She complied, thrusting her small breasts out so I could admire them.
“Qué bonita,” I murmured, studying her creamy skin and slim frame. She was so fragile, like a porcelain doll.
I released her chin, and she started to slump again. I clicked my tongue at her and lightly gripped her jaw, redirecting her to the proper position. “Stay.”
She shivered in response to my firm tone, and she remained in place when I released her.
Perfect.
I stepped away, but I didn’t take my eyes off her. I didn’t trust her enough for that yet. She remained locked in place, staring at me as I crossed to the chest of drawers where I kept all my favorite kinky toys. I retrieved the items I needed: a length of chain, three small silver padlocks, and a thin black leather collar. I held them in open hands so she could see them clearly.
“I don’t want that,” she said breathlessly.
I paused, considering her. “Does this scare you? It won’t hurt.” I didn’t want to leave her alone and frightened all day. I simply wanted her to feel my control while I was gone. And I needed to keep her restrained so she wouldn’t try to attack me again.
“I know it won’t,” she said quickly, words spilling from her pretty lips. “But I don’t want it. Not from you.”
I closed the distance between us. She remained in place, but she stiffened.
“Not from me? Someone else has collared you before? Maybe you’re not so innocent.” My stomach sank at the prospect. I much preferred to think of Samantha as untouched by anyone but me.
“No. He hasn’t. I just wanted… I don’t want this from you.”
My ire spiked. She didn’t want this from me?
So, she did know what the collar was, what it meant. And she’d wanted it from someone else.
“You lost the right to make demands when you tried to kill me,” I told her coldly. “I can’t trust you not to attack as soon as my back is turned. So, I’m going to chain you to my bed, where you’ll wait for me like a good girl while I attend to my business.”
“I don’t want this,” she pleaded.
“And I don’t want to punish you more severely than I already have. Not so soon.” She wasn’t ready for my harsher methods of training yet. “This is for your own good, Samantha.”
I finally wrapped the collar around her throat, securing it at her nape with one of the padlocks. I then locked the chain through the ring at the front of the collar before securing the other end of the chain through an eyebolt embedded in the bedpost.
A single tear slid down her cheek, shining in the morning light. I gently wiped it away with my thumb. “It’s not so bad, cosita.” I traced the line of the collar. “It’s very pretty on you.”
She closed her eyes, as though she couldn’t bear to look at me. I sighed, deciding it was time to leave her. She needed time to process her new situation, and I had to go.
I pulled away, but I couldn’t leave her when she was trying to shut me out.
“Look at me,” I commanded softly.
Her wet lashes fluttered open.
“This is what’s best for you,” It told her. “While you’re with me, you’re my responsibility. I will take care of you, even if that means protecting you from yourself.”
“You’re not protecting me,” she hissed, her ire rising once again. “You’ve violated me. You’ve stripped me. You’ve spanked me.”
I pressed my lips together, not caring for the picture she painted of me. “And if you knew what my brother had planned for you instead, you’d be worshipping at my feet right now and begging to be mine. But we’ll get to that later. For now, know that I’m the merciful alternative.”
“Rape isn’t merciful.”
Fury rose within me, and I struggled to swallow it down. “I haven’t raped you. I won’t rape you. You won’t be rewarded with my cock until you beg me to fuck you.”
“That will never happen,” she said, her tone harsh with spite.
My rage melted, and I considered her for a moment. “Your pretty little pussy has already wept for me. Your body craves to be touched. To be marked and owned. I think you are innocent, Samantha. You don’t know what I’m capable of. What I can make you feel. Has any man ever made you come?”