When You Only Need To Ask (The House of Sin: The Beginning)

by Hadleigh Stephens

  I flinch as the crop slices across my naked shoulders unable to hold back my scream. He strikes so hard that blood immediately seeps from the wound. My heart rate quickens and my nostril’s burn as the smell of sweat and blood permeate the dark room with each strike. I concentrate on the flow of blood as it slides down my back, buttocks, and legs instead of dwelling on the pain, an almost impossible task. I scream at first, then I sob, then I can only grunt with the pain.

  Never-ending pain.

  My body hurts. My arms have long since lost feeling. And I feel as if I’m going to faint. I’m so weak from the pain and he doesn’t appear to be even close to finishing. I hang there taking the brunt of his anger, dwelling on the end. I disappear into my mind and think of Cooper’s gentle hands, tender touch, and not Nate’s brutality. Knowing that no matter how much or how hard he punishes me, I will never give him my mind. He may torture my body, but when he is done, he will only leave bruises, possibly scars. I swear with every ounce of strength that I possess that he won’t get the rest. The rest belongs to someone else and Nate cannot change that. No matter what he does.

  He meant every word when he said he was going to punish me. That I would pay for humiliating him. He meant it all. I hang from the chains for a moment exhaling deep, gut-wrenching sobs waiting for his next strike knowing that he can’t possibly be done already when he releases me from the chains and I collapse in a heap on the floor.

  I can’t fight. I have nothing left.

  He drags my naked body across the room my knees scraping against the floor and lays me on a cold, flat surface. He positions me roughly, face down with my hips at the edge. He restrains my wrists behind my back, stepping between my legs and pushing them apart before crouching down to restrain my ankles from corner to corner.

  His hands trail up my legs smearing the blood as they make their way to my hips and then I feel the heat of him as he leans over my back. I shudder. His body’s covered in sweat, his breath hot and stale. He licks me from my nape to my jaw before hissing in my ear, “I normally like it when you’re silent. But I want to hear you scream. I want to hear you beg for mercy.”

  I capture my lip to silence any retorts I might have just as he rams his cock into me. No preparation and not caring that my body resists, and it does. I squeeze my eyes shut, biting down on my lip, but I can’t stop. I beg and plead. Scream and pray, then beg for him to stop some more.

  He’s too out of control. Too crazed to care. Beyond redemption.

  I cry out at his savagery, sobbing for him to stop. I beg him to have mercy, but he pumps into me over and over slamming me into the wooden table. Not caring if he bruises my tender skin or causes me more pain.

  It’s all about domination.

  Control.

  The idea that he’s righting a wrong.

  He holds my wrists bound behind my back, jerking my upper body off the table. My neck pulls back at an uncomfortable angle and he bites into my shoulder. I scream at the immense pain when he breaks the skin, then licks over the seeping wound.

  I mewl in pain and fear, writhing beneath him as he drives his cock into me mercilessly. His grunts come out like an animal rooting in the wild and my breaths come in choppy, shallow panting cries as he torments me with every thrust of his weapon into my body.

  My entire body shudders from fear and revulsion. My eyes clench closed as he continues to viciously fuck me and then I nearly collapse with relief at the abrupt withdrawal of his cock from my body. I hold my breath afraid that If I make a move or a sound it will only make him continue with his cruelty.

  His grunting increases and I hear the slap of his hand as he jacks his cock until the scalding heat of his cum splatters over my back, in my hair, and slides onto my turned face causing me to gag, dry heaving at his sickening show of power.

  He releases my bonds, dragging me to the corner where he tosses me without a second thought. I keep my teeth clenched to keep from crying out. I lay still, dripping with his semen, refusing to writhe in pain, refusing to give him any sign that he’s truly harmed me.

  A gigantic lump forms in my throat when I crack open my eyes and witness the ugliness of the smirk on his face when he declares coarsely, “Now you’ll never forget who I am.”

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Ten or fifteen minutes is the usual length of a formal call,

  half an hour is the “extreme” limit

  “Angel, can you hear me?”

  Once again I have nothing to gauge the amount of time that’s passed. I sluggishly crack open my eyelids, blinking slowly at the familiar voice. I want to cry when I hear Cooper’s panic filled voice yelling through the door. My heart flies to my throat at the sound. No matter the anger or the shouting, he came for me.

  “Cowboy?” I respond to his voice fuzzily, sure I’m dreaming, working at rousing myself. Then I clear my throat and try again. “Cowboy!” I try to rise, but my knees give out.

  “Shut up,” Nate hisses and that’s when I realize he’s back in the room with me.

  “Angel, love.”

  His shout is like music to my ears. The sweetest I’ve ever heard. I sag against the wall in relief.

  “Sweetheart, I’m going to get you out. I swear it.” His choked reply comes from a voice rough with emotion.

  A few seconds later the door shakes as he rams his body against it and I flinch at the grunt of pain that pushes past his mouth when he hits the thick wood.

  The thud of his body hitting the door comes again and I struggle against the restraints. My heart pounds in my chest when it becomes clear that his voice is real and not a dream.

  “Hurry Jamie.” I hear Cooper call in a gruff voice and grunt when his body slams into the door once again. “She’s in here.”

  “You have no right to be here,” Nate shouts through the door.

  “I warned you, Nate. Touch her and I’d fuckin’ kill you.” His voice as cold as ice, then there’s a moment’s pause. “You obviously didn’t believe me.”

  The entire doorframe shakes as both their bodies’ pound into it and then there’s the groan of splintering wood as they ram it again.

  “Kimberly,” Jamie yells through the heavy door. “Are you all right?” The door shudders under the next blow and they both men lung into the room.

  Everything after that’s a blur and over in a matter of seconds. Cooper throws the first punch, bloodying Nate’s nose and knocking him to the ground before grabbing him under the arms and lifting him high to slam him up against the wall. Nate howls in pain. I flinch, as Cooper’s muscles bunch powerfully. The veins in his neck bulging visibly with the effort he’s expending to beat the shit out of Nate.

  “I’m—going—to—kill—you,” he hisses through gritted teeth, his voice vibrating with anger as he batters Nate’s head against the wall several times before continuing. “I swear to fuckin’ God if you’ve so much as harmed a hair on her head I will gut you like a fish and toss you out for the bears to find.” Another punch lands on Nate’s face and the crunch of bone is loud. A satisfied smile spreads over Cooper’s face at the sound of breaking bones and the fresh trickle of blood from Nate’s nose.

  I watch as Nate spits blood out on the floor and curses at the same time he swipes the back of his hand across his mouth to mop up the excess saliva and blood.

  “Fuck you,” Nate cries out before slapping his hand against Cooper chest; a cruel smile curving his lips.

  Cooper shoves back leaving Nate sprawled out on the floor.

  “What justification do you have for kidnapping her and hurting her you fuckin’ bastard?” Cooper lifts him and smashes him once more against the wall pinning him there. “Are you fuckin’ insane?” Cooper’s tone is hoarse and raw. It’s a powerful combination of fear and relief that he’s finally found me. “You better pray I don’t find a fuckin’ bruise marring her flesh or I will fuckin’ cut your dick off like I warned you before.” His expression fierce.

  “She broke up with me like I was a piece of f
ucking shit. Now she knows what she’ll be missing.” And Cooper’s fist connects with Nate’s jaw.

  “He’s out. He’s out,” Jamie yells as he tackles Cooper from behind.

  A snarl tears from Cooper’s throat. “Let go,” he roars, twisting in Jamie’s strong hold, but unable to break free. Jamie doesn’t loosen his hold until Cooper takes a deep breath and stills.

  “I’m sorry, bud,” Cooper apologizes. “I’m just so fuckin’ pissed.”

  “Go to Kimberly, Coop. Go. We’ll deal with him later. Kimberly needs you now.”

  “Angel,” Cooper chokes out and the next thing I know, with only a few long strides, he’s in front of me, unlocking the restraints. I would have launched myself into his arms had I the strength, instead I had to wait for him.

  He leans over me, his nostrils flaring as he takes in several deep breaths. I watch him glance around the room and stop when his eyes find my pile of clothes. He quickly moves towards the pile and snags my long sweater, returning to squat in front of me and cover my body. I sit quietly while he buttons all the buttons making sure that I’m covered from my collarbone to mid-thigh before sliding his hand over my cheek. The gesture so tender, my eyes fall closed with his touch.

  “You found me.” My words come out a croak due to lack of water and I burst into tears.

  He grabs me around the waist and with great care, hauls me into his powerful arms and rushes me out of the dark, dank room. Just as we are about to exit, I take a second to glance over his shoulder to see Nate writhing in apparent agony on the floor.

  I reach up and touch Cooper’s jaw. I do it because I have to make sure that all that’s going on is not just a part of one of my crazy dreams. Not a hallucination. I have to make sure that it’s all real.

  He stops suddenly in the dark hallway, his face lowers, and he rests his forehead against mine. He exhales and inhales several shaky breaths before speaking. “I would have moved heaven and earth to find you, Angel.” His voice a scratchy mess by the time he finishes.

  I feel my lips curve up in a somewhat tired smile and my heart finally feels light. “My hero.” The words barely above a whisper, cracking just a little.

  “Don’t ever forget that.” He places a soft kiss to my parched lips, then starts moving again. Once in the wide open he sits down on a low rock wall that surrounds the cabin gathering me roughly into a crushing embrace. His arms hold me tightly against his chest and he rocks me back and forth and doesn’t say anything else for a long time. I

  send a silent prayer to the heavens in a useless attempt to keep myself from losing complete control.

  The area suddenly erupts with police and rescue.

  “Quiet!” Cooper shouts at the police and emergency workers who are rushing in and out of the cabin. “Oh, my Angel.” He presses fervent kisses along my forehead, my cheek, my lips. “I thought I was going to die when I found out he’d taken you.” His voice catches as he holds me tight, but gently at the same time. I press closer thinking that if I burrow deep enough the fear will retreat. He lowers me to the ground but doesn’t relinquish his tight hold, the vice around my chest, slowly easing the longer he holds me.

  I stifle my sobs because I don’t want to cry, not now. I’m too exhausted to cry, but I can’t stop, my lips quiver as tears gather in my eyes spilling over.

  “I’m never gonna let you go, my Angel,” he says through gritted teeth. “Am I going to have to fuckin’ cuff you to my side so that I can watch you night and day?” he asks roughly, then he sits me down so he can remove the cuffs, lifting me back into his arms. “And then you’ll never be out of my sight again. I’ll never let you out of my sight for the rest of my life.” Carefully he rubs each shoulder, kneading his way over the muscles of my back and I flinch. “My heart can’t bear it,” he whispers as he rubs his cheek against my hair, stroking my arms.

  I press my face to his chest, eyes shut tight, weeping quietly against him as he rocks me back and forth. “It’s over now.”

  “He r-r-raped you, Angel.” His arms tighten around me and I feel that shudder that runs through his body as he stumbles over the word. “He brutalized you in God knows what ways.” His voice is riddled with emotion. “There will be repercussions,” he says grimly.

  I pull back to look into his tortured eyes. “I know. It may change some things.”

  “You change whatever you need to change to get through this.” His eyes close and he hauls in a ragged breath. “I’ll help you do anything you need me to. If you need me to back off I will. I won’t like it, but I will.”

  “I warned you I’m boring, Cowboy. Stuff like this doesn’t happen every day. You’ll grow tired of me soon enough. Don’t let adrenaline dictate your future.” I risk a peek up at him, exhaustion taking over as the adrenaline from my rescue quickly fades.

  “You can stop talking now.” His face haggard. “Still have to work on your perception of yourself.” He snorts, brushing a strand of hair back from my face, lightly kissing my bruised cheek. “That’s laughable, Angel. ‘Cause from where I’m standing you’re anything but.”

  “My daddy always said I was a stick-in-the-mud.”

  “How can you joke right now, Angel?” His hand grips my jaw. “How?”

  “What else am I supposed to do right now, Cowboy?” I ask softly.

  “You can just let me hold you.” He leans down and brushes his lips across my forehead. “I know you’re resilient, Angel, but this is different. This isn’t just the idea that he could harm you.” My insides twist into a sick knot at his words. “He did harm you. He did touch you. He did…”

  I stop him by covering his mouth with my fingers. “You know, I’ve never even been to your house, Cowboy.” My attempt to lighten the mood almost lost due to the weariness from my nights spent in the dark, damp room. I lean into him for extra support.

  “An error we’ll need to remedy in the near future.” His lips curve up in a sexy grin. Totally out of place in this situation, just like always. He looks down into my pale face right before he captures my lips in a kiss so sweet I want to cry.

  I wrap my arms around his neck and open my mouth to receive his kisses like a starving woman. “We’ve got to stop meeting like this, Cowboy.”

  He drags his lips from mine, his long fingers cupping my cheek. “Definitely.” His voice quiet, yet firm. He shrugs out of his jacket and wraps it around my body.

  “Where are Merrick and Colt?”

  “I made them stay back, just in case we were wrong about where you were being held.”

  “How did you find me?”

  “Took too damn long.” He scrubs his hand over his face. “It’s an old cabin that belonged to his grandmother.”

  I was too tired to hear more. “I’m exhausted.’ Finally at my wits end, I barely manage to push the words through my dry, cracked lips.

  “I’m taking you to the hospital.” He scoops me up in his arms.

  “Tell me what happened?” I whisper tiredly. My eyelids flutter, time in the dark is making it difficult to tolerate the bright light.

  “I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow.” He carries me towards his pickup, placing me gently in the passenger seat.

  The whole ride to the hospital I can’t help thinking how scared I’d been.

  I watch as Cooper digs his cell out of his pocket and dials.

  “Got her.”

  “He beat the fuckin’ shit out of her.”

  “No kiddin’.”

  “I beat the fuckin’ shit out of him.”

  “Yeah, I’ll probably be reprimanded and whatever else happens.”

  “If he sues me?”

  “Will you hire me at Inferno?”

  “You’re a fuckin’ asshole.”

  My ears perk and I lift my head. “What’s Inferno?”

  He looks at me with a slight grin. “Just a little addition to The House.”

  “Oh.” My head falls back, my neck too weak to hold it up any longer.

  “A safe place.�
�

  “Oh.” My brow furrows.

  “Merrick and Colt decided to add on a private club of their own behind The House.”

  “And they decided to call it Inferno?”

  “You named the bar Paradiso,” he counters.

  “You’ve got a point.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  A lady’s world is generally a more pleasant place

  I wake up to find Cooper asleep at my side in the dark hospital room. Again. Exactly where I expected him to be. It doesn’t surprise me and it pleases me to know that he’d be there no matter what. I knew he was a good man from day one.

  The only light in the room is the one filtering in from the hallway through the slight crack left in the door, but it’s enough for me to see his brows furrowed in worry even in sleep.

  His big body lay sprawled out in one of the chairs that he’d pulled close to the side of the bed, hands crossed over his flat stomach, his biceps straining against the tight short sleeves of the T-shirt he wears. He’s got his legs stretched out in front of him with his ankles crossed, and a light snoring breathing is coming from his beautiful parted lips confirming to me that he is sound asleep.

  I watch his chest rise and fall in rhythmic breathing and if not for the lines between his brows, I would have to say he looks almost peaceful. Not like he lay in one of the most uncomfortable chairs I’ve ever seen. It amazes me he was even able to fall asleep at all. I don’t know how he does it.

  Of course he’s a man and they seem to be able to do that kind of stuff. Just fall where they are and sleep. Stay up all night if they’re needed without complaining. Fight fights that aren’t their own. Of course they’re probably cussing us up one side and down the other in their heads. It amazes me. I know damn well I’d have complained. I might have done the deed, but I’d have complained. Probably would do it loudly and vigorously just like before.

  I’ve never heard him complain. He just does what is needed. I’m sure I could learn a thing or two from him. Maybe that’s why he’s now mine.

  Tears prickle behind my lids and my nose burns at the thought. Mine. How amazing is that? Mine.