Page 25 of Master A-0011

“God dammit, Pearl.”

He lifted me, carrying me into the bedroom. We hit the bed hard, bouncing at our fall, and I went wild.

“Marriage? Get off of me! I knew you’d give me away. I knew you were lying.Get. Off!”

But Ethan didn’t. He restrained my arms, burying his face in my neck, sucking hard against my skin as he forced his weight to rest between my legs. He was moaning, pinning me, and tearing the straps of my dress down as his lips traveled to the hollow of my shoulder. I screamed, shaking my head back and forth, but he didn’t stop as his teeth grazed the scars, sucking harder. His tongue dipped into the missing part of my shoulder and my sobs only grew. I was crying so hard I couldn’t breathe. Disgust and shame wouldn’t leave me, and my mind wouldn’t grasp…how? How he could be doing this?Touching me. Tasting me. Kissing and sucking against my scars.How?

“Stop. Master, stop!”

“No.”

“Master.”

I tried wrestling my arms free from being trapped and surprisingly he let me. As he moved over the scar across my chest, running his tongue over the length, my hand shot to his hair. I held on tightly as he moved down, latching to my nipple. I cried out at the pleasure that nearly erased everything.

“I said stop.” I pulled back with almost all my strength. Hair broke free of his scalp, and still, it wasn’t enough. “You can’t do this. Ethan.Ethan O’Brien.”

His eyes lifted at his last name, and he broke the suction, but his tongue circled the hard nub as he looked at me almost contemplating some big secret.

“Stop, dammit. You’re getting married.”

“I am,” he smiled.

“Get the hell off me.”

The laugh had me pulling his hair harder. Slowly, he lifted, the smug smile only growing and feeding my new rage. I reared back, hitting my fist into his chest.

“Look at that. Quite brave of you, Pearl.”

“You’re getting rid of me anyway. Maybe I’ll die with my new Master. Maybe I’d rather just have you get it over with.”

The words fell easily. With them, a truth I couldn’t deny became exposed. Silence was an easy cover. You could lose your sense of self in the nothingness. To speak took bravery, and it was all I had left. What it pointed to was an end. An end that I was suddenly more than ready for.

Master A-0011

“You want to die?”

“Why not?”

“I should flip you over and tear into your ass. I won’t. I gotta say, I think I like you like this. No apologies. No begging me to allow you to stay. I wasn’t sure if you had it in you.” I caught her wrist as she went to hit me again. I rotated her arm, running my tongue over the scar marring her skin. Pearl was breathing out of her mouth, deep and uneven breaths that exposed more pain than she’d ever admit out loud. “I’m going to kiss you again. I’d suggest not biting me this time.”

“I’ll do it.”

I lowered, getting closer to her mouth.

“You really don’t want to keep hurting me, Pearl.”

“Why not? You hurt me. You’re a liar.A cheat.Some beautiful woman out there thinks she’s found her perfect match, and look what you’re doing. Do you have any remorse? Do you even care that you’re breaking vows? Promises? Is it so easy for you to—” She stopped. “You’re an actor. Of course lying is easy. That’s beside the point,” she snapped. “When you say something, you’re supposed to mean it. Your word is supposed to be everything. No one gives a fuck about their word anymore.No one knows the true definition of loyalty or,” she sobbed, “truth. No one cares about anyone but themselves. I hate this life. I h-hate people.”

Words died off as I stroked back her hair, and she cried harder. She tried moving her head away from me, but I followed.

“Are you done?”

“Are y-you done?Can you get off me now so I can pack? I don’t have much, but I’m taking my dresses with me. I don’t care that you bought them.”

I laughed, and the pout had me lowering to brush my lips to hers.

“I do think you’re beautiful.”