“Now!”
I try to step out of the car, but my body just doesn’t seem to want to listen to me, and my feet get all caught up on each other.
“Mr. Stark, I’m sorry, I—”
“Can it, you little prick,” he growls, snatching my arm in his hand. He’s strong as an ox, and I want to cry out as his fingers dig into my skin, but I keep quiet. I’m already in enough trouble. “I see you in this neighborhood again and I’ll fucking destroy you, understand?”
“Hey, I said I’m sorry,” Harry replies, sounding a lot less scared than he should be. Having been the target of Baron’s anger, I would know. “Don’t threaten me.”
“Don’t threaten you?” Baron snarls. “Listen here, you little fuckstick. You may be some hotshot hockey jock at your school, and your folks might have a little cash. What’s your dad do again? He’s a dentist, right? Well, let me explain something to you, okay? I could buy your whole fucking street, your school and your father a hundred times over. I am someone you do not want to fuck with, and unless you want to feel the fucking hammer come down on you and your whole fucking family, you will stay away from this girl. Do you understand?”
Harry’s starting to get it. A look of insecurity I’ve never seen before begins to take over his face. He gulps and slowly nods.
“That’s right. You lay one finger on her – you even send her a single fucking text, and I’ll buy every NHL team in the league just to make sure you never set a skate on the ice. Do not test me.”
Baron slams Harry’s car door shut with such force that I’m shocked it doesn’t crumble. Harry flicks his lights on and quickly pulls away from us. I don’t know if I’m embarrassed or afraid, but I’m a complete mess on the inside.
“Of all the stupid fucking things…” Baron growls as he leads me up the road to the house. “You know anything about that prick?”
“I—”
“You know he had a sexual assault allegation last year? No? Of course you don’t. His prick father paid the girl’s family off to keep things quiet. And you, Miss-Don’t-Slut-Shame-Me is sitting in his car with him thinking what? He’s going to romance you?”
I can barely breathe. My feet feel like rotten eggplants, and I stumble as I try to keep up with Baron’s pace.
“No, I didn’t think—”
“Exactly!” he bellows. “You didn’t think about that. You didn’t think about what I’d do to you when I caught you tonight either. All you thought about was what kind of outfit you could wear to show off that fucking body of yours.”
My…body? What’s Baron doing commenting on my body?
I can see the anger in his eyes as he opens the front door and pulls me inside. I expect him to send me up to my room, but that’s not what happens. Gripping my arm like he wants to tear it off, he pulls me across the living room and over to the door that leads to his private study where I am never allowed to go.
“I—I promise I’ll never do anything like this again, Baron,” I whimper. “Can I just go upstairs and go to bed now, please?”
He’s not stopping. I’m pulled into his office, and he quickly closes and locks the door behind me. Finally, he releases my arm, but that doesn’t matter; I’m still not going anywhere.
“No you cannot.” His eyes are firm, flaming and terrifying. I hate the fact that I know my stepfather is handsome. Incredibly handsome. I shouldn’t be having thoughts like that about him. It’s just so wrong.
My body goes tense as he unbuckles his belt and slides it out of his pants. Still glaring at me, he begins to wrap it around his hand so tightly I can hear the sound of the leather stretching around his knuckles.
“Baron…”
“I guess the last time I punished you wasn’t enough. You still don’t realize what you’re doing. Well, I guess it’s time to really give you a lesson.”
This can’t be happening. I know I screwed up, but what is he about to do to me?
“I’m sorry…” I whisper, not knowing what else to say.
“It’s too late for that. There’s only one thing you can do now, Pixie. Strip.”
The world freezes.
What?
The pressure of the moment is crushing against my chest. I’m suddenly conscious of every inch of my body as I break out in a thin layer of sweat. My arms are covered in goose bumps.
No. I couldn’t have just heard what I think I heard.