another room. I need him to like and trust you, so he’ll let me stay in charge when he brings someone else in.” He tilted my chin up, forcing me to look him in the eyes. I glared at him as he asked, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yeah. How do I know he won’t treat me like Bash?”
“You smart off to him too much, try to attack him, or make another escape attempt, he may very well treat you worse , and I won’t have the authority to stop him. I can try to talk reason to him, but… he’s our president, and it won’t be up for a vote.”
“Yeah, okay. I get it. Make Duke like me.”
“Good.” He smiled, tilted his head. “We need to decide what to call you. Crystal is close to Christine, but if you want to pick another long term name, now’s probably the time.”
* * * *
Brain
She sighed and said, “I want to be Destiny. Crystal was only because it was a play on words with Ice.” She was quiet, thinking, and I didn’t interrupt her thoughts. Finally, she asked, “What’s her middle name?”
“Grace.”
Her smile was huge as she said, “If I can’t have Destiny or Faith, Grace is almost perfect. If I’m going for a new beginning, it should be with a name I’ve never used before.”
I nodded. “Grace it is, then. I’m always going to think of you as Ice, but I can get used to Grace. Besides, it almost rhymes. Sort of.” She didn’t look convinced, so I laughed and said, “Fine, it ends in the same syllable. Picky.”
She smiled back, and my heart almost melted. Was this the first happy smile she’d directed towards me? Shit. I needed to do to more so I could see it — her entire face lit up. She was always beautiful, but when she smiled? Damn. I was okay with a different nose and chin, but I really wanted her to keep her lips. And her eyes. Bash had told me her eyes creeped him out, but they just endeared her to me all the more.
Chapter Ten
Ice
I was so tired as I climbed into bed, I didn’t complain as he locked the wrist and ankle cuffs onto me, and then locked them to the bedrails.
Brain had kept his back turned while I undressed before getting into the shower, and then had sat on the floor and let me take as long as I wanted under the glorious warm water. He’d handed me a towel over the curtain when I finished, and then turned his back so I could get out and put his shirt back on.
However, when he started getting undressed and I realized he intended to get in bed with me, I protested. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not sleeping with you.”
He shrugged. “Sleep, don’t sleep, whatever. Just don’t keep me awake.”
Suddenly terrified, I jerked my body to the side of the bed as far as possible and yanked my foot, trying to get away, though I knew it was hopeless. My heart beat so fast it felt as if it were trying to escape my chest, and I had to force myself not to hyperventilate.
“Hey hey, calm down.” He squatted beside the bed, his face level with mine, and I tried to jerk away again, despite my bonds. “I’ll keep my underwear on, and it’s just sleeping. I’m a lot of things, but rapist isn’t one of them, Ice… Grace.” He shook his head. “Gonna take some time to get used to the new name.”
I tried to call on my inner bitch, but she’d forsaken me for the moment, and my eyes watered as I told him, “I don’t want to be here. I hate this.”
He tilted his head as if making a decision, and then stood, his face cold. “Should’ve thought of that before you accepted a job to screw over the RTMC. Go to sleep, Grace. I don’t know when Duke’ll arrive tomorrow, but you need to be in top form to deal with him.”
His harsh words brought my inner bitch out, and I glared at him as he walked around the bed.
My ankle tether was connected to the center of the bottom of the bed, with enough slack I could get my foot to within about six inches of the side of the bed, but couldn’t get my foot
“Yeah. How do I know he won’t treat me like Bash?”
“You smart off to him too much, try to attack him, or make another escape attempt, he may very well treat you worse , and I won’t have the authority to stop him. I can try to talk reason to him, but… he’s our president, and it won’t be up for a vote.”
“Yeah, okay. I get it. Make Duke like me.”
“Good.” He smiled, tilted his head. “We need to decide what to call you. Crystal is close to Christine, but if you want to pick another long term name, now’s probably the time.”
* * * *
Brain
She sighed and said, “I want to be Destiny. Crystal was only because it was a play on words with Ice.” She was quiet, thinking, and I didn’t interrupt her thoughts. Finally, she asked, “What’s her middle name?”
“Grace.”
Her smile was huge as she said, “If I can’t have Destiny or Faith, Grace is almost perfect. If I’m going for a new beginning, it should be with a name I’ve never used before.”
I nodded. “Grace it is, then. I’m always going to think of you as Ice, but I can get used to Grace. Besides, it almost rhymes. Sort of.” She didn’t look convinced, so I laughed and said, “Fine, it ends in the same syllable. Picky.”
She smiled back, and my heart almost melted. Was this the first happy smile she’d directed towards me? Shit. I needed to do to more so I could see it — her entire face lit up. She was always beautiful, but when she smiled? Damn. I was okay with a different nose and chin, but I really wanted her to keep her lips. And her eyes. Bash had told me her eyes creeped him out, but they just endeared her to me all the more.
Chapter Ten
Ice
I was so tired as I climbed into bed, I didn’t complain as he locked the wrist and ankle cuffs onto me, and then locked them to the bedrails.
Brain had kept his back turned while I undressed before getting into the shower, and then had sat on the floor and let me take as long as I wanted under the glorious warm water. He’d handed me a towel over the curtain when I finished, and then turned his back so I could get out and put his shirt back on.
However, when he started getting undressed and I realized he intended to get in bed with me, I protested. “No. Absolutely not. I’m not sleeping with you.”
He shrugged. “Sleep, don’t sleep, whatever. Just don’t keep me awake.”
Suddenly terrified, I jerked my body to the side of the bed as far as possible and yanked my foot, trying to get away, though I knew it was hopeless. My heart beat so fast it felt as if it were trying to escape my chest, and I had to force myself not to hyperventilate.
“Hey hey, calm down.” He squatted beside the bed, his face level with mine, and I tried to jerk away again, despite my bonds. “I’ll keep my underwear on, and it’s just sleeping. I’m a lot of things, but rapist isn’t one of them, Ice… Grace.” He shook his head. “Gonna take some time to get used to the new name.”
I tried to call on my inner bitch, but she’d forsaken me for the moment, and my eyes watered as I told him, “I don’t want to be here. I hate this.”
He tilted his head as if making a decision, and then stood, his face cold. “Should’ve thought of that before you accepted a job to screw over the RTMC. Go to sleep, Grace. I don’t know when Duke’ll arrive tomorrow, but you need to be in top form to deal with him.”
His harsh words brought my inner bitch out, and I glared at him as he walked around the bed.
My ankle tether was connected to the center of the bottom of the bed, with enough slack I could get my foot to within about six inches of the side of the bed, but couldn’t get my foot
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