Mallory

by Michelle Love

  Jules’s fingers twitched on the steering wheel as he drove towards the city. The consuming rage when Jess had challenged him still flowed through his body, making his skin itch, his fingers pulse with every heartbeat. disobedience, the ingratitude. It always started like that, the resistance, the arguments until he was forced into disciplining her. Sometimes he had dealt with her quickly, taken her violently, letting her know he was, in every way, her superior. He had decided, however, he would try again with her. She was special. He would give her one more chance to come to him and be his forever. But if she resisted, he decided, he would devise a punishment for her that would be beyond comprehension, something unimaginable.

  But first, he wanted to know everything about the prick that had his hands on her now, Theo Storm. He imagined the devastation on that bastard’s handsome face when he found the love of his life stabbed to death, slaughtered by her one true master. Maybe he would make him watch her die. Whatever, he would destroy both of them, psychologically and emotionally before finally killing Jessica. He would make them learn about loss. I will give them a world beyond pain, he thought and with a grim smile, he hit the gas and sped into the city.

  Theo drove the hire car along the island’s coast road. Jess was already overawed with the beauty of the island, heavy with colorful and fragrant flora; hibiscus, bougainvillea, mandevilla as well as lush green grasses. The air was heavy with heat but along the road, through the open windows, Jess could feel a cool breeze coming from the salt water.

  Theo looked over at her and she smiled at him. He grinned, sliding his free hand onto her belly. ‘Not far now, gorgeous.’

  She put her hand over his, enjoying the feel of his skin on hers. Theo turned down a sandy track, almost overgrown with vines and creepers. A ways down the track, he nodded in front of them. A sprawling single level home lay in front of them, wood and glass, the windows wall to ceiling.

  They got out of the car and Theo opened the door for her. He led her hand-in-hand through the silent house, pulling open the large glass doors and now she could see that outside the largest, outside the living room was the beach, silky white sand and the azure, teal, turquoise ocean crashing waves gently onto it.

  Jess realized she had been holding her breath. ‘I think I’m in a dream,’ she breathed and Theo laughed, wrapping his arms around her.

  ‘All very real, my love, and we have it all to ourselves as long as we want it.’ He brushed his lips against hers. ‘Are you tired?’

  She shook her head, meeting his gaze. ‘No…’

  He grinned, kissed her and then said, ‘I bet you’re hungry, though…’

  Jess groaned and laughed. ‘Well, now I am…’

  In the kitchen, they found the refrigerator almost overflowing with good food and soon they were enjoying soft bread and fresh cream cheese, succulent peaches which dripped juice down their fingers. Theo opened a bottle of champagne and Jess swooned at the heavenly taste of their feast.

  ‘I could get used to this.’ She caught a dribble of juice that ran down her hand and Theo leaned over to kiss the juice from her mouth.

  ‘Tastes like you,’ he murmured then took another peach from the bowl, splitting it into two with his long fingers. Keeping his eyes on her, he ran his tongue along the soft flesh and Jess’s stomach dissolved with desire. Theo knew exactly what he was doing, she knew, but she didn’t care.

  Theo casually reached over to her and started to unbutton the bodice of her dress. She watched him lazily, spaced out with desire. He ran the peach down her skin, leaving a trail of juice down her belly then followed it with his tongue. Jess felt drunk and she was floppy in his arms as he picked her up and carried her into the bedroom. He stripped her of the rest of her clothes then stood.

  ‘One second,’ he said before disappearing. He was back in an instant with the half empty bottle of champagne. ‘Lie still for me, beautiful.’

  She gasped at the cold liquid as he poured champagne into her navel and then she giggled as he chased it with his tongue .as it dripped down her sides. Theo put his mouth over her navel and drank the champagne from it, his tongue delving deeply into the hollow of her belly. He took a swig from the bottle then and pushed her legs apart. Jess gasped as he took her clit into his mouth, the champagne bubbles bursting against it. She moaned at the feel of it, and of him as he traced every part of her sex as if it were that same peach, biting gently down on the soft folds of her labia then his tongue was deep inside of her. Theo poured more champagne onto her skin as he pleasured her and Jess knew she would do anything for this incredible man, her insatiable, skilled lover…

  Jules tied her to the chair, the bindings biting into her skin. Jess knew now it was hopeless. Jules was going to kill her, now, today, in the next few minutes and she would never see Theo again. Was it really only hours ago they had been in his bed, delirious with happiness, making love with careless abandon?

  And now she was about to be murdered. Stabbed to death by her own step-brother. Her tormentor. Her rapist. Now he was about to become her killer.

  Jules smiled down at her as he cut her thin shirt away from her body. ‘You can scream if you like. No-one will hear you here.’ He threw the scraps of material away then ran his fingers down her belly.

  ‘Christ, you are perfect,’ he said, almost tenderly. He leaned over and kissed her and she felt the cold steel against her. ‘Oh, Jessica…my love, my love…’

  The blade slid through her flesh like butter.

  Jess screamed – not the sudden awakening from sleep in a shock type of scream, but a deeply visceral, desiccating howl of agonizing terror. She felt hands on her and incredibly the panic increased, a berserk fear ripping through her.

  ‘Sweetheart, sweetheart it’s me…’

  Jess struggled to regain her countenance, make sense of the world she had awoken to.

  ‘Theo?’ Her voice cracked.

  ‘Yes, darling, it’s me, it’s me…you’re okay, you’re okay, you just had a nightmare…’

  All the adrenaline left her body and she slumped into his arms, weeping. ‘Sorrysorrysorry…’ she was babbling she knew but the dream had so real. She still felt the pain of the knife, of her skin being torn open, her insides cut to pieces, her blood gushing out of her…

  ‘Sssh.’ Theo was rocking her and for the next few minutes, he just held her while she calmed down. Eventually, she wiped her eyes and smiled weakly at him.

  ‘Sorry. Stupid dream.’

  His eyes were concerned as he brushed the damp hair away from her forehead. ‘Tell me.’

  Jess drew in a couple of lungfuls of breath. ‘He had a knife.’

  She knew she didn’t have to say any more than that. Theo’s arms tightened around her and he pressed his lips to her temple.

  ‘I will never, ever, let him hurt you again.’

  She so desperately wanted to believe him.

  Max had dinner done ready for when Josh came home – it was his turn and he’d missed the last few. So it was his turn and lord knew he wanted a quiet evening in with Josh after the day he’d just had. He poured himself a glass of wine, checking the chili was bubbling away nicely and headed into the living room. He flicked on the television, putting a comedy show on for background noise.

  Max watched it for a couple of minutes, knowing he wasn’t taking it in then, sighing, he lifted the heavy file from his bag. The file on Julien Gachet. Since he heard what the old cop had said about Jules’ history, he hadn’t been able to get it out of his head. Max wasn’t stupid – he’d guessed Gachet’s preoccupation with Jess hid something far more insidious, far more disturbing. He’d talked a psychologist friend of his who had run several ideas past him. The one he couldn’t get out of his head was that Jules had made Jess his sexual obsession.

  ‘Not when she was a kid?’ Max had asked his friend, appalled. His friend had nodded, his eyes angry and sad.

  ‘Probably. Has she said anything of the kind to you or Theo?’

  But he couldn’
t ask Theo. Theo had expressly forbidden him to look into Jess’s background but without doing so, he wouldn’t have found out so much about that son-of-a-bitch Gachet. Max felt a roiling hatred inside of him for the Frenchman. How dare he treat Jess like that? Like what? his subconscious asked him. He had to find out their family dynamic before he would risk going to Theo. He opened his laptop and found the map to Jules’ home. The house where Jess grew up.

  Max decided then and there to go there – and find out just what sort of childhood his friend had…and what Jules had done to her.

  The room was dark, just lit by the warm, flickering candlelight. The glass doors to the beach were open and a hot breeze blew the delicate white drapes into the room. Soft music played in the background, Lana Del Rey playing her Video Games and Theo and Jess danced slowly to the slow, sensual tune. Jess’s head was on Theo’s shoulder, his arm wrapped securely around her, his other hand in hers as they moved. A day of sightseeing, glorious sunshine and sea and delicious food and now the inky night outside had lulled them both into a sensuous fog of desire. Theo stepped away from her for a moment and picked up his tie. He wound it around her eyes gently.

  ‘Ready?’ He whispered and she nodded and smiled. He ran his tongue gently along her lush bottom lip then kissed her. He stepped away from her and she continued to sway gently to the beat.

  Theo watched her, his eyes blazing with desire. The red silk shift dress she was wearing clung to every curve of her, and as she moved, the silk embraced the full breasts, her soft belly, the long strands of the pearl necklace she was wearing moving counter wise to her dancing.

  ‘Jessie…’

  ‘Yes?’ Her voice was soft, dreamy, waiting to be commanded.

  ‘Jessie, run your fingers up the inside of your thighs for me and touch yourself. Let me see you.’

  Still dancing, she did as he asked, sweeping his hands gracefully under the hem of her dress, pushing it up, tracing her fingers over the soft skin of her thighs. Theo watched as she stroked her hand into her sex, her movements rhythmic with the music. He watched her masturbate herself and thought it the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. His cock strained against the fabric of his pants and silently, he stripped off, moving so he could cup her buttocks his hand. Blindfold, she started slightly at his touch but then started to grind gently back into his hands. He let her push herself against him, his cock ramrod erect. He let it lay on her skin and she moaned at the feel of its warm length. Theo took the strands of pearls from her neck and wound it around her hands, binding them behind her. He pressed his lips down onto her shoulder.

  ‘Are you mine?’ He whispered, his lips at her ear, his teeth nipping gently on her ear lobe.

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  A thrill went through him but he kept his stern tone. ‘Correct answer, woman. But still I think you need to be punished.’

  He heard her breath quicken, watched a scarlet flush cross her cheeks. He tightened the binding on her hands until he could see it was uncomfortable. He stood behind her, reaching around to run his fingers up and down her belly as he moved her towards the sofa.

  ‘Bend over and open your legs, girl…’

  She did so and he thrust into her sharply from behind, feeling the soft moistness of her stretch and envelop his cock, which by now was so diamond hard he thought he might explode. Jess gasped at his force and he smiled.

  ‘Ask me…’

  ‘Fuck me, please sir, fuck me…’

  He slammed into her, hearing her moan. He gripped her hips, digging his fingers deep into the soft flesh of them.

  ‘Ask me again.’

  ‘Please, sir, fuck me, fuck me harder…yes…god…’

  Theo did as she asked, ramming his cock as hard as he could into her deliciously wet cunt. Jess moaned and he could feel her whole body trembling. He pulled out, flipped her and pushed her down onto the couch. He wanted to look at her, her lips, her breasts, her belly as he fucked her. Her golden skin shimmered with sweat and heat as he plunged into her again. He lifted her legs over his shoulders and pushed the blindfold from her eyes. He had to see the love in her eyes and now there was a fire too, a new fire, one of being possessed and wanting to be possessed. By him alone. She was his.

  Theo came, his cum pumping into her so forcefully he shuddered at the release. Jess was panting beneath him and he lifted her into his arms. She leaned into his embrace and they were kissing. He released her hands and she wound her arms around his neck. Neither of them spoke – there was no need for words. Their kissing was tender, loving, tasting each other. Jess gathered her necklace into her hands and cupped his cock, running the pearls over his skin, stroking them against his sac until he was half-crazed with arousal. Jess straddled him and guided him into her, riding him slowly, teasingly, taking more of him into her every time she moved until their bellies touched. He felt himself swell and fill her entirely and then she was trailing her fingernails up and down his back. God, he wanted to consume her, be inside every part of her. He reached over to where he’d left the toys they had bought with them and grabbed a dildo, some lube. He covered the toy and his hands with lube and reached around her to part her buttocks gently. Looking into his eyes, Jess nodded, smiling and he began to push the dildo slowly into her ass as she rode him. Soon their rhythm matched and Theo felt an elation he’d never felt before. They were one person now.

  ‘I love you…’ He whispered and felt her clench her vaginal muscles around him. She was moaning now, and he felt the hot rush of her orgasm flood over his cock. He swiftly moved so she was under him, pulling out and ejaculating on her belly.

  Finally, near exhaustion, they lay on the couch, wrapped in each other. Skin on skin, sated and delirious, they fell asleep in the others’ arms.

  Max sat in his car outside the big house, waiting for any sign that Jules Gachet would be leaving for the day. He didn’t have to wait long. Jules’ gray Audi R8 sped out of the gates just after nine a.m. and Max wasted no time.

  The woman at the door had a kind face and a rounded, well-fed body. Max wanted to hug her immediately. He told her he was a friend of Jess’ from college. The woman – Camilla – had squinted at him doubtfully but invited him in anyway. He soon found he couldn’t lie to her for long, and gave a shrug of his shoulders.

  ‘I’m Theo Storm’s best friend – so that makes me a good friend of Jess too.’ He gave her the woman a grin and she smiled back, won over.

  ‘That’s better. There're too many lies in the world - and definitely too many in this house.’

  She ushered him into the kitchen. ‘Have you had breakfast?’

  She made him a huge stack of the most heavenly blueberry pancakes and sat down with him, a huge cup of coffee in her hand. ‘So, Mr…?’

  ‘Max. To tell you the truth, I’m not supposed to be here. Well, Theo would kill me. But he’s worried. We both are. There have been incidents between your employer and Jess that have left her scared and bruised. It has to stop but she won’t press charges. It would help to know how to help her if I knew something of her upbringing…what the dynamic here was.’

  Camilla was silent for a moment, looking out of the window, then she sighed. ‘Jess came here fifteen years ago when Mr. Gachet Sr. married her mother. Julien was away then but he came back a couple of years later. He claimed Jess straight away, was possessive, drove her friends away, was always with her. We just didn’t realize how bad his…fixation was. When the parents died and Jules was left to run the estate…that’s when things got really bad. He tried to control every part of her life and she had to move out. He still never leaves her alone. He uses money to control her – which makes it worse and the other day, I found him…’

  She fell silent and Max waited, patting her hand. The woman struggled to speak for a time.

  ‘Camilla?’ Max’s voice was gentle. ‘Do you think he abused her? Sexually? Physically?’

  Camilla burst into tears. ‘I should have protected her…I should have…’ She was sobbing now and Ma
x put his arms around her to comfort her.

  Driving away from the house a short time later, Max’s heart was thumping unpleasantly against his ribs and he felt guilty about invading Jess’ privacy. But Julien Gachet was a sick and twisted fuck that she’d been forced to live with and who was still trying to control her. Max was betting that once Theo Storm – international billionaire came along – Jules had panicked at the thought of losing Jess to someone who could help her gain freedom from him. He smirked humorlessly – Jules was exactly the kind of misogynistic asshole who would think Jess would find ‘someone better’ just for the money Max may not have known her long but he knew for sure that Jess loved Theo despite his great wealth.

  Max decided he would try and warn Julien Gachet off. If he’d learned anything growing up a fat gay Jewish kid, was that bullies were ultimately the worst kind of coward. Theo’s wealth and influence far outstripped this little piece of human crap.

  I owe you, Theo, Max thought, this one’s on me. He pressed his hands-free on the dash. His assistant answered.

  ‘Jenny? I need you to arrange a meeting.’

  They ate breakfast in a comfortable silence, Theo lacing his fingers with hers as they sat at a little table on the deck outside. The ocean crashed sedately onto the white sand a few feet away and Jess sat back, shaking her head slightly and smiling.

  ‘What?’ Theo grinned at her expression.

  She turned to him, her eyes shining. ‘This week has been heaven. Actual heaven. You know something? I never wanted money, it wasn’t something that we ever had before Mom married my stepfather. She didn’t marry him for it, she fell in love and it actually took him three attempts to get her to say yes. She was worried we’d get too attached to the good life, that it would make me lazy and unambitious as far as my education went. It didn’t, of course, she’d raised me right and despite our new wealth, we didn’t do over-the-top stuff. I mean we got to travel and I’m so grateful for that but today, here with you, I can see how having money can give you little peeks at what the good life could be. Of course, if we came here too often, it would ruin it.’ She glanced back at Theo and grinned. ‘Sorry, I’m rambling. What I meant to say was thank you. Without you, it would mean nothing.’