Buttons & Lace

by Penelope Sky

  Lars pulled out the chair for me then scooted me in after I sat down. “He’ll be here shortly.” He walked out and left the double doors wide open. The sound of moving dishes echoed from the kitchen as he prepared breakfast.

  I sat absolutely still and focused on the glorious view in front of me. Despite my fear, I couldn’t deny how beautiful the image was. I’d never seen anything like it in my life, and I suspected I never would again.

  A moment later, he walked through the door in a deep navy blue suit with a violet tie. He looked just as glorious as he did the first time I saw him sitting at the bar. He carried himself with confidence, his shoulders broad and powerful. Even when he was silent, he commanded the room with just his presence. He was terrifying but hypnotizing at the same time.

  The moment he sat down, Lars entered the room like he’d been waiting for his cue. He placed an egg white omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach in front of him, along with a black cup of coffee and the morning newspaper.

  The man said thank you in Italian. At least, that’s what I think he said.

  Lars placed the same meal in front of me, along with a newspaper in English. Then he departed, closing the doors behind him.

  My captor sipped his coffee and opened the newspaper, acting like I wasn’t there at all. He didn’t even look at me. His behavior suggested we’d done this before—several times.

  I ate my food quietly, loving the taste. Everything tasted fresh, like it was just picked that morning. The vegetables didn’t taste like they were from the supermarket. They were obviously organic. The coffee was better than the stuff at my old prison. Everything was better, actually. A copy of the New York Times waited in front of me, the headline in words I could understand.

  He still didn’t acknowledge me. He turned the page and kept reading.

  “So...what am I—”

  “You can speak to me when I’m finished reading.” His eyes didn’t break their focus as he read. He took a few bites of his food and a sip of his coffee.

  What an asshole.

  Thirty minutes later, he finished the paper from front to back. He folded it back to its original condition and set it on the table. “Yes?”

  I read my paper in protest, ignoring him just the way he ignored me.

  He sipped his coffee and watched me. “Spiteful, aren’t you?”

  “I don’t like being treated like a dog. It’s pretty straightforward.”

  “Well, I hope you change your preferences soon.” He snatched my paper and set it on top of his.

  This man was infuriating. I wanted to stab my fork in his eye, but I knew I would miss.

  “You got my note this morning.”

  I hated it when he asked a question in the form of a statement. It was arrogant. He acted like he owned everything—including me.

  “It would be pointless to run.”

  I wanted to know why but refused to ask out of defiance.

  “I inserted a tracker in your ankle. I’ll know where you go and when you go. The nearest town isn’t for thirty miles. You wouldn’t make it there in time even if you drove.”

  My hand automatically moved to my ankles until I felt the bump in the right one. “You freak.”

  “I can remove it if you wish.”

  “Then do it now.”

  “But you’ll be confined to your bedroom at all times. Bars will be placed over the window and meals will be brought to you. If that’s what you prefer, then I’ll remove it.” A ghost of a smile was on his lips.

  Fucking asshole.

  “What say you?”

  I looked away, refusing to verbally give my answer.

  “That’s what I thought.” He sat perfectly straight in the chair like he was in a business meeting. He made the suit look comfortable rather than constricting. Every time he moved, his actions were graceful. He was a killer when he needed to be—and a diplomat the rest of the time.

  “Why am I here?” When I woke up that morning, I didn’t detect any soreness. He seemed to have kept his word and didn’t touch me against my will. And he didn’t let anyone else touch me. I didn’t want to trust him or to feel gratitude for his moment of mercy. He was still evil. He was still my enemy. When I had the chance, I would kill him. And I would enjoy it.

  “Because I want you here.”

  “Why did you stop those men from having their way with me?”

  “It was the only way to get you under control.”

  “But you had me. You got me before I could end my miserable existence.”

  He sipped his coffee again.

  I waited for an answer.

  He never gave one.

  “Uh, hello?” I snapped. “I just asked you a question.”

  “You can ask whatever you want. That doesn’t mean I’m going to answer you.”

  I wanted to slap that handsome face. I wanted to make that perfect complexion redden under my touch. “Why did you steal me from Bones?”

  “Bones is my enemy.”

  “Okay...but what does that have to do with me?”

  “He values you. He cares about you. It’s far easier to hurt someone by hurting someone they care about. I could cut off every single one of his limbs, and it still wouldn’t hurt as bad as what I’m about to do to you.”

  My blood went ice-cold. I stupidly assumed this man was less dangerous than the others. Maybe I made the wrong decision. This house was beautiful, but that was just a mask for the devil’s playground it truly was. “You’re wrong. He doesn’t care about me. He won’t lose any sleep over my absence.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve seen him with you. He’s never taken a slave to his factory. He’s never taken one to the opera. And he’s never refused to share a slave with his colleagues. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”

  How did he know all of that?

  Somehow, he could read my thoughts. “I was watching you together at the opera. I told you not to run because you would screw up my plan to extract you. I wasn’t helping you. I was helping myself.”

  The great mystery had been solved. “Now what? You hold me for ransom?”

  “No. I’m never returning you. There’s not enough money in the world to make me return you.”

  My situation was becoming bleaker by the second.

  “So...that means I’ll be your slave forever?”

  “No.” He set his coffee down and looked me straight in the eye. “Just until I kill you.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Crow

  My hatred grew with every passing day.

  I hated that woman.

  I loathed her.

  I wanted to break her open and yank all her insides out. I wanted to cause her as much pain as possible. I wanted to make her life unbearable. She deserved a nightmare. She deserved a terror so absolute she couldn’t stop shaking. She deserved pure and utter hell.

  And I would make that happen.

  I knew I scared her with the final words I spoke to her. I told her what my plan was. She’d be used over and over again until I snapped her neck. She knew exactly what was coming, and the fact I said it so effortlessly frightened her even more.

  Good. That’s what she deserved.

  A week went by, and I didn’t see her once. She didn’t join me for meals, and even though she was free to enjoy the different sectors of the house, she never emerged from her hole. She stayed out of sight and out of mind, hoping I would forget about her.

  How could I forget such a pain in the ass?

  There was nothing but destruction in my heart. I got off by hurting her. I wanted to make her scream, make her cry, and make her bleed. Pure agony was bliss. Pure torture was the type of shit that made me come.

  After a week had come and gone, my cock was eager to make my fantasies come true. The wait must have been the most agonizing part of the situation. All she could do was wait for me to come for her.

  And now I was ready.

  It was late in the evening, and the re
st of the staff had gone to bed. I walked into her bedroom without turning on the light. The bedroom window was still open. The Tuscan heat still filled the night even though the sun had been gone for hours.

  She immediately sat up in bed, jolted by my appearance.

  I shut the window so no one could hear her scream.

  She scooted back until she was against the headboard, as far away as possible. Her chest rose and fell with her fright, but her eyes still burned with strength. She wouldn’t go down easy.

  That’s what I was hoping for. “Slave, come here.”

  She refused to obey me. She refused to speak.

  “Do what I say or it’ll be worse.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Fuck you.”

  “I was hoping you’d play it that way.” I lunged for her instantly and dragged her across the bed by the ankle.

  She screamed bloody murder and clawed at the sheets, trying to grab a hold of something to get away. She fought with everything she had, survival mode at full force.

  I tucked her legs between mine and held her down on her stomach. She was no match for my weight even though she kept fighting. I grabbed her sleeping shorts and yanked them off, taking her panties too.

  “No!” She tried to turn over to slap me, but she couldn’t move.

  I kept her pinned while I got my pants and boxers off. My cock sprung free, thick and long. I stared at her perfect ass, loving the crack between her cheeks. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to fuck more, her ass or her pussy.

  “Stop! Please.”

  I turned her over so we were face-to-face, and I pinned her down with my mass. My thighs kept her legs apart, and my hand pinned her hands above her head. Her nipples were hard, and her eyes were wet.

  “Please don’t.” Tears came into her eyes, the first ones I’d ever seen. She was frustrated to her breaking point, exhausted from the criminal treatment. Her tears turned me on even more.

  But they also made me feel like shit.

  “Let me go. Please.” She tried to push me off, but her strength was useless against mine.

  My cock was near her entrance and eager to feel her cunt. I wanted to stretch her until she sobbed. I wanted to wreck her beyond repair. I wanted to torture her without mercy.

  “Please...” The tears rolled freely down her cheeks.

  My body suddenly shut down. My arousal wasn’t the same anymore. These were a different kind of tears, not the kind I wanted. Something was pulling me back, stopping me from doing this. I had every right to go through with it. After what happened to me, I deserved this. But I couldn’t. I didn’t see revenge when I looked into this woman’s eyes. I only saw my own reflection—a beast.

  I got off her and pulled up my boxers and pants.

  She continued to lay there, unsure what was happening.

  I didn’t look at her again before I walked out. I stormed out of her bedroom and headed down the hallway. I was too worked up to sleep, and I was no longer aroused to jerk off.

  I was just angry.

  Angry at myself.

  ***

  She didn’t come out of her room for days afterward. Lars brought her food and attended to her needs.

  I steered clear.

  I concentrated on exercising and work. I kept busy outside the house, running the vineyard at the distribution site and taking care of business. And of course, I had to take care of my other business with Cane.

  The fact she didn’t come anywhere near me said she was still terrified of me, as she should be. That night could have gone quite differently. Perhaps I’d had too much to drink or wasn’t in the right state of mind. I chickened out, but I wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

  When I came home from work one afternoon, Lars greeted me by the doorway. “Your Grace, Cane is here to see you.”

  My body went rigid. “How long as he been here?”

  “Fifteen minutes. I told him to wait in your study.”

  I knew he wasn’t in my study. I knew exactly where he was, and I felt sick to my stomach. I took off at a dead run and sprinted up the staircase, two stairs at a time.

  “Everything alright, Your Grace?” Lars said.

  I ignored him and moved as fast as my feet would carry me. I sprinted to the bedroom and broke down the door with my shoulder, knowing it would be locked without even checking. It crashed down, and I saw exactly what I feared.

  Cane had her stripped naked and tied to the bed. He was naked with his hanging cock hard and ready to go. A belt was in his hand, and he had just whipped her thighs.

  I saw red. “Get. The. Fuck. Out.”

  Cane turned around. “Want to give it a try?” He handed the belt over.

  I snatched the belt out of his hands and yanked it around his throat, choking him out until he convulsed in my arms. He tried to kick free but couldn’t. I cut off his air supply instantly, making him drift off.

  I dropped him to the floor and came around the bed, ignoring my hard-on in my trousers at the sight of her, tied up and ready to be whipped. I pulled out my pocketknife and cut the ropes free, releasing her from her captivity.

  She immediately pulled the blanket over her body, hiding her nakedness from view.

  “Are you alright?”

  Wet tears were still in her eyes. They glistened like diamonds under the sun, rare and flawless. She wouldn’t look at me. She purposely turned away, avoiding me.

  I wrapped my brother in a blanket then dragged him out of the room. She no longer had a working door, so her privacy no longer mattered. Lars came upstairs, concerned about the commotion.

  “Fetch me a glass of water,” I ordered.

  Lars obeyed immediately.

  When he returned with the water, I splashed it on Cane’s face, waking him up instantly.

  He coughed before he sat up, the water dripping off his nose. He ran his hand through his hair, slowly coming to. “What the fuck happened?”

  Now that he was awake, I gripped him by the throat. “Don’t touch my slave again.” I jerked him hard, hard enough to snap his neck in two. “Do you fucking understand me?” I slammed his head into the ground just to make my point.

  “Your slave?” He scooted away from me, rubbing his temple. “What the hell is going on here? We agreed we were going to fuck her and torture her, do exactly what Bones did to Vanessa. But I come over here, and this girl doesn’t have a scratch on her—at least not a new one.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “No, I am worried about it,” he snapped. “That’s what we agreed on. She’s been here for two weeks, and you haven’t done anything with her.”

  “I’ve had my way with her plenty of times.” It was easy for me to lie when I was this pissed off.

  “You’re full of it, and we both know it. I can tell just by looking at her.”

  “Get out of my house, Cane. And don’t touch my slave without permission.”

  “Who decided she was yours?” He stood up with the blanket wrapped around his waist.

  “I did.” I decided the moment I saw the fight in her. She wasn’t like the others. She didn’t crack under harsh punishment. She didn’t snap in two like a twig. She was resilient. She was strong. My interest in her piqued, and I haven’t stopped thinking about her in that way ever since. “Deal with it.”

  Cane didn’t hide his disdain for me. Like a child, he didn’t like it when he didn’t get his way. He was spiteful, vengeful. This wouldn’t be the end of this argument. It never was. “Who made you king of the world?”

  “I did.” He was afraid of me, and I knew it. I may talk less, but I was far more ruthless. He’d seen me do unforgettable things. He’d seen me do things that made strong men hurl. He liked to push me but only so far. “I’ll buy you a whore to entertain you. But stay away from mine.”

  “I can buy my own whore.” He pointed at the broken-down door. “Next time I come over here, she better be fucked up and blue. She better have scars on top of scars. She better bow to my fuckin
g feet when I walk through the door. That was the plan, and you better stick to it. If you don’t take care of it, I will.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I will.”

  He searched my eyes until he found my agreement. When he found what he needed, he finally turned away. “Black and blue, Crow. I mean it.” He grabbed his clothes and walked out.

  I stayed on the balcony until I heard the front door shut. When I was alone, I finally walked back to the bedroom, stepping through the broken door.

  She was exactly where I left her, curled up in the blanket where her tits couldn’t be seen. Her fierce expression had returned. Like no one had violated her ten minutes ago, she held her head high like a queen. “You gave me your word.” The hatred hummed in her voice.

  “Did he rape you?”

  She stared out the open window.

  “I asked you a question.” I came around the bed and approached her.

  She still wouldn’t answer me.

  I snatched her by the hair and jerked her face toward mine. I held her in place, daring her to hold her silence. “Don’t make me ask you again.” My mouth pressed against her cheek. My teeth wanted to nip at her collarbone. I wanted to suck the skin of her neck until it bruised.

  “No.”

  “Then I kept my word to you.”

  Her eyes finally found mine, watering and full of emotion.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  She pulled her knees to her chest under the blanket. “I’ve had worse.”

  I was about to do something I’d never done before, let alone to a slave. “I’m sorry.”

  Her cold eyes searched my gaze incredulously, like she expected this to be some kind of cruel joke.

  “I didn’t know he was here. That’s not how I run this house. I promise I won’t let him come near you again. I promise I won’t let anyone touch you—besides myself.” My hand slid down until it reached her neck. I felt her faint pulse underneath my fingertips.

  Her gaze moved down to her lap. She silently excused me, wanting to be alone to lick her wounds in private.

  I didn’t have a chance to see the welts because of the commotion, but I was certain they were painful. “I’ll fix your door and have Lars bring you something for the welts.”