Lana's hands fidgeted in her lap, fingers twisting in her hoodie. She couldn't deny the truth in his words, no matter how much it hurt to hear. She knew Mike wasn't a fighter, not really. The thought of him standing up to Dick was almost laughable.
"I don't know," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Dick tapped the table twice, sharp and commanding. "Call him here. Then get close to me."
Lana's eyes widened, her pulse quickening at the blunt order. She swallowed hard, fingers trembling as she pulled out her phone. There was no point hesitating; he wasn't asking. As she dialed Mike's number, her hands shook, and she had to clench them in her lap to keep steady.
The line rang once before Mike's voice came through, muffled but warm. "Hey, babe. What's up?"
"Come to the garden," Lana said quickly, her voice tight. She shot a glance at Dick, who sat calmly, watching her with an unreadable expression. "I—I need you here."
Mike hesitated, his confusion obvious. "The garden? At this hour? You okay?"
"Just come," she whispered, fingers tightening around the phone. Her heart pounded so loud she was sure Dick could hear it.
"Alright, I'll be there in ten."
She hung up and looked at Dick, her face pale. Without a word, Dick leaned back, gesturing for her to sit beside him. Lana hesitated, her gaze flicking between the empty seat and his expectant eyes. She moved slowly, sitting down close enough that their legs brushed, her body tense, waiting.
"You know what's coming, don't you?" he murmured, his voice low, almost soothing, like he was talking to her through something inevitable.
Lana didn't answer, but the look in her eyes was enough. She knew. Dick's control over her wasn't just about money or favors anymore.
A few minutes later, footsteps crunched softly on the gravel, and Mike emerged from the shadows, looking confused but concerned. His eyes flicked between them, narrowing slightly at how close Lana was to Dick.
"Hey," Mike said, stepping forward. "What's going on?"
Lana didn't speak. Her throat was tight, her hands fidgeting in her lap. The guilt was already creeping in, clawing at her insides.
Dick didn't bother with pretense. He leaned back, crossing his arms casually as he looked Mike up and down. "You trust her, don't you?"
Mike blinked, taken aback by the directness of the question. "Of course, I trust her. What the hell is this about?"
Dick smirked, ignoring the question. "Good. Then you won't mind if we test that, right?"
Mike frowned, glancing at Lana for some kind of explanation, but she was frozen, her lips parted, unable to meet his gaze. "Test what?" he asked slowly, a hard edge creeping into his voice.
Dick leaned forward slightly, his eyes locking onto Mike's. "How far will you let her go?"
Mike's confusion deepened, but there was a flicker of something darker—doubt, fear, maybe anger. "What are you talking about?"
Lana's breath hitched, and she finally looked up at Mike, her voice trembling. "Mike, I—"
Before she could finish, Dick's hand moved to her leg, resting just above her knee, his fingers pressing firmly into her skin. The gesture was possessive, intimate. Lana flinched but didn't pull away.
Mike's eyes dropped to the hand, his expression shifting from confusion to disbelief. His fists clenched at his sides, his jaw tightening. "What the fuck are you doing?"
Dick raised an eyebrow, his smirk widening. "Relax. We're just talking."
"Talking?" Mike took a step forward, his face twisting with anger. "Get your fucking hand off her."
Dick pulled Lana closer, his grip firm on her leg as he turned his gaze to Mike. "Tell him what happened," Dick said, his voice calm but with a dark edge. "And what's going to happen from now on."
Lana hesitated, her breath shaky as she glanced at Mike. Her lips parted, but the words caught in her throat. Mike's fists clenched at his sides as he stared at the way Dick's hand rested on her leg, the possessiveness clear.
"Lana," Mike growled, his eyes flicking between her and Dick. "What the hell is going on? Why are you letting him touch you? Who the fuck is he?"
She swallowed hard, her voice trembling as she tried to form a coherent sentence. "Mike, I didn't have a choice. I—"
"You always have a fucking choice!" Mike snapped, taking another step forward, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What the hell did you do, Lana?"
Dick's smirk deepened, his grip tightening on Lana's leg, making her wince. "Go on, Lana," he murmured, his voice low. "Tell him what really happened. Why you came crawling to me for help."
Lana's eyes flicked up to Dick, then back to Mike, the guilt eating at her as she spoke. "Mike, I tried to handle it. But Jared—" She swallowed again, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Jared wanted the money back, you said… you said we don't have any money, and Luke… he—he threatened us. I couldn't do it alone, and you…"
She trailed off, unable to finish. The accusation was clear. Mike's face twisted in confusion at first, but then the realization hit him like a slap. His mouth opened, then closed, as if he couldn't quite process what she was saying.
"What do you mean 'alone'?" he muttered, his voice quieter now, but still filled with disbelief.
Lana's lip trembled. "You left me to deal with it. Jared… he showed up, and you were gone. You always were. Every time it got too much, you pushed it on me."
Mike took a step back, shaking his head. "That's not—no, I didn't—"
"You did," Lana cut him off, her voice sharper now, the anger bubbling up. "You let me deal with it all. You never stood up for me, not once! When Luke threatened us, you bailed. You were too scared to even meet him, and now…" She glanced at Dick, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Now this is what it's come to."
Mike looked stricken, his face pale as he struggled to defend himself. "I didn't know… I thought you had it under control. I was trying to figure out a plan."
"A plan?" Lana's laugh was bitter, hollow. "Did you know Jared asked me to pose nude for him? Luke invited me to a hotel to 'talk things through'? You left me to deal with that—while you were off hiding. And now you're asking why he's touching me? It was Dick who helped while you were fucking gone, you coward."
Mike recoiled, his face drained of color. "What? I—I didn't know... You never told me..."
"Would it have mattered?" Lana shot back, her voice harsh. "You've never stood up for me. Every time things got tough, you bailed. And now look where that's gotten us."
Mike stood there, speechless, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. He looked at Dick, who sat there calmly, one arm draped over the back of the bench, the other still possessively on Lana's leg.
"This is bullshit," Mike spat, though there was no conviction behind it. "I would've done something, I just... I needed more time."
Lana shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. "Time? Time for what, Mike? For things to get worse? You left me in the middle of this mess and didn't even bother to check if I was okay."
Dick's grip tightened slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "You're a piece of work, Mike," he said, his voice steady. "You sit there acting like you've got a spine, but when push came to shove, you left her to deal with it all on her own."
Mike's eyes flicked between Lana and Dick, his chest rising and falling with shallow breaths. "Lana, I love you... I was trying—"
"Love me?" She snapped, cutting him off.
Dick pulled Lana onto his lap, her body stiff and tense as he pressed her ass against his cock. She gasped, hands gripping his arms instinctively. Mike's eyes widened, flickering between them, his fists clenched at his sides, but he didn't move.
"Calm down, Lana," Dick murmured into her ear, his voice low and commanding. "Let's give him an offer."
Mike's eyes narrowed, fists clenched tight. He took a step forward, his gaze locked on Dick's hand as it rested possessively on Lana's thigh. "Get your fucking hands off her, man."
"This," Dick said, holding the drive up, "is your ticket to graduation. Final exam questions, all here. I'll give them to Lana, but from now on, I own her." He glanced at Mike, watching him carefully. "How about you?"
Mike's face twisted in anger, but he couldn't hide the hunger in his eyes. The questions, the easy way out—it was all he needed to turn his life around. The reason why two of them chose the easy way out was because of him to begin with.
"You're fucking sick," Mike spat, though his voice wavered. "This is bullshit."
Dick chuckled softly, running a hand through Lana's hair, tugging gently. "You're ready to sell your soul for this, Mike. We both know it." His tone was mocking, but his gaze was piercing, seeing right through the bravado.
Mike opened his mouth to argue, but the words caught in his throat. He stared at the flash drive, torn between the temptation and the reality of what was happening. His eyes flicked to Lana, and for a moment, guilt flashed across his face.
"You knew, didn't you?" Dick asked, his voice cold, cutting through the tension. "You knew what Jared was planning. You knew what Luke would do to her."
Lana's breath hitched, and she turned to look at Mike, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Mike...?"
Mike's face drained of color, his lips parting in a weak protest. "I—I didn't—"
"Don't lie," Dick snapped, his voice sharp. "You knew. You thought if you kept your head down, they'd leave you alone. And maybe, just maybe, you'd get your hands on those questions without lifting a finger. They would fuck your girlfriend once or twice maybe, but what was that compare to your graduation?"
Lana's face crumpled, the weight of the realization hitting her all at once. She stared at Mike, her heart pounding in her chest. "You let this happen? You knew what they were going to do to me, and you did nothing?"
Mike shook his head, stumbling over his words. "No, I didn't... I didn't know it would go that far. At worst a BJ or a quickie."
Lana gasped at what she heard, her body tensing against Dick's lap. She looked at Mike, disbelief clouding her face. "You were going to let them…?" Her voice trembled, and she couldn't finish the sentence.
Mike's eyes dropped to the ground, his fists still clenched, but he didn't have the guts to deny it. He stood there, frozen in place, knowing he had nowhere to hide.
"Disgusting," Dick muttered under his breath, his hand slipping higher on Lana's thigh. He wasn't even looking at her now, just staring at Mike, watching the realization of his cowardice wash over him like a cold wave. "Come closer, Mike," Dick said, his tone casual. "Watch how this plays out."
Mike hesitated for a moment, glancing between the two of them. "You're sick," he muttered, but the defiance in his voice was fading. He took a slow, reluctant step forward, eyes flicking nervously between Lana and Dick.
Dick chuckled, his grip firm on Lana's waist as he shifted her, positioning her just right in his lap. "Come nearer, Mike," he said with a smirk. "Watch closely. I'll give you the questions at the end of tonight."
Mike took another hesitant step forward. Lana's breath was shallow, her body stiffening as Dick's hand slid higher on her thigh. She swallowed hard, her fingers trembling in her lap as she avoided Mike's gaze.
Dick looked at Mike in disgust, his lip curling. "You're really going to stand there and watch me grope her for some exam questions? You're a fucking wimp." His voice dripped with contempt.