Countered: A Dark Suspenseful Gothic Romance (The Rule of Lawes Series Book 2)

by Felicity Brandon

  “Please.” Fuck, she sounded desperate as Lawes’ cock continued its mortifying journey to her forehead.

  “Please, what, April?”

  She could hear the grin in Fuller’s voice as his question slipped past her ears. April’s pussy contracted at the query, silently demanding more of his attention.

  “Please, may I have your cocks?”

  Her eyes opened at her own miserable performance, but there was no turning back now, she was too far down the road—too frantic for the desire and too ashamed of everything taking place. Whatever happened now, April had to see this through. She had to give them what they wanted and prayed to any god who was listening that they would follow through and permit her the pleasure.

  Fourteen

  Hannah

  Every muscle in Hannah’s body tensed as she watched the display. She lifted her chin, taking in the desperate expression on April’s face for only a moment before Lawes’ body obstructed the view again, but it had been enough—enough for Hannah to understand. The flicker of need and anguish in April’s eyes had conveyed what she already knew to be true—April was close to the edge. Close to losing whatever remained of her sanity, knowing her pride and vanity had been shredded long ago by the men who presided here.

  “Please, may I have your cocks, sir?”

  April had forced the plea out again, and Hannah gulped as her question echoed around the room. Time protracted, and it seemed like nobody took a breath while her pitiful query hung in the air.

  “Mr. Fuller?” Hannah couldn’t see the look on Lawes’ face when he spoke, but she could imagine it. She had heard that tone before on multiple occasions and had a good idea of the arrogant, self-satisfied expression which accompanied it. “Do you concur with April’s request?”

  Fuller smiled, his attention flitting to Lawes momentarily, though it returned to April’s sex only seconds later. “I absolutely do,” he replied. “Let’s both take her, then we can decide if she deserves release.” Fuller’s hand retracted from between April’s legs, and he moved toward the prize he sought.

  “How long has it been, April?”

  Hannah watched as Fuller caressed the curve of April’s ass.

  “How long has it been since you were allowed any pleasure—since you were allowed to come?”

  April pulled in a shaky breath. “I don’t know, sir.”

  “I bet you don’t,” sneered Lawes. “It’s been a long time, little girl. Longer than just about anyone, and it’s because you insist on resistance. You never relinquish. You’re always trying to get away.”

  Hannah’s eyes fell closed at Lawes’ verdict, his words bouncing inside her head.

  Get away.

  Yes, both she and April had tried escape and look where that had got them, yet even as she watched the ritualistic torment of the woman hanging in the harness, pulling against the leather restraining her at the neck, Hannah was aware of two certainties. She wasn’t sorry she’d fled, and she knew, given time and opportunity, she would flee again.

  “You must be desperate to climax.” Fuller edged closer between April’s thighs, and Hannah imagined his thick length angling toward April’s sex. “After so long and after all the training you’ve had, you must be desperate.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  April’s response was immediate, and Christ, she sounded desperate. For all her reputation, she was only a woman. And just like Hannah, she’d been free once with a life of her own. A husband maybe or a partner. Perhaps children? No doubt, this was the last thing April had been expecting the day she’d replied to Lawes and Fuller’s sodding letter. No doubt she’d missed all the warning signs as she’d wandered into the building.

  Just like Hannah.

  Just like all of them.

  “Do your best then, pet.” Lawes thrust his cock into April’s mouth again, effectively halting any forthcoming reply. “Do your best to impress us.”

  The wet sounds of his pleasure were diminished by his balls slapping against the underside of April’s chin, then muted altogether by the guttural moan that escaped her lips as Fuller took her relentlessly from the other end.

  “That’s right. Yes, that’s right.”

  Fuller grabbed April’s hips, easing himself in and out of her wet body, and there was no doubt to anyone forced to endure the experience, April was aroused. She might not have had any choice in the matter, harnessed and hanging there—available to satisfy their every dark whim—but Hannah could hear how horny she was as Fuller lunged into her again. Hannah’s initial response was disgust. This was just another example of the power these men wielded over them all, and the unrepentant way they were prepared to take whatever they wanted. Yet as the scene unfolded, Hannah’s heart began to race, and shamefully, her nipples hardened at April’s raspy little moans.

  Fuck.

  Hannah swallowed back the realization as it washed over her. She was effectively chained to an anchor in the floor and compelled to witness April’s utter denigration, yet for all that—for all the injustice and misery that rose in her at the sight—her body still reacted with carnality. How could Hannah reconcile that? Even if she were to find a way to escape, how could she ever make peace with that fact?

  At that moment, she saw the whole dental enterprise with astonishing clarity, and her head fell at the realization. That’s what Lawes and Fuller did to the women here. It wasn’t just the abduction, the drugs, the cages, and the horrendous way they sought to control and display them—it was the way they got into their heads. They had wormed their way inside Hannah’s mind until she started to second-guess herself and her own instinctive responses. They undermined the principles which she’d always assumed she had—the need to do what was right, the desire to stand up for those who couldn’t do so for themselves, to support the underdog, to not look the other way when someone was in pain or suffering. The men here took those morals and turned them on their head.

  Now, she had no option but to observe April’s torment, knowing there was nothing she could do to halt or prevent it. Worse was the knowledge—that small nagging voice in the back of her mind—that she was secretly getting off on April’s ordeal. In her imagination, she pictured herself in those harnesses and imagined how it would feel to hang there, reduced to a thing which existed only to serve Lawes and Fuller, only to provide pleasure to them. That need—that desire—goaded her. Deep down, Hannah wanted it, too.

  She wanted to be that woman—that thing.

  She wanted to be used by both of them at the same time.

  To be made to surrender.

  To give up all control.

  The thought temporarily stole her breath as she looked up from the metal securing her leash to the floor, taking in the full expanse of April’s predicament. She was taking both cocks in tandem, Lawes claiming her mouth over and over while Fuller seemed to be pounding her pussy. The scent of sex filled the air, teasing Hannah’s body into more betrayal. Her instinct was to pant at the scene. She knew it was wrong to be turned on by what she was witnessing, and although her nipples were now tight buds and the folds of her pussy slick with hedonism, she refused to descend any lower. She refused to let anyone else know.

  “I’m going to come all over you, April.” Lawes’ voice was little more than a growl. “Then Mr. Fuller is going to empty himself inside you.”

  Hannah risked a glimpse over her shoulder to find Matthew and Zander transfixed by the unfolding scene, while the line of other crouching women looked just as disconcerted as she was—disconcerted but almost certainly, not horny.

  Hannah sighed at the irritating yet accurate analysis of herself. She was willing to wager not one of the others was aroused by what they were being forced to witness—only she was that depraved.

  Lawes’ low groan was the first indication his pleasure had peaked, and by the time Hannah glanced back, she could just make out round after round of his cum being pumped over April’s face. Lawes angled the crown of his cock at her forehead, ensuring the crea
my deposit traveled down April’s face before gravity took its remnants to the blanket below. Lawes fell to his haunches, pulling April’s hair back while Fuller continued to fuck her from behind.

  “You look so good this way,” he purred in what Hannah assumed was supposed to be praise. “All tied up and covered in my cum while Mr. Fuller pounds you.”

  April’s gaze fluttered at the obscene compliment, her mouth opening into a silent ‘o’ as Fuller’s thrusts became more insistent.

  “That’s good, isn’t it?” Lawes’ glee was obvious from his tone. “You love the way it feels to be used this way, don’t you, little pet?”

  “Yes, sir.” There was no hesitation from April now, she was too far down the rabbit hole to deny what was so fundamentally obvious. At that point, she was relishing the sensation of having both men, however disturbing the reality was.

  Hannah could only imagine how physically exhausted April was, but she had a pretty good idea of how horny the woman would be and how the fog of that arousal would be disguising most of those other symptoms. How the idea of the prize April so clearly sought would be taking priority over just about everything else. Hannah bit her lip as a wave of empathy washed over her—more than anything else, she just wanted them to let April come.

  After everything they had put April through today—and no doubt every day for goodness knew how many weeks—the very least the woman deserved was an orgasm.

  Fifteen

  April

  Her head was heavy with fatigue, her body screaming for relief from the gravity-defying harnesses, yet somehow, it didn’t matter. Not now that April’s mind had tipped the balance into submission. Not now that the promise of an orgasm was being waved in front of her face like a previously unobtainable treasure. Sure, the pain still registered somewhere in April’s brain—she was aware of it—but she no longer cared. She accepted the suffering in much the way she’d accepted paying taxes. She didn’t like it, but it was a necessary evil, one she’d have to grin and bear to achieve what she really wanted. Once upon a time that had been a fairer, better society, but now… now it was just the promise of pleasure—the overwhelming sensation of the climax she chased as it tore through her body.

  That was what April needed.

  That was what she deserved.

  “I. Can. Never. Get. Enough. Of. This. Sweet. Pussy.”

  Fuller’s voice echoed through her head. It was odd. The sound was distant as if the man was hundreds of feet away, yet April knew he was behind her. She could feel his cock filling her, stretching her pussy as it neared the peak of its pursuit. April sighed, squeezing his hard length when it thrust back inside her. She no longer cared they had an audience, that Hannah, Lucy, and the others were witnesses to her objectification. If truth be told, the fact they were watching was doing something for her. Let them see how low she’d been delivered. Let them behold the depths of her desire. At this point, the thought only heightened her arousal, and just like the bondage tightening at her flesh, it furled the hedonism into a tight ball—a ball set to explode soon, whether Lawes and Fuller approved it or not.

  “Fuck.”

  She was vaguely aware of the snarl from Fuller and his balls as they slapped against her needy clit before his body stilled, slamming into her as he spasmed with pleasure. Good. Her eyes fluttered shut at the realization. Fuller had come and was as sated as Lawes—she had satisfied them both. Every fiber of her being hoped they would have mercy on her and permit her to come, but even if the worst happened and the pleasure was refused, at least this part was over.

  This punishment was done.

  “Very nice, April.”

  April’s eyes flickered open to see Lawes’ grin. He was still there, crouched just beyond her face.

  “You took your penance well.” He lifted his chin to assess the state of his partner. “What do you think, Mr. Fuller?”

  She heard Fuller exhale. “So fucking good,” he concurred, slowly withdrawing from her wetness.

  “Does she deserve the pleasure?” Lawes asked the question which pressed most saliently on April’s mind. “Can our little April finally come?”

  A sharp slap landed on her right cheek, and April’s eyes widened in shock. Not that the swat was particularly painful, but it was startling, the impact morphing into more of the hot, needy arousal, swelling within her core.

  “I suspect so.” Fuller was laughing as he replied. “Yet in the circumstances, I think we need a majority vote.”

  “Matthew and Zander?” Lawes glanced over his shoulder at the two men in question as their names escaped his lips.

  “Yes,” Fuller agreed, and suddenly, his legs loomed in April’s peripheral vision. “But not only Matthew and Zander. The other patients, too.”

  Lawes’ eyebrow rose in response to his partner’s assertion, his lips curling as the idea resonated. “Ah, so everyone should have a say?”

  “Indeed.”

  “What a stunning notion, Mr. Fuller. I wholeheartedly agree.” Lawes rose to his full height, and a moment later, April’s body began to spin again, Lawes’ hand sending her on the new circuit. Blinking, she saw the room flash past her—the line of naked women, the entrance, then the dreaded cupboard they’d liked to tie her in at the beginning for endless rounds of pleasure—all came and went in an instant. April drew her eyes closed as the scenes began to rush past her once more. The spinning was making her dizzy, and still, her core ached for the release she’d been so cruelly denied for so long.

  “Let’s go down the line, shall we? And since there are more patients than gentlemen, I suggest our opinions count for six votes each.” Fuller’s voice again, though April couldn’t tell where it came from. Not while her body was rotating faster than she could reconcile or while her brain was trying so hard to keep up with the new, unraveling developments. “Matthew, you start, please, and perhaps, you and Zander might need to encourage the rest of the jury to speak up if need be…”

  “With pleasure, Mr. Fuller.”

  April’s gaze fluttered open—just long enough to catch the shocked expressions on the women’s faces. Never, in all the time they’d kept her a captive here, had Lawes and Fuller made this type of demand on any of them. They had been made to witness each other’s humiliating punishments many times before, but never had they had the chance to voice an opinion. As she continued her ignominious circuit, April couldn’t decide if it was a relief or a curse. It seemed the question of her pleasure was open to everyone but her. Every soul in the place now had a say in whether she should be rewarded—everyone except April. It was typical the men had seen fit to allocate more importance to their so-called votes. Their four decisions would be worth twenty-four votes, whereas there were only ten women besides April. That meant even if every other captive lent her their support, it would only take two denials from the men to sabotage the orgasm she craved so completely.

  “What say you, Matthew?” Lawes’ growl prompted the younger man for a response.

  There was a pause, and April imagined Matthew sitting there, considering her fate like a perverted judge.

  “I think no, Mr. Lawes.” Matthew’s answer sent anxiety rippling throughout her body, the apprehension eventually furling into a knot at the pit of her belly.

  No? Why would he say that? Weren’t Lawes and Fuller traditionally the sadistic ones? Though even as the queries flitted through her head, April knew the answers were obvious. Yes, Lawes and Fuller were bastards who enjoyed debasing the women they’d taken, but their prodigies were fast becoming worse. The younger men seemed to watch and learn from every moment their masters demonstrated, and recently, April had started to think Matthew was the worst of them all.

  “No?” Even Lawes sounded surprised by Matthew’s decision, his hand reaching for April, bringing her spin to an abrupt halt.

  “No, Mr. Lawes. I like to see her suffering.” Matthew’s explanation brought a wry chuckle from Fuller, and despite the ache in April’s shoulders, she couldn’t help but ball h
er hands into fists. “And we all know how much wetter and more desperate they all are when they’re deprived. I think it’s more fun, all around.”

  April’s gaze was on Matthew, her stare piercing him with every ounce of loathing she had left in her exhausted body.

  “Fair enough.”

  Lawes’ flippant response made April clench her pussy in desperation. The thought that after everything he and Fuller had forced her to endure could be for nothing, based on the testimony of fucking Matthew, made her want to scream.

  “And you, Zander?”

  April’s gaze found Zander, sitting at the opposite end of the line of helpless women, and just one look at his face told her what she needed to know. There was no way he was going to support the idea of her pleasure. Just like Matthew, Zander was enjoying her misery far too much.

  “I vote no, as well, Mr. Lawes.”

  Lawes turned back toward the place Fuller was standing, his expression bemused. “It seems our staff are yet to be convinced of the merits of April’s pleasure.” His tone was sardonic. “Only you have granted her any leeway, so far.”

  Fuller sighed. “And you are yet to vote, Mr. Lawes.”

  Lawes grinned. “I shall cast my vote last,” he concluded. “But so far, it’s six votes in favor of Ms. Page’s pleasure and twelve against.” He sniggered as though any part of his sentence had been even vaguely amusing.

  “Ladies. Let’s hear your views. Lucy?”

  Matthew rose from his chair next to Lucy, his frame towering over her as her chin rose in reply.