Page 8 of I'm Not Your Pet

“Pretty one, do not cry,” his voice was soft and sweet. Awkward. Nervous. Like he’d never comforted someone before and he had no idea what he was doing. “It will be okay.”

It wouldn’t, but hearing that meant more to me than he probably realized.

“I willmakeit okay,” he added, a promise I knew would be broken the second those doors swung shut behind him.

My head spun and spun.

Pretty one, pretty one, pretty one.

I will make it okay.

No one had ever called meprettybefore. I’d been called plenty of things. Smart, stubborn, sweet. Gullible, forgiving, blind. Butneverpretty.

Pretty was a word reserved for girls, action stars, and botanical gardens. It was a delicate word. Soft. It smelled like fresh cut fruit and springtime blossoms. If it had a sound, it’d ring like bells.Prettywas the shade of my mother’s lipstick.

It wasn’t for me.

Or at least…I hadn’t thought it was.

Until now.

My pulse thrummed.

Pretty one, pretty one, pretty one.

I will make it okay. I will make it okay. I will make it okay.

My shaking hands stilled. The big pink beast stroked the path my tears had taken. His gaze was heavy but soft. As unreadable as it’d been since he’d entered the room. And…just like that, I knew my time was up.

That the petting was over.

And that his promise was about to be broken.

Even still, when he helped me to my feet, his hands were warm, warm, warm. His grip was commanding as he guided me through the door ahead of him out of my pod. Normally I’d wait in here on my own, but I didn’t have it in me to tell him that. We’d been inside for long past when we were supposed to. If my lack of blow job-giving wasn’t cause for punishment, that surely was.

One of his massive palms stayed on the small of my back the entire time we walked, traveling down the hallway toward the front desk together to face my doom.

He’s going to complain.

The thought made me feel sick all over again. Rather than argue, or try to run—a stupid idea—I simply accepted my fate. Slumping, I stared at the chilly floor and my bare feet, and tried not to break right in half.

As kind as he was—as gentle—I had no doubt there would be nothing but complaints about my service. I didn’t know what that would mean for me, but it certainly wouldn’t end in jelly-filled donuts.

But that didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter, because no matterwhatit was, I would take my punishment like a champ.

Because for the first time in my life, I was pretty, pretty,pretty.

Even if I was also pretty screwed.

F’ukYuu was my least favorite planet on our route. I was not the kind of beast that partook in what the godforsaken place had to offer. I found it unpalatable. Downright wrong. Especially when most of the people who were employed—at least in the pleasure venues—had been wrongfully abducted and relocated against their will.

Which was why I couldn’t believe the fact that I was standing outside one of those same facilities.

Mala—my first in command—was beside me. A group of the younger recruits had wanted to visit one of the larger venues to look at the merchandise on offer. That’s what The Managers that ran such establishments called the people there.Merchandise. As though they were property.

On our home planet such things were illegal.

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