The Bet

Chapter 2

Waking up, I groaned. My body was sore everywhere. The muscle tightness started at my neck and went all the way to the bottoms of my feet. "Good morning," Tommy mumbled from beside me.

It'd been less than ten hours since I agreed to stay. Since I agreed to be his in whatever way that meant to him. I didn't regret it. Not yet, but just like with Carson, I was sure I would eventually.

He'd said a lot of promising things last night. Loyalty. Fidelity. Not laying his hands on me. And the promise of endless orgasms. Carson had been the same in the beginning, but those promises had faded quickly.

"Morning," I answered him shyly.

"How did you sleep?"

"Does it count as sleep if I literally passed out from so many orgasms?"

"I think so," he laughed lightly. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," I said right before my stomach grumbled loudly.

"Come on. Loretta has probably already been here,"

"Who's Loretta?" I asked.

"My housekeeper. She cooks breakfast too."

"Is that who cooked breakfast yesterday morning?"

"And here I was trying to take the credit." He laughed softly at his own words.

He was being sweet. And it made me nervous. Carson was only this sweet when he needed to make up for knocking me around. So far Tommy hadn't done anything, but maybe this was to make up for whatever he thought he might do.

"Come on."

"I only have the clothes I wore to the poker game," I said.

"I'll get you set up with a credit card from my account. Order whatever you want. Or I can have one of my guys take you shopping."

"I can't go alone?"

"Too dangerous. Carson will stop at nothing to get you back."

"Why? He didn't ever really love me."

"It's not about love, Princess. It's about control. Dominance. Power. Possession. You were his possession."'

"And now I'm yours." The words should make me angry. But I'd admitted them easily. Resorting myself down to a man's property wasn't feminist. It was archaic and harmful. But it didn't stop it from being true.

Without another word Tommy stood from the bed and went into the gigantic closet. He came back with a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. "These will do for now."

"Thanks," I said.

He tugged on a pair of joggers and his own t-shirt before he guided me out of his bedroom and towards the kitchen. His cell phone was on the island and it was ringing.

"Carson," he said as he looked at it. He waited until it stopped ringing to unlock it. "He's called a hundred times since last night." He switched apps. "Lots of texts too."

"Don't tell me what they say," I told him. I didn't want to know the vile things he was spewing about me to Tommy. I was a whore obviously, and a slut and a bitch. I belonged to Carson not to him. That would be a good summary off what he'd be saying.

"Loretta always puts breakfast in the warming drawer below the oven," he said pointing to the drawer.

"I always just use that spot to store pans."

"Don't let Loretta hear you say that. It's blasphemy in her religion."

I chuckled at him while walking to the oven to get breakfast. As soon as I opened the drawer, the smell of French toast hit my nostrils. It smelled cinnamony and sweet and I couldn't wait to dig in.