by Riley Ashby
“Yes, I’d think you’d like that quite a bit.”
“I’m no one’s property,” she whispered. There was no conviction behind her words.
“Wrong,” I snapped, finally able to extricate myself from her hold. Somehow, she had flipped the tables on me. That little gasp had put me firmly in her grasp rather than the other way around. “You’re mine, and you’re going to be someone else’s in a few days. Repeat that to yourself until you believe it.”
I turned away, trying to think of anything to calm myself down before I paraded through my house with a hard-on for my entire staff to see.
She was a human being, a good one at that, but it didn’t change what I had to do. She had no idea what was at stake for me.
And she’s never going to find out.
“Please,” she begged again, and this time the words caught in her throat for reasons that had nothing to do with the lust that clung to us like a fog.
I shook my head, walking to the door before I let myself go any more.
“If you knew what I was fighting for, you’d make the same choice.”
I slammed the door with more force than necessary, not bothering to double-check the lock. She wouldn’t be trying anything else today.
He left me alone for two days. I had nothing to do, no books to read, and I was climbing the walls with boredom. My only visitor was Karen, flitting in and out to bring me food, whisk away soiled laundry and bring it back clean and folded. Not that any of my clothes were getting all that dirty in the first place, sitting around all day watching TV. After I binged both seasons of some teen drama and several cooking shows, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I practically ran across the room toward the door, determined to end my imprisonment, but yanked my hand back from the doorknob before I could turn it. What would happen if I got caught?
Not if, when.
There were so many people in this house, I would run into a servant almost immediately. They’d be sure to tell Ellery if they didn’t drag me back to this room themselves.
But what was the worst that could happen? They might lock the door a little tighter? Today was Thursday. I’d be gone in two days anyway.
I filled my lungs to the brim as I closed my hand over the doorknob once more. “No risk, no reward,” I muttered, but I didn’t sound confident even to myself.
It turned silently in my hand, the tumblers gliding easily. It hadn’t been locked after all. I had stayed in here on my own volition.
My temper flared. Once again, he’d convinced me to choose captivity over freedom. All those wasted hours had been for nothing. I was done being controlled by this man. I flung the door open and stepped out into the hallway.
I nearly slammed in to Karen, jostling the plates on the tray carrying my lunch. Well, that was a short-lived vacation.
“Oh!” I cried, startled, brushing my hair out of my face.
She laughed. “What are the chances? I thought you might be hungry.”
“I was,” I said, thinking quickly. “I wanted to eat outside.” It was probably way too hot, but …
“Oh, you don’t want to do that,” she said. “It’s sweltering. But I can put you in the drawing room. Follow me.”
Drawing room? I didn’t even know houses still had those. I followed silently down the hall, feeling out of place in my shorts and ankle socks as uniformed staff passed us. My head spun as we walked down different hallways, down one staircase and back up another, before finally coming to a room with floor-to-ceiling windows on one wall.
“Wow,” I whispered to myself, walking over to better take in the view. There were gardens on this side of the house, gorgeous and lush despite the drought. Apparently, my host didn’t adhere to water rationing.
“Enjoy,” Karen chirped as she set the tray down on a coffee table. “I’ll come check on you in a little bit.”
“Thank you,” I said, not taking my eyes away from the windows. It felt like being outside but without the heat.
I sat on the floor near the windows, not bothering with the table or chair. It was like having a picnic, by myself, true privacy in a beautiful place. I closed my eyes against the sun, letting the light wash over me.
How could someone so cold live in such a beautiful place? Everything about the house was warm and inviting. Even his office had been comfortable, a place meant for people to spend time. There were sitting spaces, blankets tossed over chairs, and mini bars in every other room. This was a home meant for entertaining, not for an antisocial bachelor intent on ingratiating himself in the criminal underworld. Even though he seemed to be the only resident that wasn’t staff, the house didn’t have a lonely feel. It seemed lived-in, well-loved, just … missing something.
I jumped when I opened my eyes and saw Ellery staring down, lounging against the window right next to me. He was back in his suit, classic and effortlessly handsome.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” I muttered, going back to my sandwich.
“I told you to respect my rules.” His voice rumbled in my chest as I took a bigger bite of my sandwich than I had intended.
“You never said I had to stay in that room. And the door was unlocked.” My jaw hurt from biting down so hard on the soft food.
“Chew slower. You’re hurting yourself.”
I swallowed everything in my mouth, nearly choking on the huge hunk of food. He huffed out a breath as he folded himself onto the floor next to me, feet crossed at the ankles and extended toward the window. His socks were navy with pink polka dots.
“You approve of my attire?” he asked, one eyebrow quirked.
I looked away from his feet and wiped the small grin off my face. “Apparently you do have some personality.”
“I paid a stylist to pick these out for me.”
“Of course.” I took another angry bite of my food then frowned at my sandwich. It was nearly gone. I was going to have to talk to him. “Why are you bothering me?”
“If you’re going to be out in the house, you need to be dressed properly. You look like you’re headed to the gym.”
“What do you care?” I swallowed the last bite of my sandwich and wiped my hands on my shirt just to annoy him. “I’ll be gone in two days. I won’t upset your precious household anymore after that.”
In an instant I was flat on my back, one of his strong hands around my throat. The other ran up my thigh and slipped beneath the hem of my shorts, fingers playing with my panty line.
“You need to develop a better sense of self-preservation before you get yourself hurt, little girl.” His hand slid around to the inside of my thigh. I shuddered as he brushed against my core, stroking me through the fabric. “It’s not smart to aggravate the man who holds your fate in his hands. Even less so when it’s a man as powerful as me.”
That was what this was about! He was mad that I’d called him an opportunist, insulted his prestige. He wanted to reassert himself and convince me he was worth fearing. And maybe his dominance, the way he squeezed the sides of my neck ever so slightly, should have scared me. But it didn’t. Not at all.
Quite the opposite. I felt electrified all the way to my toes. He was holding me down, but I didn’t want to move. All I wanted was for his hand to keep moving, keep pressing. But he couldn’t know that.
“I don’t want you touching me,” I bit out as he pressed harder between my legs. I wanted to bring my thighs together, give myself some release, but then he’d know he was getting to me. I couldn’t show him how good it felt. I pushed my neck against the hand holding me down, trying to sit despite my body protesting.
He smirked. “I think you’re a liar, little girl. I think if I pull this aside right now, I’ll find you wet.” His smug look only grew as I swallowed beneath his palm. His fingers tugged at my shorts, pressing directly against my panties. I screwed my eyes shut. I knew what he would feel. My panties were soaked, and it had only been a minute that he’d had me on the ground like this.
“There it is,” he whispered, sounding almos
t reverent. His fingers tickled me through the fabric. I couldn’t help but squirm even more. “You like it a little rough.” He squeezed my neck, and I moaned.
He leaned down and nudged his nose against mine. “That’s the right attitude to have. That’ll serve you well.”
As quickly as I’d found myself on my back, his hands were gone. I opened my eyes to see him wiping his hand on the napkin from my tray, gazing out the window as he climbed to his feet.
“You’re right,” he said, all trace of teasing desire gone from his voice. “There’s no point in keeping you locked up for your last couple of days here. Enjoy the area, but don’t touch anything that looks breakable, and don’t force any locked doors. If you need help, ask one of the staff. They’ll oblige you.”
I sat, touching my own neck where his hand had been. I straightened my shorts hurriedly, embarrassed, but he didn’t look back as he strode out of the room without a backward glance.
“Goodbye to you too,” I sighed.
I needed a cold shower. It was remarkable the way I managed to end up pinned, panting, and turned on every time he came into the same room as me. He was so crude, so coarse with his speech, but he always looked a little pained every time he pulled his hands off me and walked away without following through with his desires.
“I can use this,” I whispered to myself as I stared out the window once more. Ellery King was mysterious and treacherous, but he was used to getting what he wanted. It certainly seemed like he wanted me. All I had to do was convince him not to give me up.
It was a gamble and was entirely possible that whomever he wanted to give me to was an okay person after all. Maybe even nicer than Ellery. But then, what kind of person collects monetary debts in the form of human bodies? Not a good one.
I knew this man, if only somewhat. I had no idea about the devil he planned to hand me over to in a few days. If I could convince him to keep me here, then maybe I could convince him to let me go. Run home, grab everything my father hadn’t sold, and get the hell out of dodge before he could change his mind.
My thumb was raw for all the gnawing it had been subjected to for the past two days, and I dropped it to my lap as I remembered how he’d commanded me to stop that first night at dinner.
“That’s the right attitude to have. That’ll serve you well.”
Deep breath. I could play by his rules. But only as long as necessary. Only until I could get myself out. After that, I would never come within a hundred yards of Ellery King ever again.
I put my plan into action the next day. I picked out my shortest shorts and a thin tank top. My hair hung loose around my shoulders, and I put on a bit of makeup to highlight my eyes. I hadn’t worn anything on my face since our dinner that first night, and I smiled at myself in the mirror.
I wasn’t much more familiar with the layout of the house than I had been the first day, but I had a pretty good idea of where I needed to go to find Ellery’s office. Once I stumbled into the foyer, where my father and I had parted, it was fairly easy to retrace my steps.
His head snapped up as I walked into the room, eyes roaming at once along my body and taking in my appearance. I was pleased by his reaction but still had the sensation of being under a microscope. I caught myself tugging down the hem of my shirt, even as I couldn’t look away from him myself.
He tapped the microphone in his ear to indicate he was on a call. My heart sank but I nodded and turned toward the door, determined not to bother him, but he beckoned me forward instead. I meandered through the room, taking a closer look at the decorations on the walls. The view out the windows was the same as from my room. It was strange to think we had been looking out on the same perspective this whole time without my knowing it.
I nearly knocked over the chessboard in my daze. I frowned at the board, noting the placement of the pieces. Black was a bit behind, but there was an opportunity for a good move.
It always surprised people to learn I was skilled at chess, but my dad had insisted on teaching me as a child. Even after my mom left, we would play together on a rare day off work or when I was home sick. At some point it got to where he was either too drunk or too hungover to play, but occasionally he would be in a happy stasis, somewhere between drink one and two, and we could work through a quick game together. Those games kept me going when I felt like I would never get out from under the mountain of debt that suffocated me daily. Maybe somehow my dad had known that.
I placed the tip of one finger on a black pawn then looked at Ellery inquisitively. He nodded; he had never taken his eyes off me. I picked up the knight and made a move before finally sitting in front of the desk. He ended the call and tossed the earpiece aside.
“Did you sleep well?”
I didn’t look up, forcing my focus on my hands. I nodded and tried to speak. My tongue was suddenly heavy and dry, uncooperative in my mouth. “That bed is insanely comfortable.”
I chanced a glance up at him as the remains of a grin dashed away from his face. “Are you hungry?”
Another nod, and he snapped up the landline phone on his desk to dial the kitchen. There was a short conversation, and he went back to his work without another word. I let my eyes roam the room as we sat in silence, studying the items on his desk: a flowery paperweight I never would have expected him to have and an honest to God feather pen and inkwell. When the food arrived, I sat straight as a board, taking delicate bites of my food and peeking at him as often as I dared. I kept my composure, reminding myself to be a model house guest. I took all my cues from him.
When the empty plates were cleared away, he allowed himself to settle back from the computer and fully regard me for the first time since I had sat down. I lost all my composure, shifting, covering my thighs with my hands.
“Tell me, Sophia—”
“Sophie,” I said as quiet as a mouse. I cursed myself internally. Why was I correcting him?
He sat forward slightly. “Come again?”
I cleared my throat, pulling back my shoulders the slightest bit. “Call me Sophie, please. No one calls me Sophia.”
He folded his hands, leaning on his elbows across the desk.
“I’ll call you whatever I like.”
There it was again, that catch in my breath. I stared at him directly, my lips parted slightly, before letting out a deep sigh.
“Of course.” I nodded.
He sat back, and I let myself relax as well. He shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “Do you like to read?”
Despite my best efforts to stay calm, my spirits lifted immediately. This wasn’t the type of question I had been expecting. “Yes,” I said breathlessly, “I usually don’t have time since I work so often. I work two jobs, I mean, to help my dad, so I don’t do much besides work and sleep.” I had read endlessly in grade school and high school, staying up late whenever I could to sneak in reading time. I didn’t care if my homework suffered for it, because reading was my only escape from an increasingly depressing home life. Even audiobooks were a challenge for me; I didn’t like cutting off one of my senses while walking through dangerous parts of town. I had no hobbies, and it was exhausting.
Which was why all my plans of subterfuge went out the window when he spoke next.
“Let's get you something to read.”
I followed on his heels, across the room to the bookshelf on the far wall. I started to look at the titles there, already impressed by the selection, but he pulled me to the side and reached behind a dictionary to press a button hidden against the back wall. The bookcase swung out. I gasped and clapped my hands, caught completely off guard.
“Girls love secret passageways,” he said dryly, and I laughed. A real laugh, not cut short by anxiety or suspicion. I was truly delighted. “Come on.”
The library we walked into was decorated the same as the office but without any trace of actual business equipment but rather floor-to-ceiling books with ladders and step stools to reach higher shelves. I fixated on the small bureau in th
e center of the room.
“You cataloged your home library?” I asked, walking toward it, him trailing behind me.
“I got tired of climbing up and down the ladders, looking for different books. This is much more efficient.”
I looked through a few drawers, sifting through more contemporary novels to classics to issues of popular business magazines. “This is extensive. Have you read all these?”
“Most of them,” he said. “Sometimes the staff orders a book or anthology that gets slipped in here without me noticing.”
I studied a card then began walking around the room to find the right section. When I did, I dragged over the nearby ladder and started climbing. I didn’t get more than one rung off the ground before strong hands took hold of my waist, lifting me off the ladder and setting me firmly back on the floor.
“Let me,” he said, already starting up the ladder. “It’s a bit of a climb.”
“It's—”
“I think I know which one you want.”
He descended a moment later with a well-worn copy of Jane Austen's Persuasion. “It's a gorgeous novel. Shame she didn't get to see how popular it was.”
I raised my eyebrows in shock, hesitating as I reached for it. He really was going to give it to me.
“So … it's okay? That I read this one?”
He gave me a predatory grin, but I didn’t feel threatened.
“Yes, pet. You may read this one.”
I flushed at the name and grabbed it before he could change his mind.
Back in the office, he pushed away the hard, low-backed chair I had occupied before and pulled over one of the nicer armchairs that was heavily padded and soft. I settled into it hesitantly and tucked my feet underneath me. My shorts rode even higher, barely covering my ass. I kept my eyes on Ellery the entire time. He fixated on my thighs for a moment then looked me in the eye. I waited for him to admonish me or perhaps give an order to go change or put the book back. But with a grunt of approval, he simply went back to work.