Once they were in the car and the air conditioning had brought the temperature to a comfortable level, Crystal gave Eric a stern look and said, “I’d like to have this necklace off. I don’t belong to you, and I don’t like people thinking that I do.”

Eric laughed cruelly. “Forget it,” he said. “It looks good on you. Besides, you may not belong to me now, but you will. You’ll see.”

He leaned back, pulled out a cigarette from a pack in his pocket, and casually lit it up. He ...