Page 29 of Sin Bin Bully

I cross my arms and keep my feet planted.

“I didn’t see you yesterday,” I reply.

“I was busy. Now do what I said and strip.”

“Busy with what?”

“That isn’t information that you need to know. If you don’t take your clothes off right now, I’ll do it for you.”

“Your mother was here.”

Finally, his expression changes. His usual brick wall demeanor fades a little. “I heard. Did she mess with you?”

I start to answer, but stop myself. I’m not really sure I want him to know the details of what she said to me.

“She was pretty rude, yeah,” is all I say.

He presses his lips together, nodding his head. “I’ll take care of it. She won’t have access to you again. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“You two don’t get along?”

His eyes snap to mine and he stands up, crossing the room. We’re in a dressing room of sorts in his mansion. One I’ve grown accustomed to.

“You’re doing a lot of talking. I don’t recall giving you that permission.”

“I don’t recall asking for it.”

He freezes. I know I shouldn’t have said it, but I don’t care. I want him to react to it. I want him to be as angry as I am at this situation.

But he doesn’t give me that. No, what he does is much worse than anger.

Sam turns around and sits back down on the rounded ottoman in the middle of the room. He says nothing, just looks at me.

And waits.

I know immediately that this is going to be a long night. The two of us are equally stubborn. I’ve now turned this into a game. A game where he waits for me to obey, and I stand here for as long as possible, not moving.

A game that we both know he’s going to win.

13

SAM

Sam

Yesterday…

I'm walking down the hall, my footsteps muffled by the plush carpet, when I hear my mother's voice. What the fuck is she doing here? I didn't invite her. I slow down, staying out of sight.

"Two million dollars," she says, her tone dripping with disdain. “Call that number and I will make sure you get paid. But only if you don’t encourage him. Let him get over this and then take the money and disappear. Don’t come after him; don’t go to the media. My son is going places, and you’re holding him up. He doesn’t belong with a girl like you, and he’ll see it soon enough.”

My fists clench at my sides. Rage boils in my veins, threatening to spill over. How dare she come into my home and talk to Kim like that? I want to storm in there and put her in her place, but something holds me back.

I need to know what Kim will say.

The silence stretches on, each second feeling like an eternity. My breath catches in my throat as I wait for Kim's response. It shouldn't matter. I'm not letting her go, no matter what she says. But still... I need to hear it.

But Kim says nothing. The next thing I hear is my mother's footsteps as she storms back out of my house.