Sinful Palace: Ruthless Rulers Book 2

by Hart, Stella

  “Thank you, sir,” I said, head still bowed. “Where will you be sleeping?”

  “In here.”

  “Oh.”

  He tilted my chin up with an index finger. “We can’t have separate rooms while we’re here. It would look a little strange, wouldn’t it?”

  “How would anyone know? I assume the maids aren’t allowed to talk about what they see.”

  “Yes, but my parents might have friends over while Thorne House is being rebuilt. Seeing as the whole family is sharing one floor now, it would be easy for those friends to notice that you and I aren’t sharing a room, if that’s what we decided to do. One of them could go and mention that to another friend, and that could be all it takes to start a fresh set of tabloid rumors about us.”

  “We could always say we’re waiting until marriage before we share a bed, sir,” I said, unable to resist the tongue-in-cheek comment.

  Logan cracked the tiniest of smiles and nodded toward my cup. “Finish that and take a shower.”

  I padded into the bathroom, grateful for Logan’s good mood tonight. It was especially notable considering all the shit I’d caused. It was almost unbelievable how nice and generous he was being toward me despite the fire Teddy had started on my behalf. Or the fact he’d been forced to shoot Teddy dead after their decades-long friendship.

  My mood soured as his earlier words flashed in my mind. Maybe your mother was right about you. You’re nothing but trouble.

  I hated to admit it, but he was right. I was too impulsive. Too reckless. A true troublemaker.

  My thoughts disintegrated into a woozy mess as exhaustion set in. I took a quick shower and forced myself into the silk pajamas the maids had laid out for me, limbs weak and heavy with fatigue.

  I was so tired by the time I left the bathroom that I could barely find the energy to climb into bed. Logan helped me, strong arms lifting me onto my spot.

  When my head hit the pillow, my eyes shuttered instantly. Logan kept one hand on me, gently stroking my hair. “That’s it, princess. Rest now,” he murmured.

  For the first time since he took me captive, I happily obeyed him.

  4

  Willow

  Yawning loudly, I opened my eyes. My limbs felt weak and boneless, and my vision was blurry, like I was viewing the room around me through frosted glass.

  With a start, I realized it was glass. I was encased in it, trapped in a long rectangular box the size of a coffin. On top of that, I was completely nude.

  “What the hell?” Wide awake now, I pressed my hands above me, pushing on the lid. It didn’t budge. Fear pumped adrenaline through my body, and I started to scream. “Logan!”

  “Good. You’re finally awake.” I heard his voice from somewhere near me, but it was faint, like he was talking to me through water.

  “Where are you?”

  “Here.” I saw him step up to the right side of the tomb-like structure. “You’re not claustrophobic, are you?”

  Of course I was. Who wouldn’t be in a situation like this?

  I dragged several deep breaths into my lungs in an attempt to stave off the insidious sense of impending doom, like my therapist Dr. Monroe taught me months ago. It didn’t help. Little black spots started swimming in my vision, and my chest ached with fear as my breaths turned shorter and harsher. Panic bubbled up in my throat, leaving a foul taste in my mouth.

  “Why am I in here?” I choked out. “How did I even get in here?”

  “I put something in your hot chocolate last night to make sure you went to sleep for long enough to put you in there,” he said. His voice dripped with smug superiority, like I was the dumbest person in the history of the world for accepting a warm drink after a rough night.

  To be fair, it was quite a dumb move. I should’ve known better than to accept anything masquerading as generosity from a man like Logan. I should’ve known he didn’t care about me enough to get me something as small as a drink without some sort of vindictive ulterior motive.

  I pounded on the glass again. “What is this?”

  Logan took a step closer. “A new punishment system I’ve worked out for rule violations. Not counting escape attempts, of course. You know the punishment for that all too well,” he said. His voice was clearer now. Sharper. “Seeing as you burned our house down, we don’t have a dungeon for the time being. But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you get away with anything and everything.”

  “I said sorry,” I whimpered, pounding on the glass with my fists. “Please let me out. I feel like I’m going to die.”

  “That’s the point.” He crouched so his face was nearly at my level. He was so close now that I could see the twisted amusement flashing in his eyes. “I told you last night—sorry isn’t good enough. You agreed to be punished, didn’t you?”

  I swallowed hard. That was true. I even begged for it. Begged for him to take his wrath out on me instead of my brother. However, when we arrived at Wonderland, I mistook his seemingly-generous mood for sympathy, figuring he must’ve decided to be lenient with me after the terrible night I’d endured.

  That was stupid. It should’ve occurred to me that he was simply biding his time. He rarely let me get away with ‘bad’ things, even if they were the most minor of infractions.

  “You can punish me some other way,” I said, eyes wide and pleading. “You don’t need a dungeon.”

  He shook his head. “No, this is actually for the best. I can’t keep leaving marks on you with floggers and canes. People would notice eventually, and I can’t have that.”

  Hot tears spilled down my cheeks. I couldn’t wipe them away, because there wasn’t enough space in the glass box to move my arms up to my face. “Logan, please,” I sobbed. “I can’t breathe.”

  “It just feels that way,” he said. “There are a few small holes to let air in. How do you think you’re hearing me right now?”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to pretend I was anywhere but this box. On a tropical island, in a lush meadow, on a ski-slope, sitting by a warm fire. None of it worked. The crushing knowledge of where I really was easily outweighed my imagination, no matter how hard I tried to pretend I was fine.

  “Please, Logan. Let me out,” I whimpered.

  “No.” He stood up again. “From now on, if you step out of line, you go in the box. If you’re really bad, I’ll do this.”

  He stepped away for a moment. When he returned, I saw a black sheet in his hands.

  “No! Don’t!” I screamed, realizing what was about to happen. “Please, I’ll do anything!”

  He scoffed. “Anything? Is this like the time you begged me to fuck you to avoid punishment?” he asked. “Because that was a one-time thing. It won’t work again.”

  He tossed the sheet over my enclosure, leaving me in pitch darkness. I wailed and kicked at the glass, but he ignored me and left the sheet in place.

  I felt like I was drowning, lungs burning as a current sucked me into the darkest depths of the ocean. Dizziness overcame me, and I went limp and stopped crying, finally letting the fear take me. I had no other choice.

  Logan pulled the sheet off a few minutes later. “Did you like that?”

  I was too choked up to reply. I simply shook my head instead.

  “Good. That was for last night,” he said.

  “I’m sorry,” I managed to get out. “I’m so sorry.”

  “Are you really?”

  “Yes.” I nodded as much as I could in the cramped space as tears coursed down my cheeks in hot rivulets. “I promise I’ll be good from now on.”

  He chuckled. “You’ll have to forgive me for not believing you,” he said, reaching one hand out to the lid. He slowly dragged his fingertips over the glass, and goosebumps peppered my arms in their wake, as if he were actually touching me. “You have a history of failing to keep your promises of good behavior, don’t you?”

  I let out a sob. “Yes.”

  “You’re incorrigible, aren’t you?”

  “Maybe,”
I murmured.

  “If that’s the case, give me one good reason I shouldn’t keep you in here,” he said, tilting his chin to the side.

  “You… you can’t,” I said, trembling like mad. “You have to let me be seen in public. Go to college. See my friends. Attend Order functions. Otherwise someone will eventually realize I’m missing. Then they’ll come looking and realize what you’re doing to me.”

  Logan laughed. “I know that. I’m not a complete moron,” he replied, rubbing his jaw. “But we don’t need to do any of those things today, do we? So tell me: why should I let you out right now? What’s stopping me from keeping you in here for the next twenty-four hours?”

  My whole body felt like it was deflating. “Nothing,” I muttered. “There’s nothing stopping you.”

  “Why?”

  “You own me. You can do whatever you want to me, and I can’t stop you.”

  He smiled. “Good girl. You’re finally saying the right things.”

  “Does that mean I can come out?”

  His smile faded. “And here I was thinking we were finally making progress.”

  “I was just asking,” I said, voice coming out in a pained squeak. “I’m sorry, sir.”

  He sighed. “You aren’t allowed to ask questions unless I give you permission, Willow. When are you going to learn your place?”

  “I’m sorry. Please show me, sir,” I replied, my voice barely above a murmur.

  A tiny seed of an idea was budding in my brain. There might be a way out of the box after all. I just had to play my cards right.

  Logan raised a brow. “Show you?”

  “Show me my place. Teach me.”

  “That’s what I’m doing right now,” he said, narrowing his eyes.

  “No. You’re just letting me lie here. I might hate it now, but if you leave me here all day, I’ll accept it eventually,” I said.

  Logan laughed. “Bullshit. You’ll go crazy.”

  “No. That’s how people’s minds work. If you give them a problem that they can’t control, they’ll eventually get used to it. I know you don’t want me to get used to this. You want me to keep seeing this as a punishment, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  I took a deep breath. “Then consider me punished. You’ve scared me enough. Now you can show me my place in other ways. I know you have them.”

  He straightened his shoulders. “Okay. I see your point,” he said. “But I’m not going to make it easy for you.”

  “I know,” I whispered.

  He reached into his pocket, pulled out a key and turned it in a lock on the side of the box. Then he lifted the lid and yanked me out. I gasped as I finally stretched my limbs and breathed freely, relief flooding my veins.

  It didn’t last long.

  Logan crossed the room, opened a drawer, and returned with a thin chain studded with crystals. A sadistic grin curved his lips. “I was wondering when this might come in handy,” he said.

  “Is that a leash?” I asked, eyes wide with horror as he attached it to the back of my collar.

  “Yes. You’re my pet, so you’re going to behave like one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’m going to walk you through the halls like this,” he said. He cocked his head slightly to one side, smile widening. “Well, I’ll be walking. You’ll be crawling.”

  I shook my head minutely. “Please… no.”

  “Yes. You’ll be quiet and subservient. Show everyone what a good little pet you can be.”

  I shook my head, making the chain jangle. “Please don’t do this to me, sir,” I said. “The maids… they’ll see.”

  “Exactly. You’ll be humiliated, and you won’t be able to do a damn thing about it.”

  “No, I mean they’ll know you’re keeping me as a prisoner and torturing me.”

  “How?” He nonchalantly shrugged one shoulder. “They’ll just think we’re into unconventional sex things, and if they dare to ask, I’ll confirm that for them. So will you. They’ve all signed NDAs, anyway, so they can’t tell anyone what they see, no matter how juicy it is.”

  An angry, blistering heat flared deep in my chest. “This is too much,” I said in a low voice. “This isn’t teaching me anything. It’s just cruelty.”

  He smirked. “I know it’s cruel, but I think it will teach you. You wanted me to show you your place, didn’t you?”

  “Not like this,” I said, lowering my eyes to the shiny marble floor.

  He roughly forced my chin up. “I know you were just trying to manipulate me into letting you out of the box when you said all that shit before,” he said.

  I swallowed hard as a chill struck at my core. How did he always know my thoughts? How was he always one step ahead?

  “I won’t let you get away with that sort of scheming,” he continued. “But I have to admit you had a good point. I don’t want you getting used to the box. So I’ll have to change things up on occasion. This is my way of doing that.”

  “Okay, sir,” I whispered, shoulders slumping. Once again, he’d defeated me. Easily.

  Logan briskly stepped away and returned with a bottle of water. “Now, let’s practice. Are you thirsty?”

  I nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  He held the water high in the air. “Beg for it.”

  “Please give me the water, sir.”

  He shook his head. “Not like that, princess. Like a pet.”

  My stomach hardened, and a hot tingle of humiliation swept across the back of my neck. With quiet resignation, I sank to my knees and stared up at Logan. “Please, sir,” I said, holding my hands out in front of me with my palms facing upward like a Dickensian child begging for more food. “May I have a drink?”

  “Of course. Open wide.”

  I parted my lips and tilted my head back. Logan opened the bottle and tipped the water down my throat. “Good girl,” he said, smiling cruelly as I gulped it down as fast as possible. “Now let’s try something else. Get on all fours.”

  I did as he said, cringing internally.

  “Crawl,” he instructed.

  I started to crawl with my head down. My knees began to ache from the hard floor within seconds, but I bit my tongue and kept going, not wanting to piss Logan off even more than I already had.

  “Such a good girl,” he said, stroking my hair as we went along. “Are you ready to go into the hall? The maids are all very busy out there right now, dusting and polishing everything, but I’m sure they’d love to see the famous Willow Rhoades.”

  I gritted my teeth. “Yes, sir.”

  He yanked on the leash, making me yelp as he pulled me away from the door. “Don’t worry. I’m just fucking with you. I’m not actually going to make you do that,” he said. “But now you know I could. Remember that.”

  Relief flooded my system again, and I nodded. “Yes, sir,” I whispered. “Thank you for teaching me.”

  He smiled. “You know, I love it when you fight me, but I love it when you submit, too,” he said, grabbing my hand and placing it on the front of his pants. His arousal was obvious, pressing against the fabric at his crotch. “Strange how that works.”

  “Maybe you just like a challenge, sir,” I replied in a low murmur. “But you also like to win.”

  “I do like to win,” he said, brows lifting. “I haven’t won all of you yet, though.”

  “Haven’t you, sir?”

  He shook his head. “No. You’re subservient enough, but you still aren’t broken. Sometimes I wonder if you’ll ever break.”

  I didn’t know how to respond to that. I simply bowed my head and stared at the floor, cheeks aflame.

  “Get on the bed,” he growled. “On all fours.”

  I did as he commanded. He was behind me in a second, pulling my ass toward the edge of the bed. I heard him unzip, and then he slid his tip between my pussy and ass, making me let out an involuntary moan. “You’re always so wet for me,” he said, finally pushing into my slick warmth. “Aren’t you, prince
ss?”

  I nodded obediently, reminding myself that it was the clit jewelry that left my pussy in a state of near-constant arousal. I wasn’t wet for him. I was wet for anyone.

  Even as I thought that, I knew I was lying to myself. I’d never felt stimulated by anyone but Logan. Not once. Even when I thought I was getting turned on by someone else while the masked intruder attacked me in my old White House bedroom all those months ago, I wasn’t, because it was him all along.

  Deep down, I knew it would only ever be him. We hated each other, but our bodies had instincts, and we couldn’t control the explosive chemistry that existed between us. I just had to remember it wasn’t my fault. It was simple animal nature. Primal, unrelenting, and ignorant of all emotion.

  Logan drove his cock in deeper, and I gasped, fingers digging into the duvet beneath me.

  “Tight as ever,” he grunted, rewarding me with a slap on my ass. “No matter how wet you get, you still grip me so perfectly.” He withdrew and thrust back in harder, and I cried out as tingles shot through me. “But I think I want something even tighter today.”

  He pulled out of my throbbing pussy and rubbed his cock on my ass, wetting it with my juices. Then he spit on me and shoved himself inside, making me scream. It wasn’t a scream of pain, though. He’d trained me for this, teaching me how to relax my muscles and readying me with all the plugs he made me wear in the past, and my body was already igniting, sparks flying as traitorous desire filled every inch of me.

  “So fucking tight,” Logan grunted behind me, fingertips digging into my ass cheeks as he pumped back and forth. “Tell me you like it. Tell me you like having your ass fucked.”

  “I love it,” I whispered as fiery heat flooded my belly, making my nipples tighten until they ached, desperate for his touch.

  “You love it? Even better,” he said. He twisted one hand in my hair, making me turn my head to look back at him as he slammed into me. “Say it again. Properly this time.”

  “I love it, sir,” I said breathlessly, my empty, dripping pussy aching as it clenched around nothing.

  Logan pulled my hair harder, making me shriek as pain raced across my scalp. It was the wrong kind of pain; not the electrifying, delirious kind that made me feel so wonderfully full and stretched. “I said say it properly,” he growled.