by Anna Zaires, Pepper Winters, Skye Warren, Lynda Chance, Pam Godwin, Amber Lin
Ruby rushed to the foyer and looked out the window beside the front door. Gavin got into another stretch black limo, and she knew he was going to the hanger and small private airstrip he owned. She was all alone, well, aside from the two servants he had watching her. The thing was did she risk trying to escape, failing once again, and having to endure whatever wrath would surely come from Gavin as a result? Or did she stay here, earn his trust, and hope that one day, hopefully very soon, he would take her into one of the towns where she could get some help?
“You are okay?” The deep thick accent came from behind her and she turned around to see Adelbert. He had a pair of very big and sharp shears in his hand. He must have seen the fear on her face as she looked at them, but he started speaking again, and then shook his head as if realizing she didn’t understand. “For flowers.” He lifted the shears, opened and closed them until she heard the distinct “clip-clip,” and nodded.
She didn’t know if she should be polite or give this guy the finger. She could open the door and try for the woods. Surely she could outrun him. But eyeing him up and down showed Ruby that although he looked like he was in his fifties or early sixties, he was also in phenomenal shape. In fact, he looked just as muscular and toned as Gavin. Why did you think they were that old? Her inner question didn’t matter, because she still had to decide what she planned on doing. It shouldn’t have been a difficult decision, but for some reason it really was.
Drika came in, her words fast and angry as she spoke with the man. They argued for a few seconds, and finally the woman threw her hands in the air and made an exasperated noise. She turned toward Ruby, gave her a once-over, sighed and shook her head before turning and leaving. The older man started chuckling, and pointed to where the woman had left.
“My sister, she is crazy,” he said, laughing. So they were brother and sister, and she was clearly a lot meaner then the man. “You go see flowers with me?” His English was pretty broken, and with his thick accent it was hard to make out his words, but she picked up on it enough. He tilted his head toward the back, and she glanced at the front door. “You have seen the flowers with Master Gavin, yeas?” She slowly nodded and clasped her hands together so she didn’t fidget. “Then let us go.” He smiled, and it appeared warm and gentle. She smoothed her hands down her skirt and decided to go with him, because for all she knew Gavin was watching, and waiting for her to make her move. She had time, and she needed to use it wisely.
When she started following him he grinned, and slight wrinkles around his eyes and mouth became evident. He led them through the dining room and into the kitchen. Ruby had seen a lot of the house already from when Gavin had been in the mood to show her around, but mainly the rooms on the upper level, and the sitting areas. There was a set of double French doors on the other side of the kitchen.
They stepped into a sunroom-type enclosure. It was large, with floor to ceiling windows that let in the warm morning light. Wicker furniture was placed around the room, as were fresh and colorful tulips. The windows showed the back property, all flat, grassy land, tall, swaying grass, and a blue picturesque sky. Drika could be seen by a clothesline, and stark white articles of clothing moved back and forth from the breeze.
“It is good for the soul.” She glanced at Adelbert, who had a smile on his face. He was pointing at the clothesline. “Sun and fresh air makes everything happier.” He didn’t wait for her to respond, just motioned for her to continue to follow him. He led her out of the sunroom and to the rear of the house where she knew there were a sea of colorful flowers. Even though she had seen them before, she still stopped and took in the sight.
All her life she had been surrounded by asphalt, grime, cars and smog. But here everything was fresh, clean, and so very open. There were no buildings that blocked the sky, no cars driving by and letting off noxious smog that suffocated her. Gavin was right, this place was so isolated that it was like it had been untouched by man. She shouldn’t be gazing at the land like she wasn’t the captive of a gorgeous, sadistic man, but she was. They were out in the middle of nowhere, but the scenery was so beautiful that all Ruby could do was sigh and take it all in.
“It is very beautiful, yes?” Adelbert questioned.
She nodded, not looking away from the rainbow of colors right in front of her.
“I must fix the trees.” He pointed to the endless row of willowy trees that lined the other side of the property. “But you can pick flowers for dinner?” She assumed he meant as a centerpiece of dinner, and not actually to eat. Turning to face him, she watched as he looked down at her with that same pleasant smile.
“You know why he has me here?” She didn’t wait for him to answer. The questions just flowed from her as her emotions went higher. “He has me captive, held against my will. He bought me at an auction, and I fear for my life.” She wasn’t sure if the last was the whole truth or not. She didn’t know how far he would go with her in his need to own her.
“You are hurt?” As far as she could tell he wasn’t being sarcastic or cruel in how he phrased the question. He honestly seemed interested in her answer. “The Master of the estate has harmed you?” Master of the estate? She smoothed her hand down her skirt, felt the tenderness of the bruises that Gavin had given her, and opened her mouth to tell him that yes, the Master of the estate did harm her, and she had the marks on her body to prove it. But why did she feel wrong to think that, and say it aloud? Yes, he had hurt her, but she had enjoyed it.
It didn’t matter that she had derived pleasure from it. But before she could say anything Drika was striding toward them in hurried steps. She stopped in front of them and looked at Ruby. Once again she started talking quickly to Adelbert, but her eyes stayed on Ruby. “My sister has to keep a strict schedule, and says I am talking too much with you. She says Master Gavin will not be pleased if our work is not completed.” He chuckled at his own words.
Ruby watched as Drika went back to the clothesline.
“Come.” Adelbert set the shears down and took Ruby’s hand. “Master Gavin told me to make sure you are happy, to keep you company. He says you are frightened, that you might run because of that, yes?” It was hard to get past his deep, thick accent and broken English, but the longer she was in his presence the easier it was becoming. “We are all captives of ourselves, yes?” She stared at him, not hiding her confusion. Had he taken her earlier words that she was speaking rhetorically and not literally?
She was so stunned at first that she allowed him to pull her toward the field of flowers. When they reached the edge of them she glanced around and watched as they moved in unison when the wind picked up. It was like a colorful wave.
“Yes, the wonder of God, the glory of creation. We should enjoy it and not run from it.” He was looking at her now, but took a small step back and held his hand out toward the flowers. She stayed still for a second, but then got down on her haunches, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply to allow herself this moment of peace. She had never smelled anything so wonderful before. She opened her eyes and looked up at Adelbert. He reached into the small utility belt he wore around his waist and removed a gleaming pair of scissors.
“You help me, and we will talk.” For some reason she wanted to talk to someone, wanted conversation where she could stay by these flowers and enjoy the sun on her face. She reached out and grabbed the scissors he held out. He gestured to the flowers and she grabbed a vibrant yellow one, bringing the blades across the stem. “Master Gavin helped me and my sister many years ago.” She glanced over at him, but his attention was on the flowers as he cut them with another pair of scissors. “The town I lived in is very far away.” He went back to cutting flowers and setting them on the ground. “Drika and I, we lost everything because of a fire, not only our possessions, but our elderly parents as well.” Although he spoke evenly, she saw the twitch in his eyebrows when he said those words.
“I’m sorry.”
He reached out and patted her on the shoulder. “It was long ago,
and death, it is a part of life.” He reached out, cut the stem of a pink flower, and placed it right over her ear. “Master Gavin wanted land to purchase. Even young he held power. He heard of our misfortune and offered us refuge.” He cleared his throat and she felt sorry for him, even though he was loyal to the man that she should despise. “Without him I don’t know where we would be. But he is a good man. He could have left us there, with nothing. Our village was poor. There was no one to help us.” He set the last flower on the ground and looked over at her.
“I’m very sorry, I am, but I don’t think you understand what I meant—”
He shook his head, but kept his smile in place. “My English, it is not good, but I understand. You must understand me, too, yes?” She had no idea what he meant. “Look around.” He gestured to the openness. “Master Gavin is a kind. You must think with this,” he reached out and placed his big hand right over her heart, “and not with this,” and then he moved that hand up to her head. “Happiness is not always where you think. Fear can make you run from it. You must look deep to see what you really want.” He took his hand away from her and his smile faded. “Because we only are given one life on this world, and there is no wrong way to live and enjoy it.” For some reason that last phrase pierced something deep inside of her, and she had to look away from him as emotion clogged her throat. “We all have secrets, ones that we try and bury deep inside of ourselves, but no matter how much we want to erase them, they are always a part of us.” Ruby turned and looked at him again. It was like he was speaking right to her. Not in the literal sense, but as if he knew her. “We should embrace it.”
He stood, tapped her on the head as if she was an obedient child, and turned back toward the estate. She watched him, and then looked at the field in front of her and then at the woods. Was it really so bad to be here? It wasn’t about all the money that Gavin clearly had, or the possessions that surrounded him. This was a very beautiful home and the land was breathtaking. What she was asking herself was if she wanted to leave the only person that actually made her feel something other than loneliness and despair. Sure, the way they had come to be in each other’s lives was less than conventional, and there were aspects of Gavin that frightened her, but when she was around him and he touched her she felt alive.
Ruby stood, not sure if she would run or head back inside. Looking over at Adelbert, who now stood by the backdoor, she knew that strangely, she didn’t want to run as badly as she had.
“You bring the flowers, and I will show you how to make Jodenkoeken, a very delicious butter cookie.” Ruby didn’t want to just forget about how she had gotten here, or why she was still here, because it wasn’t that easy. But she also didn’t just want to push away the fact that Gavin made her feel alive. She felt as if she were more than just someone that took up space. She looked down at the flowers by her feet, bent to scoop them up, and stood again.
She started walking back toward the mansion. She knew that her life before now had been a horror on its own, and that she had also been a captive in her own way. But Ruby wasn’t so sure going back out in the world was what she truly wanted. Adelbert’s words played over in her head. They made so much sense, and it was as if he had been speaking to her soul, and that she had felt exactly that way.
Chapter Nine
Ruby stared at her reflection in the bathroom mirror. She was in the room Gavin had taken her to when she first arrived, even though she hadn’t actually slept in it until tonight. She rested her hands on the counter, bent her head and closed her eyes. She was really tired, but for over an hour she had lain in the bed just staring at the shadows moving across the ceiling. The idea of staying in this mansion with Gavin scared her, the way he made her feel scared her, but what frightened her more was what lay out there in the real world. She never tried to pretend that she was perfect or lived a gilded life. She had survived solely because she had wanted to live. If she had left it up to her mother she would have died a long time ago. But despite the fact that Ruby had never felt like she fit in, had always been an outcast in school, she still pressed on, because the alternative was not something she wanted.
She lifted her head and looked at herself in the mirror again. Her dark hair was wet from the shower she had just taken and hung in loose waves around her naked body. Not able to sleep, she had thought a shower would help, but it hadn’t relaxed her, just amplifying the fact that she was tender between her thighs, and that every part of her tingled with awareness. If she closed her eyes she could practically feel Gavin touching her. A shiver worked over her. Her skin looked pale under the bathroom lighting, and the bruises Gavin had given her during their intense rounds of sex stood out like a flashing light. She straightened and ran her fingers around the fingerprint-sized ones on her hip, moved her hand down her thighs, and touched the ones that lined the still-tender flesh of her leg. Why did seeing those make her feel almost special and cared for when it should have made her feel abused? Because when he gave them to you there was a life that sprang forward inside of you.
She had never been loved in her life, never felt wanted, not even when she had been with a boy. They had only wanted one thing from her, and when she hadn’t given it to them they had discarded her just as easily as everyone else had. But she had felt loved when Gavin touched her, even though there was no way those deep emotions could be present this early on. She had seen the way he looked at her, like a treasured possession. There was no way his seemingly infatuated fascination with her could ever grow into something meaningful, right? There was a lot of evil in the world, and unfortunately it far outweighed the good.
After she had picked flowers with Adelbert and carried them back inside, she knew that she had just made a monumental decision. Adelbert didn’t seem to make it matter that she was a captive in this mansion, because to him and his sister Gavin was their savior. But did they know that the man that had saved them, and that they looked up to, enjoyed sadistic sexual play? And do they know you like to be his masochist?
She ran her hand over the mirror one again when it started to fog up. “Well, what are you going to do?” Silence greeted her as she looked at her reflection. She turned and grabbed the plush robe that hung behind the door. After she had it on she opened the door and turned off the light, but she knew she wasn’t alone as soon as she stepped into the room. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness, but she saw him sitting on the edge of her bed, and felt his eyes on her.
“Hello, Ruby.” Gavin’s voice was deep, and now that her vision was clearer she saw he wore a suit, but he wasn’t as impeccably styled as it usually was. He didn’t wear a tie, and the first few buttons of his shirt were undone. His jacket wasn’t buttoned either, and the vest underneath was visible.
“You’re back.” She didn’t know why she was surprised to see him, because he had said he might be back tonight. Was she disappointed that he was already here, and that he hadn’t stayed away longer? No, and that realization had her heart racing and her mouth going dry.
“Come here, Ruby.” His voice was low, and he sounded exhausted, but there was that ever-present assertiveness and dominance laced in his words. She moved away from the bathroom and closer to him. She stopped in front of him, and hated the fact that her breathing increased just from the way he looked at her. The moon was full and the light from it came through the window where the drapes didn’t quite close. “Did you miss me?” He reached out and tugged on the belt that held the robe closed. She didn’t stop him as he undid the knot, or when he took each side of the robe and parted the material.
She was naked underneath, and a deep noise left him when he saw what she had done. “I see you did miss me.” He ran his finger over her freshly-shaved mound. Why had she shaved all of her pubic hair off? Honestly she didn’t know. “You must have thought about me a lot to have done this.” He looked up at her, and even though his exhaustion was clear around his eyes, he looked so damn good. Like a fallen angel.
Ruby had found herself in t
he shower, with a razor in hand, and thoughts of how pleased Gavin would be if he saw her completely free of hair down there. He stared at her pussy for a long time, ran his finger along her now smooth, slick cleft, and groaned. Gavin pulled her closer and pressed his face to her chest. All he did was hold her, breathe against her, and not let her go. It was a very affectionate embrace, and Ruby found herself lifting her hands and spearing them in his hair. The thick strands weren’t like his normal perfectly-styled appearance. It looked like he had already been running his hands through it. He tensed momentarily, maybe just as surprised as she was at this intimate action. She couldn’t explain her reaction to him, but didn’t want to question it again. She had already done enough of that since being with him.
“You left the razor. You must not have been too worried about me hurting myself.” Ruby didn’t know why she had even brought that up, because wouldn’t bringing it to his attention that she had actually thought about hurting herself—which honestly she had for a spilt second—make him even stricter? He leaned back to look up at her.
“Did you want to hurt yourself, darling?” His voice was soft, but she wasn’t fooled. He lifted his hand and stroked his finger along her cheek. She thought about how to answer, but knew honesty was the only thing he would accept. He would know if she was lying anyway, that she knew without a doubt.
“I thought about it.” The words were almost a whisper, and a flash of darkness washed over his face. In the next second he had her on her back on the bed, with her hands pinned above her head, and her thighs spread wide to accommodate his hips. He was hard, and his erection nudged at her bared opening. There was nothing stopping him from plunging inside except for the thin layer of his pants.
“Is your time here so horrible that you would resort to harming yourself?” He thrust against her and pleasure rocked her when he rubbed her clit. “Have I treated you so badly that you want the coward’s way out?” He leaned down so they were nose to nose. “Have I not given you pleasure, and seen to all of your needs?” He thrust his hips forward once more, nudging her clit and causing a moan to leave her.