"I want to teach you how to handle it."
"Handle what? Being tortured?" My eyes popped in amazement at the suggestion.
"No. How to handle the fear of being tortured."
My eyes narrowed in suspicion, but Jake gave nothing away except his hunger for whatever the hell he had planned. He wanted this, more than I understood. And damn it, a part of me wanted to give it to him. This is what my life depended on, right?
"How are you going to do that?"
The tight line his mouth rested in pulled into a smile. "You'll just have to trust me." He extended his hand, and I stared at it for what seemed like a long time. He didn't lose his patience, and that almost terrifying lust never left the green of his eyes.
"You won't hurt me?" I asked, my gaze meeting his.
"I didn't say that." Jake's smile widened. "But I won't do anything I don't think you can handle. You can tell me to stop, and I will. You'll have to go back to the bedroom by yourself, though."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This was my shot. I either played his game, or I lost. And the stakes were my life. It was bad luck that his tastes were so dark, but I couldn't go back to that room.
When I opened my eyes, my mind was made up. I placed a shaking hand in Jake's and allowed him to lead me back to the door. Pure animalistic need rolled off him with each step so strong I could smell it. I wondered how long he'd waited for this. If he'd intended for this to happen all along.
By the time we'd made it down the steps and into the room, I shook uncontrollably. Jake stepped behind me and rubbed my shoulders. If he thought it conveyed the sense that he wanted to calm me down, it didn't work. I didn't miss the way he inhaled as if he savored the scent of my fear.
"Why do you have to be so fucking perfect?" he whispered, almost to himself. He cleared his throat before speaking next. "See that bench over there?"
He pointed to a cloth bench on the other side of the room. It was lined with red leather and had two bars on either side of it, along with cuffs that hung in front. It almost looked familiar, and as I stared harder at it I realized why. There'd been a similar piece of equipment in the torture chamber we'd found in Kevin Cryson's house. Examining the room, I realized the two places had many similarities.
Anger pooled in my bloodstream, and I jerked myself from Jake's touch. I guess I'd been conditioned for the past year to feel anger anytime I even thought of Jake's brother. The similarities only pissed me off more.
I whipped around to face Jake who seemed surprised at my sudden change in demeanor. "I'm not getting on that."
The surprise vanished and in its place was a smirk. "No?"
"No. You said I could stop at any time. Well, I choose now."
He chuckled and took a step toward me only for me to take a step back. "Oh, Laila," he said shaking his head. He stepped toward me again, but this time I bumped into a tray that held several scalpels and knives. My eyes widened at the blades, and before I could think to move, Jake captured my wrists and pinned them behind my back.
"I was bluffing," he whispered in my ear.
My heartbeat throbbed in my ears as Jake forced me toward the bench. "No, stop! Stop! I don't want this!"
My screams only seemed to make him more aggressive as he forced me to bend forward over the bench. His hard-on pressed to my backside, and I cried out.
A deep sigh sounded behind me, and Jake released my wrists. He reached into my pants and probed at my opening. His touch wasn't near as aggressive as I'd expected, but it still made me cry harder into the leather.
"You're not even wet," he observed, sounding almost horrified.
Does he seriously think I want this? Maybe my body had reacted to his roughness earlier, but none of it lingered. All I felt down in this hellhole was a cocktail of fear and anger.
Jake took a step back, and a peek over my shoulder revealed him running his hands over his face in frustration. He stared off into space for several moments as if he contemplated something, but as soon as his gaze returned to me I hid my face against the leather.
His steps echoed along the walls as he walked up beside me. "Laila."
I turned to face him. His voice no longer held the lust and a quick peek into his eyes revealed the same.
"Remember when we played our little game, and there were certain questions neither of us would answer?"
My cheek grazed leather as I nodded.
"What if we changed the rules?"
Jake's calm lulled me out of my fearful state little by little, and curiosity began to take its place. "What do you mean?"
"I mean I'll answer those questions. Anything you ask me. But in return, you have to do something for me. An action of sorts. The more personal the question, the more personal the act."
My eyebrows creased as I considered the offer. There were so many things I wanted to know. If I did ever make it out of here, there were questions I needed to know. But was it really worth whatever he'd make me do? Question after question burst into my head like an electric shock, and so much curiosity filled me that I was tempted. It was very possible he'd make me do whatever he wanted either way.
"How do I know you won't lie?" I asked, still debating.
Jake smiled. "You're a detective. Won't you be able to tell?"
I thought so, but it was difficult to tell with this slimy bastard. He had a way of disillusioning me. "Do I get to know what the action is before I decide if I want the answer?"
"Sure," Jake said, his smile widening. "Any other requests?"
His smugness pissed me off. We both knew I was playing this game, but only I knew the reason why. It was best for my survival. That was it.
"Fine," I said with narrowed eyes as I sat up on the bench. "Where's your brother?"
Jake sat beside me and placed his hand on my knee, which I proceeded to yank off. He laughed. "Are you sure you want to go with a big question right out of the gate? It's going to cost you."
"And what will it cost me?"
Darkness filled his gaze before he shook his head. "Go slower. You know what I want."
My face heated, and I averted my gaze. An electric current flowed to my core at his words. I had an idea of what he wanted, and he was right, I should probably go slower.
"If yours and Isabella's relationship is truly platonic, what's the point in making her be your slave? What would that answer cost me?"
Jake licked his lower lip as his eyes traveled the length of my chest. "Take your shirt off."
Question number one and I already hesitated. Doubt drifted into my mind that maybe I didn't want to play this game after all. But I wasn't doing it for the answers. I was doing it for a chance at making Jake want me alive. I only had today.
With a shaky breath, I gripped onto the hem of my shirt and pulled the top over my head. The urge to cover myself overtook me, and I immediately shielded my breasts from Jake's prying eyes.
He lifted a brow. "That seems like cheating."
"You only said to take my shirt off," I said through the lump that'd formed in my throat. "Answer the question."
He shook his head but smiled. "There are parties here sometimes. It's customary to bring a slave. Makes me look all big and strong." Jake talked as if it were amusing, but his voice was laced with a sliver of disgust. That's interesting.
"So what, then? It's a formality to own another person in your fucked-up world?"
Now it was his turn for his eyes to narrow. "You asked the question."
"Is that really your answer?"
Jake paused for several moments. "Yes."
"Do you enjoy hurting women?"
He didn't even hesitate to motion for me to put my arms down. I swallowed before resting them at my sides. Jake licked his bottom lip once more.
"I have what some might consider an… unusual sexual appetite. I like the fear, but not taking things against a woman's will. It's a very difficult balance to have at times."
"So is that a yes?" I asked.
"That's
a sometimes."
"And you want to hurt me right now?"
I don't know why I asked that question. It came barreling out of my mouth before I had a chance to consider how idiotic it was. We both knew the answer. There was just a sick part of me that wanted to hear him say it.
His gaze darted to my lips, and more of that hunger entered his eyes. "Kiss me," he whispered.
I took a deep breath and leaned forward so that I was a mere inch from his face. My lips lingered there as I inhaled his scent. So masculine and primal. Part of me thought he wouldn't wait for me to move the rest of the way, but he stayed still. As hungry as I knew he was, the man's patience astonished me. I pressed my lips to his with the intention of pulling back after only a moment. After all, he’d only asked for a kiss. He didn't list any specifications. Still, I found myself stuck. As our tongues mingled, a low growl came from deep within Jake's throat.
We stayed like that, our bodies locked together for several moments until Jake suddenly jerked back. "Yes," he said, his voice ragged. It took me a moment before I realized it was the answer to the question I'd asked: did he want to hurt me. For some reason it didn't incite fear this time. Instead, blood rushed to my core and my nipples tightened into hard buds.
"I don't know where my brother is. He left over a year ago, and I haven't spoken to him since." He took several heady breaths before dropping his gaze to my hardened nipples and then back up to my face. "Now lie down on the bench."
Jake
* * *
Laila's eyes widened as I'd given the command. Maybe it wasn't quite fair of me. I hadn't told her what the cost of the question would be and my answer lacked any real information on my brother's whereabouts.
But she wanted this. Her nipples hardened under my stare and her face flushed a beautiful shade of pink. She'd reacted to me last night. Not only to the pleasure I’d given her, but the pain as well. I had no doubts that she'd like this, and deep down I think Laila knew it too.
Laila gulped and bit her lip. "You really don't know where he is?"
"I really don't know where he is."
She nodded and took a deep breath. Her eyes roamed the bench as she shifted. She was hesitant. Excited but afraid. I moved my hand to cover her knee, and this time she didn't shrug it off.
"Trust me."
Her doe eyes stared into mine as if searching for something. With a deep breath, she broke eye contact and slowly lay down on the bench.
A groan crawled up my throat as she moved, but I swallowed it back down and stood. My cock pushed painfully against my pants, and I adjusted it as soon as I stepped out of her line of sight.
"I'm going to cuff you now… don't be alarmed."
Laila said nothing in return, and I breathed a sigh of relief. At least she wasn't fighting me. It only added to my suspicion that she did in fact enjoy this. There was fear there, and plenty of it. I'm sure memories of this room swarmed in her head as I cuffed her wrists at the front of the bench, but that was the point in coming down here. By the end of the day, there'd be a new memory to mix in with the bad.
I clasped my hands under the seam of Laila's sweatpants and gingerly pulled them down her body. Laila's thighs tightened as I nudged them. She didn't budge. She trembled, but ceased as I rubbed my fingers into the muscles.
"It's all right," I whispered while continuing to knead her thighs. I moved on to her calves, massaging each one until I felt every muscle go limp. I repeated all along her legs until she was putty under my fingers.
Then I tried again, guiding her legs to lift so that she was on her knees. To my relief, she didn't fight. Not even when I locked her ankles into the spreader bar that pulled out of the bench.
Her head was pressed against the leather while her ass was forced up. Her splayed legs gave me a perfect view of the glistening cunt before me. I crouched down just to get a better look. I'd never wanted anything so bad in my entire life, and puffs of air filled with need rushed from my lips. Some of that air must've touched Laila’s moistened slit because it spasmed a moment later, gripping at something that wasn't there. At least not yet.
I swallowed and forced myself to my feet. As much as I wanted to free my raging erection from my pants and fuck Laila senseless, there was a key part of this exercise that needed to play out first. One I wasn't ashamed to admit I'd enjoy.
As I walked away from Laila to retrieve one of the canes from the wall, her eyes bore into my back.
"W-what are you doing?" she asked. Her voice shook with raw fear mixed with a hint of excitement, and I marveled at it. My shoulders lifted as a tingling sensation ran through my entire body. This woman was everything I imagined in all my fucked-up fantasies. I'd attempted to act out my dark desires before, but it never quite matched the expectation. This though? This had every nerve ending fired up, and every part of my brain focused on this woman. On Laila. She was scared, and I reveled in her fear, but at the same time I knew she could take it. I knew she wouldn't run away crying and screaming after I released her. She'd enjoy this too, even as she denied it to herself.
I rolled my shoulders and picked one of the canes. It was simple. It didn't have spokes like some of the others. She could take this one, I knew she could.
I twirled the cane in my fingertips as I approached Laila and didn't meet her stare until I was a foot away.
"Jake," she whispered, a bit of panic in her voice. The chains rattled as she wriggled about.
"You went to college, right?"
Her brows pinched together. "Yes?"
I smiled and stepped out of her line of sight. The cane lifted in my hand and brushed Laila's back as I circled her.
"And when you took your psychology courses, did they explain to you the different ways one might go about treating a phobia?"
Laila's entire body tensed as meaning washed through her. I smiled and ran the cane down over her ass and thighs.
"Is that what this is?" she asked. "Desensitization is supposed to take place in a safe, calm environment, Jake. You can't just scare the shit out of me with a bluff and think that's going to help me."
The smile pulled farther over my face and my cock jumped in anticipation. "Who said I was bluffing?"
With the swift jerk of my wrist, I brought the cane down across Laila's ass. She inhaled a sharp gasp and thrashed in the chains. My eyes locked onto the red line that'd formed so perfectly across her skin, and I took my own sharp breath. I gripped the cane tighter as the darkness enveloped me.
I lifted the cane but forced myself to hold back and waited for the pleas. If she begged me to stop, I would. I didn't know what the hell I'd do about this insatiable need, but I'd figure it out.
To my amazement, the begging never came. I brought the cane over her ass just above the first and relished the way her body jerked, and the chains rattled again. The cane came down twice more over her rear before Laila said anything.
"Jake," she whimpered.
I moved my hands over the lashings, just a light touch. It was important not to rub too hard. Laila pressed herself into my caress, and my breath caught.
I inhaled deeply before gliding my hand between her legs and swiping at the bead of liquid that ran down her thigh.
Ho-ly-shit.
I stood up straight and circled her, caressing her with the cane as I did.
"You're okay, Laila," I said, stopping a moment when her face came into view. Her eyes were closed, and silent tears escaped from her lids. I doubted it had anything to do with pain. Her body responded even more beautifully than I'd hoped. My guess was shame kept her from fully leaning into it.
"You're so beautiful," I whispered, running my knuckles over her cheek. She leaned into my touch and let out a small whimper. The sight of her tears sobered me some, and the muscles in my back relaxed. It wasn't enough for me to stop, however.
I rolled my neck and stepped behind her. My wrist jerked the cane across her ass again, but immediately after, I ran my hand over the welt to ease the burn.
; I repeated the movements, over and over with the strokes lowering each time. She reacted just as she had the previous night. Instead of pulling away to avoid the lashings, she leaned into them. As long as my palms eased away the burn, her body craved it.
After the third lash, soft moans fluttered to my ears, muffled by the leather. They increased in volume and eventually, Laila's face moved and allowed the sounds to exit freely.
By the time I'd reached the lower curve of her ass and my fingers all but grazed her opening, she panted like a bitch in heat.
My cock throbbed against my pants and pressure built as if I'd come right there. I tossed the cane to the floor and fell to my knees. One hand gripped Laila's hip while the other caressed her inner thigh.
I wouldn't touch her pussy. Not this time. If she got her pleasure, I would be certain I got mine as well. I wasn't fond of being a selfless lover. Her hips moved to search out my touch. Each time she brushed her sweet cunt against my fingers, I'd move them.
"Please," Laila finally groaned. She had so much pride. Too much for her own good. We'd have to do away with that right the fuck now.
"Say it, Laila. Tell me what you want."
She groaned more and thrashed in the chains.
"You already know," she gritted with both need and frustration apparent in her voice.
I pulled back altogether, and she whimpered when my touch left her. I stood and waited for the words, promising myself I'd resist the urge to fuck her unless she said it. No lines would be blurred. No justification could be conjured in that pretty head of hers. She wanted this. I knew it. It was time that she knew it too.
"Say it, Laila."
Despite my restraint, I yanked my shirt over my head and unbuttoned my jeans. My hands shook with need, and I swore I was about to explode.
I shoved my pants down, and my boxers along with them. Two words. That was all that stood in the way of everything I needed right now. Two fucking words.
I gripped my cock in my hand and stroked.
"Come on, Laila. Just say it."
A small cry erupted in the silent space, but then the two most incredible words came from between parted lips.
Dethroned: Darker Places Book Three Page 14