23 Wai (1/2)

Parting her lips to speak, I pushed a single finger against her mouth, silencing her from saying a word.

”I want you to think really hard about what you're going to say. Think very carefully about it, because this is the only chance you'll have.”

Her eyes searched my face, but not once did she show any true fear. She was trying to read me, trying to weigh the truthfulness in what I was saying.

Would I really hurt her?

Would I punish her for not listening?

I knew the answers to her questions, but I wasn't going to let her know how far I was willing to go to get what I wanted.

The soft light under the stage caught her skin perfectly, highlighting thin scars on her shoulders. Running the tips of my fingers across one of the lines, I traced the old wound.

Her eyes fell to her shoulder, watching my finger as it moved over more marks, gently admiring the battles she fought.

”Are there more?” I asked.

Sucking in a gulp of air, she pushed my hand away, covering her scars with an open palm. Biting on her cheeks, she glanced over my shoulder, darting her eyes around in the darkness.

”Who did this to you?” I tried to ask delicately, knowing from her eyes that those scars were a source of pain she didn't want to remember. ”Was it your boss?”

The girl froze up, her voice no longer audible as she closed her lips and bit the inside of her cheeks harder. Her face had sunken in, her skin glistening in nervous sweat as she tried to weed out the answers she was willing to give and those she couldn't—or wouldn't.

Dancing my fingers across her collarbone, I slid my hand around her throat, coddling it in my palm. My thumb found the thick vein in her neck, her pulse picking up as I applied a little pressure.

”I'm not sure you're understanding how this works.” Angling my head, I lowered my face so our cheeks were touching as I whispered into her ear. ”I ask and you answer.” Inhaling a shallow breath, I felt the blood as it was forced through her vein. ”Do you need me to explain the rules again?” Squaring my shoulders, I looked down on her, hoping she would give me something.

Licking her lips, her eyes stayed firmly planted on mine. ”Jessie.”