His hands return to my throat before I can move out of his way, my chest still heaving and my vision still foggy from Mason’s earlier attack.
“No. I don’t want… no!”
My fingers close around his wrists, and I fight against his hold, but I know it’s futile.
I’m no match for him, especially in my current weakened state.
Mason keeps pressing on my windpipe with one hand as he frees the other to push the skirt of my dress up and expose my thighs.
That should lessen the amount of force he’s using on my throat, but for some reason his hold on me becomes even tighter.
I struggle harder as he starts fumbling with the zipper of his slacks. “Please stop.” I manage to gasp when his vise-like grip loosens for just one second. “You’re going to kill me.”
He abandons the attempt to undo his pants long enough to squeeze my throat so hard that my eyes water. “Good. I’m gonnafuck you whether you’re still breathing or not, bitch. I own you. And I own the fucking mayor, your family, and this whole town.”
I believe him. He doesn’t care what happens to me. To him, I’m nothing but a commodity that will bring him cash, pleasure, or both.
“If you calmed down,” Mason grunts, turning us around so that he can use his whole body to pin me against the wall by one side of the sinks. “I would make this good for you. You’d never let those spoiled rich kids touch you again after you’ve been with me. Think about it, Zara. I’m the better choice. What will your new daddy say when he finds out that you’re fucking both his sons—your new brothers—and your boyfriend, huh? But if you’re with me, everyone will respect you.”
He keeps talking like he knows everything about my relationship with the guys. But it’s beyond what he could have learned by simply having us followed. He knows who I went to bed with last night and what we did.
Earlier, he threatened repercussions if Ares went to the sheriff. There is no way he could have known that unless he had heard our conversation this morning in Lev’s kitchen.
A good businessman keeps close tabs on his assets.
Lev’s mom is Mason’s uncle’s attorney. Is it possible that somehow they have Lev’s house under surveillance? Maybe even bugged?
I need to tell the guys, but I can’t if Mason kills me now.
He’s too strong for me to stand any chance of overpowering him. The only way I can get out of this situation with my life is to stop fighting him.
I go slack, letting my body relax to the point that I would slide to the floor if it weren’t for Mason’s holding me up.
“What’s up, Zara? Did you consider my offer?”
I nod, the movement small and jerky with his hands around my neck.
A smile curls on Mason’s lips. “Excellent choice. I had the feeling that there was much more to you than a pretty face and a hot little body. You’ll see, you won’t regret it. You and I will rule over this town.”
Like he did before, Mason takes one hand off my throat to undo his zipper.
This time, however, his hand isn’t putting any pressure on my throat. He’s just keeping me in place against the tiled wall of the Country Club’s bathroom as he frees his cock.
I take advantage of the temporary respite to inhale big gulps of breath. My mind is reeling, trying to work out the best time to make a run for the door. I’m only going to have one chance at this, and if I fuck it up, I might not get out of this bathroom alive.
If only my vision stopped wanting to black out and my head stopped spinning enough to make sure I don’t hit the floor like a sack of potatoes.
Mason fists his cock, stroking it a couple of times as he lines up his hips with mine.
The only way I can get him off of me is to kick him or knee him in the groin, but my knees feel so wobbly that I doubt I can even stand upright.
It’s been just a few seconds since Mason opened his fly, and I know the time is ticking.
If only I could breathe before it’s too late.
My chest is heaving with the effort to fill my starved lungs with air, and panic sets in when he hikes one of my legs up against his hip, letting go of my neck to guide his erection toward my exposed skin.
Crazy how much difference a few hours can make. This morning I didn’t have any clean underwear with me, and boxers would feel bulky under the fitted skirt of my dress. When I borrowed Lev’s mom’s clothes earlier, I felt sexy and daringgoing commando. Now naked from the waist down, I wish there were another layer of protection between me and my assailant.
