When I stepped back towards the bed he grabbed me again, this time turning me to face him. “‘Okay?’” he repeated. “What’s wrong with my gift?”
I smiled sweetly. “It’s fine, Victor. I just don’t see the point in you wasting money on me. Who am I going to wear this for?”
His eyes narrowed, the start of a growl building in his chest. “For me, of course. It makes me happy to give you things.”
I gently touched the cool stone, looking at him straight until I dipped my head in feigned submission. “And it makes me happy to make you happy.”
But before I could turn around, he sighed deeply, obviously upset at not getting the reaction he’d hoped for. “Sage, what is this? Hm? Why are you acting this way?”
“What do you mean?” I asked, bringing as much innocence into my voice as possible. “Am I not doing everything to your satisfaction? I fuck you, suck your cock on demand, give my blood to you, and I don’t talk back or ask questions. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
His lip twitched, knowing he couldn’t really find any fault in my behavior aside from a nagging suspicion that something was off. “It is. It’s just…”
His phone beeped from where he’d left it on the dresser, and he picked it up, frowning at whatever notification he’d just received. “We’ll talk about this more in the morning.”
After putting the phone in his pocket, he finished the last cuff link by himself and then slipped on his suit jacket. He started to walk out the door, and then sighed again. “I know I’ve been busier than usual lately,” he said, not facing me. “And I hope you’re not taking my recent absences personally. Believe me, I’d rather be here.”
Yes, I’ve heard newborns can be quite demanding, I wanted to say.
“Of course, alpha. You’re very important. I understand.”
He flinched again and then left.
As soon as the front door closed and the lock turned, I exhaled loudly, rumbling my lips in relief at finally being free to end the charade.
It was hard work being an emotionless vessel, and I deserved a long soak in the tub with a book as a reward.
* * *
Three months later
The lights flashed to let me know Victor was arriving. I sighed, scratching the top of Ember’s head from where I sat on the sofa,slowly peeling myself off with a big stretch and a yawn.
Victor’s heartfelt talks about how he missed my spark had led to nothing, and after several failed attempts to get some sort of reaction out of me, he was spiraling. It seemed as though having a bland, submissive sex toy wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
He’d tried instituting “date nights” for a while, where he’d have dresses delivered and a table set for us in the living room so we could eat our meals together.
While I loved having something other than little negligees to wear, the efforts had been for naught. The conversations were boring, stilted, and forced. The food was the exact same iron-rich crap I’d been eating for the past five years, and even at his most charming, Victor did nothing for me.
I was well and truly becoming immune to him, and it was so incredibly freeing.
I got myself into position at the sound of him approaching the door, but then I heard him speaking in a tone I’d never heard before.
“Are you ready, my little man?”
No, no, he couldn’t possibly have thought to bring…
The door opened awkwardly as Victor entered, trying to maneuver a car seat through the entryway.
My blood turned to sludge in my veins, and my chest seized, making it difficult to breathe.
All my hard work… months of icing him out.
And he’d finally found a way to make me break again.
It just wasn’t fair.
It was beyond cruel.
