I watched him tip another one back, and for a moment, desperately wanted to be the dirty shot glass in his large, capable hands. They called him Scarecrow because when you wanted a job done, he was in and out before anyone knew what was coming. He was fear personified. Every inch of his six-foot-four muscular frame covered in tats of some kind. I wanted to lick his golden skin, what little I could see through the black ink.

This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t be here. The last time that we had a run in, he had grasped my wrists so tightly they had burned as my panties dissolved from his nearness.

That impossibly deep, gravelly voice was whispering against the shell of my ear, “The next time I see you Indy, I am going to be balls deep inside of you as you scream my name.”

I mean—how does one even respond to something like that? It wasn’t like we were seeing each other either.

Scarecrow doesn’t date women—he fucks them. And sometimes, he fucks several at the same time.

I had said something stupid like, “It will be a cold day in hell before you or your balls come anywhere near me.”

His lips trembled with laughter, making my pussy ache with need, “Indy, why do you fight this? You and I both know that you want me. I could slip my fingers into your soaking core to prove a point, but this isn’t the time or the place.”

It wasn’t the time or the place. We were at my father’s castle, he was announcing to all of Oz that he had decided to split his kingdom into fourths for myself and my three sisters. He was tired of ruling and wanted to have some time with my mother, the queen.

I had just learned that I pulled the short end of the stick—as per usual.

I would be ruling over the East quadrant, my twin sister Elphaba the west, my older sister Mombi got the North, and Glenda—the favorite—would rule the South.

It was just my luck that I would get Munchkin Land. They were the worst of my father’s kingdom to control. The little shit-heads were constantly causing riots. I swear, they don’t share one brain between the lot of them.

My father had been too lenient, and in so, set up a precedence that no one had to work or take responsibility for themselves because the king would take care of everything.

That shit has to stop—immediately. I wasn’t running a charity show. Especially if this was a test from my father, he was going to decide between the four of us who would eventually be crowned Queen of all Oz. But it all depended on how we did with our fourth of the kingdom.

And I got the fucking Munchkins.

I didn’t have time for Scarecrow or his drop-dead good looks.

Shoving him away, I didn’t respond to him. I had wanted to walk away with my head held high.

But his parting shot caught me anyway, “Be seeing you, Princess.”

I whipped my head around, “No, Scarecrow, you won’t. Because I will never come running to you.”

He licked his luscious lips, those dark eyes not missing my beaded nipples beneath my thin dress. “Indy, don’t make promises that you won’t keep. What kind of princess begins her reign with lies?”

I wanted to hurt him. My hands were actually shaking, “I am not fucking lying!”

The smirk had haunted my dreams and caused me more than my fair share of sleepless nights, was splayed across his face.

“You may think you aren’t lying to me, but it is yourself to whom I am referring, Princess.”

“I hate you,” I spat, my chest heaving. I knew that I was overreacting, but I had just sustained a large blow from my father. I didn't need this dick-for-brains to be yanking my chain.

He was on me in an instant. His scent smothering me as his arms locked around me like a vice, “I will spank your sassy ass soon enough, Princess. Enjoy your time as a free woman, because when we meet again—you are mine.”

This time when I broke away from him I didn’t stop running until I had gone into the private corridors reserved for only our family.

My heart was racing a million miles a minute, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to throw up or kill someone.

“What in the hell happened to you?” My twin sister Elphaba gawked at my flustered state, “Is this because of the Munchkin bullshit? Because I will talk to father for you, seriously Indy, don’t let it get to you. I will take it and you can have the mountains and jungles in the west.”

The last thing that I wanted was my sister fighting my battles. I knew that she didn’t care about becoming Queen. Elphaba was a badass chick and didn’t take any crap from anyone. I honestly think that she would have left Oz if it hadn’t had been for me.

We were close, but I wanted to do this on my own. I wanted to make my father proud.

“No, El, seriously, do not speak with Father. I can do this. I know I can.”

El watched me, her long wavy dark hair the exact replica of my own. “I don’t doubt your ability to rock this assignment, Indy. I do worry about your desire to do so. Why do you want to be tied to the kingdom? This is our chance to get away from all of this.”

We were as opposite as up and down, but I loved her dearly, and I knew that she loved me.

“I can’t explain it, El.”

She hugged me fiercely, and I knew that everything was going to be okay, “I love you, Indy. Father would be a fool not to pick you.”

And I had honestly felt the same way.

Up until about a week ago, when some chick named Dorothy tried to drop a house on me.

Who does that?

And did she really think that I wouldn’t see it coming and not get out of the way?

The Munchkins all cheered and told her some bullshit story about what a tyrant I was to them. Right—because forcing people to actually take care of themselves was tyranny.

I stayed in the shadows trying to assess just who had come into my territory. It didn’t take me long to get a good read on her. Apparently, Dorothy wanted Oz for herself. The first thing she demanded was to see my father. Those idiot Munchkins told her right where to find him.

I knew that my father would make short work of her. He's had many threats to the kingdom in the past, and Dorothy, honestly, didn’t look like much.

Her floppy brown hair in pigtails and an apron tied over her dress.

It was then that I noticed, in the confusion of the house dropping, I had lost my shoes.

Looking frantically for my Jimmy Choo’s, I didn’t even suspect that whore would snatch them up.

They didn’t even go with her outfit!

All of this aside, I was willing to let them go if she would just get the hell out of my territory.

But then Munchkin's started popping up dead. The heads barely still attached to their mangled necks. It was sickening, as if an animal had ripped them to shreds.

I couldn’t allow this to continue. And worse, I couldn’t ask for the help of my sisters because they all had their own worries. Besides, if I didn’t do this properly, my father could decide that I wasn’t fit to rule Oz.

So that left me with one choice—deal with the devil.

So, that is when I went searching for Scarecrow.

“You gonna hide in the doorway all night, Princess, or are you ready to get fucked?”

Shit—what have I done?