“Anthony,” she tried again. “Please let me down. I’m not having fun.”
His face darkened and he brought his hands to her throat, squeezing hard enough to make her cough. Jesus, was this how she was going to die?
Thankfully, after a moment, he let go of her throat and stepped back. “It’s not about fun, foolish girl. It’s about submission and obedience. It’s obvious from your undisciplined reaction you’ve had very poor training indeed.” He pulled the crop from his belt and slapped her inner thigh.
“Let’s see how you handle the crop.”
“Please,” she began, but he cut her off.
“Another word and I’ll gag you.” His voice was hard.
The crop landed square on her spread cunt.
Alex screamed, but she couldn’t get away.
He struck her again, even harder than the first time. This wasn’t erotic, it was brutal. The slap, slap, slap of the leather square hitting her flesh became the bass rhythm to the fractured melody her cries. He struck her inner thighs, her cunt, her ass, her breasts, even her face.
Yelping and gasping, Alex twisted and pulled hard against her restraints. Her heart beat so hard it sounded like thunder in her ears. On and on he went, slap, slap, slap. There was no escape from the relentless crop.
At the end of her limits, Alex screamed, “Let me down, let me down! You fucking bastard, let me down! Ow. Ow, you’re hurting me! Stop it. Butterfly! Butterfly!”
Anthony dropped the crop. Thank god he was finally listening to her. What a horrible mistake she had made. God, let me get out of here and I’ll never do such a stupid thing again. Just let me get out.
Anthony released her feet first by unclipping the cuffs from the rack. Before she realized what he was doing, he pushed her legs together and clipped the cuffs to each other. Next he released her arms, but instead of letting her go, he jerked them up behind her back and clipped them together.
Alex lost her balance and fell forward but he was there to catch her. He scooped her into his arms as if she were a sack of potatoes and walked with her to the corner of the room where he dropped her onto the mattress, facedown. She stiffened when she felt his hand on her ass. Something cold and hard pressed against one cheek. She realized it was the heavy gold ring he wore on his right hand.
“You’ll need far more training before you earn my mark. But one day,” he pressed the hard metal into her flesh until it hurt, “I will brand you with this insignia. That way you will never forget who owns you.”
He couldn’t be for real. He couldn’t.
Someone, help me. Alex hid her face against the mattress, trying to keep her rising panic at bay. If she could just keep her wits about her, she could find a way out.
She needed to keep her voice calm and respectful. She felt as if she were trying to soothe a very dangerous animal—a wrong word and he might attack. Taking a deep breath, she dared, “Please, Sir. Will you let me go now? This just isn’t right for me. Please take off the cuffs. I’ll just get my things and—”
“Foolish, impertinent girl,” he snapped, cutting her off. “I’ll decide what you’re ready for, not you. I’ll check back in an hour, at which time I’ll expect an apology for your disgraceful behavior. If I don’t get one, then you’ll stay here as long as it takes. Games are over. You’re mine now.”
The room was plunged into darkness. She could hear him going down the wooden ladder and then the door in the floor slammed shut. She lay there, too stunned even to cry.
This couldn’t be happening. No way was this happening. He’d talked about true submission, about fulfilling her deepest submissive dreams. This wasn’t about submission. This was bullying. This was brutality. It was criminal. She would have the fucking bastard arrested for false imprisonment and assault.
If she could get out.
She pulled at her cuffs, trying to move her arms from their cramped position. “Daniel,” she whispered. “Liam. Come get me. Please.”
But, of course, no one came. She was alone in the house of a madman and not a soul knew where she was.
Terrified, she began to cry.
Chapter 15
The light flicked on and Alex’s eyes flew open, her heart flopping against her ribs like an engine suddenly turning over. She lay very still, not sure what was expected, terrified to find out.
A gentle hand touched her shoulder. “Alexandra. Your Master is here.” She could feel him releasing the clips at her wrists and her arms fell limply to her sides, numb from lack of circulation. He released her ankle cuffs and pulled her over onto her back.
She closed her eyes, trying to push the panic rising in her gut back down into a manageable ball of fear. “Look at me. I’m ready to hear what you have to say.”
That I fucking hate you? That if I had a gun, I’d kill you?
In the time he’d left her alone, she’d begun to make her plans. She would lull him into believing she was going for his crap. Then, when his guard was down, she’d make her escape.
She looked at him, not having to feign the fear she knew showed in her face. “I’m—I’m sorry, Sir.” The tremble in her voice was real.
Anthony’s dark eyes bore into hers. She never wanted to see his movie-star handsome face again. He rubbed her arms and blood tingled back through them. Her wrists ached and she wanted to pull her hands away from him. She didn’t dare.
“That’s good. A good start, Alexandra.” Anthony stroked her cheek. “I must confess I hadn’t realized how poorly they had trained you.” He shook his head. “No matter, I like a challenge. Now tell me just exactly what you are sorry for. I need to be certain you understand your errors and won’t commit them again.”
Shit. She hadn’t planned on having to make a speech. She was thirsty and her face felt swollen and hot from the tears she had shed, her eyes gritty and dry. What did he want her to say? She closed her eyes a moment to collect her thoughts, praying she would get it right.
“Um, I was disobedient, Sir. I, um, I struggled and didn’t flow with the pain.”
“Yes. What else?”
What else? What else?
“I said I needed to be let down, Sir. I should have waited for you to make that decision.”
“That’s correct. And you used your safeword.” He spat the word as if it were a curse. “That tells me you don’t trust me. I demand your trust.”
You’re wrong. You’re wrong, you’re wrong. I had to use my safeword because you were too fucking clueless to get it any other way.
Alex had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. She clenched her fists, barely resisting the desire to smash them into his face. You can’t demand trust, you fuck. You earn it.
Aloud, she kept her voice as meek as she could, forcing the underlying rage to remain at bay. “Yes, Sir. I’m sorry, Sir.”
“And that’s not all. You insulted me. You called me a name. Do you remember what you called me?”
Fucking bastard. And it’s what you are, you fucking bastard.
“No, Sir,” she lied.
He stared at her with hard, flat eyes. “I don’t believe you.”
She stared back, her lips pressed tightly closed.
“Let us be clear,” he continued. “I don’t ever want to hear such language from that beautiful mouth again, do you understand me? If you speak to me with such disrespect again, I’ll be forced to keep you gagged at all times except when I choose to feed you or fuck your face.”
He traced a line with his finger over her lips. Alex quelled an urgent desire to bite him. She had to play her cards right. She had to pretend to go along. It was her only hope.
“Yes, Sir,” she whispered. It was easy to let the tears well into her eyes. “I’m sorry, Sir. Please forgive me.”
Anthony smiled gently and wiped away her tear with his fingertip. “Don’t cry, lovely girl. This is your first experience with a real Master. I will teach you. You have finally found a man who will take you where you need to go.”
He stood and
held out his hand to her. Alex took it and allowed herself to be hoisted upright. Her legs felt rubbery and a wave of dizziness assailed her. As she swayed, Anthony caught her in his strong arms.
“It’s past dinnertime. You must be hungry.” The moment he said it her stomach roared into life, rumbling and twisting. She was starving.
“Yes, Sir. And thirsty too, Sir.”
“Excellent. I’m sure you’ll be earning the right to eat and drink very soon. Let’s go downstairs.” He helped her down the folding stairs, keeping his hand firmly on her shoulder as she picked her way down in front of him.
“Do you need to use the WC?”
“The what?”
“The bathroom.”
“Oh. Yes, please.”
She was dismayed when he followed her into the bathroom, though she wasn’t surprised. She sat on the toilet and closed her eyes, willing her bladder to empty. She eventually managed to pee, and was relieved that he let her wipe herself. She flushed the toilet and moved to the sink to wash her hands and splash cold water over her face. She managed to slurp several handfuls of water in the process. Nothing had ever tasted as sweet.
“That’s enough. Come on.” He gestured for her to follow him. They returned to the bedroom. He stood beside the bed and pointed to the floor. “Kneel. I want to see if you’re better at worshipping cock than you were at taking a whipping. Maybe you’ll be able to redeem yourself. If so, I’ll have a nice meal waiting for you. If not, you go to bed hungry.”
He opened his pants and slid them along with his underwear down long, muscular legs. His cock dangled, only partially erect, its skin darker than the rest of his body. Something was wrong with it. It looked like a loose bag of skin was covering it. Then she realized what she was seeing. It was foreskin. The man wasn’t circumcised. She had never seen an uncircumcised penis before.
She couldn’t help but stare, at once fascinated and repelled. Was she expected to suck on that? He put a hand on his shaft, drawing back the skin. His cock emerged, engorging and lengthening before her eyes. At least it was looking more like something she could handle. It wasn’t as thick as either Liam’s or Daniel’s beautiful cocks. It was long and bent slightly to the right. The balls beneath were heavy and covered in dark fur.
She closed her eyes and knelt forward, praying she could pull this off and at least get some dinner. She’d need her strength to make her escape. The scent of his musk was strong and she hated it at once. She wasn’t sure if she hated it because she hated the man or if it was just another sign of how wrong he was for her.
She nearly cried aloud, recalling Daniel’s sweet erotic scent and Liam’s compelling sensual taste. She’d run away from the best thing to ever happen to her. Instead of trying to work things through, instead of being patient with what they were going through, she’d taken off like some spoiled, entitled brat.
Anthony put his hand on the back of her head and pushed her forward, recalling her abruptly to her task. She opened her mouth and let him slide his unwelcome shaft into it. She reached up to caress his balls but he slapped her hands away.
“No hands. Show me your skills with your sluttish mouth alone. If I feel the slightest hint of teeth, I’ll use a metal mouth-spreading gag. And make sure you swallow every drop or pay the consequences.” While he spoke, he continued to guide her head, entering her mouth in a slow, deliberate way until she was nearly gagging.
She focused on the technique Daniel had taught her, willing her throat to relax, opening herself to receive him. She tried to pretend it was Daniel’s lovely hot shaft.
“Look at me while I fuck your face,” Anthony demanded.
Alex opened her eyes, forcing herself to gaze up at the handsome man while he choked her with his long, hard cock. She was staring up at him but she didn’t see him. Purposely she blurred her vision, focusing instead on the images inside her head. She saw Daniel and Liam laughing and talking at the dinner table. She wondered if they were thinking about her.
~*~
Liam reached across the small table at their favorite restaurant and put his hand over Daniel’s. Daniel smiled, realizing he’d been lost in a daydream. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you?” Liam said gently.
Daniel thought of denying it, but Liam’s expression was so kind and open. He understood Daniel’s missing Alex didn’t affect what they shared and would always share.
“Yeah,” he admitted. “Remember when we brought her here? She was cute, all squirmy with that butterfly thing on her clit, trying so hard not to come while the waiter took our order.”
Liam laughed. “It’s hard to believe that was only a few weeks ago. It seems like a lifetime in some ways.”
“Yeah.” Daniel fiddled with his bread and put it back onto the plate. The food was delicious and it was nice to get out but he just couldn’t seem to find his appetite. He honestly hadn’t expected to miss Alex as much as he did. How had she become such an important part of his life in so short a time?
“You know, she might come back, Daniel. She’s only been gone a few days.”
“Five days.”
“Tell me again what she said when you called her.”
“The first time she said she just needed some time alone. The second time she said maybe this was better and she understood we were a couple first. She said she had thought she wanted what we offered. You know, to be our sub girl but not our partner. She said…” he paused, finding it hard to form the words past the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat, “she wasn’t able to be with us anymore because her feelings were coming between us and she knew we could never return the love she felt.”
“She said that? The love?”
Daniel nodded. “Yeah.”
“Maybe we should talk to her face-to-face.”
Daniel shook his head. “She was very clear about needing time away from us. I don’t want to be a bully. And she’s right in some respects, you know. If we’re honest. How can she ever share the kind of love we have for each other?”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that a lot, Daniel. About love. What it is, what it means. I don’t think love is just one thing. I think there are grades, degrees, nuances. I think we love different people in different ways. Her coming into our lives has really made me realize love comes in lots of forms.
“I can honestly say I do love Alex. Maybe not in the same way I love you but it’s real nevertheless. I miss her. She could drive you nuts but she was always fun and full of life. I feel her absence. Does that equal love? I don’t know. But I’d like to find out.”
Daniel stared at Liam. He’d never said so directly just exactly what Daniel felt. Daniel had hesitated to articulate it so bluntly, still mindful of hurting Liam’s feelings and making him think Daniel was putting his feelings for Alex above or between them.
“You really mean that?”
Liam nodded solemnly. “I do.”
Daniel smiled but then sighed. “Too bad we didn’t figure this out before she left us, huh? I guess it’s a case of live and learn.”
“Oh, I don’t know.” Liam’s smile was mysterious. “I wouldn’t write her off just yet.”
~*~
Alex opened her mouth and Anthony slid a small piece of meat into it. She ate every bite Anthony offered her, aware the food could suddenly be withdrawn. Apparently, she’d done well enough to earn the right to food and drink, but she hadn’t earned the right to sit on a chair. She was kneeling on the kitchen floor, naked with her hands tied loosely behind her back. He had placed a stiff black leather dog collar around her neck with silver spikes jutting every few inches along its length. He attached a chain leash to it, which he jerked every now and then, nearly pulling her over.
The abject terror she’d felt while bound in the dark attic had abated. She felt more numb than anything. The whole thing was so surreal. This was the stuff of fiction. Real people didn’t keep other people like this against their will, did they?
The truly scary thing was tha
t Anthony really seemed to believe what he was doing was okay. He had no problem keeping her against her will.
He fed her another bite and wiped her mouth with a linen napkin. While holding a glass of red wine to her lips, some spilled and splashed onto her breast. Anthony wiped it as if she were a child. He held the glass again to her lips.
She managed a sip. “Thank you, Sir.”
“You’re welcome, Alexandra.” Idly he stroked her breast. “I am looking forward to the day when you’ve earned my cock. Today is not that day. However, I am curious to see your level of orgasm control. I think we’ll work on that this evening.”
He led her by the leash to his bedroom and pushed her down onto the bed. Using her silver cuffs, he tethered her arms to the headboard. Thrusting a pillow beneath her hips, he then tied rope around her ankles and jerked them apart, securing them to the bars at the foot of the bed.
Alex’s heart was pounding again. She hated herself for being so docile, but she was too afraid to fight him. He was much stronger than she and probably outweighed her by a good hundred pounds. The specter of the dark attic still loomed large in her mind.
No, it was better to bide her time and fool him into thinking she was compliant. He’d made it clear he wasn’t going to let her go. She would have to seize whatever opportunity presented itself to get the hell out of there.
He was fiddling in the chest that stood against the wall. She lifted her head, glancing around the room. She saw her purse on the small table by the chair but not her clothing. The idea of running out of the house naked was not an appealing one but she’d do it if she had to. At least she knew where her car keys were.
He returned with a large penis-shaped dildo and an ominous-looking shiny metal vibrator. “Open your mouth. Suck this cock while I make you come. You will come on command and not a second before, do you understand me?”
“Yes, Sir.”
She opened her mouth and Anthony slid the penis in, shoving it back until she began to gag. He pulled it slightly forward, and said, “Keep it in, no matter what.”
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