by A. L Long
Cracking the door open, I looked down the hall where the maid's cart was to make sure she was still doing her thing. Seeing that the coast was clear, I headed past her cart and to the stairs. The penthouse suite was on the 52nd floor and going up twelve flights of stairs was no problem for me.
Stopping in my tracks, I realized I would be needing a way to get inside the penthouse. Backing up a few steps, I grabbed the master key card from the cart and quickly walked down the hallway before the maid found out that her card was missing.
Taking the stairs two at a time, I found that I wasn’t able to access the penthouse from the stairs. I had to take the elevator. As I got onto the elevator, I swiped the master card so I could gain access to the 52nd floor. No matter how many times I swiped the card, it would not give me the access I needed. The only way I was going to get inside that penthouse was with the help of Peter.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Juliette
When we pulled up to the Four Seasons, I knew that this wasn’t going to be good. The last time I was here things didn’t go so well. Sebastian exited the car and held out his hand to me. Taking hold of it, I slipped out of the seat, careful not to expose what I was wearing underneath. Going through the revolving door, we headed up the steps to where the elevators were. As we got onto the car, instead of pushing the 40th floor, Sebastian slid his key card in the slot and pushed the button for the 52nd floor. In a way I was relieved that he wasn’t taking me back to the room that held so many bad memories.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. The light marble floors were polished to a brilliant shine. What had me in awe was the four foot chandelier that hung high above the dining table. Pulling me from my thoughts, I heard him ask, “Can I get you something to drink?”
Turning his way, I replied, “Yeah, water will be fine.”
“You’re going to want something a lot stronger with what I have to tell you,” he confessed.
“What’s going on, Sebastian?” I asked as he passed me a crystal glass with an amber liquid, which I assumed was Scotch.
Before he could answer my question there was a ding from the elevator, letting me know that someone had just arrived. Turning in the direction of the elevator, my jaw dropped with disgust as the blood in my body began to boil. Looking at Sebastian, I hissed, “What the hell is he doing here?”
“Settle down, Juliette. Mr. Marlow has made a very generous offer that I simply couldn’t refuse,” Sebastian admitted.
“What kind of offer?” I asked, angrier than I was a few seconds ago.
“Meet your new Master, my pet.”
“Are you kidding me? Do you realize what you have just done?” I screamed, my fist clinched so tight I could feel my nails digging into my palm.
“I do. It’s just business, Juliette, nothing more,” Sebastian answered, stepping closer to me and placing his hands across my arms.
“Don’t touch me,” I cursed. “Do you want to know why I was in that tub submerged under water? It was because of him.”
Without any other option, I untied my corset and pulled it down my body to reveal what damage this man had done. Sebastian’s eyes went dark with anger. Stepping away from me, he commanded in an icy tone, “Turn around, Juliette.”
I turned around, only to be greeted by a smile attesting to his satisfaction for his handiwork. I could have screamed, but instead, I did what I should have done months ago. I caught sight of a letter opener that was sitting on the table between us and went for it. Sebastian must have sensed what I was about to do, because no sooner than I got to the table and grabbed the opener, his arms were wrapped around my waist holding me back. “Let me go, Sebastian. I would rather die than be with that man.”
“Walter, I hope you have an explanation for this,” Sebastian questioned.
“I had nothing to do with this. Your girl needs to learn how to tell the truth. I think the only way to deal with Miss Daniels’ disobedience is with punishment. What do you think?” he asked, his eyes filled with a darkness I had never seen before.
“Sebastian, he is lying. You have to believe me,” I pleaded, looking straight at Mr. Marlow.
“This is no longer my concern, Juliette. Mr. Marlow can do whatever he sees fit.”
I couldn’t believe that Sebastian would take his side and let their arrangement go through. I didn’t know who I hated most, Sebastian for feeding me to this cannibal or Mr. Marlow for lying about what he did to me. It really didn’t matter. I was never going to win.
Mr. Marlow walked up to me and grabbed me by the arm. “Pick up your things, Slave, we’re going,” he ordered as he looked to Sebastian. “Check your account, Collins, your funds should be there.”
I pulled my arm from his grasp only to have my actions responded to with a slap across the face. Falling to the floor, I felt the gentle touch of Sebastian’s hand on my arm as he helped me stand.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, Walter,” I heard him say.
“The money has been already deposited. A deal is a deal,” Mr. Marlow hissed.
As we got onto the elevator, I could see the regret in Sebastian’s eyes. Drifting my eyes to the marble floor of the elevator, the tears began to fall. I wished I had never left Ash. I wished I never opened that package, but most of all, I wished I had never signed that stupid contract.
~****~
Nothing could have been worse than the punishment that was in store for me when we got to the room on the 40th floor. The first thing that Mr. Marlow commanded was that I strip completely and kneel before him. I knew that if I didn’t comply, my punishment would be ten times worse. Taking off my coat, I stripped off my panties and kicked off my heels before sliding the silky stockings down my legs.
Kneeling before him, I almost lost it as his tobacco-stained smile looked down on me. All I wanted was to get this over and done with. With a snap of his voice he cursed, “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“No, Master,” I said as I leaned over and kissed his shoes.
“That’s better. Now, to your feet, Slave,” he ordered harshly.
I quickly got to my feet, only to be dragged by my neck to the bed, where he threw me upon it. I closed my eyes and prayed that this time he wasn’t going to do to me what he did the last time we were together.
I could hear him backing away from me and opening the door to the closet. I knew exactly what he was going for. It was his bag of tricks. Holding my breath, I waited to see what he would be returning with.
“On your hand and knees, Slave,” he ordered behind me.
Doing as I was told, I pushed to my knees and placed my hands, palm down, on the bed. I could smell his scent as he got closer. I was about to gag, but was stopped the minute he ordered, “Open your mouth.”
Once again, I followed his instruction and opened my mouth. With my mouth opened as wide as it would go, he placed the gag ball between my teeth and secured it tightly at the back of my head. He knew how much I hated this. I think he got off on making me as uncomfortable as possible. There was a sudden snap and I knew that not only did he grab the gag ball, he also grabbed the long thin whip. This was going to be my punishment.
“I think fifteen lashes are in order. Don’t you agree, Slave?”
I knew if I disagreed, he would only add more. So with a nod of my head, I said in a muffled voice, “Yes.”
“Yes, what, Slave?” he snarled.
“Yes, Master,” I replied, squeezing my eyes together to keep the tears from falling.
The first lash was hard and burned beyond belief. I continued to squeeze my eyes tighter as a tear escaped. Unable to hold back any longer, my eyes popped open as the twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, and finally the fifteenth strike hit my back. My body fell to the bed. The way my back felt, I knew that it looked like a road map.
Walking to the side of the bed, Mr. Marlow roughly removed the gag. The minute it was off, I looked at him and screamed as loud as I c
ould. “I hate you, motherfucker.”
With the back of his hand, he struck my face to show he was the master and I the slave. “I’m going to let that slide, wench. Get yourself cleaned up.” These were the last words he said before he left the room. As much as I wanted to leave at that very minute, I knew that he would be standing on the other side of the door just waiting for me to make another mistake.
Lifting myself from the bed, I went into the bathroom and turned the water on in the shower. I couldn’t even look at myself in the mirror. I was a pathetic, weak woman who couldn’t even face the truth.
The shower did nothing to make me feel better. All I wanted to do was curl up into a ball and forget everything. Drying myself off, I grabbed the hotel bathrobe that was folded neatly on the marble vanity. I carefully put it on without causing too much pain to my back. Once I succeeded in doing that, I went back to the bed, pulled down the covers, and closed my eyes. The only thing that allowed me to sleep was the thought of Ash lying next to me, holding me tightly and protecting me from everything. As the thought of him seeped in, my eyes closed and my dreams began.
~****~
As we pulled away from the hotel, I could have sworn I had seen Ash pull up to the curb and get out. He had found me, only it was too late. I wished I could let him know where I was, but I knew the minute I did, Mr. Marlow would make certain that he would be taken away from me. The last thing he wanted was any distractions on my part. He wanted my full attention, and if it meant getting rid of anything or anyone who got in the way, he wouldn’t think twice.
We had been driving for a while when the driver finally turned down a long driveway. I had never been here before. The drive was lined with trees that could have used some TLC. When we approached the mansion, I really began to worry. It was like something you would see in a horror movie. It reminded me of the house from the movie Dark Shadows, only in much worse condition. It looked as though it was just about ready to crumble to the ground. The brick was white with ivy making its way up the side. Even that was half dead. The roof was supposed to be covered with shake shingles, but most of them were missing. The circular drive was also missing some of the cobblestones, which explained the bumpy drive.
The driver got out of the car and opened the door, Mr. Marlow stepped out and held out his hand to me. As much as I hated placing my hand in his with his tobacco-stained fingers, the last thing I wanted was to get punished again. Sliding my hand in his, I felt a strong tug, which yanked me out of the car.
“This is your new home, my slave. What do you think? Nice, right?” he asked, admiring his dump of a house.
“Very nice, Master,” I answered, keeping what I really thought of the place under my breath.
“I knew you would like it. Wait until you see your room,” he said with a twisted grin.
Smiling at him the best I could, I began following him up the concrete steps to the front door. The driver who was in front of us opened the door and stepped aside so that we could pass. When I entered the mansion, the smell just about knocked me off of my feet. I couldn’t help but cough as the musty stench entered my nose. “God, please let Ash find me,” I thought to myself, holding back the tears that were building inside me.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Ash
Peter reamed my ass left and right as I tried to explain why I didn’t wait for him. With the information I shared, he started to settle down and listen to what I had to say. I was glad that I was only talking to him on my cell. If I had been in front of him, it might have been much worse. After hanging up with him, I told him I would meet him at the shop. We needed to do some research on this Walter Marlow and find out what his relationship with Sebastian Collins was.
Peter was already at the shop along with the other guys when I finally got there. Getting out of my truck, I headed inside. Instead of the guys being in the lounge area, they were all working hard in the conference room. The minute I walked in, seven sets of eyes looked my way. Peter stood and grabbed a laptop and said, “Take a seat, Ash, I’ve got something to show you.”
Pulling the chair up beside him, I scooted closer to the long table and asked, “What do you have, Peter?”
Angling the laptop my way, the screen revealed a picture of Juliette getting inside a late model Rolls Royce. She was with an older gentleman that looked like he ate one too many donuts. Looking over to Peter, I asked, “Where is this at and who’s the guy with Juliette?”
“I don’t know for sure. These were the only images captured from the camera at the hotel. Without getting a clear shot of his face, it’s going to be hard to identify him.” Peter remarked.
“Wait, is that my truck?” I asked as I pointed to it on the screen.
“Yeah. You must have just missed them when you pulled up. Didn’t you say that the check-in clerk said that one of the rooms was under a Walter Marlow?” Peter questioned.
“Yeah. She said that Sebastian had the room registered under him. She thought it was kind of odd, since he had the penthouse too. What are you thinking, Peter?” I knew just by the way he was looking that the wheels were spinning in his head.
“We got a tip on that trafficking ring. It may be related to the one in Nicaragua. The guy heading it was never found. This Walter character could be that guy,” Peter stressed.
“Shit, Peter, if that’s true, Juliette is in even more danger. We need to find her.” I pleaded, pushing my chair away from the table as I stood. “I need to get the hell out of here and find her.”
Before I could move from my spot, Peter had a hold of my arm. “Bro, you need to calm down. We got this. Sit and hear me out.”
I took a deep breath and calmed my body. Sitting back in my chair, I listened to what Peter had to say. After listening to him and going over what he and the guys had planned, I had to admit it was a pretty good idea, and it made more sense than me trying to find her, half-cocked and pissed to the hilt.
~****~
It was late by the time I had left the shop. I wanted to stay later and help the guys work out the final details of the plan, but Peter thought I was getting too emotionally involved. Damn straight I was. This plan revolved around Juliette, and I really cared about her, maybe even more than I was admitting. Grabbing a brew from the fridge, I sat on the couch and sipped it while staring out into the starry sky. Finishing the last of my brew, I could barely keep my eyes open.
When I got to bed, that all changed. The minute my head hit the pillow, my mind kept thinking about Juliette and the last time we were together. I wanted so badly to feel that again. I wanted to feel her soft skin pressed to me as I gently covered her mouth with mine. I was so lost in thought that I could even smell her scent. It was like cherry blossoms blowing in the wind. Pressing my eyes closed, I wanted her next to me so I imagined that she was. Her mouth was trailing feather-like kisses down my body. I could hear her soft voice whisper between each kiss. “I love kissing this,” she said as she kissed my pounding heart. “And I love this,” she added as she touched her lips lightly to my right eye and then to my left. “But most of all I love this,” she breathed.
Just the thought of her saying those words made my cock throb with need. Reaching inside my sweat bottoms, I began stroking my thick member, seeing only Juliette. Her lips were so soft as the warmth of her mouth took me inside. I could feel the smooth gliding of her tongue over the tip before she slowly moved down my shaft to the base while she caressed my sac in her delicate hand. As I pumped deep inside her mouth, her soft whimpers of pleasure sounded. Juliette’s movements began to increase and my cock grew to painful hardness. I continued pumping faster, harder, deeper until my control took off and I spilled with such fury that my body began to shudder with immense pleasure. Although the need to release was satisfied, the emptiness remained.
Pushing from the bed, I went to the bathroom and took a cold shower. This was the only way I was going to be able to simmer down the erection that was building again at the thought of having my cock inside her
tight pussy.
I finally managed to fall asleep after my third shower, closing off every thought of Juliette. This wasn’t an easy task to achieve, especially since she was the only thing that filled my thoughts over the past weeks.
As hard as it was to fall asleep, it was even harder to wake up. I must have hit the snooze button at least half a dozen times before I finally trudged out of bed. Walking to the kitchen, I prepared the coffee, making sure that I added an extra scoop. In my opinion, caffeine was the breakfast of champs. Walking to the front door, I opened the door and took a deep breath of fresh air. Hearing my cell ring in the background, I hurried back inside to catch it before it went to voice mail. Picking it up from the counter, I just missed the call as the screen went black. Entering my password, I went to my recent calls to find that it had been Juliette who had called. With the small reel showing by the phone icon, I knew that she had left a message. With my cell to my ear, I began listening to the voice message. I played it over and over again, until it finally sunk in.