by Fawn Bailey
"Walk over to the wall," he told me, and I did so willingly.
I expected him to follow me, but instead his voice sounded from the chair where he was still sitting.
"Pick a flogger or a whip," he said, and my blood ran cold.
I turned around sharply, but his expression hadn't changed. He still looked at me with a mix of desperate need and strong domination.
"I'm scared," I whispered.
"You should be," he reminded me.
Turning back towards the wall where several toys were displayed, I let my hand wander over them all. Finally, I settled on a simple paddle, figuring it would hurt the least.
There was no doubt in my mind about what he was going to do with it. I was going to get hurt... and I wanted to love every second of it.
I brought it over to him and placed it in his lap. He gave me one of his wolfish smiles before getting up from the chair and leading me to a bench. I recognized it right away - we'd used it that first night together, when I thought he was Ellis.
He tied me down to it, making sure to tie the knots extra tightly which sent fear through my body. He didn't want me to get away... but I wouldn't have wanted to, not willingly. I realized this was going to hurt.
"You're going to count," he said simply. "Every hit. If you stop, we start over. If you say anything other than the number, you get ten more. Understood?"
"Y-yes," I whispered.
A thousand thoughts were racing through my mind, but I was tongue-tied, too scared to say any of them out loud.
I was faced away from him when he touched the wooden paddle to my ass. It was cold and large and it made me so fucking scared I shivered. He was going to hurt me really really bad... and there was nothing I could have done about it. After all, I was the one who'd asked him to take me to the playroom.
The first hit came unexpected, and I shrieked when he hit me. There was nothing playful about the way he punished my ass. It was pure pain.
"One," I cried out.
Before I could prepare for the next one, he slapped me again.
"Two," I managed to get out. "How many more? How many, Thorn?"
He leaned down against my body and I shivered when I felt his breath on my back. He smoothed some hair out of my face and gently touched his fingertips to my burning ass.
"Ten, but you just earned another ten by talking," he whispered in my ear.
My back arched in fear and I whimpered when he started hitting me again.
The next five were gentler, almost as if he was holding back. I counted like a good girl, the numbers like fire in my mouth, so many words left unspoken.
We got up to ten when it started getting unbearable. I'd been holding my tears back, desperately trying not to let myself cry. I was convinced it was a sign of weakness, that Thorn would fucking hate it.
He leaned against me, his mouth hot against my already bruising skin. He kissed the spot he'd been hitting over and over, a special kind of torture that felt incredible.
"You smell like roses," he muttered against my skin. "Fucking perfect, just like you always are..."
I mewled for him as he parted my ass, and squirmed when I felt his tongue exploring me. He licked my pussy in long, luxurious licks, making me cry out for him in absolute desperation. I'd figured out for myself moans were okay, but the moment I said a word, I would be punished again. And I still had ten slaps to go... I didn't want to add to that number.
I felt his tongue probing in my ass and I cried out.
"No!" I begged him.
"Ten more," he whispered, and then he ate my ass out.
I cried at first, finally letting those tears fall, not because it hurt but because it felt so fucking filthy yet at the same time incredible.
I bit my tongue so hard it bled just so I would stop the words from coming. Thorn started hitting me again and I counted five more while he ate my ass out, making me desperate to come.
"Halfway there," he told me, moving away from me.
The next slap was the hardest he'd given me, the sound of it echoing in the room.
I was in tears, and I whispered the word 'sixteen' tasting tears in my mouth. I felt helpless and so fucking ready for more I could've torn those restraints just to feel him come inside me.
"Fuck me," I begged.
"Ten more," he said roughly.
"I don't give a shit," I said hotly. "Hit me as many times as you want. As many times as you need. Just fuck me."
He groaned, and I heard him unbuckling as the paddle kept hitting me and I kept counting like a woman possessed. And then, mercifully, his cock filled me to the very rim, and I felt him throbbing inside me, a sensation so powerful I couldn't stop crying out his name.
He treated me like a cheap little whore and I couldn't get enough of it. The thrusts kept coming and so did the spankings, until my ass was so raw I could've cried just from having him blow on it.
But I perservered. I didn't once beg him to stop. I took what he doled out and counted until we were up to thirty-five. Then, the tears became too much and I dissolved into sobs while he tossed the paddle away.
My restraints were undone while I sobbed. He turned me on my side, knowing I wouldn't be able to sit on my ass for days from the bruises. And then he fucked me like that, his fingers buried in my hair and his breath cool against my ear as he told me I was only his. His little bitch. His pretty whore. All the things I so desperately wanted to hear.
I felt my orgasm building. I'd been holding it back for so long, but now there was no going back from it. It ripped through my body recklessly, and I cried while I came on his cock, sending him into a frenzy that made him fuck me harder than ever.
The pain was unbearable and oh so delicious. Not just my bruised ass but his demanding cock inside me. It was all I wanted, all I needed. I came so many times I lost count, and the tears blurred my vision.
When I was nothing but a whimpering mess, he pulled out of me and gently helped me to my feet. He made me stare into his eyes and I greedily drank him down when he came, every drop and every lick making him groan louder.
When he was done, he buckled his belt back in place and carried me to my room in nothing but my heels.
We slept together, and I woke up in his arms. My bruises took days to heal, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I told him as much, and he whispered how much he loved me in my ear. I was happy. Blissfully so.
Of course, all good things come to an end eventually...
Thirteen
Carina
My plan was falling into place, and slowly, I was putting the puzzle pieces together. Poor little Harlow would never know what hit her.
She was a sacrifice I had to make, even though I didn't particularly want to. We had been friends before, not enemies. Yes, there was a healthy dose of competitiveness between us, but we were still fond of one another. But now it had all evaporated, replaced with bitter jealousy and the belief that she'd gotten something that should have been mine all along.
I kept Pia out of this plan out of necessity - I couldn't risk her slipping or changing her mind. I knew there was only one way to get rid of Harlow, and it was to kill her. It sounded terrible and final, which it really was. But I was sure Thorn and Pia would be grateful in the end when they realized I'd done us all a favor.
That morning, I took special care to be nicer than usual to Harlow, knowing it was her last day before her life ended. If she noticed the change in my appearance, she didn't mention it, and neither did I. She was better off not knowing anyway.
Madame praised us both on our performances, but it was obvious yet again who her favorite was. I'd found out earlier she was Thorn's older sister, and it answered so many questions I'd had over the years. Now, I knew I'd be her favorite soon enough. She was wrong to have picked Harlow from the beginning. It should have been me in her shoes all along.
If it had been me from the beginning, Madame would have protected me from making all the wrong decisions.
Perhaps I'd
never meet Tommy. Perhaps I'd still be able to have children. Perhaps my life wouldn't have been shattered into a million pieces.
But as much as I thought about it and as much as I willed it into never happening, I was stuck with the decisions that defined me.
I thanked Madame for our lesson and left Harlow with a smile, going to my room to prepare the last few things and send my plan into motion.
The guard, Rhodes, was waiting for me in front of my room. He grinned wide when he saw me, looking around to make sure we were alone, and then pulling me in roughly by my hips, fingers digging into my flash with such force I cried out.
"Do you have everything?" I asked him sweetly, and he nodded.
"Downstairs, by the kitchen," he responded. You can leave and enter through the back door."
"Thank you," I whispered, my hot lips landing on his and sucking a kiss out of him.
He groaned as he gave in, letting my body glide over his, his cock standing proudly.
"Soon," I lied into his face. "I'll make it all worth it. You'll be able to do whatever you want..."
"Anything?" he growled at me.
"Anything," I promised breathlessly.
"Cut you?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Break your bones?"
Swallow. Nod.
"You'll let me take your life?" he asked with a shaky voice.
"Of course," I purred.
He kissed me harder.
I'd discovered Rhodes' passion when Thorn had him punish me. I knew I would be able to use it against him eventually, and I'd saved it until the most important moment, building our relationship from the ground up until I had him firmly wrapped around my little finger.
Of course I had no plan of going through with his sick desires.
I would never let him hurt me. I'd never let him kill me or hurt me. Once Harlow was six feet under, Thorn would accept me as his only substitute. And I'd have him kill Rhodes for the way he'd treated me and the word I'd let him cut into my body. Thorn wouldn't know about my willingness, of course. He wouldn't know I begged him to do it. That it was all part of the plan. Thorn would have no idea I came with Rhodes' cock in my pussy and my thoughts on finally belonging to the only man that mattered.
I would become his final Rose. There was no other option, and nothing else I wanted. And I always got what I wanted.
"I'll see you soon," I whispered in Rhodes' ear. "I have to get ready now."
He nodded, slapping my ass before disappearing down the hallway. He never tried to ask what I was planning on doing with all that gasoline. He didn't want to know. The less he knew, the less he had to admit to - and he knew it would be big.
I walked into my room, similar to Harlow's now that I was being trained and had gotten good feedback from the men that played with me. Thorn was training me to be sold, but I would never belong to another man. I always belonged to him.
I hummed a song my Daddy used to sing to my as I got ready, combing my long hair and applying makeup that I knew would smudge. I practiced my best crying face in front of the mirror and almost managed to cry on command. I smirked at myself in the vanity table. I was really going to pull this off, and then he would finally be mine. I'd never have to compete with Harlow Granger again.
Picking out a beautiful, flowy red silk dress from my closet, I put it on along with some simple black sandals. I knew I looked pretty - I had to. After I'd gotten rid of her, it would be the first time Thorn realized we belonged together.
"And then we'll live happily ever after," I told my reflection in the mirror, puckering my lips and sending myself a kiss. "No more Harlow fucking Granger."
She'd stepped on my toes one too many times, and I was done with her. There were other things that were important, like the man I belonged together with.
I wondered briefly how I'd get rid of Pia. I had no doubt she would attempt to get Thorn for herself before I managed to. But she didn't know we were meant to be together all along. She never stood a chance in hell.
I danced around my room to the tune on my lips, and I felt happy for the first time in forever. Maybe ever.
Everyone always saw me as a spoiled little rich girl.
They didn't give a shit, though. They didn't want to look at everything that lay beneath. Feeling abandoned by my parents, as well as completely misunderstood. All the friends I had who were just users. All the boyfriends who only gave a shit about my looks and how tight my pussy was.
Thorn would. Thorn would be different. Surely Thorn would love me like none of them could.
And maybe then I would finally feel complete. Full, happy. Maybe this was my happily ever after. Maybe my purpose had been for him all along.
I smiled at the thought, and kept humming the song I'd known as a little girl as I twirled around the room.
I felt eyes on me when I turned towards the door, and there he was, leaning against the doorframe, his eyes drinking me in.
I stopped, my hands held behind my back, practically bowing in his presence.
"Are you afraid of me, Carina?" Thorn asked me thunderously, and I glanced up at him.
He was so incredibly handsome. The taut body, the chiseled face covered in stubble. He was all I'd ever dreamed of. And she'd stolen him, the stupid fucking bitch. She would pay dearly.
"Yes," I whispered, and he grinned at me wickedly.
"You should be," he said in that low growl of his, and I blushed to the roots of my hair.
He moved away from the door but after having a taste, I couldn't let him go just yet.
I dashed from my room, my fingers touching the sleeve of his suit and gently tugging in my direction.
His eyes followed my fingers to the sleeve of his jacket, and he glared until I pulled my shaking hand back.
"What do you want?" he asked me, and I bit my bottom lip, so desperate to tell him what it was.
To have him pick me instead of her, even when she was still around.
"I want..." I whispered, but I couldn't end the sentence, the words drying up on my tongue. "I wanted to wish you a nice day."
He smirked at me, and I knew he was aware I was lying.
"I'm sure it will be," he winked at me, regarding me for a second longer than I thought he would, and my heart jumped in my chest.
"Shouldn't you be somewhere?" he finally asked, and I shook my head slowly.
"No, no training until later," I said softly. "Why?"
His face darkened. Fuck. I shouldn't have questioned him! How stupid.
"You can come," I cut in desperately, and his eyebrows shot up. "You could come and... watch."
"Watch you getting fucked?" he asked plainly, and I blushed deeply at his crudeness.
"Yes," I managed to get out.
"I think we both know that wouldn't be appropriate," he said, and walked down the hallway.
I stared after him, my heart thumping long after he'd disappeared down the stairs.
His scent was lingering in my nostrils, so fucking masculine it made my pussy swell with the need to feel him inside me. Rhodes had nothing on Thorn. Thorn was an animal, a fucking beast. I would have done anything to feel the touch of his cock inside me just once. Anything.
God, I wanted him. Did I imagine it or did his eyes linger on me? He did look a bit deeper into my eyes, didn't he? Did he touch me? Did he want to? Did he want me as much and as badly as I wanted him?
Surely he felt it too, the attraction between us. Surely this magnetic pull wasn't just one sided. He needed me as much as I needed him. Right? RIGHT?
I shook my head to get the paranoid thoughts out. After tonight it wouldn't matter anyway. I would belong to him one way or another, with his precious little Harlow gone. And she didn't stand a chance against me and what I had planned.
I'd been working on the plan for so long.
This would seal my fate.
This would make Tommy's death seem like a fucking walk in the park.
Because Thorn had been the one to kill Tommy, bu
t that night, I would be the one planning the murder. And even back then, I had told him to do it... He'd asked me if I wanted to spare my boyfriend, and I didn't hesitate before saying he should do it.
Once again, my lips turned up in a smile and I hummed the very same children's song Mum had sung to me, and the same one I would have used for my child if I'd gotten the chance to have one.
One more day without being by Thorn's side.
One more day of being the villain before I became the princess.
One more day or Thorn's old Rose before he accepted the new one.
It made me feel happy as I twirled around the room, my dress sliding over my body as my hands touched my hips seductively. If only Thorn was there to watch me play for him... I would have given him a show he'd never be able to forget.
I smacked my lips and touched my hands to the mirror, glancing at my reflection.
"Mirror mirror on the wall," I sang at my vanity table. "Who's going to kill them all?"
I grinned at my reflection and twirled around the room.
Amber was long gone.
Harlow was next.
Pia would follow.
Until the only pretty little Rose left for Thorn was me...
Then, he would finally realize how badly he wanted me. Oh, and I couldn't wait for it.
Fourteen
Rose
I was in my room after practice that afternoon, my thoughts filled with Carina.
The girl who had been my friend despite the stark distance between us, the girl who'd confided in me when she'd had nobody else. And later on, my enemy to whom I really should be grateful, because she was the one who brought Thorn and me back together again.
But I couldn't help myself. I didn't like her anymore. Any emotions and feelings I had felt towards her had been eradicated when she betrayed me so completely. And I'd had my assumptions before about her true intentions... which she'd proved were exactly right.
She wanted Thorn for herself, that much was clear. She was so in love with him everyone knew, even Pia and Madame.