Page 46 of Point of Contention

“Want to know what I have planned, little girl?”

I did not. The way he saidlittle girlmade my skin crawl.

Release his grip on the woman to his left, he trailed the tip of his middle finger over the draping cowlneck of my camisole, from one strap to the other, then pulled the pale pink satin down to free one nipple.

I sucked in a breath as he tweaked it painfully hard between his thumb and forefinger, but instead of sending a rush of heat to my core, it sent ice through my veins.

Dread twisted in my belly.

My muscles went rigid.

I was caught in a predator’s snare, and my heart beat accordingly. Fast, and loud in my ears.

He leaned in, still squeezing my nipple. Holding me in place.

I was locked somewhere between the glacier freeze of his eyes and the painful heat of his grip.

“I’m going to gag you first.” He pulled my nipple, bringing me closer to him as I leaned into the pain to try to alleviate it. “I’m going to bruise your tits. Too small to do much else with them.” He released my nipple and I exhaled a breath of relief, then he smacked his hand against my breast and I gasped as pain spread out from the place of impact. “Then I’m going tobreakyou into pieces until there is nothing left for your precious Master Creed to recognize.”

My eyes widened and I pulled my head free of his hand, then slid quickly from the booth, adjusting my top as I rose to my feet.

His eyebrows crept up his forehead, but he didn’t look all that shocked at my response.

He wasamused, the fucking asshole.

My jaw clenched.The nerve of this guy. I looked at the blonde next to him, who smiled wickedly, then I straightened my shoulders and returned my attention to him.

“Not a chance in hell,” I growled.

“You keep speaking of this hell,fitta…” He stretched his arms along the back of the booth and tilted his head back, looking down his nose at me. “Maybe I will take you there.”

My mouth dropped open.

He closed his eyes as the blonde’s arm moved faster beneath the table, then opened them again and pinned me with that disturbing blue gaze. And, because he needed to be even more of an asshole, he raised his hand and shooed me away. “Off you go,little girl.”

Motion caught my eye as one of the dungeon guards moved toward me, but I met his gaze and shook my head. I didn’t need help and I definitely didn’t need to make a scene.

With my pride in scraps on the floor, I held my head high and left The Rabbit Hole.

If I ever did return, it would be with someone I knew.

And trusted.

And, hopefully, loved.

But not until then. Never again until then.

Chapter Sixteen

Cabot

I’d like to say my call to the maintenance team was strictly because I wanted to make the employee experience better for those who worked within Reed Enterprises, that Rylan’s return to the tower and my hovering in the lobby was just a coincidence. But I wasn’t a liar.

I also didn’t need to oversee the elevator upgrades, but here I was.

As I observed the men while they worked on the slowest of the three elevators, I glanced between my watch and the lobby entrance so frequently I’d likely have a kink in my neck by the time she arrived.

I shouldn’t be down here. I was well aware that Rylan wanted to finish out the remaining eight weeks of her internship without any interruption from me, but I was a selfish asshole and I couldn’t rusticate myself to my office until I caught a glimpse of her.