound warming my skin. “My cock is a weapon as much as it is your toy,” he hummed. “Sit. Now.”

He released me, leaving me a dizzy puddle of need and arousal.

And he took my coffee with him for added measure.

With a huff and a glare at his back, I headed for the table, but I didn’t take the seat next to him. Rather, I picked up my things and moved them to the spot at the very end of the table, furthest away from them both.

I settled and leaned back in my chair angrily.

Zo took me in before turning to Jack and raising a brow.

God, what was her problem? I hadn’t done anything wrong. Certainly not to her, yet she was acting as if I kicked her dog.

I pulled my notebook over again and tore out the page, starting over.

Masked Dicks, written by

I stared at the page for a long time before releasing a sigh.

Written by a lost spirit.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair, angry. “I understand that you both are career criminals and you’ve thought of everything,” I began, finding Jack’s eyes, “but as is human instinct, I still have to ask for myself. Did anyone in your fucked up organization look into who paid you for the hit?”

Zo rolled her eyes, leaning back in her own chair as she thrummed her fingers, annoyed by my very existence.

Jack looked annoyed but understanding. “Yes. The bank account was open for half an hour. Long enough to get the funds into it and transfer them to Malachi’s account. They used a scrambled IP address, a fake name, fake addresses, fake everything. There’s no way to trace it.”

My glare softened a little, grateful that he didn’t just treat me as if I were too stupid to even earn an answer. “I didn’t know you could scramble IP addresses,” I commented, my eyes falling to the notebook. I thought about it a moment. “Did you check the paper for fingerprints?”

“Jack threw it away after he got the assignment,” Zo answered, annoyed. “We don’t keep shit like that.”

My eyes lifted to her in irritation. I leaned over the table, making sure she saw how serious I was, although I doubted that it carried any weight if she was anything like Jack. “I didn’t make your partner do this fucked up shit to me, okay? If you’ve got a problem, take it up with him. This,” I gestured to the three of us, “is not my choice, you absolute cunt.” Maybe a little too far, but God, I was tired. I didn’t want to think about any of this. I wanted to do the toxic thing and pretend like none of this happened, get fucked until I was in a coma, rehydrate, and repeat. Was that too much to ask here?

Her eyebrows lifted into her hairline. “Excuse me? Do you have any idea—”

“You could be the most dangerous person in the world, and I still couldn’t give a fuck right now,” I interjected. “He claimed me. He carved his initial into my chest, he decided to fuck me instead of kill me. Him. Not me. I didn’t have a choice in any of this. Not…until, you know, later on. So drop the pathetic attitude while you’re in my house, or I swear to God, I’ll do everything in my power to make your life a living hell.”

She laughed at that. “Jack controls your leash, sweetheart, you can’t do anything.”

“His punishments range from too many orgasms to I assume none,” I stated evenly. “That’s worth it to shut you up.”

Zo leaned in then, something evil sparking in her eye. “How many times do you think you’ll survive him bringing you to the edge only to abandon you? Me? I survived 26 hours straight. No food, no water, no moving other than when he cleaned me up, just teasing. Just the edge.”

It was an effort not to react. 26 hour—

I straightened as the words fell through me. I looked between them, realization swimming through me in waves of nausea and dizziness.

Zo sat back. “You didn’t think you were his first, did you?”

Absolutely not, that would have been completely delusional, but her? The humiliation that filled me twisted my stomach. I felt weightless with it, my mind humming. I should have just kept my mouth shut, let her talk her shit. Who was I to argue back anyway? I wasn’t a part of this world. She was right, I was just his dog.

I set my jaw and leaned back in my chair. “No,” I stated evenly just as my phone started ringing.

I gripped it in my hand, turning it just enough for me to see the screen.

“Don’t answer that, Rae,” Jack ordered me.

I found his eyes, putting every ounce of hatred I felt for him in that moment into that glare before I stood and answered it. “Hey, Viv.” I didn’t want to talk to her. No part of me wanted to talk to her, but at the moment, talking to her seemed far less painful than sitting in my humiliation.

“Rae,” Jack warned.

I headed for my bedroom door.

“Who is that?”

“Some jerk I fucked,” I answered, hearing his chair scraping across the floor. I picked up my pace, making it through my bedroom door and slamming it shut a second before he shoved against it. “I don’t need your warnings,” I stated bitterly as I threw the lock and headed for the bathroom, doing the same to that door just as I heard my bedroom door shatter open. “I’ve learned my lesson.” He better replace that door.

“Rae,” he snarled, jiggling the handle of the bathroom door.

I leaned against it, feeling the vibrations of his rage shudder through the wood.

“He sounds dangerous, are you okay?”

“Yeah, he’s just angry because I found out the girl he invited over this morning fucked him.” What was wrong with me? What? Because I was humiliated, I was shutting myself in the bathroom? I was better than this. How did he turn me into this already?

“What the fuck? He invited a girl over the morning after?”

“He’s a sadist,” I said bitterly, not wanting to get into the fact that he had been here for a week, not a night.

Jack laughed through the door, the sound inherently evil. “You haven’t seen sadist yet, Princess. Hang up the phone.”

“Okay, okay, just…” Viv inhaled deeply. “What happened? Tell me exactly what happened.”

“If you answer her, you’ll pay for it.”

My brows pulled together, and I looked towards the door. “How do you know who I’m talking to?”

“I cloned your phone. What better way to keep track of my property than cloning their device?”

I rolled my eyes, letting my head fall back against the door. Goddammit.

“What did he say?”

“He saw your name when I walked back to my bedroom,” I lied.

“Creep,” she sneered. “So, tell me then. Tell me everything.”

I knew she couldn’t be trusted, I understood that, but fuck. I had no one else in the world I could talk to. Not one single person. She had been my friend for years. I couldn’t just let that go.

“Rae,” Jack warned.

I glared at nothing. “I met him at the carnival,” I told her. “We exchanged numbers and last night I got lonely, so I called him. He came over like the desperate dog he was, fucked me, passed out beside me, and when I woke up this morning, he was talking to some girl at my dining room table. He claimed she was his partner at work, or whatever,” I waved off. “It’s his job, but she was being rude, so I tried to put her in her place, and she revealed to me that they’ve fucked too.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head, shoving my hair back, my shoulders falling. God, it sounded so childish, but I was in the right, I know I was. “It’s not…I don’t care that they fucked,” I told her, wrapping an arm around my waist, feeling those bandages pull. “I really don’t, I just…I don’t know what I feel. I’m just exhausted and my life is falling apart, and I don’t know what the Hell is happening,” I said in a rush before I could stop myself.

Viv laughed lightly. “A bit dramatic that your life is falling apart over some boy,” she said with a smile, causing me to roll my eyes again.

“Yeah, I guess.” If only she knew.

She was quiet for a second and then she released a breath. “Okay, listen to me. Rae, you’re beautiful, and you’re strong, and you don’t need pieces of shit like him inviting girls over to what? Talk to you? He’s flaunting. In your own house. Dump the trash, take a shower, do yourself up, and remember who you are, okay?”

My eyes filled, my throat closing, and sure, I could blame it on the exhaustion or the lack of coffee, but in reality, all I could think about was how long this would last. How many more conversations would I have with her before it all ended? If she wasn’t this person, then who was she? What was her game? What was the point in any of this? Why did she spend so much time with me throughout High School, and all of the years after building this friendship with me? What was the point in any of it? “I wish I could remember who that was.”

“Girl,” she laughed, “you’re Rae fucking Bennett. Unrelenting, kind as Hell, but not afraid to kick ass when needed. If this guy made you doubt yourself this fast, then he’s not the kind of person you need in your life. Now, pick yourself up by your 200$ thong, and get ready. There’s a thing tonight I wanted to take you too. A surprise, last minute birthday gift. You have to come to my city though, and you need to be here by 9, okay? Think you can dump the trash and head over? We can remember who you are together. Some Lion King shit or something.”

I chewed on my lip, glancing back at the now quiet door. He would hate it, but what the Hell? What was the harm in one last night with my best and only friend? One last hoorah before my life completely imploded. “Yeah,” I agreed, my heart skipping a beat. “Yeah, okay, I’ll be there.”

“Great,” she beamed. “I’ll text you the details.”

“No,” I replied, hushing my voice. “No, I’ll get to your house early, but don’t text me. This phone’s been hacked, I’m getting a new one.”

“Damn, okay, not a problem, just get here early then,” she repeated back to me.

“Okay,” I said with a slight smile. “Okay, yeah, I’ll see you there.” I hung up and turned to face the door, straining my ears to see where he was.

I couldn’t hear anything.

I leaned my forehead against the door and closed my eyes. “Just…just focus,” I told myself, placing a hand flat against the door. “Focus.” I couldn’t very well be angry at Zo for being irritated. I didn’t even know what they actually did for a living, just that they had done some drug deal with some Russian. That’s all I knew. They were dangerous people, Malachi was their boss, and here I was, being sadistically initiated into their life by a crazy person who I let fuck me.

A man I was fucking addicted to at this point.

I couldn’t blame her for being defensive, but she didn’t have to be a cunt either.

I just needed to go out there and listen. How else will I find out the truth about my life if I don’t put up with them anyway?

I stepped back and rolled my shoulders, wincing at the pain it caused. With a breath, I finally opened the door and found Jack standing yards away, hands in his pockets, his eyes locked directly on mine.

I swallowed and lifted my chin as I stepped out of the bathroom. “You owe me a new door.”

“You’re moving in with me, so it doesn’t matter,” he stated evenly.

I scoffed and shook my head. “No, I’m not.”

“If that’s what you’d like to believe, then fine,” he shrugged.

I stalked across the room, brushing by him. “I’m not moving in with you, Jack.”

Surprisingly enough, he allowed me by. “Because I fucked Zo?”

I opened my closet door. “Because you let me humiliate myself in front of both of you,” I replied, searching through my clothes. “That was my fault though. I got too attached too fast, taking your word as law,” I went on, pulling at the end of a black dress, inspecting it, only to let it fall back. “I should have taken it for what it was.”

“And what is that, Rae?” he asked, standing in my closet doorway, his tone threatening.

I shrugged. “Just the word of a psychopath.”

“No, Rae, I mean the word. What word did I say that made you shift into this?”

I looked over to him. He took up the entire space of the doorway. He was still, cold. Far different than the man who fucked me for a week, who bathed me every night, took care of me. “You said you’d protect me. That I was important.” I turned back to my clothes. “I allowed myself to believe that it went deeper than physical. You will protect me physically from any outside threat that isn’t you. Anything outside of that is free game.”

“I can’t protect you from humiliating yourself, Princess.”

God, there was no emotion to his voice at all. It was eerie how easily he was able to shut himself off like that. And here I was wishing I could do the same.

How long had he trained to make that a possibility? Could I learn it in a few minutes? Was that even possible?

I nodded, turning to face him completely, tears welling in my eyes. “You could have warned me that you had a partner you fucked like you fuck me. I get that it’s not the same for men. You people don’t see women as anything more than toys to fuck and throw away. You don’t get attached, but us toys, we get attached, Jack. You drained me of everything. Everything. You took it all from me, every ounce of emotion I had, every word, every…feeling,” I spat, the tears spilling over.

I wiped at them angrily and straightened again, trying to keep my expression hard. “You were saying all of these things that, rationally, I should have known they were just words. I just met you, fuck, I’m fucking insane, aren’t I? Letting you get into my head that fucking quickly? Absolutely delusional.”

I released a shuddering breath, turning away from him, my hands shaking. “Oh my God, I’m sick.” I rubbed my eyes fiercely, trying to reel in my own control.

After a second, I inhaled deeply and turned back to him. “I get the rules, I understand them. You’ve ‘Claimed me’,” I said, adding the air quotes, watching as his eyes dried, his jaw feathering, “so that means I’m yours to play with until you kill me. Yours to humiliate, yours to use, yours to flaunt until I’m all used up. Until you find someone else better to Claim. I can force myself to accept that, Hell, maybe Charlotte Alascer would have accepted that without fight. Maybe she’s weaker than I am. So, I will be submissive, and I will do what you say, what you want, and I will let it all happen according to you, but I get my own life too.”

He watched me for a long time, and I half wondered if he could hear how fast my heart was racing. “Good,” he finally said, and turned on his heel. “If you’re getting dressed, do it quickly so we can talk. Zo and I have an assignment this afternoon.”

Rage filled me at his lack of response. I wasn’t sure what I truly expected, but I had wanted something more than that. I wanted to fight. I wanted him to snap. To argue. To tell me that I was delusional, but he picked me anyway. I needed him to tell me that this was temporary so that I could stop thinking that it was anything else. I needed something.

“Yeah,” I nodded, turning back to my clothes, exhausted and far too emotional. “Just another Max I let into my life, this is just fucking perfect.” What was wrong with me? I should go see a therapist. But then what would I say? ‘Hey, I let this criminal into my life thinking it’d be a good release, and here I am, facing the consequences of my own actions’. That would go over well.

I pulled out another dress, inspecting it—

The closet door slammed shut.

I jumped, turning around just as Jack wrapped a hand around my throat and shoved me back against the far wall, the clothes and hangers, pressing into my back, my feet struggling to find safe footing with all of the shoes underneath me.

I gasped, wrapping my hands around his wrist, my eyes wide, heart hammering. “Jack,” I breathed out, only for his hand to tighten to the point of suffocation.

“You think I’m not attached?” he asked, his voice threatening.

Spots started dancing in front of my eyes as I dug trenches into his hands.

He bared his teeth. “I’m more attached than you are, shutting down after one comment. It’s fucking pathetic, Rae, and not what I expected from you, but,” he went on, his eyes falling to my lips, “I can adjust.”

My hands slipped to my sides, my legs going weak. I was going to pass out, I was going to…

He eased up on his grip just enough to allow a gasp of air. “You’ve ruined me, Princess. I can’t even get hard unless I’m thinking of you. I can’t cum unless it’s to the sound of your goddamn moans, I’ve tried. I’ve fucking tried,” he seethed. “Don’t fucking act like women are the only ones who can get attached.”

I swallowed against his hand. “You don’t seem the type to have…” My eyes flicked down and back up. “Issues.” Was he lying? I couldn’t tell over the feeling of my throbbing pussy.

His eyes flamed. He jerked me away from the wall, spun me around, and shoved me back into it.

I gripped the clothes, and he tore down my pants, my underwear before stepping into me, pressing his front into my back, his rough pants scraping against my soft skin.

He shoved the hair out of my face, pressing his lips against my ear. “I do have issues, Princess, just not when it comes to fucking you,” he growled, and I whimpered.

He slid his other hand between my legs, dragging his fingers up my slit, forcing a groan from my lips, my hips pushing back into him. “Look at you, all primed and ready.”

I slammed my fist into the wall as he leaned back just enough to undo his pants. “You fucked her like you fuck me,” I bit.

His lips found my ear again, one hand wrapped around his cock, the other sliding around my throat, pulling me back against him. “I don’t fuck anyone like I fuck you, Princess. Now, be a good girl and spread your legs for me.”

I shivered, his nose grazing the skin just under my ear. I had to bite my lip to suppress the moans as I shimmied my legs apart, painfully sliding my feet over my heels and sneakers.

He pushed his hips into mine, his cock teasing my cunt. “Remember,” he said, sliding in slowly, “we have a guest.”

I groaned through my teeth, pressing my forehead into the wall, my hips rocking back onto him. “Fuck,” I whimpered.

He jerked my head back against his shoulder. “Jealousy isn’t your color, baby,” he purred before sinking his teeth into my neck.

I bucked back into him, my pussy throbbing as he sucked painfully on my skin, my already bruised neck crying out for relief that I knew would never come.

Jack pulled back and slammed into me, his other hand sliding around my thigh, pinning me back against him as he set forth a painful rhythm. Hard, fast, uncaring that I had clothes and his hand suffocating me, that my pussy was spent after last night, that I was spent after last night.

“I’m going to keep using you up like I did all week, Rae,” he grunted into my ear, causing my stomach to tighten. “I don’t care how scared you are of being in that mindset, I’ll keep fucking doing it. Over,” thrust, “and over,” thrust, “and over again.” Thrust.

I moaned, angling my hips back a little more, arching my back, the head of his cock hitting right where it needed to. “Oh, God,” I cried.

“God’s gone.” He tightened his grip, cutting off my air, digging his nails into my thigh.

My mind sparked and cried out for air, spots dancing in my vision, my body tightening, my whimper cut off by his grip. I was going to faint, I was going to—

My body tightened.

He released my neck just as I came, blood rushing to my head. My body shook violently as he came inside me.

We were both panting, his grip softening around me as he slid them around my waist.

I sagged into the wall, my knees shaking, flinching when he pulled out of me.

“Just one for now,” he mumbled, carefully brushing my hair to the side. “We still need to talk.”

I closed my eyes, already exhausted, ready for a nap. I hadn’t recovered enough from last night to handle anything this early in the morning.

I hadn’t recovered from anything. Not since I met him. Not since I found out the truth.

“Princess,” he said gently.

I felt the tears fill my eyes, close my throat, and I shook my head, shivering. “I don’t know who I am anymore,” I whispered, my voice thick. How could I? Everything I had known. Everything I knew, it was all a lie. All of it. My mom, my half-brother, me. What was true in my life at this point? What about me was even real?

He stepped forward, his presence far less dark than it had been before. He pressed into me, dipping his head down next to mine, his hands sliding around my hips. “You are mine, that’s all that matters right now. My horror junkie who drinks too much coffee, not enough water and fights me every chance she gets. Stubborn as Hell, as beautiful as a summer day, and smart enough to know that your name isn’t your identity. Mine. You’re mine, Princess. That’s who you are.”

I breathed in, breathed out, feeling the hot tears fall down my cheeks, but not as much as I felt his heartbeat against my spine. His solid body against mine. Comforting, real.

“Mine,” he mumbled, the word drifting through me in waves of peace. In waves of ownership.

I was his.

Before I could stop myself, I turned around and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself up onto my tiptoes, into his arms.

His arms hovered, his body going stiff.

I pulled myself closer, inhaling the scent of his expensive cologne, melting into him. My name wasn’t my identity. I was his.

He finally, slowly, wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me into him, one hand sliding up to cup the back of my neck, something like a moan leaving his chest as he pushed me back against the wall, pressing me further into him until every piece of our bodies were touching.

I closed my eyes tightly and pulled my legs up, wrapping them around his waist, wondering when the last time he had been hugged had been. Had he ever been hugged? Did he have a mom too? Where was she?

“Oh, Princess,” he moaned against my neck, causing my pussy to throb again. “My Princess,” he whispered, kissing my neck slowly, passionately.

I released a breath, grinding my hips against his, feeling his cock harden again. “Jack,” I whimpered, unable to help myself as I rocked my hips up the length of his cock. “Fuck.”

His hands tightened into me, a growl escaping his throat. “We need to talk,” he rasped.

I leaned back just enough to meet his lips. “Hmm-mm,” I nodded, pressing my lips against his.

He snarled, shoving me against the wall, his tongue sliding against mine as I lifted my hips and slid onto him. I wrapped my hands around his throat, his sliding under my thighs, spreading me open, allowing his cock deeper access.

I groaned, rocking my hips forward as he deepened the kiss, my mind spinning. Fuck, this man had to be made of every addictive substance there was in this world because I couldn’t get enough of him. I needed him to breathe, to think, to live.

I bounced on his cock with everything I was, feeling him meet me with thrusts of his own.

I broke the kiss, gripping into his hair, my eyes finding his, our lips inches apart, his breath mixing with mine as he fucked me into the wall.

“You’re such a good girl for me,” he moaned, his eyes black with lust. “Aren’t you? Doing everything I want because of how much you need me.”

I nodded. “Yes,” I replied breathlessly. “Fuck, yes.”

“Then relax for me, Princess.”

I forced my muscles to relax, falling several inches, my legs sliding up, his arms hooking under my knees.

I cried out, his cock going deeper.

“That’s it,” he whimpered, his thrusts becoming faster, more erratic. “You’re doing so good for me. My good girl.”

My eyes rolled into the back of my head, my body tensing. “Fuck, Jack,” I groaned, my body jerking against his, my mind spinning.

He slammed his lips against mine, sinking his teeth into my lip, digging his nails into my thighs, slamming into my overly sensitive cunt over and over again.

He ripped his lips away only when he came, his cock throbbing inside of me.

I looked down, panting, watching as his cum slid down my thigh, a shiver running through me. Fuck that was hot.

I fell back into the wall, clinging to his shoulders as his eyes found mine. They softened as he carefully guided my legs down, lifted me off of him, and let me curl around him like a child.

“Come on,” he mumbled, sliding a hand over the back of my head, the other holding my ass. “We still need to talk.”

They could talk all they wanted, I wasn’t going to stay awake for all of it, I was sure.