CHAPTER 16
The car ride over was silent, except for the wet rolling of tyres on cracked tarmac and the buzz of my own thoughts. Merrow Street, an address scrawled on the back of an old betting slip. Danny’s words echoed in my head,“Big house, don’t be a knob, do what you’re told.” That told me everything.
The envelope felt heavier than it should have in my coat pocket. Something about the way he handed it to me, the pause, the smug little twitch at the corner of his mouth. I’d been sold off like a cheap whore, yet again.
By the time I was standing at the gate, staring up at the clean white front of a townhouse tucked behind iron railings and manicured hedges, my gut was already turning. I’d been here before.
Selene. She never gave me any more than that. A power-hungry woman who liked to throw her money around. I figured she never got touched by her dweeb of a husband, as I had become somewhat of a regular before Juvie. I was just another one of her secrets, which she wore like jewellery.
I rang the bell. A camera buzzed quietly above the door. A soft click. Then it opened. She stood there, long black silk robe clinging to her frame, hair tied back too perfectly, lips painted the red you don’t wear for company, at least, not the kind that stays clothed.
“You’re late,” she said, voice soft and smooth.
I hesitated on the threshold, “Danny sent me.” Her eyes dropped to the envelope in my hand, a slick smile spreading on her face.
“Of course he did.” She stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter. She was expecting the boy Danny used to offer up, the one who kept his head down, teeth clenched behind a quiet yes. She wasn’t going to get him. When I stepped through the door, I didn’t pause. I didn’t look around, as if I were impressed by her taste or nervous about what came next. I just stared at her long enough to see the shift in her expression. “You’re not what I remember,” she said finally. I tilted my head, taking her in the way someone might examine a painting they’ve seen too many times. Familiar and unimpressed.
“Is that so?” I said. I saw it in the way her posture hardened, just a notch, like she’d expected some trace of obedience left in me—the kind she could coax out with a whisper and a practised hand. But I didn’t move when she reached for me, just blocked her path with my hand.
“You don’t get to touch me until I say so.”
“Is that how this works now?” Her eyebrow raised slightly with amusement.
“It is tonight.” She went still, then took a step forward, her tone syrupy and edged.
“We shall see baby.” I didn’t answer. Just closed the gap between us in one sharp step, grabbing her wrist tight, just enough to remind her that this wasn’t the same game she liked to force me to play. I’d changed.
Her eyes flashed, but not with anger, with interest. She always liked power plays, but she was used to being the one who held the leash. Her breathing became quicker.
I smirked, slipping off my jacket and throwing it over the ornate banister. “Want to see what you look like when it’s youbeing unwrapped and inspected like meat on a platter. That’s what you like. Strip them down, see who breaks first.”
“You think I’ll break?” she asked, a breathless challenge.
“I think you already did.” Silence thickened between us.
“You’ve changed,”
“Oh, sweetheart. You have no idea.” She didn’t speak again; she didn’t need to. I led her to the bedroom, all too familiar with the route; I knew this house like the back of my fucking hand.
Her room smelled of spiced perfume, with dark ruby curtains draping to the floor, and a four-poster bed featured in the middle of the room. My hands slide the silk robe from her shoulders, leaving her standing bare in front of me. I pushed the door to, her hands instantly at my chest, mouth at my throat, like she knew the script and expected me to follow. But I didn’t move the way she wanted. My eyes locked onto her as I pulled back, gripping her wrists in front of her once again. Slowly shaking my head as a warning.
Her eyes flared a little, that I wasn’t the same boy she thought was being delivered. I stepped in, slow and deliberate, backing her toward the bed instead. She opened her mouth to speak, but I didn’t let her. Pressing my lips against hers, my teeth teasing her bottom lip before making my way to her ear.
“I told you. You don’t get to be in charge tonight.” She scoffed playfully. That was until I pushed her unyieldingly onto the bed. That laugh caught in her throat. I stayed standing, watching her adjust herself as I unbuckled my belt. Letting the silence stretch long enough to make her question what she had knowingly paid Danny for. I leaned over her, bracing my hands either side of her head. My body inches from hers, as my voice did all the work. I lowered to a whisper, my lips brushing against her ear.
“It’s my turn to show you who’s boss.” Her breath hitched.
The scent she wore was heavy and expensive, clinging to the space between us like a veil. But it didn’t weigh me down. Notlike it did before, because I wasn’t the powerless kid anymore. I had sharp edges now. Teeth. She reached for me again, this time more slowly, testing. Only this time, I let her feel me. I steered every inch of our time together, the way her hands moved, the way she looked at me. Even the way she started to second-guess who was using who. And in her silence, her confidence cracked beneath the surface.
I knew something she didn’t want me to: She hadn’t expected to enjoy giving it up.
Even when her fingers dug into my shoulder or my hand wrapped around her throat, dragging my mouth along her skin, leaving marks to remind her I was retaliating for all those years I was held down. Leaving her powerless body tangled in the sheets.
The room had gone quiet again, standing near the window, letting the chill from the glass bite into my skin. Behind me, I heard the sheets shift. Her voice was soft but controlled. Still trying to wear that mask, even though I’d ripped it clean off and burned it within the heat of the night.
“When will I see you again?” I didn’t respond; I hadn’t even chosen to be here in the first place. But I guess it wasn’t all bad; the power shift had made things more tolerable. I turned to her, the cover tucked around her frame. Watching as she tilted her head, pale arms wrapping around her knees.
“Guess you're gonna have to askDanny,” my words biting back at her with intended venom.
