“Sounds good,” I say, hardening my heart against whatever he’s planning on doing. “For old time’s sake.”
He snaps his fingers.
“Kneel.”
Of all the?—
I drop to the floor on my knees. Just like he taught me. Just like he wants me to. I swallow against a strange, sudden rush of emotion that takes me unawares.
Fabien, why do you have to be so perfect and so wrong for me?
“Open your mouth, Nicolette.”
My name, the way he says my name…
I obey. I begin to tremble when he ties the silk tie around my mouth as a makeshift gag.
“Hands behind your back.”
Something tells me this is not a good idea, but… I told him I’d do what he said.
I put my hands behind my back.
“There we go. Now you can’t talk while I do,” he says, sounding quite pleased with himself as he ties my wrists together.
Oh, no, he didnot.
I can’t move. I can’t speak.
I am completely at his command.
“I’m not going to deny that I was looking into your background,” he says as he walks around me, surveying his handiwork. “I did. I looked into who you were. Your history. I wanted to know why you were here, and I wanted to know what you were like.”
Why?I mentally ask myself. I can’t askhim,because the overbearing ogre has me gagged.
“You may wonder why.”
Mind reading is a pretty impressive gift.
“Mmm?” I say, pleased I convey my anger in a muffled syllable.
Fabien stands in front of me. With one finger under my chin, he lifts my eyes to his. I have to crane my neck to see him. “I saw you on our security footage. And from the very first second I saw you, I wanted you. I knew you were mine. That you belonged to me.”
I should hate this. I should at the very least be mentally fighting this, but inside, I feel my resistance fading away.
Fabien.
“So I made a choice.” Holding my chin in his fingers, he makes me look at him.
I can’t look away.
He knows exactly what he’s doing.
Fabien.
“I decided I would win you over,” he says quietly. “I knew that you were a strong woman. I knew you were here for a reason. And I hoped that if I took away your reason for being here, you wouldn’t need to work anymore. I hoped that in our time together, I’d manage to convince you that at the very least, you were safe with me.”
He bends down and lifts me by the elbows, so I rise to my feet. With my hands still restrained behind my back, I can only stand, but I wobble. He easily rights me, then bends and lifts me in his arms as he stands.
