The Dragon Master's Pleasure Slave

Margot

My head snaps up, and I wince as I meet his angry scowl.

His face contorts in snarling disgust, and he holds a sparkling crystal tumbler of golden liquid.

He throws it back in one loud gulp before standing up behind his desk and turning his eyes to me again.

I look back down at the carpet, cross my arms over my chest, and grip my elbows as hard as possible.

I hear his footsteps, the brush of his slacks as he walks. Then his shadow towers over me as I swallow my fear, waiting for his hand to slam into my cheek.

My stepmother likes to kick and pull hair, but my father likes to hit or, even more humiliating, backhand. As a result, my cheek will sting for hours, and sometimes the handprint will stay for days. My scarlet letter, so to speak. "Leaving?" I ask meekly, hunching over as his six-foot-three frame swallows me.

"Yes, leaving. I'm selling you at the auction. I can pay my gambling debts off if I sell you."

I flinch.

He continues. "Your mother told me you're still a virgin, and that's exactly what will bring me a high price for you."

Stepmother.

He wallops the small of my back with the side of his fist. Hard enough to jolt me into position, but not hard enough to leave a mark. "Stand up straight and look at the wall."

I jerk upright and let my hands fall to my sides. I focus on the bookshelf behind his desk, examining the titles as if my life depends on remembering them.

I struggle to read some of the words. They're too long, too...educated, but I can make out a few.

How to Win Friends and Influence People reads one title.

He should reread it because it hadn't worked.

Father never let me go to school after he married my stepmother. He said I was too stupid. Besides, school is for women looking to marry up. My only hope is taking care of everything around the house so my half-sisters can do well. Father walks around me. My skin tingles in revolt as his eyes glance up and down my body. Finally, he pulls my chin up with his nicotine-stained fingers.

"These marks on your arms look disgusting. That's going to lower your price."

As if it's my fault.

"Perhaps you should tell your wife and her daughters not to grab me so roughly."

I choke on the words the second they leave my mouth.

I do an excellent job tempering myself and keeping my mouth shut; it lessens the abuse. But sometimes I can't stop myself, and the thoughts slide right out like a spewing faucet. And then I drown in a sea of my own making.

Father grips my chin tightly and lifts his other hand to slap me, rage taking over his features and reddening his face. I squeeze my eyes shut and turn my head slightly, preparing for the blow. It never comes.

I open one eye a smidge and look at him.

He's breathing heavily, obviously trying to calm himself down. He lets go of my face, and his hands fist at his sides as his chest heaves.

"You're lucky. If I mar your face, the price will decrease even more, and I want every solitary cent I can get out of you. I'm so fucking glad to be rid of you!"

He stomps back over to his desk, yanks open a drawer, and pulls a pack of cigarettes out. He lights another one and takes a long drag before speaking again. The smell makes me woozy, and the seconds feel endless. Where am I going? Is it going to be worse than this? Can it be worse than here? Anything is possible, though, and I shudder.

Whatever it is, I'll survive and find a way out. I have to. I don't have a choice. I might not be the most intelligent person, but I can be resourceful when I need to be.

I'll do what needs to be done, no matter how it turns my stomach.

"Your mother will get you cleaned up before we leave. The better you look, the more money I'll make off of you No one wants to fuck an ugly stick of a woman, even if she is a virgin. And if they're unable to pop your cherry by some chance, I'll kill you when you get home for making a fool of me."

"I don't think I can get clean out by the barn. And I don't have any other clothes," I say as I lift the hem of my ripped and stained dress.

He takes another drag off his

cigarette, then hisses, "Are you fucking stupid? I said your mother was going to take care of it. Now, get out of my sight before I get sick thinking of what little I'll get from the likes of you."

"Yes, sir."

I turn around and head out of his office. My stepmother is waiting for me in the hall, an amused grin slashed across her face. She's

delighted. My half-sisters are

standing behind her and peering

around her shoulders with their own

evil smirks.

They turn up their noses and give delicate little sniffs.

"I'm not touching that filthy bitch," Kristen says while rushing from the hall and up the stairs. Ashley follows behind her like the copycat mouse she's always been.

My mind is reeling. Virgin... My father said virgin. And it would pay off his debt.

That means...

Oh god.