Refresh

by Suzanne Steele

  A toothbrush and toothpaste, still in its original packaging, had been placed on the vanity, so she brushed her teeth. Curiosity got the better of her and, with a glance over her shoulder, she opened the medicine cabinet. The basic staples like headache remedies and floss were in new packages on the shelf. She opened a drawer in the vanity out of curiosity and felt her breath hitch in her throat. The cosmetics and toiletries were all new–and they were all the brands and makeup shades she used at home. Mascara, eyeliner, foundation, lipstick. Everything.

  The room seemed to tilt beneath her feet and she white-knuckled the edge of the vanity. The man who bought her knew the most intimate details of her daily routine. But how?! Had he been stalking her? How else would he know so much? Had he stalked the others too? Was he just a sick fuck who fantasized about having a harem of women, and had enough money and power to make it happen?

  She ran from the bathroom and tore through the door to the bedroom, straight into the arms of the enemy.

  “Well, I’m glad to see you, too,” the blond from the basement murmured in that distinctive deep rumble as he pulled her against his muscled torso. Her frantic squirming did nothing to free her. In fact, judging by the hardness pressing insistently against her stomach, squirming was the last thing she should have been doing. “Oh, I do love a struggle. You’re perfect,” he breathed out in a husky voice that heightened her senses and puckered her nipples, even as it soothed her frazzled emotions.

  “Let me go!” She attempted to wrestle her way out of his arms, hoping to hide her traitorous body’s reaction to him.

  “Not a chance, mi princessa,” he murmured serenely. In an instant, he had her arms clasped behind her back. With her forearms pressed together, he easily gripped them in one massive hand.

  “What do you want from me?” she hissed as she tried to break away from his hold.

  As he ground his hips against her, sensual heat flooded her aching core and her body softened against him–and she hated herself for it. “Your innocence is certainly alluring,” he said smoothly. “But these hard, little nipples make me wonder if you’re as innocent as you’d like me to believe. Perhaps you already know how to do all the things I want to do with you, and my cautious approach is misplaced. Perhaps I’ve gone about this all wrong. Hmm?”

  “You bastard!”

  Though he chuckled, the sound was unmistakably sinister. He was not a man to be crossed or toyed with. “Yes, I may just keep you for myself after all, and find out all your secrets.” She jerked her head away when he brushed the pad of his thumb over her full bottom lip.

  In the next moment, he was striding to the bed with her feet dragging the floor as she struggled wildly in his arms. He tossed her onto the bed with callous indifference. She scrambled back against the headboard in an irrational attempt to get away from him. She landed on her behind with the hem of her nightie bunched around her hips. In her fury, she didn’t immediately notice how her disheveled state exposed her bare pussy to his hot gaze.

  He lowered himself into a wingchair, crossing his legs at the ankles and interlocking his fingers behind his head, lazily studying his new toy. “Don’t flatter yourself, sweetheart. I’ve never had to resort to taking a woman against her will, and I won’t be starting now. When I fuck you, you’ll have that luscious ass in the air as you beg me for it.”

  “You arrogant son of a bitch.”

  A shadow crossed over his features and once again the icy blue eyes spoke volumes. “You’d do well to not curse at me…or my Creator. That will only get you punished.” He tilted his head to the side speculatively, smiling as her nipples pushed obstinately against the sheer layer of silk. “Look at that,” he mused aloud. “Perhaps you’d like that, to be punished. I think you would.”

  Her mouth dropped open in disbelief and she pressed her forearm protectively against her breasts. The gesture only amused him. “You can cover them up all you want, but you and I both know that by the time we’re done, you’ll be begging me to lick them…and bite them…and suck them.”

  She gasped at the surge of liquid heat between her thighs, and realized too late that her legs were positioned slightly apart, with her pussy front and center. She moved to pull her legs inward with the intention of shielding her most intimate area from his view, but he scowled and stopped her.

  “No,” he said in a clipped tone. “Don’t hide your body from me. I want to see.” She slowly relaxed her legs and lowered her arm to her side. “Very good. Now, spread your knees wide. Show me everything.” He cursed quietly to himself at the sight before him. “Your pussy is glistening and greedy already. You can’t help your reaction any more than I can help mine.” He placed his hand over his groin and palmed the erection that strained against his pants.

  His arrogance knew no bounds as he taunted her. “The only thing that would make that pussy any prettier would be my cum dripping from it.”

  She gasped at the image his words created in her mind, which only seemed to encourage him. “Close your mouth before something flies in,” he sneered. “Now, the fun begins. I’ve been kind enough to provide the toiletries you prefer, so I expect you to use them. Be downstairs in an hour, dressed and looking like a lady and not a hood rat.”

  There it was again, that demeaning pompous attitude. “How dare you!” she hissed as she tugged the hem of her nightgown down and curled up into a ball on the bed.

  He moved as quickly as a predator in the wild. She never saw it coming; he was on her before she had time to brace for his approach. He fisted the hair at the nape of her neck so tightly that her eyes stung with unshed tears. “Don’t fuck with me, little girl. You are so far out of your league, you have no idea.”

  She was horrified when she looked down and saw the substantial erection that tented his tailored pants, which he made no attempt to conceal.

  “I make no apologies, mi princessa.” He ran the thumb of his free hand along her jawline, carefully studying every feature of her face. The pain of his fingers clenching her hair sent a shiver down her spine and a pulse of desire through her swollen core. The scent of her arousal wafted in the air around her and her face flushed with shame when it became obvious that he smelled it too. His chin lifted and his nostrils flared, much like a wolf picking up a particularly delicious scent.

  One side of his mouth lifted in a wicked grin. “How utterly confusing it must be to be trapped in a body that so easily betrays you. How devastating it must be for you to desire the man who holds you captive.” When she attempted to jerk her head away he grabbed her chin so hard that once again her tears threatened to fall.

  She refused to cry in front of him. She couldn’t bear to contemplate what he would do if he detected weakness in his prey–for that’s exactly what she was. He’d cut her from the herd, and he was as good as circling her now, waiting for the right moment to move in for the kill; only, in this instance, he didn’t seem to want to kill her at all–not yet, anyway. No, he just wanted to fuck her.

  “So strong. So innocent. You fascinate me. How is it that you have eluded me for so long? How did I not sense your presence from afar?” He stroked her jawline pensively, then slid his hand around the slim column of her throat. He gazed down at her through narrowed eyes as he squared his jaw. “But you’re here now.” His gaze roamed her curves, searing her with sensual heat. “Breakfast is in an hour. I expect you to be at your best, groomed and dressed, when you join me in the dining room.”

  “But…”

  “You have your pick of the garments in the closet,” he said as he stepped away from the bed. “Do. Not. Disappoint. Me. I am a great believer in discipline…sweet Electra. You would be wise to not experience my discipline for yourself–although I must confess that I don’t find the idea altogether unappealing.”

  “You don’t say,” she drawled as the bulge in the front of his pants seemed to expand at the prospect of disciplining her. She rolled her eyes and scrambled off the bed, darting toward the bathroom and locking the door.


  She leaned against the door, gasping for breath, bracing for what she was sure was going to be a forceful response to her abrupt departure. Raucous laughter was the last thing she’d expected. Bastard.

  As he left the room, the bedroom door emitted a low tone, a sure sign that the door was rigged with an alarm system. That could only mean one thing. He’d probably done this before; not his first rodeo.

  She was horribly torn: she could defy him and not bother to dress properly or brush her hair; or she could show up looking her best and let him see what he was missing. She turned to face the mirror once more and tore off the sheer nightgown, viewing her reflection with objective, assessing eyes. With more than a little chagrin, she noted the still-erect, rosy tips of her ample breasts, and the unmistakable sheen of arousal glistening at the juncture of her inner thighs.

  She didn’t have a conventional weapon to use against him, like a gun or a knife, but she could certainly work with what her mama gave her. With a determined gleam in her eyes, Electra stepped into the shower and got to work.

  Amy paced the floor, more out of panic than her usual pent-up energy. “Why did he separate her from the rest of us? Oh my God oh my God oh my God–Do you think he killed her?!”

  Jamie was quickly becoming impatient with Amy’s perpetual anxiety. She took in a deep breath and spoke slowly, as if to a child. “No, Amy, I don’t. He probably just sold her to someone else.”

  “Just? Just?! Is he just going to sell us all off to the highest bidder?” Amy screeched.

  “Stop! I’m not trying to be mean but you’re driving me crazy. I can’t think with you losing your shit left and right, okay? Seriously, use that energy to think about how we can get away from these sickos. We’re in a better place now, so that’s good.”

  “But we have no idea where we are,” Amy muttered, still agitated.

  Jamie closed her eyes for a long moment and shook her head. “Details,” she said dismissively. “We’re still in one piece, we’ve got clothes and access to a shower, so just chill already. This is a hell of a lot better than being locked in a cage in Randy’s nasty excuse for a dungeon.”

  The sound of a key in the door caused the women to jerk their heads around in unison. The man who entered looked more monster than man. He was enormous, like a freak of nature. Jamie wondered if he could be seven feet tall and five hundred pounds of brawn, but decided that couldn’t be true. But he was huge, no doubt about it.

  His gray hair was cropped and when his eyes landed on the women, he didn’t bother hiding his lusty stare. He wasn’t just scary-looking; he was downright creepy. Unlike the man he worked for who was so well groomed, this man looked like he could care less about the latest fashions.

  “You whores be ready for breakfast in an hour. The boss said you better be dressed good to sit at his table, too. Maybe he’ll let me teach you a lesson in manners if you ain’t.” The women huddled together, keeping their distance from his threatening presence. He took his time, leering at each one of them before clomping away down the hall like an enormous ogre.

  “Please, somebody tell me that’s not our new owner.”

  “Seriously, do you ever have an unexpressed thought?” Jamie asked. “Stop, Amy. Just stop, already. Your constant state of panic is putting everybody on edge. Just get a fucking grip!”

  Three sets of eyes glared at Amy as she stood in the middle of the room wringing her hands. “Well, you don’t have to be so mean about it,” she sulked.

  “She’s not being mean. She’s being realistic. We should all try to be more like her.” Dee pushed her glasses up on her nose, looking at Amy from beneath her long bangs with a blank unreadable gaze. Her reaction made Jamie feel a hell of a lot better about being mean; if Dee, who was normally a wallflower, agreed with her then there had to be some truth to it. Maybe there was more backbone to the girl than she’d initially thought. It was obvious Dee was a brainiac, and Jamie had every intention of capitalizing on that fact to get them out of their present situation.

  “Well, you heard the man,” Jamie said. “Breakfast’s in an hour. Let’s start getting ready.”

  One by one the women took a shower and got dressed in the clothes provided, eager to eat what they hoped would be a hot meal. Even though their present circumstances were unchartered territory, they all wanted to know if they were truly in a better situation or if their new owner was going to subject them to horrors that were far, far worse.

  Chapter Ten

  The formal dining room was as exquisite as the bedroom. Several vases of red roses adorned the middle of the table. Electra wondered if the roses had been grown on the property. She was ashamed to find herself wishing she could walk the grounds and see them for herself. As she glanced around the room, she saw the other women who had been with her in their basement prison. Amy, Dee, Jamie, and even Michelle who still hovered in the back of the group and seemed to just stare off at nothing. They looked well enough; clean and wearing fresh clothes, even a little makeup.

  She began to rush over to greet the other women, but then her gaze landed on her captor and she stopped in her tracks. He was watching her and making no effort to hide his interest. He crooked his finger, then gestured for her to sit next to him. The move wasn’t missed by the other women and their resentful glares made her feel like an outcast once again.

  She was caught off guard by memories of being bullied in high school. Her raw emotional state brought the pain to the surface and she swallowed hard as she blinked back tears. She’d always been teased because of her name, but she could handle that. What hurt was being shunned by the other girls who resented the looks she got from all the boys when some serious curves appeared out of nowhere the summer before she started high school. She had left middle school a gawky tomboy, but when high school started, she had lost the baby fat and gained some serious cleavage.

  How could something she’d had no control over change everything? The other girls hated her for her mature curves. The boys sought her out for them and lavished her with attention, but they rarely looked any higher than her tits. Hello, my eyes are up here… In crowded hallways between classes, the boys would suddenly become clumsy oafs, bumping into her and ‘accidentally’ copping a feel. As an adult, she never flaunted her voluptuous figure, but she’d finally made peace with the attention she received because of it. She wasn’t going to let these women, regardless of the dire circumstances in which they found themselves, undo the progress she’d made.

  The look in his eyes dared her to not obey him. The light in his eyes seemed to welcome the opportunity to show her the err of her ways. In that moment, she decided she would pick and choose her battles with this beautiful stranger. Life, with all of its ups and downs, would either make you or break you. She had no intention of being broken by this man who had bought her like she was a pair of secondhand shoes in a neighborhood thrift store. Then again, she loved thrift stores. Let the games begin.

  She crossed the room at a leisurely pace, her hips swaying sinuously with every step she took. She couldn’t hide her surprise when he got up and pulled the chair out for her. She glanced over her shoulder and was greeted with more glares from the peanut gallery. Great…now they probably thought she was sleeping with him. Could this guy possibly single her out any more than he already had?

  The meal that was set out looked opulent and delicious: a large frittata, bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast, fresh cut fruit, coffee, and orange juice. As much as she hated to admit it, her immediate circumstances had improved overnight because of this mysterious man. Her long-term prospects were still unknown, of course.

  She couldn’t understand why he had singled her out but it was beginning to worry her. He was still watching her as if trying to discern her thoughts. The last thing she needed was to alienate the other women in the group; if they were going to escape this nightmare then they were going to have to stick together. Maybe that was his plan: divide and conquer.

  When he spoke to the group his eyes re
mained locked on her. “You ladies clean up nicely. I trust your new accommodations are to your liking.”

  “Accommodations?! You fucking kidnapped us,” Jamie glared at the man seated at the head of the table, her green eyes gleaming with anger. Electra mentally choked the woman for her lack of a verbal filter. If they were going to outwit this man it wasn’t going to be by pissing him off.

  He turned his poker face toward Jamie and smiled benignly. “Yes…your accommodations. I’ve been kind enough, generous enough, to take you from living in squalor to this.” He waved his hand around for emphasis. “But you don’t seem to appreciate my hospitality. Mistaking my kindness for weakness would be a grave mistake.” The emphasis he put on the word was not incidental. He had put the woman in her place without so much as raising his voice.

  “So I see you’ve all met Brutus. I just call him Brute. It’s so much more fitting.” He sighed and shook his head despairingly as he considered the hulking man standing guard by the door. “He has no manners, no convictions, and no couth, especially when it comes to females. He is driven by his baser instincts, I’m afraid. But he is unerringly loyal to me. He obeys my commands without question. If you continue to test my patience, I will have no problem giving you to him. Now would be a good time for you to apologize, don’t you think, Miss Jamie?”

  There was no denying the undisputed truth that this was his house and he was in control–as if they needed reminding of that sad fact. Electra and the other women watched in disbelief as she pursed her lips and then, having no choice, apologized.

  “I’m sorry.”

  But the stranger would not be deterred, speaking slowly as if talking to a child. “I’m sorry for being rude and thank you for your generosity of spirit and the lovely accommodations you’ve provided, Mr. Inc.”

  Like a woman who had been hypnotized, Jamie repeated what he said, word for word.