Punishment

"Counselor, you realize the actions of Mr. Colton and his friends could have resulted in the death of a student, correct?" the judge asks, frowning as he stares down at the snob.

"My client is perfectly aware of the severity of the situation. However, Your Honor, he wasn't one of those four boys who stole and wrecked the bulldozer into Ms. Capperton's home. He simply hosted the party that got out of hand. Surely you can't hold him responsible for the actions of four grown boys."

Kade chances a smug smirk. He doesn't have an ounce of humility. He's lazily lounging in the chair, his arms crossed over his chest, and he even goes so far as to look bored.

"And the school is allowing him to stay there because of that, Counselor. The others were expelled and arrested. However, I'm not too thrilled with the fact he supplied that much alcohol to underage partiers who then destroyed the home."

That earthquake had turned out to be those idiots crashing that big-ass bulldozer through my living room. Damn near killed me. Had I not gone to take a shower, they probably would have killed me. Now I've been living in one of the dorm rooms for three days. The school offered it to me temporarily, under the circumstances. I have two days to find something else.

"He didn't supply that alcohol, and he checked the identification of every partier. No one under twenty-one was allowed."

"Sure he did," the other lawyer scoffs, cutting his eyes toward Kade.

As if anyone doesn't have a fake ID. Even I have one. Albeit I never use it, but I have one. I'm not voicing that though. I just hope they make him pay me something. That's all I need. Just a little money to replace what I lost.

I'll probably have to go to a different court for that, though.

A snooty man in a pristine business suit stands up and walks over to be behind Kade. This small courtroom just hosts a few of us. This isn't exactly a murder trial, but a jury would have been nice, dammit.

"I think I know a way we can solve this," the man says, texting on his phone as though he's above all this too much to grant it any real amount of attention.

"Please, Mr. Colton, proceed," the judge snarks, sounding bitter, but... compliant? Why is he letting Kade's father run the show.

"My son fucked up," he says simply, putting his phone away and turning his attention to the agitated judge. "But he didn't force those boys to mount a bulldozer and go for a joyride. I do agree he should be punished in some form, but I think I know better than anyone else how to do that."

Kade's jaw clenches, and he sits up a little better while barely turning his head to listen in. His devilish good looks and rich influence won't help him out with his own father.

"I think Ms. Capperton's situation has become... a problem now," he says, turning toward me with his award-winning smile. "She needs a home," he continues, turning back to the judge. "My son's home is directly across from the school, he has amenities most would die for, and there is plenty of room there for another person."

Kade's jaw clenches all the tighter, making me worry it's about to snap off. What is his father talking about?

"Are you suggesting Ms. Capperton go live with him?" the judge scoffs, rolling his eyes. "That's your form of punishment? No wonder he's so irresponsible."

Mr. Colton lets a rumble of laughter free. "Then you don't know my son as well as I do. He hates to have rules. While Ms. Capperton is there, he will respect any and all her needs. Everything he wants to do will have to go through her for approval. She'll have power over him, which will limit his social life. If he steps out of line, she can call me, and I'll start taking things away as punishment for refusing to abide by her rules. Let's face it, Roy, you can't hold him for anything. You can't charge him with any wrongdoing. I'll hire the best lawyer to keep him from having jail-time on his record. It's up to you."

I can't believe he's doing this. Me? Live with Kade? Hell no. Not happening.

"Ms. Capperton? How do you feel about this?" the judge asks through gritted teeth.

Apparently Kade's father holds more power here than he does. Hell, he even called him Roy instead of Your Honor.

"I don't want to live with Kade Colton," I say quickly, bitterly, turning my nose up in disgust.

Mr. Colton smirks, and Kade relaxes.

"Ms. Capperton, do you have a home or money to rent anywhere? I've looked over your financials. It wouldn't have been long until you were being kicked out. I'm sure you could sue for the damages done, but that takes time and money as well. Do you have time and money?" Kade's father asks, sounding so fucking pompous.

"No," I almost whisper.

"Didn't think so. You'd have a home - a nice home - and at the end of the school year, I'll buy you a new house you won't have to stress over. You have to live with Kade first, though. And if he gives you any trouble at all, you call me right away."

This is one twisted man. Has he no clue how much I hate his son? Why punish me by making me live with him? I don't really have a choice though. If I was a guy, he'd have me by the balls.

"Ms. Capperton?" the judge says, prompting me to make a decision.

Do I live through hell for the rest of the year and then have three years of paid housing? Or do I let the devil off the hook without any punishment while I go homeless and possibly get kicked out of school. Shit.

"Fine."

Mr. Colton's deep, satisfied smile spreads like the Cheshire cat's grin. "Fine? What does fine mean, Ms. Capperton?" the judge asks.

I roll my eyes, and Kade cuts his eyes toward me, willing me dead with his icy glare.

"It means yes. I'll do it."

Mr. Colton turns to his son, seeming to enjoy this immensely, as he says, "Son, meet your new leash."

I don't know what I was expecting to find inside Kade Colton's home. I suppose I expected the chandelier to be decorated by beer bottles and lacy underwear. I wasn't expecting to feel like I'm in a house meant for royalty.

It's grand on the outside, all three stories, but inside... wow. Marble floors, tall ceilings, immaculate furniture, and all the newest appliances and gadgets one can fathom. Spoiled brat.

"I think you'll find everything you need here, Ms. Capperton. This room is almost just as big as the master. Are you sure you don't want the master? I'll gladly make my son switch with you," Mr. Colton says as he types away on his phone, putting it down when he finishes.

I scratch my side, trying to relieve the agony I'm in. Damn it hurts and itches.

"This will be fine," I murmur. I sure as hell don't want to touch Kade's icky room. I've seen the girls that come and go during the parties. "And please, just call me Raya."

"Very well," he says, smiling. "Raya, are you okay?" he asks, pointing to my constant scratching.

"Yeah," I mumble, growling almost. "My clothes were in the midst of the destruction path. The ones that weren't ruined were covered in insulation. I've washed them over and over, but they still... it just itches."

He frowns just as Kade fills the doorway. He hasn't stopped scowling or tossing me death-glares since I agreed to this. He's tall, at least six-foot-three. I've never before noticed how tall he is.

His dark hair is always bedroom sexy, and his eyes are pools of perfect blue. His body is enough to make immortals envious - toned and cut in all the right places.

He'd be the sexiest thing I'd ever seen if I didn't hate him so damn much.

"You rang," Kade snarks, turning his burning hatred toward his father.

"Yes, I was texting to tell you to make sure you get this mattress replaced today. There's no telling what your friends have done on it, and I want Raya to have fresh sheets as well."

Ew. Gross. I hadn't thought of that. Sick.

I casually pull my bag back off the bed and drop it to the floor, earning a small grin from Mr. Colton.

"Already called the furniture shop. They'll be bringing it by tomorrow." Kade seems bored now, though still irritated.

She places a wide variety of stringy messes on the rack that is packed full of clothes. Then she pops back out as quickly as she came in. Does no one give a damn about my personal space?

I jerk a shirt on over my head before anyone else can come in. I'm almost afraid of taking my pants off. I had to buy new underwear since I didn't want to scratch... there. But the selection was limited based on my budget. I'd be humiliated if anyone saw these cotton monstrosities.

Without giving it too much more thought, I slip out of my jeans and into another pair without itchy particles all over them. Oh damn. I had no idea jeans could fit and feel like this. No wonder Paul Colton's business is thriving.

I give a twirl in front of the mirror to see my body has been transformed. I'll never be the same. I seriously just fell in love with a pair of jeans. I'm done. I don't want to try on anything else.

Reluctantly, I slip out of them and start making my way through the hordes of clothing. Right when I'm in the middle of pulling my shirt off again, a different girl pops in.

"Mr. Colton said you might need some dressier items in case you felt like attending some of his events, so I brought you these." She hangs up several dresses, and then she pulls out a selection of underwear from a rolling cart. "And he said you'd definitely need this stuff. Just turn around so I can put this on you and lace it up."

She holds out a white corset, but I shake my head. "Why would I need that?"

"Because you'll be wearing dresses that will require some... boost. You've got the ideal chest for this. It'll be perfect for slimming your waistline, too," she says, letting her eyes drift to my midsection.

Sure it doesn't look like I work out everyday, but it's flat enough. Just because she starves herself to be three sizes smaller doesn't mean I have to. Bitch.

I turn around, begrudgingly, and she slips it around my waist and pulls it up. With a flick of her wrist, she's gotten my bra off and tossed it to the floor. With the first tug of the laces, my breath heaves out of me. Bitch! With the second tug of the laces, I refrain from elbowing her in the nose. By the third tug, I'm condemning her to hell.

She's not being the least bit gentle. Does she not see all the monstrous bruises on me? That shit hurts.

After a few more laces, she's finally done, and I'm turning purple from lack of oxygen. She smiles, but her phone buzzes. "Mr. Colton," she says, seeming all too giddy. "Of course we are."

"Can't... breathe," I whisper, trying to draw her attention back to me, but she's too busy sucking up.

I start reaching for strings or laces or whatever they're called, but I can't get the knots undone. She walks out, abandoning me, and I start wheezing and straining harder. I've worn stuff similar to this on Halloween, but damn, this is the real deal. You could shift the placement of organs with this sadistic contraption.

"Help," I wheeze out, still struggling to undo the knot.

"Raya?" Kade's voice sounds out.

As much as I'd really rather wait on anyone - and I do mean anyone - else, it's either him or passing out.

"Can't breathe," I strain out again, and the door flies open.

He bursts out laughing when he sees what's going on, and then he shakes his head while coming to stand behind me. I need air more than I need dignity right now.

He pushes my hair to be over my shoulder, and I shiver when his hand touches my bare skin.

"Don't move," he says, still laughing as his deft fingers go to work.

He manages to loosen it up enough for me to catch the first breath of air, and I actually cough on the abundance of it.

"Don't ever let Sarah lace you up. She's got a nasty habit of making girls with curves pay."

"Holy shit," I cough out, feeling more relief when he loosens it higher, slowly separating all the laces. "It's not like I'm obese," I growl, finding anger when my panic dissolves.

"No," he says, seeming distracted. "Not even close."

I look up to the mirror to catch his eyes intensely focused on my lower back. His fingers have stopped unlacing the corset, and now his hands are gently placed on my hips as he examines something.

"Is this from the roof collapsing?" he asks, motioning to something I can't see.

"Is it another bruise?"

"It's a massive bruise," he huffs out, seeming to curse under his breath.

"Yeah. I've got them all over me."

It's then his eyes move to my shoulders where I've got several nasty ones. He lifts my hair up to start inspecting them as well. The heat from his breath caresses the skin of my neck, making me squirm. Uh-oh. No. I refuse to be turned on by this asshole. Not happening. No way.

I hold the corset to me as I step out of his grasp, and he lets his hands fall to his sides.

"They said you didn't get hurt," he murmurs, showing humanity flicker in his eyes for the first time.

"I didn't suffer anything major," I say while shrugging. "But when a roof collapses on you, it still tends to leave a mark. Thanks for the help, but I need to get redressed."

He hesitates to move at first, and his eyes fall to my chest. Fortunately, I have it very covered up.

"How much longer will you be?" he asks, letting his eyes come back up to meet mine.

"I'm done. I don't want this thing, and I don't really need the dresses. I don't go anywhere that I would need to wear something like that. Just the regular clothes for me."

"And the swimsuits," he adds, pointing toward the rack.

"No. I don't feel like swimming. Not my thing. Besides, I'd look like a punching bag with all these," I say, motioning to some of the bruises around my shoulders.

He frowns again, but walks out. I opt to go ahead and put on some of the jeans. It's hot as hell today, but there are too many bruises on my legs to wear shorts.

I slip into a shirt with quarter-length sleeves as I walk out holding a few of the items and the underwear I picked out. This will be enough. It's a week's worth of clothes. Once I get paid, I can go buy some more things from the cheaper stores.

Kade is leaned over the counter talking to the girl who showed me in. She's giggling and nodding, which forces me to roll my eyes. I plop down some of the stuff, carefully keeping the panties and bras tucked under the clothes.

"Is that all you're getting?" Kade asks, seeming confused.

"Yeah. And what I'm wearing," I say, motioning to the t-shirt and jeans I've got on.

The girl frowns when she sees the small selection, and Kade disappears. "Hurry up and ring out the underwear before he gets back," I whisper, causing her eyebrow to lift.

"Kade said his father gave you his card to get all you needed."

"This is all I need. More than I need. Please hurry."

She turns her nose up in disappointment as she rings it up, seeming to sigh every two seconds. "Add this to it," Kade says as he and two other girls put mounds of clothes on the top.

The girl behind the register gleams as she starts adding it in.

"What are you doing?" I whisper, scolding him with my eyes more than my voice.

He shrugs, seeming bored again. "I know my father better than you. He'd make me bring you back, and I've got shit to do today."

And he's back to being a dickhead. Great.

"I don't want all this."

"Too bad."

My mouth tries to fall to the floor when the giddy girl announces the ungodly price, but Kade pulls the credit card from my back pocket and hands it to her, acting as though she didn't ring out two new vehicles instead of some clothes.

"It's his store, Raya. It's not like he's not getting it all back," Kade chuckles out.

Why even pay at all?

He pushes my jaw back into place with his finger, and then he leans over me to take the card back from the girl.

"Let's go," he says, scooping up all my bags.

Some of the girls help carry out the bags, too, and Kade loads down the small trunk area. I reach in and grab some sunglasses from one of the bags. I don't know who put them in there, but I'm thankful because the sun is blinding me.

When Kade shuts the trunk, he surprises me by walking over to open my door.

"Come on," he urges impatiently.

The girls stare at us... Well, they stare at him. I get in, still dumbfounded by his one redeeming act of the day. Once my legs are safely tucked inside, he shuts the door, gives the swooning girls a wink, and then glides to his side of the car. Great. He even walks sexy. I wish I was still blinded by my fury enough to have not noticed that. He had to go and help me out of my corset and then open the door for me.

Silently, I start remembering all the reasons I've hated him over the past few months. Sleep deprivation. He's caused me to struggle many times on a test because of his obnoxious partying. I focus on that instead of the two acts of kindness.

"When's your next doctor's appointment?" he asks, surprising me again when he starts down the road.

"Um... I don't think there's going to be one. Since it was just some heavy bruising."

I don't know why I suddenly feel nervous. Damn it. I need my fury back. Do something bastard-like!

"What?" He seems ill, almost as if he's shocked my bruises don't need a follow-up appointment.

"Like I said, no major injuries. No need for a second visit."

He grips the steering wheel as his jaw clenches together. Then he turns on the road that will lead us back to his home. I really wish Mr. Colton hadn't made me shake his hand on that second deal. It's as if he knew I was loyal to my word. I should have held out for Kade's counter offer. I'd already be out of this awkwardness.

Fortunately for me, he never says anything else. Instead, he hops out of the car, seeming angry for reasons unbeknownst to me. I struggle between my two options - keep my mouth shut or ask him what's wrong. I keep my mouth shut.

Carrying all my bags at once, he heads into the house, leaving me outside with all the uncertainty of what just happened. Hot and cold. I like him pissing me off. It's easy to hate the rich jerk when he's actually being a jerk.