Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72233 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“Please—”
His hand knotted in her hair as he growled, “Open. Your. Mouth.”
Terrified of what he might do if she disobeyed him, she parted her lips. He pressed the glass to her mouth, and wine flooded her throat. Gulp after gulp, she tried to get it down, but it was too much. Choking, she sputtered and turned her face away.
He jerked her head back. “Did I say you could stop?”
“I can’t—”
“No?” He dumped the contents over her mouth, letting the wine spill down her neck and chest. “Now, look what you’ve done.”
“I didn’t do anything!” She started to cry, but her tears earned her no mercy.
Gripping her jaw, he forced her to look up at him. “When I tell you to open your mouth, you open it. When I tell you to shut your mouth, you shut it. Is that unclear in any way?”
“No, sir.”
He released her with a thrust of his hand. “You’ve made a mess of yourself.”
She glanced down at her chest. The silk of her nightgown was soaked in red, and one of her straps had snapped, leaving her partially exposed
He refilled the goblet with wine and paced the carpet. “I’ll ask again. Was he your lover?”
“No,” she sobbed. “I told you the truth the first time!”
He gripped her by the shoulders, pinning her to the back of the chair. “Are you raising your voice at me?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“I suppose there’s only one way to find out if you’re telling me the truth.” He shoved her nightgown to her hips, and she locked her knees. “Open your legs.”
She froze, refusing to accept that this was her only choice.
He caught her by the throat. “That was a command, not a request.”
When she still didn’t move, his touch gentled, and he trailed his fingers over her throat. Jolted by such extreme polarity, she started to cry.
“Let me explain what happens to those who disobey me on my ship. First, they’re punished. Then, they’re taken to the lower deck, where they’re locked up in the dark. Their rations are less than everyone else’s, but there are plenty of rats, plenty of ways to keep from starving if one has the constitution to survive. Sometimes, my crew wanders off. They’re not the most moral of men. That far below-deck sound doesn’t always carry either.” He met her stare. “Now, let’s try this again. Open your legs.”
Wendy closed her eyes and forced her thighs to part, but even then, they only separated a mere inch. His investigation was deliberate and impersonal.
She gasped as his finger wedged inside of her.
“Stay still.” His gaze focused on the wall past her shoulder, his face close enough that she was tempted to bite him.
She whimpered at the bizarre sensation of having a stranger feel inside of her, and then the intrusion was gone.
“You told the truth.” He returned to his chair. “You’re a virgin.”
Her jaw hardened. “I have no reason to lie.”
He sat back and studied her. “If you’re so innocent, why were you at a lagoon party?”
“I was a guest. Technically, I wasn’t even invited. This entire night has been a long line of mistakes.”
“There are no mistakes.”
There was something untamed prowling beneath his polished exterior, something uncontrollable that warned her that laws didn’t apply to him. If this was some sort of ransom, she might be able to help him get what he wanted without endangering herself further.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“Do I look like someone who explains himself?”
“No,” she admitted. “But if I knew what you wanted, I could possibly make things less difficult. I do as I’m told—most of the time.”
“Only most of the time?” He leaned an arm over the back of the chair and arched a brow. “Tell me about a time when you did something you shouldn’t have.”
“I came here.”
“Something else. Something before today. Something you’ve never told anyone.”
Her mind blanked. “I can’t think of anything.”
“Try.” He swirled the wine in his glass. The scent alone was enough to intimidate her. “Has it come to you?”
Paralyzed by fear, she begged, “Please. I’ll be sick if you make me drink more.”
“I’m losing my patience.”
“I’m trying to think—”
“Three…”
“I don’t have any secrets!”
“Two…”
“Please!”
“One. Time’s up. Open—”
“I cheated on my senior project!”
He stilled, then tsked. “Wendy Moira Angela Darling.”
“Please don’t make me drink any more wine. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“How did you cheat?”
“I paid a boy on my street to write my essay for me.”
“What was the topic of the paper?”
“I forget.”
“No, you don’t.” He lifted the wine.
“It was something about ethics!”
He laughed. “You cheated on a paper about ethics?”
“I know how that sounds, but I was—”
“Did you pass?”
She looked down, ashamed. “I got an A—the highest grade in the class.”
“What an immoral little liar you are. What other unethical things have you done?”
“I’m truly not that interesting. My parents are extremely strict.”