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“What are you doing here? They said—” Her voice cracks. She clears her throat. “They said this is it. This is my new home. But it isn’t, right?” I hear hope in her question. This feels like a good outcome for her. She thinks she can manipulate me because I called her a good girl last night. Wrong. “You’re taking me to the person who bought me?”

“Sonnet.” Finally, now that we’re alone, I can call her that without looking over my shoulder. I rip the offensive bag off her head. I have to see her. “I’m the man who bought you.”

Her eyelashes flutter. One last tear trickles from the corner of her eye.

Her cheeks flush.

Then reality sinks in.

Her parted lips curve down into a scowl. She lifts her bound hands to her chest. “No. No one’s bought me. I’m my own person, you bastard.”

I want those lips wrapped around my cock. Want her tears and anger as she sucks me. When I fuck her throat so hard that she cries. When she swallows every drop of my cum.

It’s the only reason why I’m here, really.

The only one, other than punishing her.

My lungs burn. I realize that I’m not breathing. That I’m mad.

She’s managed to put me in a difficult position again.

This need. This longing.

It ends here.

I’m going to strip her of her power. For good.

“Yes.” I make a fist in her hair. Pull her up to her knees. I lean down until we’re face-to-face, watching her glistening eyes. I’ll have more of these tears. As many as I can coax out of her. “You and me. You’re my property. Bought and paid for.”

With funds from one of my off-shore shell companies, a piece of information I don’t and won’t share with her.

Her brow furrows. “Was Topher in on this?”

Out of every fucking thing she could’ve said, she’s had to bring up my son.

I was upset before. I’m fiercely jealous now.

How dare she ask that.

How dare she do that to me.

“Topher isn’t here.” Pushing her head to the side, I lean in to drag my tongue along her cheek. I savor the taste of her tears. “Doesn’t know you’re here, either. Other than the two people who brought you here, no one does.”

“Why did you do this?” She shivers at my touch, then steels herself when I pull her back to face me. “Why did you bid on me? You could’ve just set me free.”

“I didn’t bid on you. Bidding means I might’ve lost.” Her laden, terrified breaths turn me right the fuck on. Instead of bending her over for a quick fuck that’d ruin the fun, I taste her other cheek. Brush my lips over her ear. Marvel in her tremor. “I do not lose. I bought you. I own you. You’ll do well to remember that.”

“Am I going to die here?” Ophelia blinks furiously. She’s as upset as she’s worried, and these emotions rule her. These emotions cause tears to well in her eyes again. Her body responds to me, and it’s a beautiful thing. “Is that why you bought me? To kill me?”

The kind thing would be to tell the truth.

But I’m not a kind man.

“Maybe. Probably.” I use my thumb to rub a fresh tear off her cheek. Then another. “Don’t worry, though. There’ll be time for that later. After I’m done playing with you.”

12

OPHELIA