Taboo: A Dark Romance Boxset (Stud Ranch 1)

Darren laughs at my response. “Your boyfriend passed you around like you were a common whore that night. I liked it best when he ordered you to suck my cock while another man fucked you like you were a dog.”

“Bryce said we could do whatever we wanted as long as we didn’t leave marks. Do you remember that? Do you remember how eagerly you licked and slurped at my cock? I shoved it down your throat so far you gagged. But you still. Just. Kept. Sucking. You were such an obedient little slut.”

He laughs and I want to throw up. He was there that night. He— And I— I’m going to throw up.

He laughs even harder as he watches my face. But then all the laughter dies from his features as he leans in and licks my cheek. I wrench my face away but he just grips me tighter.

“I’m feeling in the mood for a repeat, whore. On your knees.”

My eyes shoot open wide. No way in fucking hell am I—

His hand comes off my mouth as he starts to unbuckle his pants.

“Fuck you!” I shout at the top of my lungs. “You stick anything in my mouth and I’ll bite it fucking off.”

Black fury enters his eyes and that’s all the warning I get before his fist swings. He lands it in my gut and I double over, wheezing at the pain.

I want to scream for help but he’s just knocked all the air out of me. I gasp as he shoves me to the floor.

I scramble away from him and he doesn’t immediately come after me. Only because he knows he doesn’t have to. There’s no way I’ll make it to the door before he catches me again.

Shit. Shit. How do I get out of here in one piece?

When he takes a step toward me, I hold up a hand and wheeze, “Don’t. Don’t, or I’ll tell Dylan.”

Darren just laughs. “Who do you think he’ll believe? His baby brother? Or the lying whore he’s only been fucking for a few weeks? Especially when he finds out you used to date the man who almost ruined him. Bryce tried to burn his life down.”

I shake my head in disbelief as it all clicks into place. “And you let him.”

Darren shrugs nonchalantly. “Without dearest big bro in the picture, the company is all mine. Dylan’s useful but he’s not necessary. And his ethics can be tiresome at times.”

I can only stare at him. “You’re the monster he’s terrified his father turned him into. But it’s not him. It’s you.”

Darren tuts. “It’s true that Dad saw quickly enough that Dylan was weak. So he turned his attentions to training me to be the man Dylan never could be.”

“An abusive asshole, you mean.”

Darren’s eyes narrow and he crosses the distance between us in two strides. Then, before I can even get a handle on what’s happening, he has me up off the floor and shoved against the wall by my throat.

“I’d be careful how you speak to me, bitch.” Spittle sprays on my face as he speaks and I shut my eyes and wrench my head to the side.

He just keeps talking. “Now that I have your attention. Convince him to accept the contract with your company. The old processors worked just fucking fine.”

My eyes shoot open at that. Of all the things I expected him to say, that wasn’t one of them. This is about their product line? But no, looking into his cruel eyes, I can see it’s about far more than that. He was willing to ruin his brother years ago. He probably doesn’t give a shit about which processor they use in their robotics line, he just hates the fact that Dylan had an opinion and overrode him.

And now, if I do what he says— “Dylan might think the only reason I wanted to be with him in the first place was to try to talk him into making a deal with ProDynamics. No, I can’t. I won’t—”

Darren socks me in the stomach again and I cry out uselessly at the pain even as I realize what he’s doing—hitting me where it won’t leave obvious marks. Just like his father taught him, no doubt.

“If you don’t, this gets leaked to Buzzfeed, bitch.”

Darren yanks his phone out of his pocket, pushes play on a video, and shoves it in front of my face.

You like that? Dylan growls on the video. It’s dark but I can still make him out, bent over me on my Corvette in the garage from that very first night. You like it when I fucking defile you?

The video is so clear I can see his hand as it drops to plunge a finger into my backside.

I can’t help the cry that escapes my throat as I look back to Darren. How did he even get this footage? It’s not grainy like it would be if it were from a security camera. It’s color, even.