by HELEN HARDT
The men left, closing the door.
Sophie took care of her necessities quickly. And then she looked down at the ceramic pot. Was the window open? She walked toward it. No. The pot would make quite a handsome weapon. If only she hadn’t filled it. The last time she was abducted, she had been too scared to do anything except what her abductors told her. She had not caused any trouble.
She was no longer that timid and shy creature. Holding her nose, she held the pot and stood at the door. She’d just have to use the pot with the urine in it.
“I’m finished now,” she called.
The door rattled, and in came Harry. Sophie heaved the pot over her head and brought it crashing down on his skull. The centrifugal force kept the urine safely in the pot. Not that she would have minded soaking him with it.
“You fucking bi—”
“What the…?” Jake rushed in. “So you thought you’d get a little brave, did you?” He pushed Sophie down on the bed.
Within a few minutes, she was bound again. Jake dragged Harry’s body out of the room.
He returned a few minutes later. “You just lost any privileges I might have given you,” he said. “You’ll stay here until the boss gets here in the morning.”
Sophie buried her head in the ragged quilt on the bed and cried. No one even knew she was gone yet. No one would notice if she didn’t come down early for breakfast to get to rehearsal, because she was under house arrest. Her stepfather had notified the director that she would be missing a few rehearsals, so no one at the theatre would notice she was gone. No one at home would be looking for her until luncheon at the earliest.
When would this “boss” get here? And what did he want with her?
The boss—he had to be the person who had sent the notes. Harry was out cold, and Jake wouldn’t tell her anything. But they knew who he was. She was sure of it.
How was this happening again? She had never hurt a fly in her life, and she didn’t intend to. What woman of the peerage was kidnapped not once but twice?
She hated being bound, despite the fact that Zach had bound her hands once. That was different. Zach would never hurt her and would unbind her as soon as she asked him to. She knew nothing about these men. They were clearly hired by someone to take her. Whoever this boss was, she wasn’t looking forward to meeting him.
She tried stifling her tears. She didn’t need her nose to run, because she couldn’t empty it. Nothing to do now but wait.
Please, Zach, find me. Find me before he does.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
When the director told Zach that Sophie would not be at rehearsal, he made his apologies to the cast and rushed out of the theatre. A bad feeling niggled at him. He should have pushed his way into the manor yesterday and demanded to see Sophie.
He arrived and rapped loudly at the door. Where in the hell was that damned butler? He always came to the door right away.
Finally, the door opened. A young maid he didn’t recognize stood there. “Yes, sir, may I help you?”
“I need to see Lady Sophie. Right away.”
“Why, Lady Sophie is still abed.”
“Wake her, then. I came to see her last night and was told she was not available to see me. I will see her now, God damn it.”
“Goodness, sir, no need to use such language. Let me find Mr. Graves.”
“I’m not interested in seeing Mr. Graves. I want to see Lady Sophie right now.”
The maid curtsied and scurried away, looking petrified.
* * *
The sun had risen, and Sophie still lay on the bed. She still didn’t know where she was—only in a shack that apparently had at least one other room.
In a few moments, Jake, still masked, came in, carrying a tray containing some bread, porridge, and a glass of water. He unbound Sophie and urged her to eat.
She sucked down the water quickly but couldn’t force down the bread and porridge. She just wasn’t hungry. The meal reminded her of some of the sparse meals she had been forced to eat when she, Ally, and their mother lived in poverty when their father was still alive. He would be gone for weeks on end, leaving them with no money and no food. They had made do the best they could. Sophie was used to going to bed hungry. After a while, hunger didn’t really exist.
Still, no one would realize she was gone yet.
If she were Ally, she would be looking for ways to escape. The window? It was high and narrow. Perhaps if she scooted the bed over to the wall, she could stand upon it and reach the window. However, it was made of glass and appeared to have no way to open.
That probably wouldn’t stop Ally, but although Sophie had come a long way, she still wasn’t Ally—despite her newfound sexual awakening.
Jake barged back through the door. “Not hungry, my lady?”
Sophie shook her head. “Thank you, no. But if I could have a little more water please.”
Jake brought her some water, which she drank greedily.
“Time to use the chamber pot again, my lady, or I can take you out to the privy.”
“The chamber pot is fine.”
“And no tricks like the last time.”
“No tricks. I promise.”
Sophie took care of necessities, and Jake returned in a few moments, Harry in tow. A knot gleamed on his forehead above his black mask.
“Go on and take out the chamber pot,” Jake said to Harry. “I’ll prepare her for the boss.”
Prepare her? What did that mean? Sophie shuddered. She didn’t want to find out.
Jake walked toward her. “You gave Harry a right good lump on his dome, missy. He’s not feeling well or thinking straight.”
Was she supposed to care? She wished he were still out cold.
“I’ll need you to stand up, my lady,” Jake said.
Sophie froze. Why should she? Would they hurt her if she didn’t do what they said?
Only one way to find out.
“I will not.” She stayed on the bed.
“You’ll move, or I’ll move you.”
Be strong, Sophie. Remember what Ally would do. “You will get no cooperation from me. I don’t know who you are or why you’ve brought me here. I will not help you in any way.”
“Have it your way, then.”
Jake was not an overly large man like Harry, but he was portly. He grabbed Sophie’s arm and twisted her so that she was facedown on the bed. Jake climbed on top of her, straddling her buttocks, and began unfastening her gown.
“No!” Sophie cried into the comforter.
“Stop your struggling, and this will go faster.”
Sophie didn’t want to go any faster. No one but Zach could undress her. She kicked and screamed, flailing her arms.
Jake finally got her dress unfastened and began loosening her corset.
“What do you mean to do to me?” A new wave of dread coursed through her. She would not give herself to any man but Zach.
“All I mean to do is undress you. What the boss does is up to him. You have my word I won’t touch you inappropriately.”
“You’re already touching me inappropriately. I did not give you permission to undress me, did I?”
“Sorry, my lady. I’ve got to tie you naked to the bed for the boss.”
Icy talons crept along Sophie’s spine. Who was the boss?
“Who do you work for?” she demanded. “My stepfather is the Earl of Brighton, and he will see that you go to the gallows for this.”
“I know very well who your stepfather is, my lady. I used to work for him, actually. Of course, a high and mighty lady like you wouldn’t know that. We all look alike to you.”
“You do when you’re wearing a mask. Who are you working for now?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.” He jerked Sophie off the bed, removing her dress and corset. She stood only in her chemise and drawers. He set her back on the bed and removed her shoes and stockings.
She felt exposed. Completely and totally exposed in front of a masked, deranged man.
&nbs
p; “Your chemise, my lady.”
Sophie crossed her arms over her breasts. “I will not.”
“Then you force me to do for you.” He gripped her chemise and ripped it off her body.
She sat naked, except for her drawers.
“And now the bloomers, miss.”
“No.”
Quick as a panther, he tore her drawers from her.
He raked his gaze over her, licking his lips lasciviously. “You are fine, truly fine. I can see why the boss likes you.”
Sophie slid one hand one arm down, covering her vulva, and crossed the other over her breasts. Still exposed. Raw and exposed and frightened beyond measure.
“Now, my lady, lie down on the bed, on your back.”
Sophie stood her ground. “I will not.”
He came toward her.
“Don’t you dare lay a hand on me!”
Jake was not fazed. He pushed her down onto the bed. She struggled, kicking and flailing her arms. He laid his weight over her body, grabbed one arm, brought it to the bars at the headboard, and fastened her wrist to the bar with rope. She continued to resist, her wrist burning from the coarse binding.
Jake bound her other wrist to the headboard. Still she kicked her feet, screaming and bouncing her derriere on the bed.
“You’re just making this harder, my lady.”
She landed a pretty good kick to Jake’s forearm.
“God damn it, you bitch.”
He grabbed her foot, leashed the rope around it, and bound it to one of the bars of the footboard. He moved to the other side of the bed and repeated the procedure.
“You won’t get away with this! My stepfather will come for me. My fiancé will come for me.”
“Your fiancé?”
“Yes. Mr. Zachary Newland. He and I are going to be married.”
“Well, my lady, I suppose it’s my duty to tell you that you no longer belong to Mr. Newland. You’re now the property of the boss. He will be here soon.”
Jake turned and walked toward the door.
“You can’t just leave me here,” Sophie screamed.
“I’m only following orders, my lady. I’ve done what I’ve been paid to do.”
“You stupid coward. How can you leave a weak woman like this?”
Jake turned. “My lady, I advise you to keep your mouth shut. I do my job, but anyone who calls me coward risks my wrath. And right now, my lady, you’re in no position to fight me off. I wouldn’t mind having a taste of that tight little body.”
Nausea rose in Sophie’s throat. “What would the boss think if you knew you were having such thoughts?”
“Well, the boss will never know, will he?”
“Certainly he will. I will tell him.”
“Not after I cut out your tongue, little one.” Jake’s eyes glowed red like the devil’s.
Sophie recognized that evil gleam. She had seen it in her own father’s eyes when he beat their mother, when he beat her, and especially when he beat Ally.
Something in her snapped. Never again would she be cowardly. Never again would she succumb to her own fear. Ally hadn’t feared their father, and she had taken plenty of beatings meant for Sophie.
This man would not touch her, and neither would this boss, whoever he was.
“You cut out my tongue, sir, and I promise you my fiancé will come and cut off your cock.”
“I will be long gone, my lady, before anyone knows I had any part of this.”
She remembered what Ally had said when Evan’s employee had beaten her nearly a year ago. She had said she wanted to keep him talking so he wouldn’t rape her, that a beating was far preferable to having that slimy wretch inside her body.
Sophie felt the same way. No one would touch her except her true love, Zach.
“Come to think of it, I don’t think the boss would mind if I took a little taste of you. After all, we are the ones who took you and brought you. We will be handsomely compensated, of course, but what better compensation than a little taste of the goodies?”
“You will not touch me,” Sophie seethed through her teeth.
“And exactly who is going to stop me, my dear?”
The doorknob clicked, and another masked man entered, eyes glowing.
“I will.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Jake turned, his cheeks red. “There you are, boss.”
“Yes, and none too soon. You were really going to touch my woman, were you?”
“No, of course not. But the little lady has a mouth on her, see, and she was pissing me off. I was just trying to scare her little.”
“Scare her? My true love, the love of my life? Why would you want to scare her? This woman is above you in so many ways.”
Sophie furrowed her brow. Who was this? It wasn’t Zach. She would recognize his voice. Yet the voice did sound slightly familiar. She couldn’t place it.
The boss jerked Jake out of the way. “Leave us,” he said.
Jake walked obediently out the door, closing it behind him.
The man sat down on the bed and trailed a gloved finger down her cheek. “You are so lovely, Sophie.”
Again the voice. Familiar, yet different.
“Mr. Bertram?” she asked.
The boss shook his head. “No, Mr. Bertram is innocent, as he proclaims.”
“Then you have to get him released.”
“I don’t have to do anything. I have come to claim you. You have always been mine, Sophie. I have been worshiping you from afar for nearly a year now, waiting for the time to make my move. I should’ve made it long ago, before you got involved with Zachary Newland’s theatre. Before you got involved with Newland himself. But I had to cover my tracks. I had to make sure no one would trace this back to me.” His jaw tensed. “And in the meantime, you let him soil you, you little whore!” Suddenly the lines of his chin softened, and he let out a breath. “Forgive my hasty words. I know he forced you. Someone as perfect as you would not willingly submit to him.”
Sophie’s mind raced. What to do? This man was insane. “Who are you?”
“I will reveal that in time.” He leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead.
Sophie shuddered. “Leave me. I cannot bear your touch.”
“That will change, I assure you. One day, you will realize we are meant to be. That you are mine and no one else’s. That on some plane of existence, you always have been mine and I yours.”
“You’re insane,” Sophie said. “Show yourself. If you do not show yourself, you’re nothing but a coward, just like your friend Jake out there.”
The man stood and stomped his foot on the ground, making the room shake. “You dare speak to me that way? After all I’ve done for you? I got rid of that stupid suitor Van Arden for you. It certainly wasn’t difficult to find a commoner to seduce him and claim to be with child. I killed that harlot Nanette Lloyd for you, so she would no longer bother you. She had the nerve to actually put her hands on you, Sophie. Well, she has met her demise now, has she not?”
Her skin turned cold as ice. “You’re a murderer.”
“I’m not a murderer. Everything I do, I do for you.”
“I never asked you to kill anyone. Who are you?”
“I tried to get rid of Newland too. He was my last obstacle, but I could not finish the job. One of his servants heard the tussle in his bedroom, and I had to leave quickly.”
Thank God. If Zach had died… Sophie closed her eyes, and two tears squeezed out. She would not have wanted to go on living. He had become so much to her in so little time. She needed him. And he needed her as well.
So she would fight. Even bound as she was, she would fight with all she had—first, to keep this lunatic out of her body, and second, to stay alive…for Zach.
Keep him talking. Sophie heard Ally’s voice in her head. Keep him talking and focused on something other than you.
“What do you want with me?”
“You are mine. It is as simple as tha
t.”
“I don’t even know who you are. Don’t you think something of this magnitude should be mutual?”
“It is mutual, Sophie. You just haven’t realized it yet. You will.”
“Why do you want me? Surely there are other women—”
“Not for me!” He stomped his foot again. “All other women are whores. I wouldn’t soil myself with them.” He sat down next to her on the bed.
She longed to roll away, but being bound, she couldn’t.
Another gloved finger trailed down her cheek, her neck, and this time over her shoulder. His touch repulsed her. Bile rose in her throat.
“I have dreamed of this day. You’re even more perfect than I imagined. Your nipples are hard for me, Sophie. Did you know that?”
Her nipples were hard because she was scared and cold. But what he didn’t know… Would it help if he thought she returned his feelings? She wasn’t sure. If her goal was to keep him out of her body, if she acted like she wanted him, he would take her sooner rather than later.
But perhaps he wouldn’t. Perhaps if she said she wasn’t quite ready…
Oh, Ally, if only you were here to advise me.
She stayed quiet for the time being, gulping back nausea.
His gloved fingertips glided over one of her nipples. She forced herself not to wince or scream.
“So beautiful. Little hard nipples. Tell me, Sophie, is your cunt wet for me?”
She ached to squeeze her thighs together, but bound as she was, she could not. Her nipples might be hard, but her pussy was most definitely not wet. That would not happen, and she could force it.
He trailed his finger down over her abdomen and through her nest of blond curls. His fingertip nudged her clitoris.
Again, she forced herself not to wince. “Would you like to have my mouth on your juicy little quim, Sophie?”
Now or never. “I’m sure that would be…pleasing, but I fear I’m not quite ready yet.”
God, she hoped she hadn’t just made a terrible mistake.
“Oh, my dear, I assure you I will make sure you’re ready for me. Shall we begin now?”
Sophie forced a smile upon her lips. “I think I’d like to wait a bit. Could you not unbind me? I really don’t like being bound. And what is your name? Surely you’d prefer me to use your given name.”
