Chapter Eleven
London
I’m terrified as we leave the club and return to Mason’s library. I can’t speak because I can hardly think with all this new information flooding my brain. I can’t believe I’ll be expected to stay here and clean up after this mess. I can’t believe I agreed to it.
I’m also not sure if I regret it. This isn’t something I would choose for myself, but it might be what my father needs to be happy again. It’s what we need to save our house and our business and get the fresh start we need and deserve. It’s the only way out of the mess, so I don’t have a choice.
Still, my heart hurts. As we re-enter the library, I think of Noah and my father. They mean the world to me, and now I’ll be away from them for an entire year. I can’t fathom it.
Especially because I won’t be able to tell them the truth.
“So, what do you think?” Mason turns to me once the library doors are closed behind us.
“I already agreed to stay, so what I think doesn’t matter,” I point out. “There’s no way out. But I have a request.”
“A request?” he asks. “How cute that you think you can request something from me. Very bold and brave. But I’ll entertain it. What’s your request?”
I take a deep breath. I doubt he’ll allow it, but I have to at least ask. I need this.
“I want to see my father and Noah one last time before I stay here,” I tell him. “I’ll miss them so much. I just want to spend a bit of time with them.”
Mason gives me an indecipherable look, his stormy gray eyes giving nothing away. “I can’t allow that,” he replies. “You signed the contract. You have to stay until the year is up.”
Tears well in my eyes. I didn’t realize just how much seeing them meant to me.
I clench my hands into fists and ignore the lurch in my stomach. “I’m here, and I promise I’ll come back. But I’ll miss them so much. What if something happens to them?” Tears fill my eyes, and I blink them back. “What if it’s the last time I see them?”
Mason sighs. “So dramatic,” he says cruelly. “You’ll see them again; it’s just a short break. Some people are happy to get away from the people they’re forced to spend their time with. No one has been as dramatic as you are.”
I don’t believe him, and I can’t believe I ever saw Mason in a different light.
There are no traces of the man who helped me clean and bandage my knee.
I am not the first person Mason has ripped from their family, I doubt I’ll be the last. But I know I can’t be the only one who has been reluctant to leave people behind.
There’s no use in arguing though.
I won’t appeal to him if I get emotional. Mason will see it as a sign of weakness, and I need him to view me differently if I’m going to survive.
Mason heaves a sigh and grunts. “You look so distraught that maybe I’ll consider it. If you get on your knees and be my good girl. That might be a compelling argument.”
Heat flushes my cheeks at his assertion. How could he ask that of me? It’s the worst form of blackmail. I can’t believe I’m faced with something like this.
Still, thoughts of Noah and my father taunt me. I’ve never been away from them for long. How can I bear it without seeing them one last time?
I’ve already signed up for something I don’t want to do. I’ve made a deal with the devil. Why not take it a step further? He knows how to get under my skin and get what he wants.
Biting my lip, I swallow my pride and drop to my knees. I can’t meet his gaze at first, but then I realize the more compelling I am, the better chance I have of getting what I want. So, I look straight up at him.
“I want to see my father and my boyfriend. Just one last time. Then, I’ll come back to you. I promise.”
“So heartfelt.” A cruel glint appears in Mason’s eyes. “You must really love your father and boyfriend if you’re willing to go to such lengths for them.”
He says it in such a sarcastic tone that I want to slap him. I want to get up off my knees and assure him that nothing is worth this. But I can see it in his eyes. He’s enjoying this too much. Maybe he will give me what I want.
“I do,” I admit. “I love them with my whole heart. It would mean the world to me if I could see them again.”
“If they mean so much to you, then surely you’re willing to go to even greater lengths to see them,” he mocks. “I want you to strip. I want to see you touch yourself. I want to break you free from your old world.”
I see it now. He also wants me to fear him. He wants to show me how much power he has over me. He delights in it and in wielding it against me.
As disgusted as I am, I’m also exhilarated. It is the most daring and vulnerable thing I’ve ever done. I still can’t believe I would even consider it.
Despite the warring emotions and conflict, I start to take off my clothes. There’s nothing else I can do. I want to see Noah and my father. I can’t leave them without a goodbye.
So, I slowly take off my shirt. Then my shorts. I look up and see his hungry gaze. He’s devouring me with his eyes, and I feel something strange.
Noah has never looked at me quite like this.
As I take off my bra, I’m intrigued by the way Mason looks at me. I don’t know exactly what I feel, but it’s almost suffocating.
I take off my panties and stand fully naked in front of him. I’m scared, wondering what he’ll do next.
But there’s also a certain thrill.
I’ve never been in a position like this, and I don’t know what to expect. Goosebumps break out across my flesh, and I twitch with the desire to move and find something to cover myself.
I’ve never been this exposed.
I’ve also never been this turned on and terrified in the same breath.
“Now, turn around, get on your knees, and lift your ass in the air,” he orders. “I want to see your wet pussy as you slip your fingers inside yourself.”
I’m shocked by his words. Almost too shocked to do what he says. No one has ever spoken to me in this way, not even Noah.
I turn, get on my knees, and lift my ass in the air. And then, I freeze. I’m not sure how to continue. I don’t know if I can do this.
“You know what comes next,” he urges. “Stick your fingers inside your pussy.”
After a moment of indecision, I do as he says. I’m surprised to find I’m already wet. I let out a moan and blush at the sound.
“That’s right,” he growls. “Now fuck yourself. I want to see you come.”
Despite feeling so vulnerable and afraid, I do as he says. I move my fingers inside of myself, in and out. All the while, I wonder what Mason will do next.
I can’t see him behind me, so I’m worried. What will he do? He said he wouldn’t fuck someone unwilling, but does putting myself in this position change things?
Will he fuck me without my consent?
A part of me is shocked to realize I wouldn’t mind.
It hasn’t even been a day. Already, he’s infecting me, poisoning me, and I want to hate him for it, but another smaller part of me wonders if he hasn’t uncovered something that was already there.
He doesn’t seem to move as pleasure snakes through my body. I’m surprised that I’m even capable of feeling pleasure in such a vulnerable moment, but I keep going until an orgasm overtakes me. I moan, sagging against myself. I’m dripping wet.
“Now stop,” Mason says. “Get back on your feet and get dressed.”
I stand, a little dazed. None of this makes much sense. I’m still shocked by all of it, and it feels like I’ve been plunged into cold water.
He smiles as I turn to look at him, now fully dressed. He beckons me closer and holds out his phone.
Fear turns to anger as I watch myself on the screen. The motherfucker recorded me!
“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” he laughs. “If you don’t want this video going to your boyfriend, you’d better smarten the fuck up and learn how to listen to me. You’d better do exactly what I say, when I say it, and however I demand it done. I have leverage now.”
I’m furious and disappointed. He never meant to allow me to leave; it was just his sick way to gain leverage.
“I don’t usually let people leave after they sign their contract,” he says, breaking my heart even further. “It’s too easy for them to slip away and avoid what they agreed to do. But for you, I’ll make an exception.”
I freeze at that. An exception.
Does that mean I get to go home?
My heart leaps at the thought, but I’m afraid to let it take root.
I can’t.
He comes even closer to me, and it feels like a threat.
“I want you to keep in mind that you have to keep your mouth shut,” he insists. “You signed an NDA. It is legally binding. And if that’s not enough, I could show this video to your boyfriend and end the relationship you care so much about.”
I nod. It’s not like I would want to tell anyone about this anyway. It’s endlessly humiliating. No one can find out.
“The reason I don’t usually let people go home after they sign isn’t just me being cruel,” he explains, though I’m not sure that I believe him. “It’s simply a lesson I’ve had to learn the hard way.”
“I’ve let people go home before, and they’ve been inclined to rethink their decision. Sometimes, they’ll skip town or do something stupid. I hope you’re not one of those. It always leads to me having to hunt people down, which isn’t ideal.”
My heart pounds at the thought of Mason coming after me. I can’t imagine he would let anyone get away. I can’t imagine what he’d do to me if I tried, and I have no intention of finding out.
“I trust you’re not the type,” he says confidently. “Now that I have a video of you naked and touching yourself, I have insurance. I can’t imagine you’d want that to get out. So, play by my rules, or I won’t hesitate to release it. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” I whisper, believing every word. I know Mason is not someone to be played with.
“Good,” he snarls. “I’m glad we’re able to come to an understanding. You’ll be dropped off tonight, and I’ll have someone pick you up in the morning. They’ll make sure you’re well taken care of, as they also owe me a debt, and this is part of their way of moving on with their life.”