Page 55 of Distortion
She slides in next to Shade and I follow.
Shade raises a brow at me as he passes out some menus and Blake gets to the table.
Daisy puts the menu in front of her face, and Shade rips it away and puts it on the table in front of her.
‘Remember the rules. No hiding.’
‘Rules?’
Shade leans back, sliding an arm behind Daisy on the seat. He doesn’t touch her, but I see her tense. ‘My dad had a list of rules for when Daisy was in public. Right, Daisy?’
She gives a small, blank nod.
‘If she didn’t stick to them, she was punished when we got home.’
I feel my eyebrows rising. ‘Punished?’ My tone is colder than I thought it would be, and I see a little surprise in Shade’s expression.
‘Yeah. Stupid stuff like she had to clean the toilets or she lost TV privileges. Remember that, Daisy?’
She nods again very faintly.
‘What the fuck is wrong with her?’ I mouth over her head at Shade.
He just shrugs and gestures at her person with an eyeroll.
The drinks come and the waitress puts the tray on the table.
‘We’re ready to order,’ Shade says to her. ‘I’ll have the steak and fries. Rare. She’ll have the shrimp.’
‘I’ll take the cheeseburger. Medium well. No fries,’ I say absently and I hear Blake order the same as I watch Daisy out of the corner of my eye.
She doesn’t show much, this girl, but I’m starting to see tells. Her hands clench. Her lips thin just a little. She’s not happy at all, especially when the bar erupts into cheers because somebody scored. She curls into herself at the uproar, seeming smaller and smaller.
Blake passes the drinks out and I try to keep the scowl Iwant to give him at bay when he slams two shots down in front of Daisy, and nothing else. He was being a little nicer to her than I expected. I didn’t think he agreed with my plan, but it looks like he’s all in now.
Why do I care?
‘Hair of the dog,’ he laughs.
I can’t help but reach out to take them off her. I’m feeling more and more like a Grade-A asshole with every passing moment. This was my plan, but I’m regretting it hard. I didn’t like it at the river, and I like it even less now.
But her hand darts out and she lifts her head. To everyone else, her features would be blank, but I see a hint of defiance as she raises the tiny glass and throws it back.
Her look of surprise as she realizes it’s not what she was drinking last night has Blake doubling over at the table with laughter.
She wheezes and then coughs and then gasps for breath.
‘Tequila hits a little different thanjuice, huh?’ Blake guffaws.
She swallows hard, tears in her eyes from the burn. She keeps coughing and can’t seem to catch her breath. Her hands are open and fingers are splayed wide under the table where the others can’t see.
She’s trying to hide them, I realize. She doesn’t want anyone to notice how upset she’s getting. Does she know what we’re doing? I cast a confused look at Shade, which he ignores.
‘Come on,’ I say when she starts looking like she might throw up. ‘I’ll show you where the bathroom is.’
She follows me through the bar silently and down the hall to the bathrooms. She immediately disappears into the ladies’ room without looking back.
I lean against the wall, my anger at myself continuing to grow. I didn’t think it would be like this. I did some researchlast night to find the best ways to fuck with her. The most efficient ways to torture her.
