10
ROSE
Stretching against the smooth sheets, my hands seek out Miles, but when I grab onto nothing but air, I blink my eyes open.
Gone.He’s gone. The bed is empty, and I’m all alone. Tears sting my eyes, and I wipe at them with my hands. Confusion slams into me a moment before sadness. We had sex last night. I gave him my virginity, and then he left like I was nothing.
Where did he go?My eyes scan the room without thought, looking for a note or any sign that he left because he had to and not because he wanted to.
Finding nothing, a lump of emotion forms in my throat, and I throw my legs over the edge of the mattress, forcing myself into a sitting position. I ignore the ache between my legs, walk over to the dresser and pull on one of Miles’s shirts and a pair of boxers.
Lifting the fabric of the shirt to my nose, I inhale his spicy scent. Fear zings up my spine when I hear the creaking of the door. Turning on my heels, I face the bedroom door just in time to see a young-looking man pop his head inside the room.
I stare at him wide-eyed, my chest heaving with every breath that passes my lips.
“My name is Daniel, and I mean you no harm. I’ve come to bring you breakfast.” He forces a smile that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. He’s young, probably the same age as me if I had to guess. His hair is cut close to his head, and I have to crane my neck back to look up at him. He doesn’t look at me like I’m a piece of meat. In fact, he doesn’t look at me at all, his eyes looking anywhere and everywhere but at me.
So maybe Miles didn’t leave me completely, but he also didn’t say anything about where he was going, or how long he’d be gone. Where did he go? The thought of being taken by one of his men, of not having him here to protect me, it terrifies me more than anything.
What if someone hurts me while he’s gone?
I don’t say anything as Daniel slowly pushes the door open and walks into the room, carrying a tray with an assortment of breakfast items on it. My stomach growls at the sight of the food as he sets it down on the tiny table near the bed.
Swallowing, I force myself to remain calm as the question I want to ask rolls off my tongue, “Where-where is he? And when is he coming back?” I ask.
“Business,” he replies, looking everywhere but at me, “if you need anything, there is a man posted at the end of the hall. Please only come out if it is an emergency or you’re in dire need of something.”
“Is… Is he coming back for me?” I don’t know why I ask this man the question, maybe because I’m desperate or maybe because I want to ease my mind while waiting for Miles to return. Either way, I’m shocked when he responds.
“He will be back. You need to eat…” he gestures to the plate. “I’ll come back in a bit to get the plate.” The look he gives me then is one of guilt, “If you make trouble, I will call Miles.”
Call Miles?That relieves me a little, to know he is a mere phone call away. I bite the inside of my cheek. Knowing thatthere isn’t much this Daniel man can do to help me, I nod my head in understanding. And still, the thought lingers in my mind: I don’t want to be Miles’s prisoner; I want to be his equal.
“Eat,” he orders and then walks out of the room, exiting just as quietly as he entered. My thoughts swirl as soon as I’m alone again, the walls closing in on me.
What if he doesn’t want me anymore? What if all he wanted was my virginity, and now that he’s got it, I’m nothing to him anymore?
Feeling vulnerable, I force my legs to carry me back to the bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, I stare at the food on the plate. Orange juice, bacon, eggs, and French toast. It looks delicious, but my appetite has disappeared and is replaced with uncertainty.
Why didn’t he wake me up before he left?Because he doesn’t want you.Something inside me says. All my life, I’ve been unwanted, shuffled from place to place, never really loved by the people who were supposed to care for me. I’ve always been a nuisance to those around me. Tears sting my eyes again, and this time I let them fall.
Sobbing, I wrap my arms around my middle, drowning in my fears.
Sitting there, I devise a plan. As soon as he gets here, I’ll beg him to keep me. I’ll tell him that I will do whatever he wants, so long as he keeps me as his and no one else’s.
Yes, that may make me sound desperate, but the last place I want to end up is in the club he owns as a stripper or sold back to Drake or some other vicious man. Yes, Miles is scary, huge, and intimidating, but he’s never tried to hurt me.
He’s always been gentle and kind. My thoughts drift to last night, and the care he used as he took me, owning my body. He went slow even though I know he wanted to rut into me, and when it was all said and done, he held me in hisarms, whispering sweet nothings into my ear until I fell asleep snuggled against him.
Last night, I was certain we were both falling in love. Now, I’m not so sure, now I wonder if giving myself to him was a mistake, if I should’ve held out longer. Or maybe it was just inevitable. Confusion ignites in my mind. If he wanted to get rid of me, he would’ve done that by now, but why leave without warning, after everything that happened last night?
My thoughts are interrupted when the bedroom door creaks open and a man I’ve never seen before enters.
“Rose, is it?” he asks, his eyes are dark, almost black, but beneath that darkness is something else and before I can pinpoint it, it’s gone.
“Yes,” I answer in a hushed voice. I don’t recall Daniel saying another man would come in, but maybe something came up, and he couldn’t get my plate?
“Good.” He grins, and the smile that pulls at his lips is frightening and a lot like staring into the face of a lion seconds before it rips into you. You want to run, but you just can’t because running will mean they chase you.
