Rules of Bennett: The Complete Collection

by Ember Michaels

  I looked at the tray holding what it had for the previous three mornings: bacon, eggs, and toast smothered with strawberry jam. Just looking at it made my throat hurt.

  “I haven’t been hungry,” I croaked, the words painful coming out.

  “You need to try to eat something. At least eat the toast. I can’t give you any medicine if you don’t eat. It’ll do nothing but make you sick,” he said with a sigh.

  Medicine. If it would stop the pain I felt, I’d eat the whole plate to get it faster.

  He watched as I cautiously leaned forward and grabbed half a slice of toast before settling back on the wall. I took a bite, holding back the whimper of pain that nearly slipped as I forced myself to chew. The sweetness of the jam made me sick to my stomach, but I forced myself to get it down. He watched the entire time until both halves of the toast were gone.

  “Think you can try a slice of bacon?” he asked.

  Although I wanted to shake my head no, I was terrified he’d leave and take the medicine with him.

  I reached for a slice of bacon and took a bite. The crunchy, salty meat seemed like the only thing I could tolerate. I ate two more slices before I finally shook my head, nausea settling in my stomach.

  Bennett nodded. “Good enough,” he said and pushed the tray to the side with his foot.

  When he moved forward and reached for me, I cowered away from him, unsure of what he’d planned to do. The last time he touched me, he hurt me in ways I didn’t think I would survive from. He paused, almost looking taken aback by my reaction. Different emotions flashed behind his brown eyes, but they changed too fast to decipher what they were.

  He finally scooped me into his arms and picked me up, pausing again when I cried out in pain. We exited the room, and he carried me down the hall to a large bedroom. The lights were dim in both the bedroom and master bath, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I hardly had my eyes open or if he’d purposely dimmed them for me. My body ached to lay between the plush black comforter and matching fluffy pillows on the king-size bed, but he carried me to the bathroom instead where a steaming bath awaited.

  “You’ll heal faster if you soak in a special bath with herbs. It’ll help your pain and wounds,” he said as he placed me on my feet.

  I willed myself not to shake as he reached down and pulled my gown up, tenderly taking it off.

  “Stay right there,” he said and walked off.

  My legs were shaky and weak. The longer I stood there, the more it hurt to breathe. I glanced up, my heart breaking into a million pieces when I saw the severity of my wounds and bruises in the mirror.

  Deep purple bruises covered the right side of my face, my eye still swollen and dark. My split lip looked terrible, and a bruise circled around my whole mouth. Tears burned my eyes to see the purple and black bruises running along the left side of my rib cage and my hips. I knew he’d done a number on me considering the pain I was in but seeing the aftermath of it made it even more real.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, appearing behind me in the mirror.

  I nodded and allowed him to guide me over to the tub. It was almost eerie that he was being gentle and…normal. I almost wanted to think that maybe he felt bad for what he’d done—but I wasn’t stupid. The man was a monster, and he always would be. He’d shown me that time and time again already.

  The hot water soothed my skin when I stepped in, but it burned like hell between my legs when I lowered myself into it. I bit back the whimper that almost slipped from my lips and settled into the water in the middle of the large tub. Bennett got down on his knees next to the tub and grabbed a bath sponge, putting it in the water before wringing it out against my back.

  I sat there silently, letting him gently wipe me down and wash my hair. While he thought his scalp massage felt good, it did nothing but ignite my headache once more until I had no choice but to wince out of his grasp.

  “I’m not sorry for what I did,” he finally said, breaking the silence around us.

  No shit, Sherlock. But I didn’t dare say it out loud. I only sat there, keeping my gaze on the water.

  “But I am sorry for the extremes in which I did it,” he continued. “I shouldn’t have punished you when I was that angry.”

  The old me would’ve rolled my eyes at the bullshit he’d just spewed from his mouth, but the broken me didn’t care. It didn’t matter that he was angry. It didn’t matter that he lost control. None of that took away the pain I felt or the bruises that covered my body. It wouldn’t give me back the piece of myself I’d lost in the Retribution room.

  I thought back to the last thing he’d said to me before I finally passed out.

  Are you ready to follow the rules?

  May as well; he’d broken me, so I was already on track.

  Angelica’s words bounced around in my head as Bennett continued to squeeze water out of the sponge onto my sensitive skin. If my punishments were as harsh as they’d been, I couldn’t imagine what my best friend went through downstairs.

  I had nothing left to lose. Even if I got out of here, I had nothing left of my life to go back to. My reputation was trashed, my family was dead, my business no longer belonged to me, and the love of my life was gone. There wasn’t a chance for me, but perhaps there was a chance at a normal life for the other girls, for Savannah. If I had to sacrifice myself to make that happen, I’d do it, because no woman should ever have to go through this.

  “I’m going to have a doctor come here and make sure you don’t have anything serious going on now that you’re up and moving,” he continued, interrupting my thoughts.

  I didn’t dare allow hope to bubble up in my chest at the possibility of someone from the outside coming in who could help me out of my dire situation. If I knew Bennett, his “doctor” was someone else on his payroll that was well aware of what went on in this hellhole.

  Just play the game, Aurora, I thought to myself. I swallowed my last bit of pride and forced myself to look up at him.

  Even though I knew I had a role to play in order for my plan to work, I couldn’t wrap my head around how anyone sane could fall in love with someone like him. Sure, he was sexy as sin, but that didn’t make up for the evil he'd committed. It was one thing to hurt people to protect those you love, but Bennett made a whole business out of hurting women. Even though I’d heard he’d been in love, what did love look like when it came from him?

  I forced the thoughts from my head. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, the words feeling like acid coming from the throat.

  He looked at me for a brief moment, his mouth set into a frown. “I assume you’re talking about your behavior a few days ago,” he said. I nodded. He dropped the sponge in the water and rested his forearms on the side of the tub. “Don’t let it happen again.”

  “It won’t,” I croaked.

  He was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “This is your life now, Aurora. I told you that if you just followed the rules, you’d be fine. Either you have a problem with authority or you’re a glutton for punishment.”

  I bit my tongue to keep from firing back. Authority; he had some fucking nerve.

  Instead, I just shook my head. There was no need to pick a fight I knew I couldn’t win right now, and the last thing I needed was another punishment.

  “You may think I enjoy hurting you,” he continued, cocking his head when I scoffed. “I didn’t keep you to have to punish you damn near every day. I have enough people I have to deal with on a daily basis; that shit gets tiring after a while.”

  I froze. Was that potentially another crack in his armor?

  “Then why do you do it?” I asked, a bit cautious.

  He shrugged. “It comes with the job. You have to be ruthless in this business.” He met my gaze. “If my sole intention was to cause you pain, you’d be downstairs with your friend. Is that what you want?”

  “No.”

  “So, are you ready to follow the rules?”

  The infamous question. I wanted to rebel,
but the constant pain reminded me of what could happen again if I did. I wanted to refuse and spit in his face, but my best friend was counting on me to get her out of here.

  “Yes,” I forced myself to say.

  He grinned. “Good girl,” he murmured.

  “Savannah?” I asked.

  “Alive, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  Relief flooded me at the news. As long as she had a fighting chance, I had something to hold onto.

  “Who is Stephanie?” I asked as he moved to grab the sponge from the water.

  His body tensed, his face hardening. “Stephanie is none of your business,” he replied, his tone cold.

  “Wasn’t she why you were angry? When your father mentioned her?” I asked.

  I knew I was probably pushing my luck, but I needed to know. I needed to hear it from him to understand fully why just the mention of her flipped a switch of no return. I needed to know more about her so that I knew how to execute my plan and how to make Bennett fall for me without getting myself killed.

  “Doesn’t matter,” he ground out. “Stephanie isn’t your business. You have plenty to worry about.”

  “But don’t I have a right to know?” I blurted. When he raised his eyebrows, I paused. “I mean…I just thought that—”

  “I don’t give a fuck what you thought,” he snapped. “Stephanie is none of your fucking business and will never be your business. You don’t have a right to know shit about her.” He stood, pulling the plug in the tub. “Get up. This bath is over.”

  There’s the Bennett I know and hate. I sighed inwardly and forced myself to my feet, my entire body still aching. So much for the herb bath that was supposed to help.

  Annoyance replaced the regret that once oozed from him, his signature scowl back on his face. He took my arm, seeming unbothered when I whimpered in pain as he helped me out of the tub. Tears burned my eyes as he quickly dried me off, a stark contrast to the gentle way he’d handled me earlier.

  “I’m sorry,” I finally murmured. Though he didn’t stop in his task, he didn’t continue as roughly as he’d started.

  “Yeah,” he said as he stood straight and tossed the towel in a dark laundry basket.

  “Bennett? The doc is here,” someone said from the bedroom door.

  “Send him up,” Bennett replied and then nodded toward the bedroom. “Get dressed. There’s something on the bed for you to wear.”

  I followed him into the bedroom with slow steps, pain searing every limb. A peach-colored silk nightgown sat on top of the black comforter, but nothing else.

  “Um…are there any undergarments? Underwear, at least?” I asked.

  He looked over his shoulder. “You don’t need any right now. Just put the gown on and get on the bed,” he stated before disappearing from the bedroom.

  I exhaled a deep breath and picked up the nightgown from the bed, the material soft and smooth in my hand. Just as I raised my arms to put it over my head, a sharp pain radiated up my left side. I cried out in pain just as Bennett returned to the room with an older-looking man in a white lab coat. He was short and plump, a pair of glasses with thick lenses magnifying his beady, dark eyes. His lips were pressed into a thin line as he looked at me, adjusting the glasses on his face.

  “Leave the gown off for now, dear,” he stated as he walked past Bennett and over to me. “I’ll need to examine those bruises along your ribcage, too.”

  I lowered my arms, tears in my eyes as I clutched the gown in my hand. Pain and humiliation wracked my body as the doctor poked along my ribcage, jotting down notes in a small notebook he pulled from his coat pocket.

  I knew he was only doing his job, but it seemed violating. I didn’t even know the man’s name and here I was, standing before him naked while his hands roamed my body. Bennett stood near the door; his arms folded across his chest as he watched in silence.

  “Nothing feels broken up here,” he finally said, taking a step back and adjusting his glasses again. “I need you to lie on the bed now and part your legs.”

  “What?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  “Aurora,” Bennett stated, a frown appearing on his lips.

  I swallowed hard. His hard stare told me everything I needed to know. The cold way he said my name reminded me of the pain he could cause me, and I didn’t want to learn my last lesson again.

  The doctor gestured toward the bed as he pulled on a pair of latex gloves, and I slowly got onto the soft mattress without another word. Bennett moved closer to the bed, his eyes never leaving the doctor as he examined between my legs. I bit my lip to keep myself quiet, pain jolting up my spine as he touched me.

  “Stitches still look good,” he said when Bennett cleared his throat.

  Stitches; that would explain why it still hurt to sit upright.

  The doctor stood upright and nodded toward Bennett. “As long as she keeps up with the herbal baths and doesn’t endure anymore trauma, she should be as good as new in about two weeks. If that bruising doesn’t get better or if she starts running a fever with any discharge from her vagina, I’ll run more tests.”

  Bennett nodded and then looked to me. “Are you on birth control?”

  If he was asking about that, it meant he had more sex in store for me in the future whether I wanted it or not.

  “No,” I answered.

  “Give her the shot then,” he said to the doctor.

  The doctor nodded, reaching into the pocket of his lab coat and pulling out a small needle. “This will only hurt a little bit, dear.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut as the needle pierced my skin, the medicine burning as entered my arm.

  “There,” the doctor said, removing the needle. “That should last three months. Wait about a week before having unprotected sex with her again.”

  “Can’t do much if she still has stitches, now can I?” Bennett asked sarcastically.

  The doctor shifted uncomfortably and adjusted his glasses. “I suppose not, Mr. Moreno.”

  “Well, thanks for coming on such short notice. I assume you have a prescription for her?”

  “Ah, yes.” He reached into another pocket and pulled out two prescription bottles. “One is Percocet, and the other is an antibiotic in case she may need it and I can’t get here fast enough.”

  Bennett took the bottles from him and put them in his pocket with a nod. “Good. If that’s all, you can be on your way.”

  “Very well,” he said and turned to leave.

  What a quack of a doctor. I’d never had such an incomplete exam. No x-rays, no blood testing, nothing. For all he knew, I could be bleeding internally.

  I didn’t move from my position, unsure of what Bennett wanted me to do next. He didn’t leave me wondering long.

  “Do you want to leave the gown off or do you want it on?” he asked as he closed the bedroom door behind the doctor.

  “Can I leave it off?” I asked. Considering the pain I suffered just lifting my arms, I didn’t want to put it on if I didn’t absolutely have to.

  “If that’s what you want.” He eyed me a few moments, his expression unreadable. “Do you want something for pain?”

  “Please,” I replied. The desperation in my voice made me cringe, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it. My body hurt even more after the examination than it did earlier, and I wanted whatever pill that would take the pain away.

  Bennett came over and motioned for me to get up. I slowly got up, watching as he peeled back the comforter and sheet. I slid in, nearly moaning in relief as the soft bed cradled my aching body. It definitely didn’t feel anything like the thin mattress I’d slept on for the past few nights.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  He didn’t respond. He disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a small cup of water and a single pill. I wasted no time in plucking it from his hand and guzzling it down with the lukewarm water.

  “I’ll leave you to rest a bit. I’ll check in on you in a few hours,” he said and heade
d for the door.

  I slowly sat up. “Bennett?” Though he stopped, he didn’t turn around. I cleared my throat. “Is…is Savannah okay?”

  “You’ve already asked me that,” he said, his voice clipped.

  “Could I see her?” I asked.

  He was silent for a moment before he released a deep sigh. “Go to sleep, Aurora,” he said, turning the lights off and leaving the room.

  I settled back in bed and stared up at the dark ceiling. He didn’t say no, so at least there was a chance. In the meantime, I’d be his perfect little pet until I figured out how I could get myself out of this shit. There had to be a way out. There just had to be.

  The next few days blended together with following a strict routine. Breakfast, moving around to prevent blood clots, lunch, pain pill, dinner, herbal bath, and bed. My bruises didn’t hurt as much, and it was easier to move without wanting to cry. As I prepared myself for my pain pill after lunch, Bennett entered the room with his hands in his pocket.

  “Let’s go,” he said.

  I looked down at my still naked body and frowned but said nothing. He rolled his eyes, moving over to the closet and snatching a thin silk robe off a hanger.

  “You wanted to see your friend, so let’s go before I change my mind,” he stated.

  I hopped off the bed, ignoring the dull pain caused by my sudden movements. Slipping the robe on, I quickly followed behind him. My heart raced in my chest as we made our way down the winding staircase. I didn’t know what I’d see when I got there or what she’d see when she looked at me. I’d made sure to avoid the mirror every time I was in the bathroom, unable to constantly remind myself of what happened to me. The more my pain and bruises faded, the more I tucked it into the back of my mind. I hoped at some point I’d forget it altogether.

  When we entered the bunker, flashbacks plagued my mind as I caught a glimpse of the Retribution room—where I almost lost my life. Where the courageous, take-no-shit Aurora lost her voice. Where I accepted the fact that my life was no longer my own.

  “Are you coming, or do you want to go to the Retribution room to take a sick trip down memory lane?” Bennett interrupted, his impatient voice cutting into my thoughts.