Chapter 1
TALLULAH
Every single nightmare I’ve had over the past few months has included Xavier. And yet last night when he came to my bedroom was the first time he attempted to help me. Before then, he always left it up to Antonio.
I drifted off in the middle of Xavier’s story, but I remember how easy it was to fall asleep to the sound of his voice. I’m so keen for more of it, and deeply embarrassed, I dare crave him after everything he’s done to me.
As if reading my thoughts, I hear Antonio asking me something and only when I transport myself back to reality do I realize what it was.
“Are you not ashamed of loving such a monster?”
“Who says I love him?” I snarl at him after a moment’s pause.
“Unfortunately, it’s fucking obvious,” Antonio throws back, shaking his head. “I know he has a certain charm, but it disappoints me how much you love him.”
“You don’t get to judge me,” I grind out at him. “I can make my own decisions.”
He shuts up as I sit back to ponder the answer to his question in my mind. I use my hairbrush to glide through my hair, stroke after stroke, until my locks shine with vitality.
Xavier was never a monster to me, despite everything he’s done. I can’t bring myself to see him as an evil beast. He’s done a lot to keep me safe, gone to every extreme to ensure my safety. Despite what Antonio had told me recently, I didn’t see him protecting anybody else. I’m sure he’s hunting down the sender of those cruel threats against me. I’m sure he’ll take care of me. He won’t let anybody hurt me.
“I need to get you away from him before it’s too late,” Antonio mutters.
“You don’t need to do anything but listen to your boss unless you want to die,” I inform him coolly. “I’ll let you know if I want to take you up on that offer, but for now, you don’t need to help me.”
“How can you stand another day in this house?” Antonio demands. “How can you give into his abuses? This is madness. I could get you to safety.”
“Yeah, and I’d never see Xavier again,” I hiss. “Or my family, lest he kill us all. Are you forgetting about that?”
He finally shuts up, clearly realizing I’m right.
“I don’t want to argue. Just leave me alone.”
“I can’t, boss’s orders,” he mutters.
I pick myself up on the bed and throw a stuffed toy against his head. “Get out!”
He shakes his head and throws the toy back at me. “You really are a fucking brat, Tallulah Gunn.”
He finally leaves the room. I make sure I’m alone before facing the camera for the very first time since Xavier had them installed.
I’m not stupid. I know he’s been setting Antonio up. The thing about being locked in my bedroom is that I spot every little change inside these rooms the moment it happens. And when those cameras went up, I noticed them on the first day. I just have said nothing about it because I don’t want Xavier to know I’ve seen them yet. He is watching those feeds. I can already imagine his eyes glued to the screen, watching what he can’t have for a little while longer.
A smirk plays on my lips as I strip naked. The dress leaves my body, and now I’m only wearing a bra and panties that leave little to the imagination with how little they cover. My eyes zero in right on the camera lens, leaving no doubt that I know about Xavier’s spying methods.
“Are you looking at me?” I ask softly, fingertips gently tracing my hardening nipples over the bra. It’s sheer, the fabric revealing the rosy pink of my areolas that are desperate to push through the mesh fabric. “Do you wish you were touching me?”
I don’t know why I’m doing this. Why I’m so intent on pushing Xavier to his very limit, even though I’m not sure myself whether I want this. If he actually touched me, I don’t know how gentle he’d be. I have a feeling Xavier will not hold back with me. I think he’s going to hurt me, and what’s worse, I think he’s going to enjoy it.
And yet I don’t stop, my lips parting to let out a lascivious moan. Deep down, I want Xavier here with me, not just to watch me strip, but to give me everything I’ve dreamed of my whole life. His hands on my skin, his lips on mine, and his thick, bulging cock pushing inside me for the very first time, stretching me to the very limits my body possesses.
“Come find me,” I whisper for Xavier’s pleasure as my fingers slip beneath the fabric of my panties. “Come stop this. Come take what’s yours. Don’t make me break this for you...”