Chapter 8- Likely Intentions

Later that evening, I had dinner by myself. I snuck out into the back where a dozen cars were parked and examined them all for keys. None of them could be found. Damon resumed his routine in the bedroom. He smelled like smoke and bourbon and arrived late every night. Sometimes he caressed my thighs or my neck forcefully while I held in my breathing, other nights he didn't bother acknowledging my existence. Really, getting up every day, eating the food that the staff provided, and then just strolling around until nightfall was becoming monotonous.

As usual, Damon had wandered in tonight. It was just two in the morning. He had a conversation going on the phone. Beneath the covers, I shrank.

"I can't be in two places at once," he murmured angrily, "I'm going to the training camp after tomorrow to check on the Hybrids and then I've got to pay a visit to Akbur Hills."

The very mention of Akbur Hills made my body tense.

"So you take care of it, Luke. Don't bother me with these pointless questions. Kill every Akbur Hills mortal involved, including the ones who avoided getting bit by the bloodsuckers, and make sure the vampire prisoners watch while you do it. We cannot afford to appear weak to them again"

I choked back a gasp. He was taking innocent human lives in the Akbur Hills. It could be my dad. I knew I needed to find a method to make Damon agree to take me to Akbur Hills with him.

Without even thinking about taking a shower, Damon tore off his clothing. He staggered onto the bed and lay close enough to me, enough to feel the heat on my skin. I figured he must be asleep because there was stillness for several minutes. I was wrong because Damon turned to face me and slid a hand over my leg. Taking a deep breath, I felt his fingers slide under my pants and touch my exposed skin. The fire within me was too strong for me to control. Damon was a terrible and evil man, but he was also very handsome, and his touch on my skin was making me crazy, so I couldn't help but feel drawn to him.

I couldn't help but wonder if he didn't think I was attractive enough for him to take so long to take me. Is he wishing he had paired up with a different doll?

The sensation of his palm on my exposed stomach made me gasp. He put his hand down and looked into my now-open eyes, those flawless ones. I was glued to his lips, wishing I could get closer and give him a kiss. How could someone so cruel be this irresistible?

"You're awake," he mumbled. I felt the tip of my nose brush against his warm breath. I nodded. Starting from the top of my head, Damon gave my hair a gentle stroke. Although my instinct was to recoil from his contact, my desire to embrace it was far stronger.

His hand moved to the end of my hair, where he started to wrap it around his wrist and stroked the remaining hair that was spread out into the pillow. As he wrapped, he gradually increased the force and discomfort of his tugging. With my eyes fixed on his, I emitted trembling breaths. With his other hand now firmly grasping my throat, Damon continued to tug without saying anything. While the searing anguish from his embrace intensified, for a while it was just that. After a while, his hold on my throat prevented me from breathing. Even though I used both hands to pry at his fingers, he remained in place. With my mouth hanging open, he looked straight into it, seemingly unaware of my discomfort.

I whispered, "You're hurting me," i breathed out. When his eyes met mine, it took him a moment to process what I had just spoken. Both his hold on my hair and his clutch on my neck relaxed. Damon rolled over abruptly, and I heard his soft snores a few minutes later.

Even after thirty minutes, my breathing was laboured and unsteady. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a bath. Where his hands had curled around my neck, I could see a clear bruise in the mirror. My throat was still constricted, and I could see that there were hairs all over the floor as I ran my fingers through my hair. He'd tugged so hard at my hair that it had come loose from my scalp.

I recalled what Maria had mentioned about him being cruel. Maybe he found pleasure in inflicting pain on me; perhaps it even turned him on.

I woke up in a half-empty bath the following morning. Damon was still in bed, and I had been too afraid to get back in. I could not stop imagining that he would turn and attack me once more. I was constantly brainstorming ways to talk Damon into letting me visit Akbur Hills tomorrow while I was eating breakfast. Our longest conversation to date had been yesterday; we hadn't spoken since dinner the first night.

I suddenly pictured Damon naked, his muscles bulging like a ferocious beast. His mind was also that of one.

I felt that Damon was a man at the end of his rope, and that last night he wanted me.

The only benefit I could see to this scenario was giving him what he really wanted, which was my body. That was my sole advantage. I'd have to figure out how to seduce him to give in.

I looked over the cars once again in the hopes of finding a key, but I was still unsuccessful. I went back to my bedroom and lay in the bathtub, planning how I was going to get Damon to take me that night.

I went through my closet looking for lingerie, but I couldn't find any. I walked to the kitchen and asked Maria to get me a triple shot of vodka and a glass of bourbon. Her inquisitive eyes were fixed on me.

She said, "Be careful," echoing as I turned to leave.

I awaited the sound of Damon's footsteps in the corridor until almost two in the morning. I had taken my two shots and placed the glass of bourbon beside his bedside previously.

Shortly before I slipped into the warm, bubble-filled bath, I swallowed the third shot. Four enormous pillar candles were the only sources of light in the room as the lights were out. I closed my eyes, hoping that the courage from the vodka would give me the strength to carry this out. I had applied a pleasant-smelling lotion on my skin, and the scent was now permeating the atmosphere.

His footsteps were becoming more and more audible to me.

What the hell was I thinking? Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I heard him trying to open it, his hands on the knob. I sat up so my breasts were visible through the bubbles. I spread my hair sensually behind my shoulders after wetting it. Abruptly, the door opened, and he stepped inside. With only a navy towel covering his lower body, Damon lacked a shirt. His eyes widened when he saw me in the tub and his gaze shot to my bare breasts without missing a beat.

He started off quickly, saying, "I didn't realize you were in here." Is it just me, or did he appear embarrassed to have walked in on me?

I said in a gentle, innocent manner, "It's okay, I should have locked the door." I only needed to figure out how to keep him intrigued.

He looked away from me and said, "I'll come back once you're done," but I got up quickly.

I said, "Wait," as soon as I realized I was standing in the tub naked and completely submerged in bath water and soap bubbles. The flickering pillar lights created shadows on the walls as their flames wavered with my every step.

My brown hair clinging to my skin, I stepped out of the bathroom with grace and Damon's eyes watching me hungrily. I approached him and claimed to be unaware once more, saying, "I can help bathe you."

"Help bathe me?" With equal parts astonishment and hatred, his eyes fixed themselves on mine. The strongest person would have withered just looking at his expression. I held my gaze level with him, resisting the need to swallow. With my index finger, I traced the outline of his abs after placing a palm on his chest.

"You're drunk, you shouldn't shower alone, I can help you."

A sly smile flashed at the edges of his mouth. I could read his mind at that precise moment.

He seemed to convey; little girl, You have no idea what you're playing at.

Ignoring the nerves that pleaded with me to stop, I turned around and entered the stand-up shower, realizing all at once how naked I really was. After turning on the water and waiting for it to get hot, I could feel his intense gaze on my ass. I inhaled deeply and turned to face him, a seductive smile on my face, under the downpour of spatter.

Fake it, i told myself—you're sexy and confident.

"Are you coming?"

His smirk got bigger; it seemed like he was waiting for me to change my mind. I suppressed a gasp at the magnitude of his rock-hard member as the towel fell from his waist. I hurriedly cleared my throat, and fortunately the sound was muffled by the flowing water. As he walked toward me, he closed the glass door. Now both of us were face-to-face submerged in hot water, imprisoned in a stare-off.

He is flawless, my god. It seems like every day he grows sexier.