Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 52739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52739 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
"I know you are a dancer as well, Carina," I went on calmly. "And I thought it might be good for my Rose to have some... competition."
Harlow turned her head sharply towards me, but I ignored her imploring look and focused my eyes on Carina's.
I saw the way she looked at me. The almost blind adoration, the need to be taken care of and used. A look I had seen in many submissives, a look I'd longed for my whole life.
But not from her.
I turned my attention back to my woman, who was glaring at me as if I'd just uprooted her entire life.
"Marchante won't be training you any longer," I went on. "I've called on a new teacher. I thought some competitiveness wouldn't hurt you. It might actually do your dancing a world of good. So I want Carina to train with you."
"What?" Harlow managed to get out, her eyes blazing with angry fire. "I don't want to train with her."
"I'm happy to do it," Carina said sweetly, and Harlow turned her gaze to the other girl.
Carina smiled wide, and I could tell she was enjoying this. I hadn't wanted to hurt Harlow, but I believed pitting the two girls against one another would result in a better performance from Harlow - especially since she'd be training alongside someone she so obviously hated.
I wanted her last performance to be incredible. I want the world to know what an amazing woman, dancer, and lover she was. And I believed this was the right way to do things, that I would bring out the best in her by using Carina against her.
"I don't want this," she said. "I didn't want it like this."
"Well, too bad," I replied coolly. "It's your only fucking option, so if you want to dance, you'd better take it, because I'm not changing my damn mind."
"What if I change mine?" she asked stubbornly while Carina crossed her legs on the other end of the coffee table. "What if I don't want to dance anymore? This isn't the way I wanted to do things. This isn't what I meant. This was supposed to be mine. My thing. My passion."
"Frankly, I don't give a shit," I told her. "You asked for something and I gave it to you. If you're going to be an ungrateful little bitch about it, I can just as easily take it away."
I saw the hurt in her eyes and regretted my words, but it was too late. I rose from the couch and buttoned my suit jacket before nodding to the guard, letting them know it was time to take Carina away.
She didn't resist this time around, and Harlow sat there miserably as her friend was led away, giving me a lingering look that spoke volumes about how she felt about me. Once the guard took Carina away, I walked to the door to leave Harlow, but she got up and caught me by my sleeve, looking up into my eyes with desperation in her gaze.
"Rueben," she whispered, and I swallowed a curse that wanted to rip itself off from my lips.
Not because she'd used my name for the first time.
Not because I was angry that she'd done it.
Because the only thing on my mind was pinning her against the wall and taking from her what had been mine all along. She was pushing my limits, fucking testing me. And I wasn't about to let her get away with it. I wanted her spread, bent and broken. And I would have it all the first chance I fucking got.
"It's been decided," I said calmly. "You're training with her, or you're not training at all. And you won't be able to convince me otherwise."
"I understand," she said, her soft voice so shaky it did something to me, played with my heartstrings and made me anxious to make things better for her, to make her feel okay. I attempted to shrug it off, hoping Harlow hadn't noticed what I perceived as a weakness. "I hope I won't disappoint you."
"Disappoint me?" I repeated.
She nodded, her eyes on mine.
"I don't want to train this whole time only to have a mediocre performance at the end of it," she admitted. "I want you to... I want you to be proud of me."
Her eyes filled with tears as she stared up at me and I couldn't resist chuckling.
"Sweet," I told her, touching my thumb to her lips.
I outlined her bottom lip with my fingertip and she looked up at me so devotedly I wanted to bend her over then and there. But I held back, knowing there was business for me to tend to, and knowing she wouldn't be as eager to please me once she found out the whole story.
"Don't hold it against me," I said simply. "Training with Carina will be good for you. The competition will make you work harder. Trust me, my little Rose. Do you?"