I plug in my phone to the setup of the car stereo. Damn I love technology. The car might look like it just came off the line in 1970, but updates are everywhere on the dash. I scan my playlists and go with blues. Blues feels right for this drive.
We aren’t ten minutes from the gas station when she breaks the silence. “I have to pee.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you say anything before we left the gas station?”
“I didn’t have to go at the gas station.”
A sign flashes for an exit for restaurants in forty miles. I nod at the sign. “You can wait until we get to that exit. We’ll find a restaurant and you’ll be a good girl. Remember, I have Taylor under surveillance. I’d rather be the one to pull the trigger, but all I need to do is make a phone call and he’s dead.”
Her gasp is loud over the wail of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar. “Why can’t you let me go and tell Johnny I escaped? I’ll disappear. I promise you won’t be able to find me, no one will.”
I shake my head. “It’s too late for that. You’re mine. I keep what is mine. Run and I’ll be right behind you.”
A hand goes up to wipe her eyes.
“Still have to pee or are you giving up on trying to make a run for it?”
“I have to pee, you asshole.” She spits the words at me.
It’s a good thing it’s dark and she can’t see me smile. I like her fire. It’s going to have to go but for now, I like it.
Pulling into a fast-food place with the lights still on, I see the door opens right into the hallway for the restrooms. Good. Then I see it
, I can’t believe it, there are five cars in the parking lot and at least a dozen people milling around inside.
“I’m hungry. Can you please get me something to eat while I use the restroom?”
“No, you’re going to use the restroom and we’ll order your food together. Behave, Regina. These civilians don’t deserve to be dropped into the middle of this.”
She hangs her head and nods. Good girl. I take her hands and remove the cuffs. Taking a minute, I rub the skin to get her blood flowing. Soft, small, her wrists are fragile in my hands. I hear her breathing catch, and it goes straight to my cock. She might think she’s in love with a moron, but she likes my touch. This close her hair smells like cherries and her perfume is Joy, and fuck I want to lick it off her skin. She tries to tug away from me, I grasp her tight, needing her to know I choose when I stop touching her. Underneath my thumb, her pulse is pounding fast. Now I let her go.
I get out of the car and am pleased when she waits for me to open her door. I beep the car locked. “Wait, I need my bag.”
“No, you don’t.”
“It’s got women’s stuff in it, I—”
I give her a look. Her head goes down and she stops talking. My hand goes around her arm and I walk her into the restaurant. The bathroom is empty, it’s a large single room with one toilet, no windows and a lock from the inside. “You have three minutes.”
Her jaw drops, she doesn’t say anything, just slams the door. I check my watch for the time. She’s out in only two and a half minutes.
My hand is around her arm again as I guide her to the main area. There are a few people milling around, an older man is ordering at the counter and a couple are waiting for their order. I look down to see Regina studying the menu. When the older man is done, I nudge her forward. She places her order.
The young girl behind the counter looks to me and blushes as she asks what I would like. I give the girl a smile as I tell her I’m not ordering, I’m just paying. As I let Regina go to pull out my money clip, I notice she’s stiff as she looks from me to the girl. The girl takes the twenty with a smile then slowly counts out the change into my palm. Another girl hands Regina her bag of food and a drink. Regina tries to pull away from me when my hand goes around her arm, I tighten my grip.
We’re barely out of the restaurant before she lets loose. “She was a little young, don’t you think?”
I unlock the car and open her door. “Fuck yes she is, and so are you. I told you, I’m not one of those gross fuckers who is into young girls. I’m not going to be an asshole to some little girl to make you feel better.”
“So you’re just an asshole to me?”
“I’m an asshole to most people, but not girls and kids. You might be a girl, but you’re mine and you need to get used to it.”
“I’m not a girl.”
“Then act like a fucking woman,” I snap at her. Wanting her doesn’t allow me to forget how young she is. “A grown-ass woman would not be jealous of me smiling at a little girl. I didn’t fuck teenagers when I was one. I haven’t fucked anyone under twenty-five in over a decade. You make the idea less appealing by the hour. By our wedding night I’m going to have to either be drunk or tape your mouth shut to get it over with.”
Christ, I’m lying. All I want to do is tear that ugly dress off her and get lost in her body. Is it the arguing that’s making my cock hard? No woman has ever argued with me before, they knew better.