by M. Robinson
Did I do this? Did she? Or was it just the perfection of us together?
I leaned against the island, needing the support. I hung my head, my heart and mind raging war with each other. Wanting to take her back to my room and have my way with her, cherish her, show her how fucking crazy she made me.
I looked into her mesmerizing gaze, memorizing every last thing about her in this moment between us.
Everything I loved.
Everything I cared about.
Everything I needed…
Was right there in front of me.
In my embrace.
In my distress.
My home.
My hell.
She was heaven.
An angel.
For another first tonight.
For the first time in my life, I stared into her hopeful eyes…
And started to believe there was a God, and he’d sent her here for me.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Juliet
One month later
During the day, I was his slave.
But during the night—he was mine.
His moods changed as swiftly as the Seattle weather, just like shared smiles, touches, and punishments.
I never knew which side I was going to get from him. There were a few things that had changed since that first night on the piano, and one was his insatiable hunger.
I never went to bed clothed—neither did he, for that matter—and every evening felt like some religious experience where his hands gripped me only to follow with a caress like he’d forgotten he was touching something that could break.
My days were long, filled with useless and demeaning tasks he needed me to finish, like making sure I was constantly clean for him, ready for his mouth, ready for his touch. But you could only shower so many times, and I was getting more and more bored by the minute.
Besides, you couldn’t just have sex twenty-four-seven, and he was gone all day, leaving me to lounge around the house. Yes, he let me roam now. Not that I could escape anywhere with the number of guards he had on his estate. I swear, I turned, and there was another man who I hadn’t seen yet. I thought my father was paranoid, but this man took the cake. I often wondered if it was like this before me or it was only like this now because I was held captive by him.
Though, was I?
I had food.
I had a pool.
Several places to walk.
TV.
I had freedom in his home, which only further confused my role in his life. How much more liberty would he allow?
I wasn’t used to being idle, and despite having free range of his entire property, including the rose garden outside, and the miles and miles of land that he owned, I was still unfulfilled. When I finally discovered the home gym, I nearly burst into tears only to have him punish me later and whisper in my ear, “Lose that ass, and I’m marking it.”
He’d pinched my skin so hard I was afraid it was going to bruise. After that, I did a lot of air squats and constantly walked around sore, almost like a reminder of his threat and my new promise.
Keep the ass.
There were cameras everywhere in his home, and it didn’t surprise me that he was watching my every move.
Would it always be like this, or would he eventually trust me? Did I trust myself? Did I want to leave?
No, I didn’t. And that was the hardest pill for me to swallow.
The sound of the door slamming shut had my heart racing as I made dinner in his elaborate kitchen. I’d never made him food before.
I wasn’t even sure I was allowed to.
But I was again so bored it was worth the punishment for whatever he thought was appropriate at my taking control and the lead.
Even after all those punishments, after all that pain, and trust me—he still invoked a lot of pain. There was always pleasure that followed. Naked, pounding into me, pulling my hair, and screaming my name like it was his religion.
Everything happened at night, and it was when he was truly mine. There was something about the darkness that permitted him to let his guard down with me. Not sure how much more capable he was at letting me in, but it didn’t stop my mind from hoping that I’d eventually own him entirely.
“What’s this?” Donovan pulled off his suit jacket and threw it over one of the barstools with his steely eyes focused in on the lasagna that I’d attempted to make for him. “Pet…” He frowned. “You have many jobs, but none of them include cooking.”
“Sorry, Master.” I gritted my teeth. “I just wanted to do something since I can only watch so much TV and shave the hair off my body…” I didn’t mean to add that little bit in at the end because he always wanted me bare, but really, how much could one person tolerate as far as boredom?
He froze, and then in a harsh whisper, “Are you saying you aren’t happy with your master, pet?”
“No!” I blurted. “That’s not it; I just…” I frowned again and gripped the countertop, embarrassed that my stupid lasagna looked so bad, and it would be a point of contention. I couldn’t do anything and was only using his body while he used mine.
I wanted more.
But I was terrified of speaking it out loud, and maybe I was sick in the head, but the idea of leaving him, of leaving this, had me panicking all over again like I was trapped back in that room by myself instead of next to him, in his arms.
Donovan pulled out a chair, the sound nearly deafening as he dragged it across the kitchen floor. He crossed his arms and stared.
“Do I not fulfill all your needs?”
“You do, Master. You do,” I lied.
His lips curled into an amused smile. “You need to work on that, your ability to make me believe things…” He sighed. “Open a bottle of wine, two glasses, and let’s discuss…”
I froze and then did exactly that, grabbing the first bottle of red from the cellar I could find along with two glasses.
When both were poured, I stood next to him, unsure of what to do. Was I allowed to sit? In a chair? His lap? The floor?
Most of the time, he fed me from his hands.
“Sit,” he demanded.
Still, I paused, my hands twisting in front of me as they clung to each other, afraid I would reach for him by accident, afraid I’d never let go.
And that was the issue.
I wanted him.
I never wanted to let go.
But he was the same person as before.
Unable to realize that some of the things we wanted the most, we could never have, even if they were right in front of us, begging to be seen.
Slowly, he pulled out a chair.
I sat and waited, head bowed.
“Look at me,” he commanded in a hollow voice that had me wondering what the hell we’d gone through these last few weeks that he could address me with such limited emotion when I was ready to be facedown in front of him, bowing to a king I never knew I would have to serve, but enjoying the servitude because it was him.
Donovan.
His dark eyes were trained on me for a few short seconds before he leaned back and crossed his arms. “You cooked.”
“Yes.”
“For me?”
“For us,” I said before thinking. Wincing, I waited for the pain for the deserved punishment.
Instead, he stilled and then reached for my chin, tilting it toward him with his finger. “Us?”
I gulped, willing the tears to stay in. “I just thought…” I tried again. “I’m bored and figured I could help with…”
“You thought,” he repeated slowly. “What? That I would magically fall in love with you the minute, you cooked me pasta?”
“No.” I wanted to scream. “No, that’s not what I—”
His smirk killed the next words I had. “I was kidding, pet. Thank you,” he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my mouth, murmuring, “for the food.”
I wanted to swallow him whole. Exist in only a place where we could be together. No family. N
o politics.
Us.
Just us being us.
Like we were in that kitchen, but that wasn’t my reality.
“You’re bored.” He pulled away from my mouth, contemplating what he was going to say next. “What can I do to fix your boredom, Juliet?”
My mouth dropped open. “You mean … you would let me leave?”
He arched an intense eyebrow.
“No! Not like leave, leave, but off the premises?”
“I don’t understand the question.”
“I could leave and go to the mall or something?”
“This is about you wanting to go to the mall?”
“No, not really.”
“Then how about you use your words and stop talking in circles. If you want something from me, then I expect to hear you address it, understood? I don’t play games.”
“But what if you don’t like what I have to say?”
“Then I take you over my knee and spank your ass raw, but, pet…” He paused for a second. “We both know how much you like that.”
I blushed, bowing my head.
“Juliet.”
His gentle voice made me peer up at him.
“Try me.”
I bit my bottom lip. “Okay.”
He leaned back into his chair, arms folded over his broad chest, waiting. I had to shove away all the dirty thoughts I had of him in that moment, wanting my voice to be heard. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t internally flipping the fuck out.
“Pet, I’m waiting.”
Before he could say anything, I exclaimed, “I’m nervous.”
“Are you scared of me?”
“I don’t want to make you upset.”
“So what you’re going to tell me will upset me?”
“I don’t know.”
He grinned in a devilish way. “Only one way to find out.”
“Fine. I want a job.”
At my request, he jerked back. “A job?”
“Yeah, you know. Something I can do for you.”
“Something you can do for me? More than you already do?”
I smiled at his retort. “I’ll do anything you want, Master.”
“And look at that—when she wants something, she’s polite and respectful.”
I shrugged, hiding back my smile.
“What would you like to do for me?”
“I mean, I could help with things. Like Elaina, maybe?”
“Like Elaina?”
“Yes. She helps with the slaves, right? She helped with me.”
“I see.”
His grin was my undoing. God, I loved it when he smirked like that. I wished I could save them all for when I was sad, for when I missed Romeo, when I missed my old life, my old self, only to realize I wasn’t the same anymore.
I wasn’t me.
I was his.
Owned.
And I never wanted to go back to what once was. As sick as it made me, I never wanted to be well.
I metaphorically dumped the prescription for sanity the day he took me against the piano and laughed at the idea of ever returning to normal. I stayed as calm as I could, looking demure, folding my hands in my lap when all I wanted was to run around the room screaming in excitement.
Finally.
I said what I wanted.
“It’s interesting you decided today was the day to tell me you wanted a job. Considering, I already decided you get to host the next auction. You’ll need Elaina’s help, of course, but you’ll be able to decide the menu down to the first appetizer.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key fob. “Also, I was late because I was out shopping for this.”
“A key?” I took it in my hand, rubbing the Lamborghini symbol so much I was surprised it didn’t rub completely off. “For what?”
“Your new car,” he simply replied, standing to his feet. “I’d get going, by the way. You only have a week to prepare for the next auction, and Elaina needs help with the preparations.”
Stunned, I looked down at my outfit. I was wearing a silk nightie since I had to be naked nearly twenty-four seven. My collar never came off.
“I need to go get ready.”
“She wouldn’t be surprised if you showed up like that.” Donovan shrugged. “But do as you wish. I’m going to go take a shower.”
Panic set in as he began to walk away.
Was he done with me? No longer interested? Why else would he be so accommodating?
The idea of him shoving me away had me ready to fall to my knees. I sucked in a breath. And another. Until all I was doing was trying to breathe.
Donovan grabbed my body and pulled me against him. “Shhh, pet, you’re safe.”
I clung to him, wrapping my arms around his neck so tightly it hurt.
“You wanted this,” he reminded me. “And it’s because of your reaction now that I’m giving it to you. Because you can’t live without the pain or the pleasure. You can’t live without your master, and now you know what it feels like when everything secure in your life looks like it’s washing away.” He pried his body from mine and kissed my forehead. “You need me as much as I need you—never forget it.”
With that, he walked away.
I rubbed the key fob in my hand, realizing, maybe, this was more than a test. This was him giving me the space I needed to thrive.
Even if it killed him.
I quickly got ready, and he met me at the door, letting me know I could drive my new car; however, I must follow the ten guards he was sending with me. At that point, I didn’t care if he had a hundred of them on my ass if it meant I could leave the estate by myself.
He told me Elaina was waiting for me at the other property, the one where Troy had hurt me, triggering my body to shiver at the memory.
If Donovan noticed my reaction, he didn’t call me out on it. I knew he must have noticed; the man noticed everything.
I jumped into my new ride, ready to meet Elaina, only to get sidetracked by the gorgeous SUV and the small card and rose waiting for me on the passenger side.
“Yours,” it read.
His.
I was his.
He was mine.
I sniffed the rose way too long and then started the vehicle.
Minutes later, I was smiling at myself in the rearview mirror of my new Lambo SUV, wondering how the hell he was even able to get one on such short notice.
Suddenly, my mind reminded me of all the times we’d traveled this road in my other car, with my family and friends. All the times I’d looked out the window and wished for purpose, something more, better. All the times I’d compared myself to my brother and everyone else in my powerful family, knowing I’d always come up short.
I frowned at the steering wheel, not even knowing I was taking the familiar exit until it was too late. I drove on autopilot, taking a right, then a left, a right, driving on for five miles until I was in front of the gates. It was ten thousand square feet. Huge. Had brick everywhere and a circular driveway. There was a special entrance in the front, a private entrance in the back. It used to be mine.
My family’s.
The guards didn’t get out of their vehicles. They stopped, watching and waiting. I exhaled, my fingers gripping the steering wheel like it was going to come off the car at any minute, and I had only one job—keep them there.
I didn’t know how long I stared, but long enough to realize one thing. As confused as my mind was, my body knew. It worked on autopilot for me, driving away and toward the manor I was meeting Elaina at. The SUV in front of me once again led the way. In that moment, I didn’t just choose Donovan.
In a way, I chose me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Romeo
Was my mind playing tricks on me?
I thought I saw a Lambo SUV driving away on the property. It was a vehicle I didn’t recognize, and the only way anyone could enter through the gates of my family’s estate was if they had a code. I felt it deep in my bones. Something wasn’t right,
and for the first time since my sister was taken, I had an unnerving suspicion that something was going on.
My life was consumed with trying to find her, only to come up empty. There was no trace of her, not one. It was like she’d disappeared into thin air. The motherfuckers who had taken her knew what they were doing, and I was beginning to think that we would never find my baby sister. The thought alone made me want to kill anyone in my presence. My temper was looming, and it wouldn’t take much to push my buttons.
“Babe,” Eden rasped, wrapping her arms around me. “You’ll find her. I have full faith that you will find her.”
I moved my lips across her shoulder. “You smell good enough to eat, Red.” It was the nickname I’d been using for my wife for as long as I could remember.
Every time I thought about the fact that she could have been taken too, I wanted to kill the guard who was supposed to be protecting Juliet all over again.
“I love you. Get lost in me, Romeo.”
I gripped onto her ass and wrapped her legs around my waist, doing exactly that. For the rest of the day, I found refuge in my wife and all the ways she always made me forget.
Juliet
I followed the guards and pulled in front of the property that still haunted my dreams. A knock sounded on my window, and I jumped and looked.
Troy stood there, blue eyes gleaming, pointing for me to roll down the window.
I hesitated and hit the down button.
His grin made my stomach churn, stating, “Elaina couldn’t make it today, so I’ll be showing you the ropes.”
Shaking, I reached for my phone. The one that Donovan had given me that only worked for his number. I sent him a quick text.
All it said was Troy.
I had no idea how he’d take it, but I needed to at least send it to him to feel safe.
Troy opened the driver’s side door and let me out, escorting me inside the daunting mansion. I’d been around money my entire life, but something about their business, their dynasty, made me nervous.
“So this is it,” Troy emphasized, opening the double doors to the ballroom. “As you remember, every auction and or party takes place on this property, passed down from generation to generation.”
