BEAST

by Measha Stone

  His rules. His dominance.

  She’d given herself over to him to save her father. She couldn’t even find the energy to be angry at him. This was her doing. He’d told her to stay out of the Annex. He warned her what would happen. She had gone in with her eyes open wide to the consequences. And now she had to bear them.

  She nodded.

  This was her own fault. And she would take the next five licks with as much grace as she could muster. Maybe he would answer her questions afterward. Maybe they could find a moment of peace.

  “Five.” He moved away from her, and she turned forward, studying the swirled designs of the wallpaper with much less interest than she had during her wait.

  He gave no further warning.

  Fire ignited in a thin line across her ass, driving her up to her toes.

  Another lash landed, and she cried out much louder than with the strap. She sank her teeth into the ball gag and squealed with the third strike.

  Taking deep breaths through her nose didn’t help with the fourth strike, and when the fifth landed across the back of her thighs, she screamed and rose as high on her toes the bonds would allow.

  Hard sobs racked her body. It was done. The pain seared her skin—the throbbing, the burning, all of it consumed her mind.

  She barely heard his whisper in her ear.

  “You did good, Ellie. You did really good.” He wiped more hair from her face. She closed her eyes, unable to look at him while she continued to cry. Cry from the pain, the embarrassment, the arousal.

  Her ankles were unlatched and then he unhooked her wrists. The weight of her body was too much for her legs, and she stumbled, only to be caught by him. He lifted her in his arms and took her to his bed.

  Of course. He probably wanted to have a solid fuck before tossing her into to her room.

  He laid her on her belly and unhooked the gag, wiping her mouth with his hand after the ball fell out. Rolling to her side, she pressed her head to the pillow, the feathery soft pillow, and tucked her knees up to her chest.

  He dragged the covers from the foot of the bed over her naked body.

  “Rest a few minutes, Ellie.” He gently placed the quilt over her shivering body. But it wasn’t the cold making her insides quake. It was the desire, the longing she now had that he wouldn’t do anything about. He was punishing her. She wouldn’t get to feel his touch. Not in the way that would make this new ache go away.

  She wiped her face with the back of her wrist and sniffled. Finally, the sobs slowed, and she could breathe evenly again. The lights went out, and he bed gave behind her just before his warm body pressed up to hers.

  His erection pushed against her ass, making her wince. But he didn’t say anything. She let him drape his arm over her and pull her to him, taking the comfort he seemed willing to give her.

  “That was the harshest punishment I ever want to give you. Never disobey me again, Ellie. Not when it comes to your safety. Because I don’t want to do that again,” he whispered from behind her in the dark.

  The sincerity lingered between them. Not sure how to respond, she kept quiet, letting the tears dry and her ass adjust to the ache.

  “You didn’t have to do that, Ash,” she finally whispered into the silence.

  His hand moved, cupping her sore cheek and squeezing.

  “Yes, I did.”

  She wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. He did have to punish her. She’d broken his rule, she’d disobeyed, and, in his own way, he put things back together.

  There was no anger now, no raw rage like she’d seen when he approached her at the party. Just her breathing settling down to match his own, and her body softening into his.

  As time ticked, by she waited for him to release her, to scoot her back to her own room. But his arm anchored her to him, and his warm breath brushed over her neck.

  “Ash?” she chanced.

  He grunted.

  “What do you want from me?” she asked softly, sure he was already half asleep and the question would go unanswered. Besides, was she prepared to know? If he really did see her as his little plaything for the moment, could she handle it?

  And, more to the point, why he hell did she care? The man had just whipped her, caned her. She’d have marks for a day if not longer on her skin from the whippy implement. Yet she lay with him, comforted by his warmth, feeling safer in his bed than she had in her own her entire life. None of it made sense.

  His answer came out gentle, but held the low growl she’d come used to hearing in his voice. “I want everything, Ellie. And you’re going to give it to me.”

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  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Ellie barely ate her breakfast, Ash noted as he finished his last bite. The fresh fruit he had made sure accompanied every meal, since she seemed to enjoy it so much, went untouched and the eggs had long gotten cold on her plate. The only item she’d touched was her toast, and only two small bites.

  She barely spared him a glance as well, finding the pattern on the tablecloth most interesting. Peter had joined them at first, but, after watching them silently for several moments, he’d made an excuse and abandoned the dining room.

  “If you are having a lot of pain, I’ll get you some ibuprofen.” He sat back in his chair and enjoyed watching the fresh blush take over her cheeks.

  She shook her head, thrusting her chin upward in the act of defiance he’d come to admire. No matter what he threw at her, no matter how deeply he made her submit, she would not break. And he didn’t want her to. Ellie would bend to him, but he would not see her cracked.

  “I’m fine,” she lied.

  He couldn’t help but smile. “You know how I feel about lying, Ellie.” He tapped his fingers on the table.

  Her throat constricted with her swallow, and the heat turn up on her cheeks.

  “I’m sore, but fine,” she amended.

  “I meant what I said, I don’t want to repeat that lesson.”

  “Don’t you have a meeting you need to get to? toned to shake the coins out of someone’s pockets or something? Maybe put more helpless women in your harem?”

  Ah. There it was.

  “The Annex isn’t a harem,” he said. “If you have questions, ask.”

  She blinked at him. After she’d breached the Annex, keeping it hidden from her didn’t need to be a priority anymore.

  She toyed with the ends of her hair. “Okay.” She straightened in her seat. “What is the Annex? I couldn’t find any information on it when I searched.”

  Of course, she would try to find it on the Internet when his staff wouldn’t divulge any information. He had known she would search when he gave her the laptop, but since the Annex was a well-kept secret among powerful elite, he had no worries she’d actually find anything.

  “The Annex is a members-only club that provides services other clubs and dating services don’t.”

  “That tells me nothing.” She folded her arms over her chest. “Why did the women last night have to have babysitters? And what was the contract I saw being signed? Are you selling women? The rumors of sex trafficking are true?”

  Anger built in her tone as she threw questions at him. He wouldn’t react to the emotion in her accusations.

  “No. I do not work in sex trafficking or human trafficking or any of that bullshit.” And his father probably rolled over in his grave daily because of his decision.

  “Okay.” She softened her voice. “Then what?”

  “Last night was a catalogue party. You know how women get together and have those purse parties or whatever? Well, this was similar to that.”

  “If you aren’t going to tell me, then forget the conversation.”

  “I am telling you.” He fisted his hand on the table.

  “You’re being vague,” she shot at him.

  “Well, we wouldn’t be having this damn conversation at all if you hadn’t snuck into a place you weren’t supposed to be.” He leane
d over the table.

  “I wouldn’t have had to sneak anywhere if you hadn’t been so secretive about it.” She matched his irritation.

  He blinked a few times and laughed. “So, it’s my fault because I didn’t want you to know? Do you need another demonstration of who is in charge here?”

  Her cheeks blanched, and she sat back in her chair, shoulders slumping. “No.” She turned her gaze away.

  “Did it occur to you at all that my keeping you from the Annex was to protect you?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I just thought you were doing something illegal back there and didn’t want me to know. Are you? Is what you’re doing something horrible?”

  He didn’t like the doubt in her expression. His father always showed his disappointment for his decisions. The men his father worked with had given him no doubt of the amount of dissatisfaction they felt at his actions, but none of that had caused the ache the expression of doubt in her eyes did.

  “Not a single woman you saw last night was there against her will. Every one of them is free to leave when they wish. They come and go as they please. Well, mostly.”

  “Just start at the beginning, Ash. I want to understand.” The softness in her voice drew him. The bitterness she’d shown him in the past waned. Could the spanking last night have gotten through to her? Or was it the way he’d held her all night.

  He should have put her in her own bed. His mind told him it would be safer, but the rest of him demanded she be near him. She needed him. After such a harsh punishment, abandoning her to her own bed would have been cruel. Being cruel to Ellie, when she was so vulnerable, so open to hurt, wasn’t an option. He wouldn’t hurt her, not after seeing the hurt in her eyes after sending her away before.

  “My father started a business before I was born. He sold women to other men who wanted sex slaves or house slaves, or whatever they wanted. The women didn’t have a say. They didn’t choose the men, and a lot of times they didn’t chose to be sold at all. After my father died, and the business became mine, I made changes. The Annex is more of a service of pairing up women who want to find men to own them.”

  “They choose slavery?”

  “In a way. Think of it as a kinky dating service. The women always have final say in a contract, they agree to terms, they agree to pricing, and they agree to time. If they don’t agree to any of it, the deal doesn’t take place.”

  “So how do you make any money?”

  “A broker’s fee.” Explaining it all made it sound simpler than it really was. “I bring in the clientele, I make the deals, and I give the girls housing until they find the contract they want.”

  “So, they aren’t prostitutes?”

  “Some of them do work the parties like last night for one night of servitude, and men come to the Annex for similar dates.”

  He waited for disgust to show up in her expression. So far, only curiosity.

  “Come with me.” He pushed away from the table and took her hand, leading her out of the dining room.

  She didn’t say a word as they walked through the house to the Annex. And she held his hand tighter when he opened the door leading to the wing she’d snuck into the night before.

  He would never get over the surprise and anger he’d felt when he saw her pressed against the wall by Marcus. It had taken immense strength not to kill him where he stood. Only focusing on Ellie made that possible.

  Taking her down a corridor away from the main ballroom of the wing, he pointed out the doors.

  “These are apartments. Most of the girls live in groups of two or three, but some do live alone. Each suite has three bedrooms, a kitchen, and living space. The doors are all locked, and they have keys, just like any other apartment building.”

  “You don’t have a key?”

  He smiled. “Only Peter and I have access to the keys to these apartments. They don’t lock from the outside. See?” He pointed out the door to show he couldn’t lock the girls in.

  “But my room is lockable from the outside.” She shot him a surprised look.

  “Your room is different.” He brushed off the subject for another time.

  He led her toward his office.

  “So, they can come and go as they please?”

  “Well, mostly. If they leave the estate, they need to let Peter or whoever is in charge of security for the day know. It’s for their safety, Ellie.”

  She remained silent as he brought her to his office.

  “The contract I saw last night. The guy, he used the woman right there in front of Peter. He didn’t stop him.”

  “It’s part of the deal, Ellie. She’s a product, and he was testing her out.”

  Ellie’s pupils grew, and she averted his gaze again. She found the entire ordeal arousing, not distasteful. His cock found her arousal more appealing than his pants were comfortable with.

  “She was aware of the contract. She agreed to the terms. Peter never would have allowed it if that weren’t the case.”

  “And the handlers?” she asked while moving around the room, pretending to look at the books on the shelves. Mostly for décor; he hadn’t read any of them.

  “Security. The party has a lot of men vying for the same woman, so they are given a handler to keep away any unwanted attention or aggressions. I can’t keep them safe if the women wander around on their own. Someone like Marcus is always present.”

  She stilled at the name but ran her finger over the spine of a book as if to distract herself.

  “And if the woman doesn’t want to be sold?”

  “Well, if that was the case, they wouldn’t be here to begin with. I never take a woman into the Annex who doesn’t want to be there. They aren’t allowed at the party if they aren’t sure they want to be on contract.”

  She peeked over her shoulder at him.

  “And me? I offered myself for my father’s debt. Wouldn’t you make back the money you lost on my father faster if you put me in the Annex?”

  He felt the knot in his chest he felt every time Peter asked the same question or Daniel chanced making a comment. Thinking to have her in the Annex made his skin tighten, his head ache, and his chest clench.

  “Probably,” he agreed, not giving her any indication the idea repulsed him as it did.

  “Then, why am I in your house instead of your stable?” she asked with more curiosity than bitterness. She didn’t seem to have any issue with the concept of the Annex, but the fact she wasn’t in it piqued her interest.

  “Not sure you’d get a buyer for me?” she teased and turned back to the books.

  He’d have a buyer within an hour, of that he had no question. Not just her body, or her obvious beauty, but her quick wit and intelligence would draw attention to her within moments of meeting the clients. He would probably earn every penny, plus more of what her father borrowed, on the first contract.

  So, why not allow it?

  “Would you want to be contracted out?” he asked more out of curiosity than giving the thought any actual weight. The only place Ellie would be going was back to his bed.

  Ellie’s delicate hand paused over the books and dropped to her side. She turned around, those large eyes of hers searing into him from across the room.

  “What sort of things do the men buy these women for?” she asked with a tilt to her head.

  He tightened his fists; could she even think he’d let her go with some other man? Someone who wouldn’t put her needs or wants first but only treat her as a piece of ass?

  “Sexual servitude, always. Some want specific roles like Master slave or a house maid as well as sex slave. Some have specific tastes like blood play, forced sex, caging, humiliation, scat play.”

  Her eyes widened, and he had his answer. His little Ellie knew much more than she let on.

  “But the women set limits? They can say no?”

  “They can take things out of contracts or suggest things, but once they sign, the only way out is to void the contract and lose the money they were pai
d.”

  Ellie sighed.

  “Is it so horrible?” he asked, leaning against his desk. “Many of the women here have done these things outside of the Annex, for less pay, with less security, and had no say. None of them are forced, and a lot of them are looking to find someone long term.”

  Her eyes snapped to his. “What does that mean?”

  “It means a client can put in an offer to buy the woman outright. Not a termed contract—they would be his until the two of them dissolved the relationship.”

  “So, you sell them like a prize horse?”

  “I suppose you can see it that way. Just like any other transaction, the woman gets her share, I get mine, and the deal is done.”

  Ellie sank into the leather seat before him, folding her hands in her lap.

  “Is that why you showed the Annex to me, now? I’ll go in the catalogue?”

  He would swear on his life he heard deep sorrow in her voice with her question. She actually thought she was worth so little to him he could just put her in line with the other girls? That over the past week, they hadn’t made any headway?

  But, why would she think otherwise? He’d kept her at arm’s length, had all but called her and treated her as a whore. Of course she thought so little of herself. He’d taught her to.

  That ended. Now.

  “You’re not for sale. To Marcus or anyone else.” A shiver ran through her body. His tone remained hard. He managed to keep the rage over her thinking away from his voice, but it still sat in his chest. Nagging at him over the way he allowed her to feel, the way he’d treated her.

  “What if I wanted to? I mean, with a few months’ contract, I should be able to make back what my father owed.”

  “I already told you. The debt amount doesn’t matter. It was paid the moment you became mine. There’s nothing left to work off.”

  Her lips parted, and he thought she would argue more. He could sense the relief in her. Why fight more?

  “Come with me. There’s something else I want to show you before I have to leave for a meeting.” He gripped her arm and pulled her from the chair. The kindness he’d afforded by being gentle so far that morning was coming to an abrupt end.