They’re men who believe they have the right to take whatever they want.
“Yes,” I lie.
I don’t think he cares about sincerity.
He wants only one answer from me, and because I’m powerless, I have no choice but to give it to him.
It makes me want to gag on the word, but I do it anyway.
Do it for Pa.
“You are so beautiful,” he croons. He pulls his hand back slowly. “The most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
I’m relieved that he’s no longer touching me, but his body is now only inches from mine. The relief lasts only a few short seconds before the dread sinks back in.
“I’m only eighteen,” I protest. “I’m hardly a woman yet.”
He smiles, and I don’t know why, but I can’t help but compare his smile with Cillian O’Sullivan’s.
The difference is night and day.
Cillian smiles with his eyes. And when he does, there’s no agenda behind them.
But not with Tristan. There’s all sorts of evil intention lurking beneath his snake-like smile.
“Oh, I beg to differ,” Tristan says. “But I can understand why you might not feel like a woman.”
He reaches out again, ignoring me when I lean away from him.
This time, his fingers brush along my lower lip. He plucks my lip between two fingers and presses down hard enough that it’s painful.
“It’ll take a real man to make you feel like a woman.”
Nausea bubbles up inside me like poison. I twist away from him and walk out of his reach.
“I don’t want to ‘feel like a woman,’” I say. “I want to see my father.”
And beyond that, I want to get out of this city.
I want to make a new life for myself.
Far away from the machinations of men.
Tristan sighs. “Alright, my dear,” he says. “Let’s go.”
“Now?” I ask, hoping against hope he isn’t kidding.
“Of course. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
“I… Yes. Yes, it is.”
He smiles again. “See?” he says. “I plan on giving you everything you want. More importantly, I plan on giving you everything you need.”
I don’t stop to think about what that means. About what the difference between those two things might be.
I just turn and head back towards the front door.
But even when I’m out of his sight, I can still feel his eyes on me.
Watching.
Always watching.