A Debt Owed(3)

My father clears his throat as if to grab his attention. “I take it you’ll accept this agreement then?”

“Oh, yes.” The way Easton says it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“What?” I mutter. I can’t believe this. He honestly sold me to a rich asshole just to get rid of his loan? “I’m not a bargaining chip!” I exclaim. “How dare you?”

Easton grabs my chin, and says, “I dare because I’ve wanted nothing more than to own you, and now I do.” The smirk that follows makes me want to smack him, but I don’t think he’d let me.

“I’m not an object. I’m a person, and I don’t fucking agree with any of this,” I hiss, glaring right back at him, so he knows I mean it.

“Tsk … we’ll have to do something about that dirty mouth of yours,” he growls, licking his lips. “And I know just the thing.”

He grabs my wrist and drags me toward the door.

“Let go of me!” I yell, punching his arm, but he’s too strong for me.

“No, Charlotte,” he says. “You’re mine now to do with as I please.”

“Are you insane? Do you think you’ll get away with this?” I stare him down. “You don’t scare me.”

My eyes widen as he lifts up his shirt to reveal a gun.

“Do I scare you now?” he murmurs.

When I nod, a grin spreads on his lips that remind me of the devil.

“Good,” he says. “Now … don’t make a scene, and do as I say, and no one will be harmed.”

“You’re trying to sell me! Please, Father!” I call out as a final plea for help.

But my father ignores it. “Charlotte, do your duty to your family.”

I glance at the waitress, the only other person in this diner, but she completely ignores us. Easton probably paid her off to keep quiet.

“Charlotte …” Father adds. “Do this. For me. Please.”

That last word hits me hard, and I stop fighting Easton. My lungs suck the air in and out like no tomorrow as I gaze into my father’s sincere eyes. He’s never begged me for anything. This is the first … and probably the last time.

Easton leans toward me, whispering dark words into my ear. “Your father sold his soul to his company, and he paid the ultimate price.”

“What do you mean?” I mutter.

“The only way to pay it off was with you … Or with his life.”

My eyes widen as I face the guilt laced in my father’s eyes. He’s never looked at me like that … like he owes me his world. But he does. And now I have to pay with mine.

“No,” I whisper, tears welling up in my eyes. “His life or mine? No, I can’t do this. Don’t ask me to do this, please,” I beg my father, but he looks away in defeat.

My knees buckle, and I have to fight not to sink to the floor.

“Look at it this way,” Easton muses, holding me tight. “At least now you’ll both live, and you get to say you saved your father’s life.”

I shake my head. I can’t believe Easton’s doing this. How did such a sweet, innocent boy become such an evil man? “You’re a monster.”

His tongue slips out to wet his picture-perfect lips. “Don’t worry, Charlotte … This monster will take good care of you.” He drags me out of the establishment. “Now let’s go home.”





Chapter 2





Easton



After years of waiting and plotting, Charlotte Davis now belongs to me.

I’m surprised by how easily I could convince her father to give her up. With a little bit of pushing and the obvious threat to his life, he surrendered her as if it were no big deal.

But it is to me. She’s my little treasure to keep and use however I see fit.

A long time ago, at her father’s wedding, that girl stole my heart … and then stomped on it with her two-thousand dollar high heels a few years later.

I’ll prove to her how good I can be. I can’t fucking wait to get my hands all over her. I wonder if anyone’s touched her, if she’s kissed a man before … if she’s still a virgin.

That was one of the deal breakers for me, and her father knows this, so I hope he was right when he said he’s kept her away from other men for most of her life. It’s unfortunate I could only get to her after so much time had passed. I would’ve stolen her away from that wretched man long ago if I could have, but I simply didn’t have the leverage then that I do now.

And she will know the power I’ve accumulated.

A simple glance her way makes her cower in fear as she sits next to me in my car. She’s still looking at me like I’m the devil incarnate.

Sweet, innocent, gullible Charlotte … she doesn’t even know how lucky she is. There’s nothing to fear. I’ll treat her like the princess she thinks she is, and then I’ll make her grovel and beg me to pluck her cherry. Will she taste sweet or sour? I can’t fucking wait to find out.

But first, we need to eat. I’m famished. I haven’t eaten anything since I got off the plane. I had to come all the way from the Netherlands to the United States just to claim my end of the deal … her.

And now that I have her, I can’t wait to take her back to my home and ravage her night after night. But we should fill our stomachs first because we have a long trip ahead of us.