I pull the needle from the back of my hand, wincing and tossing it to the ground where it falls, leaking liquids.

“That a good idea?” asks Hunter.

“I need to get out of this fucking bed,” I say. “It has been a week since I woke up and I’ve got shit to do, besides,” I say, lowering my voice. “I’m pretty sure the fuckers from the Dominican will have found out I’m still alive by now.”

Hunter smirks. “I told you so.”

“Fuck you,” I groan.

He chuckles. “I had to wait a week to say it, but damn it felt even better than I thought it would.”

“Yeah? Why don’t you step a little closer to the bed. We’ll see how good you feel when you’re within arm’s reach of me.”

“You never did like being wrong,” he chides.

“Maybe there were smarter ways to show them not to fuck with me that didn’t involve crashing into a wall at two hundred miles per hour.”

“Possibly,” agrees Hunter. He leans back against the wall and crosses his arms. “So what now?”

“I’m going to make them pay,” I say, sitting up and ignoring the dull ache in my back. I’m nearly healed, and I’m sure whatever lingering aches I still have will be gone in a day or two.

“Heh. Okay. You realize these aren’t just some soft businessmen, right? These guys made their fortunes ripping people off and hurting them.”

“I’m no stranger to violence, Hunter,” I say quietly. I grit my teeth as the memories bubble up, black and unwelcome. Grooves in the door dug by fingernails. Blood on the wall. A hammer with a clump of hair and blood stuck to it.

Something in my eyes must spook him, because he looks away, shaking his head at the ground. “I’m just saying you should be careful. They already made it clear they aren’t fucking around. You’ll let me know if you need anything, right?”

“Yeah. I’ll let you know.”

Hunter breaths out the tension, pushing off the wall and raising his eyebrows. “So,” he says in a much lighter tone. “How long do they want you to stay here?”

“Another few days, but I’m ready. The doctor said some shit about a microfracture but I feel fine. Just a little sore. My desk is probably covered in work by now, and I’m tired of sitting in this fucking bed.” I also have a princess to tame. Just thinking of her being so far out of my control while I’m in here irks me. Contract or not, she already belongs to me, and I don’t like giving her such a long leash. I’m sure my business could desperately use my presence, but the first thing on my list is Brianne. I want her name on that contract. I’m tired of waiting.

“You look like hell, man. You sure it’s a good idea to leave early?” Hunter asks.

“I’ll be fine.”

A smirk creeps across his face. “You’re back in the game, aren’t you? I can see it in your eyes. You’re taking on a new submissive.”

I chuckle. “If I wanted you to know everything I have going on, I’d tell you.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly why I’ve had to figure out how to read you. You don’t tell me shit.”

“Because I know what comes next. You’re going to give me some useless advice.”

Hunter waves off my assumption with his hand. “Advice, yes. Useless? Hardly.” He pulls up the chair beside the bed and straddles it, resting his arms on the backrest. “You’ve been out of the game for a while now. I know you have, so don’t even try to deny it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say.

“So what you need to do is make sure you release the… tension before you two hook up. I know you probably think you’re Mr. Marathon, but trust me. It has been way too long since you saw any action. If you don’t thoroughly get that out of your system before you and this girl seal the deal, it’ll be the most disappointing two minutes of her life.”

I grin. “Who says we haven’t already sealed the deal?”

“Well, considering you didn’t start getting that obsessive look in your eyes until you were stuck in this bed, I’d say common sense tells me that.”

It really is irritating that Hunter can guess his way to the truth so often.

“So what you do,” he continues, “Is find a girl. You know, an expendable girl. You hook up with her and--”

“No,” I say.

Hunter is frozen, finger still held in the air and his mouth slightly open. “No what?” he asks.

“No other women.”

“You didn’t let me finish. It’d just be--”

“No,” I repeat. “I feel something for this girl. Something… different. She’s different. I’m not fucking around with this one.”

Hunter nods slowly. “Damn, man. I didn’t think I’d live to see the day. Jackson Pierce is going soft on me.”

“Fuck you,” I say. “Maybe it’s time you grew up yourself. There’s more to life than jumping from woman to woman. When I look back on how I was… Fuck,” I say with a sigh, running my hands through my hair. The memory of Karen’s face when I broke things off is still fresh. She looked so broken. Destroyed. I never really cared about her. The guilt I feel doesn’t stem from my lack of feelings for her, though. I feel the guilt because I let her believe I did. That was part of the fucking game. And I played it without a shred of remorse.

Until it killed her.

Hunter seems to see a hint of my mood in my features. “It’s good, man. I’m serious. I’m happy you found someone important to you.” He takes a few steps toward the door, hesitating with his hand on the knob. “Look, this is shitty to bring up, and I’m sorry, but it needs to be said. If you really care about this girl, you might want to take steps to keep her from getting caught in the crossfire. These guys clearly want you hurting. They wouldn’t think twice about hurting the people you care about to get to you. You hear?”

“Loud and clear,” I say, clenching my fists. Loud and fucking clear.

I gradually work the stiffness from my legs as I walk across Brianne’s campus. I had to call around until I found someone with enough connections to give me her class schedule after I saw she wasn’t in her dorm. I probably could have waited there for her, but I’ve waited long enough.

I already had to waste a few minutes losing the paparazzi that were waiting outside the hospital for me. The fucking vultures had cars waiting outside to follow me too, but I eventually shook them off. Now I’m wearing a plain black t-shirt, a baseball cap, sunglasses, and jeans. I didn’t take the time to run by my place, but I had one of my assistants bring a few changes of clothes by the hospital before I left.

I’m dressed to keep a low profile, but every young college girl I walk by nearly breaks their neck watching me as I pass. It probably won’t be long before someone tips off the paparazzi and has them following me here.

The building where her class is held is two stories. I jog to the top floor on an outdoor staircase and pass inside through a lounge area with couches, chairs, and a few desks where students are studying quietly. Before long, I’ve found the door to her classroom. There’s no window on the door so I yank it open. About ten students and a professor are sitting in office style chairs around a large table. They have stacks of paper in front of them and the guy who was speaking trails off when they all turn to look toward me.

Brianne’s eyebrows pull down in confusion when she sees me.

“Brianne. I need to talk to you.”

“We’re in the middle of--” starts Professor Barlow. “Jackson? Uh,” he says, smiling but clearly confused. “This is Jackson Pierce, class, he--”

“Now,” I say firmly, interrupting Barlow. It has always been more of a one-sided friendship between us. I dated his sister in college and he latched on to me ever since. I haven’t quite felt right cutting him off, so I agree to look at his student’s submissions once per semester just to keep him off my back.

Brianne blushes, standing and rushing out of the room. I close the door, and then push her against it, kissing her hard. I kiss her hungrily, desperately, even. She’s stiff for a few seconds, but her body melts into me and her hands tentatively press into my back as her tongue swirls with mine.

I pull back, running my thumb down the line of her jaw. “You need to get to class,” I say.

She opens her mouth to speak, but I take her by the arm, open the door, and gently push her back into the room. “Sorry for the interruption,” I say. They are all still staring at me, as if demanding an explanation, so I give it to them. “I just needed a taste.”

The girls in the room visibly react, looking at Brianne with envy. Brianne takes her seat with her head down, but I can see her failing to hold back a smile.

I wait outside the room, stretching out on a couch and using a few books from the nearby bookshelf as a pillow. My body is letting me know that getting out of the hospital bed this soon might have been a poor choice. The minor aches and pains from before are more pronounced and have me wanting a nice, long nap.

I lose myself in thoughts of Brianne. She tastes so good. I rub my lip with my thumb as I stare at the ceiling, letting my mind wander over all the ways I want to use her. The ways I want to dominate her.

About twenty minutes later, the classroom door swings open and students start to stream out. A young girl from her class with dark hair walks up to the couch I’m lounging on, clutching her books to her chest. She looks like she’s about to say something when Brianne clears her throat. The girl jumps a little and hurries off.

“I think you frightened her,” I say.

“Good,” says Brianne, looking after the girl. “I mean. I just can’t stand her. She always goes out of her way to pick on my writing. It wasn’t like I was trying to keep you from talking to her or anything like that.”

“Of course,” I say, smirking.

“So, can I count on you coming to my class and pulling me out for quick make-out sessions from now on? Or was this a one time thing?”

I chuckle. “If you sign the contract, you can count on a hell of a lot more.”

“I got the email, I just haven’t had a chance to really look at it yet,” she says, not meeting my eyes.

Something inside my stomach twists. She’s not going to let things go this far and back out, is she? Fuck. I can’t let that happen. I need her too badly. I need this. She may not want to admit it, but she needs it too.

“I want you to look at it. Tonight,” I say.

She nods her head. “I will. I just have some homework to do first.”

Just hearing her talk about homework reminds me how much younger she is. The thought sends a dirty thrill through me, strengthening my need to take her and train her. She’s so young and pure. I don’t want to taint her purity, I want to mold it into something perfect. Brianne is a blank canvas and if she lets me, I could turn her into a fucking masterpiece.

“Then hurry back and get started. I’ll be expecting a decision in the morning.”

“What happened to taking as much time as I need?” she asks.

I stand, looking down at her and searching for the right words. “I need you, Princess. You don’t understand how fucking badly I do. You’re not like other women. You’re different. You really are my fucking Princess, and I don’t know what I’ll do if you call this off,” I pause, shaking my head. “I don’t want to know.” I bend down to kiss her again, tenderly this time so I can savor her sweet taste while I press her small body into mine. I take a step back “We’ll talk tomorrow.”