by Sadie Jacks
“Fuck, kitten,” I muttered against her flesh.
“Mmm.” She moaned into my chest. “Fuck me, Arkady. Please. I’m so close.” She tightened her muscles around my dick, squeezed.
I shuddered as I fought to get my body back under control. “Are you some kind of sex demon?”
Her chuckle was smoke and sex. “Not that I know of.”
I lifted up, eyed her from inches away. “Liar.” Pushing up on my elbows, I set my knees into the mattress. As the angle of invasion changed, I bit back the groan.
She curled her legs up over my hips, hooked her ankles at the curve of my ass. With more strength than I would have credited her with, she pushed my body down while she thrust up.
I couldn’t handle it anymore. Pushing up to my knees, I grabbed the headboard. “Hold on, kitten.” I pulled my hips back and thrust back down in a sharp movement.
Our mingled moans filled the air. Like we’d unleashed the animals we kept locked away, we tore at each other. My hips became a sledgehammer as I pounded into her welcoming curves.
Sweat gathered on my brow, slicked down my spine in a mist. The frenzied pull of her body demanded everything I could give her. I spread my knees wider, shoved them under her ass as I drilled down into her cunt. I couldn’t get enough of her. Would never have my fill.
“Arkady.” Her word was a whisper as her head pushed back into the pillows. The arch of her neck was a seductive call. Stuck between wanting to taste her neck and bringing us both to the gates of Valhalla, I chose Valhalla.
Gathering all my strength, I upped my speed. The bed started knocking against the wall. Her moans turned to short, sharp screams as her nails dug grooves into my chest.
“Touch yourself, kitten. Rub your clit for me. I want to feel you come on my dick. I’m going to fill you so full of cum that it will run down your leg. Marking you as mine. Do it, Talia. Now.”
I felt one of her hands slide between our battling bodies. Felt the answering clenching of her core as she tipped herself over the edge. The tight clamp of her tissues was my curtain call.
With a couple more thrusts that felt like I was trying to meld my body with hers, I fell off the cliff. My body jerked into a tightened bow as my dick pumped and emptied itself inside her.
My eyes jerked open as I lost my load. It hit the shower wall. Mocked me as it joined the water splattering off my body and slowly slid down the wall into the drain. Just like my fantasies. Just like my future.
I shuddered in the hot water as if someone had flushed a toilet and hit me with freezing temps. With a snarl, I finished the shower. Stepped back out of the tiled enclosure.
Stomping back into my room buck naked, I stopped at the monitors. Grabbing a towel off the back of my chair, I ran it over my hair. My body.
The last camera feed I checked had my blood going cold.
Talia was in danger. And I was jerking off in the shower.
Grabbing up a pair of pants, I stuffed my legs into them. Shoved my feet into shoes. I needed to get down there.
Now.
Chapter 27 – Talia
I snarled as I broke open another ice pack. At this rate, I’d use the whole bag of them before tonight. Whatever time that stupid dinner was at. The loss of time was starting to get on my nerves. Hell, it was starting to drive me batty.
No windows, I couldn’t even give an estimate of what time it was. No sense of passing days or nights. Just the low lights of the cell and variable interruptions to trip my fight-or-flight system. I felt like I’d been here for both a couple days and a couple years.
I made it back to the bed. The bottle of water Arkady’s man had given to me wasn’t even a quarter down yet. I glared at it.
Between the aches and pains of my body, the possibly damaged kidney, and the lack of a sense of time, I was beginning to feel like I was losing my mind. Not a good thing when I needed to be sharp enough to try to escape at a moment’s notice.
I laid back down on the bed, slid the newest ice pack between the mattress and the sweatshirt I was still wearing. Sighed in relief as the cold started to work its magic. I’d never known I would enjoy ice so much. But here I was. Life was making me into a liar again.
Just as I was closing my eyes, I heard the grinding of the door in its casing. I prayed it was Arkady. Or even Vasili.
But something told me I wasn’t going to be that lucky.
Not this time.
I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. No weapons to speak of. I’d gone through most of the alcohol trying to get the blood off of me. And unless the intruder allowed me to shove blood- and alcohol-soaked cotton rounds down his throat, I was out of options.
The door finally pushed into my cell, a human groan joining the metallic one I was more familiar with. I blinked a couple times when I saw a woman instead of one of the Kuznetsov brothers. A small part of me relaxed, while the bigger part of me stilled. Women were much more vicious. Not to mention petty.
“Talia Maria Amatucci. What a lovely surprise,” she said. Her blonde hair was pulled back into an elegant coif that reminded me of the women who came to the Foundation’s galas. Her sleek body was wrapped in a black velvet dress that looked equally stunning. Heavy diamonds sat at her ears, encircled her neck. They complimented her bright green eyes.
“I’d say the pleasure was all mine, but I have no idea who you are.” I got to my feet. “Since you already know who I am…” I let my voice trail off as I stuck my hand out to shake hers.
She sniffed and backed up. “You can call me Svetlana.”
Letting my hand drop, I nodded. “Nice to meet you, Svetlana. To what do I owe this delightful pleasure?”
She snickered softly. “I’m here to make sure you’re decent for dinner, dear.” She shook her head as if I were the cutest dumb thing she’d ever come across.
I gritted my teeth. “Great. Manis and pedis on the agenda?”
Her laugh was forced and fake. It grated on my nerves. “Even I can’t manage that. No. I’ll be taking you to my residence. You’ll get a proper shower. Makeup. A dress.” She looked me up and down. “Maybe two showers.”
“Yeah, being held prisoner by a bunch of rapists isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” Was this woman stupid or did she just not care?
Her green eyes lit up. She tittered another laugh as if she were in a drawing room from Regency era England. “You’re so funny.” She spun on her heel. “Come along now.”
I followed her out of the cell. Wished I could get the phone. Hopefully, I'd come back here at some point.
I almost lost my marbles at that last thought. I hoped to come back to my cell? Was I actually going insane?
“We don’t have a lot of time, dear. Please don’t dawdle,” Svetlana said without turning around to look at me.
I picked up my pace. Winced at the extra jolting the faster pace put on my back.
“Arkady, what a lovely surprise,” Svetlana said ahead of me. “I would have assumed you were already asleep.”
“Yeah, well, no rest for the wicked. What are you doing, Svetlana?” he asked.
I turned the last corner, saw that he was standing there in pants, shoes, and wet hair. Not a shirt in sight. And thank the angels.
The celestial entities probably wrote poems and sonnets about his chest and abs. Clear cut and defined, they made my fingers itch and saliva pool in my mouth. Sweet babies, the man was ripped. I think my ovaries even shuddered.
He looked at me, his golden eyes bright. When he looked back at Svetlana, his face had shut down of all emotion. “Barrikad wants me to get her ready. You go back to your room.” He moved towards me.
Svetlana cut him off. “Then you haven’t been kept abreast of the latest news. I’m to take care of her. Make sure she comes up to snuff. Barrikad wants her decked out in the finest clothes we have at our disposal.” Her lilting laugh caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.
Arkady nodded. “Then you won’t get angry while I check
those orders.” He pulled his phone from his pocket.
Svetlana rocked back on her heels. A pair of six inch Louboutin’s, if I wasn’t mistaken. I was rarely mistaken about shoes. “Go ahead. But if she is late to dinner, I will rest the responsibility on you.”
Arkady nodded again. “That is fine.” He spun away from us quickly, walked to the far wall. A quick blast of Russian followed.
I saw Arkady’s free hand clench into a fist, his shoulders bunch.
Well, crap cakes. That didn’t look good.
He turned back to Svetlana and me. “If she sustains any more damage, I have the full authority of the brothers to take any injury out of your flesh. Keep your claws to yourself, Svetlana.” He glared at her.
She giggled, nodded. “We’re going to get ready for dinner, Arkady. What could I possibly do to the girl in that amount of time?” With that, she braceleted my wrist with her hand and dragged me behind her as if I were a prized pet on a leash.
“Watch your back, princess,” Arkady whispered to me as I passed him.
Great. Just what I wanted to hear. A warning while I was dragged off with a new jailer.
**
The winding path we took was etched into my brain. If I got to go back to my cell tonight, I would know how to get out of this goddess-forsaken place.
I mentally slapped myself. There I go again, praying I get to see my dark room of gloom before I died. What were my instincts picking up that my conscious brain wasn’t? If Arkady told me to be on the lookout, then I needed to get my head in the game.
Walking into a room that looked like it was from the opulent days of tzars, I was a little amazed that the decorations Svetlana had chosen were so tacky. Maybe someone else dressed her. Maybe a program did.
Either way, I couldn’t really reconcile the harsh reds and blacks of the furniture and textiles with the creams and golds of the original architecture. It was like she was trying to be trashy on purpose. And she was pulling it off with high marks, I’d give her that.
“Talia, you need to go shower.” Svetlana stood in front of me. A couple inches taller in her shoes.
I nodded, unable to look away from the massacre of taste.
SLAP!
I twisted to the side as her hand crashed against my cheek. My eyes immediately started watering. “What the fuck was that for?” I growled as I straightened.
A light had entered her eyes that told me she wanted me to hit her back. Or least make a move towards her. This one was much like her masters, it seemed. She enjoyed inflicting pain.
“Do as I tell you, girl. I won’t repeat myself again.” Her nostrils flared as she studied my face.
I nodded. “Fine. Geez. Tell me where the shower is.” I struggled to get my shoulders relaxed. Fought to pull them from my ears as a multitude of ways to end her ran through my mind in vibrant color.
She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. A tall door, that had to be fifteen feet high, was inset to the wall. “There. Make sure you use the razor, darling. Runs in stockings are so passe.”
Stockings are so passe, I retorted mentally. Bitch thought to give me fashion advice? Seriously?
Keeping my mental snorts to myself, I moved around her and headed for the bathroom.
A huge golden knob sat in the middle of the paneled door. With barely a twist of my hand, it opened and swung inward. Stepping through, I bit back the gasp.
It was gorgeous. Like nothing I’d ever seen before. Cathedral ceilings with white marble vanities. A ginormous travertine shower was almost as big as my entire loft apartment in New Trenadie. Even the toilet was pretty.
Skimming off my clothes, I was naked and under the torrent of water before it had a chance to warm up all the way. I didn’t care. About to get clean, I was more than happy to wallow under the stream as it edged its way up in heat.
In the corner of the shower, there were inset shelves. Each holding bottles and jars that looked top shelf. I couldn’t read any of the labels, but I would figure it out. One of the shelves held a disposable razor in a sealed container.
At least I wouldn’t be sharing a razor with anyone. And I was going to need a sharp blade. I think this was the longest I’d ever gone without shaving since I got to the age where I needed to do it.
I shuddered. Glad I’d opted for waxing my pubic hair all those years ago. I was still soft and downy down below.
With the water finally warm enough, I set about investigating the bottles. When I found one that looked more like body wash than conditioner, I squirted a puddle into my hand. I wasn’t willing to use anyone else’s loofah either.
I washed my body four times before I felt truly clean. The rat’s nest that was my hair…that would probably need at least four cycles before I could do anything with it. Conditioner. I needed lots of conditioner.
Speaking of which, I scouted the bottles and jars again. Finding one that looked and smelled promising, I poured a liberal amount into my hands. A sigh fell from my mouth as I plopped it on my head, worked the product through the starved and parched strands. While it worked its magic, I set about shaving my legs.
I’d give Svetlana this: her taste in body products was superb. It smelled like a fruit garden in here. Certainly better than smelling myself the last however many days.
With one leg done, I stood up, rinsed out my hair. With only my fingers to comb it through, I did the best I could. Repeated the whole process. My locks needed some deep conditioning love.
With the second round of conditioner on my head, I bent and shaved my other leg. Sighed at the silky skin feeling. A quick slide of the razor over my armpits and I was feeling almost human.
Rinsing my hair, I got down to the business of actually cleaning it. And I’d been right. Four lather, rinse, repeat cycles later, I felt like my hair was going to be as good as it could be under the circumstances.
Another ocean of conditioner applied to the ends, I stood in the stream of hot water until I started to feel a little light headed. Turning the handle to the cooler side of the spectrum, I turned my back and tipped my head back.
I was never going to take showering for granted again, if I got out of this.
My inner bitch snarled. When I got out of this. There would be no ‘if.’ Not when my life depended on it. Literally.
Finally clean, I shut the water off and grabbed a lavender towel from a rack. Huddled into the warmth when I discovered the rack had been heating the towel. Now, this…this was something I needed at home. A towel warmer.
With the towel wrapped around my body, I grabbed up another and blotted my hair dry. No need to add frizz to the curls before I got them set. Scrounging around the bathroom looking for styling products, I found a bottle that at least looked familiar. Even if I couldn’t read the label.
Spraying a half-dollar-sized amount into the cup of my palm, I applied it to my wet hair. Let it set. I went on another scavenger hunt for a toothbrush and a pair of tweezers. I had no idea what my brows looked like, and considering the hairiness of my family, I wasn’t willing to leave it to chance.
By the time I finally left the bathroom, I’d almost forgotten that I wasn’t back at home. The ugly room, the nasty lady, and the dress from hell quickly broke the dream state. I was most definitely still in my personal hell.
“Finally. I was beginning to wonder if you had melted and flowed down the drain with the dirty water,” Svetlana said. A bite to her tone that took it from joking to mildly hateful.
“Well, being held captive for a while will do that to a person.” I bumped my shoulders up. What the hell was I really supposed to say to something like that?
She shrugged it off. Turned towards the bed. A gold swath of fabric draped over the foot of the bed. It shimmered and sparkled like it had sequins on it.
Gold and I had a very tricky relationship. If there was too much yellow in it, it made me look sallow. Not enough yellow and I looked jaundiced.
I narrowed my gaze on Svetlana. She probably knew this, had orchestrated
it. I walked over to the sheath dress. Put my arm against the glittering fabric. Shuddered internally. “Do you have something else for me to wear? That’s going to wash me out.”
Her green eyes widened as if I’d just asked to butt fuck her. “Net. You wear this or you wear nothing.” She stabbed her finger in my chest. “You ungrateful little bitch.”
I brushed her hand aside. “Don’t touch me.” I stood my ground. Tired of being pushed around by just about everyone bigger than me, I wasn’t about to let this trashy, catty woman do it too.
Her green eyes glittered again. “And what are you going to do about it, bitch?” She sank her nail into my breastbone again.
I shook my head. “Svetlana, Svetlana, Svetlana. You’re stupid on top of trashy.” Grabbing her hand, I had it wrenched around behind her back. Her elbow shoved up towards the sky. As she yelped in pain, I kicked her feet out from under her. Followed her body down to the ground. “Now, listen up, Russian Trash. Find me a different dress and I’ll cooperate with you. Keep touching me or try to foist that dress off on me again, and I’ll put you down so fast, your fashion sense will go back to the 90s where it came from.”
Tears gathered in her elegantly make-upped eyes. She nodded. “Da. Da. Get off.”
I eased to my feet, tried to hide the pain shakes that wanted to knock my bones together. It had been worth it, but damn, my body was unhappy with taking her down.
She got up. A skittish filly trying to find her legs. Served her right. She was nothing but a hanger-on with a vagina. I was the prize.
Stomping her way over to another door I hadn’t noticed, she ripped it open. A bit more elegantly done with the super tall door. Had she been able to do it in a trashy way, I’m sure she would have.
“Come look. Although, you are fat. So, I doubt anything will fit correctly.” She crossed her arms over her chest. Sneered at me down her nose.
I walked over. Naked after taking her to the ground, I wasn’t going to bother to cover up for a walk to a closet. Poking my head into the giant room, I wanted to tit punch her.