He leans closer to me.I know this when he hisses, “Briana.”My name comes out in a sharp bark.I’ve angered him.Not enough to make him seriously pissed, but just enough to deserve to be reprimanded.
He was waiting for an answer to his question when my mind wandered.“No, Sir.I don’t have parents.”
“Where were you living before you came here?”His tone is oddly curious.
“Foster care.I lived with a family.I aged out when I turned eighteen.I stayed with them until I moved here to go to school.”
“Ahhh.That makes sense.”
I hate that he knows that.Now he’s aware that I don’t have anyone who loves me.That might make me expendable.Maybe I should tell him I have a brother.But I decide against it.He’ll ask questions I don’t want to answer.I would never want to endanger my brother.
“Did your foster parents not have rules about cleanliness, princess?”His voice is so gentle, as if he feels sorry for me missing out on such a ludicrous thing as chores.
“They did, Sir,” I admit.
“But you abandoned those guidelines when you moved out?”
I don’t understand this man.Is he some sort of drill sergeant?I’m notthatmessy.I’m just a normal freshman.He acts like my room is a pigsty.I haven’t even lived here long enough for it to be such a disaster.On top of that, I don’t own enough clothes or shoes or any other items to be much of a slob.
“I guess I’ve been busy,” I murmur.
“Mmm.Maybe you just need a nudge from someone who cares about your well-being.”
I purse my lips.Him?
He lifts a lock of my hair and plays with it.“Your hair is like spun gold, princess.”
I hold my breath.
“Do you have any idea how pretty you are?”
At those words, my tears trail down my temples.He doesn’t know that, though.He can’t see them.And I’m glad.
“So pretty…” he continues, his voice reverent.“Your skin is so smooth and naturally tan.Do you wear sunscreen, princess?”
“Yes, Sir.”I’m choked up.It’s irrational, but I don’t think anyone has ever told me I’m pretty.No one has ever even looked at me long enough to form an opinion.
It’s not that I had bad experiences in foster care.I was lucky.I was always placed with kind families.But they had other foster kids, too.The last one I was with had seven of us.They did everything they could to provide us all with a stable environment, food, clothes, and a roof.Those things are important.But there were too many of us for them to really take the time to make any one of us feel loved.
“Good girl.You should always protect your skin from the sun’s harmful rays.If I were to look, would I find tan lines from tank tops and bathing suits?”
My lips part.Fuck, he’s strange.“Uh, yes, Sir.My skin tans even if I wear sunscreen.”
“I suppose that’s true.One day soon, I’ll start checking to make sure you’re protecting your skin as much as possible.”
My jaw tightens.He talks like he intends to be in my life all the time.How would that look?
“I don’t think you’re ready for me to see you naked tonight, are you, princess?”
My heart beats faster.“No, Sir.”But part of me is lying to us both.Some warped part of mewantshim to see me naked.It makes no sense.I’m being assaulted.Aren’t I?
Except he hasn’t hurt me.He’s been nothing but kind.Oddly interested in my welfare, which feels nice, if unusual.And his touch is making me feel so alive.I wonder what it would feel like if he touched more of me, stroked me in more intimate places.
“Has anyone seen you naked, Briana?”
“No, Sir,” I murmur.
His head is closer to mine again.“Good girl.I like knowing that you’re pure and untouched.That’s what you mean, right, princess?No boys have touched you?I suppose seeing your precious body and touching it are two different things.Has anyone ever held your breasts or stroked your nipples?”