I kiss the flat disk of his nipple and put my ear on his chest, just for good measure. The beat is strong and rhythmic. It sounds sure and secure. I have to believe nothing will happen to him. If he’s gone, our nine-year deal is off, and I’m dead. Magda won’t honor the agreement. Of that, I’m certain.
I push up on one elbow to trace the embossed lines on his face. “Tell me how it happened.”
He catches my hand. “Not tonight.”
“Nothing?” I ask with a tinge of disappointment. I want to know his history. I want to understand the man inside the sadist.
“All you need to know is that I regret them.” He moves my palm to the bandage strip covering the cut on his shoulder. “For this scar, on the other hand, I’m eternally grateful. I hope it never fades.”
“Why?”
“Now it’s a reminder of you.” He kisses my temple. “Go to sleep. It’s late.”
The balance that started shifting between us from the day he bought me food tips to the one side of the scale, the side where affection surpasses the physical. There’s no denying it, any longer. I’m starting to care for my jailer. Maybe I’m suffering from Stockholm syndrome. Not that it matters how or why it happened. Whatever sparked my feelings, they’re real.
When I wake up sometime in the middle of the night, he’s gone. I don’t even have a scar to run my finger over, no raised tissue on the surface of my skin that can make me feel closer to him. All I have are the marks he’s leaving on my heart.
My period is over. My breasts and womb are no longer sensitive, but my body is primed with a powerful arousal that won’t grant me relief. The orgasms Gabriel gives me are no longer enough. He made me like this, a pathetic addict who needs, craves, and aches, and still he denies me the remedy, even when I beg. I lie in the dark for a long time, trying to make myself come. It’s not my fingers, my touch, I need. It’s not even Gabriel’s touch. I want him inside me. I don’t care that he’s ruined me or that he still holds my life in his hands. He’s conditioned me, and I’m at the end of how far I can go. I’m at the edge of a dark abyss, and even if I fear the plunge, I can’t turn back. Getting out of bed, I pad barefoot through the dark house.
He won.
Again.
* * *
Gabriel
Leaving Valentina in her bed is becoming harder. I want her next to me all night. It’s an impractical and dangerous notion. If Carly sees us or Magda suspects I’m taking it further than the game I claim, I stand losing both my daughter and the woman who dominates every minute of my waking hours and even my dreams. The alarm beeps, pulling me from my thoughts.
The red dot on the bedside monitor warns me of movement in the house. Our security is top-notch, but even the best systems are breached. I check the doors and windows on the monitor. No entrances have been compromised. It can be Carly or Magda. Still, I’m not taking any chances. Whoever is moving through my house is at my door. The creak of a floorboard confirms the information on the screen.
I reach for the gun on the nightstand. When the door opens with a soundless swing, I take aim. My finger freezes on the trigger. It’s Valentina’s slender form that fills the doorframe. A bolt of shock runs through me for how easily I could’ve shot her. I lower the weapon. The fight leaves my body, but my muscles don’t relax. They’re tense with a different kind of anticipation. Her white negligee glows pearly in the moonlight. She’s staring at me, biting her lip. Putting the pistol back on the nightstand, I flick on the lamp for a better view.
I know what she wants. We both know why she’s here.
I told myself I couldn’t do it, and yet, I’ve never wanted anything more. I’ve belted and spanked her without breaking a molecule on her skin, but if I take her tonight, I won’t only break her virgin body, but also my promise. Call me a weak man, but I already lost the battle the night Rhett locked me in the gym. It was only a matter of time. Tonight is a night for broken promises.
I hold out my hand. “Come here.”
She walks to the bed and crawls over me. Every inch of my skin catches fire. By the time her pussy is resting on my crotch, I’m a live wire, ready to explode, but I hold back, giving her control, because she came to me and it’s the sweetest moment of my entire fucked up life.