Page 9 of Bought

“I will always be the one in control. The one to command. The one to punish. And you will obey me.” I lower my head to her ear. “Now, take off the rest. Or I’ll do it for you.”

From the pocket of her coat, a phone rings.

CHAPTER THREE

Erin

My heart is still pounding against my ribcage from the kiss, and it beats double time with the music. Why is Cass calling? What do they need? Has something gone wrong?

“That’s another rule,” he says. “No personal phone calls.”

“Tough,” I snap.

Rushing away from him, I bend down and scoop up the coat. I pull it on, covering my scantily clad body as I fumble through its pockets.

Stepping outside for privacy, I answer the phone with a quick, “Hey,” just before it goes to voicemail.

The apartment door shuts behind me, and I finally take a breath.

Not because I was scared. That wasn’t fear back there. It was something worse.

Desire.

And now, this call. It has to be an emergency. She knows better than to call otherwise.

She’s calling my name. “Rin! Erin, are you still there?”

“Yes, sorry. What’s going on?”

“I had this strange feeling! I just had to check on you.”

“What?” I exhale, unsure whether I feel relieved or angry. Maybe both. “God! Cass! You can’t just—call me—when you get a weird feeling! You know I’m…with a client.”

“A client,” she snorts. “More like a pervert. What’s so wrong with him that he has to pay for sex?”

His face appears in my mind. Beautiful and cold.

“Nothing.”

“Yeah right. If you stay, you’ll see for yourself soon enough?—”

I hiss into the phone. “I haven’t had the chance! Maybe I could figure out what’s wrong with him if you’d just let me!”

“Sorry,” she breathes. “I was just worried.”

“I know.” I stare at the door. “I have to go. I’ve got a job to do.”

Another pregnant pause fills the conversation.

“Don’t do this, Erin,” Cass pleads.

I think about her, Ryan, and the tough choices we’ll soon have to face if I don’t. I must.

I force a smile. “I want to. Honestly, he’s not bad. He’s actually really good looking?—”

“Ugh,” she groans. “You’re really going to do this?”

“Yes.”