by Vonna Harper
Deciding he’d focused on her lower body long enough, he turned his attention to her up thrust arms. He made sure the whip didn’t strike her face or throat. He also held back so she’d feel sensation, not pain.
“This is constant.” He fell into a rapid but light rhythm. “Your body under never-ending assault. It doesn’t know how to deal what’s happening to it, or respond. Every second is about survival, every minute about endurance, each hour about what your master demands.”
She no longer fought her restraints, twitched with every blow. She stared at him, her expression unreadable.
“Down,” he muttered. “Down into a deep, dark hole where only sensation lives.” He started working her breasts again. “You’ve fallen into the pit, and there’s no way out. Only you and I are in it. You can’t see me, but you feel me everywhere, taking over your space, claiming your body, owning your soul.”
Chapter Twenty
Willow stood in her stall listening intently to the sound of the front barn door opening. It was night, long hours after her beating at Master Damek’s hands. She’d fallen asleep or passed out—maybe a little of both—shortly after Reno and he had brought her in here. Given her throbbing body, she was surprised she’d been able to lie down for so long. Now, although she still felt exhausted, she was more comfortable standing up than where the mattress might rub against her abused flesh.
Abused but not ruined.
Approaching footsteps compelled her to put her hand to her throat but stopped because her collar was in the way of her sad attempt to comfort herself. The leather around her wrists and ankles served as inescapable reminders of her lot in life, as did the two cuts on her thighs. They’d stopped bleeding but remained as vivid memories of what her day had been like.
The stall door squeaked and Master Damek’s formidable form filled the space. She gave fleeting thought to trying to run past him.
“You’re awake,” he said.
“Yes, Master.”
“Turn around. I want to see everything.”
As she did as he’d commanded, memories she’d fought down resurfaced. What was it he’d said as he whipped her in the sunlight, something about taking over her space, claiming her body, and owning her soul. She wasn’t ready for the last and hoped she never would be, but the rest was true.
Still she didn’t regret cursing him.
When she’d completed a circle, he stepped closer and hooked his finger through the ring in her collar. Pulled tight against him, she waited. Felt.
“You need to understand something.” His breath dampened the top of her head. “Today wasn’t about our relationship. It was about proving myself to men whose opinions are important. You broke a rule. I had no choice but to punish you.”
No choice. Her breasts were against his middle. His greater size and strength clearly said she didn’t stand a chance against him.
“I know,” she whispered.
“Do you? More to the point, do you truly understand what your life’s going to be like once you’ve been purchased?”
Purchased. Bought. Owned. “How can I?” she snapped. “It hasn’t happened.”
“Yet.”
Puzzled by his tone, she looked up at him. As she did, her outburst repeated itself.
What, in the wake of her beating, made her think she could get away with saying what she had?
“No, not yet.”
Why wasn’t he throwing her words back at her? She wanted to wrap her arms around him, maybe because he was the only known quantity in this nightmare, at least she hoped that’s what he was.
“I’ve remained in contact with those who buy my trainees,” he continued. “Think of it as quality control. Via those contacts I learn what slave owners expect. Granted, each one is different but there are common denominators. They want subservience and obedience. That’s more important than physical beauty.”
He adjusted his hold so his hand cupped her chin. Forcing her onto her toes, he brought his mouth close to hers. “Your looks are average. I’ve never worked with a trainee with less fight in her. However, in the light of what you said earlier today, I’m wondering if I need to adjust my thinking. Give you more credit for fire—fire you’re going to live to regret.”
When he exhaled, she nearly lost herself in the warmth. Her weary legs threatened to give out, prompting her to hold onto his waist.
“If I gloss over your temporary loss of control and focus on how well I believe you’ll meet their requirements, you’ll garner a higher price.”
“You want that. It proves—“
“That I know how to do my job.”
Was this part of his job? Did he always seduce his trainees and was this what he was doing? After what he’d done to her this morning, she didn’t see how that was possible, and yet—what?
When he let go of her neck, she settled back onto her feet but kept her hands on him. A few days ago she would recoiled at the thought of willingly touching him, but she needed his strength and warmth. As for the reason—had her cursing him changed his opinion of her?
Wrapping an arm around her waist, he drew her against his erection. Be careful, a part of her mind warned. Don’t trust anything he does.
The voice wasn’t strong enough. It faded under the unexpected closeness. If she rose onto her toes and lifted her head, would he kiss her?
A kiss. Intimacy. Connection.
Feeling equal to him.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” he muttered. “For me to forget who I am.”
“Can you blame me?” she heard herself ask. “I want to forget who you’ve made me become.”
“Your training has moved along faster than most because the capacity for submission and surrender is an inherent part of you. Some captives die resisting.”
Die. “How—how can you face yourself knowing you’re responsible—“
He grabbed her waist with both hands and shoved her away. She landed on her ass on the bed. She’d never understand this man.
“I’ve never lost a slave.” He ground out the words. “I’ve come close a few times when they did something that angered me.”
Heed his warning. “Master, have I angered you?”
“No,” he said slowly. “You haven’t. Not really.”
“I don’t believe you.” Shut up. Don’t test his patience.
“You would if you’d ever seen me mad. It—hell, never mind.”
“What makes you mad?”
Frowning, he folded his arms over his chest. “Remember your boundaries, slave. I ask the questions, not you.”
“I’m sorry, Master.”
“Don’t,” he snapped.
“Don’t what?”
“Act like a whipped pup.”
Wasn’t that his goal? Confused, she stared at her empty hands. “I don’t know what you want of me.”
“Maybe nothing.” He shook his head. “I need to remind myself that the rudiments of your training were already in place when I got you.”
“They were?”
“Because of your upbringing.”
“You know—“
“Yeah, I do.”
Of course he did. He knew everything about her. “My parents, particularly my father wouldn’t abide any questioning of his authority. He was right, always. I had no choice but to bow to his will.”
“What happened when you displeased him?”
A locked room. No food. Endless lectures. Countless spankings. “I tried not to.”
His smile lacked warmth. “You learned your lesson well.”
And because she’d been docile, she hadn’t made him angry. As for her profanity—maybe he’d been more surprised than anything.
What would her training have been like if she’d resisted? Undoubtedly her body would now bear scars born of his domineering nature. He might have beaten her senseless, raged and repeatedly punished. It was better to be the way she was, a spineless survivor.
Why then didn’t she regret cursing him or speaking
her mind?
He withdrew a small tube from his front pocket and tossed it at her. “Put it on the cuts.
It’ll make them heal faster.”
In other words the only reason he’d come in her tonight was to protect his investment.
Her eyes burned. Damn it, she wouldn’t be upset if she hadn’t spent those strange seconds in his arms. The gentle contact was in sharp contrast to everything she’d endured since the first time she’d seen him. She couldn’t wrap her mind around it.
“This is between you and me.” He indicated the salve.
“The camera—“
“I turned it off.”
Why, she longed to ask.
She sat cross-legged on the bed while he stood near the door and the distance between them loomed. Until this moment she’d had no interest in what he was beyond a sex slave trainer. He knew so much about her. It wasn’t fair, wasn’t right for all the knowledge to be on his side.
“I was an only child,” she told him. “I think—my parents said making me turn out right took all their energy. I didn’t come home when my father died.”
He jerked his head. “I hope to hell I never see my mother again.”
Speechless, she clapped her hand over her mouth. A fine rage ran through him. The wall around him seemed to crack.
“I understand,” she whispered.
“No, you don’t. You can’t.”
Just like that, the opening sealed up again, and she was left staring at the barrier he’d erected. “Come here,” he commanded.
As she got off the bed, she studied him hoping to read his mood. How could she have gotten confused about the nature of their relationship? The moment she was within reach, he grabbed her wrist and spun her around so her back was to him. He captured her other wrist and pulled her over to a wall. An overhead chain clinked. All too soon he’d secured her arms behind her, lifted them, and connected the restraint to the chain. Bent over the way she was, she couldn’t defend herself.
Master Damek had returned with all his dark strength.
“In two days,” he said, “another man’s hands will be on your body. You’ll forget what mine felt like but you’ll never forget the lessons I taught you.”
Being unable to see him behind her was disconcerting. Between that and how he’d immobilized her, she was hard-pressed to remember the words and emotions that had passed between them only a few minutes ago.
Maybe this was better.
“I haven’t use vibrators much because they distract you from the things I needed to teach you.” He ran his nails down her back. Shivering, she tried to move away only to stop.
Truth was she wanted him to touch her like that again.
“I have your attention, don’t I?” He raked a nail over her spine, forcing a squeal from her. “Some masters want a slave like you, easily aroused. They get off on the fantasy of having one who begs to be fucked, who finds ways to rub against her master. There are drugs that—let’s just say I could make you so horny you couldn’t keep your hands off yourself. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?”
Warm, strong fingers slipped between her ass cheeks. Something, maybe his knuckle, pressed against her rear opening.
“This is a warning, not that you can do anything about it. Because it’s my responsibility to tell potential owners what they’d get with you, I’ll demonstrate how you react to this.”
The ass pressure evaporated only to return. Working slow and forcefully, Master Damek pushed his forefinger past her sphincter muscles. Once he was all the way in with her body closed tight around him, he forced her to take a forward step. The strain on her arms demanded attention but she couldn’t give them their due. He had her, was controlling her in that all-consuming way of his. This was beyond intimacy, a forceful takeover she couldn’t escape.
Cutting into her ability to think.
His finger remained lodged in her as he repositioned himself so he also had easy access to her pussy. She didn’t want this, wanted to be left alone to recover from today’s beating and at the same time she was grateful for the powerful presence her world now revolved around.
Maybe, if she became what he wanted, he’d tell her why he hated his mother.
“I regret not using the vibrators more.” He stroked the inside of the leg closest to him. “I wanted to experiment with going through an entire training without resorting to one, but that might have been short-sighted on my part.” A finger glided over her clit only to disappear. “I suppose I could tonight, but I didn’t bring any with me and, I don’t feel inclined to leave.”
He wanted to stay with her? Because she meant something to him?
No! Another pass over her clit distracted her. When she’d re-gathered her thoughts, she chided herself for her stupid thoughts. He probably spoke to all his trainees like this to keep them off balance. For all she knew, he’d fed each one nuggets about his life only to leave them hungry for more. Wondering if he was more than a trainer of human flesh.
“Take what pleasure you can from this, slave.” His fingers kissed her folds.
Tense with wanting, she forced herself through one second after another. He’d touch her sex again, he had to! He wouldn’t have strung her up this way or anchored her with a finger up her ass if he had no intention of pushing her limits.
“You didn’t need much conditioning.” Only his forefinger in her rear touched her. “For some slaves their fear never backs down enough for them to find any enjoyment, but you grew up afraid of displeasing your parents. You’d learned how to deal with fear while still being able to function. That’s what the bidders have a right to know.”
“Don’t, please,” she whispered when it took all her self-control not to beg him to finish what he’d begun. “Don’t tell them how—easy I am.”
He stroked her labia as if he’d found a new toy to play with. Galvanized by the delicious sensation, she tried to press herself against his hand.
“Of course I’ll tell them.” A finger began a whispering inroad into her vagina. “I get a bonus if you go for more than the price management set for you.”
Carnal Management saw her as goods, merchandise to be presented to a select market.
Maybe those shadowy figures did, but Master Damek was different. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be doing what he was to her tonight. Saying what he was.
Would he?
Confusion struck only to be swept away as the whisper became a murmur. Her juices flowed from her, and it felt wonderful. Her master’s finger now caressed her channel much as a lover would, full of kindness, compassion, even a bit of humor.
“Maybe I’ll string you up the way you are right now for the auction.” His finger explored deeper, caressed hungry tissues. “Make it easy for them to examine all your orifices and discover for themselves how well you respond.”
She wouldn’t listen to those words, she wouldn’t! This man knew how to please her and help her remember that she was a woman. He’d keep her for himself, worship her as only a man can worship. Their lives would revolve around each other. They’d go where no one could find them. He’d bring an assortment of restraints and sex toys and no clothes for her, anticipate her every wanton need, play her until she sang like the fine instrument he’d turned her into.
“What are you feeling, slave? Where has your mind and body taken you?”
Her master/lover wouldn’t punish. He’d wait her out until she found the words she needed. Understand her.
“Are you that far gone, slave?” He pushed deeper, stayed longer. “Past being able to think?”
“I’m sorry. What…”
A subtle shift in her vagina warned her that he was about to withdraw. Sick because she couldn’t do anything about it, she whimpered and tossed her head.
Long after he’d abandoned her sex hole, she waited for him to speak. His silence was as cruel as any whip and just as hard to endure. She tried to look over her shoulder but couldn’t find him. At least he still claimed her ass and his heat along her
flank kept her on the sexual edge.
“To clarify something we touched on earlier,” he finally said, “you and I have certain things in common.”
Are you going to—“What?”
Instead of answering, he vigorously rubbed her clit. The so-familiar electrical current charged through her until she stood at the brink of a climax, needing just a few more seconds to finish what might have already begun.
“You ran away. So did I.”
If only she could concentrate! But for that to happen he’d have to walk away from her.
Her breasts hung heavy, shaking in response to his pummeling of her sexual trigger. Her legs were strained but she struggled to open them further so he’d know how much she needed—needed—
“You waited longer than I did,” he went on as his fingers stroked at a fever pitch. “You had things planned out, a place to go to while I—hell, I just ran.”
There was the touch of a boy in his tone. She longed to embrace and comfort the child he’d once been. A man stood there, manipulating her, making her crazy.
“Huh, ahh.” She couldn’t remember how to close her mouth, couldn’t stop shaking.
“Call this my going away gift to you,” he said and touched three fingers to her vaginal opening.
“Master, why?”
“Why did I decide to give you a little pleasure?” His fingers slipped past her welcoming tissues, spreading and branding her. Throwing her into space where pleasure ruled. “Hell if I know.”
Finger fucked. Occupied. Attacked.
Lost in harsh yet wonderful reality, she dove into her body. Master Damek was right, she loved sexual pleasure. She’d always been a little afraid of her responsiveness. Not many men were worthy of that much trust. Why then had she tried to hold onto Mitch, damn her!
Because you hated being alone.
Her captor, her sex slave trainer had wrenched self-control from her and she loved it.
Feared and embraced the journey at the same time.
Her thoughts again broke off and melted, leaving her to simply experience. Electrical sparks crawled all over her trapped body, her ass muscles bit down on the finger in it while her pussy silently shrieked. Master Damek, who knew her better than she did herself, was again attacking her with broad, strong, hot fingers.