by Rachel Burns
I looked around his bedroom. The bed and all the other furniture were antique. The room was very fine, even grand. It even had a little sitting area in front of the fireplace, which was on. There were vases with fresh flowers in them. The room had a feminine feel to it. It was very tasteful. I would have pictured him in something more masculine and modern.
“Miss?” The doctor called my attention back to him. “I need you to lie back, so I can look at you down below.”
Tears filled my eyes, and I shook my head.
“Now, we will have none of that.” Collin scolded me. “The doctor is a very good man, and he won’t hurt you. He only wants to help. Do as he says quickly.” Collin was good at that strict type of voice that made people listen to him, even Rick did.
I had thought of Master as Rick. That must mean I was improving.
Nanny gently moved me the way she wanted me to go. The doctor was very quick about it, but he whispered to Nanny that I would need a special cream for down there too. I looked away from them embarrassed.
The doctor took lots of blood. Then he left with a quick ‘Good evening’. He hadn’t said anything when he looked at my wrists, but he did write something in my file after he changed my bandages.
As soon as he was gone, Nanny and Collin jumped to turn down the bed. I backed away to the side. “In you go, Princess.”
I was confused. Did he really want to sleep with me? The doctor just said I wasn’t healthy down there. Would begging help? Or would I get hurt again?
“Becky, it’s bedtime.” Again that very strict voice of his.
“Do you mean in the bed?” I asked not wanting to get him mad at me.
“Yes, Becky. This is your room and your bed. You don’t have to sleep on the floor ever again.” He looked at me with his kind green eyes, and I actually did go to him.
I swallowed hard and climbed in.
He tucked me in and kissed my forehead. “Good night, Princess, sleep tight.”
Nanny turned on a light by the fireplace and read a book. Collin hovered at the door before he left. The bed was so soft and comfortable, and the smell of strawberries filled the air. I fell right to sleep.
Chapter 10 – A New Home For Little Becky
“Is she still sleeping, Nanny?” Collin asked. She had come highly recommended. She had only worked with adult female charges.
Nanny understood what Mr. Burke’s preferences were. Perhaps, even more than he did with regards to Becky. She would take care of everything that little Becky needed.
“Yes, sir. She is extremely tired.”
“What did the doctor say?” Collin was worried about her. His feelings for her had always been so strong, but since Christmas she had become an obsession. He had to have her. He would have paid up to seven million for her. Anymore would have hurt him too much financially. He owned the factory here in town, and he had a responsibility there too. He took all of his responsibilities seriously.
Collin was pleased that he was now responsible for his little Becky.
“The doctor said to let her sleep. She didn’t even know that he was here. Sir, I have to tell you something else. She spoke to me last night in the bathroom. She looked me in the eyes and said ‘Nanny?’ I confirmed that’s who I am.”
Collin thought about that for a while. He knew he was what she needed in her life. This could all go very easily.
He really didn’t want to fight with Becky, but he did have certain expectations that she would have to meet. He didn’t want to punish her, but he would if he had to. Things here would go the way he wanted them too.
He would show her the same respect as he showed his partners. She could have whatever she wanted if she were good.
“Good, I want her to be happy with us. I want to be informed when she finally wakes up.” He gave her a nod and left.
I woke up and had to remind myself where I was. I sat up and saw Nanny. She was smiling again. I smiled back and lay back down.
The same scenario happened again and again.
Once, the doctor was there. He told me that I had to get up and eat something before I could go back to sleep.
I was going to get fed. I really liked that idea. Nanny helped me out of bed, and my head spun. I fell to the floor.
Collin picked me up and carried me into the bathroom. He stood me next to the sink. He looked in my eyes to see if he could let go.
I nodded and held tightly onto the counter. Nanny was already at my side.
He left while Nanny washed me. I smelt like strawberries again.
Nanny had laid out real clothes for me to wear while I was in the tub.
She creamed my skin again. It had gotten so dry recently. I hadn’t been eating or drinking, the way I should, but I hadn’t been allowed to do that. She creamed me in between my legs with the ointment that the doctor gave me.
“You’re such a good girl, not too prideful,” she praised me.
“They took all my pride away, Nanny.” I started to cry.
She wrapped her arms around me.
She held me for a few minutes until I pushed her away from me. The closeness to another person was too much for me.
I wanted to go home and hide from the rest of the world. Would he let me go after I was back on my feet? I would have to pay him back. It was a lot to pay back.
She got me dressed in a white dress like a little girl in the twenties would have worn. It was combined with black tights and black shoes. It was very old-fashioned. I was a little surprised that he had chosen something like this.
Nanny brushed my hair very gently and pulled the front bit back and attached a big bow to it. It was the firm kind that kept its form and didn’t have to be tied. She attached it with a barrette.
I looked like I was going to take part in a play, maybe Our Town or something like that.
She took me by my hand and went out with me. We went down the hall and down the stairs. It was dark out again. I had slept all day.
I looked around as I walked with Nanny, holding her hand. She let me go as slowly as I wanted.
We walked through the elegant hall and down another hall. This house was bigger than it looked on the outside.
Nanny opened double doors, and I saw Collin and the doctor sitting at a beautiful long table.
This room was very elegant too. It had wallpaper that was white cloth, picturing branches with colorful birds on it. The furniture was all dark wood but not as dark as in the hallways. This was a dark brown.
Collin stood up and opened his arms wide. “Come here, Becky.”
Nanny let go of my hand.
I was afraid of him too. I walked slowly to him. I hoped he wouldn’t hit me. I winced because I expected something. I was shaking by the time I got to him.
His arms dropped. His face dropped along with them.
I had disappointed him. I hung my head. “I’m sorry.”
“No, Princess. That’s all right. Let’s eat.” His voice sounded tight and guarded.
I dropped to the floor next to his chair and laid my nose and hands on the floor. I wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do, but if it was, and I didn’t do it, I would be in so much trouble.
“Becky, no.”
He was on his feet pulling me up to mine. He pulled out a chair and made a motion with his head that I should sit.
I did, and he pushed my chair in. Would he punish me because I displeased him? Tears rolled out of my eyes as I thanked him.
I felt all the eyes in the room on me.
“Becky, you’re no longer a slave. You don’t have to do anything like that ever again. I’m not going to hurt you.” Collin sounded worried.
I wondered if he felt that he had made a mistake buying me.
He rang a bell, and a couple of servants brought out our food. They set plates in front of everyone, even me.
I looked over at Collin to see if it had been a mistake. The others were already eating. Penny had brought me a plate of food every day since Christmas, which
I scarfed down. Could I eat pretty now?
“Becky, why aren’t you eating?”
“Am I really allowed to?” I whispered back to him.
“Yes, and you’re allowed to eat until you’re full. Didn’t he feed you?”
I shook my head, looking away from them. Why did I feel shame, when Rick had been the one who treated me so badly?
“But then you would have died.” He didn’t believe me.
I turned very red and hung my head. “Sometimes they threw scraps on the floor for me.” I was crying again.
Nanny even gasped.
This was so embarrassing.
“Collin, I think it would be best for another check-up after we are finished eating. Eat nice and slow, so everything will stay down, Becky.” The doctor spoke so kindly to me, but I was still so ashamed of myself.
I picked up my fork and remembered banquets that I had attended once upon a time. I could do this once again. Back straight, head up, elbows close to the body, shoulders back and take little bites.
I tried, but once I started I couldn’t stop. I cleaned the plate in less than two minutes.
The men stood up and came over to me. Collin rang a bell, and a servant came running in.
“Yes, sir.”
“Bring more food. Lot’s more,” he barked at the girl, and she hurried off.
“You have to eat slower, my dear, or your body won’t be able to take it,” Doctor Dorsey begged me.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” I sobbed into my hands, making the bandaged wrists even more obvious.
“I’ll feed her.” Collin took the plate that a maid brought in. He moved his chair close to mine and turned mine towards him. He continued conversation at the table, like this was normal. I watched him cut my food and push it onto a spoon.
He slowly fed me, making sure I had swallowed my mouthful and taken a sip of water before I got the next spoonful. He looked happy as he fed me.
Everyone chatted nicely, mostly about what my new life was going to be like. Apparently, I already owned my own horse. Collin assured me that it was a very gentle mare.
He was going to keep me. He wasn’t going to let me go.
I hung my head and cried again. My hopes had been dashed.
“Hey, I won’t let the horse hurt you. You will be safe with me.”
I nodded and then yawned.
“My little girl needs to go back to bed now.” He stood up and took me by the hand. He was so tall that I really did feel like a little girl next to him.
“Yes, sleep will heal her up quickly, but she has to start in with her penicillin now. Then I want to weigh her, so I can check her progress while she gains weight.”
“Of course, Dr. Dorsey.” Collin brought me up to my room again. A scale was brought in. I weighed 114 pounds. I cried again. The number was too low. I had been trying to lose a little weight before I – What was I? Taken captive? But that was too little to describe what happened to me. I the right words would be enslaved and tortured.
Nanny took me into the bathroom and undressed me. She let the doctor in once I was naked. He looked me over while I cried again. He left, and Nanny quickly dressed me in my pajamas again. She brought me out.
I heard the doctor talking to Collin. He told him about the side effects of me being so underweight: tiredness, and no strength. Basically, it summed up that I was defenseless, and that was why they could do what they did to me.
Collin continued to talk to the doctor about my condition as he lifted up my blankets. I got in while he told the doctor he would wait for his okay before we left the house. I was surprised that he was planning on leaving the house with me at all.
What was he planning to do with me?
Collin sat down on the bed and pulled the blankets up high to my chin. He looked at me then. “Sleep tight, Princess.” He kissed me on my forehead. Then, he left with the doctor.
Nanny sat by the fire again and continued to read in her book.
“Listen Stephanie, I took care of everything. She is here at my house. No one is going to hurt her ever again.” Collin paused, “I really want to see you again.”
“Collin, I can’t. We don’t have the same interests other than – sex. That isn’t enough. It’s over. Find someone else.” She hung up.
Collin held the phone to his ear for a moment before he too hung up.
So be it, he thought.
He got up and went out of his office to check on his little princess.
He heard her before he opened the door. She was crying and talking. “Please stop, please stop hurting me. Please.” Collin threw the door open and charged in.
Her nanny was leaning over her and shaking her. “Wake up, Becky. Please, wake up.”
Collin sat down on the bed and lifted her into his arms. He patted her back and held her close.
She didn’t wake up, but she did settle down.
He felt such a strong bond to her. He was taking good care of her.
She was his.
The next morning things went the same way. The doctor weighed me, also checking my throat and ears.
Nanny washed me and dressed me. Nanny dressed me in a dark blue sailor like dress with a matching bow. She held my hand and walked me down to the formal dining room.
Collin was there with the doctor again. He stood up and held my chair for me. Once he had pushed me back into place, I thanked him. He beamed back at me. “If you eat nice and slow, you may eat all by yourself. Otherwise, I’ll feed you again.”
That sounded like a threat, but being fed was getting food – that was always good.
He rang the bell and breakfast appeared. Eggs, bacon and pancakes were placed in front of me. I felt my eyes widen. Three different kinds of syrup were on the table. My hands started to shake simply because of the smell.
I felt my chair move. Collin arranged our chairs the same way as last night. He again kept conversation going like yesterday. He fed me spoonful for spoonful. Again I felt that he was happy.
After breakfast, we went into the living room. Collin sat me down on one of the sofas. He and the doctor talked about horses.
I had always avoided writing about them, because I knew nothing about them.
My mind got bored and began to wander. I decided to ask what his plans for me were once we were alone. That didn’t seem to be likely. The doctor and Nanny were always there too.
Chapter 11 – Call Me Daddy
Collin had to feed his little princess for a few more days. She was slowly getting stronger. He was surprised at how well she had been able to hide the fact that she was starving at the club. Had that been the real reason that Rick hardly ever let her out? Collin wanted to hear all about her life there. He wanted revenge for everything that had happened to her.
Collin pulled her aside on the fifth day she had been living with him. He ushered her into his office and offered her a seat across from him. He sat down behind his huge oak desk.
“I have several questions for you, Becky. I want you to tell me what your life was like with Rick. Please don’t leave anything out.”
She hung her head, ashamed. “Why?”
“Because if I don’t know, I’ll think the worst.”
“Then you would be right. Just a thousand times worse.” She looked out the window then.
“Do you want to go outside, Becky?” He was honestly concerned about her. She had started blocking out the real world a couple of days ago. She would be fine in one moment and in the next she was gone. The doctor said it was normal for someone like her.
“I want to go home now. When do I get to go?” She looked back at him.
His heart tightened. He could hardly breathe. “No, you are home. Perhaps now is a good time to talk about the rules here.”
He watched a tear fall from her eye and run down the side of her face. That hurt him too.
Why did he want her so much?
“You will stay with me for the rest of your life. I’ll take very good care of you. I
think I’ve proved that already. We will leave the house together, often even, but you may not leave it without me.
“I expect perfect behavior from you, Becky. If you don’t behave yourself, I’ll punish you, personally. No one else is allowed to raise a finger against you. You’re my responsibility. I will keep you safe from the past, but you have to show me the respect that’s due me, as your provider.”
“I can provide for myself. I can even pay you back, for everything; all the costs that I’ve caused you. I have my own money. I can make more. Of course, I would include interest.”
“Becky, that’s enough,” he scolded her strictly but without raising his voice. “You will not mention that ever again. Consider yourself warned. Besides, as your Daddy, it is my duty to cover all costs that may occur. You will call me Daddy, never anything else. Have I made myself clear?” He stared her down.
She nodded.
“Just say it, Becky. You have been avoiding addressing me as anything since you have known me. It can’t be avoided anymore.” He tried not to sound ticked, but he was.
“Yes, Daddy, I understand.” She had even said it sweetly.
“Very good, Princess. There are certain circumstances that make it impossible for you to return home. I’m not keeping you against your will. Believe me when I say, you have no home to return to.” He looked at her confused face.
Collin wasn’t about to tell her that she had already been declared dead. He didn’t know how Rick had done it, but the police had a body and everything. The story was that she wanted the insurance money, so she had burnt her own house down, but she hadn’t gotten out in time. Her books were considered trash now. Her reputation had been ruined. He had a lawyer of his working on fake papers for her.
He would protect her better than she had protected herself. Nothing like what had happened would happen to her under his watch.
She had hung her head again.
“If you do anything that could be considered an escape attempt, I’ll punish you. Please, believe it. There is no need to test me. Lying to me will also not be accepted. Neither will any form of disrespect. Be it to me, or anyone else. Obedience is also something that I expect from you. If I or Nanny tell you to do something, you do it, without backtalk.”