by Monica James
Feelings of helplessness surround me, and the stench of Kenny’s soaked breath crashes into me. But another smell overrides that weakness, and that’s the combination of spicy, sweet, and floral—Saint’s signature fragrance.
Thoughts of him and his belief in me that I’m the bravest woman he knows have me refusing to surrender. I will do him proud when I save us this time.
It’s time I showed Aleksei my real worth.
I’m going to kill him. I don’t know how or when, but it’s inevitable. I should have done it years ago. After seeing the way he looks at her, it takes all my strength not to end him right now. But I have to bide my time. I have to be smart. Regardless of my feelings for her.
Day 34
MY HEART THRASHES against my rib cage; so much so, the frantic rhythm deafens me. But I pull it together and don’t lose sight of the predator stalking toward me.
Judging by the enormous bulge protruding from Aleksei’s pants, he thoroughly enjoys this game. I have nowhere to go, seeing as I’m backed into a corner, so I scamper onto the bed, intent on running from this room.
But Aleksei is quicker and catapults onto the mattress, pinning me down.
Images of wild animal documentaries invade my thoughts as I suddenly feel like a gazelle being taken down by a lion. Aleksei holds me down with little effort, but I struggle against him all the same.
“Get off!” I bellow, thrashing wildly, but he’s bound my wrists above my head.
“Shh,” he coos, his heavy weight on top of me making it hard to breathe. “Don’t fight it.”
It? Does he actually think I feel an iota of attraction toward him? It’s time I made my feelings very clear.
“Make no mistake. I will always fight you,” I cry, attempting to buck him off. “I won’t submit to you. Ever.”
My response seems to amuse him as he laughs loudly. “We will see, ангел.”
“Don’t call me that,” I grit out between clenched teeth, glaring at him.
“I thought you liked it,” he replies, looping his leg around mine to stop me from kneeing him in the balls.
“You know nothing about me.” Being this close allows me to take this monster in.
His dark brown hair has flicked forward, and the soft strands brush my forehead. His deep blue eyes would be a hypnotic color if not for the fact they belong to a murderer. His clean-shaven face exposes his sharp features and emphasizes the fullness of his pink lips. I turn my cheek to escape his suffocating sandalwood scent.
The rebellion just turns him on further because I can feel his hard-on pressing into me. It makes me want to vomit.
“You’re right. I don’t. But I want to change that.”
“Why me?” I beseech for him to shed light on why I’m so special. He’s rich, some would even say he’s good looking, and he oozes power. He could have a million other women, women who would be more than willing to be at his disposal, but he’s chosen to torment me.
“Because…” He lowers his lips to my cheek as I freeze in horror. “I haven’t been challenged in a very long time.”
He places a chaste kiss on my cheek before trailing to my lips. I thrash my head from side to side, but he grips my chin firmly, preventing me from moving an inch. I glower at him, my chest rising and falling rapidly. His attention drifts to where my breasts are exposed thanks to the low neckline of my dress. His tongue darts out to wet his bottom lip.
“And you challenge me. I like it because I can’t wait to see you break.”
“Fuck…you,” I pant between pursed lips as he maintains his punishing grip on my face.
He chuckles hoarsely once again before licking the seam of my mouth.
Tears of anger sting because I can’t do a damn thing, but the scissors in the waistband of my underwear reveal that isn’t exactly true. Fighting seems to get Aleksei off, but what if I didn’t? What if I was the docile submissive he wanted?
My body protests at the thought, as surrendering to this asshole is complete blasphemy, but it’s the only way I can get him to lower his guard and catch him unaware. So I detach myself from my body and stop fighting, allowing him to slip his tongue past my slack lips.
The urge to gag or bite down overwhelms me, but I stare up at the ceiling, biding my time. Aleksei doesn’t seem to notice or care and groans into my mouth, driving his hips into me. Everything about this feels so wrong, but when his grip on my wrist slackens, I quash down my uneasiness and focus on breaking free.
My flaccid lips allow Aleksei to molest my mouth any way he likes. Yet the way he bites, licks, and suckles me is in no way pleasurable for me. My stomach roils, but I remain still, thinking of anything other than being trapped under him.
A string of Russian leaves Aleksei as he rolls his hips and nudges me with his monster hard-on. I need to speed things up because I can’t stay this way for much longer. So I arch into him, pressing my breasts into his chest.
Your looks are used for evil…
My mother’s words spur me on because that evil has him releasing my wrists to grope me. Now that my arms are free, I slowly place them beside me, using my left hand to subtly lift my hem. Aleksei’s grip on my chin never wavers because he knows it’s hurting me. The pain gets him off. Just as being in control does.
But when he lowers his head to tongue the top of my breasts, the roles are reversed, and I’m the one in control. I lunge for the scissors and press them into his throat in lightning-quick speed. His head snaps up, but I only dig the scissors in deeper, daring him to move an inch.
I’ve caught him off guard, just as I did with Saint once upon a time, but unlike then, I want to end this bastard’s miserable life.
“I’m impressed,” he says smoothly, eyeing me closely as he raises his hands in surrender. “But give me the scissors before you hurt yourself.”
That arrogant asshole. “You’re in no position to be making demands.” To emphasize my point, I nudge the scissors in deeper. But the thought of following through suddenly makes me feel nauseous. “Get off me.”
When he doesn’t move, I threaten to draw blood.
“Okay, fine.” He goes to move off me, which has me celebrating, but it’s premature because the moment my grip on the scissors slackens, he slaps them from my hand. They skid across the floor, echoing the dire consequences headed my way.
I work on pure adrenaline and spring up, but Aleksei forces me back onto the mattress when he presses his forearm over my windpipe, holding me down. I claw at his arm and kick my legs, but he only pushes down harder. “You are a pleasant surprise. I must thank your husband.”
The mere mention of Drew has me thrashing about like a wild cat, uncaring that Aleksei will probably choke me into submission. Without breaking a sweat, he reaches into the bedside table with his free arm and produces a pair of handcuffs.
He yanks my arms above me, snapping one cuff around my wrist before threading the restraints around the twisted steel of the Victorian style headboard and quickly removing his arm from my windpipe to fasten my other hand.
I lunge forward, but the movement only jars my shoulders from their sockets. “You fucking bastard!” The handcuffs rattle against the headboard as I yank at them, but I’m not going anywhere.
Aleksei smirks, shuffling down the bed and straddling me. I try to buck him off, but his strong thighs pin me to the bed. “I should force my cock down your throat as punishment for speaking to me that way.”
His threat has me gritting my teeth together. “Try it and see what happens,” I warn, as this time, I will ensure to not let go.
“But when that happens”—he leans down to whisper into my ear—“and it will happen. I won’t be seconds away from exploding into that beautiful mouth like I am right now. You’ve got me so worked up, and I wouldn’t want you to think I was lacking in stamina because with someone like you, I want to savor every last inch.” He suckles my earlobe while I squeeze my eyes shut. “But right now, I just want to come. I suppose having Zoey here does have
its benefits after all.”
He is revolting because Zoey, it seems, is merely a warm body to jerk off into.
“Don’t go anywhere,” he quips as he crawls off me. I turn my cheek, refusing to look at him.
When the door closes behind him, I exhale in relief.
An electrical current pulses through me, but it’s not the good kind. I tug at the handcuffs, but they’re tight. My feet aren’t bound, but in this position, I have nowhere to go. “Fuck!” I scream in frustration and flail madly, angry with myself for hesitating instead of growing a pair.
I had the opportunity to end this, but I faltered, and it’s cost me dearly.
During the past few weeks, I’ve felt hopeless, but this, this is something else. With Saint, I never felt this terrified because deep down, I’ve always trusted him. Even when I shouldn’t have. But Aleksei scares me because his promises aren’t empty.
Sinking into the pillow, I rack my brain, attempting to piece together a plan to get the fuck off this boat. But the longer I think, the more desolate things look. I suddenly would give anything to be back on the island. There, things were complicated, but I was with Saint, and together, I never doubted we could accomplish anything.
Things were never black and white, but for a mere moment in time, that island was my own private oasis. I began to feel things that I have never felt before, and I was foolish not to embrace them because now…I’ve run out of time.
When the door bursts open, I curse my thoughts, but when I see who just entered, my heart fills with a sliver of hope. Saint quietly closes the door behind him, his eyes distressed when he sees me handcuffed to the bed.
“Aнгел.” He rushes over, brushing the hair from my cheeks. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.” I lean into his touch, closing my eyes in relief. “Uncuff me. Please.”
Saint nods and frantically searches the room.
“Try the bedside table.” I gesture with my chin to the one Aleksei took the cuffs out of.
After hunting desperately, he runs a hand through his hair, yanking at the snarled strands. “Fuck. He’s probably got the key on him.”
He should know. Didn’t he do the same to me?
“Where is he?”
When Saint averts his gaze, I know where. He’s no doubt gone to find Zoey. The thought turns my stomach.
“I don’t have much time,” he says, sitting near me and glaring at the cuffs. “I need to win back his trust. It’s the only way I can get you off this fucking yacht! He’s watching me closely. They all are.”
“So how do you do that?”
His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows deeply. “I have to do what he says…regardless of my feelings.”
He doesn’t need to spell it out. We’re both prisoners, and Aleksei is the puppet master, pulling both our strings.
“Then do it. You do whatever it takes,” I reply, nodding slowly. “It’ll be okay.”
I know what he’s proposing. For him to earn back Aleksei’s trust, he’s going to have to prove he’s still Popov’s number one hitman. He can’t show kindness. Or compassion. He has to punish and kill without remorse. He has to treat me how he always should have but never did—like a hostage.
But Saint reveals he’s no longer the man he once was.
“I-I don’t know if I can,” he confesses with regret.
My heart swells, but I soon squash down my emotion because there is no other way. “You have to. It’s the only way we can escape.”
When he lowers his chin, though, it seems there is only enough room for one.
“You’re coming with me, right?” I know the answer, but I press anyway. “Right?”
“I can’t leave Zoey,” he replies. His hair shields his face, but his defeated tone tells me he’s breaking inside as well. “He will slip up, and when he does”—he raises those hypnotic eyes—“I’ll set you free. No matter what happens, you do what I tell you, okay?”
My stomach drops at his ominous command.
“Okay?” he presses when I don’t reply.
“Yes,” I finally answer.
With the slowest of movements, he leans forward. Resting one hand by my head, he hovers over me, combing over every inch of my face. “Don’t look back. Don’t ever look back,” he whispers while unexpected tears break past my floodgates.
With his free hand, he brushes away my sadness with his thumb.
“I’m sorry I did this to you.”
A sob escapes because it’s the first time he’s apologized for kidnapping me. But it’s not his apology that I want. He’s just as much a prisoner as I am.
“But I’ll make it right. I promise.”
I can’t shake the feeling that this is goodbye. That whatever he has planned will end in us never seeing one another again.
I open my mouth, primed to argue that I don’t want to go without him, but sealing his lips over mine robs all my words. It takes my brain a second to catch up, but when it does, I surrender and lose myself to the bliss.
With my hands bound, I’m helpless to Saint’s lips and tongue, but who am I kidding? There isn’t anything I enjoy more. I may not intend to submit to Aleksei, but with Saint…I beg for so much more. And more he gives.
Cupping my cheeks, he positions himself over me, wickedly devouring my mouth with a frantic kiss filled with urgency and uncertainty. Our tongues duel, our breaths melt into one. I arch into him, ignoring the pain in my shoulders because I want everything and more.
“Aнгел,” he pants into my mouth, his touch burning me alive.
The handcuffs rattle as I yank on them because each lash of his tongue drives me wild. His fragrance is a heady punch to my libido, and I scissor my legs to create friction, hoping to douse the flames. Saint kisses without apology because we both know this will be the last time.
I know what this is—the final kiss goodbye.
“Saint, no,” I mumble against his lips, trying to keep him hostage, but without my arms, I’m helpless to stop him.
He kisses my lips a final time before severing our connection with a heavy sigh. We lock eyes, and I know he’s lost to me because to become who he once was, he has to detach himself from feeling. It’s the only way he can do this.
When the distinct sound of a door handle turning can he heard, Saint leaps from the bed, wiping his lips. All I can do is watch, fearful for what comes next. When Aleksei enters, he pauses, as he was clearly not expecting company.
“Saint?” he questions, looking from him to me. “What are you doing in here?”
Saint clenches his fists by his side, and his shoulders are raised. He looks moments away from springing into action and tearing off Aleksei’s head. When he doesn’t reply, I know this will not end pretty. So I think on my toes, hoping it works.
“Fuck you! You can’t keep me tied up like some animal.” I wriggle wildly, the cuffs straining against the headboard. The commotion has Aleksei and Saint turning their attention my way. “Let me go!”
Aleksei grins while Saint pales. But he soon pulls it together and clues on to my plans. “She was giving me a headache with all her shouting. I came in here to remind her what happens when she misbehaves. I didn’t realize you had cuffed her.”
I exhale in relief, thankful he’s playing along.
Aleksei takes a moment to take everything in. When he sees everything is as he left it, he nods, closing the door behind him. “She’s very disobedient.”
I gnash my teeth together, livid he’s talking about me so flippantly like I’m not here.
“I know,” Saint says, his comment filled with innuendo. If I wasn’t handcuffed and fearing for my life, his annoyance would be entertaining.
“So how did you punish her? How did you manage to get her to call you master?” He leans against the door, crossing his arms as he waits for Saint to reply. “On the island, she called me мастер,” he explains when Saint remains silent. “I presume that’s because you taught her to address you that way. Am I correct?”
Saint clenches his jaw tight. I hold my breath and only exhale when he replies.
“Yes.”
“Excellent,” Aleksei says, his stance still relaxed. “Show me.”
“Show you what?” Saint counters quickly, irritated.
“Show me how you were going to punish her. That’s what you were going to do, right? You were coming in here to punish her?” Aleksei is a smart man. Even though he ends his sentences with a question, we don’t have a choice. We never did.
“Yes,” Saint manages to spit out between clenched teeth.
“Good. Show me,” he repeats, gesturing with his hand that the floor is his.
Saint inhales, his chest expanding on his heavy breath. He trains his eyes on me, and all I see is utter torment. I understand why a second later. “Give me the key to her cuffs.”
I know we agreed that to survive this, Saint has to win back Aleksei’s trust. But to what lengths will he have to go to achieve this?
It’s too late to turn back now, so I simply await Saint’s next move.
Aleksei reaches into his back pocket, producing a small key. I suddenly wish I could remain cuffed. Saint doesn’t hesitate and reaches for it. When it’s in his possession, I exhale, but his stiff shoulders cause me to break out into a cold sweat.
He turns slowly, and resembling a robot, he walks over to the bed. I wonder what Aleksei expects to see. He believes Saint to be my мастеp, my master, so I remain still. When he reaches over me and unlocks the handcuffs, he brushes over my wrist with the quickest and gentlest of touches. Aleksei cannot see the gesture, as Saint has deliberately turned his back in a way that shields me from prying eyes.
It gives me the strength to continue.
“Kneel.”
Without question, I slowly rise from the bed and follow Saint to the middle of the room. When he positions himself so Aleksei can see, I know what I have to do.
I drop to my knees and bow my head.
“Oh my.” A stunned gasp leaves Aleksei. “That is incredible. Just like a trained dog.”
A strong metallic taste fills my mouth, alerting me that I’ve drawn blood by biting down on my tongue so hard.
