Page 40 of Cruel (Brutal Academy)

"Maybe I should cut off your balls and have them made into dumplings for Chloe to eat." I managed to keep my voice even. "Oh, right. They'd only be a tiny mouthful. Barely more than a few crumbs."

"You think so?" He ground his now hard cock against me. "It seems like you need a reminder."

I looked him straight in the eyes. "We both know you're not going to cheat on Chloe, even if it means not getting to work your anger out on me." If he tried, he’d find himself in a thousand tiny pieces, courtesy of me and my guys.

He ground against me a moment longer before grunting and stepping back. "I wouldn't soil my cock on your tainted pussy."

I managed a short breath of relief.

"That might be the most romantic thing a guy has ever said to me," I said sarcastically. "My pussy is way too good for your cock."

He stalked over to a window that overlooked a courtyard. "This is all bullshit." He ran a hand over his hair. "You have no idea what you've done. Chloe and Dane both think I did that to her. Nothing I say… I wouldn't do that. I love her."

Cry me a motherfucking river.

"Is this where you expect me to go to her and tell her you weren't involved?" I asked. "That you didn't really try to blow her up?"

He turned around, looking stricken. "I did not try to blow her up. That was—"

"Meant for me," I finished for him. "Placed there by her to convince me to trust her. For what? To give her more time to put her plan together? Didn't have enough brunettes who looked like me?"

He averted his eyes.

"I thought so. I'm not saying I was involved in what happened to her, but the only way I'd tell her you weren't is if you convinced her to pull out of this competition with me."

If she did that, I wouldn't give a shit what she did and who she did it with. Let her, Dane and Zachary run off into the sunset together. If I never saw them again, that would be all right with me.

"She would never listen to me. Not while she thinks I drugged her." He looked delightfully miserable.

I shrugged. "Well, then, it seems we have nothing more to say to each other." I started to turn away.

"What if I told you what she had planned?" He looked desperate. "You can stop it from happening and then speak to her for me."

Now he had me thinking. If I knew what to look for, I could avoid it. I could stop my guys from getting hurt, or worse. Maybe I could turn whatever it was, back on her. She could be the one abducted and sold next time.

"What makes you think I'd believe a word you say?" I asked carefully. "This could all be an act to set me up."

"It could be, but it isn't." His eyes pleaded with me to believe him. "I don't give a shit about this competition between you and Chloe anymore. All I want is her." His thick brows lowered.

"Do you think she'll want you if you do anything that makes her lose?" I asked.

"I'll convince her she doesn't need to win this. There are more important things in life than power."

"If the idea of touching you wasn’t repulsive, I'd check to see if you have a high temperature," I said. "Since when did Zachary Sinclair not care about power?"

It was what all of us were raised to want. To please my father and to gain as much power as possible. Personal fulfilment didn't factor into it.

"When I saw Chloe looking at me with mistrust." His brow crinkled as he frowned. "She asked me to organise for your drink and the twin's drinks to be spiked. She didn't know who it was behind the bar that did it. She didn't want to know. I swore to her the guy I hired left. Whoever you hired—"

"I didn't hire anyone," I said coldly.

He shook his head. "Whoever the fuck the twins hired then. Or Slade. Whatever. It wasn't me."

"Studying at Brutham Academy will teach you a lot of things." I folded my arms over my breasts. "Including the fact you should never trust anyone to pour a drink. Not unless you know they won't drug you. Your asshole quit and ran and you didn't think he might be replaced?"

He shrugged. "I should have anticipated. I didn't. I'm paying the price for that."

Boo fucking hoo,I thought.

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