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He held me firmly in place. His fingers tightened, pressing against the throbbing vein in my neck. Vega's face was inches from mine. I could smell the mint on his breath and the musk of his cologne.

I wanted to speak, but the pressure was too great. All I could do was gasp with airless words. Vega's eyes darted between mine. They were dark, glinting like gunmetal under the low light. His jaw was covered in stubble, and his hair swept across one eye.

“I'm going to tell you one more time. Give me your hands.” I held up both arms. “Good girl.” Vega released my throat and tied the rope around my wrists. He wrapped the other end around his hand and walked forward, tugging me behind him like a dog on a leash.

The building was old. What I thought was a rundown hotel was actually an old factory. The hall opened up to a giant room. We were on the second floor. Beside me was a flaking greenrailing. Below us was a cauldron that had to be twenty feet high with a diameter as wide as an above-ground swimming pool.

“What is this place?” I asked.

“It's an old soap factory, been shut down for years. I bought it a little while back. It works great to keep things under the radar.”

“You bought it?”

Who was this man? If he had the kind of money to buy a factory, why take me? What was the purpose? What could I give him that he didn't already have?

“What? Do I not look rich enough to make a big purchase?”

“People can be all kinds of things beneath the surface. Clothes don't mean shit.”

That was one thing I did know. I learned it firsthand from my father and the people who worked for him, the politicians he bribed, and the police he paid off to look the other way. You grow up thinking that people are exactly who they say they are, and then one day, you see the truth. The veil gets lifted and the world you knew is gone.

“For once, we agree on something,” Vega said. “Humans are chameleons.”

The metal floor was cold beneath my feet. My toes prickled like I was standing on a solid block of ice. “What kind of work do you do?”

“The kind that's none of your fucking business.” Vega gave the rope a tug as he got a few steps ahead of me. “Enough with the questions.”

I stopped talking and took note of every door and window. The windows were fogged up and high above my head. There wasn't a chance in hell I could climb to one and jump out. There were several doors, but it was hard to tell if any of them were an exit.

“The shower is in here.” Vega pushed through a doorway.

The hinges creaked loudly as the door swung inward and slammed loudly as it closed. The room was covered in clean white tiles. There wasn't a spec of dirt anywhere to be seen. It appeared as sterile as a hospital. A far cry from the filthy room I was being kept in. Vega pulled me all the way to the corner of the room.

“Where's the shower?” I asked.

“Right there,” he said as he jerked his head.

There was a drain built into the floor, and a shower head with hot and cold handles was built into the wall. A small basket with soap and shampoo was on the floor against the wall, and a towel hung on a rack right above it. The tiles were as bright as if you stared straight at the sun. Blinding and vibrant despite having no color.

“You have ten minutes.” Vega released the tether.

“I can't shower like this,” I said as I held up my tied hands. “Can you untie me, please?”

He pursed his lips but reluctantly agreed. “Don't try anything stupid.”

“I won't.” I thought he would give me some privacy, but Vega only turned around to face the opposite direction. “Aren't you going to leave?” I asked.

“Why? So you can try to escape? Not a chance in hell.” Vega answered quickly without a second thought.

“I can't shower with you standing right there,” I proclaimed, instinctively covering myself with my arms. I wasn't naked, but just the thought of having to shower with him right there made me feel completely exposed. “Some privacy would be good.”

“Fine. Then you don't shower. I'll bring you back to your room.”

Vega turned and started to reach for me, but I said, “Okay. Alright. I'll shower. Just promise me you're going to stay facing the other way and not be a pervert.”

“Pervert? Did you forget I was inside you already?” Vega ran his finger under his nose and inhaled a deep breath. “I think I can still smell you on my skin.”

My brows angled hard as my pussy clenched with the reminder. My body was defying me. I didn't want to think of the pleasure he had given me. “Promise me,” I demanded.