24690 (6 page)

Chapter 10

24690

Every step, every pull of my muscles, my body was screaming through the soreness. Bram had stayed true to his word, retrieving me the first night and the next morning. He was insatiable, continuously returning at odd times throughout the day. It wasn’t that I had to care about my roommate anymore. She was removed shortly after his first nightly visit, but it was the guards I worried about. They were looking at me differently. I didn’t like it.

“Faster, slave.”

I clasped my hands as I picked up the pace behind Bram. It had been five days since our first sexual encounter and even now, I couldn’t process what was happening. What did I feel for him? There was something. There always had been. Sure, he scared me, but I couldn’t dismiss the times I’d seen his tenderness. He’d helped me more than once over the years. Even now, I prayed he was saving me from some disaster only he knew was coming.

“Slave.”

The growled threat had me practically running to stay close. I didn’t like these constant visits. There were eyes everywhere. Every door we passed housed Masters. Every entrance into a new hall presented a guard. I had to say something … but what?
Sorry, Mr. Whitlock, I can’t see you anymore?
I couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t listen even if I did. And did I want to stop seeing him?

No.

Bram’s quarters came within view and I kept my head down as we neared the entrance. The moment he had the lock undone, he swept me inside and pulled me up to straddle him. The hunger that met my lips, my tongue, was one I couldn’t help but return. Damn this situation and the bastard he portrayed himself to be. In these moments, I saw the real him. The one he tried so hard to hide away.

“Did they do as I instructed?”

“You know they did,” I said, between kissing him. “I know you watched. I know you smell it on me.”

“Of course I
watched
. Do you think I trust those bastards in the shower room with you?”

Fingers wove through my hair, pulling my head back as Bram bit and sucked against the side of my neck. My back arched and I blindly pulled, loosening his tie. He let go and I dove back for his mouth. I barely got to taste him before I broke away gasping. Two fingers slid in deep, nearly taking my breath away. A moan poured from me as I went back to slide my tongue against his.

The grip around my waist tightened while he thrust in a slow pace. In all the times my old master had my body, it had never been like this. Not even close. There was no passion or lust. I knew my duty and I tried to make him happy by doing it. Here … Bram was introducing me to a world of sensations I’d never experienced before.

“I knew the scent would be a good match for your skin. I could already smell you all over my bed … on me. Now I’m going to smell this new you in its place. It’s stronger and will last longer. You’ll be here even when you’re not. And the same will go for you. From now on, you wear this. Every day. Even if you aren’t expecting me. This is me on you—with you. You’ll never be alone.”

I drew back, seeing his brow crease. Whatever he was thinking he wouldn’t say.

“Just wear it,” he said, angrily.

A smile wanted to come at the withdraw of his tenderness, but I knew better than to make it obvious. He was trying to fight what he felt so hard.

“I’ll wear it every day.”

The fingers that had stilled inside of me slowly began to move again. I rested my cheek against his, bringing my other hand up to cup his rough cheek. The combination of my arousal combined with the stubble electrified the pleasure. He hadn’t shaved today … or yesterday for that matter. I loved the darkening on his cheeks and how rugged it made him look.
And the feel
. God, I’d felt it everywhere only hours ago.

“I will wear it every day and I will think of you—of this right here.” I moaned, rocking my hips. “Will you think of these moments when you think of me?”

The thrusting increased while he bit into my shoulder. Instead of answering, he lowered us to the bed. My dress was pulled off almost instantly. Without anything underneath like he instructed, I was already ready for him.

“So smooth.” His fingertips rubbed over my shaved folds, circling around to dip back into my entrance. As the thrusts continued, he jerked at the buttons of his shirt, removing it. I watched, half eager to help, half savoring every inch of his skin that became exposed. His body was like nothing I’d ever seen. The hard muscle of his chest and shoulders, down to his defined abs, left me tracing the lines and dips long after we finished. It also usually led to him having me again before he returned me to my cell.

I bit my bottom lip, gripping into the comforter as he rotated his shoulder to push even deeper. My legs spread wide on instinct and I rocked down to meet him. His eyes darted from where he thrust, to my face, and the sound that left him made me even more impatient. He was always watching my every expression.

“Master?”

“No.” He gave a hard shake, denying my need of him as I reached out. It was followed by his other hand rising so that his thumb could tease my clit. It didn’t take long before my head went back and forth. I was on fire. He always seemed to manage that.

“Do you see how wet you get when I touch you?” He leaned down kissing and nipping at my knee. When he continued to move his lips up thigh, the answer wouldn’t stop coming.

“Yes … Yes …”

He paused, looking up, and smiling. The beauty of the man I was suddenly staring at left me in awe. It was as if I was looking at a complete stranger. One I couldn’t help but want to gravitate toward.

“Yes, you see, or yes you want to me continue?”

“Both,” I forced out. “Don’t stop.”.

The smile disappeared as he went back to kissing. The sadness that came with that was an odd emotion. I was beginning to more than like Bram. I wasn’t sure what I felt, but I knew it was something I’d never gone through before. When we were together I was swept away, but alone … I was scared of these feelings. I missed him more than I should. And the trust, the connection I felt to a man who I feared before this, rattled me. I was so confused.

Suction replaced his thumb and my head shot up as pleasure exploded through me. Faster, I moved underneath him. With his digits still working magic inside of me, I knew it wasn’t going to be long before my orgasm came. He talked about teaching me to control the need, but I had no idea how I was supposed to do that. I’d only just learned what it was to have an orgasm. My Master never lasted long enough. To stop what was coming seemed impossible.

“Master.
Master
.”

“Mm-mmm”

I jumped at the vibrations that nearly triggered me. But he didn’t stop humming. My legs jerked wildly and I screamed as my release surged through. I knew I was going to get punished, but I couldn’t help it.
He did it on purpose.

“I think you’re incapable of following orders. Do you do it just to spite me?”

Bram’s fingers removed, only to be replaced by his tongue.

“No, Master. I tried to tell you. I—”

My voice was cut off as he pressed his fingertips over the top of my slit. The motion of back and forth left my legs pushing down into the bed.

“Keep going,” he said, lifting his head. “I didn’t tell you to stop.”

“I …” Faster his hand moved over the sensitive nerves, stalling my train of thought. “I … told you. I’m trying to last longer. Or … get better.”

Was that what I was trying to say? I didn’t even know. His head was up again, resting against the inside of my knee while he watched me. If I didn’t know better, I’d assume he was amused, but it was hard to tell with how closed off he tried to keep himself.

“Will you kiss me now?”

“Kiss you? Did I not just kiss you enough?”

“Not there. On my lips.”

“Slaves shouldn’t get kissed like that.”

No hardness came to his features, just the same soft look as he stared at me.

“So don’t kiss me. Let me kiss you.”

His lips tugged back on one side and he rose, settling his weight on top of me.

“Kiss away, slave, but don’t expect me to return your affection. I’m not so easily swayed.”

I smiled, grabbing his cheeks and sliding my tongue over the separation of his mouth. My legs locked around his waist and I moved against him while I let my teeth pull at his bottom lip. A deep exhale left him and he opened for me. I took my time letting my tongue sweep along his. He didn’t kiss me back, instead he gave me the time to do as I pleased. When I added suction and sucked against his tongue, he dove forward, not able to hold off any longer.

My fingers slid through his hair, tightening like his always did to mine. There was power in my grasp. Power I couldn’t get enough of. My thighs tightened around his waist and I broke from his mouth, still holding on. Deep breaths left us and there was something I’d never seen before in Bram’s eyes—enthrallment? Yes. I pulled him back to me, kissing him hard, mirroring his actions to me. I was flipped onto my stomach so fast, the room spun in a blur. Bram jerked against the clasp of his pants, pushing them down at a fast pace.

Whack! Whack!

The fire that flared over my ass had a yelp exploding from my mouth.

“Your bravery grows. You get too comfortable taking control.”

“You like it,” I countered.

Whack!

Tears burned my eyes, but I didn’t care. I slid my knees to my stomach, keeping my head down so my ass would be in the air like he liked. But I never broke eye contact, and Bram wasn’t either.

“You like it,” I said, again, quietly. “Admit it.”

Whack!

I cringed through the pain and anger quickly flooded me. The top of my body lifted so I was on all fours. Bram’s head cocked to the side and I couldn’t help myself from turning and crawling toward him. The power I’d experienced was still there, still luring me into a personality I’d never been allowed to test out. Temptation was all too sweet, especially when I knew how much my master wanted it.

Slowly, I moved in, brushing my lips back over his. Fingers pushed through my hair, gripping tightly as he held me even with his face. His eyes pierced mine so full of dominance that my inner self wanted to scramble to get away. But I didn’t. I didn’t so much as blink.

“Lay down,” I whispered, trying to move back in to his lips. “Let me be on top this time. Let me pleasure you the way I want to.”

For seconds he searched my face. When my palm settled over his chest and I applied pressure, he didn’t fight me. The hold on my hair eased, disappearing as he let go and cautiously laid on his back. I didn’t push my luck anywhere else. I lowered, tracing my tongue over the head of his cock, letting the connection of our eyes, hold. Bram’s chest rose while his breathing became labored. My lips encased the tip while my tongue swirled around the bottom side of his length. The moan that left him fed me more of that addicting feeling.
That power.

Inch by inch I took him into my mouth, licking, sucking, stroking. I put everything I had into trying to make it feel amazing for him. The more ragged his breaths became, the more I knew it was working. My master’s fingers were back in my hair, but not as a form of control. His hand followed me down, repeatedly. When I withdrew and straddled his cock, Bram was the stranger again. He was beautiful.

Thickness stretched my channel and I eased down, taking him within me. His hands rose and before he could place them on my hips like he had intended, I interlaced our fingers, holding them between us as I began to move against him. The pained expression, the longing … he couldn’t hide what he felt in his moment.
In our moment
.

I rotated my hips, moaning as I took all of him deep inside of me. Bram jerked against our hold, sitting as he did so. His arms were suddenly around me, working me up and down his cock as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. The passion we shared left me euphoric. Everything disappeared but the two of us. We kept it slow—increased our speed—went back to leisurely, to take our time. Hours seemed to pass and I never wanted our moment to end.

Sweat covered our bodies, but I didn’t care. I continued sucking against the salty junction of Bram’s neck. Another orgasm was on the verge of coming and I could feel him swelling inside of me.

“You’ll stay with me, tonight. You’ll sleep with me so I can hold you like this. I don’t ever want to let you go.”

And with those words, I let myself shatter. My body shook with spasms and my heart swelled to heights I never imagined. True to his words, I became ruined for anyone else. I wasn’t a slave in our moment.
I was his.

Chapter 11

Bram

Had I loved her before when she wasn’t mine? The amount didn’t seem comparable to what I felt now. Twenty-four-six-ninety left me enchanted with her presence. I couldn’t imagine being without her. And soon I would. Soon, she might belong to West, and he’d have this part of her. He’d love her, just as I did. And her, she would come to love him too. Who wouldn’t? West was gentler than I was. He wouldn’t talk down to her. He’d make her feel like a queen, not a slave.

I blinked through the heaviness of my lids, staring into her sleeping face. Such peace for someone who had been through real hell. The bruising was fading, but I saw no discoloration when I looked at her. Only the beauty I had witnessed from the beginning. God, I loved her. I love her more than what was fathomable. How was I going to release her to another man? I knew I should have never of taken her this way. What had I been thinking?

As if my slave could feel my eyes on her, she stirred, reaching up to hold at my neck. My arms were still wrapped around her. I doubted they left her during our few hours of sleep. And the sleep …
fuck
. I’d never slept so deeply. Her love worked miracles to the man I had been.

I leaned forward, brushing my lips over hers. Light blue was almost lavender as she peered up at me for the smallest moment. Sleep took her again and I almost wanted to kiss her harder so she’d wake. But if I did that, we’d be up, and I didn’t want this to end. I never wanted it to end.

The grip tightened on my neck while she snuggled into my chest. How could a heart feel so much emotion? The vastness seemed to spread inside of me forever. But with it was a sinking weight that promised of pain to come. Pain I wasn’t prepared for.
Pain I couldn’t begin to comprehend.
If I thought I had loved her before—if the sadness of not having her was that strong—this might literally kill me.

A yawn came from her mouth and she blinked, staring up to me. My hand came to rest on the back of her head as I pulled her closer.

“Go back to sleep. I forbid you to wake. Not yet.”

A small laugh echoed around, feeding the love. She threw her leg over my hip, squeezing me tight before silence once again took over. Minutes passed and her breathing lightened. She was sleeping again, and me, I was content to live the rest of my days just like this. But I wouldn’t.
Couldn’t.
This may have been heaven, but the time would come when my true colors broke through. I’d ruin what we shared and I’d destroy her. I knew it just as I knew what I was feeling was nothing but an illusion. Love did that to people. It gave them a glimpse of the sweetest dream, only to show them what a fool they’d been to trust in it. I wouldn’t do that to either of us. This I could hold to in the hard times. I couldn’t hold a corpse unless I wanted to become Master Yahn.

No. I wouldn’t be like him. Today I’d say goodbye to my slave. It had to be done. West would be back any day now and the last thing I needed was him knowing about us. It was better this way.

“Up. Go shower.”

I broke away, practically dumping her on the bed. Twenty-four-six-ninety stretched and sat up. She didn’t test my patience. She crawled from the bed, stiffly walking into the bathroom. I knew she was hurting. I’d known it when I went back for her the day before. I couldn’t help it. I couldn’t control this obsessive need to have her with me.

The water came on to the sink and I knew she was brushing her teeth. Fuck if I didn’t have her a toothbrush resting in my holder. I did. I had had it there from the second day when I practically dragged her from bed at five in the morning. I made her shower and get ready here. Then I fucked her, took her back, only to go and get her a few hours later. I should have just kept her here. I would have gotten to spend more time with her than the stolen hours where I’d broken down throughout the days.

When the sink turned off and the shower started, I opened the door, taking my spot in front of the sink. My eyes lifted to the reflection of her nude body under the spray. The glass shower gave me the perfect view. A view I was never going to forget.

“Will you come back for me later?”

I shoved the toothbrush in my mouth, refusing to answer. When I was done, only then did I lean against the counter and give her my attention.

“No. I will not come for you anymore.”

Her head spun to me and she reached out, wiping over the glass where it was starting to fog. The wideness of her eyes, the shock she held in them, was damn near crippling.

“Ever again?”

My head shook and I swallowed hard. “West will more than likely win the bid on you. I’ll cover the amount, but no one will know that. He’s to have you.”

Her head shook as she continued to stare at me.

“It’s for the best. He’ll be a good master to you.”

Again, she silently said no with her head.

“It has to be this way, slave. It
will
be this way.”

“But I chose you. You asked me, and I told you who I wanted.”

My teeth clenched and my chest felt as though it caved in. “The choice is not yours. You have no choices here. You are no one. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

The door to the shower flew open and water dripped from her body as she stomped in my direction.

“My master told me who I am. I am Everleigh Davenport, daughter of the former billionaire, Henry Davenport, CEO, and owner of Northway Airlines. I am not, no one. I could have been
someone.
I was someone! Your father and that bastard of an owner I had took everything from me. 
I demand a say.
You owe me that!”

Instinct brought my hand back, but for the life of me, love wouldn’t let me strike. She was right and the truth was something I’d locked away from the beginning. I didn’t want to look at her like a human being. I wasn’t raised to. This fortress and the responsibilities had been pounded into me since I was too young to know the difference. My father’s fists were a constant reminder of what was and what was supposed to be. Whitlock was my responsibility and if I so much as brought it crumbling down, I was surely a dead man. The men behind these walls had money and power. More power than me on the outside world. I was trapped with this curse and there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing I
would
do about it. Whitlock was here to stay. Even if I did end this, the men here wouldn’t stop. They wouldn’t do away with their crimes. They could possibly become out of control. Here, there was a system. There were rules. Keep the monsters in a cage and they couldn’t bite the children. They couldn’t wreak havoc on society. I made it that! I stopped the pedophilia. I did what I could to clean up this place to the best of my abilities.

“Clean off that soap and get your ass dressed. If you ever speak to me that way again, I
will
have you whipped.”

A sob left her mouth and she threw me a glare before spinning back to the shower. My pulse was hammering inside of me. I was torn. Fuck, she wanted me and I wanted her more than anything. It just couldn’t be. I wouldn’t be the one who broke her completely. West would be a perfect match for her. He’d fix this mess I created. Hell, he’d had her master killed to have her. I knew that. Although it pissed me off, could I blame him? He’d gone to her apartment with me plenty of times. He had seen the beatings. He took care of it. I still didn’t trust him and planned to look into it even more, but I knew he would protect her. 

I turned back to the sink, ignoring what I had discovered as I began to wash my face and shave. By the time I finished, Everleigh stood dressed behind me, waiting. I stole glances in the mirror. She wasn’t looking at me. Her head was down and her hands were clasped behind her. I took my time, regardless that I should have been rushing her back.

“You should probably know that I love you and that I will never love anyone else. You wanted to ruin me. Congratulations. You succeeded. Since I will not see you again until the auction, I asked that you spare both of us from having to pretend this didn’t exist and not place me with your friend. I want a different master. One you’re never around. I don’t care which one it is. Anyone but Mr. Harper.”

“Stop being dramatic. It’s not fitting for you.”

Her eyes jerked up to mine. There was a calmness there that didn’t sit right with me.

“What you have done is far worse than what any other Master can do. You showed me hope. Love. What did you think you were doing by messing with my emotions? Slave to you, or not, I have feelings. And you don’t care about that, Mr. Whitlock. I’m done with anything involving you. I’m done,” she said, trailing off.

I wiped my face, not able to stop the fury that came with the fear.
Done.
I’d seen her ultimate done. It had drenched my clothing and body as I’d held her in my arms. She was just a girl, then, but I knew she was capable of suicide. I’d saved her, then, I couldn’t now. Not short of putting her in a padded room.

“You say you’re done. Do you plan to kill yourself?”

Her eyes lifted again. No tears. Nothing. She was more stoic than ever.

“No.”

“Then what do mean? How do you plan to live out your days here?”

Silence.

“I asked you a question, slave. Answer it.”

“I am
no
slave. Not to any master who buys me, and sure as hell not to you. The moment the winning bidder takes me is the moment I flip the roles. You can doubt me all you want, but I will not kneel to any man a moment longer. Let them beat me. Let them kill me. I will go down as Everleigh Davenport and no one will take that away from me. Don’t believe me?” She slowly closed the distance between us, “Have me whipped. See if break.”

I did slap her, then. I couldn’t stop myself. She was serious, and I had created this. My fear was coming true, but not in the way I’d imagined.

Dark hair covered her face from the impact but fell back as she straightened to glare into my eyes. She didn’t say a word, but she didn’t have to. I knew that look. It was mine. She wouldn’t be beaten at this game.