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“Let’s get some food and water into you, and then we can talk. Can you sit up for me, baby?”
She didn’t want to, but she instinctively knew it wasn’t really a request, so she pushed herself up, wincing when her welted ass pressed into the cushion. “Sore,” she managed to mumble before he pressed an open bottle of water to her lips.
“Yeah, I bet you are. Here.” Handing her the water, he shifted her to the side and went to work kneading the stiff muscles of her neck and shoulders. “Better?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. There’s a chocolate bar too, on the table there. You need to eat.”
“Not hungry.”
“Eat.” There was a hint of warning in his voice, prompting her to lean over and grab the candy.
“Good girl,” he murmured when she unwrapped it and took a bite.
Bit by bit, her system settled, and by the time the candy and water were gone, she felt slightly more human. The soreness in her arms and ass lingered, but nothing alarming, which she told him when he asked.
“Good.” He placed a hand over the heart he’d drawn. “What about here?”
“Fine.”
Liar.
“You do not want to lie to me right now, little girl.”
Again, that warning note, sending a not entirely unpleasant shiver down her spine. “Sorry, sir.”
“Tell me how you’re feeling.”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes. It’s important.”
Picking at the wrapper on the water bottle, she searched for the right words. “I feel…raw. And kind of empty. You know how when you carve a pumpkin, you scoop everything out and you have to scrape at the inside parts to make sure you got all the gross stuff?”
His chest vibrated with laughter. “Yeah.”
“Like that.”
“Good. That’s what I was going for.”
Tears sprang to her eyes and as much as she wanted to hate him just then, she found herself leaning into him for comfort. “So, what now?”
“I guess that depends on you.”
“On me? How so?”
“I told you that if I couldn’t change your mind tonight, I’d walk away for good. So, what’s the verdict, kitten?”
Nestled against him, she considered her options. Was she willing to put herself out there, risk further public ridicule, just to be with him? Was she strong enough for that?
Before she’d walked into Black Light earlier that night, she hadn’t been sure. But then he’d broken her down, stripped her of all her defenses, her excuses. Still, she felt herself hesitating, holding back. “What about Chloe?”
“What about her?”
Twisting her head around, she looked up at him. “She basically told the entire world you were a monster. What if she doesn’t go away? What if she just keeps coming after you?”
“Ah.” A fierce smile curved his lips. “She won’t be a problem. The Cartwright-Davidsons’ lawyers are ruthless. Between them and the Hawk’s lawyers, I don’t think we’ll have to worry about her bothering us ever again.”
