“You—” I let out a small laugh, leaning back in my seat. “You want me to join the meeting and do what, exactly?”
Rune’s blue eyes drift down my body and stop on the space between my thighs, hidden by my skirt. “Whatever he wants.”
My cheeks heat as a combination of fury and disbelief blast through me. I stand up, slapping my pen down on the table. “Say it.” I snap. “You’re asking me to go to the meeting with those men, and do what,Papa?”
Rune runs a hand down his blue tie, adjusting it. “If he wants to fuck you over the railing of my club for everyone to see, you’ll pull up your skirt with a smile” He moves in close. “If he,ifthey, want their dicks sucked while they settle the deal with Zane, you’ll fall to your knees, mouth open.”
I take a step back, my face burning as hot as if he’d slapped me.
Just when I think he can’t get worse, he does.
“You fucked up my deal with Zane.” Rune drags a finger along my jaw. “You hold shares in my company. Do everything I say, or you’ll find yourself in the same position as your mother.”
The air leaves my lungs. My knees give, and I grip the back of the chair to stay upright.
Rune has done terrible things to me, but he’s never threatened my life.
He steps close, gripping my chin, and the scent of his cologne makes my stomach roil. When his lips brush mine, my heart nearly explodes. I jerk out of his grasp, slapping his hand away, fighting tears, hating that I’m forced once again to bend to his will.
“That’s my girl,” he whispers, then lets me go and walks out of the room. The door closes behind him with a quiet click.
I wrap my arms around my middle, bending at the waist, taking deep breaths. I don’t know why he keeps shocking me. Rune’s used me to sate his greed my entire life. I mean nothing to him.
“What did he say?” Clyde’s voice pulls me back from the brink. “He’s doing it, isn’t he?”
I stand upright, gathering files and stuffing them into my bag, glaring at him across the long table.
“So you knew Rune would use my pussy in a business deal?” I ask, shouldering my bag and stalking toward the door. “I’m not a fucking bartering tool, Clyde.”
“That’s exactly what you are, and you know it.” His words make me pause.
I stop, my hand on the knob, and point at Clyde. “You need to learn how to warn a girl before she’s sold to the highest bidder.”
“Could be worse,” Clyde says. “You could still be stuck with Zane.”
My “fuck you” gets muffled by the slam of the boardroom door.
The irony.
Rune’s whoring me out to the men I want to be with.
Chapter 25
Viper
IneverthoughtI’dbesick of looking at Breaker’s face, but after a week of being stuck by his side day in and day out, I’m ready to shove him over the side of this high-rise. Instead of sitting in this chair, in this restaurant, atop this overpriced hotel, eating miniature portions of food on stark white plates drizzled in colorful sauces, I want to be doing something. Taking action. But we’re stuck in limbo. Waiting.
On Zane-fucking-Devin to get back to us on our offer.
In the last week, we’ve had no contact with Reap and only a few encrypted messages from Clyde that told us Cora is fine and returning to work today.
Knowing Cora entered that building, knowing Rune was going to be near her, going to possibly touch her, has my insides boiling hot as lava. On top of that, the mission has begun, which means there is zero room for error. We were forced to leave the warehouse, and Ben left the hotel, to move into the private estate the Snyder Group rented for this mission. That means we left all our equipment and surveillance behind, and we can’t riskreturning. Now we don’t have eyes on Cora, and after what Rune did, it’s leaving us both on edge.
Well, me.
Breaker seems to have an absurd amount of confidence in Clyde that I don’t possess. Then again, he believed Cora’s obvious lie that Rune hadn’t violated her. Maybe it’s easier for Breaker to cope if he just refuses to see this entire situation for what it is.
A fucking nightmare.
