Page 45 of Dollhouse

I’d forgotten just howheavyhis presence was in person, the darkness in him seeming to leach into every corner of the space.

He walks slowly toward the red couch set at an angle across the hearth from me, taking in each part of the room. Me, kneeling on the floor, the men lining the wall, over to Bo, still disoriented on the floor. He nods at the man standing behind me. “Thank you. Mission accomplished, eh?”

He nods back. “Yes, sir. We lost one, but he had no clearance so not much of an issue.”

Bundy considers this as he strolls over to Bo’s body. “And a surprise guest.” He crouches low, tugging lightly on the ribbon at his neck. “This must be Bo. Eric told me all about you.”

I viscerally hate the way Bo’s name sounds on his lips. The way his mouth moves as he stares at the exposed skin, and the ties at his wrists. Bo just stares back, defiance written on his every feature.

It only seems to make him smile wider, as if he enjoys that his attention has us on edge. Standing, he turns back to me, making sure to take his time raking his eyes over my exposed body.

“So glad you could join us here, Emma. I’m sorry to inform you that the pleasure will absolutely all be mine.”

TWENTY-THREE

Bundy sauntersto the red couch opposite me and sits, legs spread, arms stretched across the back of it and eyes lowered on my form, kneeling just a few feet in front of him.

I refuse to look away. The only thing worse than being at this man’s feet is him knowing how afraid I am to be here.

His eyes narrow and the silence stretches on as he takes in my stiff posture. Before I can question what he’s looking for, he nods his head at the man behind me and a blinding flash of pain registers on my temple.

I cower, trying to protect my head as the man wraps his hand around the front of my neck and forces my head back up. Bo’s fierce threats are background noise as I’m forced to stare at Bundy’s smug expression.

He lazily looks in Bo’s direction, then back at me. A slimy grin stretches across his face. “Protective of you, is he? Even after you got him dragged into such an unfortunate situation.”

I say nothing and he tuts, shaking his head. “Shame. It looks like your timeawayhas stolen some of that sweetness you had when I met you. You were so pliant that night you served medinner.” The corner of his mouth twists into a sick smile. “It’s part of what intrigued me.”

He seems bothered I’m not a puddle, begging at his feet for mercy. Maybe it’s stupid, but now that I know he wants to see me submit, I steel myself to make sure I never do.

Maybe simply enduring is my resistance.

“Those Finch’s rubbed off on you,” he surmises when I stay silent. “Suppose that’s to be expected. After all, you have gottensoclose.”

The men titter along the walls, a joke at my expense lightening their mood.

“Where’s Eric?” I ask, trying to steel my voice.

“Not here,” Bundy replies, reaching over to the wooden table at his side and pulling a cigar from the metal box resting on it. He waves it vaguely in the air. “Sorry, no. I’m sure that would have been a lovely reunion, but he’s rather put off with you right now, considering recent events.” He places the cigar between his teeth, that evil grin returning to his face. “Recent videos, to be exact.”

My face heats and the low rumble of laughter behind me lets me know that likely everyone in this room has seen the videos of me and the men. I try to appear unfazed but I hate the idea that they’ve seen us like that. Those moments were private. They were mine.Ours.

These men try to shame me for what I’ve done knowing full well that they’d get off to the images later, and the double standard is infuriating.

But…despite hating them, the judgement still manages to seep inside.

It hurts, but anger rears up again in my chest at the feeling, because IknowI’ve done nothing wrong. Defiant, I lift my chin as if nothing they do could ever touch me. “Let Bo go, he was never meant to be here.”

I hear him struggling behind me, but his mouth is covered, making his arguments garbled.

I can’t look at him now. I focus only on Bundy and hope that I can somehow negotiate his release. I already ruined his life by getting us here, but I could make up for some of that if they would agree to release him.

Bundy lights his cigar, staring at me for a moment before blowing a plume of smoke into my face. My nose wrinkles at the smell, which makes his eyes shine.

“I know your husband preferred to keep you very much in the dark, although you’ve probably learned quite a bit about him—about us—since your time with the men of Mercy. I assume you know now that he’s a little…tied upin some projects with me.”

“What Iknowis that he’s a pedophile,” I spit. “I know he got that poor girl pregnant and threatened her. She’s dead now because of him. Because ofyou, for introducing them.”

He has the audacity to laugh. “Because of me? I don’t control him. I’m not the monster here, Emma. I’m abusinessman.Unfortunately, business dictates that we sometimes do things that other people consider wrong. Money is money, and all that.” He raises a brow, tilting his head slightly. “That’s something Eric understands.”