Page 100 of His to Possess
“I’m getting you the hell out of here.”
“But—”
“No, Lilah. We’re not arguing about this. I’m not going to let you sell yourself to the asshole who’s been harassing you all this time. I’m taking you somewhere safe.”
“Like hell you are,” Howard says, his voice smooth and confident, just the way it always was when he delivered his filthy innuendos and threats. “Lilah and I have unfinished business.”
The rage in Philip’s face is so ferocious I’m actually afraid of him. He spins to my stepfather, inching my body behind his to provide a protective barrier. I peek around him to see that everyone else has joined us on the stage. The three owners. That creepy Aden Roth guy who had taunted Philip and called me a whore in the hallway at Club Wyld the other night.
And my stepfather.
“You have nothing to say to her,” Philip growls. “In fact, you’re never going to talk to her again. If I ever hear of you even speaking to her, you’re dead.”
“Who the hell is this?” Howard demands, turning to the tall owner. “We had a deal.”
Again, my knees feel weak. A deal? I don’t understand what’s happening here. Why there are so few participants in the auction. How my stepfather ended up here. How Philip found out it was happening early.
I cast him a glance and he must be able to see how overwhelmed I am, because he cups my cheeks between his big palms and lowers his head towards mine, speaking in a soft voice so only I can hear.
“Everything is going to be okay. No one here can hurt you. Do you understand?”
You can hurt me,I want to say.You already have.
“Can you take me back to Veronica’s?” I whisper.
His jaw tightens, clearly not liking the sound of that. “If that’s what you want.”
He turns, taking my hand, but the tall owner steps in front of him before he can move. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarls. “You didn’t win her. You weren’t even invited to this auction.”
I think Philip might be ready to punch him, so I pipe up before this gets violent. “Actually, there is no auction. No one is going to win me. I already called it off.”
Aden Roth scoffs. “I heard your little stunt up there, but it doesn’t matter. You signed a contract.”
“I think it’s time we bring you all up to date,” a sharp female voice says, and I glance down to see a woman standing in front of the stage. It takes a minute for her face to register—she looks much different in jeans and a t-shirt, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail, face completely free of her dramatic makeup. But those piercing eyes can’t be mistaken. It’s Jane, the scary female Domme from Club Wyld.
She gives me a small smile, before directing the whole of her attention to the owners.
“You’re going to let Philip take Miss Cartwright home. You’re not going to say a word or cause her any distress. Then the six of us are going to sit down and figure out what, exactly, I should do with the evidence I have against you.”
“What the fuck is this bitch talking about?” Victor Leone says, looking to his business partners. The brothers both look sweaty and pale. Clearly nervous. When they don’t answer, he turns back to Jane, his eyes narrowing. “Who are you?”
She gives him a grin so sinister I actually shiver. “I’m your worst fucking nightmare. Now move so Lilah can leave.”
He seems like he wants to argue but one of the Rossi brothers clears his throat. “Do it. Let them through.”
Philip takes my hand and starts moving forward. This time we’re stopped by my stepfather.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Howard snaps. “We had a fucking deal.” He glares at the partners. “I told you my condition for investing in this shit hole. You let her walk out of here, the deal is off.”
Something rises up in me. Maybe it’s the way he’s talking about me, instead oftome, like I’m nothing more than an object for his sick desires. Or maybe it’s all the months of fear he instilled in me. The way he made me uncomfortable in my own home. Uncomfortable in my own body. How many times did I hide in a baggy sweatshirt and oversized jeans, even after I’d left his house? He taught me to fear a man’s attraction. He taught me to fear everything.
I step in front of Philip, glaring at the man who held so much power over me. Now I see him for what he is. Pathetic.
“I don’t give a shit what deals you think you’ve made,” I tell my stepfather. “I wouldn’t sleep with you for all the money in the world. I would rather die than let you anywhere near me.”
A muscle in his jaw ticks, eyes filling with the same rage I’ve seen there so many times. “What about your brother?” he sneers. “Surely you wouldn’t be willing to sacrifice him? How long do you think that crippled fool would last without me now that your father wants nothing to do with the both of you?”
Anger and fear crash within me. I want to claw at his stupid, hateful face for saying that about Chris. But at the same time, I can’t deny the truth in his words. I wouldn’t sacrifice Chris for anything. He’s the only reason I ever set foot in this club in the first place, and we both know it.
