It's been days.
Days of this inbetween stage where all I can think about is the needy, wet and dripping hole between my legs.
Dexter has made sure we haven't been alone. He's spent time in his office, researching possible leads on Reign and Lily Anna, doing anything but spending time with me. And the bastard was right. The lack of attention is making me go stir-crazy. I want him. I need him. I can't live without him. Dexter and his hard, ripped body are all I can think about. Him owning me, taking me, never letting go. And yet he won't touch me. Won't even lay a finger on me. He comes to bed when I'm already asleep and wakes up before I open my eyes. I remember the phantom hugs from the middle of the night, him holding me, embracing me, gone the next morning before I wake.
Minnie doesn't understand what's happening, and I'm too ashamed to explain it to her. All I can do is stew in my own need for the man I'm supposed to marry.
I haven't forgotten about Reign. I could never. But with the overwhelming neediness that's taken over my body, I can't focus on anything but the man who owns me and the desperation he makes me feel. It's a welcome reprieve, a way to stop worrying myself sick about my son. And as much as it hurts, I have to give it to Dexter - he really did manage to distract me. All I can think about now is the pleasure of him finally burying his thick cock inside me, making me feel all the things I've almost forgotten.
But that pleasure just doesn't come.
Instead, Dex denies me day after day, sending my mind into a tailspin of emotion. And yet I don't bring it up with him.
I hide how desperate I am and how much I need him until it's almost too late. That night, we're having dinner together, with Minnie sitting at the same table as us while Anders serves us food. Now that Father has provided Dex with a dowry, we can afford to pay him again.
"I don't know if I can do this," I whisper, letting go of my fork. It clatters to the floor, the sound echoing in the room.
"What do you mean, Pandora?" Dexter asks, voice filled with held-back worry.
I look up into his eyes. I'm desperate for him to go through with his promise to fuck me, but he seems determined to make me bring it up first. My bottom lip trembles and I battle with myself on whether I should say it out loud or not. Finally, I blurt out the first thing I can think of, just so the pressure will diminish.
"I don't know if I can keep going. Maybe we should stop looking."
"For Reign?" Minnie widens her eyes, looking between the two of us. "You want to stop looking for him?"
"I don't believe she let him l-live." My voice breaks over the words and I glare at the wall so I don't have to put up with their patronizing words. Nothing will change my reality. Even Dexter's cruel plan to redirect my attention will stop working at some point... "I think we should stop looking for Lily Anna."
"No." Dex's word sounds final, filled with rage. "We will not stop looking."
"She could be dead," I say. "We're just wasting time and resources that-"
"I don't care." He stares at me with his penetrating gaze that could light my soul aflame. "I'm not going to stop looking for the girl who killed my parents. So are you really suggesting we stop looking for our son?"
I'm rendered speechless, sitting there and fidgeting on my chair. "I'm sorry, I didn't think..."
"No, you didn't," Dex grunts. "And you better start doing that before you open that pretty little mouth, Pandora. Otherwise I'll just have to occupy it in a different way."
Minnie takes a sharp breath of air, but it isn't as embarrassing as the flush that swallows my whole body. It's the first time Dex has mentioned anything sexual since the time he showed me Reign's nursery. I wanted this. I prayed for this. So why am I this fucking scared?
"Oakes called," Dexter barks after a long minute of uncomfortable silence. "He wants you back at the Estate next week, Minnie."
"Oh." The blonde pales, staring at her half-empty plate while she nods resolutely. "Yes, I understand. Thank you for telling me."
"Are you really letting him take her back?" I speak before I can stop myself.
Dex picks up the napkin on his lap and wipes his mouth, tossing it on his plate as he looks at me. "What did I just tell you, toy?"
"What? I-"
"Answer me." His voice drips with cool cruelty and my heart is pounding as I glance between Dex and Minnie.
"I..."
"I'll go upstairs." Minnie nearly falls over herself in order to get away. I almost want to cry out, beg her to stay so I won't be left alone with Dexter. But she closes the door firmly behind her, leaving just us.
"What did I say about being a brat, toy?" Dex asks.
"I'm not a brat, or a toy," I say.
"You are what I say you are. You got that?"
I laugh out loud, shaking my head, but Dex reacts instantly. He gets up, pulling me off my chair by the front of my black dress.
"Dexter!" I struggle but he won't let go. "What are you doing?"
"Do you think I forgot your promise, toy?" he asks sweetly against the shell of my ear. "Remember what you said, toy. Anything. Everything. You didn't even bother to ask what that was, you just agreed blindly."
He laughs at my crestfallen expression.
"I bet you're regretting that now, aren't you, little toy?"
I shake my head no when he pushes me up against the wall, holding me by my throat now. My heart is going crazy and if he doesn't stop, I'm going to start soaking my panties.
"Tell me what you are," Dex says, gentler this time.
"Pandora Oakes," I whisper.
"I said what." He laughs. "Go on."
"I'm a... a toy."
"For who?"
"For you. For my Master."
"That's right," Dex mutters. "You're a good little fucktoy for your Master, aren't you? It doesn't even matter what your name is. Or it won't... You'll see."
"W-What?" My eyes grow wide. "What do you mean?"
Dex lets me go. My skin hurts where he held me, but not because of the pain, but because he isn't touching me anymore. I rub the sore spots.
"You'll see." He moves toward the door. "Come on, we'll tell Minnie the good news."
"Good news?" I ask, still trying to recover from his sudden outburst.
"I got her into Prep," Dex grins. "She'll be starting this fall."
***
We deliver the news together. It's the first time I see Minnie smile in almost a year without a tinge of sadness, and for a moment, even I can pretend things will work out just fine.
She thanks us profusely for the opportunity, telling us we won't regret sending her to Prep. This won't only broaden her horizons, it'll open the door for more opportunities when it comes to work, too.
The whole time we're explaining the news to Minnie, I feel the promise of something dark and ominous in the air. I have a feeling Dex might collect on my promise soon enough. After all, I owe him anything... and everything.
We say goodnight to Minnie and when I close the door of her room, a chill goes down my spine. I turn around to face Dexter.
"Well, I'll be retiring for the night, then."
"Sure."
"Goodnight, Dexter."
I hurry down the hallway so I don't have to hold the weight of his gaze, feeling him stare at me the entire time. When I finally close the door of our bedroom behind me, I let out a breath of relief.
I don't know whether I'm scared or excited about Dexter collecting what's owed.
I also know I'm lying to myself.
I get ready for bed as fast as I can, so I can fake being asleep by the time Dex comes to bed. I brush my hair until it's silky and smooth, apply oil to it, remove my makeup and wash my face with a hot cloth. I take a quick shower and climb between the sheets naked, telling myself it's just because it's so hot. But I know it's a lie... Just like all the nights before this one, I'll be hoping Dex touches me in the middle of the night. And just like every other night, I'll be hoping in vain.
He hasn't even touched me. Up to tonight, he hasn't mentioned or
done anything sexual. And it's driving me crazy.
He was right about something - since he made me beg, I've been so preoccupied by my own body and its needs, I've managed not to worry about Reign quite as much. In return, that's made me more focused, and Dex has even let me in on the search, sharing any possible clues they find with me right away.
I now understand he was right. I was utterly consumed by my desperation. Strangely, it seems as if I needed a distraction to let go of my fixation. I can focus a lot better now.
Feeling the cool silk sheets against my skin, I close my eyes and exhale. It feels as if I've been holding that breath for days. I allow myself to relax against the pillows and the sheets. Dex won't be back for a while. He'll spend his evening at Father's office, digging deeper, like he does every day.
The thought that he's away, and Minnie a safe distance away from me, prompts me to start running my hands over my body. I flush as I touch myself, my fingertips trailing along bare skin. I'm getting myself even more frustrated, but I can't bring myself to stop. I have to keep touching.
My fingers tweak both nipples into hard peaks. If I shut my eyes firmly enough, I can almost pretend it's him touching me...
I let out the smallest of moans, arching my back as I do just that. My hands travel down, touching the shaved skin between my legs. I rub. It brings me close in an instant. I don't touch myself. I don't crave my own fingers... I crave Dexter and the punishing touch he gives me, the kind I could never replace. I begin working through the built-up orgasm in my body, thinking of all the things Dexter has done to me since we first met. How he took me, fucked me, used every one of my holes. How he shared me... How he humiliated me. Degraded me. Things that should disgust me only make me rub harder.
The release builds and builds inside my body and I mewl out loud as I start bringing myself even closer.
Dexter would kill me if he found out I made myself come while he was away.
He'd never let me forget it.
But the idea of a punishment is so tempting. He wouldn't hurt me, anyway. He likes me too much... Maybe even...
I snap my head up at the sound of a noise, but it's gone in an instant. Perhaps I just imagined it. There's no one in the room. The curtains billow in the summer breeze. I'm alone.
My eyes close again, my fingers working to that forbidden high Dex won't let me have.
I'm so close. So very close I could just burst any second. Only a little more. A few more flicks, maybe if I turn my wrist just so...
"Toy."
My eyes fly open and utter dread fills me as I find Dexter at the foot of my bed.
His expression is calm, but his eyes are thunderous.
"Breaking rules, are we?"
"No, I-"
"You were trying to," he snaps. "Don't lie."
I'm rendered speechless, left staring at him with a guilty expression.
"Come with me, toy."
"No, I..." I bite my lower lip. "I'm sorry. I'll be good, I promise."
"Of course you'll be good," he smirks. "That wasn't even a question. Now come on. I'll just have to punish you during what I have planned."
"But I... I already got ready for bed."
"So?"
"So..." I touch my hands to my face self-consciously. "I look awful."
"Nonsense. Come on." He opens the door. Shadows line the hallway and my heart skips a beat at the promise of something dark and tantalizing. "I've got another distraction for you, toy. I think you might like it..."
Chapter Eighteen
Dexter
I take her hand and lead her down the hallway.
Anders is off for the night and the ground floor of the house has been transformed. Minnie is staying with Araminta for the night, and Pandora is clueless to what's going to happen.
For the first time in a year, I feel myself growing genuinely excited. Of course the pain of Reign being gone is still there. But it feels as if I might be able to think of something else, if only for one night.
"What's happening?" Pandora whispers as I lead her down the hallway. Dim lighting follows our path. "I'm scared, Dex."
"Don't worry." I knock on a door and a woman with a wide smile opens. I hand Pandora over to her. "They'll take care of you, get you ready."
"Dex?" Her bottom lip is trembling and I feel sick pleasure at the sight of fear on her pretty face.
"You'll be okay." I smirk. "Whatever you think will happen won't, at least not in there."
That won't come until later, I add in my mind, fighting the self-satisfied smile off my face as she nods with relief. The woman leads her into the salon while I take the stairs to the main hall.
Before the entrance, a man with a gold masquerade mask hands me one to use myself. It's one I've picked especially for this - a beautiful, hand-painted Venetian mask in shades of blue, white and gold. I put it on, ensuring nobody will recognize me in the room before walking into the hall.
It looks like it used to in the good old times, when Mom and Dad were still here. They'd host lavish parties for the town's richest inhabitants, and I was allowed to attend with the other kids. Memories of Lily Anna usually sting in this place, but tonight, I'm not thinking about her.
My mind is focused solely on Pandora. The girl I once thought I hated has firmly cemented herself in the front of my mind.
I'm always thinking of her. Can't help but.
I pass through the banquet hall like an unseen shadow. It's easy to get lost amidst the droves of people we've invited. People from Prep, their older siblings. Everyone's here. And everyone's going to see Pandora turned into a toy tonight.
Of course, it's a gentlemen's event. No women allowed. Not for what we want to do to her.
I can't fucking wait for it.
Time passes too slowly, but then the lights finally give me the signal I've been waiting for. They dim even further. Whispers take over the guests, gossip passes around from one ear to the next.
And then the spotlight goes to the entrance, and there she is.
My beautiful toy, the only guest without a mask, shimmering in a dress of liquid gold that brings out the amber flecks in Pandora's eyes. She glows brighter than ever, and I need no further confirmation - I know then and there I love her, without shame.
That's why I have to hurt her.
My hands form fists as she stares at the crowd gathered in her honor. I don't know whether she'll recognize me. Whether I'm foolish hoping she'll be able to do so in such a big crowd. But fuck, I want her to. I want to know her body craves mine, too. I'll work on convincing her mind later. One way or another, though, she'll be mine.
I watch her descend the stairs. Half a dozen hands extended, offering to accompany inside the room. She glances warily between their masked faces. All of the guests are men, of course, and she seems to realize this just as she comes to the conclusion we're all wearing black tuxes. There's no telling who's who.
She looks at the three masked figures before her and I see her swallow before taking one of their hands.
The song rings out in the room, classical, beautiful, fast. The figure swirls Pandora across the dancefloor, and I step aside along with the rest of our guests to give them room.
As the classical song echoes through the luxurious room, Pandora's eyes dance over us, trying to pick me out in a sea of people she doesn't recognize. She's passed on to another dancer, and then another one. She allows them to carry her around the dancefloor as if she's a mannequin. She lets them do anything, everything, and my frown transforms into a smirk as she starts to realize this is the night she's feared for a week now.
The night of her taming. The night she admits she's my toy before all of these people.
Her dancing partners pass her between them, and soon enough, it's my turn. I take her hand, her gaze focused on the audience as I twirl her on the dance floor. I grip her waist, too tightly. Her eyes scan over my mask. An inkling of recognition sparks in her eyes, but before she can figure it out, I've passed her along to the
next masked figure.
The dance carries on and on, trying to make her as dizzy and disoriented as possible. I have a task waiting for her, but because I'm a sick bastard, I'm going to make it extra difficult for her.
Once the song nears its end, a chair is put out in the middle of the room. Her dancing partner sits her down and the rest of us close in around her, crowding her, until we're embarrassingly close. I'm to her left, and I can see her tits tremble with each inhale of breath.
"First challenge, my toy." Pandora glances up in fear as my voice rings out through the room. The speakers boom with a pre-recorded message, and I watch with sick satisfaction as Pandora's cheeks flush a deep scarlet. "Are you ready? You're going to make someone come. You won't know who it was, so you'd better make peace with that now."
I watch her face fall, the crowd jeering and laughing at her. She flushes. She's going to cry. My cock demands to be the one she picks, painfully straining against my pants. Pick me. Pick me. Pick me.
Someone in the crowd spins her chair, and she faces masked people, too fast to know who's who.
My voice on the speaker tells her she must yell stop, at which point the person in front of her will use her as they please until she makes them come.
"Stop!" Pandora suddenly screams, holding her hands to her face. I want to groan in anger. She didn't even try to find me. She's frustrated, nearing hysteria. She trembles as she comes face to face with a man the crowd has pushed forward, tall and intimidating, wearing a plague doctor's mask.
He unbuttons his trousers. A single move of his hand orders Pandora to get on the ground.
She's trembling as she gets up from the chair. The man laughs as she kneels before him. Jealousy mixes with adrenaline in my veins and I'm the biggest high of my life. Knowing she wants me, that she'll endure this for me, because of me, makes me hard. I love torturing my toy. I'm going to fucking love watching her get passed around.
Pandora looks up with trusting eyes and the man, whom even I don't recognize, pulls out his cock. It's thick and pierced at the top. Pandora gasps when she sees it.
"I don't think I can-" she starts, but the man cuts her off by showing his thick cock into her mouth, just like everyone was instructed to do. Pandora spits and sputters but keeps him in her hole. Her eyes stare at his mask. I wonder what I'm doing to her will give her wet dreams or nightmares.
A Hurt So Sweet: Complete Dark Bully Romance Series Box Set: Elite of Eden Falls Prep Page 58