I had zero interest in doing either.
After dinner, we retired to Darren’s bedroomand watched Mr. & Mrs. Smith in his bed. Technically, Iwatched it while he read some proposals from whateverother illegal business he was probably running. When I calledhim out on it, I did not expect the reaction he gave.
“Jaden, I’m only going to tell you thisonce,” he said with a very serious tone, eyes glaring at me. I feltmy heart quicken. “Don’t ever ask me about my business. It doesn’tconcern you and it never will. Understand?”
I furrowed my brows and gave him a look.Well, someone was secretive.
“I just have one noninvasive question,” Isaid as I glared back at him.
“What,” he said with that stupid warninglook in his eye.
“Just how exactly do you sleep at nightknowing you’ve destroyed the lives of so many young girls?” I askedangrily. I probably shouldn’t have said it like that, but hewas being an asshole now.
Leaning toward me,he spoke with more conviction than God and stared directlyinto my eyes, sending a chill down my spine. “Like a baby.”
I shook my head at him, disgusted by hislack of empathy for the misery of others; misery he created for hisown selfish desires. Turning back to the TV, I laid on my stomach,resting my head on my arms and just stared at the floor,wallowing in a shadow that threatened to consume not onlyme but also everyone else who camein contact. Darren was a goddamn disease that needed to beeradicated. Quickly.
How could he be so cruel? To have no regardor consideration for human life and revel in the destruction leftbehind in your wake. I truly belonged to a monster, and thecomprehension of it made me sick to my stomach.
“I’m going to go to bed if you don’t mind,”I said getting up. “I suddenly don’t feel well.”
“You’re sleeping with me tonight, Jaden,” hesaid, his eyes still on his paperwork.
I turned around and scowled at him. As if Ihad any interest in sharing a bed with him tonight, especiallyafter what he had just revealed.
“Can I, atleast, go change and wash up?”
“Ten minutes,” he said. I nodded and headedout of his room. Relief flooded me, but it was only for a briefmoment.
In eight minutes, I had washed up andreturned in one of my lacy nighties. I was back in his bed beforehe had even moved.
“I knew I would like those on you,” he saidsmiling at me as I entered the room. “But it hits the floor whenthose lights go out.”
Yeah, yeah …
I didn’t say a word as I walked around tothe other side of the bed, pulled back the covers, and climbed in.Settling against the pillows, my back facing Darren, I curled theblankets around me until I was nothing but a ball of warmth andJaden.
After a few minutes, Darren got up, used thebathroom, took off his shirt and pants, and climbed into bed with me. His arm reached over, pulledme all the way toward his side, and removed my nightgown beforetucking me against him. Burying his nose in my hair, he inhaleddeeply and relaxed against me, resting his chin on top of myhead.
“I’m sorry I upset you, Jaden,” he saidsoftly, and his sudden apology surprisedme though I doubted he meant it. “But I’m not sorry for thethings I do, and one day, you’ll learn to accept that. I am who Iam and there’s no changing it. The best way for you to understandme is to refrain from questioning me.”
“But I want to understand you. How am Isupposed to accept your will if I can’t understand where it comesfrom?”
“Just rely on my rules and you’ll be able tofigure it out from there.”
I released a sigh and just sank into themattress while his arm crushed me to his body. I shook my headlightly and closed my eyes, falling heavily into the sleep I hadbeen craving since he’d woke me upfrom my nap.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Branded
The rest of the week went by in a blur.Thankfully, I only had to sleep in Darren’s bed on the weekendssince most of the time he’d be away on business, but there were afew times I woke up in the middle of the night to find him betweenmy legs. It was very hard not to fight him on instinct then, as italways scared the shit out of me.
Some days, I wore his clothes, and somedays, I wore a dress. I still spent my time in my room while Darrenwas away at work, but luckily, he would let me bring one bookfrom the library upstairs with me each day. It helped to keep myboredom at bay since I could only practice yoga for so long beforeit got old. I had managed to beat my forty-two-second handstand now that I had so much moretime on my hands. I was now at forty-six seconds.
Eventually,I gathered the courage to ask Darren for an iPod so I could listento music. I somehow managed to convince him it would keep me saneand calm while he was away. So at the beginning of the week, Darrenpresented me with gift-wrapped box at breakfast. It contained asilver and pink iPod with headphones and access to an iTunesaccount. He just loved to torture me with pink.
So long as I behaved, I could download tensongs a week, though he had to approve them first. I was sograteful, I could have cried, but Darren saw to my repaymentfor his generosity with an under-the-table session while hefinished reading his morning paper. I didn't plan to ask him foranother thing for the rest of my captivity after that if Icould help it.
I fucking hated how he kept me locked up inmy room all day while he was gone. It angered me to the point ofabsolute rage, but I tried to rationalize it from his point ofview. He didn’t trust me. That was understandable. I wouldn’t trustme either. But it didn’t mean I couldn’t hate it any less. I triedto be good, hoping that when my week of reflection was over, he’drelease me from my room since he would
