Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
The last thing I wanted to do was follow orders, but I found myself lowering into the seat provided.
A woman wearing a bikini approached, pouring him something out of a jug.
“A drink?”
“I don’t drink.”
“It’s water, Ashley. You need it.”
I nodded at the woman and hoped my nerves didn’t show. Earl was the kind of man Emily was used to dealing with, not me. I wasn’t used to any of this, and I feared it showed. I didn’t want it to show.
He lifted up his drink and took a sip. Once mine was poured, I followed suit. The water was nice, cold, refreshing.
Quickly, I put the glass down. My hand shook, and I hated to show any kind of weakness. Hated this so much.
Earl was watching me again.
His hair had grown out some, I thought. He didn’t have long hair, but thick. The length was enough to grab hold of and grip in place as he did … other things. I didn’t even know why my thoughts went to sex.
I’d never been the kind of woman to be curious about the opposite sex. After all that my mother went through, I did everything in my power to avoid it.
At least I was still alive.
I hated the way he stared at me. He saw everything, and I didn’t have the power to stop him from looking.
Tucking some hair behind my ear, I waited, knowing this wasn’t going to go well if I spoke up. All I could think about was Emily. We hadn’t been apart before. Seven years was a long time to get to know one another.
Time ticked on by. I couldn’t keep looking at him. My gaze went around the boat, and seeing the ocean swirling around us didn’t bring me any comfort. A storm. A giant sea monster. We were all as good as dead.
“I can play this game forever,” Earl said.
I looked at him. “I’m not playing any game. I’m not here of my own free will. You got me, remember? I don’t need to talk. This is all you.” The desire to keep on rambling was strong, but I nipped it in the bud. I didn’t want to completely irritate him, even though the very thought was fun.
Earl watched me and suddenly leaned forward. On instinct, I jerked back. It wasn’t even an intention of doing that, but it happened quite quickly.
“I won’t hurt you. You’ve got no reason to fear me.”
I laughed. “No reason to fear you? You’ve taken me out in the middle of nowhere. I’ve got no family. All I’ve got is Emily. I’ve got every reason to be afraid.”
Earl rubbed his hands together. “Then how about we agree I won’t hurt you.”
“You expect me to believe you?”
“I’ve never hurt you before.”
“I’ve done nothing to deserve it.”
“And you think you’re going to end up with me hurting you?”
I licked my lips. My mouth was suddenly dry. I wanted the water but I didn’t want to move. This man was dangerous. The last thing I wanted to do was incite his anger.
“I have no idea what you want from me. Why don’t you tell me what you want?”
He snapped his fingers, and the people closest to him all started to leave, giving us space.
“I was offered a very precious reward for my compliance, and that was taken from me. Emily is not mine. Never has been. However, I still want my gift.”
I stayed perfectly still. “I can’t magically grow Emily a hymen.”
Earl wrinkled his nose. “I’m not interested in Emily.”
“I’ve never been gifted with genius, Mr. Valentine. You need to come out and tell me what exactly you want from me.”
That smile again, only this time, it sent a shiver down my spine.
“Oh, Ashley, I’m very much aware of what I want from you, and if you really thought about it, you’d be as well.”
I needed water.
“You’re a virgin. Untouched. I’ve been watching you and Emily for years. Much longer than the Monsters would even begin to imagine. At first, I wanted to take Emily. To hurt her. To ruin her. I know the Monsters are to be feared, but they underestimate me. I earned a great deal of money doing business with them, but I have plenty of money. It’s not an object for me.” He waved his hand in the air as if it didn’t matter. This was spoken by a man who clearly didn’t know what it was like to have nothing. To go day to day, wondering when the next paycheck was going to come in. “I want my cherry. I want an untouched woman, and you, Ashley, you’re that woman.”
****
Earl
Ashley was even more stunning up close than in any of the pictures I’d seen, or videos that had been taken over the years. After I’d first been taken for a fool by the men’s fathers, I’d had every intention of taking Emily, using her, putting her to work in one of the many brothels I owned, and getting my just reward. My virgin woman was gone, and I didn’t like being offered something so precious for it to be taken away so swiftly. It pissed me off.