A Hurt So Sweet Volume Four: A Dark High School Bully Romance (Elite of Eden Falls Prep Book 4)

by Isabella Starling

  "You're hurting me," she hisses, but I pay it no mind, pulling her body close against mine.

  "I did this to cheer us both up," I tell her firmly. "We both need it."

  "What the hell am I supposed to do with a nursery," she spits out. "When I have no baby to put in it?"

  She pulls my arm free of her reach with such force, I accidentally scratch her. She inspects the claw marks on her arm and glares at me.

  "Now look what you did! You hurt me..."

  "You hurt yourself," I reply firmly. "And you keep doing it, Pandora, because you aren't fucking listening to me."

  "I don't want to listen to anyone!" Her voice is getting louder and louder. I can tell she's scared, upset and angry, and I'm just waiting for her to break down now so I can pick up the pieces. "I want my son back! I want Reign here with me!"

  "We're doing everything we can," I growl.

  "Not enough!" She starts slamming her little fists against my chest, over and over again. "It's not enough, Dexter, it's not enough..."

  "It will have to be." I grab her by the wrists, preventing her from hitting me again. "Look at yourself, Pandora. You're a goddamn mess."

  "How do you expect anything else?" She's blubbering now, not even fighting back the tears anymore. "You can't imagine the pain of this, of losing a child."

  "How can you say that?" I pull her against me, her body crashing into mine fiercely. "How can you say I don't understand? I lost something too."

  "You don't know if he's your son."

  "He is," I insist. "Do you want to stay with me?"

  She stares into my eyes stubbornly before giving a barely perceptible nod.

  "Then he's my son. And this hurts me, too, Pandora. But what hurts more is losing you. Watching you drift away. I need you back here with me so we can fight this together, do you understand? Your calling isn't over yet. You're the only one that can change Eden Falls. Don't you want Reign growing up in a better place?"

  By her bottom lip wobbling I can tell she's about to fight me again, so I press a finger against her lips before she can speak up.

  "Think about it, Pandora. You can change this place. You can change everything."

  "But the pain is t-too much," she finally stutters. "It hurts too much, Dex, I can't focus on anything else. It's like there's a hole and I can never fill it. It hurts so bad..."

  "Then we'll give you something else to occupy your mind," I insist firmly. "A new hobby? A new job?"

  She shakes her head and I pull her closer again.

  "You want to forget the pain?" I ask. Her eyes meet mine and she nods. "You want it gone? Replaced? You want to forget about Reign, just for a moment?"

  She nods again.

  "You understand what you're signing up for?"

  "Anything," she breathes.

  "Anything?"

  "Anything to take the pain away," Pandora whispers. "Even if it's just for a little while."

  "Good." I turn her over in my arms so she's got her back pressed up against my front, and she gasps. "My office. Go."

  I push her forward and she stumbles, glaring at me. But her gaze soon fills with interest, and without saying another word, she walks down the hallway into my office. I pull out my chair and order her to strip naked.

  "Now?"

  "Now," I demand. "And do it slowly, put on a show for me. I want to enjoy this."

  I'd thought she'd be more against doing sexual stuff, but from the way her eyes burn with silent fire, I know she needs this just as much as I do. Pandora looks right into my eyes as she pulls her dress off. Her body is frail and tiny. She has barely been eating since we got back, and her ribcage is showing through the skin. It's worrying.

  I force myself to ignore it, deal with it later. Instead, I tap my knee, telling her to come closer.

  Next, she takes her underwear off. I notice she's shaved her pussy, but I don't comment on it. I keep my eyes focused on her as she moves toward me.

  She approaches me slowly, but from the breath she's holding I know she's excited. She wants this. For once, I don't have an unwilling toy on my hands.

  "Crawl," I demand.

  She flushes furiously but doesn't object. Pandora drops to her knees and crawls to me.

  "Lay down," I order. She positions herself over my lap, just like I wanted. Her ass is in front of me, smaller than it used to be but just as juicy. The urge to hurt her spikes my heartbeat and I smirk to myself. I'm going to make her forget. I'm going to make her mine again. "That's right. Let me see that pretty little body."

  I inspect her, knowing she's blushing as my fingertips gently glide over every inch of her sensitive skin. She's beautiful. Painfully thin but beautiful nonetheless.

  "I'm going to hit you now," I tell her calmly. "And you're going to thank me after every slap. Do you understand?"

  "Yes," she whispers helplessly.

  "Yes what, toy?"

  "Yes Master." Her voice is tiny, breaking over the simple words. It won't be for long enough. I'm going to show her just how pleasurable pain can be. I'm going to show her a hurt so sweet she'll be begging for me to give her more, day in and day out.

  "Good girl." I hit her for the first time, the sound of the slap echoing through my office.

  "Master!"

  "Say thank you," I growl, waiting for her to stop shaking on my lap.

  "T-Thank you," she stutters, flinching when I hit her again. "Ow!"

  "Don't forget."

  "Thank you, Master."

  I keep hitting her, she keeps thanking me. Her ass is glowing bright red and she can surely feel my cock, straining through the fabric of my chinos as I hit her again and again. There's a delicious, dangerous dichotomy between me being fully clothed and my naked toy. It instantly says who has the power here, and it turns me the fuck on.

  I spread her ass then, and Pandora mewls when I inspect her holes. My next slap lands right on her clit and she screams before dissolving into moans.

  "You like that, don't you?" I mutter. "You love getting your pussy hurt. That's what those holes are meant for. Say it."

  "It's... what... I..."

  I slap again and she cries out.

  "Fucking say it, Pandora."

  "My holes are made for pain," she instantly mutters. "I want more, Master, I want more..."

  "You want to get hurt more?" I laugh. "Such a needy painslut, aren't you, Pandora?"

  Hearing her needy whimpers makes me hard enough to burst, but I force myself not to think of my engorged cock beneath her. She's the priority. She's the one who needs to remember her purpose. Remember that pleasing me is all that matters. There's no room and no space for her sadness here. She must be a good toy. At all costs.

  "I want to get hurt more," she whispers. "I'm your painslut, Master."

  "So you can repeat after me," I yawn. "How about you convince me you need more?"

  I slap her again and she moans.

  "Please, Master."

  "Fucking try harder." I hit again. Again. Again. She's moaning endlessly now, tethering on the edge of an orgasm that doesn't come. "Fucking look at you, you little slut. You're going to come from nothing but the pain, aren't you?"

  "N-No," she manages weakly.

  "No?" I spread her pussy lips open again. "Did you just say no to me, toy?"

  "No!" she cries out again. I slap. Hard this time, harder than I dared before. She doesn't make a sound. Her ass and pussy color in a violent shade of red.

  "Say it again," I taunt her. "I fucking dare you."

  She tries to climb off my lap but I grab onto her, turning her so she's straddling me.

  "Where are you trying to go, toy? There's no running, no getting away from this now."

  I look into her tear-streaked face. Someone else would be worried about it, but I see beneath the tears from being hurt so much, right to her center which is glowing with pleasure. The need to please me has been appeased. She knows she's being a good girl, and it's given her a purpose. Meaning.

  "I
s this what you wanted?" I demand, and she weakly shakes her head. "No? What do you want, toy?"

  She hesitates and I grab her hair, pulling hard and making her cry out.

  "Tell me."

  "I want more," she whispers. "Fuck me."

  "You don't deserve that," I mutter even though my cock has jumped up at the thought. "You don't deserve to get fucked until you're better."

  "You can make me better," she insists brokenly. "Only you, Dex, please..."

  I battle with my own need to protect her and my cock raging beneath the fabric of my pants. Fuck. I can't take this for much longer, and if she says no after I decide it's game on, I won't be able to stop.

  "What are you giving to me in exchange?" I demand.

  "Anything." The words spill from her lips, she's so damn eager for it. "Everything. I'll give you all you want."

  "Swear."

  "I swear." She grabs my shirt and kisses me roughly, needily. "I'll do anything. Fuck me."

  "Fine." I pick myself up, letting her stand on the floor next to me as I smirk with dark intent. "Remember your promise, Pandora."

  "But..." She watches in disbelief as I head out of the room, leaving her naked and dripping. "You were going to fuck me, Master..."

  "I will." I laugh at her. "When the time comes. Until then, you wait for me. Needy, wet and dripping."

  "Master!" She's pouting, eyes wide, bottom lip jutting out. "I want it now!"

  She stomps, but instantly stops when I approach her.

  "Anything," I whisper in her ear. "Remember what you promised in exchange for my cock, toy. Any-fucking-thing."

  With those words, I leave her in my office, a self-satisfied grin on my face as I walk away from her.

  She fucking owes me now, and I'm going to keep her pretty little head preoccupied with the thought of me finally fucking her. No more pain but the one I give her. No more hurting but the sweet ache I let her have. She's back to being a toy now, and I'm going to make her love it.

  17

  Pandora

  It's been days.

  Days of this inbetween stage where all I can think about is the needy, wet and dripping hole between my legs.

  Dexter has made sure we haven't been alone. He's spent time in his office, researching possible leads on Reign and Lily Anna, doing anything but spending time with me. And the bastard was right. The lack of attention is making me go stir-crazy. I want him. I need him. I can't live without him. Dexter and his hard, ripped body are all I can think about. Him owning me, taking me, never letting go. And yet he won't touch me. Won't even lay a finger on me. He comes to bed when I'm already asleep and wakes up before I open my eyes. I remember the phantom hugs from the middle of the night, him holding me, embracing me, gone the next morning before I wake.

  Minnie doesn't understand what's happening, and I'm too ashamed to explain it to her. All I can do is stew in my own need for the man I'm supposed to marry.

  I haven't forgotten about Reign. I could never. But with the overwhelming neediness that's taken over my body, I can't focus on anything but the man who owns me and the desperation he makes me feel. It's a welcome reprieve, a way to stop worrying myself sick about my son. And as much as it hurts, I have to give it to Dexter - he really did manage to distract me. All I can think about now is the pleasure of him finally burying his thick cock inside me, making me feel all the things I've almost forgotten.

  But that pleasure just doesn't come.

  Instead, Dex denies me day after day, sending my mind into a tailspin of emotion. And yet I don't bring it up with him.

  I hide how desperate I am and how much I need him until it's almost too late. That night, we're having dinner together, with Minnie sitting at the same table as us while Anders serves us food. Now that Father has provided Dex with a dowry, we can afford to pay him again.

  "I don't know if I can do this," I whisper, letting go of my fork. It clatters to the floor, the sound echoing in the room.

  "What do you mean, Pandora?" Dexter asks, voice filled with held-back worry.

  I look up into his eyes. I'm desperate for him to go through with his promise to fuck me, but he seems determined to make me bring it up first. My bottom lip trembles and I battle with myself on whether I should say it out loud or not. Finally, I blurt out the first thing I can think of, just so the pressure will diminish.

  "I don't know if I can keep going. Maybe we should stop looking."

  "For Reign?" Minnie widens her eyes, looking between the two of us. "You want to stop looking for him?"

  "I don't believe she let him l-live." My voice breaks over the words and I glare at the wall so I don't have to put up with their patronizing words. Nothing will change my reality. Even Dexter's cruel plan to redirect my attention will stop working at some point... "I think we should stop looking for Lily Anna."

  "No." Dex's word sounds final, filled with rage. "We will not stop looking."

  "She could be dead," I say. "We're just wasting time and resources that-"

  "I don't care." He stares at me with his penetrating gaze that could light my soul aflame. "I'm not going to stop looking for the girl who killed my parents. So are you really suggesting we stop looking for our son?"

  I'm rendered speechless, sitting there and fidgeting on my chair. "I'm sorry, I didn't think..."

  "No, you didn't," Dex grunts. "And you better start doing that before you open that pretty little mouth, Pandora. Otherwise I'll just have to occupy it in a different way."

  Minnie takes a sharp breath of air, but it isn't as embarrassing as the flush that swallows my whole body. It's the first time Dex has mentioned anything sexual since the time he showed me Reign's nursery. I wanted this. I prayed for this. So why am I this fucking scared?

  "Oakes called," Dexter barks after a long minute of uncomfortable silence. "He wants you back at the Estate next week, Minnie."

  "Oh." The blonde pales, staring at her half-empty plate while she nods resolutely. "Yes, I understand. Thank you for telling me."

  "Are you really letting him take her back?" I speak before I can stop myself.

  Dex picks up the napkin on his lap and wipes his mouth, tossing it on his plate as he looks at me. "What did I just tell you, toy?"

  "What? I-"

  "Answer me." His voice drips with cool cruelty and my heart is pounding as I glance between Dex and Minnie.

  "I..."

  "I'll go upstairs." Minnie nearly falls over herself in order to get away. I almost want to cry out, beg her to stay so I won't be left alone with Dexter. But she closes the door firmly behind her, leaving just us.

  "What did I say about being a brat, toy?" Dex asks.

  "I'm not a brat, or a toy," I say.

  "You are what I say you are. You got that?"

  I laugh out loud, shaking my head, but Dex reacts instantly. He gets up, pulling me off my chair by the front of my black dress.

  "Dexter!" I struggle but he won't let go. "What are you doing?"

  "Do you think I forgot your promise, toy?" he asks sweetly against the shell of my ear. "Remember what you said, toy. Anything. Everything. You didn't even bother to ask what that was, you just agreed blindly."

  He laughs at my crestfallen expression.

  "I bet you're regretting that now, aren't you, little toy?"

  I shake my head no when he pushes me up against the wall, holding me by my throat now. My heart is going crazy and if he doesn't stop, I'm going to start soaking my panties.

  "Tell me what you are," Dex says, gentler this time.

  "Pandora Oakes," I whisper.

  "I said what." He laughs. "Go on."

  "I'm a... a toy."

  "For who?"

  "For you. For my Master."

  "That's right," Dex mutters. "You're a good little fucktoy for your Master, aren't you? It doesn't even matter what your name is. Or it won't... You'll see."

  "W-What?" My eyes grow wide. "What do you mean?"

  Dex lets me go. My skin hurts where he held m
e, but not because of the pain, but because he isn't touching me anymore. I rub the sore spots.

  "You'll see." He moves toward the door. "Come on, we'll tell Minnie the good news."

  "Good news?" I ask, still trying to recover from his sudden outburst.

  "I got her into Prep," Dex grins. "She'll be starting this fall."

  We deliver the news together. It's the first time I see Minnie smile in almost a year without a tinge of sadness, and for a moment, even I can pretend things will work out just fine.

  She thanks us profusely for the opportunity, telling us we won't regret sending her to Prep. This won't only broaden her horizons, it'll open the door for more opportunities when it comes to work, too.

  The whole time we're explaining the news to Minnie, I feel the promise of something dark and ominous in the air. I have a feeling Dex might collect on my promise soon enough. After all, I owe him anything... and everything.

  We say goodnight to Minnie and when I close the door of her room, a chill goes down my spine. I turn around to face Dexter.

  "Well, I'll be retiring for the night, then."

  "Sure."

  "Goodnight, Dexter."

  I hurry down the hallway so I don't have to hold the weight of his gaze, feeling him stare at me the entire time. When I finally close the door of our bedroom behind me, I let out a breath of relief.

  I don't know whether I'm scared or excited about Dexter collecting what's owed.

  I also know I'm lying to myself.

  I get ready for bed as fast as I can, so I can fake being asleep by the time Dex comes to bed. I brush my hair until it's silky and smooth, apply oil to it, remove my makeup and wash my face with a hot cloth. I take a quick shower and climb between the sheets naked, telling myself it's just because it's so hot. But I know it's a lie... Just like all the nights before this one, I'll be hoping Dex touches me in the middle of the night. And just like every other night, I'll be hoping in vain.

  He hasn't even touched me. Up to tonight, he hasn't mentioned or done anything sexual. And it's driving me crazy.

  He was right about something - since he made me beg, I've been so preoccupied by my own body and its needs, I've managed not to worry about Reign quite as much. In return, that's made me more focused, and Dex has even let me in on the search, sharing any possible clues they find with me right away.