‘Try it,’ he said, and tried to kiss her again, but she resisted.

‘Are you saying that I couldn’t hit you? Or that you’d let me hit you?’

‘I’m telling you to try it and see what happens.’

This was where he crossed into cocky and her competitive heckles bristled. ‘I’ve punched guys before,’ she said. ‘I do have some abilities of my own, you know.’

‘Show me,’ he said. Leaping to his feet, he widened his stance and lifted his fists. With his four fingers he beckoned her toward him, moving nothing except those digits. ‘Come on then, Minx, get up. On your feet, pledge.’

‘You’re naked,’ she said, remaining on the bed. Moving to sit on her butt, she stretched her legs along the floor toward him.

‘Not my usual get-up, sure,’ he said. ‘But you’re naked too, we’re equal.’ Stretching across the floor, she snagged his jeans and tossed them up to him. ‘You’re that worried about protecting my junk?’ He pulled them on, but didn’t buckle the belt. ‘I guess you’re a girl who fights dirty.’

‘I’m a girl who retreats when their opponent is dazed and confused,’ she said, crawling across the concrete floor to retrieve her dress, which had somehow ended up near the bars. When she passed him he swooped down to spank her naked behind, causing her to glare over her shoulder at him. ‘I was perfectly behaved last night. You were the naughty one. Should I turn you over my knee?’

His grin burst to a laugh. He bent to snag her arm and lifted her off the ground with such force that her feet left the floor for a second. ‘Try that any day, I’d love to punish you for forgetting your station.’

Except she didn’t feel subordinate when he snatched her against his chest, trapping her arms between their bodies. Something was different this morning. They’d been verbally sparring since their first conversation and Dax had never been as sadistic as Bruno. So while Bruno had issued commands and taken pleasure in demeaning her, Dax was happy to receive the same amount of respect from her that he showed. Others may consider the spanking thing disrespectful, and she might have agreed with them if it wasn’t for the thrill she got when she was dominated by him.

‘Can you take me to the bathroom before you disappear upstairs?’

‘I’ll come back down,’ he said. ‘I just need an hour to get the place back together. I don’t want you seeing what went on up there.’

‘It’s probably going to be my job to clear up the mess.’

He shook his head. ‘Not anymore.’ He kissed her then removed his watch from his wrist to put it in her hand. ‘One hour, you can time me.’

‘I’d still appreciate the chance to pee, baby, please.’

‘There’s a restroom in the gym,’ he said. The cell door was still unlocked, so he led her through the gym to the restroom, the door to which was under the stairs.

He opened the door and switched on the light for her, she crossed to the toilet and lifted her dress. But when she turned and sat he was still there in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, his arms folded across his chest, his thumbs resting on his biceps.

‘You’re going to stand there and watch me?’ she asked, unimpressed by his amusement. She had peed while he was in the room before, but he was usually busy with something else, not standing there observing her like she was putting on a show.

‘Yep. You might try to run away. You are my captive don’t forget.’

Glancing around, she drew attention to the lack of exits. ‘There are no windows.’

‘You’re a smart girl, who knows what plans you might have.’ He didn’t even believe his own accusations, but yanking her chain was growing to be one of his favourite pastimes.

‘You want to watch me pee out of the pussy you eat?’

‘That’s right,’ he said, not losing that tang of enjoyment. She wasn’t ever putting him off this lark.

Relaxing enough to let herself urinate, she wasn’t going to allow his antagonism get to her. To let him know that she was unaffected, she maintained eye contact throughout, right up until she washed her hands. The mirror in this room was on the back of the door so she didn’t see him coming up behind her.

‘I don’t want to leave you in there,’ he mumbled onto her crown.

‘You said it was important that they believe you slept with that girl, and that I believe you did, so you have no choice. You have to lock me in there. But you’re going to find out what’s going on upstairs and then release me, right? Do you want me to be a little bit pissed at you up there in front of Bruno?’

‘Not pissed,’ he said, squeezing her waist. ‘You’re supposed to be Little Miss Happy Slave. You should let me do whatever I want and still follow my orders. You have no right to get pissed at me.’

Twisting around, she looked up at him. ‘Do I?’

‘Do you what?’

‘Do I have the right to get pissed at you if you screw around?’

‘Babygirl, there’s a lot going on here that you don’t understand. There’s a lot of back room family politics with a bit of betrayal and sabotage mixed in. We’re in a fucked up situation.’

‘That sounds like the let-down, Dax. You’re breaking up with me before we ever got started. I thought you were a fighter. If you want me, why can’t you have me?’

‘Like I said, it’s about family.’

‘Family?’ she said.

‘You’re not meant to be for me.’

‘Screw what they want, Dax. I’m here and I’m telling you that you can have me. Are you too much of a pussy to possess me, tough guy? Too frightened to step up and take what’s yours?’

‘Don’t,’ he said, letting her go and retreating back to the door. ‘Don’t try to get me riled.’

She followed him through to the cell, where he was gathering up the last of his clothes and dressing. ‘Why not?’ she asked. ‘What happens when the great Dax Harrow gets riled? I’ve never seen it myself.’

‘If you start a fight with me I’ll end up fucking you,’ he said, sticking his feet in his boots. ‘Do yourself a favour and sit your ass down on the bed.’

‘I’ll never understand enough to help if you don’t let me in,’ she said, not following his order, but slipping into the cell just inside the door.

‘Loyalty is important where I come from, Minx. I’m not ready to betray my family and even if I did… You would flip out if you knew the truth and I need you playing along, you’re too volatile, and if you freak in front of Bruno right now…’

‘You don’t trust me,’ she said, stating the obvious but pushing him to confirm it, except he didn’t.

‘I’ll be back in an hour,’ he said, not addressing what she had said.

He kissed her cheek, which was either a sign he was pissed at her, or a sign he didn’t want to lead himself into temptation. The door shut with a clang and locked, but she didn’t bother to move from her perch leaning on the bars. She assumed that he was gone, but he spoke a moment later.

‘I’m trying to hold this together,’ he said. ‘What I… feeling anything for you at all is a betrayal of everyone in my life, and it could make things worse for both of us.  If it comes down to choosing to be with you or saving your life… I’m going to choose the second.’

The enormity of his words drew her in a semi-circle. He was in the shadow by the door, but she could make out the determination on his face. ‘What does that mean, Dax?’

‘That I will give you up when the time comes. Things could get a whole lot worse for you and I’m not going to make you any promises about stepping in to make them easier.’

‘You’d let them hurt me?’

‘They’re going to hurt you,’ he said without an ounce of doubt. ‘They are, babygirl, and for that I’m sorry. I’ll do everything I can to minimise—‘

‘Don’t do me any favours,’ she snarled. ‘What’s the point in telling me that you give a fuck if you’re just going to let them follow through with whatever their plan is anyway?’

‘I have some pull… I just don’t know if it’s enough.’

‘You’re going to try, but you think that you’ll fail? So why bother? Is that how you think walking into every fight? Sometimes you have to make a decision, Dax, it’s not always the easy choice, but you have to pick what’s best for you and the people you care about.’