I thought about calling his bluff. But nothing from my previous interactions with Phantom made me think he had a bluff to call when making threats.
I got out of the car but made sure to be real huffy about it as I did.
However, I slowed outside the door Victor had left slightly ajar.
What would happen in there?
The answer unspooled in my head like a movie.
He’d order me around in there too. It would be just like the Bentley ride. Him gleefully manipulating me and me struggling to catch up.
But I wasn’t the girl I used to be, a silly doormat overwhelmed by his sheer power. I had to endure some of his BS to keep my family safe. But I didn’t have to put up with all of it. I could take back some control….
5
With a steadying breath, I pushed open the door and walked into what turned out to be a front hall with a living room to the left and a dining room to the right.
Victor was waiting near the set of dark wood stairs that led up to the second floor. It was quite the dichotomy. A raven had landed inside the Suburban Dreams layout.
He raised his hands as soon as I came in, but I didn’t give him a chance to talk.
“So are we doing this or what?” I asked.
He stopped. Frowned. Then signed, “Doing what?”
It was all I could do not to let out a triumphant whoop. For once, it was him struggling to keep up.
“Sex,” I answered. I wasn’t signing, but I also wasn’t Dawn “never seen a dick in her life” Kingston anymore. I met his eyes boldly to add, “Your father was a monster, and now you’re a monster. So I figured sex would be part of the deal.”
His face went stony, and I crooked my head. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did I mess up your plan to revenge fuck me without consent? I figured if it would make you feel better about things, yeah, okay, why not? It’s been a while, and I could use the distraction after getting kidnapped-married after graduation. If you want, I can go back outside and roleplay like I’m super scared and overwhelmed.”
Of course, I wasn’t nearly as confident as I sounded. I wasn’t Dawn “never seen a dick in her life” anymore. But I also wasn’t Dawn “knows how to stand up to a beautiful gangster bent on revenge.” More like Dawn “I hope I don’t throw up while faking like I’m tough stuff,” which admittedly only sounds slightly cooler than Dawn “never seen a dick.”
But whatever. I hit a nerve.
If looks were knives, I’m sure the one Victor gave me would have sliced me open.
Then he said, “Go straight to the bedroom at the end of the hall. Take off your clothes. I will meet you there. Do not lie down.”
My stomach dropped. Oh, wow, this was really happening. Typical Dawn. I hadn’t thought beyond the part where I reversed our power dynamic the best I could.
Seeing my hesitation, Victor’s eyes flashed with malicious triumph.
Okay, nope. I refused to let this domineering bastard bask in my fear. Self-doubt be gone.
I smirked and gave my shoulders a big-ass shrug. “Alright. I’ll meet you upstairs.”
I didn’t wait for him to respond. Just strutted up the stairs, following his instructions. But on my terms.
I easily found the room he mentioned. It was the only one with an open door. Obviously a master, it was almost as large as the suite at Victor’s apartment in Japan. So big, I had a feeling they’d paid a contractor to knock out a wall or something to fit the large bed and mini-living room, complete with a couch and a winged back chair, which sat next to a brick fireplace framed in elegant white plaster.
This room also looked like it could easily win a feature in that Suburban Dreams mag, except for one thing. A mirror covered one entire wall. What the hell?
Usually, I’m not a huge fan of getting naked in front of mirrors. There seemed to be a law that every dressing room on the globe had to feature harsh overhead beams that highlighted every fat dimple, stretchmark, and wobbly line of cellulite.
But the light in this room was good. Soft and flattering. I stripped off my clothes and left them in a pile on the floor.
Then I waited. And waited. And waited some more.
Old thought patterns from high school began to swirl around my head. Maybe he no longer wanted me that way. Maybe the curves I’d learned to flaunt over the last four years turned him off. Maybe he’d only sent me up here to play more of his fucked up mind games, and he wasn’t even planning to join me? Plus, I was getting cold…
I was thinking of putting back on some clothes and going downstairs to see if he was still there when he appeared behind me in the mirror. Like a ghost. Or a vampire.
