The pleasure of him touching me evaporated. “I don’t consider it deforming. I consider it my right. I can do what I want. Just like you adorn yourself in scars; I can add some decoration.”

He exploded upright. “You think those are willing. You think I allowed those to happen?” Pacing away, he dragged hands through his hair before cursing under his breath.

His temper evaporated as quickly as it’d come and I sat exposed, wondering what the hell I should do. Was it my job to soothe him as well as fuck him?

Coming back to sit on the bed, he gazed at the barbell as if it was blasphemy. I didn’t like the turbulent look in his eyes—gone was the strong, bossy stranger. In his place sat a man with issues deeper than I could ever imagine.

Swallowing, Fox morphed again and blocked everything off. “Lock your hands together and lean forward.”

Not saying a word, I obeyed and shivered as his hands went around my neck. Fox’s scent of smoke clouded me as his body moved closer to mine. The chain glittered in the sunlight like a living thing, but burned my skin like ice.

“What is it?” My voice wavered. Nerves lived in my stomach with frantic wings. My fingers grew white as I locked them tighter.

Don’t touch him. Don’t touch him.

“I told you.” Fox’s breath tickled my collarbone. He fastened the necklace and drew back. A long length of chain dangled down the front of my body, puddling on the sheet. Concentrating, he positioned the cool silver in the valley of my breasts and down the centre of my stomach.

Every sense in my body sprung to attention. I wanted to lean into his touch and invite more, but at the same time I wanted to run. If a simple touch could make me wet, how would I cope when he finally took me?

“Keep your hands locked.” He eyed my lap as if I planned to touch him at any moment with no warning. Eyes drilled into mine. I nodded.

Seemingly satisfied, Fox bent forward again. Gathering the remaining chain, he split it into two lengths and wrapped it around my waist. His fingers were gentle, worshipping. I froze as he fumbled behind me, securing it somehow.

The result was one chain around my neck, one around my belly, and a length running down the front of my body.

“Perfect. It fits.”

I eyed the jewellery. It looked like a normal silver chain, but slightly thicker. More robust than an average necklace, yet delicate enough to be feminine.

Fox leaned back, nodding. “Hopefully it will work. At the very least, it will give me a warning.”

I looked down, plucking at the silver between my breasts. “And I have to wear this all the time?”

He grunted. “You’re not to remove it.” His eyes hardened. “Every morning before bed, you’re to let me secure the final part. Every time we have sex, you’ll let me attach this to the necklace.”

“Attach what?”

My mouth went dry as he pulled another chain from his pocket. This one had a small padlock on two sides. Motioning for me to hold out an arm, he secured the heavy duty silver around my wrists before snapping the padlock closed. He looped the length of chain through the one around my stomach before wrapping the last part around my other wrist and pressing the lock tight.

He’d effectively trussed me up like a fucking turkey.

“You didn’t say anything about bondage.”

He shook his head. “It isn’t bondage. It’s protection.”

Fear thickened as I looked into his eyes. “Protection? From what?”

He stood, his colourless gaze ripping me bare. “Me.”

Oh, holy God.

Reaching into his pocket a second time, he revealed a thick leather cuff with matching silver padlock. He murmured, “Every time we go to sleep, I’ll wear this. If I forget to put it on, you must tell me.”

I didn’t want to ask why. Don’t ask why.

“Why?” I breathed.

His eyes flashed. “Because if you don’t, I can’t promise you’ll wake up alive. What I did to you in my office was nothing. I have no control when someone touches me, so make sure you don’t.”

My heart stopped. The way he said it so matter-of-fact chilled me to the bone. He wasn’t dramatizing it—it just simply was.

I tried to hide my fear, locking it away beneath iron-willed control. “Okay.”

 “This agreement between us is to fulfill one need only. And I don’t need the uncertainty of you being able to touch me whenever you damn well please.” He looked sleek and ruthless. A thrill shot through me.

“What makes you think I want to touch you willingly?”

He frowned, clenching his jaw. “I don’t care. This way, you can’t.”

We glared at each other. Coming forward, he overpowered me as his persona changed from angry owner to interested predator. My breath quickened in response.

In one fast move, Fox grabbed the sheet hiding my legs and tore it off. I flinched in shock, but didn’t care about modesty; all I cared about was the desolate resolution in his eyes.

“I’ve wanted you since I set eyes on you, and I’m going to take you.”

His large hands grasped my hips and flipped me over. I cried out as he propped me on hands and knees with effortless strength. “I made another promise I can’t keep,” he murmured, dragging his nose along my spine. “I thought I could do it, but it’s not possible.”

His hot breath tingled my back as he reached below and grabbed my breast with harsh fingers.

I shuddered, cursing my body warming for him, melting for him. I should hate the roughness, the lack of humanity in his touch, but he’d ignited the dynamite in my blood with his harsh, unloving commands.

“What promise?” I whispered, already panting.

His fingers hooked onto the sides of my knickers, pulling them down my hips until they rested around my knees on the bed. He groaned as he pushed my legs apart, exposing me.

My head lolled forward as he climbed behind me. The rustle of clothing being removed made my mouth go dry and my heart stop beating.

His finger traced the crack of my ass, dipping lower, following my heat until he found wetness. “Fuck me,” he muttered before swirling the tip of his finger around my entrance. “God, you’re wet.”

My back bowed; my limbs trembled. I’d gone from tense to needing him in one second flat. The tip of his finger entered me before swirling back up to press against my clit.

“I promised I’d make you enjoy fucking me as much as I’d enjoying fucking you.” He bent over, smothering my back with his torso. His teeth grazed my neck as the thick hardness of his cock nudged my core. “To do that I’d have to touch you. I’d have to let my guard down. I don’t have the strength.”

One hand grabbed a fistful of hair, jerking my neck back while another secured my hip, pinning me in place. His erection rocked against my outer flesh, hot and hard.

I wasn’t ready.

I’m not ready.

Fear lit up my heart and I wiggled, trying to dislodge his hold. “Wait. No—”

“I’m sorry, dobycha,” he groaned, thrusting violently, coldly, viciously into me. My elbows gave way and I fell headfirst into the pillow. My bound hands couldn’t support me.

Everything burned. Everything hurt.

I gasped for breath, sucking in material as the searing, frightening pain of being taken violently made me cry out. Hot tears were absorbed instantly by the pillow as Fox rammed into me again. He lost himself, turning inhuman as he rode me. My scalp screamed where he held me captive by my hair.

Gone was the lust; the sparks of need in my blood. All I felt was used and nothing more than trash.

I bit my lip till I drew blood as he withdrew, only to slam into me again. “Yes. Fuck.” He sounded far away, no longer with me mentally.

His fingers gripped my hips, holding me in place as he savagely thrust. Every pound sent shockwaves of agony through me. His hipbones dug into my ass, adding more bruises to the internal ones.

If there was any blessing in being taken so horribly, it was how soon it was over. Fox thrust harder and harder, driving me deeper and deeper into the pillow. He filled me to the brink until I thought I’d split in two.

But then he froze, jetting hot wetness deep inside me, groaning. The second the last pulse of his release filled me, he pulled out and climbed off the bed.

My entire body trembled with adrenaline and unhappiness. I didn’t dare move until the sound of the bedroom door opened and closed, as Fox left me. With a ragged gasp, I flopped to my side and curled into a tight ball.

The stickiness of his come smeared my inner thighs, and the chain cuffs dug into my wrists, but I couldn’t bring myself to move.

I couldn’t bring myself to think or curse or run.

Yet again life proved I was an idiot. A greedy money-grubber who thought she could see something dark and troubled in a man. Who believed in the fundamental goodness of people enough to let herself be used and tossed away.

It’d happened before. It’d happened again. I hadn’t learned my lesson.

I lay with my eyes wide open, watching the slow journey of the sun from sunrise to high noon to sunset. I couldn’t bring myself to think how to fix this or even to think of Clara.

I’d besmirched myself, tarnishing my hope with reality.

Fuck two hundred thousand dollars. Fuck him.

When twilight fell and I’d had enough of wallowing in the filth I’d created, I stood gingerly and hobbled to the bathroom.

Avoiding looking in the mirror, I focused on the silver around my wrists. With gritted teeth, I yanked them with all my strength, sweating with effort until a link pried open, allowing me to get free.