Owned Page 3

  “Morning, Ellie.” Kayne greets me the same each time. I have no idea if it’s really morning or night. A weekday or a weekend.

  I don’t respond. I just recoil tighter into my ball on the bench. That’s where I sit and attempt to sleep. A wooden bench. No pillow, or cushion or blanket. I’m shivering I’m so cold and covered in goose bumps. My tiny dress gives my body no protection against the elements.

  “Are you ready to come out? I know you’re cold and hungry and dirty. I’ll take you someplace warm. More comfortable. If you agree to come out.” For all the times Kayne has come to taunt me, he has never once stepped foot inside my cell. Never once tried to touch me or hurt me. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

  I trust him about as far as I can throw him. I’m afraid of the unknown if I step out of this cage¸ and I’m afraid of the unknown if I stay in it.

  “Fine,” I say feebly, finally breaking down.

  “Good.” He smiles victoriously. Like he had some bet going or something. “You know what you have to do.”

  “Why?” I gripe.

  “Because that’s the way it is. I know this is all new. But you’ll learn. I’m going to teach you to be a good kitten.”

  I look up at him. Kitten?

  We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. “Come on, Ellie. Don’t keep me waiting.”

  “Are you going to hurt me?” I ask apprehensively.

  “Not if you don’t make me.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means if you’re obedient and give me what I want, no harm will come to you.”

  I hesitate for just a beat. Then on shaky legs, I stand. Kayne’s mouth curves into salacious smile. He knows he has me. I haven’t even removed my clothes yet and he’s already licking his lips. Asshole. I unbutton the clasp at the nape of my neck, hating this dress for what it represents. I bought it to catch Kayne’s attention. I wanted to dress as sexy and alluring as I could with high hopes he’d be attracted to me. Right now all I want is to shred the material into a million pieces. Maybe if I’d worn something different, less appealing, things would have turned out different.

  I pull my arms through the sleeves, covering my breasts until the very last second. I can’t do it.

  “Ellie,” Kayne urges firmly.

  I take a deep breath, trembling, and then in one swift motion, like removing a Band-Aid, I slide the dress completely off. Kayne inhales, staring at me wondrously as I stand there completely naked.

  “No panties, Ellie? You did want me.”

  “Did being the operative word.” I try to cover my breasts with one arm and cross my legs. But in any position I am completely bare.

  “That will change. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll beg to come every time you see me.”

  He lifts something off the wall and it clinks. Then he opens the door.

  “Come, Ellie.” It’s a command, like how you’d call a dog.

  “No,” I defy him.

  “Fine.” He glares irritated. “I’ll come to you. But I promise that’s the one and only time you’ll ever say no. And the one and only time I’ll ever acquiesce.” It’s a threat.

  He steps inside the cell and I step back; the room feels like it’s shrinking. I bump into the wall with Kayne crowding me. He’s holding black leather things attached to chains.

  “Perfect. Be a good girl and hold still.” He reaches up and secures something around my neck. A collar!

  “No!” I protest, but it’s too late. I hear the click of a lock. It’s thick and heavy and digs into my skin.

  “Mmmm. Perfect fit.” Then he grabs my wrists, even though I try to struggle. His strength is Herculean compared to mine. He cuffs them and binds my hands to the hook on the front of the collar.

  I’m completely helpless, totally naked, and close to crying. This is a nightmare.

  Just when I think it can’t get any worse, he attaches a leash.

  “Come, kitten.”

  The tears start to roll.

  “I hate you,” I expel, my voice thick with emotion.

  “I know. But you’ll get over that.” He yanks the chain and we start walking. He totes me like a puppy through a hallway of cells. What is this place? Then up a dark winding staircase with sconces on the wall. When we emerge, I squint at the bright light. We’re in a house. An opulent, spacious mansion.

  If my fear and humiliation were on red alert before, they’re at DEFCON 1 now. The house is eerily quiet but has a sexual undercurrent running through it that shocks you like electricity. There are nude statues everywhere depicting sexual acts and large portraits of naked women in compromising positions hanging on the walls. Dispersed throughout the large hall are curved gold leaf couches and oversized wingback chairs.

  As I walk past one of the chairs, I notice hooks sticking out of the folds. What the fuck? We leave the large banquet hall and enter an open, spacious foyer with a grand staircase that has three tiers, pink and cream colored marble stairs, and an intricate black iron railing. The decor is magnificent; a dream home with a stark European flare. The arched doorways and humongous hand-blown glass chandelier reminds me of an expensive hotel or elegant casino.

  I try to cover myself with my elbows as I walk stark naked through the enormous house. It’s wrong. It’s weird. And I know I’m in so much trouble. Kayne ascends the stairs with me in tow, never looking back. It feels like we are climbing forever, my naked skin hyperaware of every subtle draft. When we make it to the top of the never-ending staircase, Kayne leads me right, down a long hallway scattered with doors. It’s dimmer than the rest of the house with a dark purple carpet and smaller chandeliers exactly like the one in the immense foyer. The corridor is mysterious with a sense of seductiveness. As we walk I hear muttered noises becoming louder and louder. My skin prickles. One of the doors is cracked open and I sneak a peek inside. I wish I hadn’t. What I see shocks me. A woman chained with her hands above her head is being—I don’t even know the right word to use—ravished, assaulted, violated by three men at one time. One is sucking her nipple, another has his head between her legs. The third is having sex with her from behind. My insides spin.

  “What is this place?!” I cry, pulling at the restraints.

  Kayne jerks me forward by the chain. “Your new home.”

  A daunting sense of dread takes over.

  He finally stops at the last door on the end. He unlocks it with a set of keys and ushers me inside. If it were under any other circumstance, I would be in awe. The room is imperial. It looks like a queen’s master suite. There’s an enormous bed turned down with shiny gold sheets and a headboard made out of vining white iron and pink tufted satin. Decorative molding covers the walls and high vaulted ceilings, giving the decor a very Parisian feel. A large flat screen hangs directly in front of the bed and the armoire right next to it is impossible to ignore. It’s stark white with huge ornately decorated doors.

  But as magnificent as the space is, it’s the semicircular adjoining room with large bay windows that’s giving me palpitations. If this was a normal suite, I’d take it for a sitting room. But trust me when I tell you it’s not. In its center is a table with thick leather straps and stirrups. A horror movie version of a gynecologist’s exam table. Underneath it are several metal drawers. I stop myself from imagining what could be in them. A crop, a flogger, and a wooden paddle are hanging between each window on the wall. My stomach tightens. He’s going to hurt me. I know it. I can feel it.

  “This way.” Kayne flicks the leash, leading me through another doorway into the bathroom. It’s a large space with off-white marble floors, matching counters, and a large stone shower. There’s also a clawed soaking tub so big you could swim in it. Kayne opens the glass door of the shower and turns a knob, spurring several shower fixtures to spring to life.

  Then he strips down to nothing. “Look at me, Ellie.”

  I keep my eyes closed and my head turned as much as the collar will allow.

  “
I said look.” He tugs the chain hard. “You need to start learning to obey commands.”

  That gets my attention. I open my eyes and gape at him. Not because he is gloriously naked in front of me. Because the words obey and command rattle my soul. I want to scream, I want to yell. But my emotions are choking me worse than the collar.

  Kayne unhooks my wrists, and then unclasps the uncomfortable leather. I rub my sore skin. He then removes my new neck jewelry.

  “In,” he orders. But I don’t move. I can’t move. My head is spinning. He slaps me on the ass and I jump. “In.”

  “You hit me!” My eyes water from the sting.

  “I’ll do it again if you don’t listen to me.”

  I escape immediately into the shower. Not that it’s really an escape because Kayne steps in right behind me. I cower into the corner, trying to get as far away from him as possible. Only a world of wrong can happen now, with both of us naked and him looking at me with carnivorous want in his eyes.

  “Turn around, put your hands against the wall.” I never thought I would wish to be back in that cell. But cold and hungry is way better than being raped.

  “Kayne. Don’t,” I beg, sounding pathetic. Where is my fight?

  It’s stinging your ass! Resist him, and he’ll beat you!

  “Now, Ellie.” He grabs my arm and faces me away from him, shoving me against the wall. My palms smack against the light colored stone.

  Then he juts my hips out and I fray at the seams. My breathing is heavy and my head is light all at the same time. I brace myself against the wall, trying to put my mind anywhere but here.

  “I love your ass, Ellie.” He smacks me again and I yelp. That smarts. Then he rubs my throbbing cheek. It feels wrong; him touching me.

  The warm water rains down on my prickly skin as Kayne runs his hands up my back and over my shoulders. I shudder. Then I hear the pop of a cap. My insides jolt. I’m worse than a spooked cat.

  The smell of eucalyptus fills the shower as Kayne begins to wash me, lathering my breasts, my stomach, my arms, and my backside. I hold my breath. I once would have killed for this man to touch me. Now that he is, all I do is cringe. He works his way between my thighs, and I instinctively squeeze them together.

  “That’s not going to keep me out. You need to get used to me touching you,” he murmurs lasciviously into my ear.

  “Why are you doing this?” I ask disgusted.

  “I have my reasons.”

  “Want to share them with me?”

  “All you need to know is that I want you, Ellie. I want your obedience, I want your submission, and I want your body.” He skims my clit with one of his fingers and I jump.

  “What the fuck are you waiting for then? Why are you fucking with my head?” I erupt, fear dragging me under.

  Kayne chuckles. “Hot for me baby? Want me to take you right here? Think you can handle it?” He presses his body against mine.

  I tremble from the inside out. My fright and rage getting the best of me.

  “You’re a bastard!”

  “Name calling doesn’t really do it for me.” He smacks me again. That fucking hurts! “And I’m not in the business of raping women. That doesn’t do it for me either. I want you to hand yourself over willingly. Submit. Until then, we’ll just play.”

  “Play?”

  “Mmmm hmmm.” He goes back to rubbing my clit. “This is mine.” He slips one finger inside me and I gasp, digging my fingernails into the tile.

  “Who do you belong to, Ellie?”

  “No one!”

  “Wrong answer.” He withdraws his finger. Half of me wants to scream, half wants to cry. “Stay,” he commands. I’m not a fucking dog!

  Kayne turns off the shower, steps out, and towel dries himself, all while I stand there naked and emotionally exposed. Then he opens a towel to me. “Come.”

  I scowl at him.

  “Come, or I’ll spank you again. And this time I won’t stop.” His eyes narrow.

  I take a deep breath, trying to control the tears. This can’t be happening. Reluctantly, I step out of the shower and into his waiting arms. He dries me off, not missing one part of my body. He touches it like he has license. Like he owns it.

  Once I’m dry, Kayne lifts the collar from the floor.

  “No.” I instinctively step back, but Kayne catches my wrist.

  “Yes.” He pulls me forward with a dangerous look.

  He fastens the collar around my neck and locks it. It’s tight and uncomfortable. The chain that’s still attached dangles between my naked breasts. I hate it. I hate the way it feels and what it signifies.

  Kayne walks me back into the bedroom. There’s a plate of food sitting on the modest-size round table underneath the large wagon wheel window that only has one chair.

  “Go eat. I’ll be back to put you to bed later.”

  “Don’t I get any clothes?”

  “Clothes?” He cocks an eye brow at me.

  “Yeah, you know, shirt, pants, socks?” I want to spit. I can’t just walk around naked in a collar. Can I?

  Kayne cuts across the plush shag rug to the dresser on the opposite side of the room. He opens a drawer and pulls something out. Then he walks back to me and kneels. “Here.” He holds up a sheer pair of panties.

  “That’s it?” I look down at him.

  “That’s it. Get used to being naked baby. That’s how I want you twenty-four seven.”

  Twenty-four seven?

  Kayne jerks my panties on, and then goes into the bathroom. A few moments later he emerges fully clothed and heads straight for the door.

  “You have twenty minutes to eat, then bed. I’ll be back.” His tone is flat, almost detached.

  The door clicks shut behind him, and I’m alone again, in yet another cell.

  In a fit of desperation I attack the door, yanking on the handle with some sliver of hope it might open. Tears run down my cheeks. I’m a captive. Going to be forced to do things with a man I once obsessed over and now hate. I pull at the collar and scream. This can’t be happening! It just can’t. I have a family, I have a future. I have a life waiting for me beyond this room. I pound harder, yell louder. But it’s no use. Deep down I know it. I can feel it. I’m his.

  When my energy is depleted, I slump down onto the floor. I can’t stop the tears from flowing as I lie there defeated. That’s when Kayne returns. Has it been twenty minutes already?

  He opens the door and it jams against my body. “Ellie, what the fuck?” He steps over me and into the room.

  “Not hungry?” He takes notice of the untouched food.

  “Fuck you,” I spit.

  “I hope so.” He lifts my limp body off the ground. Keep dreaming. I will never give my body or my will over to him. “You’re going to need your strength.” He places me on the enormous bed that can sleep ten.

  “For what?” I ask dejectedly.

  “Me.”

  He picks up the end of the chain attached to the collar and locks it around one of the curves of the iron headboard.

  “What the fuck!” I yank and pull.

  “This is how you’ll sleep. New puppies need to be chained up.”

  “I’m not a fucking puppy!” I erupt.

  “No, you’re right,” Kayne muses. “You’re more like a frisky little kitten.” He runs one finger down my face the way you would pet a cat. I jerk my head away.

  He jerks me back by the collar. Fucking thing. Rage burns a hole through my chest.

  “You’ll learn, kitten.”

  “I hate you.”

  “We’ve established that. We’ve also established that you’ll get over it.” He kisses me quickly on the lips. “Tomorrow we start.”

  “Start what?” I snarl.

  “Obedience training.”

  I LEAVE ELLIE’S ROOM WITH my emotions in a stir. I stand by the door and listen to her scream bloody murder for the second time tonight. Part of me hates myself for doing this. Part of me knows it’s the only way.


  Part of me can’t wait to tie her up and dominate the fuck out of her. I’ll have her begging. You just wait.

  The only way to keep her safe is to turn her into the one thing I’m trying to protect her from. The last three days have been hell watching her waste away in that tiny cell. They would have been worse if I had to witness her at the mercy of Javier. I may have collared and chained her to the bed, but her screams would be blood-curdling if she were confined to his room. He’d have no sympathy for her pain or tolerance for her disobedience. He’d starve her, torture her, and leave her for dead. Fuck that. I may run an elaborate whore house, but no one has the right to treat another human being like that. Listen to me, righteous motherfucker. I’m the one who has a captive on the other side of this door.

  But no one can know. No one can know I had any other reason for taking Ellie than to make her my slave. Not even Ellie. It would be too dangerous. Make me too vulnerable. Make her a target.

  And I can’t let that happen. There’s too much at stake.

  I leave Ellie to scream herself to sleep. With the lack of food and earlier outburst, I doubt she’ll last much longer.

  SUNLIGHT BECKONS ME AWAKE.

  My mouth is dry and my throat is sore. Where am I? Then I remember. The chain clinks as I move. I’m a prisoner. I pull on the collar and fiddle with the lock. Off. I just want it fucking off.

  Suddenly the door opens and I instinctively huddle into a ball, naked and completely defenseless.

  “Ah, you’re up.” A tall, nice looking man with turquoise eyes and a shock of blond hair saunters toward me. I recoil.

  “There, there,” he coos. Pulling on the chain once he reaches the bed. I resist him. “Aren’t you a pretty thing? No wonder Kayne wanted you. Come here.”

  “No. Who are you?” I fight him.

  “Jett.” He yanks harder, forcing me closer to him. “I’m your keeper.”

  “I don’t need a keeper. I need to go home!”