by Hart, Stella
I couldn’t think of any way my family or the society could know about this spot. My friends and I used to come up here on weekends when we were high-schoolers, whenever we felt like escaping the vapid hum-drum of elite parties. It was the perfect spot for teens to get high. The owner never asked for ID or a credit card, only cash on entry to his land, and there were never any cops sniffing around the place. There was also a decently-maintained bathroom block near the front of the land which campers were welcome to use, in case any of us wanted to clean up after getting blitzed and deciding to swim in the lake.
I never told my father about the spot, or any of my other family members either. So how the hell could anyone have found us already?
I was in the middle of deciding what to do next when a familiar sight appeared in the early morning light—a woman with wavy red hair, trudging toward me.
It was Tatum in her new wig.
As she drew closer, I saw that she’d put the contact lenses in, and she’d also applied some dark makeup. She was holding a towel and a small bag, and she was wearing some of the new clothes I’d bought for her.
I uttered a soft curse and dashed toward her. “Where the fuck have you been?” I asked, gripping her arm and marching her back toward the van.
“I went to that bathroom block you mentioned last night. I woke up and really needed to pee, and I figured I may as well shower and change while I was there.”
My eyes narrowed. “You were supposed to wake me before going anywhere, so I could go with you. You promised you wouldn’t go out alone.”
She gave me a sheepish smile as she climbed back into the van. “Sorry. You looked so peaceful sleeping, and I figured you deserved a rest because you’ve barely slept in three days. You said there was no one here except for those kids near the lake, so I thought it was safe.”
“You were supposed to wake me anyway. Do you have any idea how fucking worried I was?” I said, my voice like thunder.
Just because it seemed safe enough last night didn’t mean it actually was. Anyone could have come and abducted her in the last hour or so, while she was all alone in the bathroom, and I wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing about it because she hadn’t told me where she was going.
“I said I was sorry. I took your gun just in case,” she said, letting the towel fall to the van floor to reveal my pistol.
“Do you even know how to use it?” I asked in an acid tone.
She shrugged. “Yeah. Aim and pull the trigger.”
“What about turning the safety off? You know how to do that?”
She crossed her arms and stared at me indignantly. “Yes, I do. So if anyone tried to attack me, I’m pretty sure I could’ve defended myself.”
I shook my head, my jaw tightening. “That’s not fucking good enough, Tatum. I thought you’d been taken. I woke up and you were missing, my gun was gone, and half the boxes at the front were knocked over. You know what that looked like to me?”
She sighed. “I accidentally knocked the boxes over when I was looking for a towel. I was going to clean it all up when you were finally awake. I would’ve done it before, but I didn’t want to disturb you with any more noise.”
I grabbed her shoulders and leaned in close. “So many excuses,” I said, shaking my head. “But you broke a promise to me, and you know it. You said you wouldn’t go anywhere alone while we’re in this situation. You promised.”
“I already explained why I—”
I clamped one hand over her mouth, cutting her off. “You’re still mine, aren’t you?”
Her eyes widened. I released my hand from her lips. “Yes,” she whispered.
“That means I have to take care of you. How can I protect you if you won’t even follow simple rules?”
A pink flush crept into her cheeks. “It was just a shower.”
“I still needed to be there. I need to know you’re protected. Always. Got it?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes. You’re right, I should’ve woken you up. I’m sorry for worrying you.”
I moved even closer, my face only inches from hers. “You’re sorry, huh?”
Another nod. “It was stupid for me to go out alone. I see that now.” Her cheeks were now flaming red. It was fucking adorable.
One side of my mouth turned up in a cruel half-smile. “Get down on your knees and show me how sorry you are,” I growled.
Tatum immediately did as I said, sinking to her knees, her eyes still glued to me. I hooked a finger in the side of her mouth, and she let out a breathy moan.
“You do want to be mine, don’t you, Doll?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said breathlessly.
“Say it properly.”
“Yes, Master,” she said. Her voice was shaky, her thighs trembling. I couldn’t see, but I knew her pussy was dripping with arousal, coating the insides of her panties. She loved being afraid when it came to me. “I really am sorry.”
“Tell me why.”
“Because I feel bad,” she said, her voice still quavering. “I broke my promise, and I broke the rules. I… I should know my place.”
“And what is that?” I arched a brow.
“Your little slut. Your toy,” she murmured. “Yours to command.”
My cock ached with arousal. I smiled down at her, stroking her hair with one hand. “You’re also my girl. The greatest thing in my life. I don’t want to lose you,” I said crisply. “That’s exactly why I need to punish you now. You disobeyed me and left without my permission. I could’ve lost you, all because you felt like misbehaving.”
“Yes. I understand.” Tatum’s eyes were still glued to mine, a lusty haze shimmering in them. Her bottom lip was trembling.
“I know exactly how to punish a naughty little girl like you,” I said. “I’m going to fuck every single one of your holes, and I’m not going to let you come.”
Tatum moaned in protest. “Please… just once…”
“No. Not even once. You earned this, and you’ll take it without complaint,” I said, unzipping my pants and taking my stiff cock out. “Now strip and take it in your mouth. I want to mess up all that pretty makeup.”
She let out a little whimper as she hurriedly began to remove her clothes. “Yes, Master.”
She looked right up at me as she licked the precum off the tip of my cock, her eyes wide and innocent, as if she’d never done this before.
I knew better, but I loved it when she played this role: my innocent little submissive who wanted nothing more than for me to turn her into a whore. She came alive when I treated her like this. Like she was merely an object created to serve me whenever I pleased.
She’d painted her lips with some sort of rose-tinted gloss, and when she opened them wide and let me in, head bobbing back and forth, I let out a deep groan, watching as she coated my dick with sticky pink smears. I weaved my fingers in her new red hair, pulling her closer to me. She moaned and started sucking me deeper, eyes still on mine. My cock hit the back of her throat over and over as I began to thrust back and forth, fucking her mouth as hard as I could.
“Good girl,” I growled when she started to choke, tears forming in the corners of her wide eyes. “Good fucking girl.”
Her mascara began to run down her face as she sucked me off, and I let out another grunt of pleasure at the sight. There was nothing hotter than my girl down on her knees, serving me selflessly, refusing to budge even when it was too much for her to take.
I pumped harder into her mouth, using her like the little fuckdoll she was. She began to splutter and choke, and I could tell she was finally reaching her limit, so I pulled out and ordered her onto her hands and knees. When she assumed the position, I reached between her legs, sliding the tips of my fingers up and down her soft pink pussy lips. She was soaked. Her body surged backward as she moaned, trying to pull my fingers inside her desperate wetness.
“Not yet, little whore,” I muttered. I wanted to tease her, torment her.
One of her hands went betwe
en her legs, and I slapped it away.
“Don’t you dare touch yourself. You don’t get to come, remember?” I said harshly. “Do it again, and I’ll spank your ass red-raw.”
“Yes, Master. I’m sorry for being so bad. I can’t help it,” she whispered.
I had a feeling she could help it. She just liked riling me up, liked making me want to punish her.
I placed my cock at her entrance and plunged inside her in one hard thrust. She cried out, her head tipping backward, tight little pussy coating me in sweet wetness. I growled in approval. “So fucking wet… you love this, don’t you?”
“Yes. Oh, yes!”
I drove into her harder and deeper, groaning as her tight walls closed in around me. “Tell me how much.”
“So much. All I want is for you to fuck me like this every day,” she said breathlessly. “My… my Master.”
“That’s right. I’m your Master. You’re all fucking mine.”
“Yes,” she gasped. “You own me. My body. My heart.”
I grunted and bottomed out inside her, stretching her wide open as her words echoed in my ears.
Months ago, I thought I owned her, but I was wrong. So fucking wrong. I couldn’t truly own her until she gave herself to me, mind, body and soul. Now she’d done exactly that, and it was finally real. She’d taken her life and put it in my hands, trusting me with every decision, no matter how big or small. It was the most pure form of belonging I could imagine.
She was mine, and I was never going to let her go again.
“I love you, Tatum,” I growled, pulling out of her pussy before slamming back into her, making her cry out for more. “I fucking love you.”
She let out a desperate mewl. “I… I love you too.”
I groaned and started fucking her even harder, owning her from the inside out. That was the first time she’d admitted her feelings to me. I knew they were there, simmering below the surface, but she’d never let the words spill out before.
“You love me? Even when I don’t let you come?” I growled.
“Yes.” Her legs shook as she spoke, and her voice was strained. She was trying her best to stop the impending climax, just like I’d ordered.
“Good girl. Now, I promised you all three holes, didn’t I?” I said, pulling out of her pussy.
She cried out as I smothered her ass with a mixture of her slick juices and my spit, circling her puckered hole until it was just as soaked as her pussy. I pushed in one finger, and her cries grew in pitch.
“Tell me you love it,” I commanded.
“I love it!” she whimpered. “I feel so… so full.”
I replaced my finger with my cock, and she started whimpering like crazy, her legs almost buckling. I let her fall forward, loving the sight before me. Head down, ass up. The perfect view as I fucked her asshole.
“So fucking tight,” I grunted. “Oh, fuck, I’m gonna come.”
I pulled out of her ass and made her turn around. She looked up at me, obediently sticking her tongue all the way out without me even having to ask, and I groaned as I painted her pretty, makeup-smeared face with hot white ropes of cum.
When I’d finished, I helped wipe her face clean with some tissues, and then I pulled her down to the mattress with me, wrapping my arms around her in a tight embrace. She clung to me, body taut with frustration. I stroked her head. “I’ll make you come soon,” I muttered. “But not yet. You know why.”
“Yes,” she said, licking her bottom lip. “I really am sorry. I wasn’t thinking straight earlier. I honestly thought it would be fine to go out, but it was dangerous. Stupid.”
I kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay,” I replied. “I was just worried. Waking up without you like that felt like my worst nightmare come true. All this shit… it’s making me fucking crazy.”
“I know,” she said, snuggling further into my arms. “Me too. I can’t wait until it’s all over, and it’s just us. No more hiding. No more worry.”
“I promise we’ll get there somehow. Until then, I’m gonna keep you safe. You know that.”
“Yes. Thank you,” she murmured, another blush coloring her cheeks.
I tipped her chin back, planting a gentle kiss on her lips. “I swear to fucking god, Tatum, I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll never let anyone hurt you again.”
She smiled. “I know.”
Her eyelids fluttered a moment later, and I let her put her head back on the pillow. “You should try to get some more sleep,” I said. “You look exhausted.”
“I am.” She yawned. “I slept for ages last night, but I’m still so tired.”
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“So have you.” She tugged at my shirt. “You should get some more rest too.”
She was right, but I couldn’t do it; couldn’t close my eyes again until I knew she was truly safe. Instead I sat up and watched her doze, stroking her soft skin as her chest rose and fell in deep breaths.
She mumbled something unintelligible a moment later, moving one hand to rest on her stomach.
“You okay?” I asked before realizing she was only sleep-talking.
I sighed and looked out the back window of the van. We were surrounded by a thick ring of trees and bushes, and we were right in the middle of nowhere, but it still wasn’t secure enough for my liking. I needed to get Tatum somewhere where she could feel totally free and protected. Somewhere no one could touch her. She deserved better than a fucking mattress and a few boxes in an old van, especially while she was pregnant.
I just wished I could fucking think. I’d only had two days to plan out her escape and get all the necessary gear, and that hadn’t left me with any time to decide what to do afterwards. I had no idea where to go. No idea what to do. Every time I thought of something new, I immediately realized all the problems that could arise from that idea, all the reasons it could be dangerous. It felt like a deep black well was suspended somewhere beneath me, waiting for me to slip and fall in.
I was used to throwing money at situations in order to fix them, but I was playing in a totally different league now. I was a fugitive, along with my girl, and I couldn’t use my name or my family’s influence for anything. I had to do the complete opposite and avoid everyone and everything I once knew, or else the society would find and destroy us.
The thought of losing Tatum to them made my guts churn all over again.
I turned back to look at her, my gaze falling to the small hand resting on her lower abdomen. I wondered if it was just a totally random movement, or if she’d moved her hand there instinctively in a protective gesture. We hadn’t had a chance to properly discuss the baby yet, so I still wasn’t sure how she felt about it. I knew she was freaked out, but that was as far as it went.
I put one hand on top of hers, resting it on her stomach as a cold feeling of guilt and regret swept through me. I felt fucking terrible for putting her in this position. Six months ago, she was a promising student at a top college with a bright future ahead, but all of that had been cruelly stripped from her because of me, and now she was pregnant before she even had a chance to turn twenty. Surely that wasn’t what she envisioned for herself when she used to dream about her life and all the possibilities it might hold.
Even if I saved her, I still did all those horrible things to her in the first place, and I couldn’t take that back. I let my father buy her from her parents because I wanted her. I let Crown and Dagger take her and imprison her, all for me, and I put that baby in her at the Lodge when she was still a captive slave.
My fault.
I gritted my teeth. Christ, how could I ever think that anything about the society was normal? How could I be so blind to believe the women at the School and Lodge were anything but terrified captives?
I knew people tended to see exactly what they wanted to see, but still, I should’ve known something was wrong. It seemed clear to me now that the vast majority of women would never sign away all their rights to a group of sa
distic bastards like the society, even for one year and all the money they could dream of, and yet for so long I thought it sounded totally reasonable and legitimate. I was a bona fide idiot.
I suppose I was raised to believe it was all normal, though. My father first took me to the Lodge when I was only thirteen or fourteen, to show me what lay in store for me if I chose to follow in his footsteps. Back then, I worshipped the ground he walked on and blindly trusted everything he said, so when he told me his version of reality—that the girls at the palatial mansion were all willing escorts—I had no reason to question it. It seemed like every man’s dream come true: beautiful women everywhere, all desperate to serve, happy to fulfil every single fantasy.
It was literally too good to be true.
Fortunately, my eyes were now wide open, and I wouldn’t let history repeat itself. If Tatum wanted to have this baby, and it turned out to be a boy, I would make sure he wasn’t raised like me. I would teach him to respect women like they fucking deserved, and while he might want to play the field when he was young, I would make sure he kept his heart open for when he met his very own dream girl. I wouldn’t let him close himself off out of hatred like I once did. I wouldn’t let him dream of torturing and enslaving a woman like I used to do so often.
Tatum stirred again, and I leaned down to kiss her forehead. Even in her sleep, she looked nervous. Hunted. Edgy. I couldn’t stand it.
I wouldn’t.
One way or another, I would find a way to take down my father’s twisted empire, along with all of Crown and Dagger. They were nothing but tapeworms in the guts of the world, and I would strip away everything they had, burn it all to the fucking ground, bury them under dark piles of rubble until they were too crushed and broken to surface ever again. Then I would make my own empire with Tatum by my side. My lover, my confidant, my equal. My queen.
And just like that, the penny dropped.