“Let's get you cleaned up,” he says. He pulls out the anal plug, scoops me into his arms, and carries me down the hall to the bedroom he showed me earlier. I feel a chill across my skin, but Jude lays me on the bed, and throws a heavy sheet over me. Moments later he returns with a wet towel and cleans me off, gently wiping my skin and running his fingers through my hair.
“How do you feel?” His thumb caresses my face.
“Fantastic,” I answer with a grin.
I could definitely get used to this.
Chapter Seven
Jude
What the fuck just happened?
I thought I was the only one doing the teaching tonight, but she took the scene and turned into something way more exhilarating then I expected. The way she defied me at every turn brought out something untamed in me. She made me work for her obedience, and I loved every second of it.
I grab a bottle of water from the fridge just as the doorbell sounds off. I can’t imagine who would show up here at this time of night. I purposely live in a secluded area, so I don’t get many visitors. I don’t bother to grab a shirt and instead go straight to the door.
“Emma? What are you doing here?” I ask when I see my little sister.
“Men are shit,” she announces as she brushes past me and drops her bag on the floor. I follow her into the kitchen and watch as she grabs herself a drink.
“Thanks for insulting me, then making yourself at home.”
“Not you. You’re not one of them.”
“Last time I checked I was a man.”
“Jude, seriously, you’re my brother so I don’t see you that way.”
“So what did Daniel do?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. I just needed to get away for the night. Then he’ll realize how much he needs me.”
“Mind games. This is the reason why I don’t have time for relationships. So he pisses you off, and let me guess…you pack a bag and don’t tell him where you’re going. So now he’ll be up all night wondering if you’re with someone else.”
“Precisely.” She smiles angelically.
“You’re getting married in a month. You’re going to need to cut the games and grow up.”
“You don’t understand. It’s like you said. You don’t do relationships, so you know nothing about—”
The door to the basement stairs swings open, and Kylie walks into the kitchen in a really tiny robe. Not good. Emma takes overprotective to a new level, and she never likes any woman I bring around her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you had company.” She clutches the front of the robe shut and smiles awkwardly.
“Who are you?” Emma asks.
“This is Kylie. Kylie, my sister, Emma.”
“Oh, you’re his sister.” Her demeanor changes once she hears Emma’s my sister. “I’ll just go get dressed.” She hurries back through the door she came from, and Emma is on instant attack.
“What the fuck, Jude! You can’t keep bringing home every trampy woman you meet.”
“Stop. You don’t even know her, and you can’t come in my home and judge what I do.”
“What about Kendra?”
“Oh God.” I groan. After the earth shattering night I had, I don’t need Emma pissing me off. “What about her? She and I will never happen.”
“Never? I remember a time when you did happen.”
“Okay, so I fucked her once. That doesn’t mean there’s a future for us. We’re friends now, and she’s okay with that.”
“She’s not okay with that. She pretends to be.”
“Listen, I get it. She’s your best friend, and I should’ve never let anything happen between us, but now we’re really good friends and I’d like to keep it that way.”
“It’s not fair what you do to her. Sending every woman you fuck to her office to get checked out. How do you think that makes her feel?”
I throw up my hands. “She suggested it.”
“Yes, after we found your room of kinks downstairs. She just wanted to be sure you were being safe, even though the thought makes her sick.”
“Can we stop now? You’re really fucking up a night that started out well.”
“I’m sure it did. Any night you can find a whore to chain to your wall must be wonderful.”
“You know something? You don’t have to like my lifestyle, but you need to respect it.”
“I’m sorry, Jude.” She sighs and walks over to me. “I just want you to be happy, and the string of women you bring down there won’t make you happy.”
“I don’t bring that many women down there, and I am happy. I’m happy my little sister is spending the night.” I grab her and wrap my arms around her. “Can we forget about our love lives and just be us tonight?”
She pouts at me then smiles. “Fine, but I’m just protecting you.”
“I’m the big brother. I’ll do the protecting.”
She stuffs her face into my chest and wraps her arm around me.
Kylie
Now I know why I picked up such a weird vibe from Dr. Kendra Moore. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but Jude and his sister were having a pretty heated conversation when I came back up, so I was just waiting for the right time to walk in.
Who he’s had sex with in the past is none of my business, but, man, I felt like I got kicked in the gut when he announced he’d slept with Dr. Moore. I put on a straight face when I walk back into the kitchen. Jude and his sister are hugging, and I bite back the little sense of jealousy I feel. I never got a chance to be like that with my brother, and sometimes I long for that kind of relationship.
“I’ll let myself out,” I say as I walk through the kitchen without looking back. Jude’s sister obviously doesn’t care for me. When I first came up I had no idea who she could be. She doesn’t have a huge resemblance to Jude. Her chestnut hair is long and straight with a blunt bang. Her brown eyes are the only feature I noticed that she shared with Jude. As I step out onto the porch, Jude wraps his hand around my arm and spins me around.
“You don’t have to go. It’s late, and it’s a long drive.”
“Thanks, but I have somewhere to go in the morning.” I have nowhere to be, but I don’t want to be stuck here with the hostility from Emma being so thick.
He reaches out and smoothes my hair behind my ear. He trails his fingers down my face and softly caresses my neck. “Did you enjoy yourself?”
“Hmm…” I chuckle. “Enjoy myself? Definitely. You’re not at all what I expected.”
“And what did you expect?”
I shrug my shoulders because I’m not sure, but what I’ve seen so far is unexpected.
“A tyrant?” he continues.
“No.” I shake my head and lean into the hand he uses to caress my neck. “I didn’t expect there to be so many sides to you. You’re actually kind of sweet.”
He laughs low and deep. He gazes at me intensely, and that urge to kiss him reappears. “Thanks for introducing me to your pleasure dome.”
“Pleasure dome?” He raises a brow and tilts his head.
“I’ve decided that’s the name for that room.”
He lets out a full body laugh this time. “Just wait until I get you into my torture chamber.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
He grazes that sensitive spot under my ear with his hand, so I grab it and pull it to my lips. I gently kiss it before I let go and back away.
“Goodnight…Sir.”
He nods at me before I spin around and walk to my car.
It’s late by the time I get home. I can’t figure out how a busy man like Jude lives so far from the city. Not that I don't recognize the perks to his seclusion. Had it not been for his sister showing up, I would've definitely stayed the night. Though I’m not sure how well that would've worked out. Cuddling in bed doesn't seem to fit the arrangement we made.
I park in my usual spot then swoop around the front of the building to the entrance. Something’s off, and I know it
the moment I see all the lights shining from our apartment. At this time of night if Stacia isn't out, she's asleep. I open the door, and Stacia immediately jumps up from the couch.
“What's wrong?”
“I called you,” she whispers. She looks flustered as she wrings her hands together. “I was trying to warn you but—“
The bathroom door swings open, and Mason steps out like he owns the place. Maybe he does, because he's owned us for so many years; it only makes sense that he feels entitled to anything we have.
We work for Mason. What he does is still unclear to me, but I know it isn’t legal. I started to pull cons for Mason five years ago. I thought once I made enough money I could start a new life away from him. What I didn’t realize was that being good at everything Mason asked of me made me valuable to him. So valuable he would do anything to make sure I stayed in his corner. I knew the only way I’d get away from Mason was to leave when he wasn’t looking, when he wasn’t expecting it.
“Where the fuck have you been?” he asks, dropping down on the couch and waiting for my answer.
“I was with a client.”
He scrunches his eyes and ponders my answer. “Which client were you with?”
Mason is always suspicious. I wonder how bad it will be if I ignore him. He stands up and approaches me. "Which client, Kylie? I didn’t send you on a job tonight." He glares at me with those menacing eyes, and I turn away and bow my head.
“Jude,” I whisper so low I can't even hear myself.
“Who?”
“Jude,” I say louder, then get brave enough to return his glare.
“So you made contact already?”
I nod my head and he smiles.
“That's my girl.” He pats my cheek then returns to his seat on my couch. He picks up the remote and starts flipping channels. We're not going to be able to get rid of him tonight. He usually stays out of the city; it's the reason Stacia and I choose to live here.
“I knew you could pull this off. How close are we to getting into that safe?”
“It will take awhile.”
He nods but freezes as he takes in my disheveled hair and exhausted demeanor. He throws the remote down and walks over to me. His rough hands bite into my chin, and he holds my face hostage, glaring into my eyes. “Are you fucking him?”
“What? No, I don't sleep with clients.” I push him away and walk toward my room before he sees that I’m lying.
“I hope you remember what happened to the last person you fucked,” he shouts after me. How could I ever forget something like that? It haunts me day in and day out. Pain like that never goes away. It festers in you until the burden is so huge you feel like you can't carry it around anymore.
I jump onto the bed without bothering to remove anything. After dealing with Jude’s sister’s attitude from hell and driving almost an hour to get here, the last thing I needed is to deal with Mason tonight. The time I spent with Jude seems a million miles away, and I just wish I could go back to it. In that room everything ceased to exist. I had begun to fool myself that Jude wasn't just another job. I thought if I didn't think about it for awhile, I could get Jude out of my system and do my job, but it hasn't worked out that way. I already broke my most important rule, and now Jude Baxter isn't just a job anymore.
Two short raps on the door are followed by Stacia walking in and quietly shutting the door. Stacia is loud and outgoing, but the minute Mason walks in, she creeps around the house and whispers as though he won’t notice her if she remains silent. She lies down next to me and looks at me with worried eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s just Mason. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”
“Because Mason's always so nasty with you. He watches you, and he’s suspicious of your every move.”
“Mason is not the kind of man you cross. The day I did, he lost all trust in me.”
My phone chirps in my purse so I reach over and pull it out. It’s a text from Jude.
Did you get home yet?
“Is that him?” Stacia asks. I nod as I press the letters on the screen.
Yes but now I understand why long distance relationships don’t last. I hate long drives.
Next time you stay the night.
“What are you going to do?”
“About what?”
“Don’t look at me like you don’t know what I’m talking about. If Mason finds out you’re getting close to Jude, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”
“I’m not getting close with Jude. You always have casual sex with men.”
“That’s different. You were always Mason’s golden girl. You’re smart, and you can manipulate men without using sex. Me? I’m just a crack whore’s daughter, and the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I won’t fall in love with a man because he’s a great fuck.”
“I wish you would stop saying things like that. You’re as smart as I am. Besides, you don’t sleep with any of Mason’s clients either.”
“Yeah, but I paid a price for that.”
“What do you mean? What price did you pay?”
“It doesn’t matter. All that matters is we have each other.” She smiles at me then grabs my hand. “Till the end,” she says as my phone buzzes again.
Stacia gets up and waves at me as she leaves the room. I have a feeling she’s trying to get away before I question her any more. Stacia doesn’t keep secrets from me, and I can’t figure out what she means by paying a price. “Goodnight,” she whispers as she shuts the door behind her. I glance back at my phone and reply to Jude’s text.
Goodnight.
Night.
I fight off sleep as long as possible because I know nights like these always take me on a trip back into the past. Finally my eyes get too heavy and I can’t keep them open any longer.
Chapter Eight
Kylie
Five years earlier
“I’m sorry, but we can’t give you any more time. You need to vacate this apartment by the weekend.” The property manager turns and walks down the hall without a backward glance. In the corner of my eye I see him. I should ignore him, but I’m tired of the awkward way he always stares at me.
“What the fuck are you looking at?” I shout, glaring into his eyes. He smiles at me and uncrosses his arms. He’d been standing in his doorway watching the whole thing, and now he seems glad I’ve finally acknowledged his presence.
“I can help you,” he says as he walks across the hall toward my door.
“I don’t need your help.”
“I think you do. You’ve been here months and no one visits you, so you obviously have no one to turn to.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you lost your job a couple of weeks ago. I know you just got evicted and you have nowhere to go.”
“Why do you even care? Just leave me alone.” I step back and try to push the door shut, but he holds it open with his hand.
“I have a job for you.” That grabs my attention. Jobs aren’t easy to come by when you’re nineteen with no experience in anything.
Mason and his girlfriend Mia live across the hall from me, and he’s been trying to be my friend for months, but I don’t trust him. He’s handsome in a dangerous way. His hair is almost black. His golden eyes are watchful. He’s sexy, and he carries himself like he knows it, but his charisma is laced with a dark threat. “What kind of job?” I ask suspiciously.
“Can I come in?” he asks.
I stare at him while I weigh my options. It’s either I accept his help or make my way to the nearest homeless shelter. I take a step back, and he glides past me with a triumphant smile.
I shut the door, spin around, and face him. “What’s the job?”
“I need an insider. You go on a couple of dates with this guy—”
“I’m not a whore,” I snap at him.
“Calm down. You don’t have to sleep with anyone. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. We just need to get you into
his house and into his office. You grab a couple of files, and you disappear.”
“What!” This guy is insane.
“You can do this. Even the strongest man can fall victim to a beautiful woman.”
“Beautiful?” I look down at my sweats and ragged T-shirt and shake my head.
“You hide yourself behind those big clothes. I’ll have Mia dress you up and do your hair, and you’ll be able to get anything you need from any man.”
Mia is beautiful, but he’d never pimp his own girlfriend out for this job. She has long, dark, wavy hair and caramel skin. She walks like a seductress, and I’ve often watched her with envy.
I’ve never been with a man, and there’s no way I’ll be able to seduce one. Even if I could, it just feels wrong. Seemingly sensing my inner struggle, he says, “It will pay enough for you to live here for six months.”
“What?” No. Calm down, Kylie. This is not the solution to your problems.
He nods and waits for my reply.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.” I pull the door open and wait for him to leave.
“You know where to find me,” he says as he walks past me. I slam the door shut and congratulate myself for taking the high road. Only problem is by the end of the week the high road hasn’t led me to a new job, and I find myself less than a day away from sleeping on the streets.
When I knock on Mason’s door that last night, I’ve convinced myself anyone who has information in a folder that can be used against him deserves what he gets. Desperation can cloud a person’s judgment that way.
It was supposed to be only once. Then I would have time to find a job. What I didn’t factor in is that Mason is possessive, and once he considers you his girl, there’s no backing out.
Chapter Nine
Kylie
So this is the torture chamber.
The walls are a dark charcoal color. The lights are dim, and the two pieces of furniture in this room look like intricate kneeling benches. Whips, canes, and other implements of pain hang on the walls. Though I’m apprehensive, I can’t bite back my excitement when I wonder what my experience in this room might be like. If it’s anything like Thursday night, I’m in.
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