Chapter 14
Maya
And that’s exactly how I ended up living my sister’s life instead of my own.
In the mornings, Graham insists on putting caviar, smoked salmon, and things that cost a literal kidney on the dining table.
I always preferred plain old pancakes. Every single inch of my skin is dripped in diamonds and gold.
I have a walk-in closet packed with the most luxurious, expensive things in the world.
But the difference between our torments is simple: while Graham appeared not to give a single shit about Valeria, he seems to be giving a terrifying amount of attention to me.
His eyes don’t stray. Even though I completely withhold sex from him, he doesn’t sleep out or go to the clubs where I’m sure he has his fair share of women waiting. And that is incredibly dangerous.
Because a woman could get used to this.
Scratch that—addicted to this.
I would rather die than truly fall for a man who belonged to my sister in the first place, even though his intentions all along were to get to me through her.
Fuck him. His tactics worked. Because now, when he fusses over every single scar I have on my body, spoils me completely rotten even though it’s the last thing I want, and looks at me like he’d eat me alive and still be starving… my heart beats.
It beats with horror and something I refuse to name.
I am utterly horrified at my own physical reactions to this filthy, filthy man. Horrified at how my pussy gets instantly soaked when he licks his lips while looking at me. Horrified at how my skin blushes when he demands that we sleep in the same bed every single night.
But this horror is worth it if it means I keep William safe.
He wanted nothing but to protect me, and he doesn’t deserve to be absolutely bulldozed by a man a thousand times more powerful than him simply because he tried to help me.
So, I bear the disgust of looking in the mirror and barely recognizing myself.
Because while I couldn’t save Valeria, I might actually be able to save William.
For the first time in the five days since he dragged me away to his mansion, Graham went into the office for work. Which means I finally have some precious time to check my phone without his nose hovering over my shoulder.
Sliding my back down the bathroom door, I bite my lip until blood seeps out, waiting in agony for the phone to power on.
When the screen finally lights up, dozens of missed calls and texts flood the screen from William, along with a few from my other friends wondering why I’ve gone completely radio silent for a couple of days.
But William’s texts outnumber them.
He’s frantic about me. He writes that he’s certain Graham has something to do with my disappearance, telling me he’s giving me until the end of this week to respond before he goes straight to the police to file a missing person report.
Hot tears instantly sting my eyes. I’m really not as alone in this world as I thought. And because of that, I can’t jeopardize him.
But as I scroll down, I realize it’s already too late. His last messages become even more panicked. He was let go from his job. He feels eyes tracking him twenty-four hours a day. And just yesterday, he was cornered and beaten up in an alley by men he didn’t even know.
Valeria was completely right. I ruin every single thing I touch. I wreck people’s lives just by existing.
I sit there thinking about it for a few more minutes, rage dancing with the sadness flooding my chest. I refuse to allow Graham to hurt William anymore. No matter how much I have to give in to the Devil for that to happen.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
The bathroom door cracks open, and I have to catch myself with my elbows against the floor before I slip backward. I’m sitting on my knees on the tile right at his feet yet again—and I stay down. Because I’m going to be begging for William’s life.
“My, my, little flower. What are you doing on the bathroom floor?” he hums, his bottomless black eyes locked onto me.
“I know everything you’ve done to William,” I whisper, mentally reciting every prayer I’ve ever known so that God can give me the strength to bargain with a monster.
A thick vein at his forehead pulses as he leans his heavy frame against the doorway. “Is that right, Maya?”
Taking a couple of deep breaths, I steel myself to surrender parts of my body for the safety of my best friend. “You’re going to stop,” I order.
Graham lets out a mocking laugh, his fingers coming down to grip my jaw. I’m positive his fingertips will leave perfect, purple imprints on my skin long after he lets go. “And why would I do that, little flower? He took something of mine.”
The sound of my rough swallow is loud enough to echo in the silent bathroom. “And what’s that?”
His thumb moves slowly from my jaw, pressing firmly against my lower lip, while his index finger remains anchored deep into my bone.
“The pleasure of seeing you run to your man after you finally break. The luxury of being the only person in the world who gets to shield you. Instead... you went to that fucker.”
The possessiveness in his eyes is terrifying.
It’s like his gaze is zapping literal electricity, and I instinctively huddle into myself for the illusion of safety against the inferno radiating off him.
What he’s spewing doesn’t even make any sense.
He sees himself as my shield? He is the one who ruined my fucking life.
“You’ll get your goons off his back, and you’ll give him an even higher-paying job than the one he lost,” I dare to say. I already know I’m going to have to give him something depraved in return to get him to agree.
His hold on my jaw tightens even more, bordering on the category of agonizing pain. “I don’t like being told what to do, Maya.”
Oh, fuck. God, give me strength. Strength to bargain, and strength to fight off the shameful, dripping wetness in my panties.
“It isn’t being told what to do if I’m offering something in return,” I whisper.
The left edge of his devilish mouth perks upward into a wicked smirk. “And what’s that?”
I’m not as good at this as I would have hoped. My heart hammers against my ribs. “What do you want?”
“I’ll fuck you,” he says without a single hint of hesitation.
The blush that rises to my cheeks could light up a completely dark room.
Wetness pools from my hole at his words.
He’s a total psychopath, but he is literal sex on legs.
Bargain, Maya. Bargain. “Foreplay only. One act,” I force myself to mumble, trying to stuff my shyness into a box and lock it away.
I need to get William safe with the least amount of damage to my psyche.
Graham’s dark brow lifts, his head tilting as he studies his options. “I’ll eat your pretty little pussy then.”
I try with everything inside me to control my facial expressions, trying not to show the shock on my face.
I could have sworn with absolute certainty that a man like him would ask for a blowjob.
My mind scrambles, trying to bargain for a lesser evil as images of him buried between my thighs assault my brain.
“F-fingering only,” I stutter out desperately.
Graham tuts his tongue, removing his hand from my jaw and stepping a full pace back, treating the conversation like it’s over. “I either eat you, or William stays my personal playtoy.”
Okay. It seems I can’t bargain my way out of this trap.
“Fine,” I pout. “But you need to give me your word. You’ll leave William alone, give him his job back, and give him a raise.”
The moment William’s name leaves my tongue again, Graham’s expression darkens.
“I’ll give you my word... if you say: ‘I’ll let you eat what’s yours between my legs, Graham.’”
I flush fifty different shades of pink, red, and deep purple. “W-what? I—”
“Tick-tock, tick-tock,” he grumbles.
“I’ll let you eat what’s yours between my legs, Graham,” I whisper under my breath.
Graham smirks and shoves his thumb between my lips, forcing me to suck on it. “Then you have my word.”
He immediately moves to drop to his knees to claim his prize, but I slam my hands against his chest. “No! Only after you fulfill your promise first!”
Graham scowls down at me. “And how do I know you’re not going to try to back out of this?”
I swallow the lump of shame in my throat. I stand up on my shaking legs, and reach beneath my dress. I hook my fingers into my soaked panties and slide them down my thighs. I step out of them and thrust them directly into his large hand.
“Here. See?” I gasp out, my face burning.
Without a single second of hesitation, he raises my wet panties to his face. He presses the fabric against his nose and mouth, rubbing them all over his dark beard. I want to literally dissolve and become one with the floorboards.
His voice drips with a euphoric rush. “You’ve got a fucking deal, little flower.”
He stuffs the wet crotch of my panties directly into his mouth, making out with it.
Lord, please give me strength not to give in to this man.