“It’s for you. I hope you like it. And the make-up is yours too.” Reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out a key and approached me. Grabbing my collar, he spun it around until the padlock was at the front and unlocked it, taking the collar off. “This is a fresh start, honey.”
I immediately moved my head from side to side, back and forth. It was so nice to no longer have my neck restricted by the thing. God, I didn’t know how much I hated it until it was off. I felt so free without it.
“Thank you, Master.”
He smiled. “There’s more.” Motioning me to follow him, he entered the connecting master bathroom. He immediately went to the large bathtub and turned on the water, adding bath salts, oils and bubble bath. I really couldn’t help but laugh – this certainly wasn’t what I expected.
“Is that for me?”
With the water running in the bath, he turned back to me and smiled. “Of course. I already told you that it was your surprise.” Crouching, he opened the cabinet under the sink and grabbed a razor and shaving gel. “Can I allow you with these things without you slitting your wrists or something equally stupid?”
“Yes. I haven’t tried to hurt myself yet, have I?”
He shrugged. “Just making sure. I’ve got a nice date night planned for us, so I’d hate to have it ruined.”
Date night! My heart soared. It had been over two weeks, maybe three – I’d already begun to lose track of time – since I’d been out of this house. The thought of actually going into town was like a dream come true. “We’re going out? To the city.”
“No. Not to the city. It’s too risky. Your disappearance is too fresh and we’re too close to where you were taken to be able to risk it, but we can go out on the back porch. Maybe go for a little walk on the property if you like. It is seventy acres. If you want we could go see the dogs. They’re beautiful bloodhounds.”
My heart sank a little, but still, outside was better than nothing and I’d really like to see the dogs, even if they might be part of the reason I was never going to escape from this place.
He stepped up to me and took my upper arms in his hands. “I hate to spoil this mood, but I need to make a couple of things clear to you. If you attempt to escape, your punishment will be that I’ll have a new girl occupy that room that is now vacant. With Victoria gone, I want this to be a new beginning.”
“But you promised…”
“I promised that as long as you keep me happy, it’ll be only you.” He brushed a lock of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “But if you try to escape, then I assure you, I won’t be happy. Okay?”
I nodded. “Yes, Master.”
“And one final surprise.”
“What’s that?”
“Since you were so good at the auction, and in the spirit of our date night, I’ll give you a pardon from having to use the term Master tonight. Tanner is fine.”
I wasn’t sure what was going on or what his plan was – he always seemed to have a motive for everything he did – but the last thing I was going to do was second-guess a good thing. Maybe for tonight I could pretend this wasn’t what is was and maybe I could pretend it was a normal date. There was a good chance there was a catch that came with the night, but for now I’d take the gesture at face value.
Chapter 16
Emily
The bathwater was divine. I felt like a queen soaking in the large tub full of bubbles, smelling of lavender and roses. The bath oils were working their way into my skin, leaving it soft and lightly scented. Tanner had turned on some music, some jazz station. I never really listened to jazz, but it was nice and soothing. It was so relaxing that the events of earlier that day seemed like some sort of bad dream. Heck, the events of the past few weeks seemed like another lifetime – some nightmare I’d finally awoken from.
A soft knock sounded on the door – there was even a door to this bathroom! It didn’t lock, but still it was a door. A moment later it opened and Tanner poked his head in. I sank deeper into the water until only my head and shoulders were visible above the thick layer of bubbles. “If you don’t come out soon you’re going to shrivel up.” He smiled, a sweet, sexy smile. Even his dark onyx coloured eyes carried an amused twinkle. It was the same smile he’d flashed me at the club and it had the same effect, making my tummy flutter and my pulse race.
“Do you want me to get out, Ma—” I bit down on my lower lip and smiled. I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to use his name for a change. “Tanner.”
“I just thought you’d like to see your next surprise. I think you might like it.” He gave me a wink. “But if you’d rather stay in the bathtub…” He left, closing the door behind him.
Now I was facing a dilemma. Continue to enjoy the bath or venture out to see what else he had planned? The problem was that what he thought would be a nice surprise was a crap shoot. But he was right, I was starting to wrinkle up. My curiosity got the best of me. I quickly shaved my legs and mound, then pulled the plug, got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my body.
Leaving the bathroom, I found Tanner in the middle of the bedroom doing up a pair of black pants and fastening his belt. I stood watching him for a moment. He was wearing a dark blue, long sleeved, V-neck sweater that hugged his lean, muscular torso and broad shoulders. Hearing me enter the room, he looked up and gave me another smile. The smile was friendly and made me wonder if I’d imagined the past few weeks.
“Curiosity got the best of you, huh?”
I nodded. “Kinda.”
He walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer and my heart sank with disappointment. That was where he kept the handcuffs and butt plugs and heaven knows what else. He had already informed me that we were yet to even begin our ‘journey’ together.
When he turned around he was holding a thin, square velvet jewelry box in his hands. “What’s the matter?” He asked as he walked towards me.
“Nothing. I just…”
He looked at the drawer and nodded. “You thought…”
I nodded.
“I told you this was a special night for you. I’m not forcing anything on you tonight, I promise.” He stopped a foot from me and opened the case. “I picked this up for you the other day, for tonight. I hope you like it.”
A wide smile spread across my lips as I looked down at the gold necklace with a heart pendant with diamond center. I also noticed a pair of diamond pear drop earrings and bracelet to match. They were all so beautiful, the light from overhead making the diamonds sparkle and gleam.
I’d never been given beautiful things growing up, certainly nothing like these. Father always felt that people bought things like this for vanity’s sake, so we were never given such things. The only jewelry I owned was a set of pearls, pearl stud earrings, which were reserved for church and church events only, and a plain Timex watch with a black leather band.
“They’re for me?” I looked up from the jewelry and caught his gaze, my brow furrowing. Why would he give these to me? There had to be a catch.
“I thought I’d already said that.”
“It’s just a little hard to grasp.”
His smile faded to a frown. He looked like he might actually be hurt. “I don’t follow. You don’t want them?”
“I just don’t understand why you would get them for me, that’s all. I’m confused.” I wanted to reach out and touch them, but I needed to know the strings that were attached to the beautiful gift.
“You told me not too long ago that you’d never been on a real date. I felt, aside from trying to kill me, that you’ve coped pretty well with this situation and your being here makes me happy, so I wanted to do something for you. I thought I would do what I could to make you happy tonight. Is that wrong?”
This whole messed-up situation is wrong, I wanted to say, but bit my tongue. Keeping me prisoner here is wrong. I said neither of those things. Instead I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve never been given a gift like this before, I’m just
taken aback. That’s all.” I smiled at him and the anxiety that seemed to have entered his eyes quickly faded and he relaxed, returning mine.
“In that case…” He reached into the case and pulled the necklace out. Setting the case on the bed, he motioned for me to turn around. “Let me put this on you.”
I lifted my still wet hair as he slipped the necklace around my neck, his knuckles lightly grazing my bare shoulders and sending a shiver through me. Once the necklace was clasped, he grabbed the bracelet and secured it around my wrist.
“Pretty. Very pretty.” His eyes lowered to the pendant and then back up to meet mine. “I’ll go start dinner and leave you to get dressed.”
“Thank you.”
He started to walk away from me, stopped and turned back. My breath hitched in my throat as he leaned in to me. I half expected him to grab me by the throat and toss me onto the bed, or something similar, but he didn’t. Instead he grazed his knuckles along my jawline and lowered his lips to mine for a sweet, soft kiss, before straightening again and leaving without another word.
*-*-*-*
Tanner
I whistled as I prepared the spaghetti and salad. The smile on her face has been so sweet when I’d given her the necklace. I was glad that I’d taken the time to pick it out for her. What kind of life did she have that she wasn’t given nice things once in a while? I have to admit, my curiosity about her father and family was getting the best of me. Hearing her enter the kitchen, I placed the lid back on the pot of boiling spaghetti and turned towards her.
“What do you think?” She gave me a timid smile and slowly turned.
I watched her for a moment. “Beautiful.” I wished I could take her out and show her off. The dress fit her beautifully, the neckline dipping just enough into her cleavage to be enticing but not so much as to give off a whore vibe, and the skirt landed just above the knees. She’d applied some make-up – not a lot, but enough to make her eyes really stand out and gloss on her lips. “Really stunning.” Though stunning was an understatement.
Blushing, she chewed lightly at her lower lip. “Thanks.” She tentatively approached me. “What are you cooking?”
“Spaghetti, meatballs, thought I’d put together a Caesar salad.”
Leaning over the saucepan, she inhaled deeply. “Smells good. How come you don’t get me to cook?”
I frowned, feigning hurt. “You don’t care for my food?”
“No, I just… I was wondering. I did a lot of the cooking at home.”
“Considering how the last time you were in the kitchen with a knife turned out, I’m not sure I’m feeling too confident about you being around the knives.” A grin was forcing its way onto my lips, but I fought to keep a stern expression.
“Tanner, I’m sorry…”
“I’m teasing you, Emily.” I gently took her upper arms in my hands. “It’s fine. I’ve already told you, that night was a great rush to me.” I shrugged. “Besides, I deserved being stabbed.” Releasing her arms, I went back to stirring the pasta.
“So if I stabbed you right now, you’d get off on that?”
A burst of laughter escaped me. “Not exactly. It was the chase. The being stabbed sucked.”
“But if you like the chase, then why would you be mad if I tried to escape now?” she asked as she leaned back against the counter.
I stopped stirring the pasta and turned back to her. “Good question.” She cocked a brow up at me and waited for me to further explain. “I’m not sure I can explain it to you Emily. I’m not quite sure I understand it completely myself. The feelings I have for you, I’m not completely familiar with. I just know I want you with me.”
She nodded as if she knew what I meant, though she didn’t. How could she, since I didn’t know myself? “Would you like me to set the table?”
I looked over at the empty table and nodded. “Yeah, that would be good.” I watched as she took her time setting the table, ensuring everything was in order. This was so strange, but nice. This was the first time since my parents died that I’d actually had my kitchen table set and was about to eat there with a woman. It was such a common practice to a normal person, but to me it was a foreign experience.
Sensing my eyes on her, she finished setting the table and turned to return my stare. “Is everything all right?” she asked, breaking me from my thoughts.
~*~*~*~
Emily
“Can we go for a walk outside before we sit down to watch a movie?” I looked longingly out the kitchen window into the night. It looked beautiful out, the sky clear.
“It’s your night. Whatever you want, love.”
We got to the front door and I stopped, chewing my lower lip between my teeth, looking down.
“What’s wrong?”
My brow creased as I looked at my bare feet. “Ummm, shoes.”
Opening the foyer closet, he stepped aside and motioned inside. “Take your pick. I got your size from the shoes you were wearing when you arrived and picked some things up for you the other day. Since you’re going to stay here, I assumed you’d need them. There’s a half dozen or so pairs to choose from.”
Sure enough there was a variety of shoes in my size from sneakers to sandals. I picked a pair of beige flat sandals from the pile and didn’t miss the fact that they said Prada and slipped them on. I really had no idea how much something with the name Prada cost, but knew it was a lot. It was confusing to me. Why would he buy me such things? I would have been happy with Wal-mart brands. Heck most of my wardrobe was hand-me-downs. Something new from Wal-mart had always been considered a luxury.
“What’s the problem?”
Shrugging, I forced my eyes up from my beautiful new shoes, not sure how to respond. I really didn’t know what the problem was, I mean, I knew to a certain extent, but I was so confused. “Why buy me these nice things? If I’m just some slave to you, why give me such nice, expensive things? Is this another game you’re playing with me?”
He captured my chin in his hand and forced my eyes up to meet his. I was expecting to see the hard anger in his eyes that I’d seen many times before, but that wasn’t the case this time. This time I saw a sliver of compassion. “Emily, I bought you these things because I thought they’d make you happy. My intention isn’t to make your life so miserable that it isn’t worth living. Yes, I do put my interests first and always will. You’re mine, and what I want from you I’ll take when I want it. And yes, seeing your family will never happen – that part of your life is over – but this new chapter in your life doesn’t have to be miserable.”
Opening the door, he took my hand and led me out and onto the porch. The night was stunning. The dogs began barking from their kennel behind the house. “So, where to first?”
Over to my right I noticed a large white gazebo, soft white lights illuminating it. Seemed a little romantic for a man who didn’t believe in such things. I pointed to the gazebo and gave his hand a tug, heading towards it. For a brief while I’d questioned if I’d ever see the moon and stars again. It’s funny how something as everyday as seeing the moon and stars can seem like a miracle when you’ve spent days questioning if you’d ever see them again.
~*~*~*~
Tanner
“Okay. Spill. What’s bothering you?” Her mood was so up and down I was having a hard time keeping up. I supposed it was my fault she was like this, but it was still as frustrating as hell. She looked down at our hands, fingers still laced together as we remained seated in the gazebo.
She chewed at her lower lip and looked up to meet my gaze, uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m just… I’m worried about Victoria.”
I bit back a string of curses. Fuck, I’d finally gotten rid of her and she was still haunting us. Fuck and double fuck. I forced myself to keep my temper in check. “What do you mean by worried?”
She shrugged. “Are they going to hurt her?”
With a sigh, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. I’d told her this was her night. If she wanted to was
te it focusing on Victoria, well, whatever. Let her waste it. “I didn’t sell Victoria to the highest bidder.”
Cocking her head to the side, she eyed me, her gaze displaying her confusion. “Why not?”
“I didn’t sell her to the highest bidder for you. I know the reputations of the men who were at auction, most of whom have been my business associates for many years. The highest bidder has a tendency to be hard on his slaves, some would say sadistic. I chose who I’d sell her to. It was actually the fourth highest bidder, who I might had add paid a significantly lower amount then the highest, but I sold her to him because he treats his girls well. I assure you, Victoria is going to have a decent life with him. Much better then she had before I took her, I can promise you that. She won’t be free, but she’ll be cared for.”
She stared at me for a moment, but finally, thankfully, she smiled. She didn’t wait for my response. Leaning in to me she placed a soft, delicate kiss on my cheek. “Thank you, Tanner.”
It wasn’t often I received tenderness like I’d just encountered from her. If I were to be completely honest with myself, it was the first time since my parents had passed. I wasn’t sure what to think. Her gesture wasn’t that of a mindless drone that I’d created, but of her free will, despite knowing what I was and what I’d done to her. I really wasn’t sure what to make of it.
She stood. “Can we go see the dogs now?”
“Yeah.”
Chapter 17
Emily
Snuggled tight to his side with his arm lazily draped over my shoulder and the bowl of popcorn on my lap, I watched Tanner out of the corner of my eyes, off and on, throughout the movie. We were watching How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days. It was a cute movie, but Tanner’s presence next to me was keeping me more than a little distracted.
Faith (A Dark Romance Novel) Page 13