No way out.
Unless I can make Carrson let me go.
He puts the torch in a holder on the wall, then stalks closer and paces restlessly a foot away with his hands behind his back and his eyes on the ground. “You think this is a game,” he says.
I don’t answer.
“You think you can walk into this,” his gaze flicks around the room, “and come back out the same.”
My hands ball into fists. “Then tell me what it is.”
“No.” He comes to a standstill in front of me. “You’re confused. You’re not the one in charge here.” He leans down slightly so I’m forced to meet his eyes.
“I am.”
That comment sparks an idea. A dangerous one, but a way out if I play it correctly.
A way, maybe, to get what I want.
“You’re right,” I say, stepping backward until I hit the wall. “You’re the one in charge.”
He quirks his head, eyes narrowing, instantly suspicious.
“As a matter of fact,” I add, “let me show you.”
Moving as slowly as possible, I lift my hands over my head, reaching for the manacles that hang right above me.
“You don’t want me to touch you.”
I rise onto my toes and slip my hands through the cold metal rings.
“What if you knew for sure I couldn’t?” I continue, lowering my voice. “That you’d be safe, but you could touch me all you wanted.”
I don’t break eye contact.
“Would you like that, Carrson?”
My voice drops as low and seductive as I can make it.
“Tell me,” I ask him, “do you want to touch me?”
Carrson throws his head back and laughs, an actual laugh, and my stomach falls.
“That might work on some idiots,” he says. “But I, unlike most of my fraternity brothers, am not led around by my dick.” He chuckles, shaking his head indulgently. “So, nice try.”
I almost give up right there. Almost let it go, but on that last word, his eyes flick down.
To my lips.
Not my body, like I’d expect.
My lips.
It’s small, but enough.
“Are you sure?” I ask, rattling the chains.
He seems about to laugh again, then he stops. Carrson’s eyes move over me, slower this time. Thoughtful.
