Closing the door, she headed upstairs to her room. She wasn’t allowed a lock, and her mother cleaned her room every day. There was no chance of privacy. Her mother believed privacy was overrated and she needed to do what her parents requested of her.
I’m nineteen and nothing but a prisoner.
She walked to her window and looked out over the horizon. Her bedroom had a clear view of the outskirts of town. Many times she’d wondered what it would be like to simply empty her bank account and leave without looking back. Once she left she’d be in charge of her future. There would be no more weighing scales or locked cupboards. She’d be free to do what she wanted when she wanted to do it.
Letting out a sigh, she rid her mind of the thoughts.
Her mother’s words came back to her.
“You leave this house and this town and you’ll never survive. You’ll be at the mercy of some pimp who’ll use you and your body. Can you hack having a new man between your thighs every minute?”
Over the years she’d grown terrified of leaving her parental home. She wouldn’t last two minutes out in the real world.
****
Brad entered his parents’ home with his friends following behind him. Both his parents were at work, and there was no one home, which was how he liked it. His family were not as rich as the Steer brothers, but they were close to it.
“Did you see the look on her face? She’s terrified of you,” Adam said.
He smirked, going into the games room and taking a seat. Thinking about Rose made his dick rock hard.
“Terrified she may be, but soon she’ll be my woman and I can do whatever the f**k I want with her.”
All three friends turned to him. They’d been with him growing up and knew what he was like.
“What are you saying?” Tyler asked, smirking.
“My dad put in a word with her dad. They’re following strict instructions to put her through an eating regimen. She’s been reduced to two meals a day and is weighed every morning.”
Adam and Tyler smirked.
“I don’t believe you. There’s no way the Slaters would put their daughter through that,” John said.
Shaking his head, Brad grabbed the notebook, which updated her progress. He threw it at John.
“I told you, she’s going to be mine very soon.”
John shook his head. “If you already like her then why are you putting her through this?”
Brad looked at his friend. They’d done a lot together. They always had each other’s backs, and if one of them was to fall, they’d all fall. Their secrets were what bound them together. Brad wasn’t going to jail for messing with a couple of sluts, and neither were any of his friends.
“The power. I’m in control, and Rose will know who’s the boss. I don’t want a wife who goes out to work. I want a wife who knows her place. Rose will know her place, and then we can all have a chance to play with her.”
He noticed John didn’t smile right away where Adam and Tyler did. In the next second John started smiling, putting Brad’s mind at ease.
Brad had big plans for Rose. She was going to learn her place when it came to his friends. He looked forward to training her for his personal needs.
Chapter Three
Peter sat inside William’s sitting room watching him hold one of his daughters. He heard Daisy laughing in the distance, and he stared at his friend and boss. The last thing he’d anticipated on a weekend was to be called in for a chat. William’s chats were always personal and about problems.
Rubbing his head, Peter glanced at his watch. The last two days this week Rose hadn’t eaten lunch with him. Brad had arrived just as they were leaving, taking her away from him. He despised the man. There was something about Brad that made Peter tense around him. The guy was bad news. He didn’t like him one bit, and Rose was looking weak. Since he’d last seen her on Saturday, she’d seemed fine. It was Wednesday, and she was already looking pale and withdrawn. He hated it, and what he hated even more was the fact he couldn’t bring himself to stop it.
His heart belonged to another woman. There was no chance for him to enter a relationship knowing Laura was the only one who owned his heart.
“You’ve not taken a sub, Peter,” William said.
“We’ve discussed this before. I’m not ready to take a sub, and I’m not going to commit to a woman when I’m elsewhere,” he said.
They argued about this regularly. Peter never took a permanent sub. He trained many and gave the women who wanted him some time. He never got too close to the women and always remained impassive.
William looked angered. “I’m worried about you. We’re all worried about you.”
“Edward told you about my cemetery trips?” Peter asked, knowing he was going to hurt the other man when he next saw him.
“Yeah, he did, and frankly I’m worried.” William stood up, tapping his daughter’s diaper covered bottom.
“I don’t see why you’re worried. I’m good at what I do.”
“Dean Riley didn’t die. He was more than happy to step aside and let you have Laura, and you refused. He didn’t die, and he’s still happily married to the woman you’d gladly take a bullet for.”
There was a time when those words would have cut through him. Peter fisted his hands at his sides to try to find something to make him feel again.
“Do you think I visit the cemetery wishing Dean was there?” Peter asked, disgusted by William’s assumption.
“Frankly, yeah I do.”
Peter stood. “No, I don’t visit the cemetery because I’m a sick f**k. I’m in love with Laura, and she’s happy because Dean’s alive. I visit the cemetery to think. I’m not wishing for anything, William, and to be honest, your suggestion is f**king insulting.”
He stormed out of the room and crashed into Daisy. She fell on her ass.
“Shit, I’m sorry.” He reached down helping her to her feet.
“No, it’s okay. The kids keep me on my toes, and I refuse to hire a nanny. I’m going to be the best mom I can be.”
Peter smiled at her. “You’ll be fantastic.”
He didn’t give her chance to talk to him. William called out to him, but he ignored the shouts of his name. He left the gates of William’s house and club and surprised himself by heading toward Dean’s home. It had been a couple of month since he’d last seen the couple. They’d left Cape Falls to go on a vacation around Europe.