Page 4 of Toy No More

I have to remind myself that in the end, what matters is that it lets me take care of the ones I love.

Hannah, my brother’s carer, stands sharply from the couch where she was reading a book. “Oh. Hello,” she says with raised brows, having expected me later.

“Hey.” I smile at her, already getting out my wallet. She gets paid by the agency, but when she does some extra time outside the regular schedule, I like to give her a tip on top of that. “Thanks for staying even after he went to sleep. How was he today?”

“He got a bit upset near dinnertime, but I think the new medication is helping. He doesn’t get agitated as easily, which is great. It seems to really help stabilize his emotions. I can see the difference already.”

“That’s great to hear.” I wish I could be around more, but the money I place in Hannah’s hand doesn’t come easy. What it buys is safety, care, and a little more order in our lives. “He has classes tomorrow, right? I’ll try to remember to make him lunch this time,” I say with an apologetic expression.

“He’d like that,” Hannah says with a tender smile. She’s a sweet girl. “Anyway, he was completely out after we went down to play some football, so you should be able to sleep in. Marci didn’t feel very well, so she didn’t come with us. I hope she’s better again soon. You have a good night.”

“Thanks again. Be safe on your way home.” If I wasn’t so tired, I would have taken her to her car. This isn’t the best of neighborhoods.

Waving, Hannah sneaks out of the main door and I lock it behind her.

With a yawn, I rest against the wall and close my eyes for a moment. Even with everyone provided for, it never feels like I’m doing enough.

Rubbing the back of my neck, I check on both Skyler and Marci in their rooms before heading to my bedroom. I place my gun in the drawer by the bed, take my shirt off and kick my pants into the corner with the other dirty clothes I’ve needed to wash for days. Having a shower and washing off all the scents and stench from today would be nice, but it would wake up Marci, so I lay down with a sigh, resigned to having to sleep like this.

Faces move in front of my eyes as I close them. Solomon Zane. His son. The glances of the people in the headquarters. Fragments of words spoken today pound in my head faintly, overlapping each other.

They all acted cautiously around me because I’m nothing but a stranger right now. It won’t be as easy going forward. The anxious expectations gnaw at me.

Hoping to get comfortable, I rub my face and turn to the side, sinking into my pillow with my arm bent upward under it.

As my mind refuses to quiet, the sensations of the Dollhouse come back to me. The warmth and pressure in the air. The omega on the stage, beautiful in such a bitterly objectifying way. For a moment my chest gets heavy, as I wonder what I could have seen—who he could be—if he had opened his eyes and let me have a look within.

Chapter 2

Apollo

AsIwatchCherryin her beautiful red dress walk across the room with her arm around a client, I wonder if she sent me a link for that eyeshadow palette she wore last night.It’s been a while since I bought some new makeup. Been a while since I went out shopping by myself, actually. Tonight has been warm with clear skies, at least when I was getting in and out of the car. Maybe I could stay up and go to a store early. Browse a little.

“Don’t get shy now, Sugar. Let me hear that beautiful voice.”

The words coldly snap me into reality, sending shivers down my spine. Blinking, I try to orientate myself, first seeing my hands pressing into the soft mattress below. Then, I notice his hot breath next to my ear, and his sweaty, hairy skin rubbing against mine from the back as he fucks me. My left knee aches, so I readjust myself.

With a controlled inhale, I pull everything inside of me together and turn my face to the side to glance at the client, flipping on a flirty smile.

“You feel so good I got lost in the pleasure. Please forgive me, sir?” I put on my sultry puppy eyes I know work well on him.He’s too easy.

Chuckling, he grabs at my chin to keep my head tilted to see him. He snaps his hips against me roughly, making my insides tingle. As he moves his mouth toward mine, I smell that irksome scent of mouthwash mixed with bourbon he had before we started. It’s unpleasant, but not as unpleasant as the odor of his dick, so I’m happy enough he only wanted a quick screwing from the back.

“Can never stay mad at you, Sugar,” he says before kissing me sloppily.

Ugh. That goddamn nickname again. I wish he’d just shut up.

I kiss him in return, arching my lower back for him to go deeper, and moaning louder between gasps for air. As he gets closer to finishing, there’s a whiff of his pheromones. They’re weaker, thank god, reminiscent of an otherwise overpowering smell of some sort of laundry detergent—chemical one that stings in your eyes.

“Your cock feels so good, sir,” I moan out, hoping to get it over quicker. It works. His breath becomes more ragged and movements more erratic.

Make these important people happy. That’s all that matters, Apollo.

The words sound in my head like they always do when I get frustrated and want to be somewhere else. This disgusting, sweaty man twisting around me like a snake is a valuable client. One that has, unfortunately, taken a liking to me. Being a District Attorney is a stressful job. Thanks to that, he only shows up to see me once every few months. Or maybe it’s because of his wife and family…

I’m glad I don’t have to handle him as often as the others. That knowledge gets me through his slobbery kisses and nose-scrunching pheromone stench. Instead of thinking of a hot shower far away from him, I try to imagine better things to come ashecomes, keeping the illusion in his head that I enjoy this alive.

He digs his fingers into the skin on my stomach as he orgasms, and I finish into my hand. My body has always reacted well to stimuli. A helpful skill for someone like me.

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