"Slow down, girl," I chided her with a laugh as I pulled the bottle away to give her a chance to catch her breath.
"I don't … know," she replied through bated breaths. When she reached for the bottle again, I pulled it away and shook my head. The look of despair in her eyes was so palpable that I almost gave in.
But nothing good ever came from my caving in, and unfortunately for Daisy, she would have to learn an entirely new side of me that even I hadn't seen yet.
"Please?" she begged, grabbing for the bottle again. And this time, I acquiesced. Manners always did go a long way with me, and while begging was something I looked down on, I knew that if I wanted to keep her going for the rest of the day, I'd have to show the smallest sliver of kindness at some point.
I placed the bottle to her lips again and watched as she grabbed it with both hands, greedily sucking down what was left of the hot, sour water and shook my head.
Now that the most challenging part of today was taken care of, and before we could move on to the smaller things, I knew that another act of kindness would be to allow her to get cleaned up.
With a final glance at the horizon, I pulled Daisy to her feet and picked her up in my arms when she swayed unsteadily.
Knowing that she wouldn't have been able to walk back to the house told me that I was doing the right thing.
Besides, this was something that Posy enjoyed; maybe Daisy would as well.
Chapter Nine
The warm torrent of water cascaded over my hand as I held it underneath to test the temperature. I didn't want the water to be that scolding hot bullshit that women seem to like because I'd have to get cleaned up too and wanted to be comfortable.
Daisy was propped up next to my large, ceramic bathtub and still looked a little worse for wear, but that was nothing that a nice, relaxing bath wouldn't be able to take care of.
"Do you like bubbles?" I asked Daisy as I pulled my hand away from the torrent. "My last girl seemed to like them. I could give a shit either way, but if that might help you relax, I can pour some in."
She turned her face toward me, a curious look shining in her tired eyes, and I smirked.
I guess I should have phrased that a little better, even though I usually wouldn't care. I just didn't want her to think that I was only using her as a farmhand—I was going to use her body and soul equally.
"I'm fine," she replied curtly. "Thanks for running the bath. I'll let you know when I'm done."
I shook my head and chuckled as I stood up and pulled my shirt over my head, letting it fall on the ground next to her. "I'm not going to take the chance that you'll pass out and drown. Just try to keep your hands to yourself, and we can both get on with the day much faster."
Before she had a chance to protest further, I reached for the buckle on my jeans, and unclipped it, pulling the belt off then letting it fall onto my shirt. Daisy's eyes bore holes through me, and I understood why.
My body has always been pleasant to look at.
That was never something I would have thought out of vanity—it was the result of long, hard days full of work on the farm. If I wanted to be able to do my part, I had to keep strong, and throwing barrels of hay, erecting small buildings when needed, and going for runs with Scout all helped keep me fit.
I didn't pull my boxers off right away. Instead, I leaned down and held out a hand to her as I had outside, and she took it much faster this time. After pulling her to her feet, I smiled and tilted my head.
"Does this mean we're friends?" I teased her knowingly.
"Um, I guess," she replied, turning her face away for a moment.
"Good. Then take off those dirty clothes and let's get cleaned up. I've got some pretty dresses that you can pick out after we're done."
Without waiting for another word of agreement or sputter of disagreement, I hooked my thumbs into the band of my boxers and pushed them off. Daisy stole a glance at me invading whatever privacy she thought I might have been holding onto, and I chuckled. When I climbed into the tub and became comfortable, I reached over and tugged at her hand. She stole another glance at me before she jut her chin out and looked away again.
She wanted to play a game of wills and if she knew how sorely she was meant to lose, she more than likely would have just done as she was told.
"You're not getting in here with dirty clothes," I told her in a soft, firm tone. "Take them off, and let's get washed up."
When she hesitated, I let out a long-suffering sigh and decided on a different approach. "This is why you'll never get what you want at the auctions, you know. You're looking for someone ‘who's strong, a quick learner and headache proof’,” I said, ticking off the qualities she had presented to me on my fingers, "but you're not willing to be the very things that you want."
I watched as her body began to tremble visibly, then leaned over the side of the bathtub and ran a finger down the side of her leg. "Do you see what I'm getting at Daisy? You have to be what you want so you know how to take it when the time comes."
With a nod, she took a few steps away from my reach as she finally began to undress. I cleared my throat as I turned my face away, giving her the same privacy she had managed to steal from me—the kind she probably thought that I hadn’t needed, and waited patiently.
When she was finally ready to join me, she placed a foot into the bathtub near mine, and I laughed and shook my head.
"Wrong side," I told her with a finger shake. That was something that happened each and every time, no matter the flower. They always tried to get in the wrong side of the tub.
"What?" she asked, looking slightly confused.
"Well, how am I going to clean you up if you're all the way other there?" I inquired with a forced smile. "Come here and get comfortable, Daisy. The faster we can get this started, the faster we can get back to work."
"I don't know—"
"I never would have wasted time bidding on you." I cut her off when I had just about enough of her bullshit. "You can't earn your keep around here, and you talk back too much for someone who hasn't spent an entire day learning the value of true, hard work."
A tear rolled down her cheek as she bit her lower lip to keep from outright crying, but I felt nothing. What I said to her was true, and the only way it seems to get through to someone like her is to mix cruelty with kindness. To trap lies with the truth, and to push her past her breaking limits.
Those were some of the lessons she would learn here.
Daisy took a deep breath as she lifted her foot out of the tub, shifted over to where I was watching her as patiently as I could, then stepped in again; this time into the waiting arms of the man that needed the affection more than he would ever admit.
Chapter Ten
My eyes were closed, and my head leaned back as she rested her body against mine. I hadn't made a move yet to help her get cleaned up because I was still trying to swallow the bitter pill of truth that I had just presented to myself.
Affection was something I never craved, but it had been what was needed most these days. Ever since Posy ran, I hadn't had much of it. Hell, even Scout didn't bark anymore or follow me around, but that wasn't his fault—it was Posy's.