Page 16 of The Doctor

His teeth sank into my flesh, and this time I couldn’t tamp down my scream. He slapped a hand over my mouth. Dark laughter rumbled through his chest, vibrating against my back as he dragged my hips closer, closer, until I could feel the bulge of him between my legs. “What are you going to give me for all those pills?”

Against his fingers, I mumbled, “I have cash.”

“And what if I want something else?” He pulled me against him again, making his desires known as he pressed me into him, his hand at my mouth dropping until it was clamped around my throat.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I shook my head as violently as I could as he held me against him, but it only made him laugh again.

“One week,” he hissed as he worked my body against his, laughing madly as I tried to object. “One week, our normal price. You want more, you’ll give me a taste of your sweet pussy.” He eased his hand under my skirt and tucked a baggy into my thong. “That’s it, kitten. That’s all you get.”

Then he rubbed his fingers over the silky fabric, groaning in my ear as he did. But his hand stilled, his entire body went as rigid as his cock, and I noticed the near silence of the room.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?”

My eyes flashed open, and I wanted to scream again when I found my brother standing on the other side of the table.

The people on either side of us scrambled from their seats but Jayden didn’t let me go.

“What’s up, brother?” Jayden sat up, taking the opportunity to rub my body over his dick one last time.

Stephano scowled. He reached over the table, grabbing my arm and yanking me straight off Jayden’s lap and through the abandoned lines and drinks in front of us. My legs shook as I cleared the mess, and I fell to my knees with a hard thunk.

My brother scowled at me, as if it were me assaulting his friend and not the other way around. But I couldn’t say a word. Not when Jimmy stopped by Stephano’s side, gripping Chloe’s and Sadie’s necks.

“Stephano—” I tried, but he cut me off.

“Get the fuck out of my club, brat.” He jerked me off my knees, not waiting for me to catch my footing before he shoved me Jimmy’s way. “And take your junky little friends with you.”

“You heard your brother,” Jimmy said, giving me an evil grin. “Get out of here.”

I managed only a glance back at the table—catching my brother’s glare, catching Jayden’s sly wink and a wave with my entire roll of money tucked into his palm—before another bouncer grabbed my arm and pushed me toward the front of the club.

They threw us unceremoniously onto the sidewalk and didn’t bother checking to see if we were okay, disappearing into the club before I could pick myself up and look at the bloody scrapes on my hands and knees.

“What the hell, Clara?” Sadie scowled at me as she blindly helped a crying Chloe off the ground. “I thought you said we were golden.”

I adjusted my dress over my knees and breasts. Felt the baggy tucked right where Jayden had stuck it. After raising my gaze to the girls, I shrugged. “I said I could get us in. I made no guarantees of how long we’d be able to stay before they kicked us out.”

Chloe scoffed. “Really, Clara?”

“Typical.” Sadie tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Come on, Chloe, let’s get out of here.”

I took a step in their direction, but Sadie scowled again, cocking a hip as she raised her hand.

“Don’t even. You can find your own way home.”

My bottom lip trembled, and tears pooled at the edges of my eyes as I watched the two of them walk away. I blinked back my tears, then glanced around. Kylo stood watching me from the front doors, arms crossed over his chest and a frown on his lips.

I forced a bright smile to mine, then turned on my heel and walked the opposite way my so-called friends had gone. When I got to the corner, I pulled my phone from my clutch and tapped the screen until it rang.

A woozy sounding, “Hello,” came across the line, and it felt like a warm pair of arms wrapping around me, taking away my pain.

“Zeno?” It came out choked and broken, and I could feel the sudden tension crackling on the other end of the phone. “I need your help.”

6

Zeno

“The hell happened to you?” The words felt heavy on my tongue, but I forced them out as Clara crawled into the back seat of the car I’d had to call to bring me to her. The full power of her scent hit me a moment before she slammed the door, but that rush of air made everything that much stronger, until I felt like I was drowning in her.