I have no idea what Master expects of me, but one thing’s for sure, I will do everything in my power to keep him away from my bed as long as I can.
***
We finish dinner all the while remaining silent. Now and then, he eats and sits back in his chair, drinking from his wine glass, his eyes assessing me over the rim. It was hard to eat anything with that look in his eyes like he wants to eat me.
This man could probably have any woman he wants. I cannot understand for the life of me why he needs to purchase a woman? Not wanting to think about it too much, overanalyzing things is not going to get me any answers, I place my napkin on the table saying, “I’m done. Can I go to my room?”
Master places his glass down on the table and sits up straighter. “So soon? Are you not enjoying my company?”
Not knowing what to say, I keep silent.
“Okay, Red, I’ll allow you one question and one alone.” His eyes bore into mine as he rubs his bottom lip with his thumb.
I swallow some more wine giving me courage. “Really? And you’ll answer me honestly?”
“Of course, bella. I never lie.”
“Mmm…” I rest my cheek on my hand and think what is the one question I want answered. “Will I get to go home?”
Master plays with the hair on his face rubbing it, looking as if he’s unsure about how to answer.
“Will I?” I ask again, but I am nervous at what his answer will be.
“No, you are mine.”
My heart falls, and dread fills me. I knew the answer to that question, but I wanted some hope, however hearing him admit it just makes it all so real. I try to hold back my tears, not wanting to give them to him and look away into the night.
“You’ll come to like it here, bella. I promise you that.”
I snap my head to his. “Will you rape me?”
“Tsk tsk tsk,” he says, moving his finger from side to side. “I told you…. you may ask one question. Not two? Don’t test me.” He straightens, then sits back in his chair.
I stand, pushing my chair back hard in the process. “I’m going to bed,” I state with finality and start to walk back inside. But as I take two steps, he grabs me by my shoulders forcing me to face him. His lips are so close, so I turn away.
“You’re scaring me,” I say, and he loosens his hold on me. Just when I think he’s going to let me go, he grasps my face in one hand forcing my mouth to open to him. Again, his hand goes behind my head, and he kisses me hard and fast, causing me to struggle to catch my breath. His tongue seeks mine, but I try to push him off me, but there’s no way I can budge him—he’s too strong. With pure hatred for this man, I bite down on his tongue until I can taste blood.
The asshole immediately ends the kiss saying, “You fucking bitch. You will pay for that.”
“Let me go,” I beg, wriggling in his arms.
“Never,” he rasps. His hand runs up my bare thigh at the same time he’s walking me back against the wall of the house. Master cages me in, his hand on my neck so I can’t move. His finger runs up the inside of my thighs, and I clench them together to force his hand away. With one swift kick, he moves my feet apart and holds them that way.
His finger delves into my panties, and when his finger enters me, I cry out, not with pleasure but with pure unadulterated shock. Tears are now streaming down my face as he forces another finger inside.
Feeling violated and in hell, I shut my eyes and let the tears fall freely. I can feel his heavy breathing on my cheek as he continues to thrust his fingers. His hardness is pressing into my stomach, and I know I have pushed him too far.
I shouldn’t have bitten his tongue.
He forces his thumb in my mouth, and with tears rolling down my face, he commands, “Suck it. And if you bite me, I’ll punish you.”
I do as he says and open my mouth to suck his thumb. His filthy hand continues to thrust inside of me, and then the unexpected happens. Using the same hand, his thumb circles my clit putting pressure there as his two fingers continue to impale me. I feel a sense of pleasure, it’s something I’ve never felt before.
“That’s it, Red,” he growls into my ear while his facial hair scratches my neck.
What is happening to me?
What is this feeling?
My mind is saying one thing, but my body wants another.
“Let go and feel me.”
My breathing picks up, and without thinking, I run my hands up his muscled arms keeping myself upright as I feel wetness between my thighs.
“That’s it! You’re a good girl, I knew you would respond this way. Trust me. Feel me.” His words run through my mind, and I’m close, so close to something that I’m not sure is coming.
Is this what an orgasm feels like?
Master shifts, then he moves back, taking his fingers and thumb along with him. He stands there looking at me, he’s breathing heavy, and his eyes are now cold and piercing. “That will teach you. I will not give you pleasure tonight. You’ve been a bad girl. I will punish you by not giving you the release your body now craves.”
Hating myself at this moment, I push myself off the wall and run. I run to my room not looking back and not caring what he will do to me. Right now, I can barely stand myself, let alone him.
How could I?
How could I enjoy what he did to me?
I’m a sick, sick girl.
When I finally find my room, I slam the door behind me, locking it in the process. Not sure why I’ve locked it. It’s not like he doesn’t have the key.
I walk to the mirror and stare at myself. “How could you?” I say out loud. “One minute you hate him and are revolted, and the next you want what he’s giving you. You crave it and need it.”
Feeling dirty, I unzip my dress and let it fall to the floor. I remove my bra and G-string and head to the shower. Turning on the faucet, I step under the heavy stream of water and stand against the wall with all these thoughts going through my mind.
That reaction—it was physical, that’s all.
He’s an experienced lover, and he knows what he’s doing.
You hate him.
You don’t want him.
He’s just given you a sexual experience, something you have never had before. Part of me is happy that I felt something, especially after what happened to me back home when I was raped. After that night, I thought I would never feel the pleasures of lovemaking like you read about in books, but Master has now proved I can feel pleasure.
God, I felt like I was about to explode.
I can still feel my clit throbbing from his touch, but I ignore it and my racing heart, quickly washing away the feeling of his hands.
I hate him.
I want him dead.
It’s that simple!
RHYDER
I watch Paige as she sleeps. She looks so young and peaceful. We brought the girls back to a motel not far away from where the exchange took place. We need them to recover from the drugs they’ve been pumped with.
I share a room with Paige, so I can keep my eyes on her. She’s slept all night and most of the day. Tate and his boys had a plan for the other girls and left earlier with the van. I’ve been up since the early morning waiting for Paige to wake so that I can question her. It’s now midday and still nothing.
I’ve showered and changed, and I am sitting in a chair in the corner of the room watching Paige’s every move. I called her parents earlier, and they’re so thankful. They asked me for details, but I couldn’t give them much. I told them that Paige was found and that she will be delivered to their home safely. They had tried to ask me for more, but I explained to them that I was still searching for their other daughter, Lexi.
Lexi’s mom cried over the phone thanking me, and she asked how I knew her girls. I just said I’d met Lexi in the past and saw that they were missing on the news. I told her all would be explained once Lexi’s home and safe. I finalized the call with them saying they were going to catch the next flight home,
so they could be back in New York for Paige.
Screams echo around the room, and I intuitively know Paige is having a nightmare. As I try to wake her with my voice, she falls fast asleep again.
Thirty minutes pass when I hear mumbling.
I get up from my chair this time and walk to the side of the bed. Her eyes flutter open. I sit beside her and place my hands on her shoulders. “Paige, can you hear me? You’re safe now.”
Paige finally opens her eyes fully, and she blinks a couple of times. She must recognize me because she croaks out, “Rhyder?”
“Yes, that’s me. You remember?” Paige nods her head then holds it when pain must shoot through it. I quickly go to the bedside table where I placed two capsules of Advil earlier, knowing she would need it when she came to. “Here, take these,” I say, handing them to her and then a bottle of water. I help her sit, and she throws the tablets in her mouth and swallows them. She continues to drink a lot of water and then announces she needs to use the bathroom.
“I’ll help you up.” I help her off the bed, and she sways on her feet. Fuck! Quickly, I wrap my arms around her to keep her still. I look down at her tiny and fragile body in my arms. “Can you walk?”
She looks up at me and nods. “Yes… give me a minute.”
We stand there for a while, and then she removes her hands from around my waist. With slow, steady steps, she makes her way to the bathroom and turns around to close the door.
I stride over to the door and from the outside, I state, “If you need me, yell out.”
Paige doesn’t respond, so I let her do her business. When I hear the flush of the toilet, I make my way to the bed and get out my cell, checking to see if any calls have come through.
I hear the door open, and Paige stands there. “Would it be okay if I take a shower? I could really do with one right now.”
I smile. “Of course. Do what you want, you don’t need permission from me.”
She gives me a small smile and looks down at the floor. I can sense she wants something, so I ask, “What is it?”
Paige looks up at me—she’s so vulnerable. “I don’t want to wear this,” she tells me pinching the material of her negligee. “Would you have any clothes I can wear.”
I run my hand down my neck thinking what an idiot I’ve been. I should have sent one of the boys out to get her some clothes. So, to rectify it, I quickly pick up my cell and dial Prez’s number.
He picks up on the first ring. “Rhyder.”
“Prez… need a favor.”
“What’s up?”
“I need to get Paige some clothes. Any chance one of the brothers could head out to a mall to fetch some for her?”
“Sure, won’t be long.”
“Thanks.”
We hang up, and I walk to my duffel bag that’s on the floor beside the window and search for a T-shirt for her to wear for now. I come up with one of my white tees and hand it to her. “Here… wear this for now. One of my brothers will be back shortly with some clothes.” Her cheeks flush when she looks down at my T-shirt, and I wonder why. She goes to close the door, and I stop her by saying, “Paige?” She hesitantly looks up at me. “When you’re done, we need to have a talk. Okay?”
She nods. “Okay.”
“I’m goin’ to walk across to the diner while you’re havin’ a shower to grab you some food. You okay with that?”
Paige nods again seemingly so helpless and confused.
“You drink coffee?”
“Not really,” she whispers. “I’ll get you some anyway, caffeine will do you good.”
Paige closes the door, and I hear the water running, so I head out the motel room and lock it behind me to be safe. I make my way across the road and order her a ham and cheese croissant and a coffee to go. I order what I want, and quickly head back to the motel, eager to get some intel on Lexi and what Paige knows of her whereabouts.
Opening the door, I find Paige rummaging through my bag, her hair wet, and she’s wearing my tee.
I place the coffees and breakfast on the nearby table and shut the door with my foot. “Can I help you with somethin’?”
Paige flicks her eyes to me. “I’m sorry, I was seeing if you had some toothpaste.”
I sigh. “Yeah, give me a sec.” I search my bag and remove my toothpaste. “Here you go.”
Paige heads back into the bathroom.
I sit on the bed and drink my coffee waiting calmly for her to return. Tapping my cup impatiently, she finally exits looking as though she’s feeling more human.
“You look better, how are you feelin’?” I ask, walking her coffee over to her. She looks up at me, and I can still see black marks under her eyes. She accepts the coffee, thanking me, and sits on the edge of the bed.
I hand her breakfast, saying, “Hope you like ham and cheese.”
She smiles and says, “Thanks,” and I recognize a resemblance to Lexi. She opens the takeout bag and takes a bite.
“Good?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I take another sip of my coffee, then place it on the floor and rest my elbows on my knees. “Do you think you can talk now?”
Her eyes flick to mine, and I see pain looking right back at me.
“I know it’s hard, but I have to know how your sister is, and if you know where she might be.”
Paige drops her hand with the croissant in it to the bed and brings both hands holding the coffee to her lips. Tears are now falling down her face, and I try desperately to be patient with her. God help me for thinking this, but I want to shake her and demand she tell me where her sister is, but I know that will not do her or me any good. She has been to hell and back, and the last thing I want is to scare her so much she says nothing.
“The last I heard was she was sold.”
I fall to my knees in front of her and raise her head with my fingers on her chin. “Paige, do you know who bought her? Or where she went?”
Her bottom lip quivers. “I heard Christopher mention something about a Lawrence.”
“Look at me,” I demand, and she does, but there’s fear now evident in her eyes. “Sorry, I don’t mean to be rough on you, but you have to understand that I’ve been lookin’ for Lexi, and I’m goin’ out of my mind with worry.” I drop my hand and run my fingers through my hair.
She smiles and says, “Lexi told me about you.”
My eyes travel to hers. “She did? What did she say?” I ask curiously.
“She said that if she ever needed help, you would be the one she would call.”
My stomach clenches, and guilt fills me. I clench my eyes shut for a few seconds, then stand and take a seat on the chair once again.
“I know you must be special to her because she’s never spoken like that about Zane.”
“Zane? Who the fuck is Zane?” I growl, then try to reel my feelings back in.
“He’s her ex-boyfriend. Rhyder, do you know if she’s okay? Lexi warned me about Pepe and Mario, but I didn’t listen. I wanted to have fun and go for a drive…” She begins to cry again, and I get up and hold her trembling body to mine. “Shush now, it will be okay. You’re safe now. I will find her,” I state, moving back to look her in her eyes. “I promise you… I will find her. Do you have any idea where this Lawrence lives?”
Paige shakes her head. “They never said, just that he paid big money for her.”
I drop my hands and fist them by my sides.
Her hand runs up my arm. “Please, Rhyder, you need to find Lexi. If anyone knows where she is, it would be Mario or Pepe.”
“Can you remember where you were in Mexico?”
She nods. “Yes. They had mentioned that I needed to look nice for Mr. Clemente, so I’m sure we were at his home.”
Just as I suspected, Lexi had been there along with other girls.
“Okay,” I say, while cupping her cheek. “You did good. One of my brothers is goin’ to take you home and get you there safe.”
Her eyes widen in panic, and sh
e trembles.
“What is it, Paige?”
“I don’t want to go anywhere with a stranger. Please, please, can you take me home? Lexi trusted you, and so do I.”
I chew on my bottom lip, trying to figure out how I’m going to be able to hold off on getting to Lexi, so I can take Paige home first. We have a name—Lawrence. He must be rich if he paid lots of money for Lexi. It kills me to think that she’s been sold. I need to get to her. What if she’s being forced to have sex with him? There’s no way she can go through that again. I have got to get to her and fast.
I grip Paige’s shoulders. “Stay here, I’ll be right back. I need to visit one of my boys. I’ll be next door.”
“Okay, I’ll rest. I’m feeling tired.” Paige’s eyes are closing as she’s talking.
“It’s the drugs. It’s only natural. Sleep. I’ll be right back.”
I lock the door behind me and walk the few steps to Tracker and Prez’s room. After knocking, Prez opens the door, and I step in seeing Tracker on the phone in the corner. Prez follows me in the room with his arms folded.
“What’s up? You get some information on where Lexi might be?”
I nod. “Yeah, some ass by the name of Lawrence paid for her. Need to see if Tracker can locate a rich fucker who might go by that name.”
As Tracker ends the call, he asks, “What was that?”
I stride over to him, seeing his laptop on the bed. “Is there any way you can search for an asshole who goes by the name Lawrence? He’s a rich fucker.”
Tracker rubs his jaw. “That’s gonna be hard. Do we have a first name, or is that his first name?”
I shake my head. “Paige gave me Lawrence, that’s all she knows.”
He stands there in thought, then quickly sits on the bed and types something on his computer. I look at the screen seeing a few flashing lights and something running like code.
“What’s that?” I ask, pointing to the screen.
“Well, we know she was in Mexico City. I’m seeing if there is anyone who goes by that name around the vicinity.”
“And? What’s it showin’ you?”
“There are three in Mexico.”
Lexi, Property of Rhyder: A Motorcycle Club Romance (Blood Brothers MC Book 6) Page 16
