Chapter 29

"So, I tried not being a dick today," Lucas said in a conversational tone. "I think the guys were confused, as if they thought I was playing a trick or something."

He shrugged and sighed.

"It's going to take a while to earn their trust," Ruby said.

After complaining that his only friends were criminals Ruby had suggested the wildly outlandish plan of being nice to the boys at his school instead of kicking them on their butts and sending them face-first into the pavement.

Strangely, he'd seemed skeptical, arguing that was how guys bonded. What followed was a long and strained conversation about how most humans just want basic decency, respect, and compassion.

"Just keep being nice," she advised. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"People think I'm soft?" he said.

He fiddled with the orange peel on her desk, a faraway look on his face.

"Sometimes I wake up and expect to see him in the corner of my room," He said. "I can still picture him staring at me with so much hatred, turning the lighter over in his fingers."

"Did you know he's been admitted to Rosewood Memorial Hospital?" Ruby asked. It was common knowledge that Rosewood was Mental Health Facility—still referred to as, 'The Loony Bin,' by some of her not so PC friends.

"Yeah, he's been there a couple of times." Lucas rolled his eyes. "He told me he loves the place so it's hardly a punishment."

"But at least he's out of our hair," Ruby exclaimed.

"He'll be back." Lucas sighed. She could tell he was worried about seeing Greg again.

"And you don't have to see him or speak to him or have any sort of contact with him," Ruby assured him.

She wanted to add that she would be moving away to University in a few months. That he could move with her and get a job up North.

'Is it too full-on?' she wondered.

The thought of moving away from Lucas made her regret her choice to study in a different city. There were decent course options nearby, but at the time she'd just wanted to get away from everything and start again.

"Let's forget about him," Lucas said as he stroked her thigh. It was ridiculously hot, so she'd worn her lightest linen shorts and crop top. If it were socially acceptable to walk about in underwear, today would be the day to pilot the look.

"Do you want an iced coffee?" she asked.

"You have those?" Lucas frowned.

"You just stick coffee and ice in the blender. It's easy," she told him.

"Oh, I guess," Lucas said. He followed her to the kitchen, shifting from foot to foot and scratching his head when her mother appeared.

Mum didn't seem to notice his nervous disposition, just said hello and told them she was going to take Rob to the animal shelter tomorrow to hopefully find him a new companion.

"Do you want to come?" Mum offered.

"Yay, dogs and cats," Ruby said, smiling. She loved animals and was horrified at what Greg had done. She didn't know the exact details but had overheard her Mum screaming at Ron about the 'despicably evil' thing his perfect son had inflicted on an innocent being.

She hoped it wouldn't come between her Mum and Ron. This was the happiest her mother had been in a long time and it would be a shame to let Greg ruin it. Plus, with his earnings from streaming, he could easily afford to buy his own place, as her Mum had deftly pointed out.

Greg seemed nervous when her Mum was about. The tension fell out of his shoulders as she left them alone to drink their chilled beverages. Cool relief washed over her for a moment as she swallowed the crushed ice.

"So, what do you want to do today?" she asked Lucas.

His response was a suggestive wink.

"What?" she cried. "In this heat? We might melt."

"If we melt, we'll melt together and be stuck together forever," Lucas said as if this were a positive thing.

"You know I have to go away to Uni in Sheffield, right?" she asked.

Lucas nodded.

"If we were stuck together, I'd have to come with you because I wouldn't want to get in the way of your education," he said quietly. She wasn't sure if he was hinting at coming with her or saying he wanted her to stay here.

"You know you could come with me, right?" Ruby said in her most casual voice. "You could get a job and—"

Lucas knocked the breath from her lungs as he attacked her with a bearhug.

"You don't want to escape from me?" he asked.

"I don't want to lose you," she corrected him.

He leaned back, stared into her eyes for a moment before pulling her back into the worlds tightest hug.

"I still can't believe you like me," he said.

"Like you?" Ruby chuckled. "I love you, you dolt."

###

Amber followed Damien to his basement after saying a brief hello to his mother. The woman always seemed to be rushing about with a phone glued to her ear. In all honesty, she was a little intimidating.

Damien's father was still out of town, spending most of his time in France since his company had opened a subsidiary out there and he needed to train the managers.

Once the pair were alone, Amber began to feel a level of nervousness that didn't match the situation. She'd never experienced anything like this in her life. Even when alone with Greg she had retained a modicum of self-confidence, safe in the knowledge that she could seduce the pants off him and had no other duties in her role as his slave.

With Damien it was different. There was immense pressure to please him not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well. He was smart, and sarcastic and funny and talented. How could she possibly entertain a mind like his?

'You're more than a bitchy bimbo,' she told herself, psyching herself up.

When Damien finally pulled off his hoodie, she saw he was wearing the sexy belt again—the one with the handcuffs attached—and wondered if she had factored into his fashion choice.

It was the hottest day of the year so far, and the humidity in the basement was almost unbearable.

"Let's go to my room instead. I can at least open a window," he said.

When they passed his mother again Amber half expected her to say something like, 'keep the door open.'

She didn't.

Damien both closed and locked the door behind him.

The original Victorian window squeaked in the frame as he pushed it up, allowing a soft breeze to roll in. He flopped onto the bed and invited Amber to join him.

The nerves returned as she crawled onto the bed, metal springs creaking in protest as she positioned herself beside him.

Music filled the room as he fiddled with his phone briefly, setting on the windowsill when he was done.

She didn't recognize the band.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"This is my sex playlist," Damien admitted with a cheesy grin. "I love this song. Ardent Anthem by Desa."

"You didn't put that one on my phone," she complained, enjoying it so far.

"It's not on Spotify," he explained. "You can find it on YouTube."

The singer wasn't especially great, but something about his lispy voice was incredibly sexy. She imagined him looking like Damien as she listened to the lyric that described sexual acts with poetic beauty.

"We don't have to have sex," Damien assured her. "I'm not hinting or—"

"So, what you were telling me before...about BSDM," Amber interrupted him. She ran her fingers over the metal of his handcuffs. "Do you want to show me what you meant?"

"Are you asking me to dominate you?" he asked. "Or do you want to take the reins?"

"I... I want you to do it," she said, looking up at him with big eyes.

He took her hands, securing them with care while smiling at her. It felt nothing like the way Greg had treated her.

Once she was bound to his bed and completely at his mercy, she began to feel excited, more so as he removed her clothes and began to suck gently at her nipples. He planted gentle kisses down her belly, pulled her legs apart and kissed her inner thigh. She thought he was about to go down on her and desperately wanted it, writhing on the bed as he caressed her clit with his tongue.

Then he stopped, sat up and straddled her.

"You want me to fuck you?" he asked.

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, please. Fuck me."

"You want my dick?" he asked.

She nodded. "Please, I want it. Please give it to me."

Amber frowned as he got up from the bed, feeling the springs shift beneath her.

He looked down at her, his top lip curled up in disgust.

"Amber," he said. "I wouldn't fuck you if you were the last person on Earth."