I lifted my hand and wiggled my little finger to demonstrate the point.
He took the bait. “What the fuck did you just say?”
“Just thought the lady here might want to know what it’s like to ride a man with a decent-sized cock.”
I grabbed the front of my jeans and put on a fake leer. I had no interest in his girlfriend, but I didn’t need him to know that.
“Fuck you, dickhead.”
Muscles pushed forward, moving his girlfriend to one side to plant himself in between me and her. I took a step back from the bar, not wanting to get anyone else involved.
“Who the fuck are you calling a dickhead?” I said, then snorted. “But at least I have one. You really need to lay off those steroids or your girl is going to find her way into my bed, and, when she discovers how it feels to get properly fucked and not be able to walk for a week, she’s definitely not going to come back to you.”
His face gradually turned beetroot, his nostrils flaring, a tic flexing in his jaw. His shoulders straightened, and his biceps bulged. He was like a racehorse caught in the starting block just waiting for that whistle to go. All it needed was that final push.
“I’m going to smash your fucking face in,” he threatened.
I laughed. “I’d like to see you try.”
I knew it was coming but I didn’t bother to duck out of the way, however easy that would have been for me. His meaty fist collided with my jawbone, sending my head rocking backwards. Pain flashed through my face, and my teeth clanked together, narrowly missing my tongue. I had to blink several times to get my vision to straighten.
I wanted this. I deserved this. It was what I was here for.
Despite the power behind the punch, I didn’t go down.
I wiped my hand across my cheek, enjoying the pain. “Is that all you’ve got? You’re showing yourself up in front of your girl.”
He snarled and swung for me again. This punch caught the side of my nose, and a satisfying crunch sounded in my ears. The pain intensified, and I relished in it, wallowed in it. It was exactly what I’d come here for.
“More!” I roared, slamming my fists against my chest. “Come on, mate. Fucking show me what you’ve got.”
Muscles lifted his fist and then hesitated. Did he see the madness in my eyes?
Blood poured from my nose, dripping down the front of my shirt and onto the floor. I smiled at the sight. With any luck, I’d keep bleeding until I passed out, and then I wouldn’t have to think any more.
It dawned on me that Muscles didn’t want to hit me again.
“What are you waiting for?” I spat a large glob of blood and snot at his feet. “Fucking hit me.”
Muscles twitched, but he lowered his arm.
My heart sank, but I kept up the bravado. “Come on, what’s it going to take? You want me to bend your girlfriend over the bar and show her what it’s like to have a big cock in her cunt?”
I was ashamed of myself for using the girl like this, but I couldn’t seem to stop. Icouldn’tstop. I was still very much conscious. The pain wasn’t enough. I deserved more—so much more.
The blonde touched Muscle’s arm and shook her head. “Let’s get out of here.”
He turned back to her and looped his arm around her shoulders.
“You’re fucked up, mate. Get some therapy.”
The two left together, and I just stood there, dripping blood on the floor, my face throbbing with the beat of my heart. The pub had fallen into silence, and I sensed the eyes of the patrons who remained all trained on me, probably wondering what I was going to do next.
WhatwasI going to do next?
The police had probably been called by now, but I didn’t care too much about that either. So what if I ended up behind bars? It made no difference to me now. My whole life felt like a jail cell now I no longer had Ivy in it.
The barman cleared his throat. “You should probably leave.”