Thank God I got up. Even the humiliation of being dragged after him on my hands and knees, naked, blindfolded, and gagged, had been worth it. It made me remember who I am to him.
And who he is to me.
Stonehart probably thought that making me hide in the room while he had sex would make me jealous or fill me with disgust. It did neither. In fact, it was probably the very reminder I needed of the reality of my situation. It made me understand what I should never have lost sight of: No matter what, I am very much a prisoner.
So, I spend the first free hours I have to my advantage, combing through every inch of the house to try to discover something about its owner. The search comes up empty, of course—just as I expected. But at least now I know with full certainty that there is nothing here for me to find.
Everything important is in his office.
***
The first night that I’m alone, I pick up the army tag and examine it more closely. Stonehart wants me to put it on my collar, presumably as a constant reminder of who my master is. The three scratched letters on the underside do not affect me as much as I thought they would. Perhaps I’m becoming immune to him.
I smile. Stonehart wouldn’t like to know that.
The next morning, I spend an hour in front of the mirror trying to figure out a way to attach it to my collar. That’s what Stonehart asked me to do. I want to have it on before his arrival.
Unfortunately, there is no way to do it, short of gluing it on. And I don’t have any adhesive.
That’s too bad. I wanted to use the army tag as a symbol of defiance. I would wear it proudly without letting it affect me, because it meant that Stonehart’s influence on my psyche was less than he wants.
In the end, I resort to hooking it through a thin silver necklace that I find in my closet, and put it out of mind.
Afterward, I carefully apply the makeup over my cheek to conceal evidence of Stonehart’s slap. My eye is still a little swollen. I can’t do anything about it. I just hope the bruising will fade by Stonehart’s return.
I spend the next day outside. It’s wonderful to be free of the shackles of his home. Stonehart’s property is so huge that I can forget where I am and just lose myself amongst the tall evergreens for hours.
I prefer them to the cliffs. The view of the ocean is something I see every day from the sunroom. The trees are a new and novel environment.
I return to the house when it’s dark and have dinner. Somehow, I still haven’t bumped into Charles once. It’s a little unnerving to know that there is another person here with me—someone I’ve never seen.
That night, when I go to sleep, anticipation thrums through my body like a strummed string. Tomorrow marks Stonehart’s return. Tomorrow is when I begin my real mission of ingratiating myself to him.
Chapter Thirteen
I wake up the next morning with a gasp and jolt upright. The sun is shining brightly through the windows. I overslept!
I hurl myself out of bed and run to the bathroom, cursing my lack of alarm clock. What if Stonehart is already here? What if I slept through his arrival?
I brush my teeth hastily, throw cold water over my face to wake myself up, and am out of there in five minutes flat. I debate taking an extra few moments to get dressed, but think better of it. Stonehart told me last time he’ll treat me like a dog. If he’s going to make me go naked, there’s little point in putting on pretty clothes.
As I hurry down the hall to the main foyer, it strikes me how I can think those thoughts with such complete indifference.
It’s either a mark of immense strength, or wavering sanity.
My heart drops when I hear Stonehart’s voice from the kitchen. He’s talking to Rose.
How long has he been here? I hope not long.
I take a deep breath, forcibly slow my steps, and walk regally into the kitchen.
“Good morning, Jeremy,” I pronounce, giving him my most fawning smile.
Stonehart’s eyes flicker to me. Rose, whose back is turned, looks over her shoulder. Her face is unreadable.
I stand there and keep my lips forced up in that horrendous smile, waiting for a reply.
With absolutely no further acknowledgment, Stonehart looks back at Rose and continues his conversation.
I stand there for a minute, confused. He’s here. Isn’t he going to say anything to me?
After an awkward minute spent on my feet, I go to the table and sit down. I pretend to be as disinterested in him as he is in me. It’s not hard—all he’s discussing is the logistics of his upcoming trip. Nothing juicy, either, just things about how he wants the house kept while he is gone.
I pretend to be fascinated by a small, shiny spot on the table. Stonehart’s voice is calm, soothing, and deep. I didn’t think I’d ever say this, but I missed it.
Eventually, Rose bustles away. I look up, expectantly…
And am utterly let down when, after draining his coffee, Stonehart leaves the room, too.
He didn’t even spare one look at me! He didn’t acknowledge that I’m even here aside from that brief initial glance.
Did I do something wrong? Surely, he did not expect me to greet him on hands and knees?
No, I don’t think that’s it. When I do something wrong, Stonehart is always sure to inform me.
After a moment’s hesitation, I stand up and follow him out. I see his shape disappear around a corner. “Jeremy?” I call out.
Nothing.
I shake my head, hardly believing that I’m trying to seek an audience with him, but being ignored like this rubs me the wrong way. It also makes me cautious: why is he doing it?
I start down the hallway after him. Two-thirds of the way there, I hear his voice boom out again. It sounds like he’s on the phone.
I hover at the entrance to one of the many enormous rooms in the house, waiting. Stonehart is inside, pacing back and forth with his cell pressed to one ear.
He does not look at me.
I step in and perch on a seat, back straight. It occurs to me after a moment that this is exactly the same spot where I first met Esteban.
Funny, that.
Stonehart continues to ignore me while carrying on his conversation. For all the attention he gives me, I might as well be a mannequin.
He stands up. I open my mouth to speak—and clamp it shut again as he strides briskly out of the room. He did not even look at me. Infuriating man!
I do not follow him right away. Maybe this is a test. Why? Of what?
I can’t tell.
Maybe he wants to see how far I’ll go to get his attention. Not far, I think with a sneer. A Stonehart who ignores me is infinitely preferable to a Stonehart who makes me the focus of his day.
Or is that not true? I remember one of his first warnings about what would happen to me if I misbehaved:
I will leave you in the dark.
I shudder. That is one punishment I never want to experience.
I stand up. I’m a little peeved at the reaction I’ve received. I’ve been building up his return in my mind for two days. Being brushed off like this is the definition of anti-climactic.
I walk out of the room, into the long, empty hallway. The house is silent. An uncanny trickle of disquietude runs down my spine. You could hide a body in here and nobody would ever know.
Or hide me, I think, without the least bit of humor.
I start up the stairs toward Stonehart’s room. Maybe he’s unpacking? But he doesn’t strike me like the sort of man to waste time with such trifles. Rose surely does that for him.
Halfway up the stairs, a shadow of movement catches my eye from outside. I glance back, and see a familiar black limousine pulling up to the house.
I’ve ridden inside that limousine before, I think with a grunt, then resume my search for Stonehart.
He’s not in his room. The bed is freshly made and the place is spotless, as usual. I do a small tour of the place, even going so far as to check the surveillance closet, but i
t’s empty.
There’s only one place he can be, then. Well, in truth, with a house this side, there are many places he can be, but only one strikes me as likely right now:
His office.
Sure enough, when I wander into the hallway leading to the secret door, I find the entrance wide open. I walk inside. The door to Stonehart’s office is closed, but I can hear his muffled voice from within.
Having nothing else to do, I cross my arms and lean against the library doorway, waiting.
I stand there for a long time. My left foot starts to fall asleep. I shake it out to regain circulation, sigh, and wait some more.
Stonehart keeps talking inside the office. I can’t make out his words through the thick oak doors, but his voice is unmistakable.
I love that voice. If only it didn’t belong to such a monster—
I stop cold.
Did I really just use the world ‘love’ to describe something about Stonehart?
Another shiver runs through me. I need to be more careful with my thoughts.
After a useless half-hour, boredom starts to kick in. Stonehart can’t just expect me to wait out here forever for him. I give an impatient chuckle. Odds are, he doesn’t even know I am here.
It’s grating to be ignored this way. But, I know a reaction is just what Stonehart is after. Probably. It could be that he’s just busy…
But, no. He made specific mention of having our last encounter before his long trip be ‘memorable.’ He’s going to be gone for fifteen days. It’ll be the longest time we’ve ever spent apart.
Well, it’s not like he’ll have any trouble satisfying his libido, I think bitterly, remembering the screaming secretary. How many women has he been screwing behind my back? Were it not for my restlessness that night, I would have been none the wiser…
Again, I trail off, shaking my head. That is not jealousy creeping in. It can’t be.
I scoff. What do I have to be jealous of? Stonehart can do whatever he damn well pleases with his dick.
I shift on my feet, growing more and more annoyed at the situation. It’s not just the indifference Stonehart showed me today that is galling. If it were only that, I’d have no problem at all.
It’s the path my thoughts keep turning to that has me uncomfortable.
I decide to distract myself with a book. I might as well—the library is right here. Stonehart has made no indication of looking for me so far. I don’t think it’ll be a problem if he finds me there.
But try as I might, I just can’t focus on the words on the page. Anticipation quivers in me like a coiled spring. Why hasn’t Stonehart greeted me? Why haven’t I heard a single thing from him?
A sudden realization hits, and it makes me jerk straight. What if the reason Stonehart is ignoring me is that his big trip is off? What if he doesn’t have any urgency to see me because he’s not going anywhere?
I start to hyperventilate—and then relax. That can’t be the case. I heard him discussing logistics with Rose earlier. I saw his limo waiting for him outside. He wouldn’t go through all that trouble just to throw me off.
He has better ways of doing that.
Without warning, the vapidity of my own thoughts strikes me. It comes as a flash of lightning.
Who am I to Stonehart?
Obviously, nobody. Or at least, nobody important. I’d be an idiot to take it as a slight if he ignores me for a while. He is in charge of one of the most powerful corporations in America. There are clearly going to be more pressing demands on his time than acknowledging the poor little slave girl.
Besides, it’s not like I’m ever going anywhere.
A sudden flood of despair threatens to overwhelm me. I teeter on the edge, taking deep, slow breaths to force it down… and it passes.
Your situation is far from helpless, I remind myself. Things were helpless when you were starving in the sunroom. You got past that, didn’t you?
The reminder gives me a little strength. I did get through it. I faced the worst with Stonehart and came out of it pretty much intact. There’s still the lingering light sensitivity, of course, but it’s getting better. Other than that, I survived without any permanent emotional scars.
I allow myself a smile. Maybe things aren’t so bleak.
The door to Stonehart’s office opens. I jerk my head up. He walks by the open doorway, jaw set, eyes straight ahead.
“Jeremy,” I say, starting to get up. I stop halfway through the process. He gives no response.
I hiss out an annoyed breath and walk to the door. I look down the hallway, but he’s already gone. He definitely heard me say his name. The man isn’t deaf.
Fine, I think. Two can play at this game. He wants to ignore me, does he? Well, nothing says I have to go through any trouble making that harder for him to accomplish.
I won’t ignore him back. That would be madness! But, I don’t have to chase after him, either.
I’ve turned around and started for the armchair again, eyeing the book lying open on the armrest, confident that now I’ll be able to focus on my reading, when Stonehart’s voice stops me short.
“Lilly.”
Speak of the devil. My resolution did not even have time to bud.
I turn toward him. “Hello, Jeremy.”
He does not acknowledge my greeting. Instead, he says, “Follow me.”
I walk after him and am hit by a burst of excitement when he turns into his office. I hesitate on the threshold.
Stonehart goes to sit down behind a magnificent wooden desk—the same one I saw his secretary naked on. Today, however, he has an enormous laptop there, screen facing him.
“I have an urgent conference call with the board,” he announces to nobody in particular. “It began ten minutes ago, but I only need to be present at the end.”
Suddenly his eyes shoot up. Anger darkens his features when he sees me still at the door.
“Dammit, Lilly!” he exclaims, slapping his palm on the desk. “I said to follow me. Come here.”
I swallow, eying the doorway nervously. I notice how tight the collar seems around my neck. He wouldn’t have it active in his office… would he?
Of course he would. Nothing ever stopped Stonehart from doing what he wants. At least, not that I know.
But the growing anger in his eyes seems more of an immediate threat than the potential of a second shock. I prepare myself for the worst, and step inside.
The collar remains inactive.
Tension oozes out of me. But Stonehart’s eyes are still sharp.
He leans back in his chair. His hands move to his belt buckle.
“As I was saying,” he continues, staring off into space about five feet above my head, “I’m late for my conference call. But the whole thing is a waste of time. And I never waste my time.”
His buckle comes undone. “Here, Lilly. Get on your knees. Under the table.” His eyes flash to mine, and there’s very satisfied glimmer there. “Quickly, now.”
Chapter Fourteen
I hurry out of the office, wanting nothing more than a toothbrush and some mouthwash.
I’ve never experienced anything quite as degrading.
As soon as I was on the floor, Stonehart pulled out his dick.
“It’s not going to suck itself,” were the last words he directed at me before turning his attention to the computer screen. A second later, the voices of his board members sprang out from the speakers.
He gave me absolutely no regard. While I was there under him, he spoke to the board in a voice that gave no indication about what was happening.
Again, it was a function of his immense degree of control. He let me be privy to the most intimate—no pun intended—conversation about his company without a care in the world.
If that doesn’t show how little a threat he thinks I am, nothing does.
I gargle in the bathroom, trying to erase the taste of him from my tongue. What made the whole experience worse was my knowing that only a few days before, he�
�d been fucking another woman a foot above where my head was bobbing up and down.
I didn’t think that would affect me, but—surprise—it does. Listening to them having sex while blindfolded was better. Maybe it’s because, back then, my anger served as a buffer between reality and my emotions.
At the very end, to add insult to injury, he shot his load into my mouth with no warning. Then he patted my head, muttered, “Good girl,” and did up his pants.
It was the most demeaning dismissal I’ve ever received.
***
When I come out of the bathroom, thoroughly perturbed, I find a small note left for me on the bed.
I will be gone for fifteen days. When I return, you will greet me with the enthusiasm proper for one in your position.
He didn’t even sign the damn thing!
My moment of indignation quickly passes when I realize what the note means:
Stonehart is gone! He’s actually gone!
Not gone for good, of course. However, two blessed weeks apart is more than I could have ever hoped for. Even better, I have full access to the house and the property. And now that I know that I can go into Stonehart’s office without tripping the collar…
Giddy excitement builds inside and washes away all the bad feelings from earlier. Two weeks. I have two weeks to do whatever I want.
The first order of business is finally making good on the promise I made myself when I signed the contract.
Chapter Fifteen
The very first thing I do, that night, when I’m sure that Stonehart isn’t lurking somewhere in the mansion, is walk up to the doors of his office. I have every intention of going inside. I don’t care if his cameras will catch me doing it. I need information, and what little I can find in the rest of the house is of absolutely no use.
But when I try the door, it’s not my collar that bars me from proceeding further, but something much more antique:
The lock.
I give a disappointed grunt. Did I really expect things to be this easy?
Well, in truth… yes. It’s probably a function of becoming too accustomed to having every single door in the house unlocked.
Uncovering You: The Complete Series (Mega Box Set) Page 28
