by Lily White
The sides of the pear began to spread apart and fire shot through the skin of my ass. He stopped at a point where it was horribly uncomfortable, but not yet unbearable. If he widened the tool anymore, I knew the skin would rip and I’d be unable to contain my screams.
My heart raced in my chest, the blood in my veins carrying with it adrenaline and fear. The table shook as I started to tremble and Aiden chuckled in response to my pain. “That hurts, doesn’t it?” Plucking at the chain that ran between my breasts and my clit, he sent another wave of torment across my nerves and I writhed in place on the bench. There was no escape, no manner in which I could protect myself against the torture he would inflict on my body.
“So, before I widen this any more, would you like to tell me your secrets? Or will I have to force them from your lips?”
Speaking on a shaky breath, I lied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I wouldn’t give Holland away. It was an effort to protect him from the people who were forcing him to become a monster and more importantly, it was an effort to protect the only chance I had for escape.
The sides split open wider and the scream that tore from my lungs was inhuman and unholy. Fire sparked inside me, the flesh around the bulb of the device threatening to rip apart if stretched any farther.
“You’re lying.”
I couldn’t see past the torrent of tears that now poured from my eyes and I could barely speak again with vocal chords shredded by my screams. I had no choice but to convince him, to endure whatever pain he delivered in an attempt to conceal what Holland had told me. “Please…please, Master, I don’t know what you want me to say. Please…”
Coughing the words out, I fought the violent convulsions of my body. Aiden laughed from where he was perched between my legs.
“Please? I’m surprised you’re begging, beautiful. That’s the one thing you haven’t yet done in your time with me. Here I thought you were stronger than that. Just like any bitch, you’re breaking apart right in front of me. It’s nice to see I haven’t lost my touch.”
He moved around me to grip my face with his hands. Lifting my head up from the bench, he kissed my lips before saying, “It’s such a turn on to see the results of my efforts. I’m not going to fuck that sweet cunt of yours with all the bits and pieces that are attached, so I was wondering if you would grant me the use of your mouth.”
I nodded yes immediately. Anything to distract him from the torture he was inflicting.
Releasing my cheeks, he allowed my head to slam back down onto the bench before pulling a lever that released the headrest. My head fell back and I opened my eyes to find I was staring at the crotch of his pants. The noticeable bulge disgusted me, but I was willing to do anything to distract him from asking me about Holland or the promise he’d made.
Lowering his body so that I saw his face, he smiled menacingly. “Be a good girl and avoid biting me while I fuck your face. If I feel any teeth, I promise you will not enjoy the repercussions.”
Flashing me a quick smile, he stood up, removing his large, hard cock from his pants and pushing it so far into my mouth that I choked instantly. Reaching below my head, he grasped my hair firmly as he forced himself in and out of my mouth. It didn’t take long for him to find his release and he laughed when I choked again, tiny bits of his cum dripping down my face where it had escaped my mouth. Zipping himself up, he moved back around to my feet and reached between my legs to widen the bulb once more.
Once I’d stopped screaming, he stood quietly above me for a few minutes, serenely studying the results of his sadism.
“I’ll give you one more chance, Claire. Tell me the truth, or suffer the consequences. The choice is yours.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Holland
Time passed slowly during the week that Aiden trained Claire. Days crept by and I thought I’d lose my damn mind not being able to have her. I couldn’t sleep…couldn’t escape the memories of the sound of her screaming during those first nights she was with him. I walked through my days like a zombie. It didn’t matter where I went or what I did to escape the harrowing reality of what I’d done to her. I couldn’t escape, neither at the house nor at school due to the continuous crush of media.
Once Claire had been determined to be missing, there wasn’t a student on campus who wasn’t speculating about what had been done. Theories arose about every possible crime that could have been committed against her, the favorite being that she’d been abducted in Florida and sold into the slave trade. However, and as I found out through the media, when the authorities questioned the hotel where she’d reserved a room and the airline on which she was supposed to fly, it was quickly determined that she’d never made it to Florida at all. Despite their findings, I wasn’t concerned that her disappearance would be traced back to me.
All I wanted was to own her, to possess her, but I never wanted this. The torture she endured was evident in the shrieks I’d heard and the expression on her face when Aiden paraded her around the house, proud of himself for finally breaking a woman that I’d foolishly believed was too strong to be fully broken by the traditional methods employed by Aiden.
I’d crept the halls of the house like a ghost over the past seven days. Aiden barely spoke to me and Claire wouldn’t look at me in the rare moments when I saw her and she wasn’t blindfolded. I felt lost and disoriented by all of it. He’d changed her, I was sure of it and I grew jealous and angry with each passing day.
Was it the love that I felt for her that made me so angry or was it the simple fact that Aiden had induced her into prancing for him in an effort to seduce his cock into action? I couldn’t be sure on either one. I wasn’t really sure that it was love that I felt for her at all.
It felt like everything I’d worked to achieve was spiraling out of control and by Aiden’s silence, I was kept in the dark as much as the women he trained. It wasn’t that he didn’t communicate with me at all. There were still the daily discussions regarding the media and behavior of the students at school. He just didn’t communicate with me about Claire. Every time I asked, he brushed the questions aside, filling the silent void between us with useless comments or drivel about the weather or the upcoming presentation. I was surprised that he confirmed the high-ranking society members would be in attendance. It was unfortunate that my stepfather would be one of those members. However, as usual, Aiden had his reasons.
By now, Claire had quieted down enough for Aiden to allow the staff to return to the house. They carried on as they always did, paying little attention to the locked doors of certain halls and the new woman that pranced the floors dressed in attire befitting a courtesan. They never asked questions even after seeing that same woman on the news and I honestly believed it was because they were paid so well. Even on their days off, they were paid more daily than most people earned in a week. It wasn’t a large staff and it didn’t have to be. As usual, Aiden had selected the best and the most competent. He could rest easy knowing that the house and the land was looked after and tended to with the upmost of care.
Sitting in the kitchen, I observed the staff milling about: cooking, cleaning and setting out the dishes and trimmings for the large party that would be held tomorrow night. Aiden and I knew it as the presentation, but the staff knew it only as a large dinner party of wealthy men.
“Welcome back. How was the media circus today?” Stepping through the doorway, Aiden approached the table with Claire crawling on all fours at his feet. She kept her eyes trained to the floor, refusing to look at me or anywhere in my direction. My chest tightened when I realized that I was being denied the eyes of my own pet. By separating us, Aiden had not only stripped her of her will, but also emasculated me in the process. Anger raced through my body, but I swallowed it down realizing that, in time, Claire would be mine again.
“It was the same.” I bit out the words out with bitter contempt.
He didn’t take his usual seat across the table. Instead, he casually pulled out a chai
r next to me, sitting down before crossing his leg one over the other. Leaning back against the seat, he eyed me thoughtfully. A knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
“I’m going to need for you to take Claire back tonight.”
My eyes locked to his. “What? Why?” My shock came out as a higher octave in my voice. Clearing my throat, I took the handle to the leash that he passed to me. “What’s going on?”
He smiled in a knowing manner. “Maybe I’m just being kind and giving you one last night with her before the presentation. Her new owner will be in attendance, but I guess you already know that.”
My hand gripped into a fist over the leash handle. By the expression on his face, it was apparent I’d been cornered and there wasn’t any use trying to deny it. “Yes.”
“Then I’d love for him to get an early taste.”
Standing up, he crossed the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee. While adding cream and sugar, he commented, “Rebecca will be coming back tonight. Edward is bringing her early because he doesn’t wish to take part in tomorrow night’s presentation. Understandably, due to his health conditions, he doesn’t feel comfortable surrounded by the society members.” Turning, he looked at me and grinned. “I’ll admit they can be a judgmental group of bastards.”
My anger returned at how casually he’d dropped the subject of Claire’s new owner. He and I both knew that it had been my stepfather who ordered her and bile rose up my throat at the thought of that misogynistic asshole being allowed to touch her. She was supposed to be mine, to be given to me. From what Aiden had just said, Gail Carlisle would still get a piece of her, regardless of the arrangement we’d made.
“What’s happening at the presentation tomorrow night, Aiden?”
Crossing one ankle over the other, he nonchalantly fiddled with his watch before answering, “I never give away my secrets, Holland. Not even to the people closest to me because I know that not everybody can be trusted to keep them.”
After delivering his cryptic response, he pushed off of the counter and strolled across the space towards the door. “Rebecca will be here any minute. I’ll be busy for the day reintroducing her to life in my house. I suggest you take your fill of Claire while you can. Tomorrow night is going to be a very interesting evening.”
It felt like the world had just caved in. It was a moment where everything I thought I knew about the situation had just been ripped out of my grasp and destroyed as I looked on, helpless to stop it. The most frustrating part about all of it though, was that although Aiden had just said so much, he’d said so little at the same time. With only a few short statements, he’d shoved me further into confusion and dread. In his typical fashion, he’d warned me about his malicious intentions, without telling me exactly what it was that I should fear.
Looking down at the handle in my hand, I followed the leash the short distance to where it was secured to the collar around Claire’s neck. Her red hair hung down at the sides of her face, obscuring her eyes from my view.
“Stand up.” I wouldn’t walk her around like a dog. Aiden wouldn’t approve, but I didn’t give a fuck whether it pissed him off or not. I wasn’t turned on by a woman behaving like an animal; not in this manner at least.
She didn’t move initially, so I tugged on her leash lightly before repeating, “Stand up.”
Her head angled in my direction, but her eyes still never met mine when she pushed up onto her feet and stood upright. I got up to stand next to her, using my hand to brush aside the hair that concealed her face. When she looked up at me with her sad blue eyes, I noticed how the marks and light bruises that Aiden had left on her face had faded. Aiden normally didn’t mark women, and on the rare occasion that he did, he never did so hard enough that the mark would last for any length of time. He didn’t lie when he told them that their beauty was a highly respected asset within the society.
“What did he do to you?” Whispered on a trembling breath, I searched her eyes for the fire I knew existed inside her, but it was gone. Her gaze was so empty that my heart broke apart in my chest, the shards raining down and leaving me hollow inside.
She didn’t respond and on some subconscious level, I hadn’t expected her to.
“Come on. Let me take you somewhere you’ve never been before.” I didn’t want to take her any place where she would think of Aiden. Not if this was the last time I would have her to myself. There was only one room that I knew she’d never been in the house and I stepped forward to lead her in that direction.
Her footsteps sounded lightly behind mine. She wasn’t wearing heels, so instead of the sultry click that normally gave away her presence, there was only the soft padding of her feet to let me know she was matching my pace. Weaving the quiet halls, nether of us spoke. Futility had rendered me mute, stealing my ability to enjoy or cherish what could be the final hours I had with her.
Turning a corner, we reached my bedroom and I led her inside before softly shutting the door behind us. She moved to the center of the room soundlessly, standing in place as she awaited my command. I recognized her posture and her behavior as being the typical result of Aiden’s training.
My heart broke apart even more. I hadn’t even known it was possible.
I didn’t speak to her at first. I was too afraid that my voice would give away the dejection I felt by the way she’d changed. As I looked over the white corset that was squeezed around her abdomen and the matching lace hose that ran up her legs, Aiden’s words from the kitchen rang loudly in my head.
“What did you tell him, Claire?”
Her bottom lip trembled, but except for that one small break in her blank mannerism and expression, she gave me no other response regarding what I suspected she’d done.
The man in me wanted to go to her, to stroke my hand softly over her hair and comfort her in her obvious guilt. The Master in me wouldn’t allow it. I couldn’t let it matter that she would be given to someone else tomorrow, I was still her Master and I had to conduct myself as such. I would do her no favors by breaking her training now.
“Answer me.”
My voice must have been too forceful because her body flinched in response. Her lip trembled even more violently and tears slid down her alabaster hued cheeks. Even in my anger, I still found everything about her to be absolutely breathtaking.
“I – I’m sorry.”
Her words were spoken so softly, that I barely heard them at all. Shaking my head in disbelief, I asked, “Sorry for what, Pet?”
“I’m sorry,” she repeated without any true strength to her words.
Stepping forward, I brushed the hair from her face to cup her wet cheek in my hand. My other hand wrapped lightly around her waist and I pulled her so close to me that I could feel her chest rub up against my abdomen. Releasing her cheek, I tilted her face up by her chin, forcing her to look at me as she spoke.
“Open your eyes.”
She’d clenched them closed so tightly that wrinkles marred the skin at the sides of her face. When she finally opened them, the brilliant sapphire blue gleamed with her unshed tears.
“What are you sorry for?”
She searched my eyes before finally answering, “For telling Aiden.” Her unshed tears fell heavily down her cheeks when she blinked them away with her confession. Jerking her head to the side, she attempted to pull away from my hold, but I gripped her chin harder, refusing to allow her to distance herself from me.
Apprehension edged along my spine as I heard her speak the words I’d been so afraid of hearing.
She spoke around her sobs as she admitted the truth of her betrayal. “He hurt me…in ways that I can’t imagine one person can hurt another. He smiled and he laughed while he did it.” Her words were choked by her tears, broken apart by the bitter reminder of everything that had been done to her. “I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t handle what he did. I hurt so bad, Holland, and I thought the pain alone would kill me. I gave up because I wasn’t strong enough to endure to
the end.” More sobs broke free of her throat as she said, “I wasn’t strong enough.” With the release of her guilt, she shattered around me, every part of her fighting spirit lost to the realization that neither of us would escape this hell.
She slipped from my weakened grasp, falling to her knees as my eyes refocused on the window in front of me. We were both frozen in place: her because of the truth that she would never be free and me because of having just learned that everything I’d done had been for nothing.
“Ai – Aiden said that he would make sure that you never had me. He said there were rules in place that he could use against you, against your stepfather, for what you’ve done.”
I was still staring out at the sunlit sky when she spoke again, my state of shock making it almost impossible for me to register her continued confession. Confusion muddied my thoughts, making it impossible for me to think in the horrendous knowledge that all could be lost.
“I’ll talk to Aiden.”
“No! Pushing back up onto her feet, she gripped my shirt in her fists, an expression of absolute desperation on her face. “He told me if I said anything to you that he would kill you in front of me, that he would give me to a man far worse than Edward. I didn’t know what to do, Holland. I’m so fucking tired…tired of the pain and the humiliation. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t go through it. I just want to move on. If this is my life, then so be it, but I can’t take the pain anymore. I can’t fight anymore.”
Closing my eyes against the desolation in her voice, I ground my teeth together in an effort to contain my anger. There was nowhere to run; nowhere I could take her that would keep her out of the Aiden’s reach. Promises were broken and there was nothing I could do to put them back together.
Taking a steadying breath, I walked her to my bed and sat her down on the mattress. As soon as I sat beside her, she curled into me, wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her face into my side as she cried. I should have corrected her behavior…should have pulled her away and punished her for touching me without permission because that is what Aiden would do.