26. Pure Shine #2
The subtle smirk that curled his lips turns into a flat line, and his cold stare becomes a glare.
“Come on, Rebecca. Pretending to be stupid doesn’t become you.
I know you're way smarter than that. Your brother might be a stupid jock, but you inherited your sharp intellect from me. I’m pretty sure you know how much trouble your little temper tantrum caused me.
Your wedding was going to be the social media event of the year.
You lost our agency an eight-figure deal by running away, without counting the penalties we incurred and all the money that was invested into the clothes, the venue, the catering.
Your wedding dress alone cost more than a sensibly priced car.
Without counting Kurt. First you disappointed my star client, and then you got him arrested.
You fucking owe me, Rebecca; this is why you’re here. ”
I shake my head, digging my nails into my palms to avoid crying in front of him.
“I owe you nothing!” By some miracle, I keep my voice from trembling.
“You’ve been making millions off of me and all your other clients.
When I left, I should have had enough money to live on until I figured out what I wanted to do next.
But you stole almost every penny I ever earned with my social media channels, my sponsorships, my paid appearances.
I had barely enough money to get a cab to Star Cove when I should have had a six-figure balance. ”
“A six-figure balance?” he snorts. “You’re delusional, Rebecca.
Do you have any idea of how much building this house cost?
Or how much it takes to provide all the services that my elite clients enjoy?
You got to live a privileged life thanks to my hard work and my influence.
Or do you think you would have had ten million followers without the Pure Shine brand behind you? ”
I’ve heard this so many times.
Every time any of us didn’t perform to Dad’s expectations, we would be reminded of how much we owed to the brand. Every time we broke one of his dozens of restrictive rules, we would be threatened with losing everything if we didn’t fall in line.
“Your brand might have raised my profile,” I admit. “But it was me people followed. The money, the views, the sponsorships poured in because of my face and my body.”
He laughs. It’s a derisive, belittling laugh. “Your body? The only reason why you didn’t look like a whale in your videos is that my nutrition and fitness plan kept you in decent shape. I can see how a couple of months away from my rules destroyed years of hard work.”
Red hot shame invades me, and I wish I could curl up into a ball to shield myself from his probing gaze.
The feeling is short-lived, though. When I lived under his rule, I was underweight. I know I gained weight since I left, but I’ve never felt so healthy, so strong. Or so happy and free.
“You can’t keep me here against my will, Dad. Luke and my guys will come looking for me.”
His smile doesn’t falter; if anything, it widens.
“Yeah, good luck to them. This place is more secure than Fort Knox. And by the time they come back with a warrant, you’ll be long gone.
I’m building my new talent academy in an isolated location.
No one will ever find you there. You are going to repay me for every minute, for every cent I’ve ever invested in you, Rebecca. ”
He’s insane. “You can’t keep me prisoner, Dad. Besides, how am I supposed to repay you? You made sure that my image on social media was destroyed when I left. The last time I checked before you blocked me, I had ten thousand followers left. I’m sure by now that number will be much closer to zero.”
“That’s the first intelligent thing I’ve heard you say tonight, Rebecca.” Dad smiles. “I’m not planning on resurrecting your dancer’s career. I have a better way to use your talents.”
“Are you going to have me teach at your academy?”
My father’s smile fades again, replaced by a hard, determined look in his eyes.
“What could you possibly teach young talent? Your dancing skills were average at best. If you had any success, it was because of my skills as an agent. No, I have a better way to get everything you’re worth out of you.”
There’s a knock at the door.
“Come on in.”
I recognize the nurse employed by my father to run tests on us and provide basic medical care. A general physician is contracted when anyone in the house requires more serious medical attention.
Kev follows the nurse into the room.
“The pregnancy test results came back negative.” She says to my father. “Are you on oral contraception, Rebecca?”
My head lowers automatically to answer affirmatively, but I regret it immediately. Years of conditioning to obey are harder to shake than I thought.
“That’s easy enough, sir.” The nurse says. “We’re going to suspend the contraceptive pill immediately and start administering the same drugs the others are on. There’s going to be another healthy baby on the way before we know it.”
I wait until she leaves the room to voice my concerns. It’s another thing that’s been ingrained in my head for years. Never question your father’s authority in front of someone else.
“Pregnancy tests? Drugs? What is she talking about?”
Then Aisha’s words echo in my ears. Breeding Program .
He sees when the realization dawns on me, and his smile is pure evil.
“Despite being a rebellious nuisance, you’re a beautiful woman, Rebecca.
You take after your late mother in that respect.
That’s how you’re going to repay me for the losses you caused me by leaving.
You’re going to have a baby that hopefully will inherit your artistic talents or Kevin’s.
My original plan was to breed a potential hockey star, but you got my best hockey player jailed.
So a dancer it is. At least for now. We’ll see what your next few pregnancies will bring.
You’re young; you have years to be fruitful and provide for the next generation of Pure Shine superstars.
Their inherited talents will be nurtured at the new academy.
Pure Shine will become a powerhouse in sports and entertainment.
Athletes, dancers, actors, musicians. It’s a billion dollar plan. ”
My jaw drops as horror constricts my throat.
“Babies? You want to use me to breed your future clients?”
He nods. “That’s exactly what the plan is.
Social media influencers are mostly a young person's business. Yes, there are some more mature influencers with big followings, but those were usually stars in their own right before social media became a thing. We need constant fresh faces, young blood to feed the followers’ appetite for the next big star.
And all your new contracts included a clause that bound you to participate in my breeding program.
Eventually we’ll evolve into IVF so we’ll be able to tailor our new stars’ qualities.
But until my new cutting edge medical center is ready within the academy grounds, we’ll resort to the traditional way of reproduction and hope for the best. Kevin, Rebecca won’t be fertile for a few days, maybe a couple of weeks.
But you can start practicing if you want.
It’s your reward for being successful in bringing her in. ”
Kevin takes a step toward me, but my gaze is fixed on my father.
“If you think I’m going to sleep with Kevin, or with anyone else you choose, you’re crazy!”
Dad laughs. “Am I? You didn’t seem to have a problem fucking your brother’s teammates.
Kurt has been watching you for weeks, and he told me what a little slut he almost married.
The way I see it, you should thank me. You like sex, quite clearly, and you’re going to get to have a lot of it, at least between pregnancies. ”
“I’d rather die than help you achieve your disgusting plans.” I bite out.
My father rolls his eyes. “So dramatic. Maybe I should have trained you as an actress rather than a dancer. Come on, Kevin, let’s get started. I’m going to watch to make sure you do what you saw in that video. We have to maximize our chances of pregnancy, so this is good practice.”
Kevin takes a step toward the massage bed I’m strapped to, a cruel smirk curling his lips.
“No! Don’t touch me.” I cry out, struggling against my restraints.
Pain radiates through my whole head, and I taste blood when he hits me with his open hand.
“Shut up, slut. You’re mine now. You’re going to take my cock however many times it takes to put a baby in you, and you’ll keep your mouth shut.”
To my surprise, my father intervenes. “Try to be a little more gentle with her. You don’t want to ruin the goods.
You and Kurt have almost killed her a couple of times already.
Kurt was having trouble keeping his anger in check with Aisha, too.
What the hell is wrong with you? Maybe the hormones you’re on to maximize your virility mess with your temper.
I’ll have to talk to my medical team and reassess dosage.
Go on, have sex with her, but no more beating or choking. Understood?”
Kev nods. “Yes, sir.”
Horror fills me like a tangible entity as I watch my old dance partner undo the buckle of his belt and climb on the massage bed, settling between my legs.
He’s going to rape me, and my father is going to watch.
It’s even worse than that. My father is going to give him directions.
Kev’s erection strains his boxer briefs, and I feel sick.
I pull against the leather straps around my wrists and legs again, but I can’t move.
A knock on the door interrupts him just as he’s lowering his underwear down his hips.
I expect to see the nurse from before, but a man in a dark security uniform comes into the room instead.
“Sir, there are a few cars at the main gate. We’ve been refusing entry, but they insist on coming in, and there’s a cop in one of the cars. I need instructions about what to do. You might want to go see what they want before they come back with more police.”
It must be the guys. They came for me.
Dad comes to the same conclusion. “They’re here for you, Rebecca.” He signals to Kev to climb off the bed. “Let’s go see what they want.” He says, freeing me from my restraints.
I suppress a shiver when my bare feet touch the cold tiles of the floor.
My legs barely support my weight right now as my head spins, and I think I’m about to collapse.
I can’t afford to be weak right now, though.
Despite wrapping his arm around my waist to support me, my instincts tell me that Dad isn’t going to let me go.
So, I’ll have to be alert and take advantage of any opportunity to get away from him.