13. Chapter Eleven
CHAPTER ELEVEN
ECHO
E cho rolled her eyes. “Clothes. What does it look like?”
Who was he to ask her what she was wearing?
“You have two good eyes to look at me. Do I need to tell you where I got them so you can check with the store?”
She was pissed. Who did he think he was coming into the bar she worked at and demanding they speak? Deccan growled and gently cupped her face.
“Don’t you get fucking smart with me.”
“I just did. What are you going to do about it? Maybe you shouldn’t ask stupid questions,” she snapped back.
They stared into each other in the eyes, their breaths coming out hard and fast. Were they ever going to get anywhere? Probably not. Deccan had one thing on his mind, and Echo had something completely different.
“This is my body,” he snarled.
She pulled her face out of his drip and glared at him.
“No, it’s not your fucking body. It’s my fucking body and no one else’s,” she growled back.
Deccan cupped her face once again, making sure they were maintaining eye contact.
“I want you to listen to me closely,” he calmly said.
She swallowed. She didn’t know him that well, but she had a feeling thatwhen he was calm and angry, it wasn’t a good thing. Did it worry her? A little, but she also found it extremely hot. She found Deccan extremely hot.
The way he had control over his body andhis emotions. The way he looked at her and took care of her. Sure, he did have a coupleof red flags, but there was just something about him that made her want to forget everything.
“This body is fucking mine. It will always be mine,” he whispered, his tone dark and delicious.
Echo stared at him for several seconds. She couldn’t help but feel herself growing wet from the way he was talking even though she knew she shouldn’t be. He was claiming her body as his when it wasn’t…or was it?
“No,” she weakly replied.
He gripped her chin and chuckled. “It’s mine, and you already know that, don’t you? You belong to me.”
“No,” she forced out.
“Yes, Little Bit. You are mine; your body is mine. Just like I am yours, and my body is yours.”
Her mouth fell open, his fingers still holding her chin. Was he hers as well?
“Shocked you with that one, didn’t I? It’s a two-way street. When I say your body is mine, my body is yours, too.”
“N—”
“Do not say no again. I don’t like being told no.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Well?—”
Behind her, a throat cleared, and she turned her head. Freeing herself from his hold, to see her manager standing in the doorway.
“Yes?” Deccan questioned gruffly.
Echo could see Derek’s body shaking ever so slightly as he looked at Deccan.
“What do you need? I’m trying to have an important conversation with my girl,” Deccan spat.
“She is working,” Derek said, clearing his throat again. “She is supposed to be working. Get out there in five minutes or I’ll fire you.”
Before she could say anything, Derek walked out of the back room and Echo just stood there. She didn’t need this job, but she wanted it so she could put her other paycheck toward her emergency fund.
“Little Bit,” Deccan gently said.
“What?” she snapped. “What could you possibly want right now?”
His face went cold, and he opened his mouth.
Echo held up her hand. “Actually, I can’t do this. I need to get back to work or I’m going to lose my job.”
She walked out of the backroom without giving Deccan chance to say anything and headed toward the bar. Derek was serving customers.
“I’m back. Sorry about that,” she mumbled.
He didn’t say anything as he returned to his side of the bar. Deccan walked out of the backroom and straight toward her.
“Deccan,” she sighed.
“Daddy,” he growled. “I have told you multiple times, it’s Daddy to you.”
“I can’t do this right now,” she said, completely ignoring him.
“We will be finishing this conversation,” he replied and went straight over to Derek.
She couldn’t hear anything they said, but Derek nodded. Unease filled her. What could be going on? What did Deccan say?
“Are you okay?” Hedda asked.
Echo shrugged. “I will be.”
“We’re here for you if you need us.” Charlotte smiled.
“Thanks, guys. It was just a lot, but I think we’ll get everything figured out.”
Echo hoped so. What was she going to do? Deccan was getting more possessive as the time went on, demanding that she was his. Demanding a lot of things.
Sometimes, she felt like she was his because he tried to take care of her, but she was pushing him away. For good reason. She shouldn’t have someone like that. She didn’t deserve him.
“If you need me to contact Rogan, I can. I promise I will and that he’ll do whatever he can to help,” Hedda suggested.
She waved her hand. “No need. I don’t want anyone to die.”
“He doesn’t kill innocent people.”
“Exactly. Do you really think Deccan is innocent?”
There had been rumors that the Sinners were the ones supplying drugs into the city and that they owned the strip club. Were all the women there dancing of their own free will?
Echo knew the Springfield Sinners didn’t operate fully on the legal side, but no one was doing anything about it. What could they do?
Nothing .
Unless it was Rogan and his organization. They could probably swoop in and eliminate all the Springfield Sinners with no repercussions.
“No, probably not,” Hedda sighed. “But he could still do something.”
“I don’t want him to kill anyone. I don’t want him to harm them.” Echo got quieter the longer she talked.
“Do you care about Deccan?” Monroe asked. “Are you safe? Is he hurting you?”
She glared at Monroe. “He’s not. I am safe.”
Or she hoped she was. Deccan said he would never harm her. Was that mentally or physically?
“So you care about him,” Monroe stated.
“How can I not?” she sighed.
It was hard not to when they had talked several times. It was hard not to care when he said he wanted to take care of her, be her Daddy. She had always wanted that. Should she take him up on his offer and forget everything else?
“It’s quite easy,” Hedda chimed in. “You just turn that part off and force yourself not to care.”
“I don’t mean this rudely, but I want to be human. I want to feel happiness and sometimes sadness.”
“You forgot anger, anxiety, worry, and nothing,” Charlotte pointed out.
“I don’t feel those,” Echo sighed. “I’ll be back.”
Echo walked over to the end of her side and served some drinks, cashed people out, and cleaned some glasses. Looking up, her eyes went to the back corner where the Springfield Sinners were still sitting there, looking right at her.
They were no doubt keeping an eye on her, especially after she had the talk with Deccan. Would this be how she spent the rest of her life?
“I’m back,” she announced, stepping in front of her friends.
“It’s getting late, and our Daddies want us back. Text us when you get home. We need to hang out again sometime with all the other Littles,” Monroe informed her, tapping the table.
“Sure. Stay safe,” she replied.
All three of them got up and walked out of the bar. Ever since Deccan came in, it had gotten quieter and fewer people were in. Echo sighed as she cleaned down part of the counter.
She looked over at the clock; it was midnight. She was honestly surprised her friends’ Daddies let them stay out this late. Normally, they were in bed by nine. Maybe their Daddies knew she needed them tonight.
Echo pushed that thought to the back of her mind. Their Daddies probably didn’t think about her. They probably were having a get-together and allowed them to stay out later while they talked.
Everything in her wished she had a Daddy to do that with. Someone who would set boundaries, love her, keep her accountable, and be there for her.
Deccan.
Deccan would definitely do that, but she couldn’t be with him, could she? There were so many red flags—however, he seemed to really care about her.
“Can I see you for a second?” Derek asked, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Worry churned in my stomach as she walked over to Derek. What did he want to talk about?
“It’s slowing down, you can go home,” he said.
“Are you sure?”
Not once had Derek sent her home early. It just wasn’t a thing, and yet the night Deccan came into the bar, he did.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’ll also be mailing your last check to you.”
“W-what?” she whispered.
“You’re fired.”
“But I came before the five minutes were up!” Echo raised her voice.
“You did, but other things have come up, I have no choice but to let you go.”
Rage boiled up inside of her. What had come up?
Deccan. Deccan talking to her manager. That was all she could think about .
“It was him, wasn’t it?”
Derek looked uncomfortable.
“He told you to fire me.”
“I can neither confirm nor deny. Please pack up your stuff and go home.”