“Yep.” She spun around and headed down the hallway, aiming for the locker room. Two seconds later, she disappeared inside.
Flynn’s heart was racing. What the absolute fuck just happened? He couldn’t begin to wrap his mind around this situation. What had he done? Nothing he wouldn’t have done for anyone in her situation. Man or woman. In no universe would Flynn let someone harass a member of Club Zodiac, submissive or dominant. It was against club policy and his own moral conscience.
Now he was furious. Forget worrying about her. Obviously, she could take care of herself. Fine. Let her fucking take care of herself. See if he cared. He spun around and headed back the way he came, making his way back through the main room and into the break room.
After grabbing a bottle of water, he downed half of it and then paced the corner of the room, screaming loudly inside his head. Fine. Forget it. If she wanted to be her own hero all the time, let her. She was a damn lot of work anyway. Why should he care if she ghosted him and refused to discuss anything personal? He didn’t need her. There were plenty of women on the planet who didn’t make him work so damn hard to get their attention.
He was still pacing when Carter came in the room. “Hey, you okay? We kicked that guy out. He won’t be coming back. He won’t be welcome at any other club either as soon as we inform them about what happened.”
Flynn stopped pacing and ran a hand through his hair. “Good. What a jackass.”
“Yeah. Thanks for stepping in. Hopefully he was intimidated enough to think about his actions next time he wants to bully someone.”
“Doubt it. Some dudes were born with no scruples.”
Lincoln showed up next. His brow was furrowed. “Did you talk to Elizabeth? She just rushed out of here with fire on her tail.”
Flynn nodded. “Oh yeah. I spoke to her. Turns out she doesn’t like to be rescued. Not by me anyway.”
Lincoln frowned. “She’s mad at you for sticking up for her?”
Flynn blew out a breath. “I don’t have any idea why she’s mad at me, nor do I care. She can be mad.”
Lincoln glanced at Carter and then narrowed his eyes. “I missed the first part of that exchange, but from what Carter told me, that guy was seriously harassing her.”
“Yep.”
“Okay then.”
“Sorry, Flynn.” Carter winced. “I know you care about her.”
Flynn flinched as though he’d been struck. “Might be best to pretend you don’t know that. I think that’s what pisses her off.”
Lincoln glanced behind them. No one else was in the room. He lowered his voice anyway. “Look, whatever you and Elizabeth have going on privately is your business. Neither Carter nor I will breathe a word to anyone.”
“At this point, I don’t think there’s anything to breathe about. She obviously would prefer some asshole bully her than have me step in and put a stop to it. That’s too crazytown for me. If she’s that stubborn, fine. I got the message loud and clear.”
Lincoln sighed. “You don’t mean that. Maybe just give her some time. I’ve known you long enough to read between the lines here. There’s no way you’re letting her dominate you, which means she’s going through an enormous shift. That has to be unsettling. And you can’t blame her for wanting to keep it quiet. I’d bet my last dollar she wasn’t mad that you stepped in. She was worried that people would notice.”
Flynn inhaled slowly. Lincoln was right.
“Look,” Lincoln continued. “There’s nothing else you can do tonight.”
Flynn glanced at the door, an uneasy feeling suddenly creeping up his spine. “She left right behind that guy. You sure he was gone? He could have continued to harass her in the parking lot.”
Lincoln shook his head. “He was gone. I didn’t come back inside until he was in his truck peeling out of the parking lot.”
All the blood drained from Flynn’s face. He grabbed onto the edge of the table behind him. “What color was the truck?”
“Black. Why?”
Flynn didn’t wait to explain. He took off running for the entrance. He shoved through the waiting area without acknowledging a soul, took the stairs down to the first floor three at a time, and busted outside.
He scanned the parking lot. Her car was gone. So were several other vehicles. Flynn ran toward his SUV, vaulting over the corner of it to get to the driver’s side faster.
“Fuck,” he shouted as he started the engine and put the car in reverse. “Fuck fuck fuck.” He was furious with himself for letting anger cloud his common sense. There was always a chance the asshole who’d just harassed her wasn’t the same guy who followed her home last week, but Flynn’s gut told him otherwise.
He drove too fast, taking every corner with a squeal. He didn’t even care if he picked up a cop. Even better. He didn’t have time to grab his phone and call 911. That would waste precious seconds. He needed to get to her as fast as possible.
If that asshole laid a single hand on her, Flynn was going to kill him with his bare hands.
Chapter 23
Elizabeth was fuming during the entire drive to her extended-stay. She started out infuriated with Flynn, cussing at him out loud in her car. How dare he interfere? She’d had everything under control. She didn’t need him to fucking rescue her like some damsel in distress. How was his action any different from the guy trying to get her to submit to him?
She pinched the bridge of her nose when she came to a light, breathing heavily as if she had run to this light instead of driving. She replayed the scene in her head, recalling how that asshole had tried to cajole her before Carter stepped in. Carter had been the first to arrive. Understandable. That was his job. He was the dungeon monitor tonight.
And then Flynn had stepped in… Damn him. Why did he have to get involved? Carter had it. All Flynn did was cause everyone to turn their attention toward the commotion. How the hell was she supposed to hide that she switched for Flynn if he went all Alpha on her in front of the entire fucking club?
She drove home on autopilot, paying no attention to anything as she recalled everything that had happened. Dammit. He’d done exactly what anyone would have done. Dammit. By the time she got to the parking lot, she knew she’d overreacted. What had she wanted him to do? Watch while some asshole harassed her? He would never do that. And to thank him, she’d yelled at him and stomped from the club.
Because she was scared. Scared out of her mind about how much he meant to her and what would happen if she let her shield down and let him in. Not to mention what it would mean for her to let him dominate her at the club. Let other people know they were a couple.
Were they? A couple? She parked the car and leaned her forehead on her folded arms on the steering wheel.
She was pretty sure he thought so, or at least hoped so. She was the one being stubborn. Not him. He’d been nothing but patient for three days since she’d kicked him out of her studio apartment after the best sex of her life.
Scared. That’s exactly what she was. Then and now. Scared to face her feelings and let someone in. He’d proven over and over that he would take extra care with her feelings. He’d let her have her space. He hadn’t pressured her in any way. Hell, he’d let her handle an event for his business without questioning her a single time.
Flynn was one of the good guys. She didn’t think the world had very many. She needed to stop being a bitch and let him in. That is if he still wanted her after the way she’d acted both tonight and for the last few days.
It was late. He’d probably gone home by now. She considered texting him, and then decided it might be better to wait until morning. She was tired, and she wanted her head on straight when she next faced him.
Finally, she climbed from the car, grabbed her bag from the back seat, and trudged toward the entrance to the building. She kept her gaze down as she entered, feeling the weight of the world on her shoulders. It wasn’t until she was in the elevator and someone reached in to hold the door that she lifted her gaze.
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Her breath caught in her lungs as the asshole from Zodiac stepped inside just as the doors closed. She opened her mouth to scream, but he lurched forward and slammed his hand over her mouth. Even though he was shorter than her, he was strong, and he hauled her back against his chest.
She started to flail, but he held up a knife, letting her see it in front of her face before placing the sharp blade to her throat. “Listen, bitch. Here’s how this is going to go down.” His voice was deep. Menacing. Spittle hit her face every time he spoke. His breath was disgusting. So foul, she had to hold her breath a moment or risk vomiting.
Elizabeth had never been so scared in her life. Not even when Master Phil had tied her down, gagged her, and taken a whip to her. Phil had not kidnapped her against her will. She had gone willingly into his care, trusting him, letting him tie her up before realizing he had turned on her.
Both men were fucking assholes who had no idea what it meant to be a Dom, but this situation was different. As the elevator doors opened, she glanced around, praying someone else might be in the hallway. But it was late. Too late. The place was silent.
As this asshole dragged her down the hall right to her door, her panic rose. How the fuck did he know which room was hers? Suddenly, it all clicked into place. This was the guy who’d followed her that night. He’d been watching her ever since or possibly even before. It wouldn’t be hard to figure out which room was hers if he staked her out from the parking lot.
Fuck. Why hadn’t she paid closer attention? She’d promised Flynn she would watch her surroundings. He’d been worried. From the moment this fucker had followed her home, he’d been worried. And she’d been so consumed with keeping Flynn at arm’s length that she’d failed to pay attention tonight. Stupid mistake.
Think, dammit, think. She knew a lot of self-defense moves, but none of them came to mind now that she was in a dangerous situation. If she tried to kick him or knee him in the groin, she would end up with her throat slit.
No. The best thing would be to try to remain calm, maybe even pretend she liked this sort of thing. This guy obviously got off on submissive women. She could fake it. Kneel before him. Yes. This might work. Until she got her chance. And then she would run like the devil.
This bastard, Master Sean, he called himself—what a joke—pulled her keycard from her back pocket, and easily opened her door, still holding on to her mouth as the door shut. He pulled her bag from her shoulder and dropped it on the floor. “Glad you brought me some toys. We’re going to have some fun, aren’t we?” He cackled, making her skin crawl as he dragged her across the room toward the small table.
She was incredibly glad she’d changed out of her mini-skirt and revealing blouse into jeans and a T-shirt. At least it would be harder for him to assault her.
She grabbed on to his hand at her mouth, trying to pull it away. He was threatening her airway with his thumb against her nose. The knife came back to her throat. “Stop fighting me, bitch. You know you want this. All women want to be dominated. It’s in your nature. It’ll go much better for you if you stop fighting me.” His words rumbled against her ear.
She thought about it for two seconds, knowing what she needed to do. The only way she was going to get out of this alive was to pretend he was right. That she liked this. She nodded and let her body relax in his grip. She forced herself to assume as submissive of a pose as possible, tipping her face down while lowering her hands and clasping them at her back.
Please, God, don’t let him tie me up. If he restrained her, she might have a stroke.
The guy flinched, his breath hitching before he chuckled. “That’s a good girl. See? That’s not hard, is it?”
She shook her head slightly, bile rising in her throat at the endearment. Visions of Master Phil circling her while repeatedly telling her she was a good girl made her vision swim.
“Good girl,” he repeated. “If I remove my hand from your mouth, are you going to scream?”
She shook her head again, worried more about the damn knife he was still pressing against her throat.
“Do you realize how fast I could slit your throat if you do anything to piss me off?”
She nodded, fear climbing up her spine. Somehow she was more worried about pulling off her fake submission than fighting him. It was a gamble. She wasn’t sure she was that good of an actress, especially under duress.
“Good. I’m going to let you go, and you’re going to kneel in front of me like a good girl. Hands behind your back. Knees wide. Face tipped to the floor.”
She whimpered, unable to stop herself.
He chuckled. “It’s okay to be scared. I like it. It makes my cock hard when a pretty lady like yourself submits to me. If you tremble under my command, all the better. You need to be taught a lesson. Fucking bitches like you think you own the world. Think you’re the ones in charge. Well, you’re not. You’re a goddamn woman. You’re nothing. You bitches don’t get to choose who you play with or dictate the events. You need to humble yourself. I’ll put you in your place. Right now.” He leaned his face in closer and whispered, “I bet your fear will make you very wet for me, won’t it?”
She swallowed past the lump in her throat, drawing in shallow breaths. A tear slid out. She couldn’t stop it. She nodded.
In no world would any woman be aroused by this fucking monster, but if he wanted to believe that, she would do anything to save her life. She prayed to God she didn’t end up having to endure his disgusting cock, but if it kept her alive, she would do that too.
Finally, the guy eased his tight grip from her mouth, holding the knife in front of her face to remind her that she’d better not try anything.
She wouldn’t. Not yet. Not until she was certain she could escape him. Oh, Flynn. I’m so sorry. Sorry I didn’t listen to you. Sorry I wasn’t paying attention. Sorry for so many things. She prayed she would get the chance to tell him eventually.
“On your knees, girl. Now.”
She dropped to her knees, wishing she could appear calmer than she was. If she were half as strong a woman as she tried to convince the world she was, she wouldn’t be so scared she was about to cry. She couldn’t stop the trembling as she clasped her hands behind her back. She tried to shake her doubts away. This isn’t your fault. You’re strong. Fight. At least she didn’t have to look him in the eye. She would never get away with this charade if he could read her face.
“Nice.” He took a step back, still waving the fucking knife. “Doesn’t that feel better? Your true nature is to submit. All women are born that way. It must be exhausting pretending otherwise. Strutting around acting like you get to pick who you fuck.” He leaned in closer again, his spit hitting her face. “Well, you don’t. You’ll do what you’re told and take what you deserve.”
She shivered, unable to stop the reaction.
He shuffled back and forth from one foot to the other in front of her. “I don’t know why so many of you bitches think you’re better than us men. Better than me. The world has gone mad with all your feminism. It’s out of control. You need to learn a lesson. Don’t you, girl?”
She bit the inside of her cheek, hoping she wouldn’t be required to answer.
He reached out and slapped her face so fast and so hard that she fell to the side, instinctively reaching out to brace her fall with her hand. The breath was knocked out of her, and her heart was pounding. She was in way over her head.
“Get back on your knees, bitch,” he growled. “And apologize for your insolence.”
She slowly righted herself.
He kicked her leg. “Faster, bitch.”
She jerked the rest of the way to her knees. This man was unhinged in a way that scared her to death. For the first time, she thought she might not make it out of this alive. “Sorry, Sir,” she forced herself to murmur.
Bile rose in her throat again as her predicament suddenly felt more dire. She wasn’t sure she had the strength to endure this. Her faith was waning.
Flynn fla
shed into her mind again. She’d been so mean to him. Not just tonight or this week but for years. He was a good guy. He obviously liked her enough to take her shit and keep trying. And she’d been nothing but a total bitch toward him. Maybe she was the bitch this fucker kept telling her she was.
If he killed her, she would never get the chance to tell Flynn how sorry she was. He would never know how much he meant to her. If she hadn’t been so damn stubborn, this never would’ve happened. She could’ve wrapped her arms around him after he confronted this bastard, kissed him all over, and then let him dominate her the way she craved.
They could have gotten a private room, or hell, she could’ve let her obstinate side go and submitted to him right in the main room. No one would judge her. No one would even care that she was a switch. Why did it have to be a damn secret that she enjoyed submitting to Flynn? It didn’t make her less of a person. She should know that. Submissives were nearly always strong people. It took a lot of courage to turn over one’s power to someone else. It took grit. Elizabeth certainly had grit. She’d just chosen to spend the last twelve years proving to herself and everyone around her that she was not to be fucked with.
She had done so to protect herself from ever getting hurt again. If she didn’t let anyone in and trust anyone with her heart, she couldn’t get hurt. Except that was no way to live because she was lonely. And more importantly, it didn’t work. Even with her hardened heart and fierce determination she’d ended up in this dangerous situation.
No matter how strong-willed she was, she was no match for a madman with a knife. A very angry asshole who apparently wanted to punish her for the sins of every woman he’d ever met.
Sadness slipped in, making her fight against the tears.
She was going to be violated and probably killed tonight all because she was stubborn.
“Knees wider, bitch,” he shouted.
She jumped in her spot, yanked from her thoughts. The floor was hard under her knees, making her wince as she parted them a few inches.
Tempting Elizabeth Page 15
