Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127146 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 636(@200wpm)___ 509(@250wpm)___ 424(@300wpm)
He tilts his head to the side, a smile ghosting his lips. "Guess we should get back to the party now, huh?" Uncaring to my pain or current condition, he lifts me under my armpit and hauls me up. Then roughly straightens my suit jacket. I hiss through my teeth as my muscles protest at the movement. "We’ll be having words after the party is over. Was that the girl you’ve been seeing? The trailer trash I told you to stay away from?"
I can hardly breathe, let alone speak, so I choose not to respond and follow him begrudgingly back out to the party again because I don't have a choice. He stops just inside the doorjamb and leans into me. I want to punch him, to hurt him like he’s hurt me, but not here. Not right now.
"Speak to her at all, and I'll make sure she’s punished, and then you'll be watching it before you get your own. And I promise you, I won't be gentle with her."
I grit my teeth, wishing this night was over. Wishing that I could take Bel away from all of this. If I have to kill this man to protect her and my mother, I will. I’m tired of playing his games. Tired of pretending for the sake of pretending.
I scan the crowd, looking for Bel, and find her serving drinks across the room. I follow my father to where his client and Spencer wait.
She greets me with a smile and immediately loops her arm into mine, tugging me tight against her. "I missed you. Where did you go?"
I answer, trying my best to hide the pain and still keep my eyes on Bel, who continues to move about across the room. "Just had to step out for a moment. School stuff, you know?"
She nods, and I cup her waist as my father sends an icy glare my way. "Do you want to grab a drink?"
Her hand runs down the length of my chest, and I flinch. Of course, she doesn't notice, leaning her head against my shoulder. "Yeah, let's get something to drink."
I tug her to the side of the crowd and move in the direction of the bar. My father calls my name, and I pause, my back to him.
"Come back soon. The speeches are going to start soon."
I barely restrain myself from lashing out at him and pull Spencer toward the bar in the corner, as far from both my father and Bel as I can get. She orders a glass of wine, and I order a double whiskey. Something to dull the pain in my rib that is climbing up into my arm now. Fucking hell. It's hard to focus on playing my part when the only thing getting through right now is pain.
Once I down the whiskey, I face the room. It’s impossible for me not to seek out Bel in the crowd. Even in a work uniform and slightly sweaty, she looks better than the woman at my side in diamonds and silk.
Spencer chooses that moment to interlace our fingers, and I have to actively not pull away from her even though every fiber of my being screams at me to shove her away. Not just because of Bel but because I hate that my father has basically sold me to the highest bidder. She tugs me by the hand to the corner alcoves again, and I know she’ll push for what she's wanted all along.
I sit on a bench trying not to cringe as I do, my side throbbing and on fire. She plops down beside me with a sigh.
"This is the best party ever. Does your dad do events like these often?"
"No, only a couple of times a year."
"Do you attend all of them?"
She sips her drink, and I stare down at her. "No, only the ones I'm ordered to attend."
"Ordered?"
How can she be so damn stupid? "You don't remember the conversation with my father? The only reason I'm here is because he ordered me to be here." My response doesn't sink in at all. She places her glass on the floor by the bench and leans up to kiss me. Like the first time she tried to kiss me, I don’t move under her mouth.
When she swipes my lips with her tongue, I’m forced to end this charade, and I grab her chin, stopping her. Her eyes pop open, and I see heat there, not fear. Maybe she'd do better in The Hunt than I thought. There's a tap of crystal, and the music cuts out. I stand and extend my hand out to her. "That's our cue. We should get out there, or we'll be missed."
Her lips form into a pout that makes me want to punch something. "We could skip it and stay here instead. It would be the perfect time to get to know each other better while everyone else is distracted.” I don't need to ask her what she means by the perfect time or getting to know each other better. She wants my cock, and that’s too damn bad.