by J Marie
I never thought of myself as being much of a family man, but when you reach a certain age, things begin to change and your cravings evolve into something far more important—leaving a legacy behind. Dan announced he and his wife of two years were pregnant, and for some reason, that got the ball rolling for me. The idea that I would be Uncle Darren in the next five months had me nervous as shit. This would be the first baby from our generation, and I didn’t know yet how to correctly introduce a child into this life. I knew my mom fought to have my brothers and I spared, but she never had much control over our upbringing, and she had even less influence after she died. My dad was hard as shit on us, but it made me the man I was today, and I was good with that.
My dad taught me almost everything I knew about the business, about life, and how and when to take it. I killed for the first time when I was ten thanks to him. I shot a drug dealer who owed my father money right in the head in this very house. I never even blinked. I was calm and collected, and when it was over, I walked out into the trees and threw up all over the bushes where my father couldn’t see.
Later that night, my dad told me he was proud of me, and I was ecstatic because that was all I ever wanted to do. Young boys always seek approval from their fathers, and that was what my sons would seek from me, so I needed to be prepared for when their time finally came … but I needed to tame their mother first.
Seven miles later, I finally felt better, got off the treadmill, and headed upstairs for a quick shower. I then changed into a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and made my way down to the basement to collect my naughty little princess from her cage. Three hours in that cold-ass basement should have swayed some sense into her by now.
~*~
I was fucking freezing and dehydrated as hell. I had been in this tiny cage for God knew how long—hours, at least. I had been a hot sweaty mess at first, but the cold metal cage saw to change that. I pulled my hair out of my messy knot in hopes it might help to warm me, but it did very little. Eventually, I had fallen asleep, exhaustion finally taking over as I laid on my side with my arms inside my dress, huddling into myself for warmth. To my surprise, not a single nail from my manicure had broken. They must have been forged out of Adamantium or something.
I woke up some time later to find my body shaking rapidly as it failed to keep warm, and it was so dark, I couldn’t even see my own hand in front of my face. My thighs were sticky and gross from Darren’s earlier display of physical dominance. I had never been more grateful for that birth control implant from the warehouse than right at this moment.
The whole time, I had been driving myself crazy with fear at the thought of being married to this monster and giving him little baby monsters to raise. It made me sick to my stomach, and I couldn’t stop the tears that fell from my lids in heavy drops. This was not the life I wanted to life, not the life I thought I was destined for. I couldn’t let him do this to me, but I didn’t know what to do now. He was so much bigger and stronger than I was, and no amount of training would matter against him. I would need to figure something else out. If I let him think he had broken me, he would most likely speed up the “plans” he had for me, and I wasn’t ready for that. I had to get my shit together first.
As I buried my freezing cold nose into my clothing, I knew Darren was watching me; I knew there was a camera somewhere, no way there wouldn’t be. He was probably enjoying the sight of my suffering knowing I was in his control. I wondered how long he would leave me down here.
During my little confinement, I now had plenty of time to think and reflect. Though my entire body was sore and my aching core still throbbed, I decided I could either lie here and pity myself or I could plot Darren’s destruction. The problem was I didn’t have enough reliable information at my disposal. I would need to know absolutely everything before I could strike.
Darren had family, and he already warned me of the vendetta that would ensue should I ever become successful in his death. How the fuck was I going to get around that? I’d somehow have to take his empire down first and then burry Darren in the ashes. Whatever decision I made would inadvertently affect my family if I didn’t execute my escape with absolute success. I couldn’t leave a single stone unturned. Like an entire infestation of termites, every last member of the colony had to be eliminated. I just had no idea how I would do it.
But, God, what if I failed? What if Darren caught me plotting or foiled my attempt? How bad would he punish me? I had a strong feeling my family would be the direct recipient of my punishment. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t fail. I had to strategize every scenario and plot accordingly. But in order to do that, I needed to get inside his head. I needed to know everything about him. I needed to get him to let his guard down and fall for me. He had to feel comfortable enough to trust me, to know I wasn’t going to try to run from him anymore. I would have to make him believe it so that when the time finally presented itself, when I had all the variables to the equation, I would strike and succeed with flying fucking colors.
Some time later, I heard the door open and I braced my arm over my eyes to shield them from the brightness of the light. Finally, Darren’s face came into view, and he crouched down next to the cage.
“Are you ready to behave now?” he asked me.
I nodded, as I remained where I was in the cage. He tilted his head to the side and eyed me as if waiting for something.
“Yes, Darren,” I finally croaked out, my mouth and throat dry from my earlier exertion.
“Good girl,” he replied unlocking the cage. He stepped aside and gestured for me to come out.
I pushed myself from the floor of the cage; my muscles strained and ached from my position and earlier battle with him as I crawled out. The pain between my legs had subsided slightly, but I was still terribly sore from his violent onslaught. Darren helped me stand while I kept my eyes on the floor. I was now an array of emotions, fear trembling through my body, anger radiating in my chest, but a newfound hope rose front and center.
Placing his hand around to my lower back, Darren pulled me against him and held me in a tight embrace. I didn't even fight it as I graciously accepted the warmth that came off him in waves, and I shivered as my body reacted to the change in temperature. His hands caressed my back, soothing it gently as I trembled, and I found it strange how quickly I allowed myself to become comfortable.
I hated this man with my entire being, but here he was, gentle as can be. I wanted to cry for accepting his sudden act of kindness, but I honestly needed it. He sighed as my body melted into his and I buried my nose in his chest to warm my face. I then noticed he had changed his clothes since our battle. He was now wearing a black cotton t-shirt and what felt like a pair of jeans.
“You know … I didn’t enjoy having to put you down here. I much rather prefer you to be at my side, but you left me no choice. You need to learn who is in control, Jaden. Do you understand now?”
“Yes,” I whispered. I could barely speak.
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, Darren,” I tried to clarify.
“Good. Now, let’s get you cleaned up. It’s past dinnertime”
He kept a heavy arm around my hips as he walked me into a nearby bathroom. I was grateful for his support, as I didn’t think I could keep up with his pace for once.
“Sit,” he said, pointing at the toilet. I gently sat down, attempting to hide the wince from the throb between my legs that blossomed once more from the pressure. I immediately leaned over and rested my head in my hands, trying to relax while Darren drew a bath next to me.
I could hear him rummaging throughout the bathroom, pouring shit into the water. The scent of eucalyptus filled my nose, calming me. I honestly loved that smell. When the tub was filled, I listened as Darren removed his clothes and took my hand to pull me up. He lifted my dress up over my head and removed my bra with the simplest pinch of his fingers. I had no idea what became of the thong I had worn earlier. Then, to my protest, he lifted me in his arms
and placed us both in the scented hot water. My body jerked from the temperature, but after a few seconds, I settled easily.
Darren placed me between his legs and leaned me back against his chest. My skin crawled as my bare body touched his. I wanted nothing more than to inch away until I was completely on the other side, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
“Relax,” he said, his hands rubbing my arms to release the tension in my muscles.
Eventually, I just gave up my fight and sank against him. I was exhausted, defeated, and sore. I just wanted to curl up in a giant soft blanket and disappear from the world. I had never been more embarrassed in all my life. I had lost. I had fucking lost, and now, here he was subtly claiming his victory over me. I wasn’t going to fight him anymore today, now that I knew what he was capable of. I would have to change my strategy—find a weakness and use it to my advantage somehow.
“Sit up,” he suddenly said, and I allowed him to help me return to an upright sitting position. He then grabbed a pitcher from the edge of the tub, dipped it in the water, and gently poured it over my head. The warm water poured down over my body, completely drenching me and warming me all over. He then took some shampoo and began rubbing it into my hair.
I wrapped my arms around my knees as Darren gently massaged my scalp with his strong fingers. It felt so good I nearly moaned. When he was satisfied, he rinsed my hair several times until it was soap-free before slathering my ends in conditioner. He then pulled me back by my shoulders to rest against him again. He poured more soap into his hands and began to massage and clean the rest of my body.
He started with my shoulders, then down my arms, rubbing in slow circles, until he reached my hands, massaging them and being especially gentle around my knuckles, which were still bruised. My internal struggle was beyond real as I fought with myself not to cringe away from him. I didn’t want him to touch me in the slightest, not after what he had just done to me earlier, but I had to get over my fear of him. I had to pretend it was okay. I don’t know how, but by some miracle, I was able to relax and somewhat enjoy what he was doing to me. It must have been the eucalyptus.
Eventually, his soapy hands found their way to my chest, and I immediately tensed and allowed a small vocal protest to slip past my lips.
“Stop,” he said lightly, yet I could not mistake the annoyance in his voice.
I closed my eyes, biting my lip as he handled my breasts; not in a sexual way, but simply just to clean them. His touch lasted only a few seconds before they made their way down my torso and stopped at my hips. His hands grazed up and down from my ribs to my hips, over my abs and back. His trail sent a chill through me even though I was nearly neck deep in hot water.
And then his hands found my legs. He started with the outside of my thighs and worked his way down my calves and to my ankles. Eventually, he made his way back up on the inside of my legs, and my stomach began to churn with knots, fearing that he may be seconds away from his next helping of my body.
When his hands found their way to my inner thighs, I closed my knees, hoping to deter him, but that was pointless. Darren just slid his hands back between my thighs and parted them with ease.
I made another small verbal protesting moan, but he just softly shushed me.
“Relax,” he said and kissed me on the side of the head.
Instead of focusing on relaxing, I tried to focus on falling asleep. I was so tired, and I probably could have allowed myself to fall asleep against him in the tub, but with his venturing hands, it was a little difficult to accomplish.
His hands continued to lightly rub back and forth until he was massaging the juncture of my legs. Like some goddamn fucked-up weed, I felt my core begin to bloom, and it made me cringe inside that my body would want any further touch from him down there.
His hands veered closer and closer to my outer lips, and when he finally grazed it, I couldn’t take it anymore. Both my hands went for his wrists, stopping him in his tracks.
“Please,” I pleaded.
“Jaden,” he prompted, that dangerous warning in his voice again that twisted my stomach.
“It still hurts so much,” I nearly whimpered. I hated how pathetic I sounded, but I needed to know if he was capable of granting mercy if I milked him for it.
I felt him sigh heavily behind me. For a moment, I thought he was going to lecture me about obedience, but instead, his arms gently snaked behind my legs and pulled me closer to him. With his chin resting on the top of my head, I became a ball in his arms, pressed tightly against his chest.
And then the unthinkable happened, something I didn’t think I would ever do in front of him. I started to cry. My shoulders quaked and my body shook as tears began to spill from my eyes. I buried my face into my knees in an attempt to hide my weakness from Darren since he only valued strength, but my crying was beyond obvious. I wasn’t even sure why I was crying, but the realization of losing to him and living with it was too much for my pride to handle. I was embarrassed. Shameful. Weak. At this rate, Darren would eat me alive.
But instead of scolding me or lashing out, Darren remained silent, clutching me tightly to him as his hands rubbed against my skin as a means of comfort. He planted little kisses on my head as he tried to shush me, lulling me into a passive trance, and I could feel myself giving in. My cries were silent as hot tears poured down my face and dripped into the bathwater, mixing my sorrow with survival.
I wanted to ask him so many questions; I needed to know so many answers. How did he get this way? What horrible thing had happened to him to make him the monster he was today? And the mystery he was now. He could have left me there, could have told me to grow a pair, but instead, he held me close and let me cry. It was confusing, but I was too tired to solve Darren’s riddles. I just wanted to go to sleep and pretend this day never happened.
Eventually, I picked my head up, rubbed my face, and took a deep breath, releasing whatever grief I had left and deciding to move on with my life. I had lost but one lowly battle; I had not yet lost the war.
“Better?” Darren asked me as if he knew allowing me to cry would make me feel better. I found it strange that he cared at all.
“Yes.” I sniffled.
“Good,” he said, kissing my temple.
He then took the pitcher, refilled it and dumped it over my head once more. He not only washed away the tears from my face, but he also washed away my fire. The flame that had burned so hot with vengeance was now reduced to nothing but glowing embers. I decided to let it go and live to fight another day.
Once he’d fully rinsed me, the conditioner gone from my hair and my face tear and make-up free, Darren pulled the plug from the tub and stepped out. I kept my eyes on the water as it slowly swirled down the drain, taking my fight with it.
“Come on,” Darren urged.
I turned my head to find him with one towel wrapped around his waist while he held another one sprawled out in his hands. God, he had an amazing body, and it looked even better when it was wet, even with all the obvious battle scars. I slowly stood from the draining water and stepped out of the giant tub, allowing Darren to wrap me in the massive towel that fell to my ankles.
I snuggled into the towel, drying my face when Darren turned me to continue drying my body himself.
“Lean forward,” he said, grabbing another smaller towel from the rack against the wall. I did as he said, clutching my towel to my body to hide from him while he began to dry my hair. When he was done, I pushed my hair back with my fingers, trying to get it out of my face and even out some knots.
Darren then came toward me, his muscled chest glistening with a few drops of water that fell from his hair, and for whatever reason I suddenly wanted to connect the dots.
“Not a word of protest, you understand me?” He pointed at me, an intense glare shooting from his dark hooded eyes.
Confused, I became lost for words. Darren took that as a sign of my compliance, bent down, and lifted me to his chest.
&nb
sp; I gasped in shock and slight protest. I fucking hated being carried, especially when Darren did it because he made me feel like some tiny-ass doll. He carried me through the bedroom, up the stairs, through the hallway, back up the main stairway, and finally stopped in front of my bedroom door, all the while wearing nothing but a towel. His breathing pattern hadn’t even changed from how obviously fit he was. Darren somehow managed to open the door and carry me inside. He set me down on the floor by the bed, pulled back my covers, and ushered me in, but not before taking my wet towel from me.
I slid my naked body under the covers and he pulled them up to my chin like some kind of gentleman. There was then a knock at my door. Darren was already at the doorway by the time I looked over to see that it was a short older man with a thick white mustache, white hair, and round belly, wearing a dirty white apron and holding a silver tray. Darren took the tray, nodded at the man, and then shut the door with his foot. He must have been Pascal.
Darren walked over to my bedside and set the tray down on the nightstand.
“You missed your dinner,” he said plainly. “Eat this and I’ll let you go to bed.”
I looked over at the tray that contained a small bowl of soup and a very large glass of water. I wasn’t in the mood to eat, but the soup smelled like chicken noodle and I was kind of hungry. I could handle some soup.
I sat up, tucking the covers under my arms so that the sheet would remain in place to cover my breasts and took the bowl from the tray. Darren sat at the end of the bed, watching me intently as I scooped up the soup in what I could only describe as an actual ladle and gave it a small blow to cool it down before taking a sip. I almost moaned aloud; it was that fucking good. A smirk of approval began to form on Darren’s face as he watched me finish the entire bowl and set it back down on the tray. I then completely downed the entire glass of water and set it next to the bowl.
