Page 31 of Survival

“Are we really going to do this again?” hesaid, rolling his eyes. “Did you learn nothing from the last timeyou tried to pick a fight with me?”

“I recall that fight being underunreasonable and unfair circumstances,” I replied, glaring athim.

“I never said it was fair. But thecircumstances are what they are, so get used to them.”

“The only thing I’ll get used to is rammingthisbodown your throat,” Iseethed.

“Good luck.” He laughed wholeheartedly.

“You're so fucking full of yourself, ya knowthat?”

“If you don’t watch your smart mouth, you’regoing to be full of me in a second,” he threatened with thatmenacing glare of his.

“Try it. See what happens to you.”

“Don’t challenge me, Jaden. You’re alreadygoing to lose this one. I’d hate to hurt your pride any more thanI’m already going to.”

“Like you give a shit about my pride,” Icountered.

He laughed at me then. “I suppose that’strue.”

After a moment ofsilence,I let my words fly. “Just why the fuck am Ihere, huh? I’m sure you have no problem finding women who arewillingto be with you.” I was stalling now, but I wastrying to regulate my oxygen level and regain some energy.

“You want to talk about that here? Now?”

“Why the hell not? I’d like to hear itbefore I end you.”

He laughed hard then, and it was pissing meright the fuck off.

“You know, you’re so adorable.” He chuckled.“Like … a cranky baby tiger, all cute and fierce at the same time …but never a real threat,” he ended darkly.

Now, he was just insulting me. A baby tiger?Really?

“I wouldn’t patronize me if I were you,” Ishot back at him.

He was serious now. “You’d better get usedto it, little girl. For the rest of your life, that’s all you’regoing to know.”

“Don’t count on it,” I dejected.

“You see, this is why I chose you,” he said,casually waving his free hand in my direction. “Yes, you’re right,I can have any woman I want, and believe me, I have had many women,but none of the hours I’ve spent with them can compare to a singlemoment spent with you. They can never give me what you can, whatyouwillgive me. I can’t stand weakness, Jaden, and that'swhat all those other women have been. Weak. I need someone strong,someone worth the fight, someone I can appreciate and respect.After everything I’ve put you through, you’re still able topersevere,and I love that aboutyou.”

He had to be fucking joking. Yes, I was astrong person and I was very aware of that, but he wasn’tpresenting all the facts that were becoming so obvious to me. Hemight love my strength, but only because it made the satisfactionall themoresweeter when he toreit down and replaced it with fear. Fear of him. I found it veryhard to believe I was the only candidate in this entire world tofill that position for him.

“You’re gonna tell me that out of thebillions of women on this godforsaken planet, you couldn’t find asingle one who was in any way like me?”

“Not a single one,” he said, shaking hishead slightly.”

“Maybe you should have stopped shopping downBarbie Boulevard then.”

He chuckled at that one. “Maybe, but thenyou just happened to fall right into my lap. Search over.”

“I didn’t fall anywhere. I was taken, youasshole!”

“And look how fortunate that turned out tobe.”

“God, you are such a self-righteous piece ofshit,” I said and started waving myboback and forth in figure eights on either side of mybody. I was ready to finish this.

“You’re gonna regret that,” he said, nowmoving hisboback and forth overhis hand.