by Liz Crowe
“Come on,” he said, taking me by the waist and walking me to the living room. “Clean up the mess, then eat your sandwich and go to bed.”
“Can I…?” I looked down at my naked body, but Kirk pinched the bridge of his nose and I decided against bringing up clothes.
“There’s a broom and dustpan in the kitchen.”
I dusted off the cushion and put it back on the couch next to Kirk. Then I walked past him to pick up the broom and dustpan to clean up all of the broken glass. I carefully stuffed everything except the painting into the trash can and sat down on the floor at his feet to eat the sandwich.
Chapter Seven
Dangerous Game
The smell and crackle of bacon filtered through the empty bedroom and pulled at my stomach as I rolled over on my makeshift bed. Kirk had already unlocked my chain before I woke up, but I still debated whether or not to get up and face him. When I’d gone to bed, his anger seemed cool and contained. Now that he’d slept on it, it could either be worse—since he wouldn’t be exhausted—or better if he wasn’t the kind to hold grudges.
Somehow I doubted he was big on forgiveness.
But what did I know? He was brilliant at reading me, but he was the most confusing person I could imagine. If I could predict his reaction just once, I’d feel less anxious about every move I made.
I rolled off the cushion, wrapped the blanket around myself, and walked out quietly to peek into the kitchen.
Kirk glanced back at me then sat a plate down on the table. “You going to wear a blanket to eat in?”
I shrugged even though he wasn’t looking at me.
He turned back and glared. “Put the blanket away. There’s a robe for you on the back of the couch.”
I scowled and did as I was told. I expected the robe to be something short and sexy that barely qualified as covering, but I got another shock when I picked it up and slipped it over my arms. It almost came to my knees and was made of a thick but soft terrycloth. I pulled it tight around myself then returned to the table to take my seat.
“Thank you, Master.”
A robe wasn’t what I had expected after last night’s outburst, but since I was certain he hadn’t left anytime while I was asleep, I assumed he must have ordered it before my minor attempt at trashing his living room.
I sat and stared at my food until he also took his seat and began eating. For once, I was glad for the silence—and delighted that my mouth wasn’t currently running faster than my brain.
After breakfast, Kirk took me to the living room. “I have a meeting in a few hours, but you’re stuck with me until then.” He handed me a bag and I pulled out an e-reader, a blank journal, and a book of crossword puzzles.
“Is this your way of apologizing?”
“I’m not sorry.” He sat down on the other end of the couch and flipped on the television to the news. “It’s my way of giving you something to do so you don’t trash the place. The e-reader doesn’t connect to Wi-Fi, so don’t get any ideas. I’ll upload a few to it, but after that, you earn the rest.”
I could only imagine how I was expected to do that. “So, I have sex with you, and you buy me books?”
“No, you keep your mouth shut and do as you’re told, and I buy you books,” he said dryly. He really was determined to shut me up. “You’ll be surprised how often that may not include sex.”
He watched the TV screen for a few minutes, then slumped down and put his feet up on the coffee table. “There are a few bags of clothes behind the couch, too. Alley will take you down to the laundry room tomorrow, and you can beef with her about whatever you hate.”
I stared at him for a minute, but he wasn’t even paying attention to me. Down to the laundry room? “Just the two of us? Like wandering around the building alone.”
“Planning an escape?” He cocked an eyebrow but didn’t look away from the television.
“I’m just surprised, and….” Gabe. He had to be around the building somewhere.
“You’re allowed on floors seven through nine. Ten only if you have to go to the infirmary. You’re not allowed unsupervised on any of the floors guests can access. And you,” he pointed for emphasis, “aren’t allowed anywhere alone unless I say so. If you get into trouble tomorrow, Alley is taking half of the blame.”
“Yes, Master.” I fiddled with the e-reader in my lap, then moved my new acquisitions to the coffee table and curled up on the edge of the couch, letting my mind find a distraction in the news, even though I half expected my name or picture to flash across the screen at any moment. I knew my boss must have noticed I was gone since I had already missed a day and a half. But I hadn’t talked to my family in over a week, and I couldn’t remember whether or not I had met my friends on Friday night like we had planned. My friends… Charlene and Becca were supposed to meet me at the restaurant at seven for dinner and drinks. If I had made it there…
I shook my head and buried it into the couch. I didn’t even know if my friends were safe and I had no way to find out.
Kirk tapped his phone, then tossed it on the end table and stood. “Any books you want me to download before I leave?”
As if books made things better. I shrugged, keeping my eyes on the television. “Are we going back to the outlook tonight?”
He towered over me, reaching toward the ceiling and stretching his back. “What does that have to do with my question?”
“I don’t know what books I want. I was just wondering.”
“No,” he pressed his lips together. “Taylor and Demetri left this morning.”
“If I ask two more questions, will you rip my hair out?”
He seethed for a moment then relaxed. “Not unless you give me a reason.”
“Can I pick out the books tonight, and do I get a pen or pencil?” I held up the crossword book.
He frowned at me, apparently not convinced that I wouldn’t use a writing utensil to off myself or dig through the wall, even though I couldn’t imagine it’d be an effective tool for either. Even if I was desperate.
He grabbed a pen from the desk and tossed it to me over the back of the couch. “Try not to make any mistakes.”
I had a feeling that was meant as a double entendre, but I chose to ignore it. “How long will you be gone?”
“That’s an extra question.” He slid his phone into his pocket and clipped keys to his belt. “Only a couple of hours at most.”
*****
Kirk led me to the bedroom, and I headed for my own bed, but he grabbed me by the waist and pushed me toward his bed.
“I don’t want to stay on your bed. There’s a chain right over there.”
“The bed is softer.”
“Thanks for caring—it smells like you—” I didn’t mean for the last bit to be my audible argument. I still hadn’t gotten over everything he’d done to me, I wasn’t sure if his smell made me feel aroused, safe, afraid, or angry. It did for damn sure make me frustrated and I didn’t feel like laying in it even if it was for a couple of hours.
“When,” He jerked me around and brought me up to his face, “will you learn to stop being stubborn?”
“I—” I didn’t have an answer. Being stubborn made me feel like I was fighting to protect some part of myself and my sanity.
He jerked the book and pen out of my hand and tossed them onto the bed, along with the bottle of water he’d grabbed for me. “On the bed.”
He pushed me to the bed, so I rolled over to the other side, landed on my feet and grabbed my blanket.
“Silver,” he growled and started around the bed post.
I figured I shouldn’t press it any farther, so I threw my blanket on his bed and jumped on top of it. He grabbed my wrist and hooked it to the chain.
“Ass in the air. I’ll be right back.”
Fuck. My stomach dropped. But at least I had thoroughly earned this one. And I suspected that meant it was going to hurt. I rolled over, sitting back on my heels and then laying my head down on the bed, leavi
ng my ass stuck up in the air.
I knew pushing him any harder would only result in things I really wanted to avoid.
I heard footsteps, the only warning I got before a lubed finger pierced my ass. I grunted then pushed the feelings down, keeping them silently hidden below my gut.
He pumped into me a couple of times, before he inserted another finger. I fought to keep the moan silent, but fingers found my clit and rubbed.
I dug my hands into the blanket. “Why do you have to make me—” I whispered.
“It’ll hurt less.”
“It’s humiliating.”
“Humiliating implies that you care what anyone watching thinks about your reaction. Have you paid attention to anything happening in the outlook? Your body’s reactions don’t make you stand out, unless you fight it.”
And not standing out was a good thing, I reasoned. I gritted my teeth but let him continue. As if I had a choice anyway.
Another set of fingers slipped inside my pussy as his thumb continued rubbing circles around my clit while his other fingers pounded into my ass.
I felt his phone shake and he pulled away from me long enough to check it. I didn’t know whether to be relieved or frustrated. He’d put me in this damn mess, pushed me closer. Made me wet. And now it was all gone as he stepped across the room to answer his phone.
“Yeah, two minutes.”
“Your reprieve,” he said, pulling me to my knees by my hair. “Kiss me. Make me believe it, and you get the night off.”
I ran my teeth over my lower lip. I wasn’t sure I made my last boyfriend believe it when we kissed and now I had to impress this man. I closed my eyes and sealed my lips to his. The heat from his body radiated into mine as I teased his mouth open with my tongue.
I expected—wanted—him to taste fowl. A hint of cigarettes—even though I’d never smelled it on him or seen him leave to smoke. Morning breath from a man who hadn’t brushed. I hoped for some vile, reprehensible taste to fill my mouth and remind me why I was fighting him.
But, I got none of that. What I got was resolve-twistingly fresh. Our tongues battled for superiority as his hand fell to my breast—gently coaxing my nipple until it stood erect.
He broke away first, breathless. Lust relaxed the features of his face as he backed away. “I guess that’ll do.”
From the lump visible in his pants as he walked away, it did more than that. I collapsed to the bed and squeezed my legs together. My clit was swollen, and my pussy wet for the taking.
What the hell was this man doing to me?
And how the hell was I going to make it stop?
*****
I lay on my stomach across Kirk’s bed, working on my fourth puzzle of the afternoon when the front door slammed. Kirk had already been gone for over three hours, and the ruckus he made only confirmed that something was up.
He walked into the bedroom and jerked his shirt over his head. “Ross has summoned us to the Outlook.”
“You promised me the night off.”
Kirk stripped off his T-shirt and tossed it in the corner. “It’s no longer my choice. We have twenty minutes.”
I didn’t move, but it wasn’t like I could do anything while chained to the wall anyway.
With most of his clothes in a pile on the floor, Kirk leaned over the bed to unlock my wrist.
“Why?” I asked, jerking away from him. “Why the big change in plans?”
“Are we really going to do this again? Ask Ross if you really want to know. I’m not exactly keen on worrying about you during another business dinner either.”
He yanked me to the edge of my bed by my ankle—the same ankle that one of the buffoons had slammed into the table. I bit back the pain and squirmed away.
I had a feeling it wasn’t me that had him worked up, but no matter what, I was going to get the brunt of it.
“Go to the bathroom and fix your makeup and do your hair. I’ll pick out your clothes.”
At least he didn’t make me crawl; in fact, he barely paid attention to me as I left the room. I took a deep breath and stared into the bathroom mirror. There was no way I could get anything to look like what Alley had done, but I tried to imitate the makeup as well as I could. By the time I got to my eyeliner, I realized that I still needed a lot more practice.
Kirk returned and placed a short skirt and halter top on the table. He examined my makeup in the mirror then leaned against the wall next to me.
I could smell him again, and feeling his gaze on my naked skin made me squirm.
“I don’t know what to do with my hair.” I hated that my voice sounded choked and anxious.
“Just leave it down. It’ll be fine.”
I zipped on the skirt, and Kirk tied the halter behind my neck while I threw everything back into the little makeup bag. “Should I be worried?”
“Not if you do what you’re told.”
In other words, yes.
*****
When we got up to the main room, a hulk of a man stopped us from going to the center room where we normally ate.
“Boss said to send you down to the clear room.”
Kirk nodded then led me toward the stairs. He pulled me to my feet.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered.
“Nothing.” He said, but he was tense, straighter, and even more distant than normal. “I just don’t think you awkwardly crawling down the stairs is going to be a sexy sight for anyone.”
He yanked my chain and led me down the stairs, and then through a maze of black walls until he found the one he was looking for. Through the glass tiles in the ceiling, I realized we were going into the room just below our usual one.
“K—M…. Master.” I stuttered out managing to not let his name slip out.
He opened the door and revealed a room equipped with a medical-looking bed, and implements from whips and chains to shelves full of butt plugs and dildos covered every wall.
“No,” I whispered.
“Once again, you missed the lecture about choice.”
“Fine, but you don’t want this either.” Anxiety took over. Anything was better than this. Better than the things he was going to make me feel when my body betrayed my mind. “You don’t want me.”
“Does that hurt your feelings?”
I despised that he was only playing my master because of some duty—and because of that he had to force himself to touch me. A criminal who lived in a sex den had to force himself to touch me. And even worse, he got me off while doing it.
I glanced to the window above. “Can they hear us?”
“Doubt it.” He lifted me to the bed and removed the chain from my collar. “The rooms are soundproofed, but there’s a mic. It doesn’t look like it’s turned on.” His jaw was clenched as he moved away to drop the leash on a nearby counter.
“Am I infuriating you?”
“Yes,” he glared at me but kept his body relaxed as if he didn’t want anyone to notice our argument. “Take off your top.”
If I pushed him hard enough, I hoped I could avoid the whole, enjoyment part of the issue. As stupid as the idea sounded, I preferred when he acted like the asshole criminal. He was easier to hate and easier to understand. “No.”
“Damn it, Silver,” he growled. “Do you think you’re safer if you disobey down here than if you disobey up there? You’re not. Do as I fucking say, or they’re going to have a damn good time watching me beat your ass. And then, I’ll ask them to get in line for their turn.”
He ripped my top open and pressed me down on the bed with one hand wrapped around my neck. The move was intimidating, but not enough to cut away my air.
“Why is everyone afraid of you?”
The pressure increased. “What is it? You figure if you piss me off. I’ll get it over with? Want nothing to do with you? Or maybe you enjoy the brutality?”
“Fuck you,” I hissed back.
He held me to the table by my throat then reached underneath to pull up a chain with some kind of co
ntraption on the end. Without warning, he took my nipple in his mouth, rolled it with his tongue then pinched it with his teeth.
The pain radiated out, this time there wasn’t an ounce of pleasure behind it. As he moved his head away, he clamped the end of the chain on my nipple and pulled it tight, fastening it over my arm and under the bed. I gritted my teeth to keep from moving, unsure if I could go through with the piss him off and get it over with plan.
He wasn’t intent on getting anything over with.
As he stepped back, I reached to move but he held me there with his glare.
“Not as much fight now,” he taunted with a low voice. “You don’t want to fight a losing battle with me like you did with Gabe?”
“You ass, you know I want to fight.”
“So, now you’re smart enough not to. Yet you continue trying to piss me off. Which means you’d rather it hurt.”
I looked away as he repeated the process on my other nipple. With each breath, they pulled sensitive flesh and I was afraid to move a millimeter in any direction. I looked up trying to see into the room above, wondering how intently they were watching, but the lighting in our room made it hard to see through the glass, and all I got was my own reflection.
Chained. Disheveled.
I didn’t want pain, but somewhere I wanted a reminder of how much I didn’t want to be here. How much I hated them for this. How much I hated myself for this.
“You went quiet for once,” Kirk said.
“And now you’re complaining. Maybe you want me to egg you on to give you an excuse to hurt me.”
“Maybe if I make it painful enough for both of us, you’ll stop.” He smacked my stomach. The impact wasn’t hard enough to hurt, but it made me jump and pull against the nipple clamps. “They’re going to wonder why we’re doing so much talking.”
Kirk stepped back and looked around the room. Probably wondering how best to torture me in my current position. Suit liked humiliation—and as far as I understood it, I was being trained to please his clients. Unless they were all into torture and doing all the work, that currently left Kirk in an awkward position unless he wanted to show off how utterly useless I was.