Page 117 of He Should Be Mine

I don’t move. I can’t. The fear has locked me in place.

He tilts his head. “You’re scared of me tonight.”

I don’t deny it.

He leans in and whispers, “Good.”

He rises and walks toward the balcony, leaving me trembling on the couch. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s to let me stew in it. Maybe to see if I’ll follow. I stay where I am.

When he returns, the false smile is gone.

“I don’t like sharing my toys, Molly,” he says.

“I know, Daddy.”

“I’m the one who found you. Who cleaned you up. Who gave you this life.”

I nod. Even though it is all lies. Dario is the one who found me. And I never needed cleaning up.

“You wouldn’t survive out there without me. You know that, right?”

I nod again. It is what he wants and I’m an expert in giving customers what they want.

He crouches down in front of me, tilts my chin up with two fingers. His green eyes gleam like a snake’s. I cannot see any humanity in them at all.

“You’re mine,” he says.

“Yes,” I whisper.

Time pauses for a moment. The candles flicker low, casting amber shadows across the floor. The music, slow, syrupy jazz, winds through the apartment like smoke.

Rick rises from his crouch and offers me his hand.

“Dance with me,” he says.

I hesitate for half a heartbeat, then slide my fingers into his.

His palm is cool. Steady. Unyielding.

I rise and let him draw me into the center of the room, into the soft pool of candlelight. My limbs feel like stone. Like I’ve been carved from something ornamental and hollow.

He pulls me in too close. One of his hands settles back on my waist, ready to slide down to my ass. The other cradles my hand like it’s a possession. His thumb traces circles over my knuckles.

There’s no space to breathe. No room to move. Just Rick’s body, pressed flush against mine, and the weight of expectation pinning me in place.

We sway. Slowly. Elegantly. As if this were romantic. As if it meant anything sweet.

His lips brush the shell of my ear. “You’re still being quiet.”

I hum something in response. Noncommittal. Careful. I don’t think he really wants my loud bratty persona tonight.

“I know when you’re hiding something.”

My heart skips.

He tilts his head, smiling like this is all a game. “Have you been a good boy while I’ve been away?”

I nod. “Of course, Daddy.”