Page 117 of Unorthodox
I press my cock against her stomach, and she digs her nails into my shirt. Biting her lip, I tug it toward me, and she gasps. I taste the alcohol on her tongue, and blood in her mouth.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispers, loosening her hold on me, resting her brow against mine as I let go of her lip. “Why do you...what are you doing to me?” Her eyes are shining, her cheek red where I slapped her.“Why are you doing this?”
“You belong to me, Addison. I can do whatever I want—”
The sound of a door closing at the top of the stairs cuts off my words, followed quickly by, “Are you testing the merchandise?”
The man’s voice has me drawing my weapon, and I release Addison, turning to face the man, the gun aimed up, at his temple.
It’s the man with the tattoos.
Addison’s buyer’s guy.
Hisotherguy.
He smiles at the gun pointed in his direction, the looping number tattooed under his right cheek tugging up as he does. Even though I know who he is, and why he’s here, I don’t lower the gun.
He glances behind me, at Addison at my back.
Slowly, he comes down the stairs, looking over the railing when he’s halfway down.
He sees Zeke on the floor and stops approaching.
Addison doesn’t say anything, and I shift in front of her, blocking his view.
“Did you send him?” I ask him through gritted teeth. “Is that your guy?”
His eyes slide back to mine. He runs a hand over his face, sighing. He’s likely in his thirties, with brown skin, golden eyes. He doesn’t appear very threatening, save for the tattoos on his face, but I know better. “Zeke was only supposed to inspect the merchandise.” He sounds genuinely remorseful, and I’m not even sure what the fuck for. “I guess he got carried away.”
I don’t say anything as we stare each other down.
He sighs again, shrugging. “You do understand though, Max, it’s highly…unorthodoxto put your hands on things that don’t belong to you?”
My finger is twitching against the trigger, but I don’t pull it, because if I do, if I killthis guy, there will be five more at my doorstep tonight to kill me. And Oliver…I can’t lose Oliver. Not again.
“Jameson will expecther,”he glances behind me again, “to arrive in mint condition. Or else you won’t get what you’re promised.”
I hear Addison draw in a ragged breath at her buyer’s name, at the fact she knows she isn’t in “mint” condition, and the man smiles again.
“Of course, feel free to punish her how you see fit.” He nods toward Zeke. “After that scene she caused, she deserves it. She should’ve never wandered off with him. But keep your dick in your fucking pants.” The man’s voice becomes hard with those words, then he turns on his heel, straightens his suit jacket, and walks back up the way he came, the doors to the stairwell closing after him.
After he speaksto the host of the party, and a team of guards rush to the stairwell to clean up the body, he drags me to the car.
When we’re home, his fingers circle my wrist before I can get out of the car myself and he’s yanking me into the house, down the hall. Blood is still all over the both of us. He closes the door to my room after he pushes me inside and turns to face me, his eyes narrowed.
“You’re going to pay for that,” he says through gritted teeth.
Nerves make my hands tremble by my sides, steal my breath.
In the car, he hadn’t seemed so angry.
I thought he’d send me to my room, and it would be over. This would be done. I thought he’d be more pissed atZeke, but it’s me he takes his anger out on.
At least Zeke gets to fucking rest.
I left with him to escape. For a chance at returning to the life I knew. For reuniting with my brother. I took a drink from the bar and spoke to a man who initiated speaking to me because I was nervous. I wasn’t looking to disobey. I wasn’tlookingfor an escape. And I might not have even taken it, butEvora.Max fucking her, when he should’ve watchedme.That made up my mind for me.
I open my mouth to tell Max all of this, but he advances, and I retreat, my hands up, as if I could possibly defend myself againsthim.
