Page 24 of The Vixen

With Sawyer, I don’t even pretend to squirm.

I sit with my eyes glued to the wall while I wait for the emotions to fade. They will. It’ll pass faster once he’s gone.

Finally, he rises, and I think I’ll be able to breathe easier. But my lungs shrink.

He doesn’t leave. Instead, he sits on the bench directly in my line of sight.

My head twitches with a partial turn, but it’s too pathetic to look away a second time. My gaze stays on him while he hikes one leg over the bench so he’s straddling it withincredibleconfidence. If he’s the least bit uncomfortable with his nakedness, he doesn’t show it.

“I gave you an order, Dreg.”

He stares at me a moment before puffing out a laugh. “I know,Head Keeper. I’m following it.”

His hand tucking behind my knee, he guides my leg over the bench so I’m facing him. I gasp—sharp and quiet.

“What are you doing?”

His eyes trail my body with a lustrous gaze before nodding like he’s pleased with his assessment. He wraps his hands around my waist just as I’d imagined earlier and drags me until our knees touch.

“Sawyer.”

“You want me to fuck you.” His tone is so matter of fact it makes me quiver. “Orkiss you… Either way, you brought me here because you wanted an orgasm. So… How about we get it over with? The next time you want to summon me in the middle of the night, we can skip over the torture and your false sense of indignation. Yeah?”

Turning from him, I go to stand, but his hands on my shoulders shove me to the bench. “Sit. Down,” he commands, his voice full of authority.Laughableauthority—but it buzzes the hairs on my neck none-the-less.

I settle onto the bench and stare into his eyes while pretending my chest hasn’t seized.

“Good.” He nods once. “Now,where would you like me to kiss you, Your Grace?”

“Sawyer, please.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “You don’t get to call me a rapist, then cower after demanding I submit to you. If you’re going to bea hypocrite, at least follow through. Because I swear to god, I will not be dealing with a sexually frustrated master tomorrow. You give mewhiplash. I can’t tell if you're horny, pissed, or insane.”

Again, I try to get up. Again, he holds me down.

My hand flinches—instincts telling me to crash my palm against Sawyer’s sternum—but I just wrap my arms around myself. Close my eyes. Breathe.

Count to four.

Open my eyes.

“If you haven’t done what I asked by tomorrow morning, you will have no master to deal with. I assure you, that is not the better option, so…” I wave to the doorway. “I suggest you use the walk to consider who you’ll choose?—”

“I already told you who I’d choose,” he snaps.

No one.

My gut clenches.

“You cannot be serious.”

A muscle jumps in Sawyer’s cheek as his jaw locks. I search his eyes. See no fear. No uncertainty.

“You’re actually willing to risk your life banking on my unwillingness to kill you?” I laugh through the cotton stuffed in my chest. “I don’t issue empty threats, Sawyer. If there’s anything at all you should know about me, it’s that.”

“So kill me.” He says it with a tone so calm it punctuates the room. Punctuates my chest.

My lips fall as he gets up and retrieves the knife. He glides it from the sheath as he sits, sharpened steel grating along leather.