by Penelope Sky
I squeezed her neck tighter, having no choice but to knock her out. “You’ll pay for this later, sweetheart.” I cut off the air supply to her lungs and pressed her hard into the ground, overcoming her small frame with my size and strength. The jacket was coming loose and revealing her nakedness, but now I had no respect for her vanity. I’d underestimated this woman, and as a result, she caught me off guard.
I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
Her movements lessened as her brain slipped away from the lack of oxygen. Finally, she went still, her body limp in my arms.
I held her for a few more seconds, just to make sure this wasn’t another trick. Then I let her go, looking down at her in the grass. I shone my flashlight on her, staring at her slightly parted lips and the way her chest rose and fell with her breathing.
I wasn’t sure whether I admired this woman or despised her.
I should have told her I was saving her the second we got into the car. But judging by how paranoid she was, she probably wouldn’t have believed me anyway.
I gathered her into my arms and carried her back to the car, which was still on. I got her in the passenger seat before I sat down behind the wheel, keeping my gun in my hand this time. I pulled onto the road, grateful no one had witnessed the action that had just taken place.
When I glanced at her in the passenger seat, she was still dead asleep. Her head rested against the window, and she seemed harmless when she was unconscious. She was definitely a lot prettier when her mouth was shut.
I reflected back on my conversation with this mystery woman, this woman without a name. Every smartass comment that flew out of her mouth was in an American accent. It wasn’t Russian, like her brother Egor. There could be an explanation for that, but I found it strange all the same.
Something told me I was missing something here.
And I intended to figure it out.
I shackled her ankles and secured her to the frame of the bed. I left her hands free because there was nothing she could do without her legs. I’d give her the dignity to scratch her nose if it itched, even if she didn’t deserve it.
Just to be safe, I inserted a tracker into her ankle. That way, I could see exactly where she was if she managed to slip through my fingers again. The area started to bleed slightly, so I placed a small bandage over the site. This woman obviously wasn’t trained in self-defense, but she still had the grit to fight me. She thought I was a psychopath who would rape her and kill her, so of course, she fought as hard as she could. I would have told her I was actually her savior, but she was too busy running that mouth of hers.
I left her on the bed, my large jacket still covering her body. I threw an extra blanket over her, just to make her feel more comfortable. I left her there then went to my bedroom down the hallway. My hands were covered in dirt from forcing her to the ground, and there was a scratch on my watch from scraping it against a rock. I rinsed my hands, took a shower, and then called Egor.
“How’d it go?” he asked the second he picked up the phone.
Shitty. That’s how it went. “She’s asleep down the hall.”
“And it went smoothly?”
No, just shitty. “She didn’t go quietly, if that’s what you mean. I’ve got her ankles shackled to the bed frame since she’s a flight risk. When I drove her home, she jumped out of the car…out of a moving car.” I shook my head. “She’s crazy.”
He chuckled into the phone. “She keeps you on your toes. But that’s what I like about her. She’s got an ass that won’t quit and a mouth that won’t shut.”
Very strange way to describe your sister. “I would have told her I was rescuing her instead of keeping her, but she was insulting me left and right, and before I had a chance, I was chasing her into a field. But I’ll tell her when she wakes up.”
“About that…”
I stopped in the center of my bedroom, near the foot of my king-size bed. I had a big window that overlooked the countryside, and there was a large flat-screen TV over the fireplace.
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t confide that information to her.”
Why the hell not?
“I’ll be out of the country for a while and I can’t retrieve her, so I want to teach her a lesson while she’s there.”
Teach her a lesson? She was just stripped naked in front of a group of demons and auctioned off like a piece of livestock. She didn’t seem afraid, but there was no way she wasn’t. I didn’t mention that to him, because if I were in his shoes, I wouldn’t want to think about my sister being treated that way. “I don’t follow, Egor.”
“It was her stupidity that got her captured in the first place. I tried to protect her. I tried to get her to listen to me, but she was too damn stubborn. Now look where she’s at. She’s lucky I had the power to get her out of that situation. If she knows she’s safe, there won’t be a lesson to learn. So keep her in the dark, Carter.”
“That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“I just paid you a fortune. It can be part of the deal if I want it to be.” He turned hostile quickly, his seething anger spilling over the line.
“How am I supposed to deal with her?”
“In whatever way you feel is necessary. Put her in a room, chain her to the wall, and threaten to kill her if she tries to leave. Pretty simple.”
I paced across the hardwood floor, my bare feet hitting the rug around my bed. “You want me to threaten your sister?” Now this wasn’t making any sense. How could he give me authorization to treat her that way?
“Yes.”
My right eyebrow slowly rose toward the ceiling.
“Do whatever you need to do to control her. We’ll make the exchange a month from now, and I know she’ll be so happy to see me. Do we have an understanding, Carter?”
He wanted me to pretend to be something I wasn’t, a slave owner. He wanted me to take this woman’s rights away, to keep her locked up like a prisoner. “It’s more complicated than that. What reason do I have to keep her? Why did I buy her if I’m just leaving her in a room for a month?” The only reason men spent a fortune on a beautiful woman was to fuck her. If I wasn’t doing that, what other purpose was there?
“Good point,” he said. “Then enjoy her, Carter. I think you’ve earned it.”
I halted in my tracks, considering what he’d just said with trepidation. This man gave me permission to rape his sister, to do whatever I wanted to her until she was in his possession again. I hadn’t reached this level of success by being a stupid man. I was observant and intuitive, and I knew all of this was bullshit. “She’s not your sister.”
Egor didn’t respond, but the silence was full of his amusement.
This man wasn’t related to her at all. I didn’t know that backstory or how she got stuck with the Skull Kings to begin with, but I knew I’d stepped into another shadow of the underworld. The smart thing to do was not ask any questions. Once I handed the woman over, my hands would no longer be dirty in this twisted narrative. I did this for the money and no other reason. The specifics were none of my concern.
Egor released a malevolent chuckle over the line. “Who I am doesn’t matter. Just keep her in line until I’m back. We’ll make the trade, and your job will be done, Carter. Easiest fortune you’ve ever made.”
I was up early the next morning, drinking coffee at the dining table when I heard my guest’s voice. It wasn’t sexy and husky like it had been the night before. Now it was explosive, even more combative than it was last night. “Asshole! Get your ass in here and let me go!”
I set the coffee mug down, the cup still steaming because I’d just poured it. I was shirtless and in my sweatpants, my hair still slightly damp from the shower I’d taken. Normally, I would be reading the paper right now, but my thoughts were focused on the handful I had upstairs. She would be my prisoner for a month until Egor came to collect her.
What the hell was I supposed to do with her?
She wasn’t quiet and timid like
the others, which meant she would interfere with my personal life. How would I get laid if it seemed like I had a prisoner in the house? If she kept being this argumentative, I would have to move her down to the basement so no one would hear her.
Or I’d have to threaten her.
She had no idea who I was or what I was capable of, so if I gave her a serious scare, she might be more cooperative.
Shouldn’t be difficult for me to do.
“Hey, Bitch-hole!”
My eyebrows almost jumped off my face. “Bitch-hole?” I said to myself.
“Get up here now!”
She was in no position to make demands, but she did it anyway. It was amusing and impressive. I finally left my coffee behind and made my way upstairs to her bedroom. Her legs were up on the bed, but her upper body had tipped over the mattress so her torso was on the floor. The jacket had come loose, so one of her tits was popping out. She looked unbelievably uncomfortable, and it was clear she’d been trying to find a way to get out of the chains.
When I looked at the foot of the bed, I saw the wood had been chipped by her chains. She’s been yanking on it for hours, doing her best to break free, but then she pulled too hard and toppled over—getting stuck in this compromising position.
I leaned against the doorframe, my arms across my chest. I cocked my head as I stared at her, not being a gentleman any longer. I stared at her openly, looking at her tit without guilt. Her left boob was firm and round, and her nipple hardened under my stare. “Bitch-hole?”
She yanked the jacket over her body, covering her tits from view. “It’s bitch and asshole mixed together…”
She really did have a nice rack. She had a nice everything. “Since I’m a bitch-hole, maybe I should rip that jacket off?”
She continued to grip the jacket, prepared to fight me for it.
“And then I should put you on your stomach and fuck that sexy little asshole of yours?” The second I made the threat, the bumps erupted down my arms. As a man who got action on a regular basis, I wasn’t hard-pressed for sex, but seeing a vulnerable woman like this tempted me. I liked the chains, the helplessness, and I also liked the fight. I wanted to silence that mouth of hers and fuck her into submission. She was wild, but I wanted to tame her. I wanted to seize the power and make her tremble in fear.
I’d never wanted that before.
But I was better than that. I’d never been that kind of man. I wasn’t necessarily a good man, but I wasn’t evil either.
Or perhaps I’d misjudged myself.
I examined her with a harder stare, my eyes narrowing. “It’s nice when you don’t talk.”
Like the spitfire that she was, she immediately snapped back. “Fuck off.”
“You want me to help you or not?”
“Yes. I want you to take these damn chains off me so I can use the bathroom. Didn’t realize that was so much to ask.”
“It is.” I crossed the floor to the foot of the bed and unlocked the shackles from around her ankles.
The second she was free, she kicked me in the chest, bucking like a wild horse.
I smiled, anticipating the move. I grabbed her right foot and flipped her over instantly, the muscles of my arms and core exceeding her strength a million times over. I forced her onto her stomach, being as ruthless as possible. I might have underestimated her once, but she should never underestimate me.
I pushed her jacket up to reveal her ass, two curved and rounded cheeks, and then settled on top of her. This was just an empty threat, a way to terrify her, but I couldn’t help but get hard. I got off on her fight, on the sight of her beautiful body on the bedroom floor. She did her best to escape my hold, and feeling her weakness in comparison to my strength got me harder than a steel rod.
“Get off me!” She fought against me, doing her best to buck me off with her hips.
I was the weight of a horse, so her bucks were pointless. I pushed my sweatpants and boxers down, revealing my long and thick cock before I grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them against the hardwood floor.
Now, I wanted this even more.
I’d never wanted to fuck a woman like this.
The power was like a drug, and I was higher than a kite. I wanted to punish her for mouthing off to me. I wanted to teach her a lesson for fighting against me. I wanted to fuck her against the floor, using her however I wanted. The power was intoxicating.
“Don’t.”
I wasn’t sure what I was doing anymore. This started off as a stunt, but now that my pants were down and my big cock was pressed in between her soft cheeks, I didn’t know if it was just for show anymore. My cock throbbed for her pussy, throbbed for her fight. I wanted to slide into her slit, whether she was wet or not. I wanted to cross a line I’d never crossed before, to take advantage of my station above this woman.
“I said no.”
I pressed the tip of my cock against her entrance, feeling her soft flesh with my sensitive head. My mouth moved to her ear, my breaths coming out shaky from desire. Blood was pounding in my veins, mixed with arousal and adrenaline. “I don’t give a damn what you said. No means nothing, not in my house. I will fuck you just like this on the floor and stuff your pussy with my come. And I will enjoy every goddamn second of it.”
She heaved underneath me, finally dropped her no-bullshit attitude and showed the first signs of fear. She wasn’t the brave woman who jumped out of the moving car. Now she was just a woman trying to protect her dignity.
My cock was still hard, ready to slide into that tight slit and dump all my arousal inside her, but the second she abandoned her guarded ferocity and turned into a vulnerable woman, her words finally got through to me. Her plea for respect resonated with me, and I knew if I went through with it, even if I had every right to and no one would ever know, I wouldn’t like myself.
I wouldn’t be any different from the men I’d bought her from.
A real man shouldn’t have to force a woman for sex. A real man should get offers left and right. That was who I was, Carter Barsetti, one of the most eligible bachelors in Italy, a billionaire with more pussy than he knew what to do with.
But I finally had this woman where I wanted her—afraid.
I pressed my lips against her ear, putting more weight on her small frame. “Don’t fuck with me again.”
She breathed harder, her body tensing up even more.
“You understand, sweetheart?” My cock was still at her entrance, desperate to sink into that womanly flesh and disappear. I could feel her back rise against my chest when she breathed, feel her frantic pulse thud against my body. Both of her wrists were pounding with fear from her beating heart. I’d finally terrified her enough to make her think before she ran that smartass mouth.
“Yes…”
“I’m a very rich man. Paying fifty million for you was like buying a hot coffee at a bakery, pennies to me. If you keep being a pain in the ass, I’ll kill you like all the others—and buy another replacement.”
After I let her use the bathroom and wash her face, I chained her back up to the bed and left the room.
This time, she didn’t complain.
She didn’t even look at me.
I had no idea what I was going to do with her at this point. She was finally subdued, but based on her previous behavior, she would probably take another shot at escape. She probably wouldn’t refrain from killing me either, if she had the opportunity. I cleared the house of the guns I’d stored in random places, knowing she would search if she ever got the chance.
But I couldn’t keep her tied up like that forever. If I did, I’d have to babysit her night and day. I’d have to hire a crew to keep an eye on her when I left the house. And if I brought women back home, I’d have to make sure she didn’t make a peep. I couldn’t let my guests think I was a kidnapper, not with my somewhat famous profile.
So what was I going to do with her?
Tough question.
Making her my personal slave was tempting. Cha
ining her to my headboard and fucking her all I wanted made me hard just thinking about it. A strong woman was sexy, but a defiant one was even sexier.
No one would ever know.
My family would never know. Conway would never know. I’d give her to Egor once he was finished with his business, and I could wipe my hands clean. My reputation would be intact.
But the guilt counteracted it. Back and forth, my conscience swayed.
We were talking about rape here.
I’d never been that kind of guy.
Did I want to start now?
Even if I didn’t, I’d have to put her to use. If I didn’t do something with her, she would find it suspicious that I bought her. She was smart, so she would push the envelope more and more. When she realized I wouldn’t rape or kill her, she would understand what kind of power she had.
And then the chaos would erupt.
I could make her clean and cook, but I didn’t need to pay fifty million for those services. Even if she wore lingerie at all times, I still didn’t need to drop that kind of cash for that—and she would know it.
Fucking her seemed to be the only option.
But she would never want me. I would always have to use force.
Fuck.
I was sitting at my desk in my office when my phone started to ring.
Conway’s name was on the screen.
My cousin was the last person I wanted to speak to right now after the stunt I’d just pulled. I’d dropped his name to get into the Underground, and I did something I promised I would never do.
What if he knew?
It was a bit ironic that he was calling me right now, especially in the morning. At this time of day, he was usually busy with Sapphire or working. I cleared my throat before I took the call. “What’s up, Con?”
Silence. Heated silence.
That lack of response told me everything I needed to know.