Reckless Abandon (12 page)

“Bastard!”

Kicking and clawing, Chastity fought to get away from Blake, anger changing to fear as the strength of his grip, the viciousness of it, penetrated. Screaming would do no good, the penthouse had been soundproofed. She screamed anyway.

He managed to deliver a blow to the backs of her knees and she went down, hitting the bedroom floor hard, her right shoulder jamming into the carpet. Pain shot down her arm to her fingertips and across her back.

Blake had fallen on top of her and his hot, moist breath bathed the back of her neck. Her skin crawled. Grunting, he reached beneath her, the back of his hand brushing against her breast as he sought first one hand and then the other. He wrenched her arms behind her back and the increased pain to her right shoulder made her see stars and brought tears to her eyes. The touch of cold steel, the loud click of a lock engaging sent another shiver of terror through her.

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“Did you nearly come just now? I bet your cunt is sopping wet. If I had only known you liked to be knocked around, I could have accommodated you months ago. Never realized I liked it myself. Feel that?”

Chastity fought back nausea as he ground the ridge of his erect cock into her cotton-covered ass. Not even the protection of her clothing dulled the revulsion she felt.

“Are you crazy? What the hell do you think you’re doing? Let me go!”

“How did that website put it? Ah yes, I, your rightful master, am asserting my authority over you, my little slave. I imagine Fitzpatrick tired of you after just one tumble. Fortunately, I already know you’re a frigid fuck. Of course, it isn’t really your pussy I want. I’ll use it, of course. Even though it’s not your best asset. Your bank account is.

And after today, that’s going to be mine.”

“You’re crazy! I won’t give you one penny, Blake. You’re only digging yourself a deeper hole. I’ll see your ass in jail.”

“Nice try, sweetheart. I saw you coming out of that club last night, saw what you had on and the way you all but got down and licked that guy’s shoes. And I’ve been reading up. I know just what to do to turn you into a docile little sub. See, I even got the lingo right. When I’m through with you, you’ll do anything I want.”

“Go to hell.”

“Ah, you like to offer some struggle before you give in. Good. I’m pretty pissed about the bullshit you’ve put me through the last few days. I’m going to enjoy using that leather strap I just bought on you.

I wanted to get the whip, but I’d need to practice with it before I could apply it well, so we’ll start with the strap.” Chastity’s blood ran cold as terror filled her. Blake was stronger than her, the ridge of his cock harder than she’d ever felt it. When he picked her up she wiggled and struggled, the idea of his touch so vile she thought she just might rather die than endure it.

“Stupid fucking bitch.”

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Nearly losing his grip of her, at the last moment he tossed her onto the bed, face down. Before she’d finished bouncing he jerked her around, straddled her.

The force of his slap delivered across her face snapped her head to the side and brought those stars back. Her hands had been bound but her feet hadn’t. She kicked out for all she was worth. Maybe he would hit her hard enough to knock her out. If she couldn’t get out of this mess, maybe she could escape that way.

Blake swore, then sat on her legs. His eyes glittered, and the expression on his face was one she’d never seen, one that told her he’d figured out her plan. He reached forward, grabbed her cotton shirt, yanked it open. She wore another front-closure bra. He had it open and her breast in his hand before she could blink. He squeezed hard, a twisting, pinching grip that forced a whimper from her.

“Time to get you naked, bitch. Time for me to discipline you.”
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“Chastity’s not back yet?”

Jordan looked up from his book. Marcus, fresh from his shower, ran a towel over his hair.

“No. She hasn’t been gone very long. Only a few minutes.”

“And you accuse me of losing track of time when I read. Jordan, she’s been gone more than half an hour.” Jordan put his book down. Chastity had said she’d be right back, and he couldn’t imagine any reason why she wouldn’t have done just that.

Worry wreathed Marcus’s face. No need for that when a simple trip across the hall could assure him that all was well.

“Do you want me to go check on her, sweetheart?” Jordan asked.

“Let me get my pass key. We’ll both go check.” Such relief and gratitude lit Marcus’s eyes that Jordan felt humbled. Doing little things for him was so easy, and appreciated by that good man far more than doing big things for anyone else had ever been.

Jordan realized just how worried Marcus was when he practically ran to their home office to retrieve the key.

He wouldn’t make light of Marcus’s concern, even though very likely Chastity had simply lost track of time herself, or gotten caught up in a phone call.

“Maybe I’m being foolish. I just…I just have this dreadful feeling that something is wrong.”

Marcus rarely second-guessed himself. Jordan preferred him confident, because Marcus confident had become a part of Jordan’s definition of stability. “I prefer to err on the side of caution, myself.

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And don’t apologize for caring, sweetheart. It’s one of the things I love most about you.”

“If she gets pissed at us, you can tell her it’s my fault.”

“If she gets pissed, it might make for some pretty hot sex,” Jordan said, rewarded when Marcus chuckled.

“Would there be any other kind with the three of us?” He led the way out the door, and Jordan followed. Marcus could be dominant enough when he wanted to be, but it always fell under the heading of taking care of others, so Jordan found it hard to mind.

The key fit the lock perfectly, of course.

“I’ve very rarely ever done this,” Marcus said as the lock turned.

“I like to respect my tenants’ privacy.” He briefly met Jordan’s eyes as he pushed the door open.

A loud crack followed by a female scream galvanized Jordan and he shot past Marcus. Instinct had him running for the bedroom. That door stood open, and he had one moment to assimilate the horrible scene. Clayton, fully dressed, arm raised, some sort of strap clutched in his hand while Chastity, naked, lay on her back, tied to the bed spread-eagle, an angry red welt on her thigh and one on her belly.

He didn’t stop, just plowed into the man, propelling them both into the wall. He grabbed Clayton by the shirt front and slammed him into the wall again, hard.

“What the fuck? Only you can play these games?”

“
Bastard!
”

Beyond thinking, Jordan pulled back his right arm, hand fisted, exploding a hard jab to Clayton’s face. The sound of Chastity’s sobs, of Marcus’s crooning to her as he struggled to free her just fired his temper more. Rage burned hot within him.

Jordan hit Clayton again, and then a third time. Feral satisfaction filled him as he heard the crunch of the other man’s nose breaking, as he saw the blood trickling down his face. Clayton seemed dazed, nearly unconscious but that didn’t matter one bit to Jordan.

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“She’s mine,” Jordan hissed between clenched teeth. “You don’t touch what’s mine.”

Then he reached down, grabbed Clayton’s cock through his designer trousers. The man screamed, but Jordan just kept squeezing and twisting until the man’s eyes rolled back in his head.

Jordan stepped back, turned away, leaving Clayton to fall to the floor, where he curled up into a tight ball of pain.

“
Chastity
.”

Her arms had been freed, her hands covering her face as she wept.

Marcus trembled, tears streaking his face as he worked to untie the scarves that secured her ankles to the bed’s footboard. Jordan stepped over a pile of material, the clothing she’d worn that morning, now nothing more than a heap of shredded rags. A wicked-looking kitchen knife lay on the floor beside the clothes.

Then Jordan’s attention centered on his woman. His eyes took inventory, noting the angry red welt on the inside of her right thigh, another one on her hip, extending across her belly, ending just inches from her mound.

He sat on the bed and scooped her into his arms, not knowing if she would even want his touch. He couldn’t not hold her, not reassure himself she was all right.

“Shh, baby. Shh,” he crooned as he rocked her. He shook, and didn’t care if she knew it. She was all right, but if Marcus hadn’t wanted to check on her….

“Jordan, oh God, I prayed you and Marcus would come.”

“We’re here, baby,” Marcus said, dropping the last scarf to the floor. “We’ll always be here.”

He went over to her closet, grabbed a satin robe, then knelt on the other side of the bed. “Here, darling, put this on.” Jordan blessed his fussing. Giving her something to wear would help her feel less vulnerable. He hadn’t thought of it.

Once she had the robe on, he cupped her face, his thumbs wiping away her tears. His eyes narrowed as he noted the bruising under her
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left eye. He shuddered, wondering what else the bastard had done to her.

“Sweetheart, did he rape you?”

“No…no. He wasn’t that interested in sex, though he said he was going to. He mostly was pissed because I called off the wedding. He wanted my money. He somehow thought that he could make me do what he wanted. He hit me when he first grabbed me, and I tried to get away. He’d just started with that strap when you came in. How did you know? I screamed and screamed, but I knew you wouldn’t hear me.”

“Marcus’s sixth sense.”

“Thank God. Oh, thank God for you both.” He gathered her in as she dissolved into fresh tears. He’d hold her as long as she needed to be held.

“Chastity, baby, I think we should call the police,” Marcus said as he stroked a hand down her back.

On the floor, Clayton began to stir. The sound of his pained whimpering echoed in the room.

Chastity pulled away from Jordan, her glance shooting to Clayton.

Then she turned and met Marcus’s gaze. “All right. Yes, we’ll call the police.”

“I’ll call,” Jordan said. “I know someone in the department. A detective. He’ll be discreet.”

He turned Chastity over to Marcus and had to steel himself against the urge to kick Clayton in the face. He placed a light kiss on Chastity’s forehead, and one on Marcus’s cheek. Then he picked up the cordless phone from the bedside table.

* * * *

Chastity answered Detective Brady’s questions in Jordan and Marcus’s suite while his team worked in hers, gathering evidence.

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Two uniformed officers had scooped Blake off the floor, handcuffed him, and pulled him out the door even as he screamed that he wanted to have Jordan charged.

“That animal used excessive force!” he yelled.

Detective Brady looked him up and down. “That’s only for cops.

A civilian coming to the aid of a woman can whale on a pervert as much as he likes.” Blake kept yelling obscenities as the officers dragged him away.

The EMS technicians examined Chastity’s welts, recommended cool compresses and a salve. They wanted to take her to the hospital.

Unlike her men, she could tell they didn’t believe her when she said she hadn’t been raped. She declined, and breathed a sigh of relief when they finally acquiesced and left.

Chastity felt safer in Jordan and Marcus’s apartment. Marcus had retrieved a soft throw from the closet and bundled it around her. Then he’d made her a cup of hot tea. Jordan, who sat next to her on the sofa, twined his fingers through hers and encouraged her to lean against him. She was more than happy to do so.

Bolstered by the presence and care of her men, she felt better.

Recounting what had happened proved difficult. It was hard to understand that she had escaped, that as bad as it had been, Blake had only managed to use the strap on her twice.

Chastity heard the edge in her voice when she told Detective Brady that her grandmother had given Blake the key to her apartment.

She shuddered as she repeated some of the poison he’d spewed. When her voice hitched, when she quaked with revulsion, the presence of Jordan at her side, holding her hand, stroking her arm and Marcus gently kneading her shoulders as he stood behind her comforted her beyond measure.

“If it hadn’t been for the fact that he had so much trouble cutting my clothes off with that butcher knife, I’d be in much worse shape.”

“
God!
” Jordan’s epithet surprised her. He always seemed so steady. He let go of her hand to wrap his arms around her. Marcus
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bent his head and enveloped them both in a fierce hug. She felt them tremble and understood that the attack on her had wounded them as well. She burrowed into their embrace, grateful that she could, grateful that Marcus and Jordan had come running when they thought she’d been gone too long.

Detective Brady gave them a few moments before he resumed his questions in a gentle, respectful tone. She thought he repeated himself, but she answered every question anyway.

He asked if she wanted her grandmother informed.

“Yes,” Jordan answered for her when she hesitated. “We’d appreciate it if you could have someone from the department tell Mrs.

Sawyer what happened, and that her granddaughter is being cared for and that she may expect a visit in the next few days.” Detective Brady looked directly at Jordan. “I think I’ll take care of that little chore myself, if you don’t mind.”

“I would appreciate it.”

Chastity didn’t know what to think. She was certain that Blake’s actions would shock and outrage her grandmother. Chastity had no doubts in her mind that the older woman had no idea that Blake would attack her.

By the same token, neither had Gertrude respected Chastity’s right to make her own decisions and set her own course. She’d demanded obedience and loyalty all these years in exchange for room and board, but had cared nothing for the person inside at all.