He yanked away the sheet and threw her down on the bed. Then he grabbed her by the ankles and spread her wide. He rolled her back and thrust himself inside. She didn’t fight him. She couldn’t. Feeling him inside her made her gag. He thought he owned her, and maybe he did. He moved hard against her, the way he always did, something crude and foreign inside her. All she felt was shame. “I’m sorry, Ned,” she whispered to herself. She watched him grunt and sweat like some disgusting animal.

He made her do everything he liked – all the things she hated. When he was finished, Tess lay there, feeling so dirty, shivering, as if the room had grown cold. She wanted to cry. She had to end this. Now.

“I need to talk to you,” Tess said. He was up and looping his belt through his fancy Italian golf pants.

“Sorry, darling, no time for cuddle talk now. I have to get back.”

“Then I’ll see you later? At the benefit?”

“Well, that depends.” He smoothed his hair in the mirror.

“On what?” She didn’t understand.

He smiled, almost pathetically. “Things have gotten very cozy, haven’t they, Tess? It must feel just like home, right, since you seem to make a habit of shitting where you sleep. You’re very pretty, my love, but you know what I think? The jewelry and the fancy car… I’m beginning to think they’ve made you feel like you really belong.” He smiled one more time. “Hope that was as good for you as it was for me.”

He turned, tossing the room key in the palm of his hand. “And by the way, you know you really ought to lock the door. You can never tell who might pop in for a quickie.”

Chapter 6

IT’S OVER! she screamed to herself.

Tess kicked at the covers in rage. She felt ashamed, angry, weak. This wasn’t going to happen anymore.