Master of My Heart

by Marissa Honeycutt

  “I bet she’ll stay home if you come by. She thinks you’re gonna hate her because of her past, but I bet once she sees you and sees that you’re not going to reject her, she’ll stay home and away from . . .” He waved his hand through the air, “ . . . whatever is freaking her out.”

  Chase closed his eyes, then rubbed a hand down his face. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”

  Jayson looked determined. “Come by this evening. It’ll be fine. I promise.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Sabrina stared into the mirror in the bathroom. She didn’t want to see Aiden tonight. She was tired and just wanted to go to sleep. It had been days since she had a decent night’s sleep. Aiden was demanding. Then Damian had stopped by last night and taken her to dinner. It had cheered her up after what happened in the storage closet. Sabrina was really beginning to like Damian, and what he did to her body with his tongue before he left . . . She’d slept so good afterward. No nightmares.

  She sighed and opened the door. Jayson stood there, holding her phone. “You left this on the table. Are you really going out with Aiden?”

  Sabrina gasped when she saw the text from Aiden, assuming Jayson had read it, and snatched her phone out of his hands. “It’s none of your business,” she snapped and walked back to her room, but Jayson followed.

  “Why don’t you stay home tonight? You look tired.”

  Sabrina frowned. What could she say to that? She couldn’t admit that she’d given herself to Aiden and couldn’t say no. “I want to go out with him,” she lied.

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “So?” What did it matter if he believed her or not. She couldn’t not go to Aiden when he demanded it.

  “Why don’t you look happy about seeing him?”

  Sabrina shrugged and reached into the closet for the dress she would wear. “I’m just tired.”

  “Then he should let you stay home. It’s starting to affect your dancing. I’m afraid you’re gonna hurt yourself.”

  Sabrina paused. She didn’t want to get hurt, either, but it was either her or some other dancer. “I’ll be okay.”

  “It’s not a good idea to mix work and pleasure,” he said with a frown.

  She looked at him, eyes narrowed. “Not mix work and pleasure? You’ve gone out with other dancers. And Liz and Jon are engaged. What’s wrong with me going out with Aiden?”

  Jayson sighed. “It’s just . . . You don’t look happy about doing it.”

  “I told you, I’m tired.”

  “Then you should stay home. Tell him you’re not feeling good and can’t go.”

  “He said he has something special planned for tonight. I can’t not go.”

  “If he cares about you, he’ll understand.”

  Sabrina didn’t have an answer to that. “I have to get ready,” she said, turning to glare at him.

  Jayson sighed. “Sabrina, Aiden has a reputation for sleeping with girls and never calling them back.”

  Sabrina felt the blood drain from her face. “He’s been going out with other dancers?”

  “Well, no, actually. He hasn’t dated around here, which is odd. But no, his reputation back in LA is terrible. Are you guys getting serious?”

  “Of course not.” She turned and combed her fingers through her hair, avoiding his questioning gaze.

  “I don’t want you to get hurt, Sabrina,” Jayson said in a softer voice.

  “I’ll be fine. I always am.”

  “That’s not encouraging.”

  Sabrina didn’t know what to say about getting hurt. What could she say? That she was keeping Aiden away from the other girls so they didn’t get hurt? If Aiden found out that someone knew, her sacrifice would be for nothing. The other girls would be fair game to him.

  “Please don’t tell anyone, Jayson. Please.”

  “Why not?”

  “He doesn’t want anyone to know. He . . . wants his privacy. No one’s supposed to know.”

  “Then you should have been more discreet at the cocktail party.”

  Sabrina’s stomach twisted. “What do you mean?”

  “I saw you two go up to the roof.”

  She grasped the dresser and stared at her hands, her knuckles turning white. “Did anyone else see?” she whispered.

  “I know Richard did. And he saw you come back down, looking upset.”

  Sabrina closed her eyes against the tears that threatened. “Oh.” Aiden would be so angry if he found out. Maybe he did find out and that was why tonight was going to be “special.” “It’s nothing more than I can handle, Jayson. We have an arrangement that works for both of us. Please, just let it go and don’t tell anyone.”

  “Why?” He sat down on her bed.

  Because things will be so much worse if you do. “Please, just trust me.”

  “What if someone else wants to ask you out?”

  She gave him a broken laugh. “Who would want to ask me out? Why would anyone want to be with me?”

  “What on earth does that mean? Who wouldn’t want to be with you?”

  “Because of what I am.”

  “What do you mean what you are? You keep saying that.”

  “I’m a whore. A slut.” She blinked, trying to keep the tears of shame from ruining her mascara. “I am who I was made to be. And nothing will ever change that.”

  “You’re not there anymore. You’re here. And free.”

  “Does that undo everything that was done to me?” I’ve proven that I’m still a whore.

  Jayson didn’t respond.

  “Exactly,” she whispered and reached for a tissue to dab away the tears that escaped.

  A knock at the apartment door made Jayson jump up. “I’ll get it!”

  Sabrina stared as Jayson skidded out into the hallway and ran to the front door. It was too early for Aiden’s driver to be here. Who on earth could get him so excited?

  It doesn’t matter. She closed the bedroom door and continued getting ready, which only took a few minutes. Voices carried from the living room. Male voices. Jayson hadn’t mentioned anyone coming over tonight. Who was here?

  She opened the door and heard a voice she didn’t recognize. She crept out of her room. When she saw the man sitting on the couch talking to Jayson, she froze. When he looked up at her, she lost her ability to breathe. When he stood, time stopped.

  He was tall and broad with closely cropped dark brown hair and intense gray eyes. High cheekbones, sensuous lips, and a slight dimple in his left cheek made her heart thunder in her chest. He wore a black polo shirt, which stretched across his chest and biceps. A scar ran down the right side of his face from temple to mid-cheek. His eyes showed a maturity that wasn’t there the last time she’d seen them, but when he smiled, the laugh lines still crinkled in the corners.

  Chase.

  *****

  Chase knocked on Jayson’s door, feeling more nervous than he had before his first day at West Point. He ran his hands over his newly cut hair. His heart pounded as he waited for someone to answer. Would it be Sabrina?

  He winced as he shifted on his feet. The trip had finally caught up with him and his foot was on fire. He was exhausted and ached all over. But he wanted to see Sabrina. He had to see her. That was more important than any pain in his body.

  After what felt like an eternity, the door opened. Chase’s shoulders slumped a little when he saw Jayson standing there.

  “Gee, thanks,” Jayson said with a grin, obviously seeing his face fall. “I’ve never seen you so disappointed to see me.”

  That got a chuckle out of Chase, lightening his mood. “I was hoping—”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know.” Jayson stepped back, opening the door wider. “She’s, uh, in her room.”

  Chase stepped inside and glanced at the closed door to what used to be
the spare bedroom. He’d slept in there plenty of times, too drunk to drive home. And now Sabrina had slept in that same bed for weeks.

  Jayson walked farther into the apartment. “C’mon into the living room. She’ll come out in a few. Probably.”

  Chase stared at the bedroom door as he made his way through the apartment, limping slightly, and into the small living room. This was his second home. Jayson had lived here for almost five years and they had a lot of fun in this place.

  “Wanna beer?” Jayson asked, opening the fridge.

  Chase started to answer yes, then changed his mind. “Not yet.” He wanted to be thinking clearly when he saw Sabrina for the first time.

  “You sure? You look a little nervous.”

  Chase glared at his friend, who laughed.

  “You are nervous!” Jayson grabbed a beer and walked back into the living room, dropping onto the couch as he opened it up. “That doesn’t happen very often.”

  Chase grunted. “Did you tell her I was coming?” he asked, changing the subject.

  Jayson shook his head. “No. I wasn’t sure how she’d react, but I saw a text from Aiden telling her a car would be here to pick her up soon. I asked why she was going out with him. She got mad at me, but that seems to be the only time I can get an honest answer out of her. She keeps everything inside.” He took a swig of his beer. “She doesn’t look happy about going out tonight. Maybe you can change her mind.”

  Chase wondered why she would be going out with someone and not be happy about it. Movement across the room caught his attention before he could ask Jayson more about it. Looking up, all normal thought disappeared. His heart thundered in his chest when he saw a young woman standing near the kitchen counter, appearing to have stopped mid-stride.

  She wore a short, sleeveless, black fitted dress that showed off her slender figure and strong legs, her feet bare. Her dark hair fell in waves around her shoulders and down her chest. Her lips were parted, her beautiful green eyes wide.

  Sabrina.

  Five years had passed, but there was no doubt in his mind. He felt like he was back at that summer dance festival, completely smitten by the girl across the stage.

  But she was no longer a girl. She was all grown up and as beautiful as he’d expected. He did a quick mental calculation, figuring she was twenty-one now. But there was something different. Something that hadn’t been there before. When he’d spent time with her on the yacht, she’d been so young and carefree. So full of hopes and dreams. This woman trembling in front of him was a completely different person. The terror in her eyes made his heart ache, though if it were of him or something else, he couldn’t tell. Her cheerful spirit had been ripped away and was replaced with fear and sadness.

  “Sabrina,” he whispered, his throat tight. When he stood, she flinched. He clenched and unclenched his hands, uncertain of what to do. She looked absolutely petrified.

  He stepped around the coffee table. Her eyes widened even more and she stepped backward. He froze and watched her, wishing he could somehow calm the terror she clearly felt. Chase knew he could be intimidating when he wanted to, but he certainly didn’t want to now.

  She clasped her hands together, which shook terribly. She glanced at Jayson, then back at him. “I-I can’t,” she squeaked and sprinted back to her room.

  Chase’s heart fell. He turned back to Jayson. “What did I do?”

  His friend looked bewildered. “I don’t know. I really thought seeing you would . . . That she’d at least give you a chance.” He looked thoughtful. “Let me go talk to her. Hang on.”

  He watched Jayson disappear into Sabrina’s room. Chase rubbed his face. He felt the rough line of skin from his temple to mid-cheek and flinched. Had his scar scared her away? He rarely thought about it anymore, which he thought was a good thing. But maybe she found it repulsive.

  He started to sit back down, then changed his mind and crept toward Sabrina’s room. The door was open slightly and he could hear Jayson talking.

  “ . . . just got home this morning. He couldn’t wait to come over to see you.” Jayson sighed. “Is it his scar?”

  “His scar?” She sounded shocked.

  “Yeah. Is that why you ran away?”

  There was a moment of silence. “Why would I run away from a scar?”

  “He’s self-conscious about it. He got banged up really bad overseas.”

  Thanks, Jayson. Why don’t you tell everyone that? Dumbass.

  Sabrina didn’t say anything.

  Jayson continued. “So he had to leave the army, but he recently started his own company. A private security firm. He’s pretty bad-ass.”

  “He wanted to become a Green Beret,” she said in a soft voice. “He wanted to be like his dad.”

  “He is. Craig was a good guy. Chase is just like him.”

  “I’m sure he is.”

  “Then why did you run away from him?”

  Sabrina sighed. “Even good men have their limits. If he really is that good a man, he certainly won’t want to have anything to do with me.”

  “What are you talking about?” Jayson exclaimed. “He’s never stopped hoping he’d be able to find you . . . to find out what happened to you!”

  “That’s ridiculous, Jayson.”

  Chase stepped into the doorway before he realized what he was doing. Sabrina lay on her stomach on her bed and Jayson was rubbing her back. Her cheeks were wet as she shook her head. Chase pushed away the twinge of jealousy from seeing Jayson comforting her.

  “It’s true,” he said, stepping farther inside.

  Jayson nodded encouragingly to him as Sabrina looked up at him, eyes wide, but not filled with terror anymore. Only a sadness that broke his heart.

  “It would be better if you didn’t find out what happened to me,” she whispered, sitting up on her hip and looking away.

  He walked over to her slowly, partially because of the pain in his foot and partially to not seem threatening to her. He knelt in front of where she sat on her bed. “Why?” he asked. “What happened?”

  She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, as if in pain. “I’m not who I was when we met, Chase.” The despair in her voice sounded all too familiar. He’d heard it enough in his own voice when he found out he was to be discharged from the army because of his injuries.

  She swung her legs around to the other side of the bed before gracefully standing and walking to her dresser. She opened the top drawer and pulled something out. She stared at it for a moment before returning to the bed, holding out her hand. It took him a moment to recognize the object she held. Something he hadn’t seen in five years.

  His class ring from West Point. She still had it after all this time?

  They both stared at it for a long moment, then she pushed it toward him with a shaking hand. “You should take this back,” she whispered, her voice squeaking slightly. “I know how much it meant to you.”

  Chase frowned and stood, towering over her. “No. Not until you tell me what happened.” He crossed his arms, his jaw clenched and eyes hard.

  She sighed. “You don’t want to know. Just—”

  At that inconvenient moment, a knock sounded on the apartment door.

  The three of them jumped. Sabrina dropped the ring onto the bed. “I have to go,” she whispered in a broken voice, then grabbed her coat and shoes and hurried out of the room. A moment later, the apartment door opened and closed.

  Chase looked at Jayson. “What do I do now?”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Sabrina’s heart pounded as she followed Marshall, the driver who had been taking her to Aiden’s all week, down the hallway. She glanced back at the apartment door, wishing she could have stayed home. Not only because she was exhausted, but because of Chase’s comforting presence. Yes, she was a whore. Yes, he deserved better than her. But the thought of
leaving him to go to Aiden felt like a knife in her chest. Even if she had only a few hours with him, it would be worth it.

  Maybe.

  Until he found out what she was and realized he didn’t want anything to do with her.

  No, it was better that she left before that happened. Maybe Jayson would persuade Chase that she wasn’t worth it. It would be for the best.

  Why was Jayson trying to convince her to accept him? That wasn’t the problem. Yes, she wanted Chase more than anything in the world. But there was no way he’d want her if he knew what she really was.

  Telling herself that didn’t help, though. She hung her head and followed Marshall into the elevator, wondering what would happen at Aiden’s tonight.

  “Are you taking me back to that street?” she asked quietly as the door closed.

  Marshall smiled. “Unfortunately, no. My friends and I don’t get to sample you tonight. Mr. Lang has something special planned and wants you untouched.”

  Sabrina swallowed and stared at the floor, wondering what had made Aiden change so much in such a short amount of time. He’d been nice when she’d met him, and more of a control freak than anything once she’d given herself to him. But now . . . Now he was becoming cruel. He’d said he didn’t get off on hurting women, but he certainly enjoyed hurting her when he’d forced his fist into her body and made her cry out in pain.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, mentally preparing herself for whatever would happen tonight.

  The drive was too short and before she knew it, she was knocking on Aiden’s apartment door. More than anything, she wished she could run back to her apartment and throw herself into Chase’s arms, but that was impossible. He’d never be able to understand why she left him to go see another man.

  The door opened before she could delve into her thoughts anymore. Aiden looked down at her with a wicked smile that made Sabrina’s heart sink. “Come in,” he said, stepping aside.

  She walked in and followed Aiden to the living room. “Undress,” he commanded. When she did, he sat down on the coffee table between the two couches and patted the one in front of him. “Sit down.”