Page 23 of Skin Trade

By the time Seth got back to his chair and put Tasha’s bare feet on his thighs, Payton still hadn’t recovered. Her neck was hot from where he had touched her. Her body ached, throbbed She had to close her eyes.

“Last chance,” he said.

Payton shook her head. It was all she could manage. If she’d tried to speak, her voice would have come out as a raspy whisper.

“Shame.”

He stole his gaze from Payton long enough that he could slide his hands along Tasha’s legs, all the way up to her backside where he cupped her buttocks. She breathed hard, her head back. He’d not even really touched her, and she was putty in his hands.

“Seth,” she said and opened her legs for him, and as he dipped his head down, he looked to Payton, but she looked away. She’d not watch this.

If she had to stay in the room, fine, but she didn’t have to watch what he was doing. It was bad enough she could hear Tasha, the moans coming from her, gasps of pleasure.

She closed her eyes, but it was a mistake. The moment she did, he was there. He was all around her. His hands making their way up her legs, along her thighs as his fingers kneaded her flesh. His mouth moved along the inside of her thigh.

He coaxed her trembling body to respond to him. He was only kissing her flesh, but oh, God, she was on fire with it. Every touch, every gentle nip along her skin sent sensations through her body, all connected to the juncture between her thighs.

Something sharp and sweet clamped down between her legs and made her ache from the inside out with it. She let her mouth open, felt her own hot breaths coming faster with it.

She didn’t even realise as she pushed her hand along her body, pushed it into the top of her pants until her fingers found the soft, wet centre of herself. With a shaky sigh, she pushed herself back, and opened her legs. But it wasn’t her fingers on her, it was his. His mouth, his tongue, all of him devouring her all at once until there was nothing left of her.

Instinctively, her knee lifted, her legs parted more. She couldn’t move away from him, couldn’t breathe. He didn’t need to hold her in place because the ache inside her did that. Heat rose, blossomed between her legs, spreading through her body in short, sharp waves that had her arching her back and calling out.

“Oh, God,’ she said. But the moment she came, her eyes snapped open and put her right back in the room with Seth and Tasha. She gasped from it, choked on her own breath.

Tasha was lying fully on the table now, her thigh raised so he could feed, but Seth’s eyes were totally on Payton. Such a deep looked that seared into her.

“Fuck you,” she said to him. “Keep out of my head.”

And the bastard smiled against Tasha’s thigh as Payton slammed the chair back from the table, got up and walked out.

Chapter Sixteen

The place was a goddamn maze. As Payton came out of the dining room and turned left, she wasn’t faced with the lift like she’d expected, but another corridor with more doors. She didn’t even remember if her and Sky had turned a corner earlier. Everything in her head was a little fuzzy from the display in the dining room. Damn him. And damn herself for letting her guard down for even a minute. The sob in her throat threatened to come out and it was the last thing she wanted Seth to hear, or Tasha. That woman would relish the sound, see it as some kind of weakness, a victory.

Holding in the sob with everything she had, Payton stormed along the corridors not caring where they took her. Anywhere. Anywhere that was away from Seth and Tasha. Thank God the doors had signs above them. She found the one marked ladies’ room and barged her way into the room. And thank God it had a lock. She threw that in place, making sure no one could come in and disturb her. The last thing she wanted was to be caught looking like this.

It was only when she reached the sink, did she let go of her sob. She gripped the edge of the basin and let her head hang for a second as every intense emotion rode her body.

“Fuck you. Fuck you all,” she choked out. At least with Creven, his cruelty was clear, normal. He liked pain and knew just how to get it, but this … these mind games with Seth. She wasn’t prepared for them. Wasn’t prepared for him either.

. The sensations of Seth touching her echoed around her body in fresh waves of uncontrolled heat. His mouth on her skin … tasting her, teasing her. Bitter tears stung, but they weren’t tears of sadness. She’d never give anyone those, even Seth. No. These were hotter than that, deeper than that. These were born of a humiliation she’d not felt in a very long time.

It took her a few minutes to get everything out, but when she was done, she wiped her hands over her face and raised her head. Her vision was a little blurry and her eyes were red around the rims, but her expression was hard and defiant. “Fuck you,” she said to her reflection. “Just … fuck … you.” She ground her jaw as she stared at herself. This was the last time she’d be in that position with him again … in a place where he could toy with her. How could she be such a fool? He was playing, and yes, he was worse than Creven, because Creven had never made her feel this way. He’d never entered her mind and played games with her emotions like this.

Breathing hard for a few minutes and holding onto the sink, she closed her eyes and let it all start to fall away. Him. He was there against her, even when he wasn’t. He was a sensation she couldn’t shake off, a desire deep inside that had never been touched before.

It wasn’t just in the dining room either, but at all times. The way he had touched her at the auction, the way he had smoothed his knuckles down her skin and under the chain. The way he looked at her.

Someone knocked on the bathroom door and Payton jumped, but didn’t move. “Go away,” she said to herself, not loud enough for the other person to hear.

“Is anyone in there?” The voice was light, young. No one. Not Tasha or Sky. “I need to use the bathroom.”

Payton kept herself grounded, feeling the presence on the other side of the door, but she didn’t move, and the person didn’t knock again. Someone else would come. She’d not be able to stay in the bathroom and hide forever.

Sucking in a breath, she freshened herself up, brushed her hair with her fingers and tied it back up.

What she really needed was to get out of here. Not the bathroom, but the whole place. She’d never be able to think straight with Seth in the same building as her. Maybe she could find her father, get back to him. All this would stop. Ironically, even though so much time had passed, after she had been left at Creven’s, she still managed to hold onto that hope he would come for her. A child’s dream really. The dream of a young girl taken by men before she was even ready. But her dream was the thing that kept her sane. Without him, without the hope he would come for her, she’d have to accept this was her life now, and that would never happen.

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