Turning around in the mirror, I admire the way the silk clings to my body in all the right places. It falls gracefully to the floor, pooling around my feet. Grabbing a black pair of Louis Vuitton’s, I slide my feet into them and stand taller in the mirror.
I love this dress because it’s one of the few things that I’ve picked out for myself. It’s one thing that Jasper hasn’t picked out for me.
“Jaslyn!” Jasper calls from downstairs and interrupts my personal fashion show. “We are going to be late if you don’t hurry the fuck up.”
Letting out a sigh of defeat, I give myself one more glance before turning out the lights and abandoning the room. I grab my clutch from my dresser and make my way downstairs to my asshole fiancé.
Standing by the front door, he scowls at his phone as he types furiously. Looks like I’ll be playing third wheel at dinner with him and whoever’s on the receiving side of his text messages. Honestly, I’d much rather be alone at home than anywhere with him.
“Took you fucking long enough,” he mumbles as my heels on the floor announce my arrival. Closing the screen on his phone, he shoves it in the pocket of his dress pants and glares at me. “Do you know how long I had to wait to get a reservation at this place?”
I shake my head, not that I really even care.
“Too fucking long for you to fuck it up,” he barks as he grabs my upper arm and drags me out the front door. Desmond, our driver, holds open the door of Jasper’s Rolls Royce and patiently waits for us to get in.
Jasper’s fingertips dig into the sensitive skin on my bicep and I trip over my feet as he continues to pull me behind him. Desmond’s light grey eyes briefly meet mine and he looks at me with a mixture of pity and sorrow. This isn’t the first time he’s witnessed Jasper’s temper and it certainly won’t be the last.
This is mild compared to how he’s treated me in front of Desmond in the past.
Jasper stops at the side of the car and pulls me in front of him before shoving me inside. My feet get tangled in the bottom of my dress as I stumble and fall onto the seat. Jasper carefully slides in next to me, pushing me aside as I struggle to gain my balance and sit upright.
Desmond closes the door and gets into the driver’s seat as I adjust my dress to sit comfortably. I feel Jasper’s eyes glued to me as I try to keep my gaze out the window as we pull away from the house.
Roughly grabbing my face, he turns my head to look at him. “What are you wearing?”
It’s a struggle to maintain eye contact with a monster, especially when they have you within their grip.
“Um…” I stutter, like a coward. “I found it in my closet and realized that I had never worn it before when I saw the tags still on it.”
Jasper narrows his eyes as he continues to hold on to my chin. “I’ll be hiring a new personal shopper. From now on, you wear whatever I have bought for you.”
There goes another piece of my freedom… I no longer have a say in the clothing that I wear anymore.
“You don’t like this dress?” I ask him innocently as I bat my eyelashes at him.
I’d let him fuck me in this car if it meant he’d take his hands off me.
A wicked, sinister grin forms on his face. “Quite the contrary.” His expression quickly grows darker. “I like the thought of other men seeing how sexy you are, wanting to fuck you, and knowing they can’t. My ring is on your finger and the only cock you’ll be on is mine.”
I cringe inwardly at his words and the thoughts that plague my mind. Keeping my poker face on, I smile sweetly at him, just as he expects me to respond. I’d much rather have my finger cut off and his cock buried deep inside someone else.
Looks like tonight isn’t going to be my lucky night.
Releasing my chin, he lightly taps the side of my face with his open palm and then keeps his hands to himself. Pulling out his phone, it lights up his face and he remains preoccupied with that for the rest of the drive.
We arrive at the newly opened, classy restaurant and Desmond drops us off at the front door, bypassing the valet parking and parks the car himself. Jasper doesn’t trust the valet parkers with his vehicles, so Desmond stays with the car regardless of where we go. It’s not like he doesn’t have insurance on all the cars we have; it’s just another thing that Jasper can have control over.
That’s what everything in life boils down to with Jasper. The monster that he hides inside has an insatiable hunger for control and he’ll do whatever he has to, as long as it means that he doesn’t lose that.
He’s the CEO of my father’s company, but when I take his last name, he’ll be the owner, alongside me. He’ll have complete control of my family’s empire unless I find a way to stop it all from happening.
Sitting down at our private table, Jasper does all the talking between us, as well as ordering my food and drinks for me. I’m never to speak to any of our servers, only him. I’ve tested him before and challenged his demands, to see what would happen… my eyes were swollen shut and I couldn’t see for a week after that.
I learned my lesson time and time again, so now I sit silently and let him rule the conversation. An occasional smile and nod keeps his monster content and keeps him from laying a finger on me.
It still confuses me, how I ended up here in this position. I was never weak, and I didn’t bow down to anyone; my father taught me to be stronger than this and not to take shit from anyone.
I don’t stand up as straight and my head isn’t held as high anymore. I’m not weak, but I’m not strong either.
I’m broken.
I already had a crack in my soul when Jasper came to my rescue. I thought that he would fix that crack and make me whole again, but I was wrong.
Jasper wasn’t my hero, he was my destroyer.
He knocked me down and refused to help me back up. The crack inside me splintered and I shattered into a million pieces when he broke me. Perhaps I deserved to be broken after what I had done.
I took something that wasn’t mine to take, and for that, I will pay for the rest of my life. I deserve every single beating, every bruise and every broken bone that I get.
Sometimes things are broken beyond repair, and sometimes those broken things don’t deserve to be pieced back together.
Like me—I’m meant to stay broken.
♦♦♦
We finish our dinner and Jasper asks for the check abruptly as he drains his glass of wine. He glares at me as I slowly sip mine. If I drink too fast, I’ll get drunk and if I get drunk, I’ll get myself in trouble.
Drunk Jaslyn holds her head up higher and she stands up straighter. She’s arrogant and defiant, she’s a glutton for punishment. Although she’s still broken, she holds the pieces together as best as she can.
Drunk Jaslyn doesn’t give a fuck what happens to her, so long as her voice is hers. I wish that I had the strength to be her, but I’d rather not be heard. I deserve to suffer, and she would only get us killed.
Death would be a blessing; it would end the misery that I live in and it would save me from the ugliness of the world.
When you’re broken like me, you don’t deserve a blessing, you deserve the misery.
Staring down at my glass of wine, I swirl it lightly as I avoid Jasper’s hateful gaze. He doesn’t say a word as our server returns to the table and he throws some cash in the black folder. The glass is quickly ripped out of my hand as Jasper takes it from me and drinks it himself.
“Next time I order a five-thousand-dollar bottle of wine, you fucking drink,” he growls as he sets the empty glass down on the table. I wince and jump subtly from his volatile act as I envision the glass shattering on the table. “You’re lucky that I treat you the way that I do. Do you know how many women wish that they had what you have?”
If these women knew how he really treated me, they would never want it.
Folding my hands on my lap, I stare down at the table in front of me and quietly shake my head.
Jasper sits up taller in his seat as he drives the to
e of his oxford into my shin. I bite down on my lip, hard enough to draw blood, and swallow the cry that forms in my throat.
That will leave a mark, one that people can see, another one for me to cover up.
“Look at me, cunt.” His voice is low and demanding. Reluctantly, I look up at him and blink as I take in his sinister face. He wears an expression that I’m all too familiar with; it’s how he typically looks at me.
“Your disrespect will get you nowhere pretty fucking fast. If you know what’s good for you, you’ll curb your attitude before I do.”
His threat isn’t in his words, as much as it is heard in his tone. Jasper won’t hesitate to fuck me up and I keep breaking on the eggshells that I walk on.
Jasper glances down at the Rolex on his wrist and mumbles under his breath. Rising from his chair, he grabs my hand and quickly pulls me to my feet. “Let’s go,” he commands as he links his arm with mine. “We’re going to be late.”
“Late for what?” I ask as I trip over my feet, struggling to keep up with his long stride.
Ignoring my question, Jasper drags me through the front door and to the car that Desmond has parked along the curb already. He holds open the door for us with an emotionless expression and softly shuts it after we climb in.
Jasper’s undivided attention goes straight to his phone and his fingers type aggressively as he ignores my presence. I welcome the silence as I watch out the window as Desmond drives us out of Miami. We drive into Everglade territory and pull into the driveway, stopping at a massive black iron gate. Desmond’s window slides down and he reaches outside, pressing a call button.
“Name?” A deep voice rumbles through the small speaker next to the button.
“Lafar,” Desmond speaks clearly. “Jasper and his…” He pauses and glances back at us in the rearview mirror as if he’s unsure how to address me. “Jaslyn Astor.”
Silence fills the air for a moment, and no one responds as the gate slowly opens. Desmond drives us through and continues down the driveway through a row of trees.
“Jasper,” I start hesitantly as I peer through the tinted window as the trees part, revealing rows upon rows of foreign cars lined up outside a brightly lit, massive barn. I turn to face him, finding him already watching me. “What is this place?”
His eyes glimmer and a smile plays on his lips as Desmond parks the car. “You’ll see.”
“What are we doing here?” I ask him quietly, the confusion evident in my voice.
Jasper looks past me out the window at the barn before his eyes focus on mine. “You’ll see.” He winks and a sinister grin forms on his face as my door is slowly pulled open. “Think of it as a business investment.”
Stepping out of the car, I stare at the luxurious barn across the parking lot in confusion, but within that confusion there’s also a peculiar curiosity.
Where the hell are we?
Chapter Five
Axel
“AREN’T YOU tired of this shit, man?” Rush questions me as he pulls up to the entrance of The Vault. “You know you don’t need the money.”
Says the guy who has more money than he knows what to do with.
We grew up poor, but we both turned that around. I fought my way to the top and Rush had some rich family who died. When I got hurt, I lost it all and when I was out on my ass, Rush was the one who picked me back up.
“What am I supposed to do? Live off you forever?”
Rush’s expression is indifferent as he shrugs. “What the fuck else am I gonna do with that money?” He slouches back in his seat and lazily drapes his tattooed arm out the window. “I mean, let’s be real here. There’s plenty to go around.”
“Ha!” I scoff harshly, reaching down to get my duffle bag. “I’m not your fucking charity case.”
“Yo, this isn’t the ring and I’m not your opponent, so chill the fuck out,” Rush snaps, glaring at me. “You’re my brother, not a goddamn charity case. What’s mine is yours… unless the pussy is really good.” He pauses with a smirk. “Then I’m not sharing.”
Shaking my head, I push open my door. “You need to get a hobby or something.”
“Another one?” The sarcasm is thick in his voice and he raises an eyebrow at me. “Getting pussy is all about me. If that doesn’t say hobby, then I don’t know what does.”
Climbing out of the car, I pull my duffle bag with me and throw it over my shoulder as I slam the door shut. Walking around the front, I pause by Rush’s window. “Don’t come crying to me when your dick starts burning and falls off.”
Rush laughs loudly as he shifts the car into drive. “Don’t get your ass handed to you in there.”
I crack my knuckles as Rush chuckles and drives away, he circles around the parking lot and pulls the car into his usual spot. He might do more wrong than right in life, but he is right about one thing. Blood or not, he’s my brother and there’s nothing that will ever change that.
Being with me easily got him onto the property and his money could easily get him inside the building, but he never says a word about it. He doesn’t care to get involved and I don’t blame him. It’s a rabbit hole that you can’t just climb out of.
Staring up at the building, I take a deep breath and my jaw twitches with agitation and anticipation as my body knows what’s coming next.
Yeah, Rush, I am tired of this shit, but this shit is who I am.
I need an outlet for my aggression, and this is where I belong.
♦♦♦
Stepping out into the ring, my senses are heightened and I’m hyper-aware of everything around me. My fight instincts are in full effect and the adrenaline coursing through my veins only fuels it more.
The lights above me shine brightly, blocking out the darkened crowd surrounding the ring. The sounds and their voices, it all blends together as my mind is focused on one thing and one thing only.
Blood.
It’s what I need, it’s what I crave. My aggression drives my need for physical pain. My opponent just happens to be the source of that pain and nothing more. Someone else’s blood isn’t what I crave… it’s my own.
The fight is over almost as quickly as it began. I let him get a few hits in, tasting the blood on my lip before I drove my fists into his face until he was lying on the ground.
The crowd doesn’t enjoy a quick fight, but when it’s bloody and brutal, they don’t care about how quickly you drop someone.
My breathing is heavy and shallow as I straighten myself out and wipe the blood from my mouth. The adrenaline is still pumping, but I’m increasingly aware of everyone’s eyes on me as they cheer. Lazily scanning the crowd, my body stills as I’m met by a familiar pair of brown eyes.
Her eyes are wide as she stares me down from across the room. She’s standing with everyone else, but she isn’t cheering. She’s watching me with pure fear on her pale face.
Why is she here? Jasper never brought her here before.
I struggle to catch my breath as I quickly cast my eyes away and jog out of the ring. Jaslyn was never supposed to see this side of me. It’s a side of me that I’m not proud of and one that I never wanted her to know about.
She knows now.
Jaslyn just saw who I really am.
♦♦♦
My mind runs faster than my feet as I slip into the locker room and slam the door shut behind me. I can’t be here; I just need to go. Leaving the tape on my bloody hands, I opt out of taking a shower and I grab my duffle bag as I zip it shut.
Without a second thought, I stride across the room toward the door and stop short as it’s shoved open and take a step back to avoid getting hit in the face.
“There’s the man of the hour.” Jasper smirks as he pushes his way into the room. “You are just who I was coming to see.” He glances down at my bag and looks back at me suspiciously. “Are you in a rush to get somewhere?”
“What do you want?” I let out an exasperated sigh as I shift my weight.
He narrows his sinister eyes
as he bores holes into mine. “An answer.”
Closing my eyes, I run my hand over my face and try to swallow the agitation growing inside. I need to get the fuck out of here and he’s blocking my only way out.
“Two million for the first year, five after that and we’ll adjust the contract accordingly as we go.”
My body falls still, and my eyes widen slightly as I stare at him, taken aback. He catches me off guard with his new offer when I never accepted or declined his original one. Why the hell would he turn around and double it?
Because he’s blind to any color that isn’t green.
“Don’t try me with the ‘I need time to think’ bullshit. Either you take it, or the offer is gone for good.”
I looked over the contract after I first met Jaslyn and it’s a solid deal. It’s guaranteed money and whatever benefits he throws in, so that means no more living with Rush and living off his money. I’ll have my own to build my own life and my own future.
“I won’t be your bitch,” I tell him harshly. “I don’t take orders from anyone. I want to see the contract and make my own revisions and then you have a deal.”
A contract comes with conditions and being under Jasper’s thumb isn’t what I’m signing up for.
Jasper gives me a wicked smile as his sinister eyes shine. Reaching inside the jacket of his suit, he pulls out an envelope and hands it to me.
“Look it over, make whatever changes you need to and bring it by my office tomorrow morning.”
Pulling the door open in a rush, I turn blindly down the hall, running directly into a small warm body. Inky black hair flies in the air as she lands on the floor with a thud.
“Shit,” I hiss as I crouch down in front of the small woman. Brushing her hair from her face, familiar brown eyes flash to mine. “I didn’t see you there,” I explain in a rush. “Are you okay?”
Jaslyn’s expression contorts as if she’s in pain, but her eyes are filled with disappointment. A frown forms on her lips and a mixture of emotions wash over her.
Mirage: Veiled Love Duet: Book One Page 3
