Chapter 44
Atlas
I woke up with my arms still wrapped around my pet. Little droplets of perspiration formed on my forehead from the heat between us. I'm always warm.
I inhaled her scent, which, of course, signaled my insatiable cock. She was still out cold, snoring lightly. I smiled at how adorable she was. Loose strands of her hair flowed across the pillow, giving her an innocent, wild look.
I admired her for a few minutes before carefully removing my arm and sliding out of bed. All the doors in the house were locked, so she couldn't escape. I wasn't sure how she would react when she woke up and realized where she was.
I was not taking any chances. She was a loose cannon out there, and I was sick of worrying about her. I showered quickly, dressed, and sat in the chair across from my bed while I watched her sleep.
She was going to wake up with a hangover after all the alcohol she drank last night. I grabbed a few bottles of water from the fridge in the corner of the room and a bottle of Advil from the drawer, setting them down on the nightstand next to the bed. She'll need them.
My cell pinged.
Yara:
"Hey, what are you up to? If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to discuss what happened between us last night."
I shook my head, annoyed. There's no reason to get into a pissing contest with her. I texted her back:
"There’s nothing to discuss. I told you it was a mistake. Let’s leave it at that. I don’t want any awkwardness between us, Yara. You need to put it behind you. I’m busy right now. TTYL."
Ding: Yara-
"I see. You must be with her. I don’t want to keep you. When do you want to talk about the case in Brazil?"
I huffed, feeling aggravated. We had an assignment coming up in Brazil. I’m pretty sure we have gone through it multiple times these past two weeks, but naturally, she wants to touch base again.
I replied:
"If you need to rehash again, come to my house at noon today. I have a few things to settle this morning. I’ll see you then."
Ding- Yara
"Okay, I will be there at noon."
I shoved the phone into my pocket. It's time to wake up my bad girl. I may as well get it over with. I walked over to the bed and sat on the mattress.
I reached out and gently shook her. She moved her head slightly to the side. Her pillow was wet from the drool hanging off the side of her mouth. I laughed. She constantly drooled, and I always cleaned it up.
I wiped her mouth with a tissue and threw it in the trash. I nudged her again, this time with a little more force, bringing a curse from her lips.
"What the fuck!"
She opened her eyes, trying to focus, squinting while rubbing her forehead. She sat up, still clutching the blanket to her chest. I smiled…always so modest.
Where am I?" she asked, confused.
"You're with me, pet." Her head jerked up quickly. She scrunched her eyes and winced, rubbing her temples. I grinned. Just as I thought, she had a splitting headache.
Serves her right for not listening to me.
She looked at me in a daze.
"W-what am I doing here?"
I laughed inwardly.
I want to see how much she remembers.
"Pet, don’t you recall?"
She shook her head. "Recall what?"
I reached out and rubbed her cheek.
"You don't remember calling me last night?"
When I let her go, I gave her the number to my burner cell, which I purchased just for her. No one else knows it exists. Her eyes widened, a surprised look spread across her face.
" I-I did? I don't remember."
I smiled, suppressing my laughter.
This was just too fucking easy.
"Yes, you did. I almost didn't answer because it came up as a private call. I thought you had changed your cell number, so I picked it up. Good thing I did. You said you were at the club and drank too much."
She shifted nervously, licking her lips.
My voice remained calm, even though I was still upset with her. "You needed a ride home because Becca was MIA. You were scared because you couldn't think straight. Some random person let you use their cell phone because you weren’t able to locate yours."
Fuck it.
If I could make her believe she called me, things would go much smoother because I’m not letting her go again. I can't believe she has me all twisted up in knots.
Usually, I didn't give a flying fuck what she thought when I first took her, but I won't go down that path again.
I had to devise a better plan because the first one didn't work out as I had hoped.
Now, I needed to manipulate her, but not totally manipulate her. Does that even make sense?
I wanted her to stay with me without being forced, so I stuck to the harmless lie.
She looked at me, rubbing her head."Jesus, Atlas, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you. I'll get my things and be on my way. Will you give me a ride back home?"
I felt my heart flutter in my chest.
I opened and closed my fists, hiding my anger.
"Now, Kitlyn, we need to talk this through. You wouldn't have called if you hadn't needed me. I found your phone. It fell out of your back pocket. It's on the nightstand." She looked towards the nightstand and nodded.
I smiled at her. "Tell me, what's been happening with you these past few months?"
I knew what she had been up to, but she was oblivious to the cameras.
I could see her struggling to look as normal as possible, but I knew she had a pounding headache—it was visible on her face. I handed her a bottle of water and two Advil.
She smiled as she popped the tablets in her mouth, followed by a few sips of water to wash them down. She looked at me hesitantly, trying to hide her apprehension. I could read this girl like a sheet of fucking music. She spent one short month with me, and I learned to decipher her body language.
When she felt scared, humiliated, worried, confused, and horny, I knew it.
I was overtly attentive to her every move and emotion.
I never cared about these things with other women before.
Their feelings were of no concern to me.
I looked at females as a means to an end.
They were made for one thing only. To please me, and that was it. She looked at me with a faint smile.
"Thank you for the Advil, Atlas."
She removed the blanket, not realizing she was naked underneath. She gasped, pulling the quilt back over her nude body, covering herself from my view.
I'm not sure if the alcohol ate half of her brain. She knew I would never leave her in panties. It wasn't my style.
I laughed."Oh honey, when will you stop being so shy around me? I have seen it all many times.”
"She shook her head, avoiding my gaze.
"I wasn't aware you'd removed all my clothes. I thought I had my underwear on. It's been months since I've seen you, so I apologize if I am not used to being naked around you."
I wasn't too happy with her answer, but didn't show my displeasure. I wasn't here to piss her off. Let her have her feelings. I realize I can't control them any longer, and I want to try my hardest to give her choices without intervening.
I shrugged, grinning at her.
"I understand, pet. Can I call you, pet? Do you mind? I have become used to my terms of endearment for you."
She nodded, smiling weakly while absent-mindedly picking at the edge of the blanket.
She's a nervous little thing.
"Sure, feel free. I don't mind."
She responded barely above a whisper.
I grinned at her while lifting a loose strand and twirling it through my fingers. I missed playing with her hair.
"Good. Now, we’re going to talk.”
She looked flustered, knowing damn well she was in trouble, but I didn’t care.
She was going to listen to what I had to say.
“When I set you free, you promised not to step into a club ever again. We had a deal, remember?"
She averted her eyes, looking down at the floor, unable to face me. Her voice was shaky.
"I know I did, but it had been quite a while since I left you, and I never heard a word from you again, so I thought you didn't care whether or not I honored it."
She looked at me, anxiety written all over her face.
"Are you angry with me for not obeying you?"
I sighed deeply, lifting her chin.
"When I saw what a train wreck you were after I showed up to rescue your drunk little ass, I almost lost my temper in public.
You had two guys humping you like dogs, and you could barely stand up.
To say I was angry is an understatement.
" She swallowed hard, clutching the blanket as though her life depended on it.
My tone remained stern, but gentle.
"I was livid because you put yourself in a dangerous situation. Becca wasn't with you when I arrived."
I shook my head disapprovingly.
"She left you alone and vulnerable with those two men, who could have been traffickers or rapists. I'm just glad I got there when I did. I hate to think what could have happened if I had not shown up."
I could see the tears forming in her eyes as her lips trembled. "I-I am sorry, Atlas. It was very irresponsible of me to act that way. I should never have gotten that drunk."
I raised my brows, questioning her.
"And what else, pet?"
She tried to turn away, avoiding my gaze. I wouldn't tolerate that. I snapped my fingers.
"Look at me. You need to own up to what you did."
Her green eyes gazed into mine.
Shit. I could feel my pulse quicken. She always had me by the balls with those fucking sparkling gems.
She hesitated for a minute; her eyes watered, and her lips quivered. "I-I should not have disobeyed you. I should have known better than to have gone to that club. Are you going to punish me for betraying you?"
She was picking at the edges of the blanket nervously.
"I know you said if I didn't listen, you would return, and I would be in trouble. I guess I didn't take it seriously."
My eyes widened, disbelief written all over my face. I was the one who was surprised now. I felt my stomach tumble at her words. Did she ask if I was going to punish her? Was she permitting me to? I calmed down, replacing my excitement with an authoritative look.
"Isn't that what you deserve, young lady?"