by Ella Miles
I flip my hair over my shoulder and watch Arlo’s eyes follow my every movement. He might have a lot more experience than me at playing calm, cool, and collected, but he’s still a man. He still wants a hot woman like me when I’m dressed like this. He can’t completely hide his urges.
“I’m either sleeping with you or Erick. I haven’t decided yet.”
His lip twitches just a little. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
I grin and shrug. “Well, that makes my decision easy. Erick, it is.”
I turn to go find Erick at the bar, but Arlo pulls me back to him.
“You aren’t sleeping with Erick either. You’re drunk. You and Eden just need to go home.”
I laugh. “You don’t think I’ve fucked men while drunk before? You told me to go find a nice Italian man to fuck while I’m here. Sure, Erick isn’t Italian—he’s English, I think—but he’s hot, and he’ll do for tonight.”
“You aren’t fucking him, Nina,” Arlo says firmly.
I roll my eyes. “You aren’t the boss of me. I can fuck whoever I want, whenever I want.”
“No, you can’t.”
“Why not?”
He shakes his head.
“The better question is, what are you doing here? You like me, and you want me, don’t you? That’s why you are here. You can’t stay away.”
He pulls me closer to him. “No. I’m here because you need me. You’d get hurt if it wasn’t for me.”
I laugh. “The only danger I’m in is getting my brains fucked out by Erick.”
“I’m here to protect you; that’s it.”
“I don’t believe you. You kissed me. You want me.”
His eyes widen for just a second, and then he says, “That was a mistake.”
“I don’t care what you say it was; it was the truth. You want me.” I glance over to where Erick has my drink sitting on the bar. I turn back to Arlo. “But, if you aren’t ready to admit that yet, then Erick, it is.”
I walk over to Eden. “I’m going home with Erick. Stay safe,” I say to her.
“I always do. You, too.”
I nod and then start walking toward Erick, leaving Arlo alone on the dance floor. And then I see it. Erick slips something into my drink. I don’t think he did it with any of my previous drinks. If he did, I don’t feel anything, and it must not be very strong, but he definitely did it now.
I suck in a breath. Arlo was right. Erick is dangerous.
Still, I keep walking toward Erick as I try to decide what my next move will be.
“Why are you hanging out with a Carini?” Erick asks.
“I’m not. He approached me. I only know him from when he gave us a tour of his place and from the lecture tonight.”
“You need to stay away from him, Nina. His whole family is considered royalty in this town but not for good reasons. They live above the law and do things that destroy anyone who owes them anything. Most are never seen again, and those that are go mad.”
I frown as I take in the new information. “Don’t worry; I won’t ever owe Arlo anything.”
Erick studies me, not sure if he believes me. But it doesn’t matter if I’m telling the truth or not. Arlo has made it perfectly clear that I will never be in his debt. That he won’t ever let me even when I should be.
“Does that mean you are choosing me over that asshole?”
I shrug. “Maybe.”
Erick smiles and then picks up the two shot glasses of tequila. He hands me the glass that he slipped something into.
I take the glass out of his hand.
He raises his glass. “To choosing the right guy who is going to rock your world tonight.”
I raise my glass to his, planning on just dumping the contents over my shoulder when he downs his drink.
“Nina!” Arlo shouts at me over the crowd.
I turn and look at him trying to work his way through the crowd that is thick, making it impossible for him to quickly get to me.
“Don’t!” he half-commands and half-begs.
I look back to Erick whose smile is faltering and then back to Arlo. Arlo knows. He saw Erick slip something into my drink. He knows that, if I drink this shot, I’m going to be drugged with God-knows-what substance that I’m sure will give Erick complete control over me.
I absolutely should not drink this shot. I’m not going to drink this shot.
But I like seeing the worry in Arlo’s eyes. He cares about me. I don’t know exactly what other feelings he has for me, but I know one thing. Arlo doesn’t want me to get hurt. He won’t let me get hurt. He proved that the first time he saved me.
If I take this shot, he’ll protect me. He’ll save me.
My heart beats wildly in my chest as the plan forms in my head. If I drink it, Erick will try to drag me away before Arlo can get to me. But Arlo is only twenty feet away. He can get to us before anything bad happens to me.
And, if Arlo saves me, then I will owe him. I’ll be in his debt, and I’ll finally get to repay him with sex and find out the truth behind all the mysterious whispers about his family that the townspeople talk about.
I’ll get exactly what I want.
Only one question remains. If I drink this, will Arlo actually save me?
I study everything about him. The way he is pushing people out of the way in an uncontrollable and savage way to get to me faster. The tightness of his jaw as he focuses on stopping me. The desperation in his eyes as he inches closer to me. But the one thing that convinces me above everything is the emotion and pain dripping off his voice when he yelled for me.
I could be wrong. I could drink this, and Arlo might not give a shit about me. He could let Erick do whatever he wanted to me. If I drink this, Erick could rape me. He could kill me.
“Don’t, Nina!” Arlo shouts again, begging me with everything that he has for me not to do this. Please, he mouths.
I suck in a breath. Arlo will save me.
This is the most reckless thing I’ve ever done. I’ve been obsessed with countless men, but I’ve never risked my life for a man on quite this level before.
But I do it anyway.
I throw the shot back in my throat while I look Arlo dead in the eyes and plead for him to save me.
8
Nina
I open my eyes, but it still feels like I’m asleep. It’s dark. The pitch black kind. In-the-middle-of-the-night, in-the-middle-of-nowhere dark.
I try to sit up, but I immediately fall back down onto the dirt floor. The pain in my head is dizzying. I’ve never felt anything like it before. I grab my head with both hands, trying to remember what happened that made me feel this bad.
It’s all a haze. I remember Eden. I remember strange boys. I remember dancing. And Arlo. There was something important that happened with Arlo.
Pain. It’s all I feel right now, making it impossible to sort out everything floating around in my head.
My head is pounding. My whole body aches. My stomach is queasy.
I’m naked. I don’t have any clothing. Not my bra, not my panties, not an oversize shirt to cover me. There is just nothing.
I was raped.
It all comes flooding back to me. I took the shot. I passed out. Erick raped me. Arlo didn’t save me. I made a gigantic mistake. And, now, I just have to hope that I can escape before he kills me.
I push through the pounding in my head and the ache all over my body and manage to sit up. It’s incredibly dark, and I have no idea where the door is to make my escape. It doesn’t help that my head is spinning the longer I sit up.
“Drink.” A cup is thrust in front of me, seemingly out of nowhere.
I’m not going to be drugged again. I’m not going to let him rape me again. Not so easily. Not without a fight.
I push the cup away and force myself up. I start running in the opposite direction of the cup. There has to be an exit somewhere.
“Nina, stop,” I hear Arlo’s voice command.
I stop.
&
nbsp; My heart stops beating. I stop breathing.
I wasn’t raped. At least, not by Erick.
I turn slowly and can faintly make out Arlo walking toward me with a cup in his hand.
“It’s just water. Drink. It will make your head stop aching.”
I take the cup out of his hand and drink until every last drop of water is gone.
“Sit down.”
I slowly sit back down on the dirt ground. I lean against the cold stone wall for support. Arlo does the same, sitting down next to me.
“Where’s Eden?”
“She’s safe. My driver took her home.”
I take a deep breath and let my shoulders relax. I believe him when he says that she is safe. She’s the only person in my world that matters. I can’t lose her.
“Why am I naked?” I ask.
“You don’t get to ask any stupid questions. Not after what you did last night.”
Instant anger overtakes any rational thoughts. “I sure as hell get to ask any damn question that I want! You got me into this fucking mess! If it wasn’t for you, I would never have taken any drugs.”
“I got you into this mess? You have got to be fucking kidding me! I told you not to drink it. You didn’t listen to me. You disobeyed me.”
“I’m not an idiot! I knew that he’d spiked the drink with something.”
“Then, why did you drink it? That sounds pretty idiotic to me!”
“I wasn’t going to drink it. I was just going to make him think I did. But then you had to get all bossy and demanding, showing that you cared about me.”
“You think I care about you?” He laughs. “Oh, man, Nina. Your worldview is definitely wrong. I don’t care about you. But acting like royalty in this town has its disadvantages. I couldn’t have a club full of people see you get drugged and disappear with a man without me interfering and saving you. One of the main reasons my family maintains so much power in this town is because we protect the town. Sorry that I was desperate not to have to spend my whole night fighting to keep you safe from some loser.”
“Erick didn’t rape me?”
“Of course he didn’t rape you.”
I clear my throat and then whisper, “Did you rape me?”
He laughs.
“It’s not funny. Did you rape me?”
He continues laughing, like it’s the funniest thing he’s ever heard. “No, Nina, I didn’t rape you. I don’t have to. You were willing to risk your life to try to get me to notice you. You’ve practically thrown yourself at me every chance you’ve gotten. I don’t need to rape you in order to have my way with you.”
“Then, why am I naked?”
Arlo sighs. “Because you threw up on yourself countless times as the drugs took effect and were leaving your system. I thought it would be easier to hose you down if you were naked.”
I frown. “You could have left my underwear on.”
He rolls his eyes. “I could have. But then what enjoyment would that have brought me? I thought it was my reward—to finally see you naked after saving your life and taking care of you all night.”
“I’m in your debt now,” I say with a small smile on my face.
“I want to wipe that damn smile off your face. You could have died last night, Nina. You did die last night. I had to perform CPR at one point because you weren’t breathing on your own. Whatever that asshole Erick gave you was strong shit. You would have died if it wasn’t for me.”
“But you did save me.”
He runs his hand through his hair. “I’ve never met a woman so frustrating as you, Nina. I want to punish you so that you will never do something so stupid again in your life, but I’m not convinced you will learn your lesson.”
The pain in my head is gone. My body is flush and warm with thoughts of Arlo. I have to have him. And I don’t care what words he says. He cares about me. He can lie to himself all he wants.
“Punish me.”
“Be careful what you ask for, Nina.”
“Fuck me. Punish me. Then, fuck me again. You know you want to.”
He growls, “You don’t get to make decisions anymore, Nina. You make shitty decisions.”
“Then, you decide. Am I in your debt or not?”
His eyes glow bright with anger.
A second later, I feel the full force of his anger as he pushes me onto the dirty ground, face-first, his body crushing me.
“You fucked up, Nina. Today is the last time you will ever fuck up like this. Do you understand?”
I can’t answer him. He’s squishing my lungs too much for me to be able to breathe, let alone answer him.
“Answer me!”
“Yes,” I croak out as I struggle to breathe.
“You will do exactly what I say, Nina. You will not hesitate. I’m going to punish you. I’m going to fuck you. I’m going to control you like I couldn’t last night. And, if you don’t obey me, you will only be punished harder. Understand?”
“Yes,” I breathe out, exhaling what feels like the last amount of breath in my body.
Scathing pain. That’s all I can think about. He slapped me hard on the ass as I answered, and I feel the tears already stinging my eyes.
I’ve been fucked by dozens of men. Most were boring men who wanted meaningful, monotonous sex. Some would occasionally slap me on the ass. But none have ever brought anything close to the pain that Arlo just gave me.
He slaps my ass again, and I try to cry but can’t from his crushing weight.
He strikes me again, and the tears that were simply falling before are rolling down my cheeks in waves.
“You will never disobey me again, Nina. You will never forget tonight.”
He hits me one more time before rolling me over. The sting of the dirt hitting my raw ass makes me cry again.
Arlo’s hand sinks between my legs, furiously rubbing me. “You’re so wet. You liked that, didn’t you? You can’t even get punished properly. You like it too much.”
I moan as he moves my wetness over my folds.
He’s right. The pain was intense, but it turned me on. I like being punished. I like being controlled. What’s wrong with me?
His hand moves from my folds and to his button and zipper on his slacks.
I watch with wide eyes as he slowly undoes the button and zipper until his cock springs free from his slacks and briefs.
It’s just as long and thick as I remember it being when I attempted to paint it and failed miserably.
My hands reach out to touch it, to feel how hard and big it really is, but he grabs my hands and forces them above my head.
“You don’t get to do anything without my permission. You don’t get to touch. You don’t get to speak. You don’t get to move.”
My eyes grow so wide that I’m afraid they are going to pop out of my head. How am I supposed to ask permission if I can’t even speak?
I nod though. It feels safer than speaking.
He continues to hold my hands high above my head while he moves his cock until it is resting on my lips. I don’t move. I try not to even breathe on him even though I’m desperate to take his dick in my mouth. I must taste it.
I don’t. I just look up at him with big eyes.
“Suck me.”
Finally.
I open my mouth, and his cock instantly fills me. He tastes as good as he looks. And, when his eyes roll back in his head as I run my tongue over the tip, I can’t help but feel good. He might think he has all the control, but the second he surrendered his cock to me was the second that I gained a little of that control back.
“Suck all of me.”
I lift my head up off the ground, trying to get all of him into my mouth. I’ve never tried fitting a man fully into my mouth before, but then again, I’ve never wanted to or been asked to.
I move his cock deeper into my mouth until I start gagging.
He shakes his head and grabs the back of my head. “Take all of me.”
He pushes my head up onto his
cock until I’m gagging again, and tears are streaming down my face.
“Relax.”
I do, and he slides in a little bit further. And the look on his face is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. He’s lost all control to me now that I have all of him in my throat. I get braver and start pumping faster with my mouth. I move until he is almost fully out of my mouth and then take him all the way in again, holding his cock there until I can’t take it any longer.
“Fuck, Nina!” Arlo growls.
I take him all the way in again, and I feel the warm, salty liquid pouring down my throat. I stay relaxed so that I don’t choke as Arlo keeps his cock deep in my throat until he has finished spilling inside of me.
“Good girl,” he says as he removes his cock.
I cough a little, but I’m desperate to do it again. I’ve never been so turned on. I’ve never felt so in control or dirty.
I stare down at the clothes that Arlo is still wearing. I want him naked.
One of my hands slips out of his grasp and grabs at his shirt.
He seizes it almost instantly and thrusts it back over my head. “You don’t learn, do you, Nina?”
I grin. “Maybe you need to teach me another lesson.”
“No. I already taught you one lesson for today. It’s not my fault you don’t listen.”
He keeps my hands high over my head as he tightens his grip on my wrists, not letting me disobey him again.
“Spread your legs.”
I do.
I feel his cock move to my entrance that is soaking and begging for him to fuck me.
“I shouldn’t fuck you, Nina. It’s what you want.”
I pout and moan a little as I ache, waiting to see if he is actually going to fuck me or not.
His thumb glides over my clit, making me purr, as he teases me while he decides what he’s going to do.
“You haven’t learned your lesson, have you? You would still risk your life in order to get me to fuck you?”
I nod. “Please,” I whisper.
He shakes his head, and then he plunges inside me.
I exhale a groan I was holding in as he pushes me open wide.
