Page 51 of Make Me Bleed

“What?” I ask distractedly as he spins around and props said bare ass against the sink, hands still bound. My gaze drops to his softened cock, half-covered by the lace thong adorning his crotch, and fuck, my face heats seeing him wear something like that.

“The first time,” he replies. “You said you’d pay me, and you never did.”

“Money?” I bark, feeling a little incredulous. After everything… “Is that what you want from me, Abel? You want me to just be another client to you?” My hands fist at my sides, heart thrashing in my throat.

That seems to give him pause. His darkened brows furrow, a deep wrinkle forming between them. “Can you unchain me?”

“What?”

He spins around and exposes the chain to my eyes again, and I swallow. “Yeah.” And then, I unclip it and let it slip into my palm with ease. I run my finger along the indents in Abel’s wrists. The grooves are incredible, and I want to the see them impressed all over his body.

But alas.

We can never have what we want.

Abel spins back around and begins to rub at his wrists as he stares down at the dirty floor. The thumping of the music seems to crash into the small room in waves now that we’re not consumed by one another, and it’s nearly deafening.

I reach into my pocket and light a cigarette, offering one to Abel, which he takes with a small, half smile.

“That’s not what I want,” he says after what feels like forever, and I almost forgot what we were talking about.

I guess we’re doing this, postcoital in a dive bar bathroom, of all places.

I sigh loudly. Again, too fucking sober for this shit. “Then, why bring it up?”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s not what I need,” he says sharply.

That draws me up short.Need?

“What?”

“I need some… separation.” His fingers clamp around the edge of the sink.

“Separation,” I scoff and blow out smoke. “What the fuck does that even mean?”

“It means that you get too fucking close too quickly, and I need some goddamn space already! You’ve only been in my life two seconds, and I’ve already broken my rules for you, Peris.”

My heart flips painfully. “And let me guess, that’s somehow my fault?”

Abel’s eyes widen. “When the hell did I say it was? Quit making assumptions. I only said I needed some separation.”

“Yeah,” I scoff loudly and cross my arms over my chest. “You wanna tie me up with those fucks you fuck for money. That’s what you wanna do, isn’t it? Make me one of them?”

He shoves to his feet and yanks his pants up quickly, as if suddenly remembering he was having this argument mostly naked. “That’s whatyouwanted when you first walked up to me, in case you don’t fuckingremember!”

“Oh, I remember. How could I forget seeing you sitting there, waiting to befucked,” I sneer the words, lip curled in disgust, and Abel justsmiles.

“No different than how you’ve always known me then, huh, Peris? I’ve always been waiting to be fucked, in caseyou’rethe one not remembering.”

I step forward into his space. “Oh, I do. All too fucking well.”

He swipes his pierced tongue out across his bottom lip. “That sounds like your problem.” And then, he shoves past me and unlocks the door. The wave of music that comes blaring through the now open door is deafening.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” I say as I stomp after him.

“Anywhere that gets me the hell away from you,” he snipes back and steps past groups of people lined up along the walls. I shove my way through, getting elbows in return, but I don’t care. I only have eyes on Abel as he walks away from me yet again.

“Abel,” I growl, but of course, he continues to ignore me as he makes his way out of the bar and onto the less crowded city street. He stomps down the sidewalk, arms crossed tightly over his chest to ward off the chill as I follow after him.