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“I am not your brother’s,” she said. “I never have been. I’m my own, Cairo.”
“No. You are the payment for your father’s betrayal. You are the satisfaction of what was done to my family. Riyaz has demanded it, and he will have it. And if you think that you can turn my head with a kiss, you are sadly mistaken. I have had more lovers than you can count. Do you think you can tempt me? Do you think you can distract me?”
“Clearly I can,” she said, her face blank.
“I’m sure you’ve manipulated men with your body in the past. It is a lovely body. A lovely mouth. But I am not one of those men. My honor demands that I fulfill what my brother has asked. And I will see it done. Pleas from your mouth, and cries of pleasure from your lips, will not deter me from my goal.”
“Cairo,” she shouted as he stood up.
He turned to face her.
“Is that what you think? That I’m trying to manipulate you?”
“Why would I? Perhaps you always were. Perhaps you always sought to use me to escape from your engagement to my brother.”
“I thought we were friends. Then. Back then I thought we were friends.”
“Perhaps we were. I cannot remember back that long. I cannot remember being quite so innocent.”
“Maybe the years have not jaded me in the same way they have you. Maybe I didn’t go out and take every lover available to me. Maybe...” Her words became rough, and he could see tears in her eyes. “Maybe I never forgot you. Did you ever think of that?” He turned away from her, turned away from the guilt that was twisting his chest. And he went back into the house, leaving her outside.
If she ran...
She wouldn’t run. Somehow, he knew she wouldn’t run.
He went into his study, took out his phone and called Brianna. “How is he?”
“Cairo...”
“How is he?”
“He is... Demanding. Uncivilized. Rough.”
He thought of all those things being directed at Ariel.
As if you’ve treated her any better.
“He hasn’t hurt you,” he said to Brianna.
“No,” she said quickly. “No, he hasn’t hurt me. I don’t think he would...”
“And what about Ariel? Do you think he would hurt her?”
“He thinks that she is his... Compensation. I don’t think that he would hurt her.”
“You’re telling me you think it’s safe for me to bring her back?” he asked through gritted teeth.
“You might give it a couple of days. But soon.” There was a strange note to Brianna’s voice, but he could not read it.
“I need to ask you something else about my brother. Do you know if they...? Has he spoken to you about his time in the dungeon?”
“Yes. Quite distinctly.”
“And did he tell you whether or not they brought him women?”
“I...”
“Did they bring him women while he was in the dungeon?”
