Page 30 of At Your Mercy
His pink tongue darted out, wetting his lips. “…What?”
“A lost thing. Clever, dangerous—but lost. And craving something you’re terrified of.”
He squirmed in his seat as if he were sitting on hot coals. “You talk too much.”
“And youlistentoo much, for someone who pretends not to care.” I reached for my glass again, leisurely, taking a slow sip before setting it down. “You can keep playing your game, but the more you sit here with me, the more you’ll find yourself slipping.”
He scoffed, but the sound was shaky. “You really think you’re that irresistible?”
“No.” I leaned in again, lowering my voice to a barely audible whisper. “I think you’re that tired. It must be exhausting acting all the time. I’m offering you a place to rest.”
I sat back, signaling to the waiter for the check.
“Eat with me again tomorrow,” I said as if it were already settled.
His eyes widened. “What—why the hell would I—”
“Because you will.” My tone cut clean, leaving no room for negotiation. I slid the billfold across the table without looking at it, leaving far too much cash behind.
Then I stood, adjusting the cuffs of my jacket. His eyes followed the motion, wary and restless.
I placed a hand briefly on the back of his chair as I passed, leaning just close enough to murmur by his ear, “Good boys keep their appointments. I’ll be expecting you.”
And then I left him there, buzzing in the wake of it.
The air outside was cool and damp, carrying the faint brine of the waterfront, mixed with the scent of roasted coffee and fresh bread from the market stalls nearby. I breathed it in slowly, letting it settle me after the heat of the restaurant.
I didn’t need to look back to know Ro was still sitting there, caught between fury and fascination. He’d sit another five minutes, maybe ten, trying to convince himself he wouldn’t follow my order.
And then he would.
That was the thing about boys like him who were trained to bite, conditioned to bleed on command. The obedience was already wired into him, hidden under his claws. All it took was the right tone and the right pressure, and suddenly he was sitting up straighter, eating out of the palm of my hand, and answering questions he had sworn he wouldn’t.
He was not Elias’s boy, not really. He only wore Elias’s collar because he hadn’t learned he could easily slip free of it.
I adjusted my cuff, slipping my hands into my pockets as I moved down the stone steps of the market, my shoes clicking against the pavement. His face came back to me in pieces—pale lashes lowered when I said his name, the sharp flare of defiance when I pressed too close, and the cute blush he tried to hide when I reminded him why he hadn’t struck yet.
It wasn’t attraction that held him—or, well, not just that. It was the relief of being seen through and still left standing.
Most people thought command was about force. Noise. Violence. But control wasn’t something you shouted into a boy like Ro. It was something you offered along with treats and a gentle touch, something he leaned into before he even realized he’d moved.
I wondered if Elias had ever figured that out. Judging from the bruise on Ro’s cheek that I’d glimpsed when he tilted his face toward the candlelight, I doubted it.
And when the boy found me tomorrow, as he would, he’d sit where I placed him, he’d let me order for him again, and he’d bite back his temper and bare his throat.
This game wasn’t about seduction or even loyalty—not yet. It was about teaching him that every time he followed, every time he obeyed, every time he whispered ‘yes’ when he swore he’d say ‘no’—he wasn’t answering Elias anymore.
He was answering me.
* * *
“Package is delivered,” Yazmin reported with a satisfied grin, leaning her hip against the edge of my desk. “Not as fun as my morehands-onwork, but I’ve gotta admit, I’m excited to watch the CCTV footage later.”
I let a faint smile ghost across my lips. “Can’t say I’ll be joining the watch party.”
“Oh, I know,” she laughed, her long braid swinging at her back. “Bet your nephews will join me, though.”
“Not sure your little lover boy would feel comfortable with that,” I joked.
