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But still, my eyes roam his broad shoulders, the solid, sculpted muscles pressing against the tight black T-shirt he’s wearing.

I huff out a sharp breath.

“Just take these stupid things off my wrists so that I can go to the bathroom like a normal person,” I demand.

He tilts his head to the side, deciding.

Impatience gets the better of me and I kick the mattress, hurting my foot, but pretending I’m fine.

“Dammit, weirdo, have you got some kind of pee fetish? Are you going to give yourself a golden shower or something when you take the bucket away?”

He sneers and narrows his eyes at me.

“If you try anything, I’ll make sure you regret it. I haven’t finished making my coffee yet, and I’m in no mood to deal with you yet.”

“Oh gee, thanks for offering me some, too,” I snap.

To my relief, the asshole steps forward, pulling a key from his pocket. He slips it into the handcuffs and unclips one side,setting me free, but leaving me with a heavy steel bracelet on my left hand.

He steps aside, gesturing for me to walk.

In my head, I calculate my chances, but remembering how easily he tossed me around last night, I know they aren’t good.

He lifts me, with one freaking arm, and doesn’t even bat an eye over it.

I can’t win in a battle of strength, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to try and outsmart him.

Men like him are dumb animals.

Brutal idiots with one-track minds.

As I walk, I start limping, just slightly.

When I’m sure I have his attention as he follows me towards the bathroom, I bend over, rubbing my ankle, putting on a little show.

“I think I sprained it,” I say weakly, glancing at him over my shoulder and pouting.

He says nothing.

His cold stare spikes into me.

“If you possibly have some painkillers for me…” I murmur, trying to make puppy eyes at him.

Still, he says nothing.

His stoic disinterest pisses me off. I end up pouting for real and storming into the bathroom in a huff. Reaching behind me, I slam the door with as much effort as I can muster to ensure it makes a really loud noise.

In the bathroom, I pee. I wasn’t faking that. I’ve been holding it for over an hour, and it was interfering with the minimal sleep I got.

Sighing in relief, I sit on the toilet and look around the dreary bathroom. It’s such a boy bathroom. Bland and boring and empty.

After I’m done, I take a good look at myself in the mirror. Sheesh, my hair is everywhere. My mascara is blotched beneath my eyes, and my cheeks are red.

No wonder my pouting didn’t work. I look like a clown.

Using the corner of a towel, I wipe the makeup clean and do my best to look presentable. It’s not that I care about looking good for him, but if I’m going to charm him, I need to look cute.

I have no elastic for my hair; it got lost at some point last night, so I braid it over my shoulder and try to twist the end so it doesn’t come loose.