She furrowed her brows, but I didn’t acknowledge it.
Let her fucking wonder.
“I’m going to leave you now, Violet,” I said next. “Make sure you’re ready for me on Sunday.”
I attempted to get up when she suddenly straddled me, pressing her hot cunt against my crotch and making me groan out loud. She tightened her grip around my neck, burrowing her head in the crook of my arm.
“Don’t go,” she whispered. “Don’t leave me alone. I’m sad, Devlin. I’m so sad, and I have nobody to talk to. They’ve all shunned me. Shut me out like I’m… like I’m some sort of criminal.”
“There there,” I muttered, smoothing her back down with both palms and making her whimper with pleasure at the touch. “It’s okay, Violet. Look at me.”
She pulled back, eyes once again on mine.
“What did I ask you to call me?” I said, voice firm and steady. “Did I ask you to call me by my name, princess?”
She opened and closed her mouth, finally shaking her head.
“What did I ask you to call me?” I asked patiently, and her bottom lip quivered with stubbornness. “Say it, Violet. Be a good girl for me and I’ll stay a little bit longer.”
“N-No,” she managed to get out.
I got up, pushing her off my lap and making her cry out.
“Please!”
I turned to face her, already on my way to the door. “Please, what?”
“Please.”
She looked pretty when she was this desperate.
I never thought she’d swallow her pride that fast, but she always managed to surprise me with how naturally submissive she was. Like she craved an owner.
She sank to her knees before my eyes, as if a reflex had taken over, erasing Violet and replacing her with the sex-toy version of her who would be more than eager to follow my orders.
“Please, don’t leave,” she said again. “Please, Master, I’ll be a good girl.”
As I stroked her silky hair thoughtfully, pretending to mull over her offer, I had already decided.
I was going to keep her.FifteenVioletI finally understood what the devil wanted from me. All of the years of wondering—wandering in confusion—it had been building to that moment. Devlin did want me, but not on my terms. He didn’t want the obsessed child that begged for him at prom. He didn’t want the desperate girl that threw herself at him at the ballet. He wanted a woman—and he wanted me on my knees. The rumors were true about him—just like Annie warned. When the devil made someone an offer, they didn’t refuse.
I certainly couldn’t.
Not when he was the one person who could save my father.
Not when he was the man who could make sure my brother never ended up in handcuffs.
I sold my soul to the devil, and I was about to find out how steep the price was.
“Please don’t leave me—Master.” The word Master still felt strange in my throat, but I had a feeling I would get used to saying it.
“Tell me why you’re on your knees, princess.” His fingers traced my scalp and brushed against the back of my ear.
“I-I don’t know.” Her shoulders slumped forward, but her head tilted against my palm. “I thought this was what you wanted.”
“It isn’t just about what I want. I could leave—right now. You asked me to stay. Then you got down on your knees. I want to know why.” There was more intensity in Devlin’s words as they left his lips.
“I really don’t know, Master.” I stared at the floor, falling further, pressing my palms flat against the ground.
I didn’t have the answer Devlin wanted. I didn’t even know the answer myself. Something came over me—a strange feeling. It forced me to kneel before him. To look at him as my Master instead of the man I knew—the man that I wanted for so long—the man I thought I would never have. I had felt his rejection before. I didn’t want to feel it again—not when I needed him more than ever.
Being on my knees was humiliating. A Cabot didn’t kneel—a Cabot didn’t bend their knees for anyone. My father had the strength to stand on his own two feet when he could have made his life a lot easier and bent to Dominic Windsor’s demands. He fought—and he won—but even that wasn’t enough. His world still came crashing down. Was I taking the easy way out? What would my father do if he saw me kneeling before Devlin Windsor—signing a contract—giving him my innocence in exchange for my family. But I wasn’t my father. I didn’t have his strength. I only knew one way to get him back, and that was with my name on a dotted line—a contract that would require me to become the devil’s toy—as long as he wanted me.
“You’ll understand soon enough—you’ll understand why you felt the need to kneel, because it’s more than just a need—it’s an honor. It’s a privilege.” His words got a little firmer and I felt his hand tighten around my hair until I was forced to look up at him. “You wanted to be mine for so long, but you were too young. There are lines that even the devil can’t cross.”