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My body clenched She refused to speak honestly in front of ht say in the future?

"No Don’t put her on!" Zel whisper-yelled, then her shoulders rolled and she went to the corner of the rooet as far away from me as possible "Hey, sweetheart"

Sweetheart? Fuck, did she have a lover? What the hell?

"No, I’ood? Take care of Clue for me?" Her naked shoulder blades hunched as she curled around the phone, al it "I miss you, too But I’ll be hoet too tired, okay?"

She nodded a few ti so low I alony not holding you"

My heart exploded inside my chest Fuck What did you expect? That she wouldn’t have anyone at ho on soe I’d tried so hard to keep away ca up She stayed facing the wall for aout the phone, her eyes aze before she sed, forcing residual emotion from the phone call away

If I was less of a bastard I could’ve just given her the money and sent her home to whoever she loved But I wasn’t So I didn’t

The thought of her arer "I hope you’re not planning on breaking our agreenature" My eyes flickered tothe contract to bind her toout" Her jaw tilted upward defiantly "But I’e either" Zel shed her tenacious resolve and so curve of you throwingyou I can think of worse things to do for two hundred thousand dollars"

My heart thudded, stuttered, then hung confused in rateful She’d forgivenwoman Who the hell was she?

You just made the worst decision of your life There was no way a h She could turn out to be a connivingfor her

I snapped ers and strode toward the door on the other side of the room "Come on"

She didn’t ask any questions, only padded barefoot towardher shoes on the floor Her body ca past mine, and I tensed every ht htened as I sucked in her scent of Lily of the valley Every part ofsweet knowing I washer

I couldn’t stop the weird palpitations in ut

While I was struck du to keep a hold onway

"This way," I ordered "You’ll get used to all the doors" The house had been built like the establishment I’d been trained in For soh the place ruined my life, it was the only place I felt truly safe

We headed down one long corridor withfro arena downstairs Each room was private, self-contained, a cell for all intents and purposes

We didn’t say a word as alked over the thick black carpet toward the south end of the house

The corridor led toOnly Oscar and the occasional cleaner were allowed up here Pin-pad locks rested on every door, adding more to the prison-like appeal Shit, Zel would have to learn the combinations tomy life with her finally decided to h howpatterns and habits would affect her How my needs for certain types of release would freak her the fuck out

Goddammit, this is a bad idea Such a bad idea

My rooned Made out of coes, it was practically bombproof It offered so if they ever decided my vacation was over and ca perfect, despite her crushed hair, s on her neck Her perfection ridiculed h That I’d always be who I was

"Aet my own space?" Zel’sme

I scowled "You’ll sleep with me" Stupid question "I just made a deal with you to use as I see fit, and you think you’ll have your own space?" I didn’t admit that it would be best if she did Iher "This isn’t a vacation, dobycha, htly "Let’s just get soned your stupid piece of paper; I agreed to let you take me however you want, within reason You don’t have to keep dropping hints about sentences and ret this"

Her hand came up to land on my chest but I lurched backward She shook her head "Sorry I forgot I was going to say, if you fucktheyou if you break your prohed coldly "You think you can kill hly-trained swat team could dispatch me--I knew--they’d tried once or twice