The forbidden fruit.
I feel his stare on me, and my chest tightens, my eyes lining with tears I’ll never let fall in front of these people.
My soul feels like a black pit slowly eating me from the inside out, and I just don’t want to do it anymore. I don’t want to be here, don’t want to be anywhere.
I’m so tired.
His eyes burn a hole through the side of my face, and I know he won’t let up until I give him what he wants. Turning, my gaze clashes with his. My uncle. A slow grin spreads across his face. He’s seated in an armchair, a girl with long red hair perched on his lap. With barely-there curves and cheeks slightly rounded with youth, she couldn’t be much older than my sixteen years, but she wears the same two-piece set as several other women around the party, most of whom are also draped across different men.
She doesn’t have the dull stare of someone only doing what they’ve been trained to do. Her eyes are full of life as she looks at him—big and round like she believes he’s genuinely interested in her. I can see why she could think he might be a good option compared to the other men here. He doesn’t have greying hair or a belly. On the outside, he’s the perfect choice. On the inside, his soul is the darkest black.
Hooking his arm around the girl’s waist, he caresses her knee before sliding his hand up her thigh while his eyes follow a slow path up and down my body.
His eyes find mine again as his hand moves under her short skirt, dipping between her legs. The girl gasps, her legs widening as she leans into him.
Bile creeps up my throat as he continues to move his hand between her legs, his burning stare not leaving mine. The girl’s mouth drops open in what I imagine is a moan, and I turn away.
Not able to watch any longer.
I’m going to be punished for it later, but Ican’t do it.
I hate the little part of me that hopes he’ll take her tonight instead of me, but I would never wish him upon anyone else.
She has no idea.
My chest rises and falls faster with each breath, and my hands turn clammy, despite not being warm in the slightest.
I feel like I’m on the verge of breaking completely. And I’m not sure what will be left of me when it happens.
I’d rather not find out.
My gaze skitters around the room, looking for an escape that doesn’t exist.
Though, at this point, I’m not sure the escape I need has anything to do with running away.
I dare to look back at him, except his attention is no longer on me.
Following his line of sight, I see three new guests entering the large room. A man and a woman walk arm in arm, with a younger man trailing close behind them.
The older of the two men wears a hard expression, which makes him difficult to read—not unlike some of the men here. But the woman doesn’t seem to belong. She looks the part, with a gorgeous floor-length, deep green dress and flowing chestnut brown hair, but there’s something different about her.
The burning of eyes on me pulls my gaze away from the woman in green, only to clash with another woman. The man beside her moves his eyes over me, but worse than his stare is the way the woman leers at me with disgust-filled eyes for drawing the attention of her man. It doesn’t matter if I’m a child in comparison to both her and her husband.
I’ve been getting the same look for as long as I remember having to attend these parties.Although, worse than the women who hate you for tempting their husbands are those who smile at you with as much evil in their stare as their male partners.
Refusing to acknowledge her, I shift my gaze to the new woman. She’s not like any of the others I’ve seen here before. She has kind eyes. Ones that make her man’s face soften with love when he gazes at her. It’s obvious she doesn’t belong here. Who are these people, and why are they here? As much as I’m drawn to their subtle exchange, my attention snags on the man behind them.
His gaze flits around the room like he’s on high alert, and I can’t seem to take my eyes off him as they get closer to my place against the wall.
Is he a bodyguard?
He’s young compared to most men here, but it doesn’t make him any less imposing.
I suck in a breath when his gaze clashes with mine before turning my way.
Time suspends as I’m drawn into his blue depths, and the room around me disappears.
His gaze travels down my body, but it’s not the same as the other men here.