Page 17

(17-years-old)

I'm sitting on Marcus’s lap, feeling his hard on dig into my thigh. To make matters worse, we are in a room full of people for a last-minute meeting, and Rex is one of them. He still comes around with his father, and watches me, or tries to sneak words in with me when no one is looking. He says he likes me, but I think I see him as more of a friend. Maybe I'm broken.

He hugged me once and I was so scared that Marcus would find out, so I pushed him away. He watches me now with longing and pity in his eyes. Everyone knows I belong to Marcus; he made the announcement shortly after our visit in his office a year ago. I just hope no one thinks I want to be sitting here.

Blithe is in here too. He hardly contains the fury he's feeling at my current position. Marcus has used the collar against him on more than one occasion to get him to settle down, when he voices concern.

Marcus’s hand comes around and begins stroking my thigh suggestively. At this point his touch doesn't threaten to make me crawl at of my skin, having grown used to it. However, I still have to hold in a gag every time. I get nauseous easily when I think about the things he will do to me next year. I'm scared. It takes a lot to scare me.

I hate him.

Blithe scoots to the edge of his seat as if he's going to will the hand away somehow. I discretely shake my head at him and hope he will stand down.

I hate when the collar is used on him, Cami, or Anya. I'm in a constant state of feeling like I'm failing everyone. I've taken to cutting the skin of my thigh open with Lola. I don’t want to be here anymore, but I can't leave them all to fend for themselves, so I stick it out.

Sometimes I'm able to make things easier on them and earn us extra privileges. If I'm good, Marcus isn’t too hard on them, and lets us out of the compound more, other than job purposes. We have an escort detail and trackers inside of the collars of course, but it's still a slice of freedom.

Last time Marcus burned and shocked Blithe with the collar, I was able to get him to stop in under ten seconds. It was a new record, and I was proud of it. Only I had to sleep in the same bed as him that night. My intrusive thoughts tell me that helping Blithe wasn’t worth it because of that, but I won't listen to them. It isn’t like he touched me sexually or anything. He just made me lay my head on his chest and called me pet names until he fell asleep. It was his groans and barely contained grabby hands that had my blood pressure spiking that night.

“How was your delivery Mr. Carter? No issues, I presume?”

Marcus asks Rex’s father.

Mr. Carters gaze briefly cuts to me and it doesn't go unnoticed.

My chest feels like it's caving in on me. I swear my heart rate would rival that of an athletes at this rate.

Why the fuck did he look at me?

Marcus’s snakes his arm around my waist and tugs me flush against him.

“Is there a problem?”

His nose skims down my cheek as he waits for Mr. Carter to explain himself. I have to tighten my muscles to keep from shivering.

“I was wondering if you might be able to find someone else to play with?”

Oh fuck... He's insane. My eyes flick to Rex and he sits casually as if nothing is unusual as of late. I'm as stunned as everyone else in the room when the next words leave his mouth. “I'd like to purchase Harlyn.”

Now, I have become a master at masking emotions, but I cannot help the way my eyes pop out and my jaw drops open. He wants to what?

“Excuse me?”

Mr. Carter ignores that. “Name your price.”

The grip Marcus has on me is bruising and I struggle to keep my breathing in check. When he responds, it's through clenched teeth, his fury palpable.

“He isn’t for sell.”

“I'm willing to part with the shipping dock on fourth, sell straight out of dollhouse which I've previously refused, and pay 27million.”

Dollhouse is the strip club he owns. It gets a lot of revenue, and he didn’t want to mix business and bring potential heat from the feds. This must mean a lot to him. One look at Rex and his now eager expression tells me this was his doing.

My heart races for a new reason. Nobody has ever cared enough to do something so stupid for me before. Rex did though, and even though I know it's for not, it's sweet and all for me.

Marcus releases a condescending thunderous laughter. It's not a good thing and my eyes shut briefly to prepare for the worse. Like Mr. Carters head on a spike.

“First of all, that shipping dock belongs to your son, so I assume this is all his doing?”

Neither confirm, which makes Marcus chuckle. “Tell me, Rex. What is it about Harlyn that you love so much? His pretty skin?”

He runs a gentle hand down my face. “His beautiful hair?”

He twirls it in a finger. “Or his delicious fucking body...” He seems to loose himself as he rubs said body, and his dick twitches underneath me once more. “Doesn't matter.” His movements halt. “If you saw the monster that lays dormant under his exquisite exterior, you would run for the hills. Why don’t you find a nice boy to date and get the fuck out of my compound.” Guns from around the room are now aimed in their direction. “Now, I like doing business with you Mr. Carter, you make me a lot of money. But if you ever spring some shit like this on me again, I'll kill you without blinking.”

I'm hoisted off of his lap and snatched from the room immediately. His strides are long and I'm thankful for my growth spurt to keep up with him.

He brings me to his office and shuts the door before he leaning against it with two fingers between his brows, showcasing his irritation.

“Marcus, I had no idea-”

He hold a hand up, dismissing me. I cannot have my family punished for this. Because that’s what he does. He punishes them for my misgivings, and I'm terrified for what’s to come on their behalf.

I miss the days when he would burn the fuck out of my neck until I silently wish for death, and then shock the thought right out of me because I can't think anymore.

He is fast, so when I'm lifted from the floor by his big hand circling my throat, it's no surprise.

“Have you been fraternizing with that boy, my love?”

“N-n-no.”

I can't fucking breathe.

“Then why does he wish to take what is mine? Have I not done enough for you? I give you and your family special privileges that others do not have. I make sure you have the best meals, and better living accommodations. Do you think anyone else has a private apartment in the compound, huh?”

A blow to the side of my head, that feels like it cracked my skull comes next. “ANSWER ME!”

“No! I'm grateful.”

It comes out a wheeze.

I wish nothing more than to destroy this sick motherfucker, but my family is out there somewhere. He has me right where he always does. Fucking stuck in hell.

A look of horror is on his face when I glance up from my place on the ground. I suppress a sigh. The crazy asshole always feels bad after he strikes me. I'm engulfed in his arms the next second and he pets me like a dog.

“I didn’t mean it, my love. I just get so angry at the thought of them taking you away from me. We have waited so long for us, and there's only a little under a year left until we can make it official. We can marry and never part, on your eighteenth birthday. What do you say, my love?”

My life has never been my own. From the moment I drew my first breath, I belonged to someone else. I have resented it and myself for as long as I can remember.

I close my eyes, feeling resigned. His nasty fingers brush hair away from my face before he cradles it, like he cares.

“You know I'm sorry. Come one, let’s get you cleaned up. You can stay with me tonight and we can have a nice dinner, hm?”

I nod because it's not like I can say no. Lola sits in my waistband itching to be used and I'm reminded of how Marcus could rival my mother.

∞∞∞

I'm surrounded by love and hugs the moment I walk through the door of our apartment in the compound. Anya and Cami sniffle as they squeeze my middle, and Blithe drops kisses all over my head and face. They are wet and gross, so I pull away with a laugh and try escaping him. When he smiles I know he was trying to lighten the mood.

You do that anyways by existing.

“Hungry?” He signs.

“Nah, I've eaten enough to feed a fucking cow.”

B cringes because he knows Marcus loves to feed me.

“What were yall up to anyways?” I ask.

Anya jumps up and down with excitement. In the privacy of these walls, her and Cami are able to be free and act like children. When we step out it's back to business.

“Dad was telling us another story about Ressyn!”

“Oh?”

I look at Blithe and motion for him to carry on. His cheeks pinken because he's fucking puddy for that man and I love to tease him for it.

Don’t get me wrong, he's one scary son of a bitch. Marcus has nothing on him without these collars he’s chained us with. I can say with certainty I'm not sure who would come out alive if B and I were ever pinned against one another. Not that it would occur, but just saying. I'm usually quite confident in myself, but he’d give me a run for my money before he killed me.

When Ressyn is in the conversation he gets this look about him, all sunshine, and rainbows. It suites the situation since his endearment had been sunshine for Ressyn. Now he’s taken to calling Anya that instead.

“Piss off.”

He gives me a playful shove and we all settle on the couch.

He clears his throat and sends me a warning look to which I grin. “Anyways, I was teaching him how to aim and I felt him staring at me.”

“Oooooo. . .”

I interrupt because I'm a child, and he pinches me because he loves me.

Because I'm loved here, and if I had to choose one thing to be thankful for, it would be that.

“It took us a while and a lot of hard practice, but he finally got it. I was so proud of him. It was the first time we ever hugged.”

A tear slips down his cheek and we crowd him to shower him in new hugs.

He says Ressyn probably believes him to be dead, according to Marcus. I think what tortures him the most is the fact that he couldn’t hold Ressyn through that new reality without him.

“Okay! Enough of the sap, let’s play a game.”

I roll my eyes at Cami because she hates ‘sap’.

Anya cuts music on after that and we watch as her and Cami bounce around and dance. When they pull us off the couch, Blithe joins them easily and he sucks so we all laugh. Other than Cami, I found this family and I’d walk through hell to protect them. Even if it means being Marcus’s bitch.