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Harper eases into a sitting position, and I look over at her. She looks as if she’s afraid, but not afraid enough. There is fire in her, and I’m going to do everything in my power to extinguish it.
“If you’re implying that I’m a stripper, then you’re going to need to go back to whoever told you that lie and tell them they’re an idiot. I would never strip for money. I have morals, no offense to the girls that do it, but…”
Rubbing at my temples with two fingers, I snap, “Get up, take off your fucking clothes and start dancing. Otherwise, I’ll do it for you.”
Gritting her teeth, I can see the defiance pooling in her eyes. She lifts her chin, holding it high as she pushes up off the bed. Come on, baby, walk over here and tell me to fuck off, I dare you. Though she’s nearly a foot shorter than me, she stands tall like a flower in a field of weeds.
“I’m gonna tell you the same thing I told your friend at the party… fuck off and leave me alone!” She raises her voice, and all I can do is smile.
“Wrong answer,” I growl as I place my knee on the bed. Like a frightened child, she scurries away from me and toward the wall. Dumb girl. She can’t escape me… not now that she’s here. I grab her leg, so she can’t get far. This time, when I look into her face, I see fear, real fear. A look she has never given me before. For the first time tonight, my anger lessens, not by a lot thought and not enough to let go of her.
“Can you please just leave,” she begs, her voice trembling.
I try a different tactic. I shouldn’t give a fuck about her living situating, but stupidly I do.
“Why do you live here? Aren’t you on a scholarship?” I want to know everything about her, every little detail. Where she went? How she ended up back here? Who she let fuck her?
“Yes,” she bites at her bottom lip nervously, and then it clicks.
“Aren’t you supposed to stay in the dorms? Doesn’t the scholarship cover on-campus housing?” I don’t know shit about this kind of stuff, but I can easily find out.
“I can’t afford the dorms,” is all she says, her eyes dropping to the floor.
“Don’t make enough money at the strip club?” I lift a questioning brow.
“I’m not a stripper! Jesus.” She growls, her claws finally coming out again. I like her fragile, and purring with fear, but I also like her fierce, willing to fight me tooth and nail. It’s a contradiction, and I can’t explain it. I know it’s wrong, but I love this push and pull. I feed off of it like a parasite.
“Okay, so what will fifty dollars get me?”
Her tiny little jaw tightens, and in a flash, her hand is making contact with my face. I feel the sting, my head turning to the side with the force of the hit.
Fuck…me… The copper tang of blood fills my mouth. If she were anyone else, I’d hit her back, but she isn’t just anyone. She’s Harper. My Harper. And I’ve got something better up my sleeve.
6
Harper
It feels like I’m having a heart attack, and my lungs are collapsing at the same time. Why didn’t I think before I slapped him? His pupils are blown, his eyes almost black, feral.
“Strip, now. If you don’t, it won’t be pretty…and I don’t want to be responsible for breaking you, not yet at least.” The darkness inside of him pours out, terrifying me into a shocked stupor. Every single bone in my body says to run, escape, my fight or flight instincts kick in full force, but if I give way to running, he’ll chase, and when he catches me…
“You won’t hurt me,” I say, my voice small even though I try to sound strong and determined.
“Are you sure about that?”
I nod, even though I’m not sure at all.
“Maybe not, but I can make your life hell in other ways. I know people at the school. I can get your grades dropped; make you lose your precious scholarship.”
Shit, that I believe. He could fuck this up for me. Something I worked so hard for. This scholarship means everything to my family and me. I won’t ever get a chance like this again. A chance for a better life.
Shivering, I swallow down my fear and stop myself from thinking on it any further. I can do this. I can do what he wants so he’ll leave me alone. With shaking hands, I reach for my shirt, lifting the hem, I pull it up and over my head. The cold air of the room makes contact with my skin, and I consider tugging the thing back down, but the way Warren is looking at me now, tells me he has very little patience left.
