XXX - 145 Enslave: The Taming of the Beast (13 page)

Before she could stop him, Tom pressed a little deeper. It was uncomfortable, but not horribly so.
“It would impress her,” Tom said, but she sensed the reluctance in his voice.
She bit her lip. Thought about it. Closed her eyes.
“Take me,” she said, then repeated it even more loudly. “Both of you.
Take me
.”

It had been less than twenty-four hours, and he already felt like he was losing his mind without Nadia.
She’s not coming back
.
He would have to hunt her down. The thought sent adrenaline pulsing through his bloodstream.
Hunt her, find her, capture her
. Punish her, in such a way that she was screaming with pleasure. At least then, he knew, she wouldn’t be contemplating leaving again. As long as she was mindless, lost in the release of the physical, she wouldn’t consider life outside of his home…which was exactly what he wanted, because he wasn’t letting her go, ever again.
God, you’re fucked up
.
He closed his eyes, sitting in the dark in his room. He glanced at the fireplace, at the mantel of his private bedroom suite, at the ornate clock. Ten o’clock at night.
Max made a little whimper, pacing.
“She’s not coming back tonight, boy,” Dominic replied, figuring out the source of Max’s anxiety. He’d gotten used to her staying, sleeping in Dominic’s bed, becoming a part of their house routine. She even gave him his treat at night. Max didn’t like change.
Neither do I
. And she might not be coming back at all.
Dominic stood up, stripping down, climbing into bed. One day, he’d given her, he swore to himself. One day. After she broke her promise on that, he’d be within his rights to go and bring her back. Drag her back, if need be—she’d given her word, too, after all, and he had a reputation to maintain. But he
had
to keep his word, no matter how he felt, or else he really would be The Beast, as everyone claimed he was.
She had asked for a day. He wanted to give her anything she asked for.
Anything except her freedom
.
He winced as conscience slashed at him like a razor. She was growing to care for him. She seemed to like him. And she certainly liked making love to him—
having sex
, he corrected himself. He’d been open about his sexual practices, and he felt like he’d introduced her to a whole new level of pleasure. Of course, her innocent acceptance had taken him to a whole new level as well.
He could make her care for him. He would offer her anything in the world if she would only stay. And if she didn’t want to…well. He’d just work harder.
That’s not fair
.
“Fuck fair,” he said to himself, tossing heavily in the empty king-sized bed. He didn’t care if it was fair or not. He had never responded to a woman the way he had to Nadia, not ever. He’d never experienced the joy that he had with her. He was a selfish bastard, and he wasn’t ever going to let her go.
He was still telling himself that when he heard the door open.
Instantly, he grabbed for the gun that was mounted on the wall by his bed. His eyes adjusted to the darkness. He saw Max tense as well.
After a moment of sniffing the air, Max relaxed, resting his head back on the carpet.
“It’s me,” a soft voice cautioned him.
“Nadia,” he breathed, relief flooding through his body.
She walked over, stripping off clothes as she made her way to the bed. She crawled under the covers with him, pressing her naked body against his. He enveloped her in his arms.
“You’re crushing me,” she said, with a breathless laugh.
Contrite, he immediately eased off.
I missed you
. Though of course, he would not say that. “I wanted you,” he said instead, kissing her neck, her jaw. Then her mouth, thoroughly and passionately, loving the little gasp of pleasure she made against his lips. “You came back early.” He was stunned by this. “Were you afraid I’d come after you?” He tried not to think about how appealing that plan had been.
“No, of course not. You gave your word.”
She wasn’t mocking him. She actually scoffed at his question.
“I’m not complaining,” he said carefully, “but why are you back early?”
She was silent, still against him, and he sensed something was wrong. “I wanted you, too,” she said, although she didn’t mean it the way he meant it, he felt quite sure. There was something more complicated in the way she said it—some note of sadness.
He stroked her cheek. “What happened?”
She sighed, leaning against his palm, as if trying to get comfort from him. Then she snuggled against his chest. He was floored by her trust. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had come to him for comfort. He hoped he wasn’t screwing it up.
“My family is complicated,” she replied softly. Then she propped herself up, looking into his eyes in the dim light. “Do you think it’s wrong that my father has survived off of the money he’s gained from—well, selling his daughters?”
His grip unintentionally tightened, and he forced himself to focus, not to hurt her. He thought her father was a coward and a bastard for selling his daughter…but that hadn’t stopped him from buying her. It was a delicate balance.
“I know I’ve done enough shit in my life to probably be the least qualified to judge somebody,” he said slowly. He kissed her, behind her earlobe, in the sensitive spot that made her shiver. “Whatever else I can say about your father, I can definitely say I’m glad he stole my car.”
“Your Ferrari?” She let out a surprised laugh. “You weren’t glad at the time.”
“That was before I met you,” he said. “You’re worth a hundred of those cars. More.”
She stared at him silently for a long moment. “You mean that,” she breathed.
“I don’t think your father’s right in taking money from you, especially if it meant giving you to men who mistreated you. Part of me would gladly kill him for that. But they are your family.” He shrugged. “You love them. I can’t change that.”
He held his breath. He hadn’t meant to be that needy, that vulnerable. But he did desperately want to know her reasoning.
There was a long moment of silence.
“My sister thinks that I’m addicted to abuse.”
“What?”
He sat up, incensed. “She thinks I abuse you?”
“She doesn’t know you, really,” Nadia said quickly. “She thinks that I’m just…rolling over, giving in to whatever you want. Acting like your slave. She doesn’t understand…”
“Doesn’t understand what?” Dominic felt furious, almost nauseous with it. He wanted to kill her sister.
“How much I care about you.”
Just like that, his emotions changed again. It was a damned roller coaster.
She reached for him, and his emotions changed yet again. She kissed him, not just with passion, but with…he couldn’t describe it.
No game-playing tonight
. His desire for her, mixed with the powder keg of emotions, was too volatile for something like that. He pressed his naked body to hers, his mouth finding hers in the darkness. He’d know her taste if he were separated from her for a thousand years. His tongue stroked the side of hers, caressing it as he savored the feel of her breasts dragging across his chest, her soft palms smoothing over his shoulders. One leg hooked over his hip, and his cock sprang to readiness. He adjusted himself, easing his way inside her. He slid into her snug passage like coming home, and he groaned against her lips. She sighed into his mouth, and her hips swiveled enough to tighten the small circlet of muscles enveloping the base of his shaft. He shuddered against her, tugging at her knee, drawing her closer. Pushing himself deep enough to feel his balls fit snug against her ass.
Slowly, sinuously, they rocked against each other, each tiny caress a masterpiece of ecstasy. Nothing hurried, or frantic. A murmur of pleasure here, a fraction of movement as their hips swayed apart, then together, then apart. She rippled against him. He cupped her breast in one palm as he tugged her hip with the other. She rolled against him, throwing her head back, her slight, breathless sighs urging him to go even slower, to revel in every frozen moment.
He’d never had this before, this kind of closeness. He wanted to feast on her, yes, but nights like these, he just wanted to have her, slow and tight and reverent.
She shuddered against him in orgasm, and he shivered but stopped himself from joining her. He slid out, turning her over, then covered her like a blanket, entering her from behind. Still slow, still languorous, he withdrew his cock slowly until only the tip remained, then moved forward, like a yoga pose, until he was buried flush against her bottom. Sweat lubricated their bodies, and he slid over her with each movement. She gasped softly as he pressed deeper, her hands bunching in the sheets, her hips lifting up to meet his relentlessly slow thrusts.
“Dominic,” she breathed. “Oh, my God…”
He couldn’t speak, every ounce of control focused on her body. He kept up his strokes, holding her hips, pulling her tighter against him.
She cried out again, and he felt her body clench around him. He gritted his teeth until he thought he’d grind them into powder. He went completely still, until the aftershocks subsided.
Then he turned her, yet again, resting one of her heels against his shoulder. He penetrated her even more deeply this way, and he felt her embrace his entire length, slick with the fluid of her climaxes. He moved carefully, his hips moving like a tango dancer. He’d always felt too large and too brutish to be particularly graceful, but making love with Nadia was like Tai Chi, something almost beautiful in and of itself, without any end result.
She made the low, throaty sounds he loved, and her match ing balletic movements seemed to caress and massage his already engorged cock past the point of endurance. Knowing he couldn’t hold on much longer, he reached down, circling her clit, rubbing it with firm but gentle circles as his tempo increased inexorably, his hips starting to move with a rougher, uncontrolled force.
When she came again, he let her shuddering contractions milk him to his own release. He didn’t shout, or groan. Instead, he silently shook, his hips jerking as his body emptied itself inside her. Then he lowered her leg, lowering himself onto her. He kissed her deeply, and she held him as he did.
Finally, he curled around her, sleep fogging his brain. He wasn’t sure when he’d felt happier. He didn’t care. It was enough to have her back.
“I wanted to come home to you, Dominic,” she whispered, as he started to fall asleep.
“I always want you to come home to me,” he replied, not thinking. “I love you.”
He felt sleep close in around him, just as his conscience whispered treacherously:
Wait a minute. What did you just say?

Chapter Eleven
“Impressive performance,” Alexis said to Jelena.
Jelena didn’t answer. She looked instead around Alexis’s office. It was quietly luxurious, tasteful. Especially considering it was the executive workspace for a brothel.
How did a woman like this get here? Why?
“You’re obviously a determined woman, and after doing some research, I don’t think you’re working with the police.” Alexis steepled her fingers, pressing them against her lower lip. “You said you want my help. What do you think I can do for you?”
“My sister,” Jelena said. “You can help me rescue her, and get revenge on the man who’s holding her captive.”
“Really.” Alexis drew out the word, her tone mocking. “How altruistic of me. And why will I be doing this?”
“The man that’s holding her is Dominic Luder.”
Alexis’s body stiffened as if someone had snapped a whip across her back. Her normally guarded expression displayed a moment of naked fury for a second, before she was able to regain her composure. “I can’t get to Dominic Luder,” she said, and the anger and frustration at that fact simmered and seethed through every syllable.
“I think I can.”
Jelena had her. Alexis was still as a statue, studying her with rapt attention. “How?” she asked, with cold eagerness.
Jelena outlined her plan, quickly. Alexis nodded, her eyes alight. “And your sister—what makes you think you can get her out so easily?”
“He dotes on her,” Jelena said. “For now, anyway. I think he’s trying to win her over, convince her he’s some kind of…
good guy
.” She spat the words out.
“Oh he does, does he?”
If Jelena didn’t know better, the vicious tone of voice would sound like jealousy. But this woman hadn’t been with Dominic for years—by all accounts, she hated him.
Didn’t she?
It didn’t matter. If it was more fuel for the fire, so be it. Jelena wanted Dominic dead.
“Your sister will hate you for interfering,” Alexis added, nonchalant. “Are you sure she will go through with this?”
“She will,” Jelena said. “I know my sister.”
“Fine.” Alexis’s smile was bloodthirsty, at complete odds with her sophisticated surroundings, and for a second Jelena was actually afraid of her. “It’s a bargain, then.”
Jelena stood up, nodding. “It’s a bargain.”
As she saw her palm in the other woman’s hand, she wondered, briefly, how a submissive little mail-order bride from Moscow could have come to this. Become this.
Then when she met Alexis’s eyes, she thought she saw a foretaste of what she would become.
She gripped harder, but she didn’t back away.

He’d told her he loved her. He hadn’t meant for her to know, but now that he’d said it, now that it stood between them, she felt it like a surreal blessing. She’d never been in love before, not really. And she loved him. She loved his flaws, his faults. She loved the fact that he was blustery, but that he never wanted to hurt her. That he tried so hard to do what he felt was right. The way he took care of Max. The way he thought he wasn’t good enough, with his scars. He was complicated, but then, so was she.
She loved him. And she needed to tell him.
They were sitting on the couch by the fireplace in the large living room. It was “their” place, she thought, with Max curled up at their feet. She was snuggled against Dominic’s chest, gazing into the flames as he stroked her hair.
“What’ll we do today?” he said against the crown of her head. “What do you want to do?”
He asked that, all the time—as if he were still worried that she might be unhappy, or bored. “I don’t know. Go to a movie?”
“I’ve got a million movies here,” he protested mildly. “Anything I don’t have, I can order.”
“It’s not the same.” She smiled hesitantly. “We could go out to lunch, or maybe dinner. And a movie.” There. That sounded normal, didn’t it?
His answering smile was rueful. “My last outing to a public restaurant really didn’t work out that well.”
Abruptly, she remembered his knife wound. She stiffened, aghast. “You can’t really leave at all, can you?”
We really can’t leave at all
.
She didn’t say it out loud. She didn’t have to.
“Not on a whim,” he replied. “I need to be careful, plan my outings, think escape routes and contingencies. This house is safest.”
“You’re trapped here,” she whispered.
We’re trapped here
.
He shook his head. “It’s only a prison if you want to get out.” He stroked her body, cupping her breast in one palm. “I’ve got everything I want, right here.”
He loves me
, she thought, turning her face, brushing a quick kiss against his chest. But something gnawed at her.
“Are you going to have this hit or contract, or whatever, on you forever?”
His eyes darkened. “Alexis was a vengeful woman. I doubt she’s suddenly going to have a change of heart. And she’s got enough money, connections, and temper that it’s not going to go away by anything that I do.”
Nadia bit her lip, feeling her stomach sink. “Do you think she knows about me?”
His expression turned fierce. “Not if I can help it.” Then he shrugged bitterly. “But you can see why I feel better as long as you’re here, in the house.”
She felt a slight grip of claustrophobia, despite the spa ciousness of the mansion. After all, she did love him. But the thought of staying here, day after day, year after year. Would it be enough?
She sighed.
Having him would be enough
, she thought.
Yes. Of course it would
.
Are you trying to convince yourself?
“I guess you’d rather not see a movie, then,” he said gently, and she swore he could read her thoughts.
“It’s a little unnerving,” she admitted.
“I should have just killed Alexis when I had the chance,” he said, and she was surprised—and aghast—to hear him admit it. Especially since she’d brought it up before. “Sometimes I think she wants me dead so she won’t have to worry about whether or not I’m planning some kind of elaborate retaliation against her.”
Nadia swallowed hard. “Are you?”
He stroked her cheek, and his scarred face was gentle. “Not anymore. I’ve got more important things to think about.”
That warmed her, seeping through her like an electric blanket. “And there’s no way of telling her this?”
“No way she’ll believe.” He frowned. “I realize now she’s not really capable of love, not the way I understand it. I don’t think explaining it to her would work.”
Love. There it was again. She smiled.
I love you, I love you
…
“Of course, she’s only well connected in this country,” he said slowly. “If you’d like to get out more, maybe we could move.”
Nadia blinked. “Move? You mean…what do you mean?”
“I’d thought about it casually for a few years, but I’d already built this house like a fortress, and I guess I was too stubborn to leave.” His voice was slow and thoughtful. “She’s got some family connections in Europe, but not in Russia. You’re from there, after all. Maybe…”
Nadia stiffened. “
No
. I’m not going back there.”
The pain was evident in her voice. He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry. That was stupid.” He paused. “Someplace else, then. Australia.”
Nadia bit her lip. Australia. It seemed like a beautiful country. But…“Could she just as easily send someone there? To kill you, I mean?”
“She could,” he admitted. “Not as easily, but not impossible. I’d want to build another house, something like this. Get to know the surroundings. It’s not a perfect solution, but we’d have a little more freedom, especially if she didn’t know. Or maybe I could fake our deaths, we could go and they’d never find out…”
“Fake our deaths?” Nadia blinked. “What about my family?”
He took a deep breath. “I’d make sure that a sizable amount was left to your father in my will.”
Which didn’t answer her question—and did. “I couldn’t talk to them again.”
“Not if we wanted to be safe.” He paused. “You asked if you thought it was right for him to use you. I don’t think so. And if you asked me, then you don’t think so, either.”
She bit her lip, hard, surprising herself that she didn’t taste blood. “That doesn’t mean I want to cut myself off from them completely.”
“I know,” he said. “But for your own safety—and maybe even theirs—don’t you think it would be best?”
She blinked back tears at the thought.
For your own safety
. Why not do something completely selfish, just for herself? After all, she didn’t need to live solely for their survival. She’d wanted a life of her own for so long.
But was she really trading it for a life of her own…or was she trading it for Dominic’s life? Was she trading one servitude for another?
Damn you, Jelena
.
“We don’t need to talk about this right now,” Dominic said gently, as if sensing the way her wayward thoughts were going. “What do you want to do?”
She closed her eyes. “I want you to make love to me.”
“I have no problem with that, whatsoever.”
When he reached for her, she stopped him. “I think I’d like to play a little game, this time.”
He paused. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely.” Her voice rang with need.
He left for a moment, returning with a few items. His eyes gleamed as he took off his clothes.
“Turn around and lean against the couch, Nadia,” he instructed, eagerness rippling through every syllable.
She got up, bending over the back of the leather couch. She spread her legs slightly, glancing at him over her shoulder. “Like this?” she purred.
He turned all the lights off, so the leaping flames were the only illumination in the room, throwing long shadows of the two of them on the walls. Then he studied her position. He produced a wine-colored velvet blindfold. She stayed perfectly still as he tied it around her head. The world was reduced to sound, scent. Physical sensation.
Don’t forget taste
.
She could hear him move around her, then heard the leather creak as he moved on the cushions. The velvety tip of his cock stroked against her lips, and she licked at him, playfully at first, then more intently, taking him into her mouth and suckling him, her tongue stroking the underside of his shaft. She heard his groan and shivered, her pussy going slick with anticipation.
He pulled away, and she still heard the rustling noises of his moving around. He tugged at her wrists, pulling them behind her. She felt the silken tassels bind loosely around her wrists.
“You’ll enjoy this,” he whispered in her ear. “We both will.”
She felt him spread her legs wider, until she felt the air against her exposed labia. She moaned softly against the back of the couch as he worked her vulva with his fingers, circling her sensitive opening, teasing her clit and retreating.
He gave her a quick, flicking spank. She was ready for it, but she still squealed lightly in surprise. He laughed, a low, short sound.
He continued stroking her, until her hips twitched and her pussy clenched with need. Then, like clockwork, another quick, lightly stinging spank. Until she felt his hot breath between her thighs, his tongue delving into her folds, circling her clit. He pressed a finger inside her, then another, and she moaned more loudly, going up on tiptoe to press herself more firmly against his feasting mouth. She was breathing in short, shallow breaths, and he circled her clit with his thumb, massaging it, until she was on the brink of coming.
Then, with his free hand, he spanked her. She let out a little shriek, then a little moan.
He withdrew his fingers completely, and she let out a cry of indignation. “Dominic…”
“This first.” He plunged his cock in, hot and fast and rough, and she yelled, feeling her cunt clamp around him like a vise. He reached around, gripping at her breasts as he pumped against her. She arched her back, then pressed herself insistently backward, impaling herself on his thick, hard cock. It felt sensational. He moaned loudly as he pulled her against him, slamming against her with force, and she moved like a mating animal. Her arms were trapped between them, she was powerless and tied up and gloried in it.
Her orgasm shot through her, and she gasped as her body shimmered with it.
He pulled out, and she felt that moment of being bereft again as he untied her hands. She was surprised, then, when he picked her up, carrying her.
“Where are you taking me?”
He didn’t answer. When she repeated the question, he nipped at her, and the fire in her pussy redoubled. She didn’t know what he was going to do—she couldn’t see. She was still in his power.
She held on to him and waited.
She heard a door unlock as they approached, and he opened it. The room smelled faintly stale, the air a little stagnant. What was this place? It was air-conditioning cool, and there was the scent of plastic. Maybe vinyl.
He put her down on what felt like a padded table. Soft, mink-lined restraints were buckled into place around her wrists, her ankles. Her skin felt so alive, she might be glowing.
The restraints forced her legs wider, wider still, almost to the point of discomfort. She still couldn’t see. The cool air made her nipples hard as pebbles.
“Dominic?” Her voice held a slight quaver, and she felt a moment of uneasiness.
He stepped between her splayed thighs. The table lowered a little, and then she felt his cock, nuzzling at the entrance of her pussy. He leaned forward, laving her breasts, groaning as he entered her already damp cunt. He stroked every inch of her, maddening caresses she couldn’t return. Her whole world was narrowed down to the feel of him on her. She rolled her head from side to side as he plunged and withdrew, plunged and withdrew, burying himself inside her fully and retreating.
His breathing sped up, and she felt excitement merging with the fear, coopting it, taking over her. He was almost snarling as he pumped against her, and she was practically chanting with need, unintelligible words of heat and desire, her body arching with each thrust inside her. She was losing her mind. She didn’t care.
Shouting with triumph and satisfaction, he slammed against her, his hips flush against her thighs, his cock buried deep as it jerked and released his cum. She screamed his name as she shuddered in response, her body convulsing around him. Her mind went completely, momentarily, blank.
This was what she wanted. She didn’t want to be in charge. She didn’t want to have to make the decision. As long as she was following someone else’s plan, she didn’t have to take any responsibility for her unhappiness.
Oh, God
.
Her eyes widened at the thought.
He was slumped over the table, sated, sweaty. He kissed her breasts, her throat, her lips. “I love you,” he rasped.
“I love you, too, Dominic,” she said softly, meaning every word.
His voice had been broken and hopeful and she felt like a knife had been driven into her chest.
I love you
, she thought.
But I have no idea how to make this work
.