by Linnea May
And now he's fucking threatening to bring all of that down, even though it's hard to see how on Earth he thinks it could be done. I know he's looking for something to hold over my head, and it annoys the fuck out of me that I was stupid enough to bring myself into a situation where there's actually something to be discovered in the first place. Something that could destroy my business and my entire life.
Well, it's not exactly something, but someone.
Someone who's already taken so much from me, even though I was the one who took her.
If she ever gets out of my house, if she's ever discovered by anybody, if she ever speaks to anybody about what I did to her, then I'm done. My brother would have an easy job of it, if he's the one to find out about her first.
Of course, that will never happen.
I can feel my mood lighten when I approach the house, knowing that she's waiting for me inside, her green eyes filled with that adoration I‘ve fought so hard to deserve. The collar around her neck has only made her more delicious to me, and the way her natural hair color is coming back, a little bit day by day, is the most beautiful sight. It's almost as if the transition is a visualization of her transformation as she spends time with me, like the true Ruby is slowly reappearing from underneath everything that masked her true self when I first met her.
I'm calm by the time I drive up the driveway, slowly approaching a house I never thought would feel as much like home as it does now. I've never spent as much time here as I have during the past three weeks. And I've never spent this much time with any other woman before.
She's changed so much. And so have I.
Ruby might be the end of me, but I'm sure as hell going to enjoy every single moment I have with her until then.
I get out of the car and hurry up the stairs to the front entrance, ideas about how I'm going to spend the rest of the day with my little toy bouncing back and forth inside my head. She has been a very good girl lately, only giving me reasons to punish her by choice, teasing, and playing, testing her limits. If I don't watch out, she'll turn into a little brat soon. She's just so goddamn good at playing with my head. Seeing her laugh gives me just as much satisfaction as seeing her moan and cry. I always thought that tears of pain were the most beautiful thing on a woman's face, but that was before I saw Ruby's dazzling smile.
I head upstairs before joining her in the basement, changing out of my clothes and washing my face. Both actions help me wash away the remnants from the horribly annoying meeting with my loser brother.
If I was any more of a silly idiot, I'd be whistling as I make my way downstairs. The effect she has on me is undeniable, and as good as it feels, it's also troubling as fuck.
She's standing in position when I open the door, her vibrant green eyes fixated on me, holding up the leash that's attached to her collar in both hands, and wearing nothing but a black negligé that shows off her round tits. I couldn't wish for a more perfect toy.
The only thing that's unsettling is the look on her face. It's unusually serious and tense.
"What's wrong, my toy?" I ask, as I approach her in wide but calm steps.
She looks up at me as if I was hiding something from her, as if she suspected me of being up to something.
"Nothing," she whispers, but I know it's a lie.
A moment later, we both hear it. The front door opens, and it’s followed by the thud of heavy steps as someone walks into the house.
I can't believe this is happening, but she's the one who's faster, using a moment of confusion on my part to dash past me, exposing yet another weakness. I've failed to lock the door behind me, allowing her to swing it open before I'm able to grab her.
The sounds of her screams for help fill the air by the time she's running up the stairs.
Chapter 30
Ruby
I don't even know what I was thinking. I'm running up the stairs, yelling for help without any idea of what exactly I'm doing.
To be honest, I didn't think it would work. I didn't think that I would get past him. I expected him to grab me before I could even reach the door, but it turns out that he was just as surprised as I was to hear the front door opening. I could see it on his face. He was not only surprised, but shocked. That means he didn't expect anyone to follow him here, and that also means this could be my chance to escape.
Even though I don't know if that's what I truly want anymore.
I'm taking the stairs two steps at a time, flying up the stairs so fast that I almost end up running into the wall opposite them when I finally reach the first floor.
I turn to the front door, and am met with the face of a tall man with equally dark eyes as my master's. He looks to be a few years older, and his hair looks very different. It‘s a lighter color and already beginning to turn gray at the temples. He's not quite as handsome as the man who's held me captive for the past few weeks, but the similarities are enough for me to believe that I'm standing in front of my master's brother.
"What the fuck!" the man exclaims when he sees me appear in front of him.
His reaction makes me remember something that I didn't take into account when I fled up here. I didn't even think about my appearance. I totally forgot about the collar, the leash, and the fact that I'm barely dressed. I look like a sex slave, even to the untrained eye.
My master closed in on me rather quickly. He emerges right next to me just a moment after I reach the first floor, his hand closing tightly around my upper arm as he pulls me close to him. I let it happen, but my eyes are fixated on the stranger who walked into the house.
"He...," I stammer, unable to finish the word.
Help me. That's what I should be saying. He's kidnapped me, and I've been locked up in dungeon basement for the past three weeks. Help me get out of here.
But the words don't come out of my mouth. For whatever reason, I can't get myself to say them.
"What the hell are you doing here?" my master barks at the man, still holding me in a tight grip.
The man's facial expression changes into a sinister smile.
"Holy shit, Loran," he says, as he slowly approaches us. "What have we here?"
He's pretty tall, but not as tall as the man who's been my world for the past three weeks.
The man whose name I just heard for the very first time.
"Loran," I whisper absently, detaching my eyes from the intruder to look at him instead.
His face is tense. He's pressing his lips together, and he's evading my eyes, staring instead at the man who's coming closer to us. His expression is full of hate and anger.
"What's this, Loran?" the guy asks, and now I'm looking at him with a similar expression. He's referring to me as if I was an item, not a person.
"Another little slave you have chained up in here?" he adds, his eyes flickering wickedly.
Despite not being the target of his threatening glare, I find myself worrying. Worrying for my safety just as much as his - Loran's.
The guy stops right in front of us, my master's hand still closed around my upper arm and holding me close, as if he was afraid to lose me, while the guy continues glaring at us. His eyes move back and forth between the two of us, until they rest on me. His eyes narrow to evil little slits, and he hisses, "Who are you? What's your story?"
"Leave her out of this," Loran growls.
"Leave her out of what?" the guy asks, jutting his chin forward as if to challenge him. "If I'm not mistaken, she was the one who just fled up the stairs and straight into my arms in search for help?"
He pauses and turns to me. "Ain't that right, sweetheart?"
A cold shiver of loathing is running down my spine. I can feel both their eyes on me, but Loran's are the ones I choose to look at. He looks tense and apprehensive, and for good reason. This is my chance, this is why I ran up here, this is what I've been waiting for, for weeks.
Then why am I not saying anything? Why am I standing here, biting my lower lip and struggling to say a word, any word.
"Hey, girl, it's okay," the intruder says, touching my shoulder. "You can tell me."
I jerk back from his touch. It feels so much more like a violation than Loran's hand ever did.
"Fuck girl, I can help you, save you from this maniac," the guy says, withdrawing his hand and holding it up in defense. "I know what kind of sick bastard he is. Whatever he did to you - you're safe now. You can tell me."
My lips part, but the words don't come out. I don't know what I'm doing. I've never been this torn before. There's a voice inside me, a voice of reason screaming for me not to be an idiot. A voice that knows the sane thing to do would be to tell him the truth, to do what I came up here to do, to call for help, to let him know what's been going on here - to take this damn chance I thought I've been waiting for all along.
But every time I decide to do that, it feels like a clamp closes around my throat. I can't bring myself to say it. I can't bring myself to betray the man standing next to me. My master.
I can feel his grip around my arm loosening, and my heart sinks. Is he giving me up? Is he surrendering?
"No."
It's the first word I've spoken since I came up here, and as it escapes my mouth, both men look at me with a similar expression of surprise, and I no longer doubt their relationship.
"You're his brother," I say in a shaking voice.
He nods. "Yes, girl, but who are-"
"Loran has told me a lot about you," I continue. My heart is wrapped in comforting warmth when I say his name for the first time. Loran. An uncommon name for an uncommon man.
"But he didn't tell me that you were coming to visit today," I add. "I must say, I'm a little...surprised."
I free myself of my master's grip, pointedly trying to cover myself up by crossing arms in front of my chest. Loran lets go of me without resistance. Even without looking at him, I can tell that his eyes are locked on me in confusion.
"This is my brother, Joel," Loran says. "He has a tendency to show up when he's not invited."
His brother glares at him.
"You fucking sick bastard," he snarls. "What did you do to this girl?"
"Nothing... none of your business," I utter, trying to appear more confident than I'm actually feeling at this moment.
"Oh yeah?" Joel hisses at me. "What the hell is this then?!"
I gasp when he reaches for the leash and yanks on it so hard that I'm forced to step forward, choked by the collar around my throat.
Loran steps in within a split second, taking hold of the leash and tearing it from his brother's hand before he deals a blow against his chest, pushing him about two feet away from us.
"Don't fucking touch her!"
He turns around to me then, his eyes laced with concern. "Are you alright?"
I reach up to my throat, coughing and nodding, while I raise my hand in an appeasing gesture.
"Yes, I'm fine."
My eyes dart over to Joel, narrowing as I fixate on him. "But I'd like for him to leave."
Joel gasps with indignation and makes a move to step forward in protest, but Loran holds him back by raising his hand and stepping in front of me.
"You heard what she said," he hisses at his brother. "You're neither needed nor welcome here."
His brother stares coldly at him. I don't know the whole story, but I'm sure that he doesn't believe either of us and would have been all too happy to secure me from Loran's hands, if only to have something to use against his brother.
I'm not going to let that happen. That's not how I want this to end.
"You're fucking sick, kiddo," Joel bellows at me. "Whatever he did to you - you're fucking sick and wrong for not ratting this asshole out!"
"Get out!" Loran yells at him. "You had no business following me here, and you have no business being here. If you're not out within ten seconds, I'm going to call the police!"
Jack stares at him in angry disbelief. "You fucking wouldn't..."
"Yes!" Loran exclaims. "Yes, I fucking would."
A few moments of unpleasant silence follows their heated exchange, but then Joel finally turns and heads out the door.
Chapter 31
Loran
I'm holding my breath almost the entire time from when I close the door behind my brother until the moment I see his car driving away.
I'm standing in the doorway, my eyes glued on the back of his car as it becomes smaller in the distance, and I don't move until he's completely out of my sight. Even then, I need a few more moments before I can turn around and walk back inside. I move slowly and deliberately, unsure what to make of what just happened.
Ruby, my toy, my captive, is standing in the living room, shaken from the events, but standing tall and strong, the leash dangling down between her breasts as she looks up at me. She looks scared and proud at the same time, a blend of emotions that I've never seen on anyone's face before.
"I'm sorry for that," I say, knowing that it's not exactly the right thing to say at this moment.
But what would be the right thing? I can't even fathom what just happened. I can't believe that my brother followed me home, and it bothers the hell out of me that I don't know why he did it in the first place. Was he planning to harm me? We didn't part on good terms this afternoon. He kept yelling threats at me, and I walked out on him. I ended our conversation rather abruptly, and maybe he just followed me here to finish talking.
I'm shocked at the thought, but there's also a chance that he had an entirely different motivation. We never did get along, but unlike him, I've never considered physically harming him.
Or maybe he just came here because he was sure he‘d find some dirt on me. It may have been stupid of me to be so defensive every time he asked me questions about my current life, whereabouts, relationships. I have been rather absent, for obvious reasons, and he's not the only one who noticed. I've ignored his calls the past two weeks, and when he tried to reach me at my office, he was told that I wasn’t scheduled to be in. It‘s the fucking privilege of being the boss to plan your own schedule, but he was suspicious, poking and probing around to uncover what I'd been up to, in which one of my houses I was currently staying.
And I was too preoccupied with Ruby to notice his car was following me when I left the city. What an idiot I was.
Seeing her run up the stairs, screaming for help, that was just what he needed for validation to make his threats real.
But that's not what happened.
Something changed Ruby's mind, and I have to find out what that was.
"You're sorry for what?" she asks, crossing her arms in front her chest as she leans against the back of one of my sofas. It's a stance I've never seen her take before. Powerful and in control. We're alone again, but she knows the tables have turned. Despite what she told him, my brother won't get off my back if I continue behaving the way I have been for the past few weeks. He'll be back, and maybe next time he won't be alone. If that happens, it will be up to her to decide how things end for me. If I ever let it get that far.
I shrug. "I don't even know where to start."
"I just saved your ass," she says. "How about a little thank you for starters?"
She's smiling, a cheeky smile that's characteristic of a brat. I knew she had that in her.
I walk toward her, noticing that she's shaking, even though she's trying very hard to hide it from me. She's breathing heavily, her shoulders rising and falling when I place my hands on them to calm her down. She does relax under my touch, but the tension of the moment is still there.
"Why did you do that?" I ask. "Why didn't you rat me out? You know my brother would have been all too happy to get you out of here and-"
"And put you behind bars," she completes my sentence. "Yes, I kind of sensed that."
"So? Why didn't you take the chance?"
The green of her eyes are dancing like a forest moving in the wind. Her head tilts to the side, a sassy smile playing at the corner of her mouth.
"I wanted to," she says. "That's why I ran upst
airs, that's why I yelled as I was trying to get away from you."
"I know," I retort. "I thought I had lost you."
She nods. "Yes, I thought that, too."
"What changed?"
Ruby lowers her eyes, a somber shadow falling over her face as if she's remembering a sad memory.
"A lot has changed, Loran," she says. My chest tightens when my name escapes her lips. It's always been that one last piece of information that has kept us apart, that one little detail about myself I've never been willing to share, despite sharing so many other things with her. Now that she has that, too, I feel as if there is no longer a way out for me. The power dynamic between us has changed, and she's the one in charge now.
I don't know how I feel about that.
I stroke along her upper arms, my eyes gracing her body, a body I've become so familiar with, yet I feel as if I'm discovering it all anew.
Her eyes wander up to mine, and the expression on her face has changed to one of strong determination.
"I took a leap of faith for us," she says. "Don't you think it's time for you to do the same?"
I nod. "You're right."
She sighs when I let go of her, her eyes following me as I pace around the living room, rubbing at my temples, consumed with heavy and confusing thoughts.
I can't go on like this. I know I can't.
She knows that, too, but I know she's referring to more than that I'm busted.
I could just let her go. I could give her her things back, remove everything connecting her to me, strip her of the things I've done to her, drive her back home to the city, so she can have her her old life back. I could pay her a substantial amount of money to keep her mouth shut, the same amount she would have received if she'd actually completed the assignment with her client. Or more.
That would be the simple and most obvious solution to all of this.
