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“Yes, that’s why,” he said, sidestepping around her to reach in and flick the shower on, adjusting the settings from his preferred cooler temperatures to her favored hotter-than-hell level of heat. “If I get in with you, my hands are gonna be all over your body. I’ll clean every inch of you from crack to crevice, then my mouth is gonna finish the job.”

Her pupils were dilated when he turned back to her, her mouth slack.

Merrick bent and touched his mouth to her ear. “I’ll fuck you, Tamsyn, right there against the wall, water beating down on us. Lift you up, spread you wide, and force my big cock into this sinfully tight cunt. It’ll hurt, little owl. You’ll stretch so far around me, you’ll wonder what the hell is stuffed in your pussy, filling you up so goddamn deep…” He inhaled slowly, savoring the image while knowing he wouldn’t be the man giving her that first vital sexual experience. “Be a good girl and take a shower, little owl. On your own.”

He kissed her forehead before walking out and almost fully closing the door. Bracing his back against the wall, he exhaled on a growl, releasing the pent-up frustration curdling his blood.

He was so screwed, it was unbelievable.

Finding someone to take her virginity wasn’t the hard part—the damn club was full of single—and attached—Doms who’d leap at the opportunity. He couldn’t even say choosing one of them was difficult, because there were only a handful of men he trusted within Serenity’s boundaries, and they were all Masters.

No, what was going to stick a wrench in his best-laid plans was convincing Tamsyn that this was the right thing to do. For her. Because she wasn’t going to like it any more than he did, but his options were limited.

Christ, they needed to talk.

It seemed like seconds passed before she emerged from the bathroom, hair dripping, and the towel wrapped haphazardly around herself. There was no arousal now, just tiredness, and it showed in the shuffle of her feet.

Merrick took her hand and led her to the bed. A gentle push on her slim shoulder sent her toppling, and she lay where she fell. He removed the towel and attacked her hair, rubbing it until it was damp rather than soaking wet, then dried the rest of her.

She was boneless when he eased her under the covers and tucked her in.

“I’ll check on you in an hour,” he told her quietly, but whether she heard him or not was debatable. From the way her face softened and her breathing slowed, he guessed she was already deep enough not to care about words.

He set out one of his shirts and her robe at the foot of the bed in case she woke.

When he returned to the living room, the carpet was spotless and the sadist wore a look of smugness. Even the acrid scent of vomit had been replaced by something that smelled like vanilla and citrus.

Anarchy had pulled her hair back into a ponytail, her legs crossed beneath her with her laptop precariously on her knees. She glanced up when he walked in. “Oh good, you’re back. Take a seat, Merrick.”

That didn’t bode well, he thought as he moved across to sit in his usual armchair.

“Your girl’s in shit up to her neck,” she said without preamble. “Unfortunately, she was born into it which makes it infinitely worse. Once someone passes all the checks and financial shit—or hacks their way into the website—Ridge Point’s entire agenda is laid out. Whoever set up and masked the website is at the top of their game. They’re smart, and due to the way they operate, there’s no risk of being picked up by the Feds because they’re not on the radar of any authority.”

“What, the Feds and the CIA don’t have their fingers in this pie?”

“They don’t even know this place exists.” Anarchy blew out a breath and set her hands on the arm of her chair. “If anyone pokes around, it’s a legitimate, off-grid community, but they don’t do anything to draw attention. Members who move there do so of their own accord. Alternative lifestyle, yadda blah. It’s what happens once they’re in there.”

“Okay. Tell me.”

“Once contracts are signed, they’re locked in. Private funds become a communal resource, used to maintain and expand the compound. They use the stock market, they pay taxes, everything is above board financially.” Her lip curled in disgust. “Morally, they’re corrupt. They’re very selective in who they accept as members—single men are preferable, but married couples are allowed. If they have kids, the children are taken into the indoctrination program—boys are educated, elevated to the higher ranks, brainwashed into believing the principals of the community.”

Merrick felt his hackles rise. “The girls?”

“No education. When I saidHandmaid’s Talelevel of shit, I meant it. They remain with their family, are reduced to products, essentially. They have no social life, are trained to be mindless little slaves who cook, clean, and have one purpose—to be a wife.” Anarchy was almost snarling now. “If a man sets his sights on aproducthe likes, he can offer a trade. They use their own monetary system, almost like credits, I guess, or they can barter skills. Daughters are a huge part of the trading system. Once a trade is agreed, contracts are signed and the girl is married off. The minimum age for a tradable product is twelve.”

The low growl from across the room told Merrick exactly what Jasper thought of that, and he was in full agreement. “They’re raping girls.”

“Not just raping them. There is no sexual contact allowed with products until the contract is signed. All products are traded with the guarantee that they’re virgins.”

Merrick’s blood ran stone cold.

“A trade is null and void if the husband is dissatisfied with the quality of his new wife. If he believes she is not pure, he gets his part of the deal back, and the inferior product is disposed of. If she doesn’t get pregnant, she is disposed of. If she doesn’t do everything he requires within the marriage…”

“They’re murdering girls, women.”

“Yes. It’s not written that way, of course, but you can read between the lines as well as I can. Children born into the community don’t exist in the outside world. Boys are given their version of a birth certificate in case they go on to be geniuses who can benefit the community using outside resources, but the girls… they don’t exist. There’s no record of them anywhere. They can disappear and no one cares.”

He thought of Tamsyn sleeping safely just a room away, and wanted to race back in to check she was still there.