by Julia Sykes
“That’s it,” he murmured. “This is how it will be. I’ll take care of you, myshka.”
His heat receded, and I opened my eyes to search for him. Shock lanced through the silence of my mind when I saw him kneeling before me. He didn’t meet my gaze. Instead, he stared intently at my sex. His soapy hand cupped me, his fingers playing through my soft curls.
Traitorous arousal bloomed, but it didn’t concern me as it should have. All my concern was reserved for the razor he held in his other hand. Fear pulsed through my addled brain, and I squeezed my thighs together in a show of defiance.
His gaze finally found mine, his black eyes reproving. “Spread your legs.”
I resisted for the space of a heartbeat, but then his earlier words played across my mind. “I enjoy breaking women. I can easily do the same to you, if I choose to.”
My stance widened, but a whimper of distress squeezed from my chest.
His fingers stroked my inner thighs in a calming motion.
“Stay very still,” he ordered softly.
I stopped breathing at the first pass of the cool blades across my most vulnerable area. Fear kept me frozen in place. Pulling away wasn’t an option if I didn’t want to risk getting cut. I had no choice but to trust him to be careful, even as he destroyed every shred of trust I had harbored for him.
At first, the razor tugged against my curls, but after a while, it rasped across bare skin as he carefully went over his work one last time.
Mortification burned in my gut. I had seen pornographic images by accident while surfing the internet. Those wanton women had been shaved bare. Now I looked like them.
Satisfied, Dimitri set the razor down and pressed a kiss to my clitoris.
Now that the danger of being cut was removed, I tried to jerk away from him. He couldn’t touch me there with his mouth. That was dirty and wrong.
His hands gripped my bottom, pulling me back toward him with a warning growl. The sound vibrated against my sex as his tongue laved my labia.
Dreaded desire rose in me, and I couldn’t hold in my delighted gasp at the pleasure awakened by his forbidden touch.
“You see?” He whispered across my hypersensitive skin. “I can be very generous with you. If you behave.”
“I don’t want you to touch me like this.” My protest lacked conviction.
His teeth nipped at my clit, and I cried out at the sharp pain.
“I have warned you about lying to me. If you continue, I will have to punish you.”
I trembled, and I wasn’t sure if it was from fear or the nearly overwhelming pleasure that shot through me when his tongue circled my abused, throbbing bud.
He was obviously experienced in this form of seduction, and within a few minutes I was panting and aching for release. He obliged me, mercilessly stimulating me with his mouth until my pleasure took me. I let out a rough shout, and my fingers speared in his hair, holding him to me as I rode out my orgasm.
As soon as it passed, shame flooded me. I extricated my hands from his hair and crossed my arms, hiding the sight of my peaked nipples.
Dimitri seemed completely unconcerned with my embarrassment. He simply grasped my wrists and pried my arms away from my chest.
“Don’t hide what belongs to me. Your body is mine.”
“No.” The soft denial was automatic.
“Yes. Your body responds to me as I wish. I control your pleasure. I can just as easily take it away.”
“I don’t want you to give me pleasure. I just want to go home.”
He stood and placed a doting kiss on my forehead. “That desire will fade, and you will only desire me.”
“You’re wrong,” I hissed. “I hate you. I will always hate you.”
His eyes sparked with delight. “You are very cute when you’re angry.”
Fury overtook me, and I launched myself at him with a raw shriek. He caught my fists easily before I could land a single blow, and he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me to him so tightly that I could hardly breathe, much less fight. Nevertheless, I continued to writhe and scream, until hopelessness sapped my muscles and constricted my throat. My screams gave way to sobs, and he held me until even those faded to silent tears.
When I awoke the next morning, my memories of what happened after the shower were hazy. Exhausted by my emotional upheaval, I had been half-asleep when Dimitri put me in the bed. He secured one cuff around my ankle, tethering me. Any hope I might have had of unbuckling it myself during the night was dashed when he slid into bed beside me and held me in his strong arms. My mind surrendered to merciful sleep almost instantly, and I had no memory of anything else until a sudden burst of morning light illuminated the insides of my eyelids.
I blinked and found Dimitri standing at the window, opening the heavy red velvet drapes. When he turned his stunning grin on me, I almost forgot about my dire situation.
Then the cuff tugged at my ankle when I shifted, and reality instantly set back in. It would have been enough to make me cry, if my tear ducts weren’t sore and dry. I had cried enough to last a lifetime.
“Good morning,” he said warmly, greeting me as he had every morning since I had started staying at his hotel suite for the night.
But we weren’t in his suite. We were at his father’s estate. I had no idea where it was situated in relation to the city, and neither did Christine. My one connection to America who might have been able to tell my parents where to find me was just as much in the dark as I was.
Christine knows how much time I spent with Dimitri. She’ll tell the police, and they’ll look into him. Don’t they always suspect the boyfriend in cases like this?
“The authorities have been paid. Besides, they know better than to interfere with my affairs.” I remembered Dimitri’s calmly spoken declaration that there was no hope of rescue for me.
“I brought breakfast,” he added when I didn’t return his salutation.
I wanted to hiss that I didn’t want anything he had to offer me, but at the mention of food I became painfully aware of how hungry I was. How long had it been since I had last eaten?
I pursed my lips, choosing to say nothing. He certainly wouldn’t get any thanks from me, if that was what he expected.
Just as before, he seemed completely unconcerned by my silent show of anger. If anything, he appeared mildly amused as he approached the bed.
When he reached me, he slowly pulled the covers down. I clutched at them, trying in vain to maintain my modesty. He easily tugged the sheets from my grip, revealing my naked body to his hungry eyes. They came to rest on my sex, and I blushed scarlet when I remembered how he had shaved me. Automatically, I covered myself with my hands.
His admiring gaze sharpened to a warning glare. “What have I told you about hiding your body from me? I don’t want to hurt you yet, but you will learn obedience, Alicia.”
Yet? My mind caught on the tiny, chilling word.
“You’re going to hurt me?” I asked, my voice barely audible.
He held me in his steady stare. “I will if you don’t move your hands away from my pussy.”
My pussy. I shuddered at the possessive, crass declaration. My hands slowly pulled away from my sex to fist at my sides. I didn’t want Dimitri to hurt me. It would damage my soul more than my body. For all my hatred, I still couldn’t shake the yearning that gripped my heart every time I looked at him. It was a reflexive thing, the memory of first love that hadn’t fully faded.
“Better,” he said with decisive approval.
Then he went about unbuckling the cuff from my ankle with a causal air that suggested the entire matter was handled to his satisfaction.
I didn’t fight when he lifted me up to hold my body against his chest. He was too strong, and now that the threat of pain loomed, I didn’t dare resist.
He crossed the room to the desk that was tucked in the corner beside the large window. I caught my first glimpse outside, and my stomach sank when I took in the bars behind the glass. The vie
w also suggested that we were at least two stories up from the ground. Even if I could manage to get the window open, there was no way out.
I was distracted from my growing melancholy by the scent of food. Dimitri sat down in the wing-backed chair before the desk, settling me in his lap. He lifted the cover from a plate to reveal a stack of blini with jam. My mouth watered.
“Your host family told me you enjoy this food,” Dimitri said warmly.
I tensed. He had spoken to the people who housed me during my study abroad program? They knew he abducted me? Any hope of the authorities looking for me died in that moment. Dimitri had left too clear a trail. Anyone who asked the simplest questions would know where to find me, but he wasn’t at all concerned. The proper people had been paid, and Christine would be the only person who would testify about my disappearance. One American girl was obviously powerless against Dimitri’s wealth and influence.
Ignoring the way I stiffened in his arms, Dimitri simply lifted a slice of the thin pancakes to my lips. I opened my mouth to accept the food, too hungry and dazed to resist. He kissed my cheek and murmured something encouraging in Russian. I took another bite. The sweetness of the blini contrasted with the bitter black coffee he offered me. I mechanically ate everything.
It occurred to me that this might be considered a romantic act in any normal relationship. Instead, I felt more helpless than ever. Dimitri had claimed he wanted to take care of me, and he was doing just that. He was treating me more like a pet than a woman he loved and respected.
“What are you going to do with me?” I managed to ask when the plate was wiped clean. He had made it clear that he intended to have a sexual relationship with me, but he also mentioned that he planned to hurt me.
“Whatever I want,” he said matter-of-factly. “I’m going to keep you.”
“Stop saying that!” I shrieked, my panic rising once again. “You don’t own me! I’m not some animal you can keep chained up and locked in a cage. I’m not your pet; I’m a woman. You can’t treat me like this.”
His expression turned stony. “I do own you. And this room isn’t a cage.”
All tenderness melted away, and he practically shoved me off him. I barely found my balance before his hand closed around the back of my neck. He propelled me forward roughly, keeping me at his side. Surprise struck me when we reached the door and he pulled it open. He pushed me in front of him, and I expected to stumble into a hallway.
What I found was worse than anything I ever could have imagined. My body reacted on instinct, immediately turning to flee back into the pretty bedroom. His hands gripped my shoulders, and he spun me around to face the horror. His arms wrapped around me, trapping my own to my sides and pulling me back against his chest so I couldn’t run.
“Look,” he commanded. “That is a cage.”
I wanted to squeeze my eyes shut and pretend this wasn’t happening, but I couldn’t seem to wrench my appalled stare away from the room. I could only describe it as a torture chamber.
The red-tiled floor beneath my feet seemed to glow in contrast with the black-painted walls. Chains hung from the ceiling, and strange apparatuses I couldn’t put names to filled the space. And in the far corner there was a cage. A real cage, about the right size to accommodate a large dog.
I shrank back into Dimitri, irrationally seeking his protection.
“This is where I broke my other slaves.”
Other slaves. As in, I was included in that group.
My vision tunneled, and my knees gave way beneath me. My mind shut down completely for a few mercifully dark minutes.
* * * * *
“Alicia.” My name was colored with alarm, and Dimitri shook me gently. He muttered a string of what I recognized as Russian curse words. “Look at me.”
My eyes flicked open, and he blew out a long breath.
“Drink.” Water spilled between my slightly parted lips, and I swallowed it down. After a few small sips, he pulled the glass away from my mouth.
I looked around wildly. Visceral relief tore through me at finding myself back on the bed in the nice room. My gaze fell on the door that I had thought led to the hallway. It was closed again, but a high, keening sound of distress touched the back of my throat as I remembered the chamber concealed behind it.
Dimitri kissed the top of my head and pulled me closer. I realized he still held me tightly, my body nestled against his where he sat propped up against the headboard.
“Please don’t put me in there,” I begged in a ragged whisper.
“You have nothing to fear in that room if you agree to my terms,” he said gently. “I don’t want to harm you.”
“But you said…” I choked on the words. “You said you’re going to hurt me.”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. You want to take care of me.” How could he hurt me if he cared for me?
“I do. But you like sexual pain. It’s part of why I knew I had to have you. One day, you will beg me to torment you. That suits my desires.”
I thought of the way my body burned for him when he bit my nipples, how I came when he pinched my clitoris. Surely those responses were normal?
He gripped my chin to still the involuntary shaking of my head.
“I will show you how good it can be between us. I don’t want to break you through torture. You are different from the others. I want you to be my willing slave. You love me. You will do this for me.”
“That’s not how love works!” I shouted, pushing futilely against his chest in an effort to get away.
He shrugged, not giving me an inch. “It will work that way for us. Once you accept it, you will be happy with me.”
“I could never be happy with you. How can you think I would be happy as a… as a slave?”
“Because you are perfect for me. I’ll give you pleasure you never dreamed of.”
“You might force yourself on me, but I will never be willing,” I seethed.
His brow creased. “I know this is a lot to take in, so I will give you time to make your choice. Do you know what BDSM is?”
I looked at him blankly, and his amused smile returned.
“Of course you don’t, my innocent myshka.” He kissed my lips lightly. “Usually, I torture my slaves until they break. They have no rights, and they can’t deny me anything.” I shuddered in revulsion, and he gave me a little squeeze that was meant to be reassuring. “I don’t want that for you. I don’t want to harm you. If you agree to obey me in all things, to give me your trust and your love, you can have safe words.”
My mind turned that over. “So I can stop you if I have these safe words?” Maybe if I pretended to agree, I could prevent him from forcing himself on me again. I could buy myself some time.
One corner of his lips tugged up. “No. I will do what I want with you. But you can control how much pain I give you.”
“You’re a monster,” I accused tremulously. “I don’t love you. I will never love you, and I’ll never obey you.”
His eyes narrowed. “I will be patient with you, Alicia. I want to pamper you and care for you, but I will treat you harshly if I have to. One way or another, you will be mine.”
Chapter 9
“I have to take care of some business,” Dimitri said when I didn’t respond to his gut-wrenching declaration. “No one will bother you while I’m gone. You are safe here.”
My only answer was a disbelieving snort. I was safe? How could he say that when he was holding me captive? When he threatened to torture me?
He caught my lips in a voracious kiss. I didn’t respond at first; I was far too repulsed by him to feel any desire for him.
Unfortunately, my body didn’t agree with my mind. Despite my efforts to hold back, my mouth began to move against his. He bit my lower lip, and I gasped. The little flare of pain weakened my defenses, and his tongue penetrated me. He kissed me ruthlessly, subjugating my will through his easy manipulation of my body. He didn’t release me until my nipples peake
d and my core began to heat.
“Think about what I said,” he whispered across my lips. “I want you to be happy with me. When I return, we will discuss this further.”
He shifted me off his lap and laid me down on the bed. For a moment, he stared down at me, looking almost hesitant.
“I don’t like to leave you after you fainted.”
“No, please don’t let me keep you,” I was distantly amazed that I managed sarcasm. All I wanted was for him to leave so I could relish the sweet reprieve from my distressing reactions to his touch.
If he caught the nuances of my dry tone, he didn’t show it. “You should rest. I will be back soon.”
My heart sank. I didn’t want him to come back. I just wanted to leave.
I opted to say nothing, merely fixing him with a blank stare. If he expected me to be joyful about the prospect of his return, he was woefully mistaken.
A small frown creased the corners of his mouth, and he turned to leave without another word. I watched as he exited, catching a glimpse of hallway outside the door.
I realized I hadn’t really yet taken the time to examine my prison. I had been too overwhelmed by terror and despair to search for possible escape routes.
There were three doors: one led to the bathroom, one to the hallway, and – I couldn’t suppress a shudder – another to the torture chamber. What kind of man had a room like that adjacent to his bedroom?
“I enjoy breaking women. You Americans might call it a hobby. I can easily do the same to you, if I choose to.”
My stomach lurched at the memory of his casual words. It was becoming disturbingly clear that Dimitri thought he was being kind to me by keeping me captive in his bedroom rather than subjecting me to the horrors of his dungeon.
No longer able to hold back the bile rising in my throat, I darted into the bathroom and vomited. When my dry heaving subsided, I sank down onto the floor, pressing my heated cheek against the cool tiles.
How could the man I loved do this to me?