Page 49 of Born for Silk
Feeding a bloody heart to Odio wasn’t quite what I wanted to be the everlasting image in his, I mean, their mind’s eye. I bury the thought of the king, ram it down because I will have Meaningful Purpose with or without his affections.
So, I lift a strawberry and bite into it, the juices sliding over my lips. I can feel the liquid trailing down my chin just as keenly as I feel the heat of their eyes tracking its path.
“Allow me.”
My heart pounds in my ears as I spin around and peer up, met by the smooth smile of Lord Darwin. He manages the southernmost Fishing Trade, though the Half-tower is notoriously corrupt and often dangerous.
Getting all too close, he lifts his thumb to my lip. “You’ve made a mess. What is it about you, then? That has the king rescuing you himself, I wonder.”
I blink fast and shuffle from foot to foot, immediately uncomfortable, realising I’m in no way prepared to be touched by a man I do not know.
How can that be?
Iris was right—I am odd. I was more content with blood dripping down my fingers than with this man’s thumb on my lower lip. Closing my eyes, I inhale steadily to not offend him by flinching under his attention.
He’s wiping the juices, moving my lip beneath his thumb as he does when the curt voice of a nearby Guard booms. “Do not touch the Silk Girls.”
My pulse races as His gaze hits me like lightning cracking through a dark tunnel.
I search for him, feeling him acutely in every cell, but don’t find him. My hands immediately start to sweat, unsettled by the feeling of being watched.
“Everyone out while I eat,” Rome suddenly orders, a slow but thundering timbre to match the storm his presence brews around me.
Everyone heads quickly for the door.
I drop the strawberries and trail them.
“Not you,” he states, and I look up to find him sauntering toward me with his dark leather armour partly open, exposing a long triangle valley of tattoos down his hard, carved chest.
I grip the table to steady myself.
There is no fuss from the guests. The other Silk Girls leave; Ana glances over her shoulder; Daisy and Blossom duck away quietly; Iris smirks, enjoying that I am in trouble.
Lord Bled holds the door open as all other guests pass through the frame, and then he closes it behind him.
The door clicks, and within a second, Rome is hovering over me. One of his huge hands is gripping my hip and spinning me to face the banquet table.
He slides a hand between my thighs and lifts me from my core. Slinging me over the table, he presses my torso down, my cheek stamping the glossy top, heavy exhale misting the surface.
My legs dangle.
Toes try to find the ground.
“You’ll learn that some attention is not good for little girls,” he hisses.
I gasp, squirming under the weight of his large palm, only my backside moving while I don’t stand a chance to wriggle free. He’s so large, even larger now that he is angry with me for disturbing his party.
“I’m sorry about Odio,” I whimper.
“Always answering back.”
Holding me still, he slides his hand down to my thigh, then runs his fingers to lift my skirting up until my backside is bare. He spanks the flesh.
I cry out. “I said I was sorry!”
“Always speaking out of turn. Did I give you permission to speak? Did I give you permission to touch my pet or share your lips or smile with other men?”
I’m so confused but too scared to think straight. “No, my king. You didn’t.”