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    “We were roommates when we were ballerinas. She left to be in the Russian ballet and I left to come home to Sydney.  That was a long time ago.”
    His eyes widen in delight. I can see he’s relishing in the parts of my past that he has wanted since he first met me.
    “You never wanted to join the ballet yourself? From what I’ve seen, you are a beautiful dancer.” He brushes a strand of hair from my face.
    I shake my head. “I came home because my mother was very sick. I had no choice but to make money, fast.”
    None of what I tell him is a lie. My mother was sick, but she never died—just her soul did. For me, she is as good as dead.
    Thoughts of my past make me wish things had been different. The choices I made in my life were the wrong ones. I just hope this path I’m on now isn’t a bad choice either. How can it be? I’m doing something good for once. I’m doing something selfless; I’m doing this for Sally and Nick. I’m righting all the wrong in my life.
    “You should start dancing again.” Tench still cups the side of my face.
    “Only if you’ll watch me.” I know I’ve got him now.
    The evil inside Tench begins to surface with his wicked grin. I see exactly what he wants. He wants me, in his dance studio. My heart begins to pound at the memory of him having his way with me in there. The nightmares that followed are etched firmly in my mind. I need to take control of that past and turn it into my advantage. I need to claim back what Tench took from me that day.
     
    I unpack all of my clothes and hang them in the closet of my bedroom, listening to Kylie’s upbeat “Some Kind of Bliss” on the room’s built-in sound system. I relate to every word in the song and sing along to the tune.
    “You know I only dreamed of having you as happy as this in my home. What’s made you change so much, Miranda?” Tench leans against the doorway.
    I spin on my heels, taken by surprise. Am I too different? Damn it! Following through with this stupid act, I leap towards Tench and grip around his neck.
    “Maybe my time away from you was enough for me to realise how much I wanted to be in your life. You did buy me, after all. I owe you gratitude for getting me out of the sex industry.”
    “I wanted you out of Miss Stephanie’s agency for purely selfish reasons, Miranda. I don’t want any one else to touch you … remember?”
    Is he testing me? Of course I remember! He killed the last man who touched me … in front of me. My hands fall away from his neck and I start to turn away from him. Tench grabs my wrist tight as it slips away. I stare straight into his eyes.
    “Don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you, Miranda. I don’t want you to ever walk away from me. Do you understand?” His low voice is full of viciousness.
    “Loud and clear,” I say provoking him further, and pull my wrist from his grip.
    “You know you make me want to do bad things to you when you try and defy me.” He’s like putty in my hands.
    An unexpected excitement pulls at me down below and I feel my nipples harden under my playsuit. “Promise?” My brow flicks.
    Tench grips onto my waist and throws me over his shoulder with ease. His open palm whacks down across my ass cheek. I grin at the stinging sensation. He is just too easy.
    He throws me down on his bed and pulls at my playsuit, and frowns when he realises that the whole outfit is joined together. His fist wraps around the material and he forces off in one swift rip. My eyes light up and I bite down on my threatening smile. I tug at his T-shirt and he pulls it over his head. I look over his body as usual and smile at the alis volat propiis across his abs . The words ring so true. Does he know me better than I think?
    He stands back and peels his underwear and pants off together. I wish he wasn’t so easy on the eye, but it does make this side of my job more enjoyable. From waist height, his index finger coaxes me to him. I stalk across the bed and on