“Can I take a shower?” My request catches her off guard. I dance both hands along my collarbones and brush my tangled, sticky hair off my shoulders. “Please… I’ll be fast. Just two minutes.”
Toni’s jaw tenses, her pupils a millimeter wider than a second ago. Her gaze floats across my spilling breasts. “There is no hot water,” she mutters. “No shower.”
“That’s okay,” I whisper, ignoring the latter. “Cold is fine.”Say yes. Please say yes.Toni’s dark eyes flick across my face and I soften my features, force-feeding her every ounce of Luna I can muster.Say yes. Say yes.“Please?”
She hates it. She’s fighting the words.
But she loses.
They always lose to Luna.
“Fine,” Toni grumbles. “Two minutes.”
I rein in a victorious grin, and I slowly turn my back to her, sweeping my hair off to the side, revealing a dozen laced-up buttons that I have no way of releasing on my own. “Can you?”
"Figure it out yourself.”
Her response may be dismissive, but I refuse to back down. I refuse to lose.
"Please," I say, my voice soft and imploring. I take a step backward closer to Toni, twisting my neck over my shoulder. I give her a sultry look, an invitation that she can't resist. “I can’t reach.”
Toni's reluctance is palpable, but under her mild irritation I sense a flicker of something else. Something that could save me.
Lust.
“Fine.”
And with that, I face forward, giving her a full view of the intricate lace knots that hold my dress together. As Toni starts to assist me, her touch is unexpectedly gentle, her fingers brushing lightly against my skin. The sensation sends shivers down my spine.
The lace knots gradually come undone, and as Toni reaches the last button, my dress plummets to the floor around my ankles. With a breath of resolution, I step out of the dress and turn around, nearly naked as I stand before her, smiling coyly.
"Thank you," I say, teasing and flirtatious, aware that I've successfully trapped Toni in my web.
Toni's arousal is unmistakable, her eyes filled with desire as they rake over my body. Her gaze lingers on the scar between my breasts, and my resolve wavers for a brief moment.
She swallows, fighting to look away from my exposed breasts. “What happened to you?”
“Heart transplant,” I reply quietly.
She sighs, meeting my vulnerable gaze. “I see.” After a charged beat, she turns around. “Shower. Quickly.”
Cold water pelts against my body as I step into the shower and use my hands to scrub away the blood, the dirt, and the fear. Toni stands by the bathroom door, her presence loud despite no noise. Just as I'm finishing up, the main door slams shut, and the sound of approaching footsteps fills the small basement.
Toni mutters a curse under her breath. “Hurry up,” she grunts, and we’re no longer alone.
“What are you doing?” Simone spits as I turn off the faucet. “Are you out of your mind? A shower? Remember who is in charge, Toni. Do not be a fucking idiot.”
Toni's response is inaudible, but her submissive tone irks me.
“Get out,” Simone says, and I assume she’s talking to me. I poke my head out from behind the shower curtain. She throws a towel, clean underwear, and a baggy T-shirt at me. “Dry yourselfoff and change," she orders, leaving no room for argument. "This is the last shower you'll ever take."
I grab the towel and dry myself off, the fabric rough against my skin. Quickly, I slip on the T-shirt and change into the cotton panties. My skin pebbles as a chilly draft hits me like a brick wall and I shiver.
“Back to your chain,dog,” Simone sneers, snapping her fingers. I keep my head down as I walk back toward the mattress on the floor, keenly listening to Simone’s hushed conversation with Toni. “If you cannot handle her alone, perhaps it would be best if I watch her from now on.”
“I got it,” Toni huffs. “Focus on your own task, not mine.”
“Remember why we’re doing this. Remember your poor sister. My brother. Remember the goal, Toni. Do not forget it.”
