As if he heard my thoughts, Lee stands to his feet. He slides his hand into his trouser pocket to hide the wedding band that’s been on his finger so long, the skin beneath the gold is as white as his cheeks. He heard the threats I couldn’t vocalize; he feels the danger surrounding him, he’s just unsure if it is one of mysupposedmultiple personalities speaking on my behalf or me. One wrong move and he’ll soon find out.
“As I said, Mr. Elias. We don’t touch without permission.” His calm and neutral voice impresses me. With how hard his thighs are shaking, I was anticipating an equally nervous reply. “Do it again, and your privileges will be revoked.”
I hold my hands in the air, acting scared by his threat. Fucker should be grateful I’m playing nice today. If I weren’t in game mode, he’d be licking his blood off my boots.
Stupidly believing he has me backing away like a coward, Lee shifts his focus to Claudia. “Come on, Claudia. You’ve got a meeting with Mrs. Whitlock this afternoon, remember?” He nudges his head to one of the many exit doors of the rec room. It isn’t one that leads to the counselors’ offices. It is the female sleeping quarters.
Although I can feel Claudia’s wide eyes peering at me beneath a screen of dark hair, begging for me to intervene, she stands to her feet before moving to the door Lee gestured to. Her steps are as cagey as the look she gave me when I touched her. I doubt Lee has the balls to put moves on her now that I’ve marked my territory; he just wants her away from me. He should. I’m dangerous. Not just to Claudia, but to him as well.
This afternoon’s foray went exactly as I anticipated, but Lee’s machoism is sparking a side of me I haven’t seen in years. I want the guards eating out of Claudia’s hand, which in turn will have them eating out of mine, but if they succumb to temptation too quickly, my entire plan will go to shit.
I need Claudia eating out of my hand before she consumes Lee’s dick. To do that, I need her to trust me, to believe I’ll place her safety above my own. I won’t, but as long as she thinks she’s my equal, the less time she’ll glance over her shoulder, waiting for the inevitable stab in the back.
I played the same game with Cleo, the whole keep your friends close but your enemies closer thing. I’m still strategizing my next move in our drawn-out game, but there won’t be a game to finalize if I don’t get Claudia on my side.
Realizing what I must do, I stand from my chair and shout, “Hey, Lee!” My voice is loud enough to wake half the continent.
When he turns his massively dilated eyes to me, I scan the room, seeking something to use as a distraction. Spotting a set of exercise balls at my side, I secure one in my hand, then ask, “Wanna play catch?”
Not giving him the chance to respond, I peg the ball at his head. My years on the pitcher mound come in handy when the ball grazes his left ear before hitting the wall behind him with a loud thud. I didn’t miss. I want to distract him, not knock him the fuck out.
“You missed. Here, try again.”
I continue hurling balls across the room until my ruckus disturbs the other patients. Half join my game of patient versus guards dodgeball, whereas the other half scream in hysterics.
The only one not hollering like a maniac locked in a psych ward is Claudia. She slips out through the door unnoticed, her exit as quiet as the silent thanks streaming from her eyes.
She shouldn’t be thanking me. Very soon, she’ll be sucking Lee’s cock—just not until I tell her to.
