Page 36 of Sin of Love
17
CAPTIVITY - DAY 65
The guests are gone,the house closed up for the night. The final All Clear just came in from the gates. Tired, a little dizzy—and a lot antsy—I wait in the foyer of Julep’s bedroom for his instructions, which I’ve learned there’s no use trying to predict.
I could be ordered to read him Moby Dick until he falls asleep.
Draw him a bath.
Brush his hair.
Let him brush mine.
Discuss the weather.
Paint my nails while he reads a magazine.
Submit to rape and spend the night naked and chained to the foot of his bed…
Sometimes I get lucky, and he’s too distracted to bother with me. On those nights, I’m dismissed to my bedroom.
Even knowing hope is a backstabbing bastard, I’m miserable enough tonight to wish for dismissal. I want to be alone. I want my tea.
Finally, Julep appears from the closet. He’s changed into pajamas—pants and no shirt. The candlelight makes him softer. Less cruel. Just an average man with tired eyes and tight shoulders.
“Do you require me this evening?” My voice, at least, is empty of expectation.
He sighs. Scratches the dark bristle on his jaw. “Not tonight, I don’t think.”
Relief escapes me as my mind suddenly falters. I see Marco, sleepy and yawning. When I blink, my peripheries blur. I blink again, see Julep. Again—Marco.
“You seem agitated,” Julep purrs.
Forgetting myself, I grumble, “You know damn well what’s wrong with me.”
He chuckles. “So much fire in my little doll. What would I ever do if that fire went out?”
I don’t care what he does, unless it’s suffering a fatal aneurysm in his sleep. Paulo’s waiting outside to escort me to my room; he always adds honey to my tea, even when I don’t ask for it. My legs itch with the need to go… go…
“If there’s nothing else?” I ask.
Dammit. Too eager.
Noticing my lapse and never one to pass on an opportunity to torment me, Julep grins. “I forgot to ask—how were the ladies this evening?”
“Fine.”
“They still don’t know you can understand them?”
“Of course not.”
“In that case, did they happen to mention how their husbands are planning to stab me in the fucking back?”
I roll my eyes. “Do you think those men tell them anything besides how much money they’re allowed to spend?”
He takes a step toward me, his smile falling. “A better question, doll, is what makes you think I trust you any more than I trust them?”
Was the bathroom bugged? Did he hear the conversation? Does he know I’m lying?
