“Good girl. You’re learning. Maybe tonight you’ll learn to speak kindly the next time a man asks you to submit to him.”
“Yes, Sir.” She forced out the response, hoping to keep him from losing his temper again. She needed to remain calm. Think. Figure out how she was going to get out of this. It was a good sign that he’d spoken of a next time. She didn’t have much hope though. She needed to escape.
Flynn was probably at home in bed by now. She feared she may have pushed him too far this time. Who in their right mind had a tantrum over someone trying to defend them?
Would he even call her tomorrow? Or text? How many days would go by before he checked on her? She was supposed to be planning an event for him, but after her behavior tonight, she feared he might be too angry to even check in on her tomorrow. What if she was hostage to this man for days, or worse, left here for dead?
“Let’s just see what you have in your toy bag that I might use to teach you some manners. Shall we?”
Elizabeth stopped breathing at that announcement. She was in over her head. She needed to find the inner strength to fight. If he started using her own toys on her, she might lose the battle.
Chapter 24
Flynn lost his mind when he pulled into the parking lot of Elizabeth’s hotel and saw the fucking black truck parked near her car. He squealed to a stop right in front of the entrance, not bothering to find a spot or even shut the door to his SUV as he ran toward the glass doors.
A push against them told him what he already knew. They were locked. He needed a keycard to get in. Frantic, he found the night bell to one side of the doors and hit it several times. He could see into the lobby, but no one was behind the desk.
“Come on. Come on.” He hit the button over and over. “Please, God.”
Finally, a woman stuck her head out from behind the desk and then walked slowly toward the doors. She was frowning and didn’t open them. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. Please. For the love of God, open the doors. Someone is holding my girlfriend hostage in her hotel room. Please.”
She stared at him. “Sir, you’re scaring me. I’ve never seen you before. You don’t have a room here. It’s the middle of the night.”
“Please,” he shouted. “I’m telling the truth. You need to let me get to her.”
“I’m going to have to call the cops if you don’t stop screaming at me.”
“Yes,” he shouted. “Call 911. Please. Do it now. This is an emergency.” Seconds were ticking by. That fucker could have killed Elizabeth by now, and Flynn was stuck standing outside scaring the night worker half to death. He tried to calm down. She hadn’t pulled out her phone yet.
“Lady, this is extremely serious.” He pointed over his shoulder. “The man who is holding my girlfriend drove that truck here tonight. I think he means to kill her. For the love of God, call the police and let me get to her.”
Finally, the woman pulled her phone from her back pocket. She watched his face as she dialed 911 and continued to stare at him as she spoke into the phone. He couldn’t hear her as well, but she looked nervous. She nodded several times as if the operator could see her. After what seemed like a decade, she opened the front door.
Flynn rushed through the door. “Thank you. Do you have a master key?” He was running for the stairs. The elevator wouldn’t be fast enough.
She spoke into the phone. “Yes, I let him in. He seems legit. Is someone on the way?”
“Hurry,” Flynn shouted over his shoulder. “A key. Do you have one? If not, I’m going to kick the damn door down on her room.”
The woman was shaking as she pulled a key from her pocket and handed it to him. She was running along behind him, still holding the phone to her ear. “Yes, I disengaged the front door. I don’t know the room number.” She was following him up the stairs now. “Sir, what room is it?”
“Three sixteen,” he shouted as he burst through the door to the third floor and ran down the hallway. He glanced back at her as she struggled to keep up. “Stay back. This man is dangerous. Please. Go meet the police and lead them here. Hurry.”
The woman hesitated and then turned and ran back toward the stairs. The last thing Flynn needed was for someone else to get hurt. He was already out of his mind worrying what he would find when he opened her door. He didn’t need another woman, an innocent bystander, leaning over his shoulder.
Flynn listened for a second at the door before swiping the keycard. He couldn’t hear anything, but the second he shoved through the door, his heart stopped.
Elizabeth was on her knees in front of the fucker from Zodiac. He was swinging a knife in one hand and a flogger in the other hand. He jerked his gaze up as Flynn rushed forward.
“Put the fucking knife down, man,” Flynn ordered as he slowed his approach. He glanced at Elizabeth to make sure she wasn’t badly injured. Her face was swollen and her lip was cut in the corner, a line of blood trickling out. Other than that, she seemed okay. She was alive. She was still dressed in her street clothes. Thank fuck.
He’d gotten here in time. Now he just needed to neutralize this asshole before the cops arrived. He prayed the only weapon the guy had was the knife.
The fucker groaned. “Seriously, dickwad. I figured by the way you acted that you had a thing for this woman. Well, you did a shitty job keeping her in line. She has no manners at all. I’m going to teach her some. Get the fuck out. Find someone else. This one is mine.”
Flynn held both hands up but continued approaching. The man was out of his mind. “You don’t want to hurt anyone, dude. Put the knife down.” He wasn’t sure it would be a good idea to tell the guy the cops were on their way. It might infuriate him.
The guy—Sean was his name—laughed sardonically. “How are you gonna stop me?” He held the knife out toward Flynn. “Get out. This is your last chance. Get the fuck out or I’ll cut you like I’m going to cut this bitch if she doesn’t learn her manners.”
Flynn forced himself to calm down, but he kept approaching. “I hear ya. She’s a handful, but she’s my woman. Not yours. She’ll learn her manners from me. I promise. I’m just getting started with her.” He was making this shit up, and it sounded vile coming from his mouth.
If Elizabeth weren’t in such a dire situation, he was certain she would slap him and tell him to fuck off. She might anyway. And that would be fine. He’d say anything to get this man to stand down. Even things that might infuriate her. All that mattered was keeping her safe, even if the stubborn woman didn’t think she needed any help.
Sean lurched forward, swinging the knife.
Flynn took a step back, holding his hands up. “Dude, I don’t have a weapon. You can put that down. Let’s talk about this. Maybe negotiate a trade. She’s been a pain in my ass from the moment I started training her. I might be willing to let you have her, but you gotta stop swinging that knife at me.”
The guy narrowed his gaze. He glanced at Elizabeth. “Bitch needs to know her place. She’s got a big mouth and a bad attitude.”
Don’t I know it. Flynn loved that about her. Her mouth and her attitude. He loved everything about her actually. Even when she was pissed. He probably should tell her sooner rather than later so she could get over her freak out and start learning to trust him.
Because she was his, and he wasn’t going to leave her. Not even if she pushed him out the door. He was a patient man. She may have been testing him, but he wasn’t about to fucking give up. She was worth it. Big mouth, attitude, and all.
“I hear ya,” Flynn said, deciding to keep the guy engaged in this conversation. Flynn needed to agree with him for as long as it took for someone with a gun to enter the room.
Suddenly, the fucker jumped toward Elizabeth. He grabbed her head and yanked her against his thigh, still on her knees. But what sent the blood draining from Flynn’s face was the knife at her throat. “I’ll manage her just fine. You can leave now.”
Flynn took shallow breaths, trying to decide how to respond
next. A glance at Elizabeth showed she was scared out of her mind. Her eyes were wide with fear and her mouth was open. She stared at Flynn, pleading with him with her gaze. A tear ran down her cheek, and there were dried traces of previous tears. A part of Flynn broke seeing her like this. It didn’t help that he felt certain she’d been through something similar before. Though he suspected that time no one came to rescue her.
Flynn swallowed. He needed to stay in the game here. He took a few steps back, hoping his action would cause this fucker to ease off. He may or may not have any intention of permanently injuring or killing Elizabeth, but in his current state of agitation, he was going to end up cutting her throat.
“Fine. I can leave. But that’s my woman you’re touching. What are you going to give me in return?”
The guy shuffled his feet, seemingly trying to decide how to respond. “I don’t have to give you nothing, man. You didn’t put her in her place, so you’ve forfeited your claim. She’s mine now, and she’s going to learn some lessons tonight.”
Please, God. Where are the fucking cops? Flynn inhaled slowly, trying to remain calm. What he wanted to do was lurch across the room and beat the fuck out of this asshole. He couldn’t risk injuring Elizabeth though.
“You haven’t even restrained her. How are you going to put her in her place if you don’t at least bind her?”
Elizabeth’s eyes went wider. Flynn knew he was probably making her nervous, but he was hoping to get this fucker to release her by diverting his attention.
Flynn pointed at her toy bag that lay closer to him than her captor. “She’s got some amazing rope in there. If I were you, I’d put it to use.” He prayed the guy would take the bait.
“Yeah. Good idea. Thanks for the tip.” This fucker was dumber than a rock. He glanced at Elizabeth and then at the bag. Two seconds later, he released her and took two strides toward the bag.
Flynn wasn’t waiting for the police another second. The moment Sean dipped his head, Flynn rushed forward so fast that the guy never even saw it coming before Flynn chopped his arm down, knocking the knife out of the guy’s hand.
The fucker screamed, grabbing his arm, which might very well have been broken.
“Elizabeth, run,” Flynn yelled as he lifted his other hand to slam a hard right hook into this stupid fucker’s face.
Elizabeth was frozen in her spot, but she finally scrambled to her feet and shuffled as quickly as possible toward the door.
Sean flew to the side, landing on his hip as he hit the floor. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he shouted at Flynn. Dumbest asshole alive.
Flynn kicked the knife farther across the room, prepared to advance on this shithead if he didn’t stay down.
It turned out he didn’t need to because the next words he heard were music to his ears. “Stop. Police!”
Flynn blew out a breath as he backed up, hands in the air. He knew the cops wouldn’t immediately know for sure who their target was. It didn’t take long, however. Elizabeth pointed at her attacker where he lay on the floor holding his wrist. “It’s that guy. He stalked me and then forced me into my own room.” Her voice was surprisingly steady.
Flynn turned toward her and ran across the room, pulling her into his arms and holding her so tight against his chest that she probably couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t about to release her. Not anytime soon.
Thank God she didn’t fight him. She slumped into him, her arms coming around his waist. He felt a few sobs leave her body, but she took a deep breath and regained control. Always so strong. Even in the face of evil.
Chapter 25
Elizabeth lost track of time as the police handcuffed her assailant and removed him from the hotel room. Two more cops showed up and escorted the asshole from the building.
She had no idea how long it took to explain what had happened, glad that Flynn was there to help tell the story. Even though he held her to his side, her body was shaking uncontrollably. Her voice cracked every time she spoke too. Her hand shook where she held an ice pack against her cheek.
Eventually they had given the police every detail they could think of. They had also been informed that Sean matched the description of the man they’d been trying to catch for months. He’d apparently attacked other women too. When the cops finally left, the silence that filled the room rang loudly in Elizabeth’s ears.
Flynn must have sensed the fact that she had run out of steam because he swooped down and lifted her into his arms just as her knees gave out. He carried her to the sofa and sat, holding her in his lap and rocking her gently. He pressed her face into his shoulder. “Elizabeth, I’m so fucking sorry.”
All the emotions she’d held at bay for the last several hours flooded out, causing her to suck in a deep sob and then start ugly crying out of control.
Flynn held her against him, brushing her hair from her face and then grabbing several tissues from the end table. He let her cry, not saying a word. Just holding her. When she was finally able to catch her breath, she wiped her eyes on the tissues and concentrated on inhaling deeply.
He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I should have been here.”
She winced. “What are you talking about? This isn’t your fault.”
He scrunched up his nose. “Yeah, it kinda was. I knew someone was stalking you. I also knew someone had just tried to harass you at the club. I shouldn’t have let my emotions cloud my judgement. I never should have let you walk out the door alone, not with that guy possibly still lurking in the parking lot.”
She shook her head. No way was she going to let Flynn take the blame for one second of this situation. “Stop it,” she demanded, making him raise a brow. “I had all the same information you had. I knew someone might be following me. I also let my own emotions cause me to leave the club recklessly. I wasn’t thinking.” She lowered her face. “It was a stupid move.”
“Hey,” he whispered, threading his fingers in her hair now. “It’s over. He’s gone. He won’t be bothering you again. Sounds like he’s got a long rap sheet.”
“He must have stalked me for a while. Why do you think he chose me?”
Flynn shrugged. “His behavior suggested he was an incel, one of those guys who never dates women because they have huge insecurities, while at the same time blaming all of society, and women in particular, for their own shortcomings.”
“Yeah, he fits that bill.”
“I suspect he’d heard about BDSM clubs, found Zodiac, and then you were the unlucky Domme who walked out the front door last week while he was watching for his next victim. I bet he would’ve attacked you that night if I hadn’t followed him. Instead, he got even more furious and bold enough to come inside the club tonight.”
“Jesus.” She shuddered. It was so fucked up. Her head was pounding now, and she was suddenly so damn tired. She glanced around the room. She needed sleep, but the stupid room unnerved her now. She didn’t think she’d be able to sleep here.
“Come home with me,” Flynn suggested, his voice soft. He ran his hand up and down her back. “I’m not leaving you here. We’ll be more comfortable at my place.”
She nodded. Her brain was racing as she considered everything that had happened and how badly it could have gone if Flynn hadn’t followed her. She had a dozen questions, but her first priority was to get out of this building. “Let me pack a few things.”
“Of course.” He kissed her lips gently and then helped her get to her feet. He even followed her around and stuffed things in an overnight bag. The man was so damn sweet that he grabbed several items from her bathroom while she stared at the vanity. His wits were working far better than hers. “Ready?” he asked as he zipped up her bag.
“Yes.” She put her shoes back on and leaned into his side as they left the room, letting him take her weight. She’d never been more grateful for anyone’s support in her life.
She’d also never given anyone the chance before today.
Chapter 26
Flynn let Eli
zabeth sit in silence on the way to his house. She was exhausted.
When they arrived, she let him lead her to the master bedroom and into the bathroom. She didn’t say a word as he filled his whirlpool tub, testing the water every few seconds. While it filled, he turned toward her and hauled her into his embrace. “You’ll feel better after a soak.” He reached for the hem of her shirt and drew it over her head, grateful that she didn’t fight him.
She helped him by kicking off her shoes and shrugging out of her jeans while he removed her bra. He spun her around next to collect her hair and secure it on top of her head.
Now wasn’t the time to let his arousal take over, so he only permitted himself to look over her body enough to ensure that fucker hadn’t struck her anywhere. Luckily, she didn’t have any bruising or red marks. Except for a swollen lip.
He helped her climb into the tub, and finally let out a long breath of his own when she relaxed into the water with a moan. He dropped onto the vanity chair.
She closed her eyes for a long time, though he knew she wasn’t sleeping. Finally, she opened them and met his gaze. “I need to apologize. I reacted like a total bitch tonight. Earlier I mean. Some ridiculous part of me was trying to keep you at arm’s length. I was afraid other people in the club would figure out I was submitting to you.”
He opened his mouth, but she held up a hand covered with bubbles.
“Let me finish. I’ve been fighting my feelings from the moment we first had sex. And losing the battle.”
He smiled at her, liking where this story was going. Thank God.
She sighed. “After I stormed out of Zodiac, I started to calm down and spent the entire drive home berating myself for my reaction. There’s no excuse, but I want to say I’m sorry. Of course you stepped in when the guy started harassing me. Anyone with decency would have, and you have far more decency than most people.”
Tempting Elizabeth Page 16
