“Let’s go to thebar,” she said, yelling to be heard over the noise.
“Not happening.Let’s dance. Come on. We’ve got to find ourselves some good-looking men.”Rhianna screamed each word for her to hear.
Dragging her ontothe dance floor, Rhianna let out a hoot and laughed along with her, Claire startedto dance. There was no rule from Gabriel about her not having fun. It didn’ttake long for someone to wrap an arm around Rhianna.
Claire felt a bodybehind her. It wasn’t Gabriel, but rather than judge, she just danced anyway,allowing herself to be taken by the fun and heat of the night.
She spun around,wrapping an arm around his neck, dancing. Whenever he got too close with hisbody, she made sure there was more distance.
There was noinvitation here. When he didn’t seem to be getting the idea that it was justdancing, she pulled away, and the man let her go, moving on to other women. Shestumbled toward the bar, ordering herself some water.
Rhianna washurting and Claire had a feeling the guy at the charity event was a lot morethan just an acquaintance.
She thanked thebartender and sipped at her water, watching her friend.
“What’s abeautiful woman like you doing all alone here?”
She turned to seea man with short, black hair and a smile, clearly sexy, dressed in jeans and awhite shirt.
“Is that thestandard pickup line?” Near the bar, the noise wasn’t so consuming. Peoplecould talk without shouting. It was nice.
“It usually works.Have you heard it before?”
She laughed. “Notin a long time.”
“So you should be impressed.”
“Being picked upin a bar isn’t impressive. Now over coffee, that’s something different.”Realizing what she’d just said, heat filled her cheeks. “I’m not telling you toask me out for coffee or anything.”
“You’re charming.Has anyone ever told you that?”
She pressed herlips together and shook her head. “Not recently.” She wasn’t about to tell himher ex referred to her as a weirdo.
“I’m Lucas.” Heheld his hand out.
She shook hishand.
His grip was firm.He didn’t let go of her hand as he drew it to his lips, kissing her.
“And you’re acharmer.”
“I like to thinkof myself as old-fashioned.”
“Right,” she saidwith a chuckle. “I’m just me.”
“Hello, Just Me.”
“Stop it.” Shewaved her hand in front of her. “You’re flirting, stop.”
“I don’t see aring on your finger and any guy who lets you out on your own, well, that’s theirloss and I have to say they don’t deserve you.”
She thought aboutGabriel. “I’m not … taken.”
“Well, then, howabout I take you on that dance floor and show you what it feels like to belongto me?”
“She’s taken.”Gabriel suddenly pressed against her back, his hand snaking around her waist.
She tensed up.
“Oh, I thought shesaid—”
“Fuck off.”
Gabriel grabbedher hand and once again, she was being pulled to wherever he wanted her. Shetried to fight him off, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“Damn it, Gabriel.Let me go,” she said.
He ignored her andrather than cause a scene because Rhianna was close by, he moved them away sono one could hear. “Your sister will be able to see,” she said.
“Rhianna is beingtaken care of as we speak.”
They passedseveral guards, all of which were there to see her humiliation as he pulled herlike a rag doll to wherever he wanted. It pissed her off.
“Will you stop!”
He slammed thedoor and let her go.
At least he hadn’tpushed her up against a wall or tried to have his way with her. Gabriel pacedand she watched him, aware of his anger.
“You’re not fucking taken? I heard that right!”
“Gabriel?”
“You’re mine,Claire. No other man gets to touch you, do you understand that?” He stood infront of her, anger coming off him in waves.
She stumbled backand he growled. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“I know.”
“Then what the fuck was that? Why are you dressed like that?”
“Rhianna wanted tohave some fun.” She glanced down at the white dress. Yes, it was revealing,enhancing her small waist, large hips, and tits, but she liked it. “What’swrong with the way I’m dressed? If my memory serves, youand I, we’re not … together. You’re using me. We’ve had seven days. That’s it. Twenty-sixdays left. That’s all we’ve got.”
She nibbled on herlip as he glared down at her. Did she sound desperate? That wasn’t what she wasgoing for. This arrangement with Gabriel wasn’t right. “We should just end it now.”
“No,” he said.
“You don’t get todecide.”
“But I do.” Hestepped toward her and she moved back. He kept on coming and she tried to putdistance between them, but it didn’t work. She fell back on the sofa and hefollowed her down.
“You keep trappingme,” she said.
“I think you likebeing kept in one place.”
“You’ve got a highopinion of yourself,” she said.
“You like what Ido to you, Claire. You can’t deny it.”
“So you know how to make a woman beg. It’s not like it’ssomething you haven’t done before.”
“I haven’t heardyou beg,” he said. “I’ve gone easy on you. You think you know everything thereis to know about me.”
“I do.”
He cupped herknees and pushed underneath her dress. “You can stop me at any time. If that’swhat you want to do.”
She didn’t speak,didn’t even mutter a sound.
Watching him, shewaited. He shoved her back, pushing the dress out of his way. He tore away herpanties and spread her legs.
“You’ve got such apretty pussy. You know I think about this all day?”
“No, you don’t,” shesaid.
He smiled. “But Ido. It’s all I can think about.” He ran his fingers across her flesh. His touchsoft, gentle. “Spread your lips for me.”
“Gabriel.”
“Right now, I wantto go downstairs and fuck up the face of that bastard.You want to be responsible for me hurting someone?”
“That won’t be myfault.”
“You can distractme now.”
“This is blackmail.”
“You know you wantit.
“Doesn’t make itright,” she said.
“You need to stopthinking. Just do as you’re told.”
She wanted tofight him, but she didn’t like the thought of him hurting someone or evengetting hurt himself. It
