Page 18 of He Should Be Mine

And I get to walk by his side. It feels unreal.

Before I get too giddy, I turn my attention to the glitzy shops. It’s hard to believe that I can waltz into any one that takes my fancy. Gone are the days of pressing my nose against the glass and staring wistfully. Now, I can have everything that I want.

Rick has given me a black credit card, and so far, he hasn’t complained about the bill. Not that I get to go out much to use it. But I’ve not been exactly frugal with online shopping.

Everything I used to dream of, all of the hopes that seemed so childish and foolish, they have all come true. I am a sugar baby to a stupidly wealthy man.

A small sigh escapes me. If only reality was as glamorous as the dream. In my fantasies, being a sugar baby didn’t mean having my freedom curtailed. In my dreams, I liked my sugar daddy. But now I feel far more like a prisoner than a princess.

‘Ungrateful brat.’

That’s what Dario called me. Even now, the memory makes me wince. His words had stung. They had cut entirely too close to the bone and unearthed everything I was trying not to feel.

It’s probably why I lost my shit.

But that doesn’t mean he’s wrong. I have everything I ever dreamed of, and I’m moaning and whinging about it. That does make me an ungrateful brat.

Even though I’m right to not like Rick. Dario can’t see it, he is too blinded by disdain, but Rick is a very dangerous man.

Not in the way that Dario is dangerous. Nothing like that at all. Dario has killed people, I’m sure of it. I’m alsosure it was because he had to. It wasn’t because he enjoyed the sounds his victims made.

Rick has a darkness in his soul that gleams in his eyes. A cruelty that lives inside him. He is broken, twisted and wrong.

I’m not sure I’m getting out of this alive.

A shudder wracks my entire body, despite the summer heat. The chill lingers in my spine. I shake it off. Today is a good day, a fun day. There is no place for morose thoughts.

If Rick is going to murder me, all the more reason to seize the day and enjoy life while I can.

“This one!” I call brightly as I point to a very exclusive clothes shop. Then I dart inside before Dario has a chance to argue.

As I step inside the shop, I’m bathed in cool, crisp, clean air-conditioned air. It’s a stark contrast to outside.

I push my sunglasses up on my head. It’s quiet in here too. The thick glass and heavy walls block out the noise of the people and traffic on the street.

It even smells good. And there is a faint tinkling of some piano music. The pale carpet is plush under my feet.

All-in-all it’s enough to give a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, a flash of anxiety. Part of me doesn’t think I belong in places like this.

The woman approaching me has a smile on her face, and she is holding two glasses of champagne.

She clearly thinks I do belong here. Or more likely, she can see that Dario does.

She hands us the champagne. “How can I help you?”

I suck in a breath. This isn’t exactly H&M. There are only a handful of curated outfits on display. The rest ofthe shop is all clean, Instagram-worthy aesthetics. I can see a changing room, but I’m not really sure how this works.

“I want to try on everything!” I exclaim.

The shop assistant shoots Dario a look.

“Don’t worry,”I interject. “My daddy can afford me.” I say with a wink as I tilt my head towards Dario.

She blinks slowly and then nods carefully. “Of course, sir. Please make yourself comfortable while I prepare everything.” She turns gracefully and hurries off.

Hmm, she took that disappointingly well. I sip the ice-cold champagne and turn to look at Dario. His expression is merely long suffering. How very disappointing. Apparently, I need to up my game.

Does he not even remember that,I can afford you,is one of the very first things he said to me? Is he not at all bothered by me implying that he is my daddy?