Bending down, I wedged my knuckles under her chin.
She shivered as I arched her throat up, not caring she winced from her bruises, not stopping even when pain flared in her grey gaze. She’d caused me untold misery, the least she could do was feel a little discomfort. “First, you make me release three perfectly trained goddesses. You cost me a fucking fortune. You use the power you have over me against my business and livelihood.”
She swallowed hard as I cupped her chin, holding her firm with cruel fingers.
“And now, now you want off my island, too?” I bared my teeth. “You tell a guest your name. You inform him of our little arrangement. You sign his death warrant as well as your own.”
“Sully. Please.” She reached up to touch me, but I snarled in warning.
“Touch me and you won’t like the consequences.”
Her hand dropped into her lap. Her eyelashes feathered down, hiding the turmoil in her stare.
“Are you determined to free all my goddesses?” I whispered. “You think you’re saving them from the cruelty I’ve caged them in?”
She tried to shake her head, words tumbling from her lips. “I don’t want to leave. I fought him to stay. He tried to take me away. Ask Jewel. Ask him. I’m telling you the truth—”
“The truth?” I shook her, making her eyes snap closed with a wince. “The truth is I think you believe you’ve got me so wrapped around your little finger that I’ll do whatever you damn well ask.” I kissed her cheek, not with affection but pure intimidation. “That you’re above my retaliation.”
“No. I don’t think that.” More words spilled in a rush. “You arrived before I finished. I was going to tell him that yes he knew my name and yes we might’ve been brought here against our will—Jewel showed him her tattoo and told him about the traffickers—but none of that matters because I’ve fallen in love with you. That I have no intention of leaving because you are worth fighting for. I did fight for you. Ask him! Ask him how many times I told him to remove his touch. I was going to turn around and run straight to you the moment I said my bit, Sully. I swear.” Tears did start now, the cracking of her heart and soul in each crystal droplet. “I love you, Sully. I’m in love with you. You have to believe—”
“Believe?” I ripped my fingers from her face. “I believe this is another trick. Just like you tricked me into removing three goddesses. You’re so determined to free everyone, Jinx? Fine, be my guest. You can do all their workload. You can serve every fucking night in Euphoria and see if I give a damn. And this time…it won’t be me.”
“You have it wrong. Just listen—”
“Leave her the fuck alone, Sinclair.” Adam Marks, the wannabe conman and Wall Street wolf, finally decided to step forward and stand up to me. “It’s true what she said. I saw you fingering her last night. I heard you use her name.”
I froze.
“You spied on us?”
He scowled. “You were pretty hard to miss on the main pathway.”
“Yet you stayed to watch.” I cocked my head. “Why? Thought you could fuck her after I was done?”
He bristled. “No, I stayed because I needed to get past you to go to my villa. In the time it took to decide if I should find another way around, you’d finished.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t follow her. To see if you could sample what I had.”
He shook his head. “You really are an asshole.” Pointing at Eleanor, he snarled, “She’s obviously telling you the truth. She did fight me. She went against all reason when I offered to take her away from here.” He rolled his eyes. “Personally, I think she’s been brainwashed to the point where she’s unsavable. Unlike the other girl here—” He pointed over his shoulder at Jewel who wisely stayed silent and still. “She was all for my rescue attempt. But not that one.” He sighed, looking pityingly at Jinx. “Whatever you’ve done to her…you’ve broken her heart and soul, Sinclair. She genuinely believes she loves you, and all you can do is threaten to let a thousand men rape her.”
Wiping his mouth, he backed away, his face going slightly green. “You know what? I want off this place. I’m getting my bag, and I’m leaving. Right now.”
My temper hissed and lashed in my veins, my voice a howling blizzard. “Great, I’ll arrange the helicopter for your departure.”
His shoulders braced as he prepared to deliver an ultimatum. An ultimatum I’d heard before from men who’d fallen hook, line, and sinker for their goddess. Men who thought they could make a difference when they were part of the problem.
Their morals might’ve suffered an awakening after they’d spent five hours fucking a girl out of their mind with lust, but they’d still paid, they’d still travelled countless miles to indulge in my paradise, they were still guilty as fucking sin.
Human to the end. Selfish to others’ misery. Blind to others’ suffering as long as it benefited them.
Smoothing down my lapels, I cricked my neck and let the blizzard in my tone fade into the aftermath of thick whiteout snow. “Before you warn me to stop my operations, Mr. Marks. Before you conjure some way of threatening me, allow me to remind you of a few things.”
Stepping around Eleanor still quaking in the sand, I muttered, “You enjoyed yourself immensely with Goddess Sailor the other night. Your DNA is still in her body. I have footage of you fucking her. I have dossiers of your fantasies. I have a background check of who you truly are. I have enough evidence on you that if you tell the police about my enterprise, you will be equally implicated and arrested for similar crimes. The only difference is, I will get away with it, and I will ensure you do not. You will kiss goodbye to your climb up the shit-stained ladder of Wall Street. You will never have that private plane your girlfriend has already reserved online. Speak of what you did here, and I will fucking bury you.”
I stepped into him, my height placing me at least three inches over his eye line.
I looked down, smiling a cordial, gentile smile. “Oh, and by the way, another friendly reminder, you signed an ironclad NDA when you first arrived, remember?” I raked a hand through my unruly hair. “Not only do you stand to lose everything. I’m also fully within my rights to wipe you off the face of this fucking planet if you break it.”
Adam Marks gulped. The sheen of sweat on his upper lip glistened. He tried to hold my stare but broke under pressure and glowered at the sand below. Slowly, he gave up his crusade; he stopped trying to liberate Jewel and Jinx, and nodded glumly. “You win, Sinclair. I’ll do what you want and return home with my tail between my legs.”
“Appreciate that.” I smiled. “Your ride leaves in thirty minutes.”
He left without another word or look at the two goddesses. The second the jungle had swallowed him up, I pinned my gaze on Jewel. Had Calico’s rot spread throughout all my stock? Did I have to replace them with new before anarchy rained, or could I talk sense into her later?
Pointing at her, I muttered, “You and I are not done, Jewel. A little chat is in order. Find me tomorrow and I’ll deal with you.”
She bowed her head; red curls cascaded around her cheeks. “Yes, Sullivan.” Blushing with fear, she bolted down the pathway, spraying sand on my purple orchids.