Page 20 of Cabin Fever
“Maybe. But it’s true.” I lean in, let my voice drop low and steady. “You’re exactly what I need. Unfiltered. Fresh. Not jaded by years of men telling you how to behave. That’s what Sweet Lies promised me. That’s what puts the word “Sweet” in their name. Fresh and innocent is their trademark.”
She shifts on the couch, tugs the shorts lower on her thighs. “Okay, but you know, I can leave. I can walk out.”
I nod. “I’d drive you to the bus stop myself.”
Kat glances at the fire again. “So if I stay, what happens?”
I think about it. “We start slow. I give you a role, a scene. I direct you. You react. We see what happens. If you want out, you say so. Otherwise, you do as I ask.”
She takes a long, shaky breath, and for a minute I think she might back out. Instead, she fixes her eyes on mine and says, “You’re a pervert.”
I laugh, deep and genuine. “Guilty.”
She smiles, a tiny crack in the armor. “Fine. I’ll do it.”
“That’s my girl,” I say.
She covers her face with her hands and groans, but she’s laughing too, and the tension in the room snaps like a wire.
I watch her for another minute, the way she tries to hide her smile, the way her knees bounce with adrenaline. Tomorrow Kat will wake up and maybe want to run, but for now, she’s here. With me. And I can’t wait to see what I can make her do.
I pour another whiskey, then offer her the glass. She takes it, sips a tiny drop, and chokes a bit.
“God this stuff is strong.”
I smirk.
“I like my liquor, and the stronger the better.”
She smiles at me then, a real smile for the first time tonight.
“Anything else?” she says, meeting my eyes for the first time.
I shake my head. “Not tonight.”
She stands, gives me a shy bob of the head, and disappears up the stairs.
I sit there until the fire dies, my cock so hard it’s a wonder I don’t pass out. I could have taken Kat right then, but what fun would that be? The hunt is always better when the prey wants to be caught.
I finish my drink, and let the night close in. Tomorrow, we start for real.
My new PAis up before me, like a good girl. I hear the soft thud of her feet in the kitchen, then the hiss of the espresso machine, then a strangled little curse when something shatters.
I take my time coming down, but when I do, Kat’s standing at the window, phone in both hands, arm stretched out like she’s trying to get a radio signal from god. The robe she’s found in the guest closet swallows her, but when she lifts her arms, it hikes up and the backs of her thighs are all soft, ivory skin, thick and luscious. She’s muttering under her breath, probably inventing new curse words, and the way her hair is a tangled mess just makes her look more delicious.
“Looking for something?” I say, and she jumps a foot in the air.
She spins, cheeks bright red, but squares up right away. She’s getting bolder. I like it.
“I’m just trying to check in,” she says. “I haven’t been able to call or text anyone since I got here.” She holds up the phone. “Is there WiFi?”
I shake my head. “There is, but it’s been broken for ages, and the repair guy still hasn’t come out.” I let the weight of that settle, but not for long. “If you need to reach someone, I have a satellite phone. For work, mostly, but you can use it.”
She digests that, her jaw tight. “Do you always keep people this isolated?”
“Only the ones I want to keep.” I smile to soften it, but there’s no point pretending. She knows what this is. “You can use the satellite phone any time, Kat. I’m not holding you hostage.”
She nods, but she doesn’t believe me, not yet.
