Page 8

“Do you want to know how close I’ve come to punishing you because of your little games and smart mouth? You want to know why you’re still breathing?”
His questions are rhetorical, so there’s no point in answering. Even if I could.
“Because I have control,” he shouts, and I squeeze my eyes shut. “Say thank you, Makayla.” His hand falls from my throat.
“Thank you,” I choke out.
Still gripping my hair, he holds my head steady before smashing his lips to mine. Unable to turn away, I sob against his mouth.
Breaking the kiss, he presses his forehead to mine. “I don’t want to let you go, but I don’t have a choice.”
I don’t know what that means, but I don’t care. I just want him to get away from me. Releasing my hair, he cups my face. “I deposited some money into your account this morning. Consider it a graduation gift.”
His Jekyll and Hyde behavior is making my head spin. I press my lips together, my chest shaking with silent sobs.
Victor brushes his lips over mine, gently this time, and whispers, “I’ll send a car to drive you to your hotel.”
I stiffen, my eyes popping open. His lips curl into a knowing smirk. “Never underestimate your opponent, Makayla.”
He always wins.
Holding my breath, I stay rooted in place as Victor brushes past me, his footsteps carrying him away.
“See you around, kitten.”
A moment later, I hear the door click shut.
I don’t know how much time passes before I dare look over my shoulder and see I’m alone. I sink to the floor, and fall apart.
FOUR
X
My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I pull it out to see Victor’s name flashing on the screen. It’s only been a few hours since we made our deal.
Swiping my thumb across the screen, I bring the phone to my ear. “Don’t tell me you’ve had a change of heart?”
“She’s all yours,” he says, bitterly.
I practically choke in disbelief. “You could’ve given her the day to celebrate. Even I’m not that much of an asshole.”
“Who cares? You got what you wanted.”
Not yet, but soon.“And you’re getting what you want,” I retort. “Where is she?”
“She’s staying at the Heritage Bay Hotel,” he says with a hint of amusement.
This fucking guy.
“You dumped her at a hotel?”
“No.” He pauses. “She was living with me at the penthouse. She moved out while I was away.”
Smart girl.“I’ll take it from here.” I start to pull the phone away when I hear him call my name. “What?” I bark.
There’s a beat of silence before he says, “She’s not like Desiree.”
I huff out a laugh. “If I wanted a woman like Desiree, I’d have kept Desiree.”