Page 146 of On Edge

I can’t look at Troy. I try to focus on what he’s saying, but it slices too close to the bone. When he barks orders, I jump to obey. When he touches me, I roll over and beg for more. This is not what I want out of marriage. Not what I want from the person I’m meant to be with for the rest of my life.

Are you sure,Nell snickers.

Oh, go away!

“Well, obedient is hardly a flaw. Sage has always been so...manageable. Even when she was poorly,” my mother says, shoving a piece of bread into her mouth. I stare at her. There’s a dab of white powder under her nose—no wonder she’s being chatty today.

“I think you’d be surprised, Mel,” Troy says, slipping inside me. “Can I call you Mel? Sage has a remarkable talent for a lot of things.”

My father’s soup spoon pauses halfway to his mouth.

My mother leans in. “Like what?”

“Finding things out. Quite tenacious, really. She’s very curious about the history of my house.” Troy looks at me, his eyes glinting in the candlelight. “So many lost things hidden in old houses. I never have to worry about finding anything because she seems quite good at digging them up.” He pushes inside me, slow and intentional, not taking his eyes off me. “Aren’t you, love?”

“I-It’s a fascinating property.” I manage to keep my voice steady. “So much history.”

Troy smirks, continuing to thrust into me. A deep ache has started to build. His hand, the chair, must be drenched by now.

“Indeed.” My father sets his spoon down with a softclink. “But some things are best left forgotten. You can’t change the past.”

I’m gripping the table now, no longer listening. Intense pleasure flutters at my core as Troy brings me to the point of no return.

“No, you can’t,” Troy says, his voice silk over steel. “But you can try.”

My legs tremble, and then the orgasm rushes over, in silence, with everyone around us conversing amongst themselves, eating soup, Troy cupping my pussy like he’s holding me together, keeping me from falling apart.

Troy has a smirk on his face when I’m done. I feel flushed as he pulls my panties up and then picks up an artisan cake with his fingers that were just inside me, and offers it to me to eat. “Here, try this.”

“Oh, Sage, you simply must try it. It’s on the menu for tomorrow,” Gwen gushes.

How can I not?

After the starter, I get up from the table and hurry to the ladies. I’m a mess when I see myself; eyes wide and blown, cheeks that are too pink, my chest rising and falling like I’ve been at spin class instead of sitting and eating dinner. I splash cold water on my face, fix my damp underwear, and then head back.

I hear my father talking to the man with blonde hair and blue eyes when I sit back down, as though he’s buttering him up. “Mr. Black, you need to come visit my operation in Southwark. I think you’ll find it very interesting. You might learn a thing or two.”

Southwark.

That’s where the location data said Troy was the night my sister disappeared.

My father has a pet food factory in Southwark. I’d forgotten about that. I think that’s why Troy was there. Was he doing business with my father?

Or looking for me,Nell whispers.

“Sage?” Troy’s voice pulls me back. “You’re very quiet.”

“Sorry. I’m just thinking about…tomorrow.” I force a smile. “It’s all moving so fast. I don’t think I’ve fully taken in what’s about to happen.”

Troy takes my wrist and holds my hand on his lap. He’s rock hard for me in his trousers.

“Cold feet?” he asks softly, just low enough that only I can hear. But his thumb is stroking my pulse point, making every heartbeat thunder inside my head. The urge to grip him in my hand is almost too much.

“No. Not cold feet.”

Because this is just a business agreement between him and me, that’s all this is. He wanted my sister. Now he’s got to deal with me instead. He wants me, but he’s a guy with a dick. Men like him always want sex. His being hard for me right now, his cock straining, means nothing. Maybe after this, I will go to Laine’s, as he suggested. Because the alternative is going back with my parents, and now that they’re here, reminding me of what it’s like to be around them, I can’t do that.

I extract myself from him as the main course arrives, a game bird that makes me think of Troy’s hunting exploits. The trophies hanging on the walls around Grayfleet. Instantly, I’ve lost my appetite.