Her eyes bulge as she grips the armrests of the chair.
“You destroyed my house! Do you know how much damage you caused? Do you know how much money I’ve already spent on you? How much troub—” I stop myself before I reveal my real thoughts.
She glares at me. “You lied to me! You said you locked me in the bedroom and didn’t actually lock the door. You made me feel like an idiot. You locked me in a room with no bathroom or food. You made this all into one big game. This is my life! And I won’t be lied to.”
I laugh in her face. Breaking down was a mistake, because it causes me to move closer to her and straddle her in the chair. And now I can smell her. And she smells like sex.
What did my little vixen do while I was away at work? She’s been very busy if she had time to destroy my house, read a book, and pleasure herself.
“You’re mad at me because I lied to you?” I laugh again, not able to contain how ridiculous she’s being.
“Yes,” she hisses, completely serious as her face inches closer to mine. So close I could lean forward an inch and our lips would touch. I wouldn’t even have to pretend it was a kiss. Just our angry words colliding.
“I hate to tell you, Siren, but lying is by far the least offensive of the crimes I plan on committing when it comes to you.”
She stops breathing as she looks at my lips. She wants to kiss me too. I can tell in the way her breath hitches and her parted lips moisten.
But I’m too angry to let her have anything she wants. “I own you, Siren. You are mine. I can do whatever I want with you—including lie. But my lies should be the least of your worries.”
Slap.
My head whips so hard to the side so fast I don’t even realize what just happened. For a second, I think that Julian or one of his men have attacked and punched me square in the jaw. But when I turn my head back to look at Siren, I realize the swing came from her. She’s tiny; I have no idea how she was able to give her slap so much power.
It may be hard to believe, but I’ve been slapped by women before. None of which I completely deserved—until now. I earned every sting zipping through my jaw right now.
Siren is panting heavily underneath me. Her body is on alert, and if I say anything else stupid, she will slap me again with the full force of her petite body. She’s definitely been taught how to defend herself. From who? I don’t know. But that wasn’t your average slap.
“Is that all you got? Because that pathetic tap won’t stop me from getting what I want.” I lower myself on top of her, until my body is pressing down on hers. Until my cock is resting against her stomach. Until she can barely breathe beneath me.
“Then rape me already! Get it over with! Stop playing games and get it over with!” she cries before her hand comes up again to slap me. I stop her automatically this time, more prepared than I was before.
I push her hands down into the armrests on either side of her. Now all she can move are her lips, as my head blocks any other movement. But her lips alone are dangerous enough.
“Do it. Rape me. I’d like to see you try. I’ll cut off your dick before you have a chance.”
I lean down until our lips are aligned but stop short of kissing. Her pink lips are taunting me in a way I can’t resist, and her damn fucking smell is pulling me to her like a magnet. My raging hard-on is getting uncomfortable in my jeans. I didn’t think this position through when I pinned her to the chair, because it’s more torturous for me than her.
“Who says I want to rape you?” I say, my eyes searing. It’s my biggest lie yet. Okay, I don’t want to rape her, but I do want to fuck her—badly. I’m not sure I’ve ever wanted anything more.
Her eyes flicker down to where my erection gives me away. “He does.”
I smirk. “Only a weak man lets his cock make the decisions. And I’m not a weak man. I’m a smart businessman who likes money.”
She snickers. “You sure as hell don’t look like any businessman I’ve ever met. And you aren’t very smart with money if you are willing to drop thirty million on a woman when you could easily pick up some woman at a bar with your body.”
“I am focused on my money, which is why I don’t want to rape you. It’s like driving a brand new car off the car lot. You would instantly lose your value if I was the one to break you in. As you said, I spent too much money on you to let that happen.”
Her face drops into concern as she struggles carefully against my body. I’m so close she can barely move without our lips touching. And she won’t give me that satisfaction.
“Then, what do you want from me, if not my body?”
“I want to sell you. We are going to Julian Reed’s Friday night. He’s inviting some of the richest men in the world. Men that would make the boys at the auction seem poor. I’m going to sell you and double my money.”
Her mouth drops open, speechless.
All of my words are lies. I don’t want to sell her; I want to protect her. And selling her to Julian Reed would be sentencing her to a life of torture. But she doesn’t know that. I need her to fear me. I need her obedient. Especially if we go to Julian’s. I don’t need him suspecting I haven’t touched her yet.
“Now, slap me again, and I’ll make sure you go to the most ruthless man instead of the one with the biggest pockets. Understand?”
She nods slowly.
“Good.” Although, I’m not sure I like her so silent. Her body lies to me, I can feel it. There is no way she’s actually attracted to me. No way her nipples are hardening in my direction. No way the scent of sex is growing. No way she is licking her lips because she wants me. When she speaks, she tells the truth. She’s told me as much before. She hated it when I lied, probably because she’s a horrible liar. I need to get her talking.
“How do you know Julian Reed?”
I expect her to pretend she doesn’t. I expect her to at least attempt to lie first—she doesn’t.
“No,” she flat out says.
“No? I don’t think you get how this works. I ask you a question, you answer.”
“No.”
I growl.
“You just admitted you wouldn’t hurt me because you’re selling me to another man. You won’t damage me before you do that. So no, I’m the one with control now. And I’m not going to answer your questions.”
“I have a better idea,” I retort.
She blinks, waiting for me to speak, but she still thinks she holds all the power.
“You always tell the truth. That’s what you told me before, when I bought you.”
She shifts beneath me but doesn’t confirm or deny the truth.
“And you hated it when I lied to you, which means for you, telling the truth is your most important value. Something you won’t waver on easily.”
Again, she doesn’t speak.
I smirk. I have her.
“Fine, you don’t want to answer my questions, you don’t have to.”
She grins, thinking she won.
“But there will be consequences to your silence.”
She narrows her gaze at me but doesn’t move. She can’t; I’m still holding her down to prevent another inevitable slap.
“You either tell me the truth, or I’ll commit a sin.” I don’t tell her what the sin will be, but the look in my eyes gives her a clue. I won’t be the gentleman I’m used to being. I’ll unleash the beast. And once I do, there is no going back.