by Esme Devlin
Everything about him is tight. The way he’s holding me. His hard chest. He lifts me up onto the counter and takes the space between my legs as if he owns it.
He brings me forward and I feel his hard erection on my thigh.
Shit.
I’m going to lose it tonight. I’m going to give it all to a man I barely even know. A man I don’t even like.
The bully of my high school.
I wonder what my high school self would think of this if I could go back and tell her.
I always avoided Jason, but I can’t deny the fact I did think about him on occasion. At night, alone, in bed. Me and the other four-hundred girls at school, probably.
“Stop.” This time I’m squirming. I’m trying to move my head from side to side.
I’m getting more frustrated and I don’t know if it’s because he refuses to stop, or if it’s because I don’t want him to stop.
A tear escapes from me and he finally gives me an inch.
“Hey…” he says, as if he’s trying to comfort me. As if I need settling.
“Stop,” I whisper.
He takes my chin and moves my head so that I’m facing him. So I’m looking right into his eyes.
“You like me.”
What? “I hate you.”
He smiles. A warm one.
“We both know that’s a lie. You don’t even know me. But I’m giving you the chance to.”
I try to shake my head but he doesn’t let me. “I don’t want to know you.”
He pulls in close to me and takes my earlobe into his mouth, sucking on it gently before nipping it. I can’t deny what his movements are doing to my body.
“I’m going to know you in places you didn’t even know existed. I promise, you’re going to love it.”
I would be lying if I said his words weren’t having an effect me. But I don’t want this. This is wrong.
“Please don’t. I… I-I’m a virgin.”
My cheeks burn as I admit it to him. I don’t even know why I told him. Well, he’s probably going to find out anyway. Maybe he will go kinder on me if he knows?
He takes a step back, his eyes evaluating me.
“You’ve never been fucked before?”
I shake my head.
“Have you been touched before? By someone else.”
I drop my gaze to the floor, ashamed, before I shake my head again.
He doesn’t say anything for a long time and the silence stretches out between us. It’s uncomfortable. I shift on the counter, wondering if I can get down now.
Would he stop me?
After a while, my gaze flicks back up to him and I see he’s smiling at me.
“What?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. This is good.”
I roll my eyes at him. “How is this good? I wanted it to be special.”
He takes a step towards me again, taking both my hands inside his larger one. “It will be special. Come on.”
I shake my head as he pulls me. He’s taking me to his bedroom. Fuck. I thought this might help. Might make him have second thoughts. I think I’ve actually just cemented my fate.
He pulls against my struggles and I shake my head, trying desperately to think of the best words to beg him with.
“Come on. I’m not going to hurt you. Trust me.”
Trust him? Why the hell would I trust him?
But he just manhandles me out of the room. We’re heading back to the main door where the stairs are that lead up to his bedroom. His bedroom. Fuck.
He opens the front door and I freeze.
“Wh. What? Where are we going?”
He shrugs. “I’m taking you home.”
He says it as if he’s commenting on the weather.
“You’re taking me home? Why?”
He chuckles. “You want your first time to be special? I’ll make it special for you. Don’t mistake me though — your first time is mine. Do you understand?”
I nod. I nod my head because he’s taking me home and I don’t want to do a single thing that might make him change his mind.
We’re out of the house like bullets from a gun and he’s taking long strides towards his car. He opens the front passenger door for me and I drop into the seat.
It worked. It fucking worked.
I almost want to let the relief wash over me, but not yet. I’ll let it sink in when I get home. When I’m safe in my bed and I can process what happened.
We drive the rest of the way in silence. When he pulls up outside of the college, that silence is almost driving me to insanity.
I want him to say something. What? I don’t know. Maybe an explanation. An apology. Something. Anything.
Before I get out, I turn around and give him a last look. His eyes are straight ahead.
Is he feeling guilty?
“Jason?”
He turns around and looks at me and my heart almost jolts. How can a man so evil be hidden behind such a beautiful face?
“My name is Scarlet.”
He nods once and then turns away again.
I get out of the car and slam the door shut behind me, not looking back as I hear it speed off into the cold night.
I thought if he knew my name, it might make me more human to him. Not just an item that can be stolen away and played with.
Only time will tell if that works.
Chapter 6
JASON
Scarlet.
Scarlet, Scarlet, Scarlet.
The name is perfect for her. Feminine and beautiful but with a hint of something deeper. Something darker.
That sums her up.
She’s always stood her ground against me and tonight was no different. The mix of fear and defiance that radiates from her is fucking intoxicating. I want to be inside her. I want to be on top of her, under her. I want her kneeling at my fucking feet. I want her to revolve around me. I want to be the center of her world.
And I came close to taking it tonight.
Truth be told, if she hadn’t told me she’d never been fucked before — never even been touched before — I probably would have ripped her clothes off on the counter and taken her right there.
That would have satisfied my need — if only temporarily. But I couldn’t do that. Not her first time.
That’s something sacred.
When I take that from her, it’s going to be perfect.
She’s going to know it’s coming, and she’s going to know how I expect her to behave. I’m going to hurt her. She’s going to cry.
It’s going to be absolutely perfect.
Chapter 7
SCARLET
I spent the rest of the night in the bath, soaking the feeling of him from my skin and trying to get his face out of my mind.
No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t do it. He was all I could think about.
I woke up the next day thinking of him. I spent the day moving between classes looking for him. Hoping to catch sight of him. I was desperate to know how I would react to seeing his face again. Panic? Fear? Terror? Would I be scared? Or not? And how would he react to seeing me?
I needed to know if he was being serious about what he said to me and I hoped that somehow seeing his reaction would give me that answer.
But no matter how hard I looked, I didn’t see him anywhere.
By the time Thursday rolled around, I almost started wondering if I had imagined the whole thing. The college isn’t huge. Surely I would have seen him?
It’s now Friday and the memory of what happened on Monday night seems to be fading. I’m no longer looking over my shoulder, even if I am still looking around hoping to catch sight of Jason. His blue eyes. His perfect face. His tall imposing body.
I need to know if he wants me.
How ridiculous does that sound? He made it pretty clear on Monday night that he did want me. And that’s why I’m so confused. Why would he go to all that trouble, just to discard me the next day like I was just some sick joke?
&nbs
p; Does he want me or doesn’t he?
That’s what I’m thinking about as I cross the car park and head to my first class.
I don’t even make it through the door before I spot him standing in the entrance hall.
He seems to notice me at the exact same moment I notice him.
And he is not all I notice.
Blondie is hanging off his arm and staring up at him like he holds the keys to the whole world in the palm of his hand.
A rush of jealousy surges through me and I almost blush at it, before I quickly remember that jealousy isn’t visible as long as I keep a clear head.
And why am I jealous anyway?
But still I appear to be frozen in place, which seems to only amuse Jason — judging by the smirk on his face.
He excuses himself from Blondie and comes sauntering over to me. I know I should move, I just can’t seem to make my legs do what I want them to.
“Hello Stranger.”
He stands close to me. Too close. He’s all up in my personal space and within moments the smell of him fills the air between us. He smells the same way as he did when he had me pinned down in the back of his car.
Oh.
Okay, don’t think about that…
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to get to class.”
That was the only thing I could think of saying. Truth be told, I don’t really want him to excuse me. I want to know what his intentions are. I want him to show his hand, right now.
“There’s a party tonight. I want you to come with me.”
I snort and roll my eyes. Seems like he showed his hand. It feels like a trap though. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“I think it sounds like the best damn idea I ever had. I’ll pick you up at seven outside your building.”
He’s about to turn to leave and I can’t help myself. “Jason?”
He turns and looks around at me expectantly.
“You’re not taking that girl?”
With a glance behind him, his face quickly turns into a grin and he walks back over to me, tucking a stand of my hair behind my ear. I realize now that probably sounded desperate and pathetic, but I couldn’t help myself.
I need to know what he wants.
“You come with me tonight and that girl over there, she no longer has a name as far as I’m concerned. Seven PM.”
And with that, he turns on his heels and walks away, completely blanking the girl who is now staring at me.
If looks were daggers, I would be very stabbed right now.
But I get over it and head to class.
I have nothing to wear.
What am I going to wear?
In fact, why am I even agreeing to this madness?
The last time I got in a car with Jason, he pinned me down, tied me up, and I was sure as shit he was going to force himself on me.
He didn’t.
But he could have.
He could do it again tonight, and this time, I don’t have anymore V cards to pull.
But, if he wanted that, why didn’t he just take it on Monday night?
It’s like I’m having a full blown argument with myself inside my own head. And I still have nothing to wear.
I rake through the boxes, almost positive that I do actually have something, it’s just tucked away deep in a box and hasn’t been unpacked yet. He didn’t say what kind of party it was. And what do college kids even wear to parties anyway? A dress and heels combo? Would jeans be too casual? It’s cold out, I would rather be comfortable and practical.
I tell myself to get a grip and slide into a pair of skinny black jeans, pairing it with a long flowy black top. Simple and plain but hopefully still nice. My skin sucks, so I spend extra time on my makeup, and I almost take the mascara wand to each individual lash.
At five minutes before seven, I shrug myself into a leather biker jacket, grab my purse, and head down the stairs.
If this is a trick, I will never forgive him — I also don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself for falling for it.
Time will tell.
Chapter 8
JASON
I watch her as she appears from the bottom door, the same door she was trying to get open when I grabbed her the other night.
She looks even better tonight than she did then. Those jeans hug her figure and reveal every sweet inch of her curves. Her ass is perfect, and I sit in the car watching her pace back and forth just imagining my hands on it while I slam into her from behind.
I need to stop it.
This obsession with her is becoming too much.
I get out of the car and she catches sight of me almost as soon as I stand up straight.
“Ready?” I shout across the car park.
She nods and starts walking towards me. It’s the same strut she was doing on Monday night when I was driving along beside her. The walk that says she owns the fucking ground beneath her feet.
I want her to walk like that while she’s under my arm.
Grabbing the door, I watch her while she lowers herself into the car and tucks her feet in. I start thinking maybe a party was a bad idea. Why are we wasting time at a party when I could so easily take her home and do all of the sick depraved things I’ve been dreaming about all week long?
Patience, though.
I keep having to remind myself about that.
She’s a virgin. Pure and innocent. Untouched. She’s not ready for the things I want to do to her.
Soon.
“How was your day?” I ask her.
She turns her head towards me as I reverse the car, and from the corner of my eye it looks like she’s evaluating me. I glance down at her and see a perfectly arched eyebrow.
“Seriously?”
I chuckle at her. “Sorry, do you have a specific line you prefer when it comes to small talk?”
A smirk plays upon her pretty lips before she replies. “How about we cut the bullshit?”
Cut the bullshit?
Why the hell not?
“Fine. You look fucking delicious tonight.”
She giggles and I swear it almost lights up the car.
“You look okay, too.”
I laugh at that.
“So where is this party?”
I can feel her eyes on me. She’s nervous but curious all at the same time.
“What say we fuck the party and pick up where we left off the other night?”
She lets out a huff and I turn around and watch her. She’s staring out of the window.
“Would it really be so hard to date someone like a normal person?”
Her tone is dry and the more time I spend with her the more I like these catty remarks.
“A normal person? As opposed to…?”
She doesn’t miss a beat before answering. “As opposed to a person who ties girls up in the back of his car.”
I turn around and grin at her. “Did you like that? I still have some rope in the back, we can go for round two if you like?”
She rolls her eyes. “I’m good, thanks.” I watch her in the corner of my eye and she almost seems to stiffen as she looks out of the window.
“Scarlet?”
“What?”
“What’s wrong?”
She turns her head towards me. “How many girls have you done that too?”
I look her in the eye when I answer — fuck the road. “Only you.”
Her perfect brow arches, as if she doesn’t believe me. I glance at the road to make sure I’m not about to rear the poor bastard in front of me.
“I guess that makes me the un-lucky one.”
“Princess, it makes you the special one.”
She turns back to look out of the window and I decide to leave her be. I wasn’t lying when I said she was the only one. Fuck, I’ve never had to resort to measures like this before. This is new for me. I wasn’t thinking straight when I took her, all I knew was that I had to take her. Like I needed to breathe.
I needed Scarlet wit
h me that night like a lion needs his prey.
She might not understand now, but I have no doubts in my abilities to make her understand.
We arrive at the house and I pull the car up and put it into park.
When I don’t get out immediately, she turns around and eyes me up warily. “This is it?”
Chapter 9
SCARLET
He nods his head. “This is it.”
I turn around and eye up the property outside. It’s one of those big mansions that probably has a kidney-shaped pool out the back, topless girls giggling and a group of boys playing beer-pong.
This is totally not my scene.
But it’s clearly Jasons.
Why did I agree to this again?
“What’s wrong with the little princess?”
I drag my eyes away from the house and give him a weak smile. “Nothing. I just… I won’t know anyone, except you. And I barely even know you.”
“Don’t be nervous. You’ll be glued to my side all night. We can always go back to my place if you’d rather…”
“No!” I cut him off, probably a bit too quickly. “I mean, this is fine.”
He chuckles, shakes his head and then gets out of the car and opens the door for me.
I’ve barely even straightened up when he pushes me back against the side of the car and boxes me in with his strong arms.
The smell is everywhere again. It’s like a damn pheromone, invading my senses and rendering me incapable of rational thought.
“What are you doing?” I whisper the words in a soft breath.
He doesn’t look me in the eye. He’s focused intently on my lips.
Is he going to….?
He does.
His lips crash down on mine possessively and the shock takes the breath right out of me. “Jason,” I try to mumble the words but either he doesn’t hear them or he doesn’t care.
Either way, he doesn’t stop.
His fingers thread between mine and before long his whole body is pushing me up against the side of the car. I become aware of my breasts straining against his hard chest and suddenly the bra I’m wearing feels restrictive. It feels like there’s too much fabric between us.
