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“Tell me about yourself,” he says imperiously.
I give him a bored look. “Anything that you haven’t been able to dig up on your own, you can ask me about after breakfast and… the entertainment.”
There’s a snap of anger in Artemis’s eyes, and Paxton glares at me. Solomon looks more amused than anything.
“Father! Are we going to tolerate that from an outsider?” Paxton demands of Artemis. The redheaded girl pours him some orange juice and quickly moves back.
Artemis freezes Paxton with a look. “I’m still in charge here. If I want him dealt with, he’ll be dealt with.”
I’ve never done well with threats. I push my plate away and straighten up. “I’m ready to go.”
Artemis turns the cold look at me. I meet his gaze unflinchingly. It’s fascinating staring into the eyes of a man who’s just like me. Not a single glimmer of humanity seen.
“I like a good dick-measuring contest as much as the next man, but at the appropriate time,” he says in measured tones. “I own this house. I still rule this family.” He puts a peculiar emphasis on the word “still.” Has there been some challenge to his position? Maybe that’s why he’s so intent on establishing his authority. “You are part of this family. Settle down and have some manners.”
I shove a piece of toast in my mouth and chew it without dropping my gaze. “With all due respect, Mr. Franklin, I did not ask to come here, and I rule myself. I find this is an unusual way to treat a long-lost family member.”
He sits ramrod straight, eyes glittering. “If you want to be part of…” He waves at the women, at the grounds outside. “All of this, there are rules to be followed. Protocols. Family traditions.”
Family traditions?
That intrigues me. The yearning to know more is like a burning hunger, so I nod in agreement. “I do want to learn my family traditions,” I say, forcing myself to sound appeasing.Camille would approve; she always used to try to help me seem a little warmer and more human. Fuck Camille. Why am I even thinking about her?“Excuse me if I’m a little impatient. I’ve been waiting for this my entire life without even realizing it.” Artemis relaxes a little, and Paxton settles back in his seat with a sullen glower.
We return to our meal, and Paxton and Solomon start chatting about some thoroughbred Paxton is thinking of buying. Finally, Artemis pushes his plate back, which apparently is the signal for everyone to stop eating because his son and nephew set their silverware down immediately.
“Sinner Sarah, get over here,” Paxton barks at the redhead, and she hurries over to him, her eyes wide with fear.
Paxton bares his teeth in a fierce grin. “I’ve had her for two months now,” he says to me. “I’ve got a little property close to town. She and her boyfriend were doing some work for me there. They thought they could take my Ferrari for a ride. They had a man at a chop shop all ready to go. Granted, I left the keys in the ignition to tempt them, but nobody forced them to do it.” He reaches up under her short flared skirt and twists his hand around. Whatever he’s doing makes her cry out in pain, but she stands there, grimacing, eyes bright with tears. “Took me about two weeks to get her fully trained. Her boyfriend, we trained him much faster. Less than a day. I’m not gay or anything, but he does suck dick like a vacuum cleaner turned on high.” The redhead’s face puckers in misery as he says that.
With his free hand, he pours hot, steaming coffee into his empty cup. Then he smiles up at her. “Sinner Sarah, dip your tit into that coffee.”
She sobs as she bends down toward the coffee, her eyes panicked. She flinches away when her nipple dips in the boiling liquid, screaming. “I can’t, I can’t! Please!”
He leaps to his feet, twists her arm behind her back, and forces her down until her breast is half buried in the burning coffee. She shrieks in agony, free hand clawing uselessly at him, legs kicking up, and he holds her still as howls of pain tear from her throat. I can see his erection clearly against his pants.
All for a stolen car? Seems a bit much.
I chew on a slice of salty bacon and watch with interest. The redhead’s eyes roll up in her head, and she faints from the pain. He drops her, and she slides down to the ground. Her breast is bright red, and I can see blisters popping up.
The blonde stands stiff as a pole, up against the wall, staring at the floor. Her face is pale with fear.
“What do you think?” Paxton asks me, his lips twisting up in a semblance of a grin.
I’m really tired of this family testing me to see if I’ll piss my pants or cry every time they do something naughty. “What do I think about how hard you’re trying to impress me?” I ask him. “Or about your choice of punishment methods?”
“You disapprove of the punishment?” Paxton sneers.
Solomon scrapes butter onto his toast with a silver knife and watches us, looking bored.
Apparently, he’s still eating.
I just shrug. “My personal choice is to punish in a way that doesn’t maim. I’m a man of refined tastes. I don’t like screwing deformed bitches,” I say. “I find it takes more than a stolen car to justify such acts. Without probable cause, it feels… wrong. I have to ask… who’s the sinner at that point?”
Artemis gives me a calculating look. “I’m not quite sure what to think of you. If anyone else spoke to us with such disrespect, they’d be dead. But you’re new to us and our traditions, so I’ll bide my time for now. Speaking of traditions, you turned down Sinner Maria. It is a tradition for us to share our women among family members.” He glances at her, still kneeling at his feet. I’d actually forgotten she was down there. “Did she offend you in some way?”
I shake my head with mild annoyance. “I already told her. I choose who I fuck. Someone else’s slave holds no interest to me. Did I capture her, did I break her? No. I don’t take what I haven’t earned by right of conquest.” Something tells me he’ll like that kind of thinking.
And he does.
