Falling Into Ruin.

His Instruction

[Briar’s POV]

I remain in place, staring around, taking in the space that looks almost unlived in while my savior, or possibly my downfall, heads toward the kitchen and grabs a beer.

“Want one?” He asks, peeking at me over my shoulder. “Or do you intend to just stand there looking like a statue?”

“I…” I begin, wondering if that was a rhetorical question. “I’ll have one.”

“Atta girl,” the man chuckles, moving toward me and passing me a bottle of some cheap beer that probably tastes like the toilet water at a frat house. “Sorry it isn’t fancy, but this is all I got.”

“It’ll do,” I say, moving toward a chair and taking a seat. “Alcohol is alcohol, right?”

As I speak, I try to keep my voice even, doing my absolute best to keep my nerves from being noticed, but from the way those golden eyes burned into me, I knew I wasn’t doing a very good job.

“Hey,” the man says, taking a seat across from me. “Tell me something.”

“What?” I ask, taking a sip of my beer and wincing from the taste. “What is it?”

“Are you afraid of me?”

At his question a gasp escapes me, causing my drink to go down the wrong pipe, so I’m left crashing into a coughing fit while the predator in front of me just watches.

Shit. This was embarrassing. What the hell was I even doing?

“So, you are afraid of me.” He murmurs, taking my reaction as a confirmation. “I guess that means that you’re not dumb.”

“Ex-excuse me?” I cough, taking offense to what he has said. “Did you just insinuate that I’m an i***t?”

Stop it, Briar. I hiss inwardly, realizing that I was being a bit too blunt with the man in front of me. Don’t push him if you want to leave this place in one piece. You can’t get yourself killed before you uncover the mystery behind your brother's death.

Settling on this, I try to think of a way to backtrack on my words, but to my surprise, the man is watching me in amusement.

“Even if you are afraid, you’re still feisty.” He murmurs, giving me a look that screams appreciation. “You’re an interesting little minx, aren’t you?”

Interesting. Why did it sound like he was thinking of me as some toy that he found and was enjoying playing with? And why was he doing this to me? Was he actually planning on killing me to make sure that I didn’t speak a word about what I witnessed back at the club, or was he going to make me fulfill my promise? Why was he playing with me? Why didn’t he just go ahead and say what it was that he wanted?

“Am I?” I ask slowly, taking a long swig of my drink.

If he was going to make me give him my body, then I at least wanted to be a bit drunk. That way, maybe, just maybe, I wouldn’t remember what happened come morning. Although, if he didn’t kill a man in front of me, I would want to remember everything about him and his body.

“You are,” he confirms, leaning forward so he could get a better look at me. “You’re a really good actress.”

“Actress,” I repeat, bristling. “And what exactly is it that I’m trying to act like?”

“You’re trying to pretend that you aren’t afraid even though your entire body screams that you’re ready to flee.”

“That,” I begin, preparing to deny what he said, but deciding that maybe honesty was the best policy. “Should I not be?”

It was a rhetorical question. Of course I should be on edge and guarded in this situation, but one part of me, a very small part, wanted to accept and embrace him openly. It felt like there was a tiny magnet somewhere in him, and that magnet was pulling and beckoning an even tinier magnet inside me. It was strange and unnerving, but it was something I couldn’t ignore, and it was most likely the reason that I even came home with him.

“No,” he chuckles, giving me a look of appreciation. “You should be afraid. You should be so afraid that once we part ways, you do everything in your power not to appear in front of me again.”

“Are you suggesting that I’m going to go out of my way to find you?” I ask. “I assure you that won’t happen.”

“Good,” he rumbles, relaxing even more. “Since we’ve agreed on that, there is one other thing that we should probably discuss here.”

“Let me guess,” I say, hoping that once this portion of our meeting was over, I could escape and never have to see him again. “If I dare go to the police about what you did, you’ll hunt me down and kill me.”

“Smart girl,” he grins, taking my breath away with how f*****g good he looks when he smiles like that. “But I assure you that the police won’t believe a word of what you say since you were the last person to actually be seen with him.”

Eyes widening, I nearly drop the drink that I’m still clutching in my hand.

Was he… Was he threatening me?

“What?” he asks, his grin turning from handsome to dangerous. “Did you really think that I was worried you would get me arrested? Please, you’re the only one who will be suspected in this whole thing.”

“Then why did you even bring me here?” I hiss through gritted teeth. “I thought it was to threaten me into silence, but here you are openly making it clear that if I even uttered a word of what happened to Jeffrey, I would be the one to end up in jail. Wait,” I continue, my heart beginning to hammer in my chest. “Were you serious about me using my body to repay you for helping me?”

“I was,” he confirms. “But I don’t have any intention of getting my payment by force.”

Not get his payment by force, then what the hell was he even planning? Wasn’t he the one that told me I better do everything I could not to appear in front of him again? Was he crazy, or did he have split personalities?

“Here’s how this is going to work.” He announces, snapping me out of my daze. “I won’t force you into anything, but if by some chance we cross paths in the future, I will make you keep good to your promise. If I so much as get a whiff of you near me, little minx, I will catch you, and I will make you my plaything. Do you understand? And, I promise you that I'm not gentle with my toys, I like to ruin them little by little until they're too damaged for others to play with."

“I…” I whisper, a shiver of what… fear or was it anticipation, rushing through me. “I understand.”

“Then I think that we’re done here.”

In one fluid motion, the man stands and makes his way toward me, and when he reaches me, he reaches out, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet.

“Wait,” I gasp, grasping my beer even tighter. “You almost made me spill!”

“Spill it, drop it; it doesn’t matter to me.” He shrugs, starting to lead me toward the elevator. “But I suggest you chug it if you don’t want to waste it.”

“Why?” I demand, my irritation growing. “Are you not even going to grant me the courtesy of allowing me to finish my drink before you force me out?”

“What?” he asks, whirling on me and causing me to finally drop the drink so that it begins to pool around our feet. “Are you wanting to stay and get drunk?” He husks, bending over so that his breath tickles my skin. “Don’t tell me you’re disappointed that we’re finished.”

“No!” I snap, though a small part of me is. “Why would I be disappointed?”

“That’s easy,” he breathes. “Even if you’re trying to act all high and mighty, you actually want me to f**k you, am I right?”

Eyes widening, I stare at the man in disbelief as the urge to smack him threatens to overwhelm me.

“I don’t,” I growl, yanking my arm free of his hold. “Why would I want some rude thug with no manners to f**k me?”

“Beats the hell out of me.” He laughs. “But I’m sorry to say, you aren’t my type. Now, get the hell out of here and remember never to appear in front of me again.”

“No problem.” I snap, storming into the elevator that is open and waiting for me. “I didn’t plan on seeking you out anyway.”

"Oh, and one last thing," he calls as the doors begin to close. "Don't you dare let another bastard touch you. If you do, and I find out, I'll kill them while you watch."