Tower: A Dark Romance Rapunzel Retelling (Ever After)

by Measha Stone

  “Are you going to leave me more clothes? The dresses you brought up are a little tight,” she said.

  He stood from the bed. “No. No clothes.”

  “What?” She sat up.

  He opened the door and grinned back at her. “Naked women are less likely to try to escape.”

  “But you said I could leave the room, that your men will be out there.”

  He nodded. “And they will. You are free to roam the estate, Azalea.”

  She threw a pillow, but the door closed behind him before it reached him.

  He had stuck to his word. He didn’t lock the door. She was free to walk around as much as she wanted.

  Completely naked.

  He’d still found a way to keep her trapped.

  Chapter 8

  Peter found Daniel and Johnny in the Annex. There wouldn’t be another catalog party until Ash returned from his honeymoon, but there were still daily events happening. The girls had appointments and clients to entertain.

  “I want two men stationed on my floor. One of them right outside my bedroom. I want another one at the bottom of the staircase. If Azalea comes down, I want someone with her at all times, and I’m to be notified.” Peter pointed a long finger at Daniel. “And I want someone at the goddamn gate until I have this all situated.”

  “The gate?” Daniel’s eyebrows rose. “Sure, I’ll get Tommy on it. Something happen?”

  Peter ran his hand across the back of his neck. “Azalea was trying to open the gates when I got back from checking in at Tower. If I hadn’t come home when I did, she’d be halfway to town.” The little flash of her hair in the window had given her away in the guard house. If he hadn’t been leaning out of his car to punch in his code, he probably would have missed it. She wouldn’t have had to flick the switch to open the gates; he would have helped her right along.

  “Shit.” Daniel turned to Johnny. “Didn’t you put a man out there?”

  “Yeah, in the gardens. You said she had the run of the house.”

  “I don’t want her off the estate,” Peter stated. He should have informed the men he wanted more guards on her, wanted eyes on her while she was on the grounds. Catching her had been pure luck, but he would be more prepared in the future.

  “What’s happening here?” Peter turned the topic to business. After spending the last half hour with Azalea, his cock needed the distraction.

  “Amber and Annie have play sessions this afternoon, and Aubree’s off duty until you deal with her,” Daniel said.

  Aubree. Right. Peter let out a heavy sigh. Dealing with errant women in the Annex had always given him a thrill. He enjoyed his job as disciplinarian of the house. But at the moment, it seemed more of a chore than a joy.

  “She’ll keep,” Peter said. “What about the other girls? Are we having a slow week? Only two girls have play sessions?”

  “I think some of the others are taking time off. You know, with Ash gone—”

  “Cat’s away so mice play, that shit? Make sure we have enough girls on duty to handle the regulars. The others can take off. But make certain they actually take the time off. I want them listed as off duty, not just declining appointments.” Like any other place of employment, vacation was part of the benefit package, but Peter wouldn’t allow the girls to merely take undocumented days off.

  “You got it.” Johnny nodded.

  “What about Tower?” Daniel asked. “Do any of the girls there want to take a day here?”

  Peter shook his head. “The two businesses stay separate. If they want to, they’ll have to come apply on their own. I won’t shift girls from here to there or there to here.” Peter had opened Tower on his own. It was not a Titon business, and it would remain completely independent of that brand.

  “Are you going there tonight?” Daniel asked.

  “Not sure yet.” Peter didn’t mention it depended completely on the behavior and attitude of the beautiful, naughty blond upstairs in his room. “What did you find out about Santos and Bellatrix?”

  Johnny answered. “Santos is gone. Azalea’s house is empty. The other men who were staying there are gone, too. I think they’re spooked that their boss’s daughter was taken and they didn’t stop it.”

  “I have a few feelers out about Bellatrix. So far, no one’s talking, but if she’s working with any of the families—and from the look of that house and how scared those men were, I’d say she has connections in some pretty high places—we’ll find something,” Daniel added.

  “I want Santos found, and I want him brought here. I have questions for him.” Peter’s jaw ached from the tension the thought of the prick brought to him.

  “We’ll find him,” Daniel promised.

  “Maybe she worked with Samuel. Any chance she would be listed in one of those old records?” Johnny offered.

  Peter shook his head. “What sort of accurate records do you think Samuel kept while he was kidnapping and selling women?”

  “I’m just sayin’, he did keep some records. Maybe she’s in there if she worked with the families in the past. Maybe she worked with him.”

  Not a bad point.

  “The old record books are downstairs. Go through them, and let me know if you find anything. But Samuel used codes, too, so you can play super sleuth for a little while.”

  “No problem.” Johnny grinned. He probably felt more powerful being given a job. Everyone worked their way up the ranks, legit business or not, and the Titon family wasn’t any different. Johnny was making his way.

  “Why’s this woman so interesting to you, anyway?” Daniel probed. “I never even heard of her until the other night when we grabbed her daughter. Which brings me to the second question. Why did we grab Azalea?”

  Peter narrowed his gaze. His motives weren’t up for discussion, and they sure as hell weren’t up for judgment from his men.

  “My reasons are my business. Keeping this place running and safe is your business. Now, get to work.” Peter turned on his heel and made his way back to the main house. He wouldn’t explain his reasoning to the men on any given day, but at the moment, even if he wanted to, he couldn’t. He didn’t understand his actions any more than they did. He knew he had to get Azalea out of that house, and he could feel in his bones something wasn’t right with her mother.

  “Peter?” a soft voice called to him before he reached the door.

  “Aubree. You’re supposed to be in your apartment until I call for you.” He turned to face her. She had both hands clasped in front of her, and her hair had been straightened and laid flat over her shoulders. With a pink tint to her cheeks, she looked almost virginal.

  “I know. It’s just I really need the extra shift at Sampson’s or Delilah’s, and Daniel said I can’t take any work until you’ve—well, until we’ve talked.”

  “You should have considered that before you broke the house rules,” he said, folding his arms over his chest. Showing her any empathy would give her false hope.

  “I’m sorry.” Her shoulders dropped, but her stare remained fixated on his boot.

  “We’ll talk tonight. You’ll be back on the roster tomorrow,” he said in a flat voice, and left her in the hall. Aubree wasn’t a timid woman. He had interviewed her himself, and she’d been outspoken and had a strong resolve. This wouldn’t be the first time he took his belt to her for disobeying a house rule. It probably wouldn’t be the last, either. Why would she not sign out when she went out for the evening? It boggled him why some of the girls would put their asses on the line over such easy-to-follow rules.

  But he already had one female he didn’t quite understand, and he didn’t have time to figure out this puzzle as well. He’d deal with her later.

  Peter walked through the living room and headed for the staircase.

  “Uh, your—well—the girl is in the kitchen.” Jacob stopped him before he went up.

  Peter looked down the corridor leading to the kitchen. “Azalea?”

  “Yeah. She wanted something to ea
t. Tommy said she could roam the house,” he qualified quickly.

  Peter stalked off to the kitchen. She had already proven herself stubborn, but did she really leave his room and stride down to the kitchen naked? How many of the men had seen?

  He threw open the swing door and barged into the kitchen, expecting to see a gloating woman standing in the center of the room with her hand perched on her naked hip.

  “I couldn’t find bread.” Azalea looked up from the kitchen island where she rolled a slice of ham. No smugness. No nudeness, either.

  She’d taken the sheet from his bed and fashioned a toga-style dress.

  Fighting back the lift of his lips, he strolled to the pantry. He slid a panel open and pulled out a loaf of honey-wheat bread.

  “Oh. I didn’t see that.” She slid the rolled ham into her mouth.

  “I remember telling you no clothing.” He pushed the loaf toward her on the island, stepping around it to get a better look at her.

  She shrugged. “This isn’t clothing. This is a sheet.” She rolled another piece of ham, apparently no longer interested in making a sandwich.

  He plucked the meat from her fingers, drawing her gaze to him. “Clever girl.” He ran his thumb over her jawline then down her neck until he reached the sheet.

  Her stare didn’t waver. She wouldn’t pull away from him, no matter how much she wanted to. And he could see that battle in her. She hadn’t learned to mask as much emotion as she thought she had. She liked his touch, but fought against the desire.

  “Are you going to punish me again?” The question was asked in a low, husky tone.

  “Do you want me to?” He searched her eyes while caressing the knot of the sheet on her shoulder. One tug, and he’d have her naked again. Only this time, he wasn’t rushed, he’d enjoy the view for as long as he liked. He’d inspect every curve, every freckle, every inch of her before he allowed her to dress again.

  “You know what I want.” She pressed her shoulders back, trying to put on a brave face.

  “I know what you say you want.” He slipped a digit beneath the sheet, trailing it down from the knot to the top of her breast.

  “I’m not as naive as you think I am. I know what you do for a living. I know how you and your cousin make all your money. You sell sex. You sell women, and when you aren’t doing that, you prey on the weak who come looking for help.”

  Peter paused and dragged his attention from her breasts to her eyes. Her hardening nipples didn’t go unnoticed. Nor her attempt to deflect the moment by switching gears.

  “Not naive, but definitely misinformed. And I’m not discussing family business with you.” He slipped his hand into the sheet until he reached her nipple. Taking it between two fingers, he squeezed.

  She gasped and tried to jerk back. He didn’t let go. She brought her hand up, covering his, trying to draw him away from her.

  “I’m not letting go until I want to,” he said, intensifying his grip. “It would greatly benefit you to learn quickly who is in charge here, who asks the questions, who sets the rules, and who allows whom to come and go. You see, it doesn’t matter what you want, it matters what I want.”

  She winced but stopped her attempt to still him.

  He waited until her shimmering eyes met his. Tears, that didn’t fall, perched on her lids.

  He released her. She quickly sucked in a breath and clamped her arm over her breast. The sting would be short-lived, but it would be intense as the blood rushed back to her pert nipple.

  “If I slip my finger through your pussy lips, will I find them wet?” he asked. She jerked her body farther away from him. He chuckled. “I think I have my answer.”

  “Asshole,” she muttered under her breath, still clutching her chest.

  “Guilty.” He grinned at her. Seeing the mixture of arousal and fear in her eyes made his cock hard. If she were on her knees giving him the same look, he’d probably lose his load.

  “But I didn’t come in here to argue with you.” He sighed, pushing the loaf of bread closer to her and giving her space by walking around the island. “I have to work tonight. You’ll be coming with me.”

  “Why?”

  “Mostly because I want you to, but also, you didn’t get a chance to see much at Tower during your last visit. I thought you might enjoy exploring instead of sitting in my room.” And he wouldn’t be leaving her behind at the house to snoop around for an escape.

  “Will I be going naked?” she shot at him.

  He laughed again. Such fire from a woman who he had no doubt had spent most of her existence being locked away from life.

  “Depends on you.” He said nothing more. Let her figure out what she needed to do in order to get clothing. She didn’t know that there was no fucking way he’d be letting her walk around Tower nude. No one would set their eyes on her naked form until he had a chance to truly see her.

  No one.

  Chapter 9

  The noise of the club didn’t drown out the thudding of Azalea’s heart in her ears. The pounding of the music, the swell of the people dancing, the laughter rising and falling around her kicked up her anxiety.

  She’d been in the middle of all the crowd days before, yet this time, she couldn’t get her heart rate to calm, or her breath to catch.

  Maybe it was the form-fitting black dress with the plunging neckline and nonexistent back that Peter had given her to wear. Or perhaps the way the men all but licked their lips when she walked through the crowd, behind Peter. He’d given some protection—no one would dare mess with him—but once he passed the men, their stares went straight to her. She gripped Peter’s hand harder as they made their way to his office.

  Once they were in the back of the club, out of the crowd, she felt the breath come back to her lungs. Peter paused, turning to her with concern.

  “There’re more people than before,” she said lamely.

  “You don’t like crowds?” he asked, running his thumb over her knuckles. She hadn’t let go of him, and she wasn’t quite ready to.

  “I’m not used to them. The music wasn’t as loud before, either.” She placed her free hand over her chest, trying to gain control over herself again.

  “We reach capacity nearly every night. Maybe tonight’s different for another reason.” He pushed a loose strand of hair from her face.

  She swallowed hard and let go of his hand. His lips curled into a smile, but he didn’t reach for her again.

  “You sure bringing me here was a good idea? I mean, there’s a lot of people. I could ask for help, get lost in the crowd, and slip out onto the street.” All possibilities she’d already run through her head but knew wouldn’t work. He had too many men, and she didn’t know who or where they were.

  “Yeah, there are probably at least a dozen ways for you to get away tonight. But, you won’t. Because you know you’ll be caught, and you know what happens when you get caught.” He reached around her and grabbed her ass. She clenched her teeth together at the soreness, but she would not show him her discomfort.

  After he’d given her the dress along with the order to get ready for a night out, she’d examined her backside in the mirror. Three bruises had already formed on her cheeks. She wasn’t looking to add to them. He had that much right.

  “I think you like beating women,” she shot at him. Getting that handsome confident grin off his face became a priority. Being attracted to him needed to stop, and the more he gave her his half smile, the more that little crease on his left cheek popped up, the more she wanted to have his lips on her again.

  He chuckled at her accusation. “I don’t beat them. But I do enjoy disciplining a naughty submissive. It rights the ship, if you know what I mean.”

  “No. I don’t know what that means,” she argued, knowing exactly what he was talking about. After he’d strapped her and put her to bed, she’d had plenty of time to get her head wrapped around the incident. When she should have been angry and plotting revenge, she had been calm and aroused. The strappin
g had hurt, and she would feel it at least for the rest of the day, but Peter hadn’t been overly cruel. In fact, it was his darkness that drew her to him. The confident way he simply took control and gave her no leniency for what she’d done.

  But she wouldn’t admit any of that to him. No. She may have felt calm settle over her after he strapped her, but she knew it was wrong. She should want him dead for touching her. She should want to kill him herself for the hungry way he kept looking at her.

  She should.

  But she didn’t.

  Peter leaned in closer to her, caressing her cheek. “Such a stubborn girl.” He patted her. “But I know how to deal with that.”

  She forced herself to pull away from his touch, and received a laugh from him for her effort.

  “I need to see to a few things. You have a choice here, Azalea. You can sit in my private box to the left of the main stage and listen to the music and watch the show about to start, or you can sit in my office with me.”

  The change in his voice when he offered the second choice made her believe watching him work would be exactly that. Sitting and watching. Sitting in his private box would give her the ability to see the show, to see how the other couples in the club reacted and played. She’d get to see exactly what she’d wanted to the first night she’d come.

  And he knew it. She could sense it even if he wouldn’t admit to it.

  “I’ll sit in your box,” she answered with a soft tone. He was offering a short olive branch. Very short, considering she still wasn’t able to walk out and go home, but at least he wasn’t shackling her to him.

  “Sergio will be standing by. Anything you need, just ask him.” Peter gestured to the side, and a man stepped out of the shadows. The mammoth from the guard building.

  “I thought you said you keep your business separate from the Titon ones?” she asked, eying the large man walking up to them. If his sheer size didn’t keep people away, his fierce scowl would do the job perfectly fine.