Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
He comes, white semen shooting from the top of his cock—
His fucking ugly cock. The noises he makes disgust me so much that I make a gagging sound.
At the sight of my revulsion, I turn away, slamming the door as I leave. The loud bang echoes with the finality of my decision.
Fuck him.
I work for him and do what he says for the sole reason I owe him.
Nothing more.
Nothing less.
My sister needed help.
She got into deep debt and asked me for money, thinking I had some left over from the sale of our mother’s house. But when she asked me, I was high. She didn’t know Cody, and I wasted all the money. But Cody—slimy, disgusting, manipulative Cody—was next to me at the time and offered her money. I was too shocked at his words to tell her I didn’t have it. I thought at first maybe Cody did; little did I know it was merely another trap.
Money we didn’t have.
And now, to pay back the debt he owes, I work it off.
Little by little.
Piece by piece of my damaged soul.
I chip away at what’s left of me, sacrificing my dreams and happiness for his mistakes.
My sister has no idea that we owe money to the Savage Villain’s MC, which is the club where Milo is the president. She’s in law enforcement, and if she found out where the money came from, not only would it affect her, it would affect us as well. I’m pretty sure she would never want to come near me again, and I don’t think I could handle that. She’s all I have left, one of the only people Cody hasn’t destroyed my relationship with.
Cody is a pimp for other women too, but not in the same way he is for me. His other women don’t read to men, they fuck them. And while he has tried to make me do the same, I’ve refused, much to his chagrin.
Walking down the street, I grip my bag to my side, wondering how much money I have in there. Shit, will I be able to even afford a loaf of bread?
I shake my head, wondering how my life is still like this.
Why do I stay? I think it’s because I’m used to how my life is, and more importantly, I’m afraid of change. I’m afraid I will have no one again if I leave him or he leaves me. I never had my sister to rely on. Growing up, it was only my mother and me. My sister is ten years older than me and was raised by her father.
“Lissie.” I hear my name as I reach the center of town.
I’ve lived in this small town all my life. It’s quaint and the kind of place where everyone knows your name. The trees on Main Street are old, and their gnarled branches tell stories of decades gone by. They all have fairy lights strung through them, casting a warm, magical glow on the brick buildings with their faded signs and flower boxes behind them. The buildings are mostly historic and aren’t allowed to be demolished, despite the fact that some of them should be. And while parts of it are beautiful, it also has areas that are nothing but darkness.
I lift my head to find Vogue, a friend from school, holding her round belly. She once worked for Cody, not long after we got married, but disappeared on him shortly after that. I only remember because he was complaining about it.
“It’s good to see you. You look well.” Her words are condescending, and rudeness is etched in her tone. I know she hates the tattoos on my skin and the way I hardly wear makeup. Despite knowing she thinks she’s better than me with her piled-on makeup and designer clothes, I smile at her anyway. She was one of the cool girls in school—I most definitely was not.
Now she is married to some lawyer and clearly having his baby.
“Good to see you, too.” I go to step past her, but she moves in front of me, blocking my path.
I’m trying to count how many coins I think are in the bottom of my bag when she says, “Where are you living now?”
“With my husband,” I say, confused, because she knows exactly who Cody is. She tried to sleep with him just after we got married.
“Cody?” she asks, her brows rising in surprise.
The revving of bikes makes us both turn. I stare at the group of over ten Harley-Davidson bikes approaching. The townspeople are used to them, but I still look. Even after all these years, I still watch him. He’s always at the front, always in his black leather. He gets closer, and I know from behind that helmet, he sees me as well.
“Lissie.” Vogue smiles at me, but behind that smile is a flicker of something else.