The Price of Mason (Forbidden Men 10)

I wanted to snarl at her and command her not to call Reese that. Teresa. It was still unreal to learn she had a completely different name.

“Let’s just get this over with,” I muttered, eyeing the door with a longing glance.

“Oh, I don’t think so.” She caught my chin and yanked my face around, forcing me to look her in the eye and take in her narrowed glare and pinched lips. “I have you right where I want you; we’re taking our time and lasting the entire night.” Her lips spread with pleasure. “Remember that time I kept you tied to my bed until dawn so I could climb on and ride you whenever I wanted?”

Dread curled down my spine.

No. Not again.

Swallowing a hard knot in my throat, I ripped off my shirt. In the past, she’d only used her restraint system as a form of punishment. If I complied and did everything she wanted, I’d get out of here faster.

She laughed smugly at my sudden obedience. Not moving an inch as she stepped close to trace the slopes and dips of my pecs and abs, I closed my eyes as she bragged, “I was the first to ever touch these.” Her expression momentarily screwed into a grimace when she focused on my tattoo that said, Make Me. But just as quickly, she ignored it and carried on. “You’ll never be able to escape the fact that I came first. I own you like no one else does.”

Fuck you, I screamed silently inside my head, just barely keeping myself from saying it out loud. She couldn’t own me. She didn’t even know me.

Feeling as if I were being smeared with depravity every place she got me, I glanced up at the ceiling and gritted my teeth when she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to my chest. When I didn’t react enough for her pleasure, she bit me, making me flinch. Then she sucked at my flesh, marking me, marring me with her filth, and crumbling my soul to ash within her wicked grip.

This was what I was, a dirty toy for dirty women to play with.

I’d tried to escape it, but it was a futile effort. I’d always be a second-rate human, good for nothing but rich bitches to control. I’d gained nothing. I hadn’t grown up at all or learned any lessons. I was just the stupid, naïve kid whose yard she’d walked into two years ago before she’d convinced me to fuck her.

I felt sick to my stomach. A cold sweat covered my skin. Why the hell was I doing this again? To help Reese? Except doing this exact same thing with Monica hadn’t helped Reese at all, had it? Would it really protect her this time either?

I didn’t know, but I was too scared to take the chance.

Closing my eyes, I tried to go to my happy place, to block out what was happening when Patricia reached between my legs and grabbed me roughly through my jeans. But all I saw in my happy place was Reese, and pain squeezed tightly around my chest.

Her voice echoed through my head. The light is inside you, she’d told Sarah, not anywhere else. No one else can really make you happy but you. You just have to remember to turn on that place inside you that makes you glow, and you’ll make it through any hard time that comes at you.

Come on, come on, come on, I begged my inner light. Turn the fuck on already so I can see what to do. Sleeping with this woman didn’t feel right. But leaving Reese vulnerable felt worse. No matter what I did, it’d be wrong. Why wasn’t there a right side to any of this?

Then do what you WANT to do, a little voice inside me said. If you’re fucked either way and no way feels right, why be fucked and miserable?

Jesus. That realization felt so logical and right that I opened my eyes, feeling my inner light finally click on. I looked down at the woman in front of me who was unzipping my pants.

And I caught he

r wrist, stopping her.

She looked up at me, her robe falling open to reveal the pure white teddy she wore. “Ask me,” she commanded, her voice filled with triumph.

This was where I was supposed to ask her what her fantasy was.

But the only thing I said was, “Fuck you.”

Then I spit in her face, making her screech out a strangled gasp of surprise, before I snatched up my shirt and walked out of her bedroom, leaving her sputtering behind me.

* * *

“Mason!” Patricia finally managed to screech by the time I was halfway down the hall.

“I changed my mind,” I called over my shoulder, tugging the shirt on and not stopping, not even slowing down. “I love Reese, and she is the only person allowed to do that to me.”

I felt free as I yelled it, relieved I was finally breaking loose from this cage.

“But…” She raced after me. “I’ll call him. I swear to God, I’ll call him right now. Do you want your Reese to die? Is that it?”

“If anyone touches her, I’ll kill him. Then I’ll come back and I’ll kill you.” I’d just reached the back door when I paused and glanced back. Making sure she knew I meant every word, I said, “Is that what you want, Patricia? Because that’s what I’d rather do than play your trite little games again. And I will. I’ll kill you first. I know just the place to hide your body where no one will ever find it.”