by Jaymin Eve
Hah, yeah right. More like he just had way more experience than a twenty-three-year-old guy should. Whatever, I wasn't complaining. And after tonight, I was deleting his number and never looking back, so what did it matter how much of a womanizer Dylan was?
Dylan's arms banded around my slim waist, and I let out a moan of pain when my ribs ached. He didn't notice, though, or he assumed it was a moan of arousal, as he stood up with me still impaled on his cock and flipped us over.
Stars swam across my vision as my back hit the soft comforter and Dylan hitched my legs around his waist, then drove his cock deeper into me. Pain radiated through my midsection from all the bruises Blake had left, but I gritted my teeth and cleared my mind. My abusive, controlling brother had no place in this hotel room.
"Serena, are you okay?" Dylan paused, our hips flush and his arms braced against the mattress on either side of my head. "You seem... you're different tonight."
I let out a small laugh, and it sounded bitterer than I had intended. "Different?" I shook my head, swallowing the flow of words I wanted to release—the confession of my name, my age, my... feelings. But Dylan Grant—Dylan freaking Grant, one of the Delta Five—didn't want to hear all of that. He kept coming back to me for one reason only. I was drama free.
So I held my tongue and rolled my hips against his. "I'm fine," I lied. "Just a lot on my mind. Nothing for you to worry about. Certainly not right now."
He said nothing for a moment, just dipped his face to mine and kissed my lips ever so softly. Dylan had the most incredible way of kissing me like he actually cared. Sometimes I would close my eyes and imagine for a moment that he was in love with me for real. That we were an actual couple...
Yeah, I was a delusional twit and clearly a masochist to torture myself with an impossibility like that.
"I get that," he murmured, his lips moving to my ear and his teeth teasing my earlobe. "Maybe I can help you forget for a few hours."
I skated my hands up his chiseled sides bringing them to his face to cup his rough, stubbled jaw. "I'm counting on it, Dylan."
He huffed a short laugh but was all too eager to deliver on that offer. His lips captured mine once more, and his hips moved between my legs. Within moments, every thought of my brother was erased from my mind. All that mattered was the gorgeous man fucking me like I was the only woman on earth.
Dylan seemed determined to fry every damn braincell in my head, and when he eventually came all over my tits, I'd lost count of the number of orgasms he'd given me.
For a long time, we just lay there beside each other in the darkness, our chests heaving and our breathing rough. Usually, that was it, I’d clean up and kiss Dylan goodbye with promises to see him again next time he was in town, but this time was different. When I left the hotel room tonight, that'd be it.
Because of that, I found myself reluctant to move. I didn't even want to speak for fear of breaking the bubble of peace and calm we coexisted inside.
"You know," Dylan said in a husky, sleep-thickened voice, "if you want my help..." He trailed off, but I knew what he was talking about. His fingertip traced down my side, and a dull ache radiated through my skin. Even with the lights off, my bruising must be dark enough for him to see against my chalk-white skin. I’d noticed he'd been gentler than usual, but had ignored it when he'd said nothing sooner.
I shook my head, letting out a sigh. "You did help, Dylan," I whispered, my voice edged with sadness. "I should go." I started to sit up, gathering the sheet around my body, but he caught my wrist to stall me.
"Serena, say a name and I can make sure whoever did this pays dearly." His tone was low and threatening, sending a shiver of unexpected excitement through me. I briefly entertained the possibility of accepting his offer, of having him make Blake pay. But just as quickly, I dismissed it. Unless Dylan was willing to kill my brother—and I doubted he was—then it'd only make my situation worse in the long run.
As I turned to look back at him, just a shadowed figure reclining against the hotel sheets like an art piece, a wave of desperation and dread rolled over me. I was doomed, and there was nothing my high-profile booty call could or would be able to do about it. Better to cut my losses and walk away with my dignity intact.
"Nah, I've got it handled," I told him with an easy laugh. "But thanks."
He released my wrist almost reluctantly, and I quickly gathered my discarded clothes before I scurried to the bathroom to wash up. I needed to scrub every inch of skin and wash my hair thoroughly before I could return home. The last thing I needed was for Blake to smell another man's cologne on my hair at breakfast or some shit. I didn't hate living that much.
The whole time I cleaned up, though, I couldn't stop the nagging anxiety in my belly. It felt so anticlimactic to just walk away and never look back. So empty and unfinished. Stepping out of the bathroom again, I had the most overwhelming desire to tell the truth, to confess that I wasn't, in fact, twenty-one-year-old Serena Michaels from New York.
"Hey, Dylan?" My voice was hesitant as I paused in the doorway. The light from the bathroom at my back filled the room, but now that I was dressed again, I wasn't worried.
He looked up at me from where he sat on the end of the bed, buttoning his dress shirt over that sharply muscled body of his. Fuck, he was gorgeous.
"Yes, Serena?" He quirked a brow at me, his green eyes sparking with curiosity.
I drew a deep breath, working up my courage. Was I really going to do this? How was he going to react? I knew my brother had some business dealings with the Delta-Huntley Group, but I also suspected he wasn't on the most cordial terms with them.
"I need to tell you something," I started to say, my heart racing.
He waited patiently for me to continue, but before any more words could leave my lips, his phone rang on the nightstand. His brow furrowed, and he raised a finger to me, indicating I should wait a second as he grabbed the phone and checked the caller ID.
"Sorry." He shot me an apologetic glance. "Just give me two seconds; I have to take this." He tapped the answer-call button without waiting for me to reply and brought it to his ear with a faint smile. "Riley, what's up?"
My heart sank, and a wave of disappointment washed over me. That, right there. That was the biggest reason I was walking away from Dylan tonight. In the months we’d been sleeping together, we’d managed to have the odd conversation or two—shocking, right?—and he often mentioned his best friends. Especially Riley. The way he spoke about her… only an idiot would miss the obvious deeper feelings he held for the Delta princess. And I was falling way too hard for a guy who only used me for sex while probably completely in love with someone else.
Dylan indicated again for me to wait, then stepped out onto the small balcony to take his call in privacy, but I was on the verge of tears before he’d even closed the sliding door. The second he’d turned his back to me, I grabbed my shit and left.
I may be a weak, broken doll, but I still had some shred of dignity left. I wasn't going to throw that away on delusions of a future with Dylan Grant. Nope, his heart belonged to Riley—whether she wanted it or not—and I wasn't woman enough to fight for it.
Tears streamed down my face as I made my way home, planning to block Dylan's number the moment I had my phone in my hands. No more Dylan Grant with the magical dick and multiple orgasms. That was officially the last time I’d get to see my secret lover and soak in everything about him. Everything that turned my insides and brain to mush and made me crave things that were never going to be mine.
He was the dream of the life I’d never live, and it hurt to know that I wouldn’t even have my dreams now. But it needed to be done. I simply had to move on with my life and leave those dreams in the dust.
4
The next six weeks were some of the easiest and hardest of my life. Easy because Blake was gone a lot so I was left alone, but hard because I wasn’t able to go out of the house at all and I knew there was no night with Dylan on the horizon to ease the
pain.
I was an addict in need of my fix, but thankfully, deleting and blocking his number really helped with that issue, no matter how many times I wished I could text him one more time.
“Brooklyn, are you ready, sweetheart?”
It was the morning of my first day of boot camp, and Mary was at my door.
Dragging myself up, I caught sight in my dresser mirror of how bedraggled I was. One thing about having nowhere to go… no need to brush your hair or get dressed.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” I said before clearing my throat and rubbing my eyes.
I felt her hesitate at the door. “Your bags are already packed. The camp requires you to stay there, but your brother ensured you’d have a private room.”
“Okay, great,” I called.
The door clicked open then, and my chest froze until her face appeared in the gap. “Sorry to just enter,” she said in a rush, “but your brother insisted that you wear this bracelet while you’re there.” She held up a fairly plain silver chain with a square clasp. “He said it’s for your protection and that if he finds out you’re not wearing it, there will be a punishment for… everyone.”
“I’ll wear it,” I promised, and she dropped the surprisingly heavy piece into my outstretched hand. “I’m sure it’s just a tracking device.” Or an electric shock chain that would zap me every time I ate something with calories in it.
“Don’t worry about us,” she told me. “Just take care of yourself.” She kissed my cheek, helped me get the bracelet on, and then left the room. Running out of time, I hobbled into the bathroom to shower and change.
I was sporting new bruises from Blake’s last overnight stay here three days ago, but the shower helped ease some of the aches. There was nothing to be done for the bruises that splotched across my ribs and down my side, but I was used to it.
Anger wisped through me, but it was so brief. Blake had been at it for so long that I was numb to the abuse now.
Once I was dressed in torn jeans, a simple white shirt, and tennis shoes, I made my way downstairs. Grabbing a bagel, plain because no Lawsons are fat, I was ushered into a car idling out front. Jonnie was already inside waiting for me, and I tried not to flinch as he smiled.
It was not a nice smile, flashing gold from his right central incisor. Small, beady eyes that were too close together and a long nose gave him a ratlike profile. Jonnie was one ugly motherfucker, but worse than his face was his personality. The only thing I liked about him was that he wasn’t as huge as most of the guys Blake employed, which gave me the smallest sense that I might have a chance at fighting him off.
He was sneaky though, always touching me just a little too long to be polite. The thought that I would have to spend the next however long at this camp with him was giving me heart palpitations.
“Good morning,” he drawled.
Forcing myself not to react, I stared straight ahead. “You’re not staying in my room.” Fuck making polite conversation.
Jonnie’s grin grew, and now I could not only see the gold but also multiple missing teeth. “Are you giving me orders, Brooklyn?”
He loved dragging my name out, really accentuating the Brooook Lyynnnn. Mostly because he knew it drove me fucking insane.
“No,” I said quietly, picking my battles because I was required to show Blake’s men the same respect I showed him. Thankfully, my possessive bastard of a brother had one rule for them when it came to me: No touching me unless I tried to escape.
Pretty sure that rule was the only thing that had saved me from being raped multiple times. They all feared that one day Blake would turn on them—especially after he’d made an example a few years ago of the guy who’d managed to corner me and get his hand up my shirt. The swift brutality of his response had been enough to keep me safe ever since.
“I have my own room, Brooklyn,” he said again, dark eyes flashing at me. “But I also have strict orders to never let you out of my sight.”
The car was moving now, and I had no idea who was driving or where we were going because the privacy screen was up, cutting us off.
“Don’t make me tell Blake that you touched me inappropriately,” I said softly, playing my one card. “I can be very convincing.”
Jonnie paled, despite his darkly tanned skin. “He wouldn’t believe you.”
The small smile I shot back was filled with mocking confidence. I was a damned good actor these days. “Is it worth the risk? All I’m asking is that you do your job without coming too close to me. And you will never be in my room or bathroom at any time. Period.”
His silence said everything. He was not going to agree to my terms, but he was at least thinking about it. That was the best I could hope for.
The rest of the drive was silent, and I tried not to dwell on the fact that I was heading toward another unknown place at the mercy of men who wanted nothing more than to dominate and hurt me. Blake wouldn't have sent me here if he didn’t think they were going to make my life difficult. But just like everything else, I would figure out a way to survive.
It took about forty minutes before the car began to slow, and Jonnie lifted his head from his phone. He’d been texting nonstop; a blessing as it kept him away from me.
When we came to a stop, I stepped out. The sun beat down on us, but there was a chill in the air that hadn’t been around at a lower elevation. I’d felt us come up a mountain earlier, and we were now surrounded by pine trees.
There were a multitude of smells, including bark and vanilla along with moss and conifer trees. At this point, while I took in the majestic beauty of nature around us, the driver dumped two backpacks at my feet. He drove off a moment later, leaving me with Jonnie.
“Where is the camp?” I asked. As amazing as it was here, there was no sign of civilized life at all, just a bunch of trees, some grass, and the sounds of nature.
“We have to walk,” Jonnie said, not sounding happy about it.
At that point, I was grateful I’d opted for simple clothes because his suit—equipped with a red skinny tie—and Italian loafers were not going to be the most comfortable hiking outfit. He did have a detailed map to follow, so with my two bags hauled over my shoulders, I snatched the map from his hands and started off, a grumbling Jonnie behind me.
Thirty minutes later, we finally found the camp.
Or, at least, I hoped this was the camp. A dozen huts nestled into the side of the mountain, and if I hadn’t been desperately searching for them, I might have missed the site altogether. The buildings were made from logs of the same color as most of the trees surrounding them, and they definitely looked worse for wear.
“Damn, hope they have better quarters for me,” Jonnie grumbled. The dude had literally not stopped whining the entire fucking way.
“They’re nicer on the inside,” a voice said from behind us, and I swung around, almost smashing Jonnie with my bag.
An auburn-haired guy stood on a large boulder. He had nice, broad shoulders, was a few inches taller than Jonnie’s five-foot-eleven, and was dressed in army camo. With his military haircut and hard eyes, it was clear that he had seen some serious shit in the world and had not escaped unscathed.
“Who are you?” Jonnie sneered.
The guy didn't even bother to acknowledge Jonnie; instead, he addressed me. “My name is Matthew Broder, and I’m second-in-charge of Colorado Discipline camp. Since we only have one female on the roster for this intake, I’m going to assume you’re Brooklyn Lawson.”
I nodded, and Jonnie scoffed, expression pissed off. Blake’s men were not used to being ignored. Seemed that here, their celebrity was lost.
“Follow me,” Matthew said. “I’ll show you to your cabin. Usually it’s a shared situation, but we had a last-minute cancellation, so you’ll be alone.”
He finally shot Jonnie a look. “You’ll stay in the staff bunk, which is another quarter of a mile that way.” He pointed along a path. “Stay there and out of my way.”
When Jonnie open
ed his big mouth to argue, Matthew’s hand shot out and wrapped around his ratty throat. “Argue with me, and you’ll be gone,” he whispered, leaning in close, fingers tight enough that red appeared on Jonnie’s cheeks.
As soon as he released the rat, he walked on like nothing had happened.
My heart hammered in my chest hard and fast as fight-or-flight kicked in. That was not normal. What the fuck had just happened?
Jonnie, who was gasping for breath and swearing between choking coughs, remained behind as I took off after Matthew.
“What exactly does this camp teach?” I asked the guide, keeping half an eye on Jonnie, thankful he still hadn’t moved to follow. “I was signed up for this by my brother, and I have no real idea what to expect.”
Matthew stopped his frantic march, and I briefly wondered why, then noticed the raised cabin. My cabin I was guessing. “This camp is designed to teach you respect and survival and equip you with a ton of useful skills to help you step forward in the world. We have strict rules, we will throw situations at you that you’ve never encountered before, and at times you’ll probably wish you’d never been born. But you should finish the two-month program as a better and more well-rounded person than the Brooklyn Lawson standing before me.”
His eyes were hard again, and that in no way reassured me of my ability to survive this camp. Jonnie, who had finally arrived, huffed, and Matthew ignored him, moving gracefully up the entry stairs. His movements were almost like a dance, and unlike Blake, his muscles were not these huge displays of power. Instead they were strong and lithe, as if he could climb mountains all day and not get remotely fatigued.
Once we were standing inside the pretty basic room, Matthew waved his hand. “This is your private area. Normally campers are required to room with strangers, but we had a cancellation and you’re getting special treatment." He didn’t sound particularly happy about that.
"Sorry. My brother can be a little forceful," I said quickly.
Matthew shrugged. "Rich people always are. I’m being unfair anyway. Your brother is not the only reason you're on your own. One female in a camp of men… It was an easy decision to make."
