her, but the heavy palm that shot down to grip my shoulders abruptly stopped me.
My head snapped up to Darren to be met with a serious scowl, and a slow shake
of his head, a reminder that I was not to move or speak without his permission and
fucking that up would mean days in that fucking cage again. And I was not going
back there. But I couldn’t stop my eyes from burning with rage as I realized that
Darren had known the entire time where Kayla was and he never told me. Never
cared to share that his best friend was her new owner. I felt murder in my veins.
But instead of acting out, I released a slow, heavy breath and calmed my shit.
I felt my stomach knot up as I tried to catch my breath while relief and terror
came crumbling down my spine. I kept myself very still and just concentrated on
Kayla’s face, hoping to God she was okay, but if this Matthew Rainer was anything
like Darren, I knew she wasn’t.
“Are you okay?” I mouthed quietly to her, hoping she could see my movements
under the table.
She gave me a sad smile and just blinked. She was obviously terrified to move.
As dinner was served, I wondered if Kayla and I would be eating at all, but at this
point, I wasn’t interested in food. I wanted to crawl across the floor and hug her
until she was nothing but crushed bits in my arms. That was when Darren tapped
my shoulder, and I looked up at him with my stupidly sad doughy eyes. I couldn’t
contain them.
“Open your mouth,” he ordered, ignoring my small sign of distress. And then I
realized he held a fork with a small piece of meat on it. Reluctantly, I opened my
mouth, and he placed the fork inside. I wrapped my lips around the meat and
chewed. It was a pot roast, and the meat melted against my tongue as I swallowed. I
looked over to see that Kayla was receiving the same treatment.
Throughout the entire dinner, Darren continued to feed me until he was
satisfied I had enough, which was much more than I was capable. By the time
dinner was done, I had thought I would burst. I found it difficult to concentrate on
their conversation with my only interest being Kayla.
From what I could tell, they reminisced about old times. Apparently, they had
been friends since they were kids. They discussed sports, Daniel’s upcoming
firstborn, and a recent hunting trip Matt went on. That was it; nothing really
worthy of me listening to, and I had a feeling Darren had previously discussed
appropriate dinner conversations while I was present. Not a word of business.
Clever motherfucker.
And then, I suddenly felt it. The small pressure in my sinuses that threatened to
make an entrance in a room that was unwelcomed.
I had to sneeze.
I held it back as best I could, fighting the tickle with every ounce of strength I
possessed, but eventually, it came out. With more control than I thought possible, I
somehow managed to make it sound like the cutest sneeze anyone on the planet
had ever made.
The conversation went quiet after my sneeze, and I shrank into myself, hoping I
had not drawn too much attention. I dared an apologetic look up at Darren, and to
my surprise, he gave me the most tender smile as if that was the most adorable
thing he had ever heard. Thank God.
He reached his hand down to the side of my face and drew my head to rest on his
thigh, petting my hair before returning to his conversation. It actually felt nice to
rest on something, so I just relaxed against him.
I also found it difficult not to squirm on the floor as the pressure in my legs was
becoming unbearable. I was not used to sitting like this for such a long period of
time while Kayla, on the other hand, was perfectly still, almost seeming
comfortable. I felt awful that she was obviously used to this. Bastard.
Once dinner was over, Darren helped me to my feet, and Matt did the same with
Kayla. The four of us walked into a parlor across from the dining room, and Darren
and Matt sat down on a long couch, while Kayla sat on her heels at Matt’s feet.
Darren pulled me to sit between his legs where he began to play with my hair.
“What are you drinking tonight?” Matt asked as he stepped toward the bar.
“Scotch,” Darren answered.
Matt began to pour the drink into a glass when he suddenly stopped and looked
up.
“Ya know what? I have an idea,” he said. “Let’s let the ladies enjoy the fresh air
in the backyard. We’ll be able to watch
