Page 61 of Ever After
“Grayson, we need it to happen this way. He has to think he’s won. You’re either going to go along with the plan, or Marco is going to knock you out so you can’t intervene. It’s really up to you how we do this. We have everything under control, so you need to make sure no one interferes. It’s hard enough since we’re in New York now.”
“I have men coming to get us. Theywillfind us.”
She exchanges looks with Marco then looks back at me. “Call them off.”
“Not a chance in hell,” I spit. “You haven’t shown me any reason to trust you. You keep saying it, and now Finley is with that son of a bitch.”
She digs her phone out of her pocket and unlocks it, opening the keypad. “What’s the number? You need to call them off. Things are going to get ugly real fast, and I don’t want innocent people to get hurt in the process.”
“Untie my hands,” I counter.
She narrows her eyes at me. “No.”
Chapter Thirty
Finley
I wake up with a pounding headache and a vague recollection of the events of the evening. Blinking my eyes open, I look around the room. The setup is similar to my room atEver After—bed, dresser, whips and chains against the far wall, small bathroom, and a two-way mirror looking into the room.
“You’ve expanded your business,” I sass.
His chuckle comes from the bathroom before he saunters into view. I try to sit up but can’t. He has me tied down to the bed.
“Yes, sweetheart. I have a few locations, but I rarely use them. When I found out you were in New York, I was over the moon. I like this location, and the men that come here are more prominent and richer than in Chicago. However, I don’t usually sell pets in New York. This is used more as a… dumping ground, so to speak.” He rolls the sleeves of his dress shirt up to his elbows and sits on the corner of the bed.
I pull at the restraints. “Why not stay here full time then? Start the business up here? Why stay in Chicago?”
“You were my reason for staying in Chicago. I saw you and couldn’t get you out of my damn mind. I knew you’d be eager to please. You just needed someone to break you. And I knew I’d get to you eventually; it was just a matter of time. Now I have you, I might just relocate.” He runs his finger down the side of my face and throat. “Although, I doubt I’ll be left in peace here.”
I pull in a shaky breath. “Why not?”
“I’m not stupid. I know Grayson has men out here, trying to get you both. It’s not going to happen, though. After tonight, neither of you will be my problem.”
I can’t help the giggle that bubbles up and out. The crease between his brows deepens as I roll my eyes. “You make no sense to me. You’re desperate to get me, then you have me, and you can’t wait to sell me.”
“Sweetheart, I’d like nothing more than to keep you. I was serious when I told you I’d love to knock you up, mark you as mine.”
The words tumble out before I can stop them. “Then, why don’t you? If I’m stuck living in this hell hole, I at least know you won’t kill me!”
He shrugs and turns on the vibrator. “Let’s get you ready for tonight. I want you to be so needy that you’ll hump anything I tell you to.”
* * *
I driftin and out of consciousness for the next few hours. Chris has made me edge more times than I can count, and I’m so sensitive it borders on pain. I can’t help when my mind wanders to Grayson. Please, be okay. I don’t know what I will do if he doesn’t make it through this. Hell, I don’t know what I’ll do if Winston can’t get to us in time. I can’t think of that now. I need to keep my wits.
I’m unrestrained but stay as still as I can. He’s lying down behind me, enveloping me in his embrace. If I pretend hard enough, my imagination allows me to believe it’s Grayson, and I snuggle down a little further.
“What are you thinking about, Crimson?”
“Grayson,” I whisper. There’s no point in lying to him. I turn my head to watch his expression. His green eyes pierce through me like daggers, warning me to stop talking, but I don’t want to. “Please, let him go. You have me. You don’t need him, too.”
“He’s going to make me just as much money as you are tonight. No way could I let this opportunity slip by. Besides, I want to see his face when I tell him you’ve been sold off. I want to see it fall one more time.” He kisses my neck as if he’s my lover and has just given me the world.
“What did he do to you that makes you hate him so much?” I turn my body entirely in his embrace and toss my leg over his hip, gently rubbing myself over his growing length.
“He’s the reason my father disowned me. Marco and I took Sarah, and Grayson went on the warpath to find her. He started investigating dear old Dad, and that’s whenEver Afterwas discovered. Dad didn’t know all the details of it.” He rolls onto his back, taking me with him, and laughs. “My father was an idiot, that’s for sure.
“When he found out whatEver Afterreally was, he tried to shut me down, told me I’d be better off dead. So that’s what I did. I faked my death, but had enough connections atTemptressto keep the operation going.”