by Fawn Bailey
He stared at me for a long time, and I rushed to get the rest of the words out, to convince him I wasn't angry, just curious.
"We... we never use protection," I explained shakily. "All those years when I was here... All this time and I haven't been pregnant once. How is that possible?"
"A topic for another day," Kain said dismissively, getting up from our comfortable spot in the grass.
But I clung to him, my eyes desperately finding his and begging him to answer me. I could tell this was hurting him, but I needed to know the truth. I deserved it.
"You don't want a baby, Ophelia," he said darkly. "You're not ready for it."
"That's not for you to decide," I argued back, regretting my harsh words the next second and rubbing my temples warily. "I'm sorry, I'm just trying to understand... And you're not making things any easier for me, you know."
"I'm sorry," he muttered. "Look, we can't talk about it today. Can't we just have a nice day together without bringing up shit that fucks us both up?"
"I want to know," I whispered. "I know there's something you're not telling me."
He kicked at the ground, suddenly angry.
"Not now," he barked at me, and then he turned around and walked back towards the house without me.
I felt angry then, angry and pissed off at him for treating me this way. And in his abrupt departure I also saw an opportunity to push him past his limits, to make him give me what I so desperately wanted.
To break me.
I rushed after him, catching up in the front room of the house. I tugged on his shirtsleeve and he groaned when he turned around to face me.
"What part of not now don't you understand, dolly?" he asked me roughly. "I said I don't want to talk about it. Why the fuck can't you just let it go?"
"I can't," I whispered. "And I have the right to know."
"Right?" he roared, advancing on me and backing me up into the corner.
He looked so intimidating, his eyes blazing with silent fire as he regarded me with anger. I thought for a moment he was going to strike me, but he'd never hit me before like that, and I had a feeling it was a limit he never wanted to cross.
"Dolly," he said calmly. "Stop poking the nest, or you're going to make me very angry."
"No," I argued. "I deserve answers and you have to give them to me or-"
"Or?" he roared, taking a step closer until he was right in my face. "Or fucking what, little orphan?"
The nickname he'd given me years ago still fucking stung, and my eyes shot daggers at him as we stared at one another.
"You don't get to give me ultimatums, dolly," he said softly.
"Then tell me what's going on," I begged. "Please. This is the stuff that keeps me up at night, don't you understand? I spend my whole fucking life waiting, wondering what happened to you, why you need to hurt me, why you won't do it as badly as I need you to. I deserve answers."
"Answers?" he roared, grabbing me by the throat and holding me against the wall while I swallowed thickly. "Okay, dolly. You want answers. Here's your fucking answer."
He came closer to me, his lips inches away from mine. He tasted me roughly, demandingly, and I gave him everything I had to give. He smelled me like a wild animal, filling his nose with the scent of me.
"Explain," I begged, but my voice was embarrassingly squeaky. "Explain, now!"
"When I was eighteen years old," he roared. "Michael Marino decided it was time for me to know who my real father was. So, he told me. And he also told me he couldn't allow for any more bastard offspring."
My fingers formed fists at my sides and I stared into his broken eyes trying to decipher the meaning in his gaze. But he wasn't finished yet. There was more left to say.
"He decided I couldn't be allowed to run rampant," he went on, his voice only breaking once. "He decided I shouldn't be allowed to have children of my own. He needed to keep the Marino bloodline clean, and he'd already fucked up once by letting my mother have me. So, he decided he wouldn't repeat the same mistake."
"What did he d-do?" I stuttered, trying to find the answer I didn't want to know in his dark eyes.
"He made sure I could never have kids," Kain admitted, his voice shaky. "He made sure it hurt, too. Made sure it was irreversible. So, I'm never going to have children. I'm never going to give you what you want, Ophelia. I'll never be man enough for you. Is that what you wanted to hear, dolly? Did you want to know your man was a fucking failure not just as a son but as your partner, too?"
I stared at him speechlessly, surprised by the amount of venom, hatred and hurt spilling from his lips. It couldn't have been easy for him to admit all this to me, and I felt for him. I wanted to make it better, yet I had no idea how I could do that. I just wanted to be there for him and give him anything he wanted. We were meant to be there for one another. Meant to fix each other. But I'd ran out of the medicine he so desperately needed. All I could do was just stare emptily at him.
He'd had enough. He let go of me, the spots where his fingers had dug into my skin burning as he chuckled and shook his head in disbelief.
"I never should have told you," he muttered. "Should have left you to live the fairytale your pretty little head created for us, dolly. But the reality is so much more fucked up. You'll never know everything."
I moved closer and he pushed me away, physically reaching out and extending his hand in warning.
"Don't," he said, and his voice shook more than I'd ever heard it. "Don't fucking touch me, dolly."
I didn't heed his warning. I pushed his arm away and I was lost in his arms again, with his lips demanding my attention, latching onto my mouth and drinking my life essence from my soul.
"I never wanted..." I started, but he shut me up with a deep, insatiable kiss. "Please, Kain, listen..."
"No," he barked at me. "I don't want to hear the lies I know you're going to say, because it's not okay, and never will be."
"So what then?" I whispered, shaken by his accusations. "I should just not speak, like I used to?"
"You can speak," he replied, and now the spark in his eyes was back, the dirty, filthy little spark that ignited a fire between my legs. "But I'd prefer it if you just moaned for me, dolly."
Chapter Three
Ophelia
“When are you going to give me what I want?” I whispered in his ear.
His fingers trailed down my skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake. I wanted so much more than that though. I wanted him hurting me, showing me a world of pain like I’d never experienced it before. I was desperate for it, panting before his fingers reached the hem of my panties.
“Soon,” he muttered into the shell of my ear. “I don’t think you’re ready yet, dolly.”
I twisted away from him, but he grabbed me and held me firmly in place.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled at me, and I responded by molding my body to his, desperate for the contact we both craved so much.
“You know I’m stronger than you, right?” he asked me sweetly, his fingers making my nipples peak.
I opened my mouth in a silent moan and he leaned down, his lips lingering inches away from mine as if he was wondering whether he should kiss me. He hesitated, and I mewled out loud, desperate for his mouth to connect with mine. I needed his kiss more than I needed my last breath.
“Answer me,” he reminded me, and I opened my mouth, but no words spilled out, as if my whole body was at a loss for words. “Come on, dolly. Answer me. Tell me how much stronger than you I am.”
“A-A lot,” I managed to get out, and he chuckled at my trembling body, burying his head in my hair. “You’re stronger, Master. You’ll always be stronger than me.”
“That’s right,” he muttered. “I will always be fucking stronger than you, little dolly. You know I could snap your neck if I wanted to, right?”
I swallowed thickly but it only egged him on, and he ran his fingers through my hair, the motion so gentle compared to the evil words coming out of his mo
uth.
“Don’t,” I whispered.
“I would never,” he said tersely. “But it’s good that you know I could. I like that you know that… I like that you’re just a little bit afraid of me, dolly. Tell me you’re scared.”
“I’m s-scared,” I managed to get out. “I’m afraid of you, Master.”
“What are you afraid of?” he asked, twirling his fingers and intertwining them with long locks of my midnight black hair. It was a sharp contrast to his pale, strong fingers, and when he tugged on it, I yelped. “Tell me right now. What are you afraid of, little dolly?”
“Y-You,” I whispered. “I’m afraid you’re going to hurt me.”
“But you want it,” he said thoughtfully. “Don’t you, little dolly? You want me to hurt you so badly, you’re practically begging for it. Isn’t that true?”
I didn’t answer, and he let go of my hair, grabbing my face in his hands and bringing his lips to mine, making me mewl with want and need that ran so deep it felt like a primal instinct.
“Tell me,” he prompted me, and finally my lips parted, and I gave him what he so desperately wanted.
“It’s true,” I said breathlessly. “I want you to hurt me. I want you to hurt my body.”
“Why?” he asked, and there was anger in his voice I didn’t understand. “Why do you need that so badly, dolly? Why do you need me to hurt you? Why is nothing else enough?”
“I don’t know!” I cried out, my hands forming fists and trying to push him away when I started to get upset. “I don’t know, okay? God, why does everything have to be a game with you, Kain?”
Just like that, the spell was broken, and I pushed away from him. He let me, not making a single movement to pull me back into his arms. He just let me get away as if I meant nothing at all to him, and I hated him for it.
“Because it’s fun,” he finally replied. “I love pushing your buttons, dolly. I love seeing you fucking submit, bend to my will. It’s a fucking delicious feeling. Intoxicating. Makes me feel drunk on power. Do you understand?”
I didn’t answer this time either, just stared at him shooting daggers with my eyes. He laughed in response and it made my blood boil. He really was insufferable.
“Do you understand, dolly?” he asked again, taunting me with his smile that I wanted to taste so badly it made my hands shake. “I want you to. I need you to know how dangerous this feeling is. Because if I’m not careful, I could break you with the smallest thing, and I don’t want that.”
He turned to leave but I was on him in a second, fingers trailing over his shoulders, making him turn around to look down at me.
“Why not?” I whispered. “I need it so badly, Kain.”
“You need to be broken?” he asked thoughtfully, and I nodded, eager as ever to have him understand. “You want this. You want me to hurt you. Beyond repair?”
“No,” I admitted. “Just enough…”
“I thought it had been enough,” he said. “Hasn’t it been enough, dolly?”
“No,” I managed to get out through gritted teeth. “It’s never enough, Master. It’ll never be enough if you keep holding back.”
“How about this,” he said, his eyes filling with dark intent. “I’m going to play with you tonight, and I’m going to do everything you ever hoped I would. How does that sound?”
My eyes lit up and he laughed at my eager response, not even needing a verbal answer.
“I think you like it,” he teased me. “So be in the playroom at nine p.m. tonight. I’ll do some work and I’ll see you then. Would you like that, dolly?”
I nodded, and he leaned down to press a lingering kiss on my waiting lips. I licked my mouth to taste him, relishing in his masculinity. I would be so lost without him, I realized with a start. He was everything I knew now, and the only thing I wanted. I would never settle for anyone or anything other than my Master… my Kain.
He left the room and I sat there with my heart pounding, my eyes glued to my reflection in the full-length mirror as I started to brush my hair. I wanted to look perfect for him. I wanted to prove to him once and for all this was what our lives were meant for… for him to torment me and for me to submit. It was our only purpose, and I was happy with keeping it that way.
I’d never asked for much more.
At fifteen to nine I was ready. I wore a long slinky dress in a shiny black fabric, which was cut deeply in the front and back and ended on the floor with a long silk train. I felt all dolled up with my dark tresses curled for a change, my eyes glittering with eyeshadow and thick mascara. I knew Kain liked it when I took the time to do my makeup. He just loved ruining it so much I couldn’t take that pleasure away from him. I couldn’t wait to see his reaction.
I slipped on a pair of simple heeled sandals that elongated my legs and gave me an extra couple of inches of height. I felt on top of the world as I applied the grapefruit body cream, slathering my body and enjoying the bitter, sweet scent. The night was going to be perfect. I wouldn’t allow anything to go wrong, not this time around.
I walked to the playroom he’d set up in the house. We’d played in there before, and it was the place where Kain kept all our toys and equipment. The room itself was dark and luxurious in shades of black, red and gold. I loved it there.
I opened the door hesitantly and was greeted with darkness. I was a little early, but I knew Kain would be too. He was always eager to play with me, make my body do things only he could.
And I wasn’t wrong.
As I stepped foot into the room, I heard his voice from the far away corner, enveloped in the darkness of the no-windowed room.
“Shut the door and lock it,” he said darkly. “Bring me the key.”
I did as he said, my hands shaking when I slid the key out of the lock and it dropped to the ground. As I bent to pick it down, I felt hands like phantoms grazing my body. I gasped but when I turned around they were gone, and the room was too dark to see a thing.
“Over here,” his voice whispered in my ear, and I twitched, turning over my shoulder.
He was nothing but a large, looming silhouette in the darkness and I wanted him with a desperation that made me reach for him. But he evaded my touch, slipping out of my fingers before they had the chance to connect with his smooth, cold skin.
“Key,” he reminded me, suddenly on the other side of my body.
I held the key up and he took it from my hands, the play of shadows in the room making me so anxious and so fucking wet I started shaking.
“You’re not going to speak today,” he said calmly. “Not unless I instruct you to do it. Other than my questions, keep your mouth shut. You’re allowed to moan. If you do, you must keep your pretty little lips open. Understand?”
“Yes, Master,” I whispered, and I felt his hand touching my hair, gently smoothing down my curls.
“You have a safe word,” he went on. “Red. Repeat it after me.”
“Red,” I said softly, and he grinned at me in the darkness.
“Good girl. Let’s begin,” he said, and suddenly he was behind me, his hands holding my wrists behind my back and dragging me to the large bed in the room.
There was a scented candle burning on the nightstand and it was my first chance to see him properly. He looked handsome and dangerous, and a million miles away. As if something was racing through his head, making him feel out of place. I didn’t mention it. I knew by then to heed his warnings when he gave them.
“Strip for me,” he said calmly, sitting on the foot of the bed. “I want to see that little body dance for me.”
It wasn’t an unusual request - he’d made me do it a thousand times before. But my nerves were unusual, and I wasn’t used to the anxiety that settled into place as I started to move for him.
My dress slowly came off, and I watched his pupils dilate and his eyes darken with their size as he realized I was naked underneath it. I knew he loved it when I surprised him, so I’d forgoed the lingerie. I let my dress slip down and pool a
round my feet, but I kept my heels on.
“Crawl to me,” he instructed, and I dropped to my knees, slowly moving to my place next to him on the floor.
He reached into his pocket and brought something pretty and sparkly. He showed it to me, but in the darkness, I could barely make out what it was. When I did, I gasped lightly in surprise.
“Pull your hair up,” he said gently, and I followed his orders with shaking fingers.
He attached my mother’s necklace to my neck and touched his fingers to the beautiful ruby in the front.
“It has a new purpose,” he told me. “See, I can hook a leash right here…”
He clipped it in place and I gasped when he yanked on it, hard.
Suddenly I was between his legs, and suddenly, I was fucking hungry for what I knew was hardening underneath his pants.
“Feed me,” I whispered, and swiftly, his palm smacked my face.
I cried out when he grabbed my chin and brought it closer to his lips, almost as if he was going to kiss me, but never touching my mouth.
“I told you not to speak,” he growled at me. “As sweet as the sound of you fucking begging me is, I don’t want it tonight. You’re a toy. A plaything. I’m going to do whatever the hell I fucking want with you. You understand?”
“Yes, Master,” I whispered, and he smoothed down my hair.
“Good girl,” he went on. “As long as you understand tonight isn’t about you. It’s about me, and you showing me what a good girl you can be.”
He ran his thumb over my lips and I parted them, desperate to suck on something. It made him chuckle and the sound made me drip all over the floor.
“You are going to get what you wanted tonight,” he promised me darkly, and my knees shook at the thought. “You’re going to be hurt beyond belief. And you will say please and thank you like a good little bitch, and you’re not going to beg me to stop. You’ll ask me to keep going, keep hurting you, keep breaking you. You understand?”
“Yes, Master,” I moaned, and he chuckled again.
