To her relief, Ellis just smiled. What a nice man! “I tend to go by my gut, and my gut’s telling me you would be perfect for the job. You’re young, eager, unattached, bright and ready to work hard. From your résumé and our discussions, I believe you have the skills necessary to serve as my assistant. Of course, I’ll check your references, but I have a good feeling about you, Ms. Roberts.”
“Mia,” she blurted, and again felt herself coloring.
But he just nodded. “So, assuming your references work out, when would you be ready to start?”
Just that morning, her desk calendar had advised: expect the unexpected. Yes!
“Next week? I just need time to pack up my stuff. Oh, Mr. Hughes, uh, Ellis, I’m so excited! Thank you for this chance. I promise you won’t regret it.”
He stood and so she did too. “I’m sure I won’t.” He smiled again, his cheek dimpling, his brown eyes gazing deeply into hers.
~*~
They kept in touch via email over the next week. Ellis was careful during the exchange, keeping up the façade that he was in fact hiring this young woman to be his personal assistant. He pretended to check her references, and gently probed into her personal life, which, he was delighted to discover, was basically nonexistent. He flirted a little, but only a very little, just enough to let her entertain the glimmer of a possibility that maybe someday, somehow… Women liked that, he’d found. They liked to feel desired from a distance in the workplace, but respected at the same time. He knew just how to play her.
She had a Facebook page, but she only had five Facebook friends, and she didn’t seem to be active at all on that or any other social media. In this age of constant and instant communication, Mia was refreshingly unconnected.
She confided in Ellis that she’d been in a relationship with some guy named Greg, but he’d been out of the picture for several months, and had apparently moved to California. She didn’t have close friends, and no family to speak of, other than some great aunt off in North Dakota or somewhere. She was more than eager to avail herself of the offer of free lodging, though she didn’t yet know it wouldn’t be in the carriage house.
In fact, Mike, his driver, had been living there, but in preparation for Mia’s arrival Ellis had let Mike go with six months’ severance to soften the blow, explaining he was going to be spending the year abroad, and would no longer be in need of a driver’s services. He’d also stopped the maid service and let the cook go. It wouldn’t do to have employees nosing around the place, not with what he had in mind.
The front doorbell rang. Ellis jumped up from his desk and hurried to answer it. Mia stood on the stoop, dressed in another Walmart special. She broke into a broad smile when he pulled open the door. “Hi!” she said brightly. “I left my stuff in the car.” She jerked her head in the direction of an old Volvo. “All my worldly possessions.”
“You drove straight from Maine?” Ellis stepped back to let her in. He closed the door and slipped his hand into his pocket. His fingers closed around the remote that silently locked all the doors and windows in the house from both inside and out.
“Yeah.” She shrugged, offering an apologetic smile. “I hope I’m not too early. I left before dawn.”
“Not at all. You’re right on time. Welcome to New York, and the start of a new life.” Ellis smiled.
Mia smiled back, coyly ducking her head. She was hooked. Perfect. “I really appreciate this extra day to get myself settled in the carriage house, Ellis. Should I drive the car around back or…?”
“There’s been something of a change in plans,” Ellis said smoothly. When her brow furrowed, he hastened to add, “Don’t worry. It’s just a minor setback in getting the carriage house ready for you. There was a wiring problem they found when doing some touch ups. It should be fixed in a day or two. Meanwhile, I had one of the guest bedrooms made up for you. You’d have your own bathroom, of course. Unless you’d rather stay at a hotel?”
“Oh, no. No, that’s fine,” she interjected quickly. Given the state of her ancient car and the quality of her clothing, he doubted she could afford a hotel room even for one night. “As long as you’re sure it’s not a problem? I wouldn’t want to put you out.”
“Please, I have more rooms in this house than I know what to do with. It’s no trouble, I assure you. No trouble at all.” Ellis’ heart was beating hard with anticipation. He still couldn’t quite believe he was really going to go through with this. It had been his favorite masturbation fantasy since he was teenager, and now it was about to become reality.
For the hundredth time since he’d conceived of the plan, he asked himself if he was absolutely insane. Maybe he was, but he felt more alive than he had in years. He was ready for this. He wanted it. He deserved it. After a lifetime of doing what everyone else wanted and expected of him, he was going to bring his darkest sexual fantasies to life.
He’d thought about his scheme from a dozen different angles and planned for every contingency. But what if he couldn’t pull it off? What if he got caught? He doubted he’d be able to buy his way out of this one, if it came down to that.
The answer was simple—don’t get caught.
He’d almost given up finding a woman with no connections who was or could be molded into the fantasy of his dreams. And then Mia had appeared—the last name on his list, no less. Though not yet his physical ideal, she had excellent potential with the right motivation and training. Even more importantly, she had left nothing behind. She was single, orphaned and had relocated to a new state. If and when someone did discover she was missing, they wouldn’t have the first clue where to look. Mia Roberts would simply disappear from the grid, hopefully without a trace.
“Let me show you your room and then we can get your things.” He walked her to the staircase and waved her ahead, ever the gentleman. “After you.”
Chapter 2
Mia felt like she was in a fairytale as she was ushered up the wide, curving staircase by Prince Charming himself. It crossed her mind to wonder if the guy was hitting on her—using the excuse that the carriage house wasn’t ready so he could get her into his bed. She dismissed the idea before it even had time to fully form. No way would a guy like Ellis Hughes ever be interested in a girl like her. He probably had dozens of model and movie star girl friends with perfect bodies draped in designer clothes all lined up and desperate to be with him. He would never notice a girl like Mia outside of an office setting.
Which is fine, she told herself firmly. Never mix business with pleasure.
At the top of the stairs was a wide expanse of gleaming hardwood beneath a shimmering crystal chandelier. There were four closed doors set in a semicircle around the landing. Stepping in front of her, Ellis led Mia to one of them and pushed the door open. Turning, he gestured for her to enter.
“Oh,” Mia murmured in awe as she took in the room, really more of a suite. It contained a large four-poster bed and an armoire on one side, a set of chairs and a sofa grouped around a stone fireplace with a marble mantle on the other. There were thick, brightly colored rugs scattered over the floor and tasteful abstract paintings hung on the walls between the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Does it suit you?” Ellis had moved behind her, so close she could feel the warmth of his body against her back. Startled by his closeness, she stepped away involuntarily but was stopped by his hands suddenly closing over her upper arms.
“Excuse me,” she said reflexively, trying to pull away. She was confused. Had her earlier fleeting assessment been correct? Was he trying to hit on her? Did she tell him to cut it out, or just go with the flow? She needed this job, damn it. She’d staked everything on it. She didn’t want to alienate the guy, but what the hell did he think he was doing?
His grip tightened and Mia felt the first spurt of real fear rush through her bloodstream. Her heart began to pound. “Ellis. You’re hurting me.”
“Am I? Do forgive me.”
He let her go with one hand, but kept a tight hold on
her with the other. She tried to twist back to see what he was doing. He was reaching for something in his pocket. She saw the glint of metal but before she could react, he grabbed both her wrists, jerking them roughly behind her back.
“Hey! Stop it! Let go! You’re hurting me!” A wave of panic crashed over Mia, leaving her gasping and breathless. She felt cold metal closing over her wrists. She jerked hard against the cuffs, but this only resulted in them tightening painfully and cutting into her skin.
Her hands cuffed behind her, Ellis propelled Mia toward the bed and threw her roughly down. “What’re you doing! Let me up! Let me go!” she cried as she struggled to right herself. Ellis sat on the bed beside her and pulled her roughly so her head was resting on his muscular thighs, her arms caught painfully behind her. He clamped a heavy hand over her mouth and nose.
This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t be happening.
Mia struggled in the man’s grip, panic and terror giving her strength, but Ellis was stronger, much stronger. He held her down with apparent ease, his hand still covering her face. She couldn’t breathe. She was going to die. How had this happened? After years of loss, loneliness and dead ends, she’d thought her life had finally taken a good turn. It had seemed too good to be true—and now she realized as her head began to swim from lack of air—it had been.
Through the roaring in her ears, Mia realized Ellis was speaking. She strained to make out the words, desperate for the chance to breathe. “I’m going to let go of your mouth, Mia, but when I do, you need to stay quiet. If you start to scream again, it won’t go well for you. Understand?”
She tried to nod and apparently succeeded because suddenly the hard, heavy hand was gone. Mia gasped like a fish out of water as she sucked in the life-giving oxygen. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her heart was smacking like a hammer against her ribcage.
“Please,” she begged, still gasping. “What are you doing? Why are you doing this? I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“Shh. I didn’t give you permission to speak, Mia.”
What the hell?
Ellis was leaning over her, his gaze intent. He was smiling, but there was a cruel curve to his lips she hadn’t noticed before, and his eyes were glinting like polished stone. Keeping one hand firmly on her arm, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a key chain that held several keys of varying sizes. He leaned over her, tugging at the cuffs as he inserted a key. It was a relief when the tightly ratcheted cuffs were released, but the relief was short lived as Ellis pushed her onto her back. He grabbed her left arm, pulling it toward one of the bedposts at the head of the bed.
While she thrashed helplessly against him, he held her arm and wrapped something tight around her wrist. Straining to see what he was doing, she realized he’d bound her into a Velcro cuff that was attached to the post. He grabbed her other wrist, pulling it toward the other post and attaching it to a cuff that was secured there.
Mia began to scream as she jerked ineffectually against the restraints, a rising wail of panic that she couldn’t have quelled even if she’d wanted to. Ellis raised his hand as if to strike her. Instinctively Mia turned her head, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for the blow. “Don’t hit me, don’t hit me,” she whimpered.
“Don’t give me cause,” he rejoined, his tone hard, but mercifully he didn’t strike her.
Mia felt the lift in the mattress as Ellis stood. She opened her eyes in time to see him pull something from beneath the bed. She saw he was holding rope, which he uncoiled and wound around her ankles one at a time as she watched in helpless terror. He forced her legs wide apart and secured them to the posts at the end of the bed.
“Please, Ellis. Please,” she tried again. “I don’t understand what’s happening. You’re really scaring me. Please, please, please—” Her words were cut off by the sudden, stinging blow of the back of his hand against her mouth. Stunned by the shock and the pain, Mia hiccupped into silence.
“That’s better.” Ellis sat again, his eyes boring into Mia’s. “You really need to calm down. Have a little patience, and all will be revealed. All you need to do right now is lie quiet and still while I inspect my new property.”
Property? What was he talking about? Did he mean her?
Help me, help me, help me, help me.
Mia didn’t know who she was asking, or if there was anyone to hear her silent prayer, but the words continued to play in her head in a desperate, pleading loop. She watched in horror as Ellis reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a pocket knife.
Oh god, help me, help me, help me, help me…
He flicked the knife open and gripped the neck of her new dress. Mia felt as if someone had removed the blood from her veins and replaced it with ice water. She watched in silent terror as he pressed the point of the knife through the flimsy fabric and drew it down until the dress fell in tatters from her body.
She began to tremble violently as Ellis slid the edge of the knife between her breasts. She was, she knew, going to die. But instead of plunging the sharp blade into her pounding heart, Ellis pulled it upward, neatly cutting her bra in two. Before she could process the fact she was still alive, he slipped the blade beneath the elastic waist of her panties and ripped them from her body.
Ellis’ eyes were moving in a slow, appraising sweep over her body, adding a hot layer of shame over Mia’s terror. Though a part of her knew this was crazy thinking given the fact she probably had only seconds to live, she hated for anyone to see her naked, even her prospective killer.
But instead of ending it all, Ellis sat down beside her and reached for her face. Mia flinched and cried out in anticipation of another blow, but he only drew his thumb along her cheek and said softly, “Hey, stop crying. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you, Mia. Not like this. As long as you obey and do as you’re told, you’ll be okay, I promise.”
He spoke so kindly, as if comforting a child, which just made Mia cry harder. Ellis continued to stroke her cheek, his touch light, almost soothing. “Shh,” he urged again, placing his other hand on her chest. “You need to stop crying now. Your heart is beating way too fast. Slow your breathing. Calm down, Mia. You’re okay.”
When Mia could finally catch her breath she begged, “Please. I don’t know what’s happening. What are you doing? Why are you doing this?”
Ellis gazed at her without answering. His hand moved from her face, along her throat and then closed over one breast. His touch was light, even sensual, if such a thing was possible in the circumstance. “You have a beautiful body, Mia. It’s a shame you carry this extra weight. It indicates a lack of self-worth. We’ll need to work on that.”
Mia felt her face heat with humiliation and she tried to turn her head, but Ellis stopped her, catching her chin between his forefinger and thumb. “Hey,” he said, his voice still gentle. “You don’t need to blush. You belong to me now. I’m going to fix all your imperfections. I’m going to mold you into the perfect woman.”
While Mia struggled to process this chilling pronouncement, Ellis’ hands began to move over her body, stroking along her stomach and gliding over her thighs. He cupped a palm over her pubic mound and shook his head, his sensual lips drawing down in a frown. “I don’t like pubic hair on a woman. It’s a way to hide, and I want nothing hidden. Every part of you belongs to me now, Mia.” His fingers closed over her mound and he gripped a handful of curls, tightening and tugging until she gasped with pain.
“That will be one of the first things we do—wax off all that nasty hair. You will always be groomed for me. Each morning I’ll inspect you to make sure you’re completely smooth.”
“Each morning…” Mia echoed, still struggling to process what he was telling her, and failing.
His hand moved, the fingers slipping down between her legs. He stroked her labia and Mia was powerless to resist him, her legs spread wide and bound by the ankles to the bedposts, her wrists securely cuffed over her head.
“Please,” she be
gged as she tried to squirm away from his touch. “Don’t do this.”
“Don’t do what?” Ellis asked, his mouth quirking into a half smile. He brought his fingers to his mouth and wet them, and then again placed them between her legs. She felt the press of them at her entrance and she began to whimper as he pushed them inside her.
“You’re not wet,” he informed her, “but I understand. You’re frightened and this is all so new for you. I will teach you to move past that fear, Mia. Resistance of any kind will be cause for swift and severe punishment.”
“Punishment?” Mia repeated stupidly, fear stealing her ability to reason or understand what was happening. She was caught in some kind of horrible nightmare, except she wasn’t asleep and could see no way out.
Ellis nodded. “That’s correct. Punishment. To do less would be to do a disservice to you as my slave and property. A slave needs to be trained intensively and constantly if she is to learn what it is to serve a man of my tastes and requirements. I will teach you to submit to the most grueling of erotic torture, and to thank me for the privilege of suffering for your Master. You will experience the searing cut of the cane, the stinging stroke of the lash, the crash of the paddle and the hard palm of my hand against your ass. You will learn what it is to be bound and gagged and locked tightly into your cage, often without food or water as we work to reshape your body and strengthen your will. Sometimes this will be as punishment for your transgressions, but just as often it will be because it pleases me to make you suffer.”
He lifted his hand and brought it down with a stinging smack between her legs. Mia squealed in surprise and pain, trying and failing to close her legs as he struck her a second and a third time.
Then he licked his fingers again and slid one of them into her opening. He moved it in slow circles, making her jump suddenly as he touched something inside that, in spite of her fear, sent a jolt of pleasure through her body. He drew the finger slowly from inside her and ran a fingertip lightly between her labia, swirling it in a teasing circle around her clit.
Forced Submission Page 2
