Bought (His For A Week)

Ben’s jaw immediately tightened, but an incoming call to his cell cut off his response. He glanced to see who it was before accepting the call, walking away from the table toward the hall.

Kimani wouldn’t have cared where Ben went except for the fact that Jake had wandered into the kitchen.

“You look better without clothes,” he said after perusing her from head to toe. “You should’ve stuck with me. I’m much better at being the Dom.”

She bit her tongue to keep from retorting that it had been his decision to sell her. Instead, she kept her gaze on the cucumber she was slicing.

“That’s all I was doing that first day,” Jake said, “establishing our roles: mine as the dominant and yours as the submissive. It’s why you did the Scarlet Auction, isn’t it? To live out your own version of Fifty Shades? That Chinaman doesn’t have what it takes.”

She glanced up sharply at him. “Does Ben know you use words like that?”

“Ben? You call him by his first name?” Jake shook his head.

“I don’t think he’d appreciate being called that.”

“What are you, some politically correct bitch?” He leaned in close enough for her to smell the whiskey on his breath. “I bet I could fuck the political correctness out of you nice and good.”

Deciding she’d rather stand next to a leper, she stepped back and reached for the bottles of olive oil and balsamic vinegar to make a dressing. Jake leaned against the counter and observed her with a look that was half interest, half disgust.

“Maybe I should buy you back,” he mused aloud. “Give you a proper pounding.”

The prospect made her skin crawl. Ben wouldn’t let that happen. Right?

“I’m not a good sub,” she muttered.

“That’s cause you don’t have a good Dom.”

Standing in the corner, she had no room to maneuver when he bridged the short distance between them. “You ever had white cock?”

No, and I certainly don’t want yours.

He leered at her. “You’re on the lighter side. Somewhere your ancestors took white cock.”

“Not willingly,” she retorted.

“You don’t know that. Who knows? Maybe once you go white, you don’t go back to black. So how about it? Let Ching Chong know you want dick from a real Dom.”

He brushed the knuckles of his right hand along her right arm. She flinched away. “Get your stinking KKK hands off me.”

The area about his mouth went white. Her arms went up as she braced herself to be hit. But the sound of Ben’s voice stayed Jake from whatever he was about to do.

“Call me tomorrow then,” Ben was saying into his cell, his voice growing louder as he neared the kitchen.

Jake narrowed his eyes at her. “Changed my mind. Your cunt’s not worth it.”

With a final glare, he turned around and nearly walked into Ben.

“You’re not messing with my sub, are you?” Ben asked with a frown.

“Not a chance,” Jake replied. “I couldn’t be happier you took her off my hands.”

“Good. I don’t touch yours. You don’t touch mine.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jake grumbled as he exited the kitchen.

Kimani went back to making the salad, spilling the vinegar on the counter when she tipped the bottle too quickly. Her quickened heartbeat hadn’t gone back to normal yet. For a moment, she had been sure she was going to end up with a second bruise to go with her first.

“What was Jake doing in the kitchen?” Ben asked, watching her.