Glancing at first to the door—in the futile hope for escape—then at the thug standing beside it, I hesitated.
When I looked back at Ethan, he was still smiling blandly. “What? Louis?” he asked innocently, as though just realizing the man was still in the room with us. “Don’t worry about him. He doesn’t mind.”
I felt sick. Utterly sick. Because in that moment I realized the severity of what was going on.
My options were none. Leaving—assuming Ethan would even let me—would only leave me with a half burned down business, bills I couldn’t pay, and in serious danger from Ethan’s competitors. If I miraculously navigated my way through all of that unscathed, I would still end up being homeless.
And so would Cody.
Trembling with anger and a newfound self-loathing, I stood up from the chair. Ethan watched me, that infuriating smile still in place. With shaking fingers, I reached for my blouse. I began to undo the buttons, lifting my chin in my only real show of defiance as I did so. He didn’t seem to mind. He watched me like a hawk, his eyes fixated on my fingers and the smooth skin they exposed.
I swallowed heavily, but forced myself to keep going. There was no other way out. I undid the buttons of my blouse, exposing my pale skin beneath and the basic tan bra I’d worn. Angrily, I jerked the blouse off and let it fall behind me.
I half expected Ethan to laugh at my anger, but he ignored it. Instead, he told me simply, “Very nice.” Like this was a normal thing and that was the kind of compliment that would put my panties in a twist.
Well, sorry to disappoint, I thought. I’m not going to just fall over you. You want this as a business deal? I’ll treat it that way.
The thoughts were just false bravado, of course. I was terrified, and no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t just pretend this was all okay.
My hands had paused for a moment while I tried to decide where they were supposed to go next. Did he want me completely undressed? Should I take my bra off next? Or maybe I should do the pants or the shoes first? I felt like an idiot and a virgin, even though I’d done this plenty of times before, if not recently. Everything about this was just so…hard. So awkward.
“The pants,” Ethan finally told me, realizing my predicament. “Take those off next.”
To my mortification, my body responded to the demand in his voice. I felt heat flush my body and was embarrassed to feel wetness between my legs. Thanks to my dream of Ethan, my body was primed and ready for his orders and his dominance. It wanted it, even if I didn’t.
I undid my black jeans swiftly and started doing the shuffle to get them off. I got them down my thighs and past my knees, feeling his gaze on me the entire time. When I reached the little ankle boots, I had to pause and take them off. That was awkward, because my pants were already around my ankles, but I pretended I was still at home, in my bedroom. That this was nothing. Just getting undressed after a long day.
When I’d managed to get my boots and socks off, I went back to my jeans and finished wiggling out of them. I was bright red from embarrassment, knowing that not only was Ethan watching, but that bastard Louis probably was, too.
I’m a whore, I thought suddenly. It was enough to make me want to cry all over again, but I managed to hold back.
When I felt sufficiently composed, I straightened myself up, throwing my hair back over my shoulders. I stood as though at attention in front of Ethan, waiting for my next instructions.
He took a long moment where he didn’t say anything. He just stared at me. His eyes raked over my exposed skin, lingering on my breasts and between my thighs. I wasn’t wearing anything particularly sexy as far as underwear went, but they weren’t granny panties either. Bikini cut underwear and a low slung bra that exposed the tops of my breasts went a long way to compensate for the lack of frills and the dull beige color.
I felt like I waited forever, just standing there in my underthings while Ethan examined me.
But finally, he spoke. “Lay down on the desk, please.” His tone was polite, almost pleasant. It was a tone he might use to talk to a friend about the damn weather.
Forcing myself not to tremble, I hesitated for just a second, then turned around so I could sit on the desk. Immediately, I decided that was a bad idea, because now I could see Louis. It was impossible to not notice that he was watching, just as attentive as Ethan.