The Bet

Chapter 3

"No! No!" Leave me alone. "Stop! I'm sorry. I'll fix it."

"Don't touch me!"

"Claire," I heard someone call my name. "Claire. Princess. Wake up."

My eyes snapped open and I was covered in sweat. Another nightmare. I'd been having them more recently. I couldn't understand why. I'd never actually had them when I was with Carson, but now he haunted all of them.

"You were having another nightmare," Tommy said. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," I replied, trying my best to control my breathing.

"He can't hurt you. I won't let him."

Sweet words, but I still didn't understand his motivation. If he couldn't love me, if he wasn't capable of it, then why was he so concerned about my well being? No sex was that good.

"Go shower, I'll change the sheets." I'd soaked them completely through with the amount of sweating I'd done.

See?

Were men always that sweet to women when it was just sex? If it was just sex, why were we sharing a room and a bed when there were six other bedrooms in this place? Four now that I'd turned one into my closet and another into a home gym, but still. There was more than enough for him to have given me my own bedroom, to just come to me whenever he wanted sex, but he hadn't.

"Thanks," I said standing from the bed. The silk night gown I'd ordered when I'd ordered all the other lingerie was clinging to my body.

I'd been living with Tommy for a week. I came and went as I pleased, with Daniels as my escort. I really liked the old man. He gave me space while we were in stores, but I could tell that his eyes were always alert, constantly assessing for a potential threat. Tommy was busy. I didn't know with what. I'd only asked about his business once and was promptly shutdown. "Not your business, princess," he'd said. He was right of course. It wasn't my business, but any good Mafia woman knew at least a little bit? Didn't she? I didn't know anything about Carson's business dealings, but after the first time he'd beat me, I'd stopped caring.

Tommy was nearly always as sweet as he was just now. When he was around he was caring, attentive, conscious of my needs. Truly, he was the perfect boyfriend, except that's not what he was. So far, he'd kept all of his promises. I'd found no trace of another woman on him. He gave me countless orgasms every day. He hadn't hit me. I was constantly well fed and well cared for. I felt like an obedient pet some times, but still, it wasn't bad.

How did he honestly expect me not to fall for him? Hard and fast too when he did and said the things he did.

Turning on the spray of the water, my mind wandered back to a few nights ago, when we'd only been living together for a few days. "What do you want for dinner?" He'd asked me.

"Whatever you want is fine, baby." Why baby? Why not? Pet names may not be appropriate for the nature of our relationship, but he called me princess. His princess. So I could call him baby.

"Claire, I asked you a question and I'd like for you to answer it. I don't like when you don't tell me the truth. There must be something you're craving."

I'd stared at him. I was allowed to have my own choices? I absolutely wasn't allowed to have those when I was with Carson. I ate what he ate when he told me to eat it. That's how he kept me appropriately skinny. At least in his eyes and by his definition. I'd already put on a few pounds since being with Tommy.

"I'd actually really love some fajitas, a margarita, and some chips with guac and queso."

"Okay," he'd replied easily.