“Isn’t your Master Xavier concerned about leaving me alone with two men? He must have a lot of trust in you?”
Bay and Chad exchanged looks and grinned.
“He trusts us with your life, kitten,” Chad said. “Now, you can either take a shower by yourself, or Bay and I can strip you down and wash you ourselves.” He put his arms across his chest. “Which would you prefer?”
Neither.
I walked through the doorway into a spacious bathroom practically the same size of my spartan bedroom, noticing as I did the lack of a door. True to Chad’s promise, it was abundantly clear my days of privacy were gone.
I felt defeated.
My encounter with Master Xavier left me doubting my ability to fight. I had crumbled after a simple kiss. I hated weakness and I didn’t understand where mine stemmed from.
Never in my life had I been this meek. I was a fighter. I was the wild child. I was the kid who sought adventure, the daredevil who jumped out of planes, dove under the ocean, and explored beneath hundreds of feet of rock in the darkest recesses of the earth.
I kick-boxed. I learned judo, Ju-Jitsu, studied Kenpo and the military S.C.A.R.S. fighting system. I learned about defensive driving and how to shoot guns.
I stared at the marble shower built for two and stripped in a daze. The men moved in the room behind me, speaking quietly to themselves, giving me what privacy they could. I turned the water on, hoping my new master allowed a lowly slave the luxury of hot water. I was going to wash away my desolation and strip away this day of defeat.
Steam, lovely, wonderful, obscuring steam filled the bathroom in fog. I may not have privacy, but for a moment I had the illusion of it. The shower was equipped with everything I needed. In fact, it was stocked with my preferred hair products. I wondered how much communication Xavier had with Z prior to my purchase. My favorite shampoo, conditioner, even my razors were all stocked.
How long had they been planning this?
I lathered up and rinsed out my hair, glad to be rid of the sweat accumulated from suffering beneath that nefarious hood. Then I put on conditioner and slid to the floor where I curled into a ball and rocked myself while I cried deep soulful sobs. I was in no hurry to get out of the shower, and it seemed my guards were in no hurry to fetch me. They let me stay as long as I wanted, and I figured, why not? Where was I going to run?
But I couldn’t stay there forever. Eventually I needed to get up. I stood and rinsed out my hair. Steam billowed all around me. I reached for the handle to turn off the water and paused. I pulled away and stepped out of the shower, letting the water run.
This might be the only chance I had to really look at my room, my cell. I tiptoed quietly around the room, looking for a window, an exit. There was none. Of course there wouldn’t be one.
I turned off the water and toweled myself dry, taking my time. I checked the drawers and cabinets and found a hairdryer, turning it on, and began the long process of blow drying my hair.
Gradually the steam thinned, and the fog in the mirror cleared. I focused on my hair, trying not to think about anything else. When I put the hair dryer up, a glance in the mirror revealed Chad watching me.
“You doing okay?” His eyes softened and he gave me a chin bump.
“No.”
“You need sleep.” He jerked his head toward the room. “Bay will watch over you. I’m going to take a shower.”
“How does this work? Are the two of you always going to be around?”
He shook his head. “Bay and I have the first shift. Ben and Mel are on night duty.”
“I’m tired.”
“It’ll get easier, kitten,” he said, as if he could make it a promise. “You can try to fight him, but you won’t win. It’s up to you how hard you make this on yourself.”
“What would you do? Would you give in?”
“Those answers are complicated.” He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it on the ground. “Go to bed, kitten. Bay is waiting to lock you in.”
“Lock me in?” My gaze shifted to the bed in the other room. Bay had a long length of chain measured out. He locked an end to one of the rings.
I squeezed my eyes shut. They had me locked behind an electronic keypad with a guard, and still felt it necessary to bind me with a chain? I only wished I deserved the degree of caution they were taking.
Bay smiled as I moved toward the bed. I had a towel wrapped around me. “Do I get any clothes to sleep in?”
He pointed to the dresser. “First drawer, panties and bras. Second drawer, nightgowns. Once you’re dressed…” He waved the end of the chain.
“Right, lock the slave in for the night.” And tomorrow? What did my new master have planned for me in the morning?
I dressed quickly and didn’t even fight as Bay locked the free end of the chain to one of the rings on the collar around my neck. He turned out the lights. Then he went into the bathroom and joined Chad in the shower. I fell asleep to the deep susurrations of male voices locked in what sounded like pleasure.
Chapter Seven
The next morning, I woke refreshed. I hadn’t slept that soundly in weeks. I rolled out of bed and headed to the bathroom, only to be jerked to a stop by the chain attached to my neck.
“Good Morning,” came a clipped greeting. A groan sounded from the twin bed in the corner. A man moved under the covers and rubbed at his eyes.
I glanced at my guard, recognizing Mel’s gruff tone, if not remembering his face. He was older than Bay and Chad, mid-thirties, but just as muscular.
“Come here, sweetie.”
Did they all have private names for me? I walked over and he released me from my chain.
“When you’re ready,” he said, “Master Xavier has requested your presence.” He pulled out a phone and sent a message.
When I was ready? If it were up to me, I would stay in my room all day.
My stomach felt queasy as I entered the bathroom. I didn’t have the strength for another encounter with Xavier, but there would be no way to avoid it. When I returned, Mel had put clothes on the bed for me to wear. I looked at the yellow sundress and glanced at him. While on the plane, I rarely heard Mel speak, and when he did it was with an economy of words.
“Get dressed,” he said.
While he used the restroom, I tugged off my nightgown and slipped on the form-fitting sundress. Billowy fabric floated in a cloud around my legs, landing just above my knees. Mel put out a pair of matching sandals and I slipped them on.
“Lovely,” he said upon exiting the bathroom.
I blushed under his scrutiny.
“Come,” he said, as he grabbed my hand and guided me to the door.
He tapped in a code, not bothering to keep the numbers hidden from my view. I realized why a moment later when he pressed his palm to the biometric key pad. Another barrier. Knowing the code wasn’t going to unlock my prison. I would need one of my guards’ hands and didn’t see how that might work. I breathed deeply, seeking strength.
The door opened and Ben the Boss greeted us on the interior balcony overlooking the atrium. I stared down three stories, looking over the tops of the trees growing inside Master Xavier’s estate. No matter my thoughts about the man, he had a beautiful home. The gentle cascading of water drifted through the space. There must be a fountain, or more likely a small pond with a stream.
“Good morning,” Ben said.
I didn’t have a smile to spare for Ben. Truthfully, I missed Chad and Bay. I wondered what time they changed out their shifts and hoped it happened soon. I gave Ben a nod and waited for direction.
Like Chad and Bay, Ben and Mel bracketed me. We walked in silence, tracing a path through the palatial estate, traveling a new set of hallways. Only the paintings along the walls broke up the crisp white theme. Finally, they brought me to an enclosed aviary. Tropical plants filled the space, palms stretched their leafy fronds to the tall dome overhead while ferns unfurled their greenery at the base of the palms. Orchids of every variet
y dotted the space, providing a never-ending feast of color to the eye, and hundreds of hummingbirds flitted around.
A magical space, I would have loved to stay there forever, exploring the hidden nooks and crannies, except for the presence of the man waiting for me at the glass table in the center of the room. Xavier looked up as my entourage and I entered. He wore another dark suit; this one a dark charcoal with a silk shirt the same shade as his eyes. The colors vibrated energy and power.
Once again, our gazes collided. His command to lower my gaze was one I ignored and I searched his reaction as I defied his silly rule. He guarded himself well. It put me on edge and I stiffened my spine, readying myself for battle.
He held himself with confidence, head cocked to the side, and was the first to break eye contact. His gaze slid down my figure, inspecting me like a piece of property. His slow perusal continued until Ben cleared his throat. The sound shattered the tense silence and brought Xavier’s arctic gaze back to me.
“Come here,” he said.
I rolled my shoulders back and jutted my chin out. I could do this. I was my father’s daughter. I was strong.
Xavier dismissed my guards with a wave of his hand. Ben and Mel departed, leaving me alone with a predator. I looked left then right, instinctively searching out escape, but there was only the one entrance.
“Do not make me repeat myself, slave.” His voice carried the threat of a promise I did not wish to see delivered.
Woodenly, my legs moved of their own accord. I approached the table and he moved around it, making me falter mid-step. When he stopped to pull out a chair, I found my breath and sank into the seat he offered. He moved to the opposite side of the table and took his seat. Looking at me, he pressed his palms to the table.
“You look refreshed, slave. I take it you slept well?”
“My name is Raven.” I pressed my lips together.
“That name no longer exists.” His brows lifted.
“You can’t take my name.”
“I will take more than your name.” He leaned back. “It’s time to establish our ground rules.”
“Right,” I crossed my arms and glared at him. “Your damn rules I’m supposed to follow.”
He pulled out a thin rod from his breast coat pocket. “Yes, my damn rules. The second rule which you just violated. No swearing. And the first, which you intentionally break with every breath.”
“So?” I shrugged.
He lifted the thin rod. It was about six inches long and the diameter of a pencil. “Do you know what this is?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“You’re going to find out.”
“That didn’t take long.”
I couldn’t resist baiting him. If he was going to beat me and rape me, I wanted to get it over with. He was being entirely too civil about the whole thing. My image of a slave trading, misogynist was not the man in front of me.
He leaned forward. “I make promises, slave, not threats. You will either choose to obey my rules or you will accept the consequence for disobeying them.” He lifted the thin rod. “This, among other things,” he gave a slow blink as darkness filled his expression, “will be used to punish you.”
My stomach twisted as I gazed into his eyes. Stellate blue irises flashed in the morning light, and his unwavering expression told me he was serious.
“Let me present you with some truths. You cannot run from me,” he said. “You will try. It will cost you. I’m going to ask that you reconsider and reconcile yourself to your fate. There’s nowhere you can go that I won’t find you. Therefore, when you do attempt your escape, and after I find you, I will punish you.”
I swallowed against the lump in my throat. He certainly understood me. “Who says I’m going to run. You seem to have my security detail well thought out.”
“I smell it on you. You’re looking for holes in my security, and don’t forget I know who your father is. I know what you’re capable of.”
“Then you know I have a chance.” I wasn’t sure I believed that anymore, but I had a degree from MIT which proclaimed me an expert in computer science. Technology didn’t frighten me, and I hacked computers for fun. Xavier had no idea what I was capable of, not that I would share that with him.
He leaned back. “You won’t succeed.” His tone bordered on victory and I hadn’t even begun my fight. Such assurance had my heart seizing in my chest. My voice cracked as I leaned forward, but I needed to close the distance between us. My weakness was my greatest failing and I needed to meet his strength with strength.
“If you think I’ll reconcile myself to this…” I gave a vague gesture and shook my head. “I’ll fight you and I’ll win. You have no rights to me.”
“Your father gave you to me,” he countered.
“Z had no right to do that. I’m not an object to be traded. I’ll do whatever it takes to survive, and when you let down your guard, which you will, I’ll destroy you. I’ll destroy Z. I’ll make both of you pay.”
“Proud words for a slave.” Xavier took in a sharp inhale. “Interesting that you include your father in your plans for destruction. Have you no loyalty?”
I pressed my fingers to the glass. “To a man who gave me to a monster? I have no loyalty to Z.”
Xavier kicked his ankle over his knee and stared at me for a long moment. “Destroying me will prove harder than you think, but we might talk about what to do about your father.” He searched my face, his interest intensifying in his gaze.
His scrutiny made me wriggle, but I struggled not to show him how uncomfortable he made me feel. I tried to return him stare for stare, but I wasn’t strong enough. My gaze slipped to his chin, then settled on his lips.
Taking a breath, he spoke. “You belong to me. This is fact. Through a string of complicated circumstances, your father owed a debt, for which you’re payment in full. He was more than happy to erase his debts, especially given my reputation in…certain circles. The how and why of it is none of your concern. What matters is that you now belong to me. As a result, you must obey me in all things.”
“Your logic is flawed,” I countered. “You could let me go.”
“I have no desire to let you go,” he said. “Now that I have you, I have an even more pressing reason to keep you.”
“What is that?”
A smile tugged at the corners of his eyes. “I have tasted your charms, and felt your body’s reactions. I want you for purely selfish reasons.”
Holy hellfire what did that mean?
His voice dropped to sultry tones and as it did an answering heat smoldered in my belly. I should hate this man, but that magnetism returned. A wild force tugged at my core, pulling me toward him and it seemed as if the very air between us crackled with energy. I traced the lines of his lips and couldn’t help but imagine them pressed against my skin.
Get a grip!
I shook my head to dispel the connection.
He stood, his athletic frame moving with the fluid grace of well-toned muscles. He walked around the table, moving toward me. “You feel it too. I see it in your eyes. Don’t worry, we’ll soon satisfy our mutual cravings, but first…” He spun the thin rod in his hand.
Different scenarios danced through my mind, because I wanted exactly that. I could run. I should get up right now. Most likely, Ben and Mel stood guard at the door and there was no way I would be getting past them. I could deny Xavier. Spit in his face. Or knee him in the groin like I had done to Chad. But it was too late. He knew exactly what I had been thinking.
I had no idea what that slim rod did, but I imagined it involved pain. He mentioned a whip, and I wasn’t ready to visit that possibility ever. He approached, and rather than running, I remained rooted in place.
Breathe, just pretend you’re anywhere but here. Find a happy place.
A frown darkened his features as he came around the table. He glanced at the slim rod, palming it. “Some people call this a misery stick. It’s an effective tool, discrete, and alw
ays at hand.”
I stared at the thin rod. It narrowed at the tip and flexed in his hand. I licked my lower lip and sucked in a breath, not liking where this was going.
“Rule one,” he said, “is to lower your eyes in my presence. It’s a sign of deference and respect for your Master. You refuse to acknowledge this rule.”
My gaze flicked to his, a direct violation. At the arch in his brow, I looked away. He slapped the rod in his palm and I jumped.
“Rule two,” he said. “No swearing, in particular, no disparaging remarks aimed at me.”
He placed the tip of the rod under my chin. “Rule three, from this moment forward you will address me as Master.”
“You’re not my master,” I said with defiance.
He crouched before me. His liquid blue eyes bore into me and I pressed myself back against the chair.
“You were given to me by your father. Payment for a debt. I own you. No one is coming for you. No one is looking for you. You have disappeared off the face of the earth. There is no escape. You will try, and you will fail. Your entire world has narrowed down to one thing. You serve me.”
He waited for an answer, one I would not give. My breaths quickened with the many thoughts swirling in the chaos of my mind. He spoke the truth. Z wouldn’t report my disappearance. No one would be looking for me.
Xavier’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You’ll serve me, obey me, and you will please me.”
“Bastard,” I muttered. I hated him, because all I could do was exactly as he commanded; at least, for now.
Once again, our eyes connected. Resignation filled his expression, and a burst of something dark swirled in the depths, something he suppressed. He was good at guarding his emotions, nothing gave away what he thought. If I hadn’t seen a flicker, I wouldn’t have a hint of the emotions behind his mask. I didn’t want to know more, because what I saw was hunger and lust.
He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the chair. Everything happened so fast, I was barely aware of what he did. I twirled in his grip, our positions swapping between one breath and the next. He was in the chair and I draped over his lap.
She’s Mine: A Captive Romance Page 5
