“That’s enough,” he warned her, lowering his voice to make the threat clear. “Settle down, pet, or I promise you, there will be consequences.”
Molly stilled at that, her breathing labored as she collapsed against the leather. “Please stop!” she called into the bench. “I can’t… I just can’t do this anymore.”
A spark of irritation rose in Connor at the sound of her plea. It was not only that once again she had spoken out without permission, but she hadn’t even addressed him correctly. “You’ll do whatever you’re told, pet,” he growled, lowering his body over her back as he snarled. “And right now, you’re being told to settle down and take the remainder of your caning in silence.”
Connor stood upright, assessing her quivering body with a curious smile. He would be the one to quiet that beautiful mind. Once she’d been broken, he would rebuild her again, and help her to find peace in her submission to him.
There were no more warnings. Instead, Connor flicked the cane over her bottom, landing it over her exposed cheeks. She sobbed quietly, but remained still, and based on the tension he could see in her shoulders, Connor could guess at the amount of effort that immobility took.
“Thank you, Master,” she squeaked, and he paused at her words, pleasantly surprised at them. So, the little pet was contrite then, or so it would seem, but it wouldn’t be enough to save her now. Her recent performance was already sufficient to condemn her to the cage once this penance was through.
Focusing on her behind once more, Connor delivered the final four swats. He landed them so fast that Molly had little time to respond, let alone thank him, and as the cane branded her flesh for the final time he threw the implement onto the black tiled floor for dramatic effect.
“Your caning is over,” he concluded, assessing her as he spoke.
The release of tension was visible, and at the sound of his words, she broke down again, sobbing her heart out onto the bench. Connor sighed at the sight. Much as he appreciated her distress, she was going to make herself ill if she didn’t stop.
He left her bound body, and wandered to the left of the room, to the small, black, integrated refrigerator he’d had installed. Opening the door, a bright light shone against the cold tiles as he reached inside for a bottle of water. Twisting the cap, he took a slug, and turned to assess his pet. She was clearly overwrought, and would need refreshment.
He opened the dark cupboard above his head, eyeing the collection of pet bowls and accessories which he’d prepared for this purpose. Choosing the one closest to him, he poured some of the cold water into the bowl, before striding back to where his pet was waiting.
“Time for a drink,” he told her, as he placed the dish on the tile by the side of the bench.
She turned her head, revealing a tangle of dark hair over burning red eyes.
“Are you going to behave yourself?” he asked her, crouching and edging closer to her perturbed expression.
Molly sniffed, and nodded. “Yes, Master,” she promised, the relief evident in her tone.
Poor little pet. She clearly assumed that this part of her ordeal was over, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. “Good,” he continued, reaching for her left wrist and slowly releasing her limb from the strap. “Stay where you are while I release you,” he told her, shifting quickly to her left foot, before loosening the remaining straps.
He already had hold of her leash before he permitted her to move, and gingerly she shifted from the bench, her legs trembling as she lowered herself to the floor.
“Drink up, pet,” he commanded, leading her straight to the place where the bowl of water waited.
She didn’t query the order, and for the first time since he’d taken her and introduced the pet bowl, she crawled to it with some enthusiasm. Dipping her head, she lapped at the water, apparently glad for its cool refreshment. Connor seated himself on the edge of the bench, holding her leash tight as he watched her drink. She was such a delectable sight, particularly when he took into account the red stripes which now decorated her bottom. He exhaled deeply as he imagined removing the tail, and sliding his cock between those caned cheeks.
While he sat watching her, she paused, turning to glance up at him, her chin wet with water.
“Better?” he inquired, sardonically.
His pet nodded. “Yes, thank you, Master,” she replied, lowering her head, although he couldn’t be sure if it was her trepidation or embarrassment which triggered the gesture.
“Good, pet.” He reached down, and began to stroke her head. “I’m pleased you’re feeling better, because now we move to what comes next.”
She startled at that, her head rising at once, and her frantic eyes assessing him. Evidently, she knew him well enough already to know what might come next, and Connor did nothing to reassure her.
“I asked you to take your punishment well,” he began, gripping the leash in his fist even tighter as he spoke. “And at first you did so, yet when we moved to the last ten strokes, you were unable to obey.”
Her face blanched as her crimes were laid out in front of her. She didn’t try to counter him, but he noticed her limbs shaking as he continued.
“Rather, you kicked, screamed, sobbed, and as I recall, you called out for me to stop.” He paused, waiting for his words to sink in. “Do you deny my claims, pet?”
Molly blinked up at him, “I didn’t mean to be bad,” she explained, meekly. “It was just so painful, I…” Her words trailed away as perhaps she realized how weak her defense really was.
“Do you deny them?” he asked again, his tone curt.
She shook her head, beginning to sob softly again.
Connor would have liked to hear the words, but there seemed little point in pressing the point. His pet clearly knew she was in yet more trouble, and he wanted to seize on that resignation to help him cage her. “Then you’ll understand what I have to do next,” he told her, rising from the bench and tugging her collar toward the corner of the room.
Chapter Fifty-Two
Blind panic seized her, and she knew without needing to be told what he had in mind. He was already leading her in the direction of the ominous-looking cage, and her belly tightened into a taut knot at the prospect.
Pressing her palms flat against the cold tile, Molly arched her back and resisted the pull which she knew would lead her to the metal prison. There was no way he was putting her in that thing. No. Fucking. Way! Molly had never been claustrophobic, but being confined into a pen no larger than a man was going too far, and she was not going to allow it. She’d tried to bide her time, to be a good pet and comply. She wanted to lull him into a false sense of security, assuming he might relent and release her that way, but things were only getting worse.
“Come on,” he cajoled her. “You were warned, and now you’re going inside. Don’t make this worse by trying to fight.”
Terror consumed her, rising up inside of her chest and threatening to seal up her throat completely. He may have had her confined in this house, but this was an actual fucking cage. “No!” she cried, trying to gain traction against the smooth tiles at her hands and knees as the leash at her collar pulled her onwards. “No, please!”
Molly’s mind was in free-fall. She wanted to sob, but somehow, she couldn’t take a breath, and there was no time anyway. There was no time for panic, no time to hyperventilate; this was happening and if she didn’t fight harder, she knew she’d be forced inside the cage no matter what.
“You’re making this difficult on yourself, pet,” he cooed, his voice was an almost mocking tone. “You can’t fight me, and you know it, so do yourself a favour and just obey.”
“No!” She was screeching now, her eyes wide with alarm as he literally dragged her closer to the cage. The whole time she was trying to resist, her hands clawing at the floor, but it was useless. There was nothing to hold onto. Nothing to offer any friction. Nothing to stop Connor’s progress. No hope at all.
By the time he had pulled her to th
e entrance of the cage, Molly was a mess of flailing limbs. He paused, holding her leash tight, but seemed to give her a moment to compose herself, and for the first time since her drink, Molly hesitated, glancing up to him.
“Don’t make me go in there,” she begged, her voice husky with the terror she felt on the subject.
Connor simply shook his head at her. “There is no discussion on this,” he advised her. “You’re going in the cage. Either you can go in yourself and get comfortable, or I can bind you and force you in. If you choose the latter, then I’m likely to gag you too, pet. It seems you have far too much to say for yourself today.”
She blinked up at him, pulling the air into her lungs in short, fast breaths. The whole room seemed to be closing in around her, her every reality reduced to this one metal cage which was to be her fate. She eyed it with fear, certain that she wasn’t getting enough oxygen into her body. Her head felt giddy, and the knot in her belly made her nauseous.
“I can’t,” she sobbed, breaking down at his feet. “I can’t go in there, please…”
Molly’s head crashed onto her palms, which were already flat against the floor, and she threw herself, quite literally, at his mercy. Even as her elbows landed against the cool tiles though, she knew it was futile. Connor was set on what he wanted. He wanted to cage her, and she knew he was going to have his way. He was enjoying it all too much.
“Time’s up,” he told her, ominously. “Will you go in on your own, or do you need me to help you?”
She was shaking as her head rose, her eyes red with tears as she answered him. “Don’t gag me,” she implored him. “I’ll go in on my own.”
There was a heavy silence as her words echoed around the dark basement. Time protracted somehow, and all Molly could hear were her own words, going around in her head like a nursery rhyme. “I’ll go in on my own… I’ll go in on my own…” What had she done? Why had she just given in to him and volunteered to go into the thing?
“I’m waiting.”
His words stirred her, and she jumped a little in acknowledgement. She had made the declaration, and that was that. Now, she had to act upon it. Now, she had to crawl into the cage.
Pulling in a shaky breath, Molly shifted her weight and turned to face her nemesis. It was easily wide enough for her to climb into, but once inside, she wasn’t sure if she’d have the space to turn around. Better then, that she edged in backwards, and then at least she could face the exit. A small mercy perhaps, but it seemed that was all she had. Slowly she began to move, maneuvering her body so that she could reverse her legs backwards into the cage. She inched herself into place, nausea rising as she moved. She was like a cornered animal, too afraid to resist her captor further, but utterly enraged at her confinement.
“Keep going, pet,” he cooed, towering over her as she backed her punished ass into position.
She stilled at his words, glancing up at his shins and taking in the sheer size of him. Her palms were now in the entrance to the cage, and her head jutted out just beyond its doorway. She pulled in another deep breath, willing herself to be calm, yet all the while her heart hammered away inside her. This was really happening, she realized miserably. He’s going to lock me in the cage!
Connor inched his foot forward, a small gesture which made her move again. His proximity was a warning, and she knew it. He didn’t need to shout at her or make threats to intimidate her. Within a moment, she was in place inside the thing, her body now resting on the plastic base, as he crouched down in front of her.
“There you are.” His voice droned jeeringly. “Finally, my pet has found her place.”
Molly opened her mouth to speak, but there were no words for whatever she was feeling. She had already begged him to reconsider, but Connor had no interest in listening. This is what he’d wanted right from the start. It must be, or why else would he have set up this cage in the first place? Molly had always been destined to end up here, even before he’d snatched her from the street in London.
Her throat dried as she watched him shut the metal door in front of her face. It was surreal. She knew she was trapped, and there was nothing she could do. She wanted to scream, to cry, to shout, but there was no point. She had done those things already, and still, she found herself shut in like an animal. Connor’s large fingers closed the two large clasps on the outside of the door, before reaching behind the side of the cage and producing a large metal padlock. He eyed her for a moment, simultaneously sliding the lock into place. She heard the ominous click as it sealed her inside, and her eyes flew south to take in the reality of it. What if he lost the key? What if he never intended to let her out, and she was trapped in here forever? She squeezed her eyes shut as the cold panic washed over, not wanting him to see the extent of the power he now had over her.
But Connor had the peculiar ability to be able to read her mind, and as he spoke, it was as though he had looked into her soul. “Your cage is for quiet contemplation, pet,” he told her. “Emphasis on quiet. If you behave and please me, then you need not stay here long.”
Molly opened her eyes and locked gazes with the man who had captured her. She nodded slowly, unsure if she should speak after his latest warning, and equally uncertain if she could do so without bursting into tears again.
“You may answer to show you understand me.” His tone was softer now.
She bit her lip, fighting for composure. “Yes, Master.”
Connor smiled, offering her a devilish look for a moment before he rose, and then he was gone. She watched his feet stride away from her, crossing the tiles to the bottom of the stairwell, and then, to her horror, she saw him climb the steps. She gulped as she twisted her head to try and see his ascent, but frustratingly he was already out of sight. And she was alone, locked inside a cage in his basement.
Chapter Fifty-Three
He sat in the leather recliner, watching his pet from the laptop resting on his thighs. The cameras he had put in place were working perfectly, and he could access images of her from the four corners of the basement, plus most importantly, from the one he’d positioned right next to the cage. This was his preferred view. It gave Connor a look right into the pen without him needing to be there, and of course, it also provided him with sound.
Dunking another chocolate biscuit into his hot tea, he eyed her trembling body crouched inside the metal cage. His gaze passed over her delectable form to the angst-ridden expression which was etched onto her face. He got an amazing view of her breasts which hung pertly at her chest, and he smiled idly as he watched her playing with the leash which slipped between them. Connor tilted his head to get a better look at her stunning blue eyes, and for a moment, even though she had no idea that he was watching her, she glanced straight into the camera, and their gazes locked. He couldn’t be sure what he read in them. It could have been anger, or terror, or even paralyzing arousal at her predicament. Any of them were possible with his little pet. He smirked down at the image of her. Whichever emotion she was struggling to process, it didn’t matter. This wasn’t one of her famous paperbacks. There would be no happy ending for Molly, not unless she learned to find contentment in the life he now offered her.
Connor checked the time on his laptop, concluding that she had already been confined there for fifteen minutes. He wondered how she was coping, and how much longer he should leave her there. It was tantalizing to watch her confinement, but in reality, she’d be getting cold soon unless he activated the underfloor heating. Her bottom was no doubt also in a lot of pain. He could tell it was bothering her by the number of times she subconsciously reached behind to touch it, or at least, reached as far as her chains would allow. He couldn’t get a decent shot of it from here, which was a shame because her derriere looked great with its furry tail in place, but he knew the caning he’d delivered would likely bruise. He made a mental note to attend to it later, whatever her feelings on the subject.
While he mused on the issue, he continued to observe Molly in her new environment
. She did have enough space to wiggle round in the pen, but admittedly, it was a tight squeeze, and given the state of her behind, she seemed reticent to move too much. Instead, she huddled, pulling her knees to her chest for as long as she could presumably tolerate the pressure on her bottom, and then shifting back to her hands and knees. For a while she lurched forward, clutching the bars with her small fingers and peering out into the basement. Connor had set the lighting to a minimum, so there was enough light for her to see, but the main overhead fixtures were switched off, and he contemplated what she might be looking at. As her head tilted to the right, it suddenly hit him. She had no-doubt noticed the camera, and was now looking directly at him.
He supped at his tea as he smiled at her image. So, she knew he was watching her, and now she was watching him in return. A small snort left his throat at the idea, and he chuckled as he drained his mug. His little pet was smart, and while her sassy attitude would sometimes need correction, he didn’t want her intelligence to falter. He wanted her obedient, but he needed her bright enough to write for him – for them – and to continue to create their stories for a long time to come. It was a contradiction he hoped he could overcome as they got to know one another better.
Placing his mug down, he decided she had suffered long enough. The last image he saw of his pet as he set the laptop back down onto the floor was of her resting her head against her palms in the cage. She now seemed calm and absolutely settled. It appeared confinement suited her after all.
Time it seemed, could be every inch as much a prison as the metal bars which surrounded her naked body. It felt like she had been here for a lifetime, but in reality, she had no way of knowing how long it had been. It could only have been ten minutes, but whatever the truth, she instantly despised being there, contained and kept like a prize.
Taken: (A Dark Romance Kidnap Thriller) (The Dark Necessities Trilogy Book 1) Page 24