She nods. We step into the car again and shut the door.
I say, “Then trade places with him.”
Her mouth opens. Her breath catches. “What?”
I watch her face. Watch the realization dawn. The horror. The calculation. She knows exactly what I’m asking, and I can’t wait to watch her pretend to reject me and then take my deal anyway.
“If you really want him out,” I say slowly, “trade places with him. But here are the rules.” I lean against the middle console. “You listen to me and only me. You report to me. If I say jump, you jump as high as you can. If I fall off the bridge, you do too.”
She laughs. It’s sharp, bitter. “Is that the oath my brother is under?”
I glare at her. “No. I have a special use for you. You’re more valuable than your brother.”
Her face twists. “Because I have a pussy and tits?”
“Now you’re catching on.”
“I’m not going to let you pimp me out and be your whore. You’re mistaken about what this is.”
“And what is this?”
“A negotiation.” She crosses her arms. “What do you want? Money?”
I laugh. I can’t help it. A warm feeling blooms in my stomach, spreads through my chest. She’s so far out of her depth she doesn’t even realize it.
“Full access,” I say.
“Full access to what?”
“To you.”
Silence ripples in the car as I stare at her brown eyes.
Horror flickers across her face. Then she turns and races out of the car.
“You leave this car,” I call after her, “and I’ll assume it’s a no. You’ll be invisible to me once you leave. No more negotiations.”
She halts. Slows. Her shoulders rise and fall with each breath.
“You want your brother’s freedom?” I say, softer now. “It comes with a price.”
She almost laughs like this is a joke. “You could probably have any girl you want. Surely you don’t need to force me into anything. There are better options out there with better connections, money, wealth, better genetics even than me.”
“Don’t insult yourself. It’s ugly.”
She turns and looks at me. “Look in the mirror. You don’t need to force anyone to be in your circle. Girls would do it willingly. Me? I’m a nobody.”
“So you’re willing?”
“I never said I was willing.”
I reach out, put a hand on her knee and squeeze. Not hard. Just enough to make my point.
“Then shut the hell up and agree to the terms, or your brother will stay under my wraps.”
She looks at me. Doesn’t answer. Doesn’t move.
Triumph spreads through my chest, warm and intoxicating.
