by Raven Dark
“Good girl. How many more?”
I sniffled. Fuck, a Davros was making me cry. In front of him.
“Anika. How many.”
“Two, sir.” Almost a whine. Christ, what a wimp I was.
The fifth strike whipped down all the way across my ass, and I didn’t even have the strength to scream. My hands balled into fists on the wall and my eyes squeezed closed. “Five…”
It occurred to me to wonder if anyone heard me, or how he would explain a woman screaming in his room, and not in the obvious pleasure the Lion’s Head staff were no doubt accustomed to.
Again, I heard him back up, and the belt made a whipping sound against something. I jumped, anticipation making me so weak my legs almost folded under me. Then, the final blow hit, vivid hot and agonizing, I sobbed. Jesus fucking Christ, how I hated him. “Fuck. Six.”
The belt dropped with clink of the buckle, and Kane spun me around. I didn’t know what I wanted, comfort or pain, but right then, the idea that he might try to hold or console me scared the crap out of me more than if he’d tried to whip me again. It was easy to believe he was like his father, the man who’d conned my father out of his business years ago, that he was just using me for his pleasure now. That he was the monster I’d been raised to believe he was. If he tried to console me now, I wouldn’t know how to feel. I would want to trust him, to let go of my hatred, and I wasn’t ready for that.
“Are you alright?” Still cold, matter of fact, like he was merely ensuring his slave stayed in good health. Good, I could handle that.
“I’m fine, sir.” I resisted the urge to call him Davros, the way I did when my hatred was high. “It takes more than a whipping to break me.”
“Good.” But for some reason something dangerous burned under his satisfaction. “What do you say?”
Right, he’d told me to thank him. Ugh. My stomach knotted, my pussy got wetter, and then my gut tightened further at the wetness.
I looked at the floor, sullenness wrapping me in its icy embrace, letting me feel every vivid sting on my ass. “Thank you for my lesson, Sir.”
“Get on your knees.”
I dropped, swept up in the strangest mixture of arousal, humiliation, and the deepest loathing I’d ever felt for him. It scoured me, rubbed me raw. I was almost eager for his maliciousness, for him to show me the darkness I knew was there. Face still wet with tears he’d wrought, I stared up at him.
“Take out my cock and suck it.” His hand slid into my hair, possessive, a tight grip that made my sex heat up all over again.
Lips trembling, I wiped away my tears and undid his pants, freeing the cock I loved so much. Running my hands up and down it’s long length, feeling the slight curve, the brutal hardness under the silk of his smooth skin. I looked at him as I stroked him, longing to ask him if he liked seeing me cry, if he wanted me to leave my tears there while I got him off. The lividly hard look on his face was enough to tell me not to dare pushing him.
“You know I hate you, don’t you? Sir?”
Good fucking God, had he gone harder at my words? His lips definitely turned up at the corners. The bastard fed off my animosity. “Good. Now do as you’re told.”
I didn’t have a chance to take him in my mouth before he angled my head and pushed himself in, almost to the back of my throat.
Instantly, his hardness filled my mouth, stretching my lips, leaving me aware only of him. Hot masculinity and need coated my tongue. At once I understood why he chose to have me suck him after whipping me. He’d torn up my ass, punishing me in a way that fueled my anger, and now, instead of letting me crawl away into a hole of loathing, he used my mouth, letting me know exactly who I belonged to. Why the hell did that notion make me even hotter? The sooner I got him off, the sooner I could get away from him and wallow in the knowledge of his wickedness. Which is why I started sucking fast and hard, bobbing my head the way I knew he liked.
“Stop.” He trapped my head in his hands, stilling it. “Take your time. You’re not getting off easy. Let me enjoy it.”
The possession in his voice made my nipples turn to hardened points. I huffed my anger around him, relaxing my mouth and sliding it up and down his length.
“That’s better.” A long, needy moan left him and he put his head back, cupping my nape. “That’s nice. Lick it the way I showed you before.”
I did, giving him only a few swirls and swipes of my tongue, what he wanted, nothing more.
“Yes.” He grunted and grabbed my hair at the back, shoving in and out of my mouth, going almost too deep. I gagged and pushed the reflex down. “Breath through your nose, like I told you. Take all of me.”
Oh, good, he was going to really use me like the slave I was. Finally, he would stop pretending to be the good guy I saw in him and just take what he wanted without caring about my feelings. The urge to get far away from him warred with the need to fan the flames of my animosity with his use of me.
Kane shoved to the back of my throat, and I hammered the gagging down. He hit the back of my throat a few times, and I clawed at his ass. He didn’t stop. I whimpered and he shoved further in, like he was trying to make me swallow him.
I was all his, to be used the way he wanted, and yet he was holding back. I could feel it. Why?
“Fuck, girl. Your dirty little mouth feels good.” He groaned and his control snapped. He fucked my mouth fast and hard, and a moment later his hot seed filled my throat, shooting all the way down where it made my gut roil. I ate him, and then shoved at him, meaning to storm away.
“Ugh uh. Come here. I’m not done.” Still rock hard, he hauled me to my feet. Then the next instant I was across the width of his bed on my back.
“Not nearly done with you.” He pinned me to the bed and lifted my legs onto his shoulders, folding me nearly in half. I wanted to needle him, tell him to use me like I knew he wanted, but I barely opened my mouth before he shoved into my pussy so hard and fast I could only whimper with pleasure. The contact of skin on skin stung my ass where he’d whipped me, reminding me of his ownership, and I nearly came then.
“Kane…”
He growled in pleasure and drove into me, biting and licking at my neck, my throat, my chin, my mouth while he pounded me, each hard thrust driven so deep I felt him all the way to my toes.
“Fuck, I hate you, Davros.”
“Good girl.” He bent and sucked one hardened nipple into his mouth, biting it until I almost cried out in pain, then doing the same with the other. I moaned and ran my hands through his hair.
“Still dressed as usual?” I grinned. Even the fact that he was dressed while I was naked once again served to remind me of what he’d said earlier; I was not his equal. Damn, he made me so hot.
As if I hadn’t spoken, he grabbed my wrists, slamming them into the bed, then slamming into me.
“Fuck.” He ravaged my mouth like it was all his, and when I tried to turn my head, he trapped my chin and shoved his tongue in. When he lifted his head, his breathing was hoarse and his voice was almost mean. “Next time I’m going to have your ass, Anika. I haven’t had your ass yet. Your body is all mine, and I’ll prove it.”
“I’d like that.” It was true, even if I did feel a certain trepidation at the idea of him taking me in a way that I’d so often heard could be unpleasant.
He swiped his finger across my lips and then licked them. “We’ll see.”
This time when his mouth crushed mine, it was brutal. He hammered into me a dozen times and my climax clawed at me, ripping me apart. I bucked, crying out, head back.
“Don’t you dare come. Mouthy little bitches don’t come.”
I almost screamed, the insult making my pussy tighten around him. I nearly came, but he pulled out, and the next instant he was yanking me to a sitting position and standing in front of me.
“Open your mouth.”
With his hand holding his raging hard dick, pointing it at my face, I knew what he was going to do. I’d seen it a hundred times wh
en Fran and I played around online, laughing at porn. Except I wasn’t laughing now. The thought of him coming on me like this made me crazy with lust. I wanted to tell him to fuck off just to push him.
“You took my orgasm.”
“You want me to whip you again?”
Fuck, no. The pain still made my head spin to think about. “No.”
“Open your fucking mouth.”
I smiled up at him, an antagonistically sweet smile, and leaned forward, opening my mouth for him.
“Stick out your tongue.”
I did.
“See? You do know how to behave.” He pounded himself a few times, letting his salty juices cover my tongue. I loved the taste of him, but it was almost too powerful like this, thick and coating.
“Swallow, Anika.”
Damn. I did, and my gut clenched.
He made me lick him off, and then stepped back, undressing.
“You’re vile you know,” I said.
He touched my chin. “So you keep saying. Now give me a nice, long kiss.”
When I didn’t, he took my jaw and bent, his mouth claiming mine, hot, long, and hard. By the time he drew back, I could only stare at him, panting.
“So nice.” His thumb stroked my swollen lips.
“For you.” But the hammer of my heart made it clear the kiss was anything but unpleasant.
When he spoke again, his eyes were as soft as his voice. “I don’t want to break you, Anika.”
I bit my lip. “But you will if you have to?”
“Yes.”
If only his words scared me more, but instead they depressed me, made me miss the man I’d fallen for that first day on the street. In his gaze, I could see him struggling. Kane was bound by a set of rules I barely understood, ones that forced him to be cold, ruthless. The vulnerability in him made it impossible not to feel for him. I hated it, but I wanted to find a way for us to have a normal, real relationship. I wanted to save him, set him free.
Before I could figure out what to say, he picked me up and laid me across the bed with my head on the pillows, then rolled me onto my stomach. The bed shifted as he stood, a drawer scraped open, and then he straddled my legs.
“What are you doing, sir? Are you going to fuck my ass now?” I couldn’t believe his appetite, or how much my body still wanted him.
“Of course not. It’s ointment.” He spread something cool and soothing on my ass where the belt had hit. It felt amazing, taking away the sting, and I loved the feel of his big hands on me, gently massaging. I twisted. “Stop being so nice. Get off.”
“Anika, quite playing victim. Just be a good girl and let me take care of you.”
“Kane, this isn’t you. You said you don’t handhold. You aren’t the loving type.”
“You’re right, I’m not. This isn’t hand holding. Healing and sub care is an important part of this exchange, so just pipe the fuck down and behave.”
I huffed, but relaxed. He wasn’t going away. He’d also never know how wonderful he felt. His hands made long strokes over my ass and back, kneading the muscles long after what was necessary. I almost wanted to believe he liked touching me, that he just enjoyed caring for me, but Kane had too many issues with commitment to enjoy that. I just knew he was waiting for the right time to leave, to put distance between us before things got too serious. The thought made my throat tighten.
“And I suppose you’ll want to hold me nice and close after.”
He made an irritated noise in his throat and his hands stopped on the small of my back. “Is it so terrible to be close to me? Do you really hate me that much?”
No. Please don’t make me want this. “Yes.”
“Tough.”
“But you said you don’t cuddle, either.”
“For you, I’ll make an exception.” I could hear his smile.
“Bastard.”
“Bitch.” He chuckled and nipped my ear. Then he climbed off me, gave an unmarked spot on my ass a light swat, and lay beside me.
I crossed my ankles and turned my face away with a tolerant sigh. He laughed. “Come on. Roll over, angel. Let Master hold you.”
I snorted at his slave joke, but threw myself onto my side. “Better, Master?” Sweet as I could manage.
“Don’t test me.” He slid his arms around me and pulled me close, so my back was to his chest. A soft, satisfied sigh drifted from him. “This is nice.”
“If you say so.”
Who was I kidding, it was fantastic. His huge frame surrounded me, all power and warmth. I’d never felt so damn safe. It was easy to forget what he was. A Davros. Almost mob. My ass chafed a little, rubbing against him, and he shifted until he found a way to lie against me without it stinging.
“Better?” he whispered.
I grumbled agreement. “So, that’s it? You get to make me swallow your come, twice, and now I have to lie here next to you, soaking wet and needing to be fucked?”
‘Yep.” His lips and tongue teased my ear, I was sure, just to make me wetter. “There are consequences for your mouth, Anika. When you learn to be a good girl, you’ll get yours.”
Damn, he was loving this. There was nothing I could say that wouldn’t make him torture me more, so I sighed and let his warmth seep into me.
“After I deal with some things, we’ll go see your father this morning and make sure he signs the contract for the farm.”
At that, I wanted to argue, make some jab about him tricking my father into the deal, but I didn’t want to push him too far, so I just nodded. “Did you mean what you said, about finding something on Gavini?”
“Yes. We’ll start digging into his business tomorrow.”
“Kay.” Secretly, the way he said we, as if we were in this together, send a warmth radiating through me.
Kane made a spitting noise and moved my hair out of his mouth, smoothing the thick curls until I giggled.
“I could cut it off, if my long hair bothers Master.”
“Don’t you dare.” I loved the dangerous rumble there.
“Wouldn’t I look good bald?” I turned my face up, grinning.
“Don’t even joke about that. Touch this hair, and I’ll beat you.”
“You would.”
“Go the fuck to sleep, girl.”
I sighed, unable to help snuggling close. So good, so safe. All my life I’d been running from the mob, and in this monster’s arms, I knew, just like he’d promised, the Gavinis would never harm me. I tried to ask my next question as if I wanted nothing more than to have him away from me, but disappointment snuck in.
“How long will you sleep here for?”
“Do I have to set a time?” He kissed my neck.
“Oh, so now you forget to be OCD?”
“Anika.”
“What? Mister no mornings after, I wanna know. How long before you sneak out and play bad man?”
“Who says I’m going to play bad man tonight?”
“Aren’t you?”
“You don’t need to know that stuff. Sleep.”
“But—”
“Anika. Do as I say.”
I let out a last long sigh and forced myself to drop it. “Yes, Sir.”
Why part of me needed to know how much time I had with him when I wouldn’t be awake anyway, I don’t know. Maybe I just wanted confirmation he was only staying with me to play hero, and that it wasn’t out of genuine feelings for me. Our relationship was already so complicated, so layered and messed up that, Kane, womanizer extraordinaire, the man who’d made me his not-slave, falling for me was just another complication I didn’t need. Besides that, being on the run from the mob had made me used to everything being fleeting, to avoiding permanent relationships. In a way, I was like him, more comfortable knowing there were no attachments. So why the hell did my heart hurt whenever I thought of losing him?
At last, I closed my eyes and listened to his breathing, the feel of his heartbeat against my back. I felt safe with him, but there was also a darkness in him
that was anything but safe for me. He’d held back while punishing me, I was sure of it. What would happen when he no longer went easy on me? And more importantly, could I handle it when he chose to show me the worst of his hand?
4
I’m not sure what woke me, but it was five AM when I opened my eyes and looked at the clock on my bedside table. Darkness still bathed the city. Something had hit me while I slept, a thought that now slid away like fog through my fingers. Fuck, whatever it was, it was important.
I sat up slowly, looking down at Anika. Her warm body was still pressed against me, facing away from me. When I shifted, she made a small, sleepy noise and I couldn’t help the smile that tugged at my lips.
When Anika was awake, she was all fire and temper, but here in my arms, asleep, she looked so sweet and helpless, so girlish and pliable. I loved the mix of hard and soft in her. It kept me on my toes, challenged me to push myself harder, to be always aware of my control. I never wanted her to lose that spark. But how to allow her to keep that fire without letting the life, my world of corruption and male dominance, to scour it out of her? If I didn’t handle her exactly right, not only in front of my father, but in front of Dominic, too, that same spark could get us both killed. I didn’t want to break her, and I hoped the hell I could figure out a way that I wouldn’t have to.
Dominic… I rose from the bed and went to the window, squinting out at the silvery moonlight. What had I been thinking when I was asleep? Something to do with him. We needed something on him, and it felt like I’d almost had it.
I shook my head and went out into the living room, to the coffee table where my laptop sat. Booting it up, I brought up all the articles I’d read on the kingpin I could remember. Dozens of them, and I reread them, but found nothing that sparked whatever thought I’d almost had.
“Shit. What was it?”
A half hour later, I was still looking, now through pages and pages of files I’d kept on dealings with him, but I hadn’t found anything we could use to hold over his head. Being a crime boss, a week’s worth of his criminal offenses would fill a warehouse, but none of those would help. We needed…