Free Tease Me (Teased and Broken Book 1) by Ashley Black Page B

want to be doing tonight… in fact, any night with you.”
    I felt a smile quirk my lips at that.
    “Help me feel broken again.” His fragrant breath brushed my neck. “I am too put together right now. Break my mind with that mouth of yours. Do it now .”
    “Ok, well, that just makes me think we should not drink at all,” I laughed nervously. “Am I safe here, Thorn?” I asked quietly. “With your little freak army hating on my witch ass?”
    “Don’t call them that,” he whispered, and then spun me back around to face him so fast I had to grip the seat to prevent myself from falling off it. He simply stared at me, silent for the longest time.
    “Why are you so judgmental of people, Elena? This is an unfortunate, malignant quality in you. Because practically everyone are my people. I don’t shut people out of my life because they don’t make a million dollars, they’re not an artist or creative, or they lack imagination or ambition, or they have a normal job. I don’t shut out someone because they are struggling with life, or who by society’s standards are freaks of nature, people who don’t want more, or want less. I don’t shut out entrepreneurs, rich people, poor people, uneducated people, educated people, people who want sex with no one, people who want sex with every one, people who want sex with both sexes, I don’t give a fuck, they are my people.”  
    “Nice rant,” I congratulated him, trying to lighten the mood.
    “Oh, I can go on,” he smirked. “I assume you’re also one of those people who say your money situation is determined by the five or so folk you surround yourself with. Well, look at me, Elena, I am worth almost close to a fucking billion dollars by now, because of this-” He jabbed the side of his head with a trembling white finger. “And this-” His hand moved to his chest over his heart. “The five people I surround myself with are not making millions, yet I am . Please don’t shut out people who need your shine the most.”
    I was struck senseless by his words. He clearly thought I was some spoiled little bitch who felt nothing for her fellow human. Who helped no fucking no. Hell to no. He wasn’t getting away with this.  
    “First up,” I began quietly, my heart pounding. “You are clearly fucking awesome. But secondly, I am also awesome, and you have underestimated me. If it seems like I am being an asshole to folk like Jimmy who are by the way, clearly insane, it is because for most of my life I was emotionally abused by my little brother. He would call me up threatening suicide. I would leave in the dead of night to rescue him, only to find him in a drunken stupor gaming, he was so far gone sometimes, he had forgotten he even called me. He would leave me a delightful message about ending it, and then my Mother would call me freaking out because he wasn’t picking up his phone, and couldn’t be found, it fell to me again to find him, and whenever I did,   he was at his usual drunk ass haunts, and drunk.”
    “Elena,” Thorn’s hand found mine and squeezed. “How is your brother?”
    “Dead,” I said flatly. “He drank himself to death.”
    “I am sorry for your loss,” Thorn breathed. “I really am.”
    I nodded, wanting to cry, not wanting to cry at his memory, at the irretrievable pointlessness of it. “If I seem like I’m a hard ass,” I continued. “It is because I am . I did everything I could to help him, Thorn, but he didn’t want to be helped in the end. I nearly destroyed my entire fucking life to help him, and yet he took himself out anyway. I don’t want…”
    I paused, because tears were threatening, and I really didn’t want this to be about me. I wanted it to be a warning to him.
    “I don’t want to see you go through what I did. You are much more talented and brilliant. Please, I get it, almost everyone are ‘your people, but that doesn’t mean you have to serve them champagne.”
    When it seemed he was doing his best