by Jane Henry
I shut my eyes, trying to block out his words. There was nothing I could do to stop this. I would have to escape again, but how? Had he already killed Ryder?
Francesca looked approvingly at Caden. “You’re so intelligent, Sir,” she murmured, and Caden shot her a smile.
“Couldn’t have done it without you. You were the one that pulled it all together.”
Of course she had. “So you were the ones that wiped the surveillance cameras?”
Caden grinned. “What do you think? Like taking candy from a baby.”
Somehow, I had to get in touch with Seth or Zack. How would I get word to Zack without anyone noticing, though?
And then I remembered. He’d given me his phone number. I pictured the slip of paper in my mind, and could see the numbers in my mind’s eye. And if I could notify him without anyone realizing…
We pulled up to the familiar estate, and the wrought iron gate swung open to welcome us, closing shut behind us with a finality that made me sick to my stomach. He was waiting for me. what sort of sick punishment would he give me this time? I had betrayed him so I knew it would be unlike anything I’d ever experienced, and the very thought made me nauseous with fear.
Caden spoke into his phone, and I watched what he did with it.
“You two are so cute together, you know that?” I said, trying to distract them.
Francesca shot me a wary look, but Caden just smiled. “Yeah. We know,” he said. I stifled a snort, still watching as he placed his phone in his shirt pocket. He opened the door to the car, and helped me out, cutting off the ties at my ankles. I pretended to bear my weight on my injured ankle, and threw my full body weight at him. Cursing, he stumbled and we fell. I watched his cell phone tumble into the crunchy leaves underfoot. I rolled over, careful to shade his vision, snagged the phone and slid it into my bra, as Francesca ran over to see if he was okay.
But at least now I had what I needed.
I pretended to be docile as I leaned on Caden and he brought me to the house, the front door swinging open. My stomach dropped, and my entire body trembled. He stood in the doorway, his jaw clenched in anger, his eyes like red coals of fury. Behind him, I saw the shadow of his revolver on his desk.
“Welcome home, Rowena.” He tipped his head to the side. “What an interesting stylistic change you’ve made. You’re not quite yourself without your long hair, but you know, I’m grateful you were foolish enough to donate it.” He spoke to Caden. “Bring her to my office.” Then his eyes went to my ankle. “You hurt her? I told you not to hurt her.”
“I didn’t, no. She injured herself in Ryder’s apartment.”
Martel’s eyes narrowed.
Francesca followed, and I said nothing. Silence was the better option, as he was ready to blow, the slightest provocation at this juncture would be like a match to tinder.
“Is he following? Has he caught the trail yet?” Martel asked Caden.
“Pretty sure he did, yeah. He’ll likely come here once he gets out, which was our plan anyway. So far he hasn’t reached out to anyone else though. Likely doesn’t know who to trust.” Caden grinned. “You’re welcome.”
Martel merely nodded his approval, and pointed to where he wanted me sit.
“I need to use the bathroom,” I said, trying to sound desperate. “Please. Send her with me for all I care.” I’d be mortified having Francesca with me, but she could at least stand outside the door and give them the illusion of supervision.
“Fine,” Martel spat out. “Go. And then you get back here. We have much to discuss.”
I could imagine what that would involve.
Francesca helped me to the small powder room outside his office. “Don’t try anything funny,” she said. “I am not going in with you. I can’t imagine what you could do in there to get me in trouble, but if you do, I’ll hurt you.” She said it so nonchalantly, it was as if she were talking about ordering me a cup of coffee.
“I just have to use the bathroom. Not going to do anything cruel and stupid, like other people I know.”
She narrowed her eyes and unfastened my wrists. I ignored her and hobbled to the bathroom. I locked the door and lifted the seat, making the sounds loud enough so she could be reassured I was not fooling around. I opened Caden’s phone, and hit the text option. The screen lit up. My fingers trembling, I typed in the number I’d memorized.
I’ve been kidnapped. Ryder is in danger. Come to Martel’s residence. Dean knows where it is. Please be quick, and be careful.
I hit “send” and waited until the message showed as sent. Then I stood, tossed the phone in the toilet, and flushed it down, turned on the faucet and washed my hands.
“You’d better not be doing anything stupid in there,” Francesca said through the door. I opened it, pleased to see she was leaning up against it so she stumbled a bit. Good. The bitch.
“Nothing stupid. For God’s sake, I had to pee.”
“Give me your wrists,” she said, and though her tone was harsh, I could hear the fear in her voice. I’d play with that a little. I needed to have her off her game if I were to escape. Ryder was coming. I needed to play my part.
She reached for my wrists, her hands shaking as she did the knot, so I started, a quick jerk of my hands. She jumped and then glared at me.
“What the fuck was that?”
I shrugged, putting my wrists back out to her compliantly. “What?”
She clenched her jaw. “That—jerky little movement you did.”
I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “A reminder that this hasn’t even begun. That you’re not going to win this and I’ll see your ass in jail.” I pulled back and gave her my sweetest smile.
She yanked the restraints tighter and pulled me with her, but said nothing as Caden’s booming voice yelled out, “Francesca! Where the hell are you?”
She pulled me quicker.
When we got to the office, my father had his phone up to his ear and pointed wordlessly for Francesca to sit me down. I sat, giving her the same knowing grin. She shivered and looked away but stayed right next to me.
“I’m clearing the debt you owe me,” he said to Caden. “But you have to help me get rid of Ryder, and the evidence.”
I saw a flash of white in the hallway. I stared but didn’t show a reaction, just quickly glanced around the room for something that would distract them.
At first I saw nothing, but when I saw the flash again, this time I knew it was Ryder. He’d not come the standard way, up the big driveway but the way he’d come the first night we’d met. My heart surged with hope. He’d climb into my room. He knew the way. He’d come to rescue me.
My job was to keep them distracted.
“He’ll come for me!” I shouted, so loudly, Francesca jumped.
I grinned at her. “Skittish, aren’t you?”
“Don’t talk to her,” Caden growled at me.
“You don’t want me talking to your precious little bitch?” I asked, hoping to anger them enough that their reaction time would be lessened. “You like bitchy submissives, Caden? Give you more of a reason to spank her?”
Caden took a step toward me as if he was going to hit me, when my father’s voice arrested him mid-stride.
“Lay a hand on her and I’ll kill you.” He laid his revolver down with an audible thunk on the desk next to him. He then turned to me. “You’ve gotten quite a mouth there, in your time away from home, Rowena.” His cold, calculating eyes sent shivers down my spine despite my efforts to be brave.
I swallowed hard. “Something about being held against your will and threatened will do that to a person.” I looked at him. “You ought to know.”
“I’ve only ever done what I thought was best for you.” He shook his head sadly.
“Bullshit,” I hissed, still hoping to distract them. “You did what was best for you. And I don’t know what your lackeys think they’re doing here, but I’ll see they pay for this.” I knew he was coming. I could feel his presence. Ryder
was coming for me. I had to keep distracting them. “You’re all going to pay. In fact, you’re all so stupid you missed his entrance.”
Martel started, and Caden’s head whipped around to the window that overlooked the entryway to the estate. “Ryder’s driving through the gates now,” I said. “He’s coming for me.”
It worked better than I expected. The second they were distracted, I shot my foot out and kicked the back of Francesca’s knee, making her leg buckle. She screamed, Caden lunged at me, my father sprang to his feet. Francesca turned, her hand raised to strike, but I deflected her slap and shoved her away as hard as I could.
“Don’t touch her!” Martel shouted, but Caden ignored him, his large hands grabbing me by the arms. Shots rang out. Caden released me, crumpling to the floor as the door to the office burst open. My heart soared with hope. Ryder came in, followed by Zack, Seth, and several armed officers.
“Weapons down!” Zack roared, his weapon pointed at Martel. Martel didn’t listen. Unblinking, he turned the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger.
SIX MONTHS LATER
Ryder
I watched her open the door to the conference room with a smile on her face. Her hair had been returned to its natural blonde, and I loved it. She was the Rae who’d knocked me upside the head with an iron. The girl I’d fallen in love with.
“Good session?” I asked, taking her hand and walking along with her to the hallway that brought back so many memories. Rochelle Knowles, a decade-long member of Limits and licensed therapist, had been seeing Rae weekly in the downstairs conference room now for several months. Some sessions I accompanied her, as Rochelle said Rae was most comfortable around me and I could help her process some of her struggles. But now they frequently met alone, and instead of sessions ending with Rae emerging tear-stained and withdrawn, she often came out smiling now.
“A very good session,” she said with a smile. “Though nothing like the sessions I have with my Daddy.”
Her fingers entwined with mine, and I gave her a sharp but teasing smack to her backside.
Having a therapist that was a member of the club helped Rae process her own interests and desires without judgment. She had a lot that needed healing. I would help her.
“Rochelle says we can go to every two weeks now,” Pride swelled in my chest. Her strength inspired me.
“I’m proud of you. You know that?” I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck and drew her to me so I could kiss her forehead, the move that never ceased to keep her smiling.
“Are you, Daddy?”
“You’re a very good girl, Rae,” I said, pushing the button to the elevator. The lights ticked down as it descended. “And not everyone could suffer what you have, and rise like you, like a phoenix from ashes.”
She sobered, her beautiful eyes meeting mine. “It isn’t just me. It’s… You. This. Us.” The doors to the elevator swung open, and Seth stood there waiting.
“Oh, sorry guys,” he said. “I was just coming down to check on the conference room. We seemed…” his voice trailed off for a moment before he seemed to remember. “Low on coffee creamer.” He cleared his throat.
He exited the elevator and headed left. “Seth?”
“Yeah, boss?”
“Coffee creamer’s in that direction.” I pointed to the stockroom. He gave me a sheepish salute and turned around.
Rae and I stepped onto the elevator and the doors slid shut.
“He’s going to see Rochelle, isn’t he?” Rae asked. It was no secret. We’d witnessed her strung up on the St. Andrew’s Cross just two nights prior, on the blissful receiving end of Seth’s riding crop. Rae was still begging me for such a session but after the spanking I’d given her her first night in the dungeon, I was hesitant. I liked keeping her all to myself.
“Uh huh.” The elevator began to ascend. “Seems as if love is in the air tonight.”
She snorted. “That’s the corniest thing you’ve ever said.”
I whacked her ass. “Watch your tone, young lady.”
“Oooh, Daddy, you’re so sexy-stern.”
“I’ll give you sexy-stern right over my knee.”
“Oh yeah?” Her eyes flamed, expectant and eager, and she gave me a little shove. I stumbled as the doors to the elevator opened to our apartment.
“Jesus!” I caught myself and nabbed her by the wrist. “Looks to me like someone needs a reminder of her place.”
She pulled away from me, but I knew she wanted this. I knew she needed this, the release that would help her forget her pain, and the intimacy that would make her feel loved.
“No. I’m good. I was just teasing you.”
“Too late, kitten.” I punched the numbers to let us into our apartment, leading her in. I wordlessly drew her into the living room, released her hand, and pointed to the bedroom. “Go fetch the black bag.” Her eyes widened as she looked at me. I kept her gaze as I loosened my tie and placed it on the back of a chair. She didn’t move.
“Rae, do as I said or you’ll get a good taste of Daddy’s belt before I even begin.”
With a sigh and the most adorable little pout, she did what I asked. I barely stifled a grin. She had no idea I was setting her up.
She returned a moment later with the black velvet bag I kept in the drawer next to my bed. I sat on the couch and rolled up my shirt sleeves. “Come here. Time to tame those little claws of yours, kitten.”
She looked at me from beneath lowered lashes, holding the bag out to me. I could feel her already, and knew that if I dipped my fingers between her legs she’d be soaked, her nipples peaked beneath her thin top. I took the bag in my left hand and crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”
Dragging her feet, she walked to me and stood between my legs. I drew her onto my knee and nestled her up against my chest. “Let’s look in the bag and see what I need today.” I unfastened the drawstring and she let out a little sigh. She needed this. But she didn’t know what I had planned.
I reached my hand in the bag until I felt the small velvet box. Hiding it in my palm, I drew it out. “What do we have here?” I murmured, opening my palm.
Her mouth dropped open. “Ryder,” she breathed.
I placed the bag down and opened the box.
I slid her onto the couch and got to one knee. “Pay attention, babe.”
She tossed her head back and laughed, her eyes bright with tears. I reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “My brave, beautiful girl. I want to spend every day of my life with you. I want more than your submission, more than your friendship. I want your love, Rae. For eternity. I love you more than anyone or anything I’ve ever known. Will you please marry me?”
She clasped her hands under her chin. “Yes, Ryder. I love you.”
I slid the ring on her finger. “Fits perfectly,” I murmured, pulling her to me and embracing her. “Just like you fit perfectly right here.”
“Thank you, Ryder. I want to be yours forever.”
I smiled at her. “Forever.”
Epilogue
Five Years Later
It seemed as if the warm flicker of candles was what warmed my naked skin, but I knew it was more than that. Ryder’s body near mine, and eager anticipation that coiled its way in my belly, heated me through, glowing embers of excitement and arousal.
“Close your eyes,” he ordered in my ear, the sound of his voice melodic but commanding. Years of training by his side, and I responded instinctively now.
“Yes, Daddy.” I stilled, knowing this was the point where he’d take over, my will melded to his, my every movement aligned to obey. He loved me like this, supple and obedient, eager for his touch and command. Under him, I thrived, happier than I ever thought possible.
Satin slid over my eyes. He gently lifted my head, his hands deftly tying my blindfold in place. The familiar warmth and darkness made me sigh with content, before the snap of a match being struck made me shiver.
Bondage and wax play was his specia
lty. I was in for a treat tonight.
Though I couldn’t see him, I knew what he’d be doing now. He’d tip the edge of the candle so that hot wax fell into his palm, the heat regulated by how high he held it above his palm. He tested everything from floggers to hot wax on himself before he’d allow anything to touch me, and though I’d been christened with wax so many times the sessions blurred in my memory, he still tested first each time.
“Gonna paint that beautiful body of yours,” he whispered. “Every inch, dotted with my wax and stripes from the flogger.”
I lay spread-eagle on his custom bench. There were many benefits of being married to the owner of an exclusive BDSM club, one being that custom-made furniture and accessories were easy to attain, the other being privacy. This was our room now, one never visited by anyone but us and the cleaners who came every Friday, and it was the dungeon of my dreams. If Home and Garden featured BDSM rooms? This one would take the freaking centerfold.
Plush leather furniture, a spanking bench and table fitted with padded straps, a glass case along one wall housing his favorite toys, and hooks along another held every implement he could ever use. The lighting could be easily dimmed or brightened, the temperature adjusted with the touch of a button. Unlike the other rooms at Limits, we also had a luxury bathroom with a whirlpool bath. We made good use of everything.
Without another word, the first hot drop of wax fell onto my skin, a sharp sting rapidly fading to a warm sort of glow, my skin puckering under the quickly hardening wax. Another drop followed another, all along the tops of my breasts and lower still to my abdomen.
Ryder was having fun tonight.
The scent of warmed vanilla filled my senses.
“You know vanilla is an aphrodisiac?” he asked. I jolted at the sudden feel of his mouth at my breast.
“Is it? Like I need another aphrodisiac?” I bit my lip as he pulled my nipple into his mouth and suckled. “Just being around you turns me on.”