It didn’t feel real just yet. Not the pain between my legs, not the anger I felt for this man. Not the need to make things right, not the desire to feel him back inside me. Especially not that.

The only thing that felt real was the absolute blood-curdling, intense fear.

No one told me about the fear. I wasn’t expecting the fear.

I was scared of this man. He was every bit the monster, the beast I had imagined him to be in my mind.

All these years, and here I was, finally. He was going to get what was coming to him. But why did it feel like I was the one at his mercy?

Someone put a coat over my shoulders, buttoning it up half-heartedly in the front. I felt rigid and stiff under their fingers, too dazed to even look at the person covering me up. The coat smelled like him. Carter Knight. It had his fucking smell all over it, and it should have made me sick, but it made me feel safe instead.

A man nudged me forward and I nearly fell to my knees. Two of them led me out of the room. I felt their eyes on me, the exposed parts of me barely hidden by the oversized coat. I felt something leaking down my thighs and I felt so raw I could barely stand up. They must’ve known, because they grabbed an arm each and kept me upright.

I took one last look back at Barron, his eyes so hurt and honest it killed me. And then I let them lead me outside, knowing I’d always remember the look on his face.

They forced me into an elevator and I stumbled inside, leaning against the mirrored wall behind me. I didn’t want to see myself. I didn’t want to look at my reflection and admit what I’d become because of this fucking vendetta that was ruining my life.

But the whole elevator was mirrored. All the walls, even the damn ceiling. At least the floor was normal, or those two guards would get a good look at what Carter Knight had done to my pussy.

I felt my body trembling as we rode the elevator down. I stared at the numbers above the door to distract myself. One by one they went down, and my stomach dropped like the numbers did.

I had never felt as used as I did in that moment.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened. I stared at the world before my eyes, unable to believe it hadn’t stopped while someone took my virginity from me, and stole my first orgasm.

“Get moving,” one of the guards hissed in my ears.

I couldn’t. I was frozen to the spot. I didn’t even know what happened next. Where I would go, or what I would have to do.

I felt something cold and hard pressing against the small of my back.

“Walk the fuck out of here if you want to keep your spine intact,” the other guard told me, and I felt my fear in my bones when I realized what he was pressing to my back was a gun.

I started walking, focusing on putting one foot before the other and getting out of there. Out of the elevator, through the lobby filled with people. Business types in expensive suits and briefcases holding important documents. None of them noticed me, or maybe none of them cared. I’d been here a thousand times before. The building belonged to Barron Savage, and so had I, once upon a time.

I forced myself not to think about it and let the guards march me outside.

A car was waiting, a black limousine waxed to perfection until it didn’t shine in the sunlight, it sparkled.

The driver opened a door and the guards stuffed me inside. I fell to my knees, hearing them shut the door behind me. And then that all-too-familiar click. I was locked in.

At least I was alone. But how long would I have that mercy?

I crawled into the farthest corner of the backseat and tore his coat off my body because I couldn’t stand even a part of him touching me. I tore off my lingerie as well, what was left of it. The bra that felt like a fucking corset it was choking me so much, the stockings, the garter belt. I kicked off the stupid heels and crawled into a little ball on the seat. I didn’t give a fuck who saw me. Better naked than in the outfit he wanted me in.

I was weak the first time he saw me, and that was my first mistake.

I would never, ever, let Carter Knight see me tremble again. I would stay strong, even when he did the worst things he could to me. I would give myself to him until I had him wrapped around my little finger. And then, I would ruin him, just like he had ruined me.

It made me smile, just a little bit. But my bottom lip was trembling and it made me feel sick.

No one had warned me about this part.

No one had warned me he’d make me want him.

But I never would again. I’d make myself hate him all over again.

I had no idea how long I waited in the car, but when the door opened, I wasn’t prepared.

A big, broad-shouldered figure blocked out the light as he made his way inside the car.

I hugged my knees to my chest and willed myself to stay brave.

I couldn’t even look at him, and he didn’t say a word to me. He sat down on the other side of the backseat, completely ignoring the clothes I’d discarded on the floor. He pulled out a newspaper and started reading, whistling at the driver. We were separated from him by a glass panel, but the car started moving seamlessly once he gave the sign.

He wouldn’t so much as glance in my direction, seemingly too engrossed in the article he was reading. It pissed me off, so I stared at him for a long time to set him off.

So this was Carter Knight, finally, in the flesh.

Yes, I’d seen him before.

Photos, videos online. He was a well-known man. One of the city’s most eligible bachelors. A heir to a vast fortune. Made his first million before he turned eighteen. Solidified his father’s company and made it even bigger, even more influential. He owned seven properties that I knew of. A collection of cars. Two boats. A fucking stable of horses.

And now, he owned me as well.

And I wasn’t the first one, either.

I wondered if I’d get to meet the rest of them. His girls.

He was, to my chagrin, almost painfully handsome.

Dark hair. Not dark brown, actually black. He was pale, not as pale as me, but definitely not suntanned like the men I was used to. Not like Barron. His eyes were brown as well, unreadable. Too dark to really make out any emotion in them. He wasn’t that bulky, but he was incredibly tall. I’d read he was 6’7’’ online and thought it seemed ridiculous. But he really was. I wasn’t a short girl, but next to him, I felt like a doll.

And the thing that set him apart… My eyes lingered over his skin. I couldn’t see all of his tattoos when he was in his suit. Only the ones on his hands. And I thought it quite stupid of him to get ink on a part of him that was so prominently exposed. Especially since he was supposed to be a businessman.

“I can feel you staring at me,” he said, not looking away from his paper.

His voice was so deep it made him sound like a villain.

A good fucking reminder of what he really was.

“You should get a good look,” he went on. “While I let you keep your eyes open.”

I didn’t say a word, but I didn’t look away either. His mouth twitched like he was going to smile, and his jaw moved. His cheeks were so chiseled, I thought it would be painful to touch him there.

Finally, he folded his newspaper and set it aside. My heart pounded as he turned to face me.

He didn’t look at my eyes.

He looked at my tits, his gaze sliding down my body. I didn’t move. His eyes felt like they were leaving burnt skin behind them, and it made me feel dirty.

“You’re rail thin,” he said. “I can see every one of your ribs.”

I felt sick. He didn’t like me. He didn’t like my body. This couldn’t happen.

“I don’t know what they fucking fed you there,” he added. “I don’t like it. I don’t want to feel like I’m gonna break your damn bones while I’m fucking you.”

The way he said that, so matter-of-factly, made me sick to my stomach.

He was going to fuck me again.

He sighed and looked me over again. Not my eyes. Hair, nipples, legs, pussy, my mouth. Never my eyes.

“I assume Savage filled you in on the way things will be from now on,” he said lazily. “You’re not who you were anymore. From now on, you are who I want you to be. I don’t give a shit about what you like. I don’t give a shit what your name is. And I especially don’t give a shit about your past. You’re here to serve me, and you don’t get to keep anything behind from who you were. Is that clear?”

I found myself nodding, because it was expected of me.

“Good girl,” he said. Not quietly, not the way I was used to it. He said it loudly and clearly and it made my stomach twist up in knots.

He kept staring, and for a second, a moment so short I could have imagined it, I thought he looked at my eyes. But it was over so fast I wasn’t sure.

“What’s the deal with you and Savage, anyway?” he asked me.

I shrank back in my seat as he stared. I couldn’t have answered if I wanted to. I felt paralyzed.

“Silent treatment,” he grinned. “How innovative. Too bad for you, little girl. I would’ve made you feel so good if you cooperated.”

He turned away from me and looked outside the window. I watched the muscles in his neck work and I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to cut and scratch him right there, the spot of skin on the back of his neck where I could see a hint of a tattoo. Just how many did he have?

I realized with a sickening feeling that I’d probably find out very soon.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and my eyes flitted back up as he turned to face me. “I’m sorry I fucked you like that. You deserved something else.”

I kept staring, my eyes so wide open they were watering.

He moved closer. His hand flew up and took hold of my chin. His finger moved over my bottom lip. He wanted me to open my mouth, but I wouldn’t. He laughed in my face.

“Fuck you,” I whispered, and he laughed louder.

“She speaks. And such pretty words too,” he growled. “Don’t worry, little girl, I have ways to make you sing like a fucking bird.”

“Never,” I muttered, too quietly for him to hear. At least I hoped so.

It took me a moment to realize he was finally looking at me. When I raised my head, with his fingers digging into my cheeks, our eyes connected. He looked troubled by what he saw.

“You know I’m going to take every one of your firsts, don’t you?” he asked me roughly. His eyes were boring into mine, and it felt painful. “I already took the big one. What do you think is next?”

I glared at him and my lips parted. He wanted an answer.

“My mouth,” I breathed, and he stared at me harder. He groaned and it took me by surprise.

“I don’t like your eyes,” he told me. “Your eyes are fucked up somehow. I should’ve noticed sooner. Should’ve paid less.”

Shame burnt through me like someone had set fire to my skin. I hated him. He had no fucking right to judge me. No right to talk to me like I was a piece of meat.

“Fuck y-”

“Shut the hell up,” he snarled at me. “Don’t make me regret this, little girl, because the rest of you is making me think you’re worth it.”

I wondered how that was possible, since he’d just told me he thought I was too thin.

His finger caressed my bottom lip. Compared to his grip on my cheeks it felt so incredibly gentle it made me tear up all over again.

“You want a kiss,” he said. I was about to object, but changed my mind. “And you hate the idea of me taking it from you. You’d sooner let me have everything else. Have me fuck your pussy again, fuck your ass, even fuck your pretty mouth.”

He grinned and I blushed.

“You want to keep your first kiss, don’t you?” His voice was deceivingly sweet and I looked down to hide my pain. “What a sweet little girl you are… a little angel.”

I could’ve burst out laughing. He was an idiot as well as being a perverted, fucked-up thief and liar.

“I’ll call you Angel then,” he said.

“My name isn’t-”

His fingers moved down to my throat and he squeezed so tight I lost my voice.

“Remember your place,” he told me with a sweet smile, just as the car pulled onto a driveway. “You’ll be a very happy little girl if you do. I’ll make you happy, Angel. I’ll make you so very happy with me.”

We stared at each other, and I channeled all my anger into that single look, knowing all the while I fell short.

He knew exactly what to say to me, and he didn’t even know who I was. He knew exactly what I wanted, what I needed to hear.

He laughed knowingly and I hated him so much.

“Oh, Angel,” he said, “I’m going to have so much fun with your pretty little body.”