Bed of Nails

Chapter 79

“You should not have come here, doll."

His every step, cutting the distance between us, was making my heart beat so loudly. I had even asked Fargus to go away before walking inside his study. He didn't want to go away at first, but somehow I sent him away. I didn't want him to lose his job because he called me here. Looking at how mad he is after seeing me here, it feels like the right decision. He already looks so afraid of his master's actions. From his reaction, it was clear that it was his first time seeing Erick like that. His words told me he had never behaved like this before. The shock was evident on his face after seeing cool and composed Erick behaving recklessly. I don't want him to see more of it, and that's why I sent him away. I don't know if I'm brave or foolish enough to send away my only help before stepping into a lion’s den. I gulped, looking at him taking big strides in my way. My limbs felt so heavy that I couldn't even turn around to run away from the beast striding towards me. The way his cold blue eyes looked at me made my heart thump loudly. Blood was slowly retreating from my limbs, making them more and more heavy and lifeless. His harsh breath and my wild heartbeat echoed in the trashed, silent room. Even if somehow I muster up the courage and turn around to run away, I won't be successful in getting away from the beast. It was too late for me. Before I could take one more breath, he was standing in front of me. My breath hitched when I was pinned to the door. My heart is thumping loudly under my rib cage. 

“What are you doing here, leaving your ideal man behind?'' he asked with a bitter look in his eyes. He was taunting me. I scoffed instead of answering him. His eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched even more. 

“What are you doing here with the man you hate the most? The man whom you don't even want to be seen in public with,” he asked in his deep voice, which was filled with bitterness. I know where his words come from. A blast from the past once again flashes in front of my eyes, but I blink it away. I was not ready to open the wound again. I won't be able to bear the pain again. 

“Answer me,” he growled, making me flinch slightly. My heart jumped out of my chest the way he was asking me the question. 

“I would be with him if I were getting married to him, but sadly, it's not him but you. I don't have choices,” I said bitterly, choosing to hurt him the way he was hurting me. His jaw clenched, and his cold eyes turned into ice stones. I know he was drunk and not in his right state of mind, but his words hurt me. Just because he is drunk doesn't mean he will say anything he wants. If he wanted to hear the truth, I told him the truth. His eyes became lethal, and his nose flared in anger. My heart was beating fast behind my rib cage, scared for what was coming next. He has already trashed his office. I don't know what he will do. 

“You should not have come here and chosen to stay with your ideal man,” he said this time with an evil smirk on his lips. A big lump formed at the base of my throat. He buried his face in my neck. A strong smell of whisky and smoke hit my nose. My eyes widen at the hint of smoke. He has started to smoke, too. He was so drunk and out of his mind. That's what I thought. He darted out his tongue and traced the whole length of the column of my neck. I closed my eyes, feeling wetness on my shivering, sensitive skin. His warm breath, mixed with whisky and smoke, tickled my skin. My skin heated up at skin-to-skin contact. I hate this man. My fingers curled to form a fist. 

“I will make you regret every fucking thing,” he said in a deep, low voice in my ear. My eyes widened, and a chill ran down my spine. I forgot how to breathe. Before I could protest, his teeth sank just below my earlobe on the throbbing nerve in my neck. His hands moved, and the coat I was wearing over my nightdress slid down my shoulders with his callous fingers. It pooled around my feet, reliving the silk night dress I was wearing underneath. He groaned, looking at my black silk on me. His deep breath made my throat go dry. I regret coming here without changing. My body jolted up when his calloused fingers slid down until they took a firm hold of my wrist. The blood on the wound on his left palm has started to clot, stopping the bleeding, but I could still feel wetness on my wrist. I took a deep breath and mustered up my courage to swallow the thick lump and talk. 

"Stop," he said, but he didn't even let me complete my sentence, and before I could, he pinned my hand above my head. 

"Shhh," he said, shushing me, making me bite my lower lip. His face nuzzled in my neck, spreading tingles all over my sensitive skin. My heart was beating wildly inside my rib cage. 

“Tell me, doll, has he ever made your heart beat so fast?” he asked suddenly in his deep voice, which was capable of sending a shiver down my spine. He pressed my left hand against my chest while he was still holding me in his vice grip. It was beating fast, like crazy. He can feel the loud thumping of my heart. I sucked in deep breath when he licked below my earlobe, where he bit a second ago. I opened and closed my eyes. I don't know what is going on with his evil mind. I just don't get it. I breathe out, trying to appear to be strong. I'm trying my best to show him that his words don't affect me. I'm not scared of him, even though I was trembling from inside. 

“What if I say yes?” I found myself asking that question. I was playing with fire. His hold tightened around my wrist. I closed my eyes at his vice grip. His face was still buried in the crook of my neck. He looked up at me when I asked him that question. 

“Try me,” he said with an evil hint in his cold blue eyes. Once again, I sucked deep into my breath. The possessiveness in his voice was evident in what he was capable of doing. He was playing a word game with me. He was no longer Erick, who believed in fair games. He was Erick, who plays games according to his rules. A bitter realisation made my heart ache. I took a deep breath through my nose.

And I'm his game.

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