Deadly Captive (17 page)

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply, waiting to see if he would move it himself.

Twisting a little, I tried to displace his hand, hoping he had placed it there by mistake. It was a foolish notion. He made that clear when he began to massage one cheek, squeezing hard enough that it was apparent he wanted me to notice—and object.

I quickly obliged. Turning on my side, I frowned at him. "Must you?"

Bruno left his hand on my hip and looked at Chrissie.

Chrissie sat up from where she'd reclined on the sofa, letting out a weary sigh.

"Can't you just enjoy the movie, Bruno?"

Bruno scowled at her. "I'm tired of waiting."

Chrissie motioned with her hand and inclined her head. "Go ahead."

Permission granted, Bruno reached out for me. I rolled away and shot to my feet.

"Bruno, don't!"

Bruno laughed at me. "Why the hell not? Are you going to stop me?"

Biting back the naïve objections that rolled to the forefront of my mind, I stood my ground, head high. "I'm going to try."

Hands closed around my arms. Too fast for me to follow, Chrissie had grabbed me from behind. I was trapped.

"You are not going to try, Lydia. You are going to give in, and you know we can make you." She pulled me back against her and breathed heavily against my throat.

"Don't fight it. You've just gotten all these new clothes, had the chance to enjoy a movie and snacks. Behave yourself, and it needn't hurt."

I wanted to cry, but doing so would have been stupid and indulgent. I didn't care. Though I had known deep down that the kindness was a ploy, though I had known better than to let my guard down, the abrupt turnaround had knocked me off balance. More now than ever, I was being forced to face a bitter reality. I was their toy, their pet. They were free to play with me, coddle or neglect me, and abuse me as they saw fit. The neglect and the abuse had been easier to take. The mixture of care and cruelty stung like a fresh wound. I didn't know how to isolate myself from the pain it inflicted.

Chrissie slid my jacket from me. "You ever wonder how Joe got all his nice clothes, Lydia?" Her question stilled me. I let her take the jacket. She set it aside and began to rub my bare arms, curving her hands over my shoulders, massaging them a little before she continued. "He earned them. Each and every piece. And he didn't earn them by being obstinate." Running her fingers up my throat, exposed since my hair was drawn back in a tight ponytail, Chrissie began to kiss the soft flesh behind my ear. I shivered in response. "If you remember, Mary got a lot of gifts as well, but, then again, she was useful only in how she could be used against you and Joe. Still, her bending to Cyrus's will was rewarded."

Tired of being left out, Bruno stepped up to me, hooking his fingers under the bottom of my shirt. "Just imagine all you could have, Lydia, if you gave in to me and Chrissie. Clothes, food, protection . . . ." He nudged my hands out of the way and rolled my shirt up.

Trapped in confusion, I let him take the shirt from me. The only discernable thought in my head was that I didn't want the clothes ripped. Keeping my flesh and limbs intact would be nice, too.

"What do you want?" I asked. I remained motionless as Bruno removed my bra.

Bruno smiled at me. "For now, let's start with something simple. Let me take off your clothes, and you can keep them, no matter what else happens. Even if you balk afterward, the clothes are yours."

I nodded without much conviction. I hardly cared what happened anymore.

Bruno got down on one knee and slowly unlaced my boots. Without difficulty, I balanced on one foot and then the other as Bruno tugged the boots off. I didn't react to the removal of the boots, just as I had not reacted to Bruno's stripping off my clothes and carefully folding them while I watched. I didn't react to Chrissie sucking at the soft flesh of my ear, and I almost succeeded in remaining aloof when she latched on to my neck.

Her fangs teased, but she didn't bite down. I waited for her to sink her teeth into my flesh, knowing that, once she did, it was doubtful I'd have any objections to whatever they had in store. I arched my neck, hoping she'd think the movement was involuntary.

Her throaty chuckle told me she wasn't fooled. "Not now, Lydia, but later.

Definitely later."

Cold moved over me as she backed away. I stood, naked, alone, and exposed.

Fists clenched at my sides, I vowed to myself that I wouldn't let them break me, no matter what they did. The thought braced me, but my strength lasted no longer than the time it took for them to clear the coffee table and remove the black cloth.

It wasn't a coffee table. It was a coffin. Nothing elaborate, just a sleek black, rectangular box, flat on the top, with a latch on one side. Bruno flipped open the top, revealing an interior that was much more lavish than the exterior. The lining was black velvet; the little pillow of the same material had not a single indent. It had obviously never been used, despite my first thought that either Bruno or Chrissie must have slept in it.

And it seemed just a little too small for either of them.

Bruno took my hand, gently leading me toward it. "Go ahead, Lydia. Try it out.

It's quite comfortable."

I swallowed, shaking my head at my own thoughts. It was impossible. They couldn't have crafted a coffin just for me. I took a step forward at his urging, then stopped short. It was obvious now that was exactly what they had done.

Jerking away from him, I glanced at the door. I felt a strong impulse to run, but I resisted it. Even if I made it to the door before they did, which wasn't likely, I would find nothing outside but a long hallway to run down, and I wouldn't make it far.

Experience told me they were much more interested in tormenting me than killing me.

It also told me pain was negotiable. To a point.

Pissing them off would definitely get me hurt. My best bet would be playing along as long as I could.

"What if I do?" I asked slowly.

Bruno frowned. Chrissie clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, I was hoping you'd play." She glanced at Bruno and smirked. "If you get in and lie down, then I'll get Bruno to put the whips away. He was looking forward to getting a turn using them on you."

She lifted her hand when Bruno opened his mouth to argue. "If you'll be a good sport, I'll have him save it for another time."

I inhaled, nodded, and moved on my own to the coffin, climbing in without another word. I might not fully grasp what the rules of the game were, but I hadn't missed the exchange between them. Bruno didn't want her making that offer, so it was relatively safe to assume if a deal were made, they would stick to it. That didn't mean I wouldn't be hurt. Bruno could torture me in plenty of other ways.

But, it was a small victory to know that, for the moment, whipping would be Joe's and my "thing."

With measured breaths, I lay back, centering my head on the pillow and crossing my arms over my stomach. Bruno had been right. It was comfortable. The smooth bed of velvet was padded yet firm, and I had enough room between my shoulders and the sides that I didn't feel confined.

But resting in a coffin stirred an uneasy feeling deep in my gut. I waited for their next request.

"This is going to be fun." Bruno approached the side of the coffin.

I held my breath and closed my eyes, fighting to maintain my calm. Bruno's prodding between my thighs shattered my resolve.

"No," I whispered, struggling to sit up as he shoved his fingers into me. I was not the least bit aroused. His rough insertion of merely two fingers hurt me.

Chrissie pushed me back down. "You can either accept that or have him get creative, Lydia. I'd be careful."

Bruno was trying to force two more fingers inside me. I kicked him, crossed my legs, and sat up, pushing myself toward the head of the coffin.

Bruno growled and grabbed my feet. A hard yank and I fell back. I struggled to free my feet. Bruno reached over and slammed the coffin lid closed.

For a moment, I didn't move, hardly breathed. It was quiet and dark, but I wasn't being touched. This I could bear.

Or so I thought.

The coffin moved, and I sensed it being lifted. I held my hands against the sides to keep from being jarred against them. With my vision useless in the darkness, my other senses intensified. I could hear Bruno's voice through the thick wood.

"Perhaps spending a day buried outside will make her more inclined to participate in the game," he said.

"She'll run out of air and die, Bruno. Make it an hour; it'll be enough." Chrissie replied.

As I pondered Chrissie's words, all the air seemed to drain from the confined space. The darkness, which had not alarmed me before, became oppressive and smothering. Panic overtook me, and I pushed my hands against the lid. I kicked up and drove my elbows into the sides. "Stop! Don't! Please stop!"

I felt the coffin lower. The sudden influx of light blinded me as the lid opened.

We hadn't left the room.

Bruno leaned over the coffin. "Are you ready to cooperate?"

I nodded quickly, breathing deeply, trying to fill my lungs with as much air as I could, afraid they'd take it from me again.

Bruno knelt beside the coffin. I moved to sit up. He shoved me back down.

"Don't move. If you do, there will be no more negotiations until you've been in the ground for an hour as Chrissie suggested."

For a time, I didn't even breathe. I was afraid, very afraid, more so than I'd ever been. I imagined them lowering me into the ground. I pictured them shoveling the dirt; I could almost hear it hitting the top of the coffin. The mental image was enough to keep me still, even when Bruno stuffed his fingers back into me.

Stretching me, Bruno worked two fingers in up to the knuckle, then began forcing in the others. I closed my eyes, biting my lips to keep any sound from escaping.

Bruno kissed my lips even as he added his thumb.

"She will feel nothing if you continue," Chrissie said from the other side of the coffin.

Bruno grunted as he strained to push his hand in further. "I want to see how much she can take."

Pushing and straining, Bruno grew frustrated when my tightness and dryness prevented him from going deeper. His knuckles punched against one strained lip as he tried to force his hand further in. I fought to keep my legs open, more afraid of what he'd do if I hampered his progress than of the damage he might do to me.

"Try this." Chrissie handed something to Bruno.

I didn't look. I was afraid of what this thing might be. Whatever it was made Bruno groan. "It won't hurt."

"It won't get in otherwise," Chrissie said shrewdly.

Bruno removed his hand, and something cold replaced it. Something squirted inside me, and then his hand returned. Now that his hand was slicked up nicely, he was able to plunge it in a little deeper, but his knuckles wouldn't pass through my opening.

"Turn so your knuckles are at her ass. I'll try to get her to relax." Chrissie bent down to me, taking one of my bare breasts in her hand. I felt Bruno turn his hand and press in. I clenched against him, then groaned as Chrissie took my nipple in her mouth.

With all my focus on Chrissie's sucking, I couldn't help but relax. Bruno's knuckles strained against my widely stretched opening and then slipped past. I gasped, feeling his whole fist deep within. With a cry of triumph, he began pumping his fist, his wrist gliding against the lips of my pussy.

Encountering no resistance now, Bruno pumped harder, his fist slamming inside me. Torn between pleasure and pain, I tried to clench down. Chrissie bit into my breast.

I cried out, writhing, bucking, struggling to get free, yearning to find release.

Release finally came when a soft touch stimulated my clit. I came hard, but Bruno didn't stop. With my juices soaking his hand and dripping down his wrist, he began to pummel me with even more force.

Chrissie grabbed his wrist, holding him still. "We won't be able to have any more fun with her if you beat her to the point she passes out."

Bruno nodded and carefully pulled his hand out. I could hardly feel him withdraw. All I felt was pain, deep inside, then a sharp burning in my veins. Bruno held me down as I struggled against the pain. "Damn it, Chrissie, she didn't have enough alcohol in her system for you to bite her!"

Chrissie hissed out a curse and stepped out of sight. She brought a bottle to my mouth, a good portion of it sloshing over my face before I could gulp it down. They both waited, not speaking, not so much as breathing, as the alcohol did its work.

The warmth of the rum, a drink I normally couldn't stand, spread through me.

Meeting the searing in my veins, it won over, diluting the pain until it was nothing but a memory. Covering my face with my hand, I rolled onto my side, drawing up my knees until I could move them no further in the close confines of the coffin. I knew I looked pitiful, but I didn't care. What concerned me was finding a way to keep my mind from snapping in response to the violation and agony.

The throbbing between my thighs passed, leaving only a bruised feeling inside.

A hand pressed on my side, then pulled me until I was once again on my back.

"Open your legs, Lydia. This will be less painful," Chrissie said softly.

I hesitated. A hand dove into my hair, gripping hard. My eyes shot open.

Bruno leaned down close to my face. "Don't forget, Lydia. We can still bury you."

Blinking back tears, I spread my thighs. I watched Chrissie slip a silver shaft inside me and inhaled sharply as it began to vibrate. My sore lips closed around it as she pushed it all the way in.

"Close your legs now," Chrissie said. "And push your hips up."

Having lost any will to object, knowing there was no point, I pushed my hips up.

Something prodded between my ass cheeks, a finger, well lubed. Something bigger followed, cold, something that felt much like the metal shaft in my pussy. She slid it all the way in as well, turning it on before she left it there.

"Down now." She pressed her hand on my stomach. I obeyed again. "Good. Now don't move."