by Melody Anne
Walking through that doorway, she found a bathroom with a roomy shower, a vanity, and closed-off toilet. The jet was bigger than her last apartment. It seemed there was no end to the amount of wealth Dalton possessed.
Walking out of the bathroom, she found Dalton in front of the armoire removing his tie and shirt. The muscled expanse of his tanned back never failed to take her breath away.
The man was too perfect. She searched for flaws on him, but as of yet had been unable to find a single thing she disliked. She often wondered what it would be like to be him, so self-controlled, so perfect.
His pants came off and he stood before her completely nude; she tried to look away, but that wasn’t going to happen. Her gaze focused on the narrowing of his hips and the solidness of his excitement.
He said nothing as he stalked purposefully toward her. There was zero resistance from her when he yanked her into his arms, pressing his naked body against her clothed one. She nearly sighed when his head came down, and he possessively took her mouth.
Elena didn’t realize they were moving until the back of her knees hit the bed. Then far too quickly for her to keep up, Dalton whipped her around, pushing against her back, making her fall forward, her arms holding her up on the bed as his fingers gripped her ass, and he rubbed his thickness against her.
Her skirt lifted, and he ripped her panties away before he kicked her legs apart, opening her up to him.
She groaned in pleasure as he pressed against her then slammed his body forward, burying himself deep within. Just one kiss from him and she was dripping wet and ready for their mating. He knew her body well enough to know her exact reaction.
Elena tried to withhold her pleasure, angry at how quickly he was able to bring it to her, but as his fingers dug into her hips and he pounded inside her harder and faster with every thrust, she was at his mercy.
Grabbing the pillow in front of her, she bit into it as her orgasm raced through her, and she tightened around him. Dalton let out a low growl as he buried himself deep and pumped out his release.
Falling forward, his body rested against hers for a moment, before he lifted off her and stepped back, pulling his beautiful thickness from her, making her feel instantly empty.
“I needed that,” he said as he moved into the bathroom. The water ran for a moment and then he was back at the armoire.
He pulled a new pair of slacks and a polo out, and soon her view of his magnificent body was obstructed by the black material as he turned and faced her again.
“We leave in ten minutes. You’re free to freshen up and then meet me at the front of the jet. Our flight is four hours.”
He left without saying anything more.
Elena opened the armoire and found several clothing items for her. She didn’t get to choose her own clothing. He chose what she was to wear. He apparently had chosen more modest outfits for this trip.
Grabbing a new skirt, a top, and underclothes, Elena used his bathroom and dressed quickly. Then she spent her last few minutes in the bedroom, not quite ready to face him after he’d so clearly used her. Sure, she’d been pleased too, but she had no doubt that had been all about him. He was showing her she was his to do with what he wanted, when he wanted.
When she felt the plane begin to taxi, she had no choice but to make her way back to the front of the plane where she found Dalton seated with a cup of coffee and his laptop.
“Where are we going, Dalton?” she asked as a beautiful blonde in a blue — far too tight — flight-attendant uniform showed her where to sit.
Elena buckled up, declined an offer of a drink, and was relieved when the woman left them. She couldn’t help but wonder if Dalton had or was currently sleeping with the woman. Most likely. He had an insatiable sexual appetite that she was sure one woman could never appease.
What surprised Elena was the feeling of jealousy that thought gave her. From the moment she’d begun having sex with Dalton she’d known he wasn’t hers. She was certainly his, but Dalton wasn’t the type of man who would ever be owned by a woman — he was the man who did all the possessing.
“I’m taking you home,” he answered without looking up.
Elena’s mind whirled at his simple words.
“What does that mean?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“You’re not going to accept your new life until you let go of your old one,” he answered.
She was silent for several moments and turned to look out her window as the jet picked up speed and began its assent into the clear morning sky.
“What if I choose to embrace my old life instead?” she asked him.
He looked up, his dark gaze holding her eyes captive. There was a look in his eyes that told her she didn’t want to hear what he was about to say. But she’d started this conversation. If she wanted answers, she couldn’t refuse to hear them just because she wanted to remain ignorant.
“You don’t have that life anymore. This trip will show you that,” he told her.
Dalton immediately looked down at his laptop, telling her the conversation was over. From her time with the man, she knew if he was done speaking to her there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.
He didn’t cave to pleas or whining. He would simply walk away. Sure, they were in his private jet, but she had no doubt he could still get away from her.
When the sexy flight attendant came back with snacks and more drink choices, Elena chose a mimosa. She was very aware of the large bed in the back of the jet. Maybe she would have a drink and take a nap, let her mind stop spinning for a while.
But she didn’t do that. She sipped her drink and looked out her window at the seemingly endless sky and told herself to keep breathing. Whatever came next was out of her control.
But at least she would finally have the elusive answers she had been begging for — even if she wasn’t sure if that was a good idea.
Chapter Three
Sitting in the backseat of a grey SUV, Elena felt as if she were in an alternate universe. For months — heck, years, actually — Elena’s life had been stalled. She couldn’t remember more than flashbacks of pain and terror.
And now she had been flown across the country with barely a word from Dalton. They had landed, she’d been escorted to the SUV, and they were driving while Dalton spoke on the phone.
His conversation had been short. But from what she could understand he was asking about where someone was located. And then they were driving again. He didn’t say anything to her, making her nerves scream.
When the car stopped, Dalton didn’t move a muscle. But his trusted driver, Lincoln, stepped from the vehicle and walked from their view. Dalton finally turned to her.
“This story isn’t one that ends well, Elena. You were betrayed by a person who should have protected you. I’m done trying to stop you from learning about this, but before you see them, I think it’s time you hear the story,” he said.
At his words, she looked out the window to try to figure out exactly where they were. It was a park with several people sitting at picnic tables, others walking their dogs, while still others played with children on the brightly colored equipment that was front and center.
“Is my family here?” she asked, looking for a familiar face.
“You no longer have a family, Elena,” he said, not answering her.
“Okay. Are the people who used to be my family here?” she snapped.
“Yes.”
He didn’t elaborate, and her eyes skipped from person to person in the large park. No one looked familiar. Frustration practically burned her throat. She didn’t rush from the car like she wanted to, because what good would it do her? She didn’t know who she was looking for.
“Walk with me.”
He stepped from the car and walked around to her side, opening the door. She sat there a moment before acceptin
g his hand and stepping from the vehicle. The spring sun hit her cheeks, a slight breeze taking the heat away, a shiver rushing through her.
They walked down a trail, Dalton not touching her, but his body heat radiated off him as he led her through the bustling park, stopping at a bench close to some trees. They looked out at a couple having a picnic about fifty yards away, the family not seeming to have a care in the world.
Laughter caught Elena’s attention, and she looked out to see a young boy throwing a football with a tall man. The boy caught the ball, tripped over his large feet, and fell, making him laugh even harder.
“Thanks for trying to knock me out, Dad,” the boy called out as he got back on his feet and threw the ball to the man.
“That was barely a toss, son,” the man replied, easily catching the ball before tossing it back.
Elena was frozen as she watched the exchange. The boy — the boy was so familiar to her with his blond hair and sparkling eyes she could clearly see even from a distance. She took a step in his direction, but Dalton gripped her arm, stopping her.
“Do you recognize him?” Dalton asked, his voice quiet.
“I … I don’t know,” she said, feeling frustrated.
Something was pulling her to the boy, but she couldn’t understand it. She’d dreamed of a boy with blond hair for years, but his features had been blurry. Were they her family? Not knowing was tearing her apart even more so than she normally felt.
“He’s your brother, Elena.”
Those four simple words made her knees begin to shake. She had a brother. Was that her father with him? Where was her mom?
Just then a woman on a picnic blanket called out to them. “Come and eat.”
Elena’s gaze focused on the woman with dark hair, a little bit of grey mixed in. A squeal sounded from near the woman, and then she was picking up a toddler in a pretty purple dress.
“Mama, juice,” the girl demanded, holding out a cup.
“Of course, Emmy,” the woman said, taking the cup and filling it.
“Who are they, Dalton?” Elena demanded, not able to take her eyes off the perfectly synced domestic scene before her.
“That’s your mother, stepfather, and half-siblings,” Dalton told her.
Elena had been at Dalton’s home for years. Even if she could remember this family, the young girl wouldn’t have been there when she’d been home. But the boy, the boy had to have been old enough to remember her. Elena began to move toward them, however Dalton stopped her again.
“You need to hear the story, Elena,” he told her.
“But … if they’re my family, they will want to know what happened to me.” A shiver traveled through her at the look in his eyes. She knew this wasn’t a story she wanted to know, but she also knew she had to be told. “What did happen, Dalton?” Before he opened his mouth, tears began dripping from her eyes.
“My father was a very bad man, Elena. You don’t know the entire story,” he said as he pulled her back to the picnic table and sat her down, her view of the family a bit obscured in their hidden area.
“I know he was the master. I was brought there for him,” she said, straining to remember it all.
“Yes. And many girls before you were brought in. He was sick, and it was something he did for years before he died,” Dalton said.
“Why didn’t anyone stop him?” Elena wanted to know.
“It happens more than you can imagine. I had no idea what was going on. His secrets were kept from me. When he died, I didn’t know what to do with you. I didn’t know where you had come from or how to get you back. When I found out, I knew the best place for you was with me.”
Elena was silent for a moment as she processed his words.
“Why, Dalton? If you knew where I belonged, and you aren’t like your father, why would you still keep me in a place I was forced to come to?” she finally asked.
“Because it was your mother who sold you.”
Elena waited for more words, but none came.
“I don’t understand.” She could barely speak as she looked out at the smiling woman holding tightly to the little girl with her as the child curled up on her lap and closed her eyes.
“There’s an entire world out there that buys and sells children. Your mother had a gambling addiction and got in over her head. Her husband knew nothing about it, knows nothing about any of this, actually. Her bookie made a deal with her, and you were the price,” Dalton said.
His voice was still so monotone, so cold, as he gave her life-altering information.
“I don’t believe you. I think you are lying,” she told him.
“The private detective I hired to find out this information is one-hundred-percent certain, Elena. He spoke to the bookie, to your mother, and to the police. She got away with it. But she doesn’t have to. We can expose her,” Dalton offered.
This was too much. All of it was too much.
“Why would you bring me here if this is all true? Why not just tell me?” she said through broken sobs.
“Because you needed to see them, or you would always wonder. You don’t have a place in their family anymore, Elena. Apparently you and your brother were very close, and it took him time, but he’s happy now. Your sister knows nothing of what happened. It’s your call what you want to do now, but I guarantee you that your mother won’t want you to come back.”
“How can you be so cruel?” she demanded.
“I’m just stating the facts.”
The family stood up and began gathering their picnic items. Soon, the man and boy were running ahead with the woman holding the little girl, her head resting on her mother’s shoulder.
A sob ripped from Elena and the woman turned, their eyes connecting. Elena felt Dalton’s hand on her shoulder — she wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort her or restrain her.
Either way, his touch wasn’t what she wanted at this pivotal moment in her life.
The woman’s eyes widened in fear as she gazed at Elena and then her head whipped around, seeking out her husband and son. After it appeared they were far enough away, she stepped in Elena’s direction and stopped.
There was fear in the woman’s eyes. No love showed, no remorse. Only fear.
With a shake of her head, she turned away and quickly walked toward her husband and son, not turning back again to look at Elena.
Elena knew the woman had recognized her. There was no doubt about it. And still, she had walked away, hadn’t even attempted to reunite with the daughter who had been ripped from her life.
“You’re telling me the truth aren’t you?” Elena asked, barely holding it together.
“I have no reason to lie.”
He let her go, showing her it was her decision whether she wanted to chase after the woman who should have protected her. Elena’s head spun as dizziness tried to take over. This was her last hope she’d been holding on to. It was the final plank in a sea of water and now it was sinking.
What was the point to go on? Elena didn’t see a reason. She knew beyond anything else that her life was better off ended. She knew she had no reason to go on . . .
It was over — it was all over.
Chapter Four
The wind rushing through her hair was the only thing that alerted Elena she was running. She had no idea she’d pulled away from Dalton, no idea, she’d begun walking, let alone had started a full-out sprint.
But running she was. Her feet carried her farther and farther away, as she exited the park and found herself on a city street. Still, she didn’t stop. She wasn’t sure if she was running away from the image of her family leaving her or if she was running away from Dalton.
But either way, she had to go. She needed to outrun the feelings that were trying to consume her alive.
The truth was more than Elena could handle. Not that Elena was
even her name. How had this happened? Memories flooded her as her mind unlocked with the torture she had suffered over the past five years.
Too much. It was all too much to bear.
She felt as if she were in a tunnel that kept tumbling as it pulled farther away from the atmosphere. She couldn’t stop the ride, didn’t know how to get off.
Running for minutes or hours, she had no idea, but Elena found herself in front of a theatre, and the cold was catching up to her as the misty air clung to her bare arms.
She slipped inside when someone came out, and she found a seat in the back, shivering while her mind continued rolling with the information she’d been given.
What was she supposed to do now?
Go home?
Was it even her home now? She had a brother — the little boy in her dreams, who had haunted her for so long, was her brother. It was hard to comprehend. She had a mother and a stepfather.
Looking up, she tried to focus on the big screen in front of her. There was a couple walking along on the beach, both of them looking sad as they turned and gazed at the water.
The man in the movie put his arms around the heroine and held tight as the sun set above the water. Elena wanted to scoff at them. That wasn’t the real world. In the her present universe, the man would lift the girl, toss her into the shark-infested waters, and laugh as he walked away.
That was life — that was reality.
There were no happily-ever-afters in Elena’s world.
Still, Elena couldn’t turn away from the show before her. She wanted to immerse herself into the screen and slip into the alternate universe where a happy ending was guaranteed.
But she wasn’t allowed to do that.
She was a fool. For so long Dalton had been her savior — had seemed to be her protector. But he’d kept her captive when he could have set her free. So why couldn’t she find it within herself to hate the man now?
