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  Mark plops down in his usual seat at the table as I shut the door behind me. He eats another antacid, leaving the large bottle out on the table.

  I decide to pour Mark some tea instead of coffee. I figure it would be easier on a sour stomach or enflamed esophagus or whatever the fuck he has going on.

  I place the cup in front of him and proceed to sit across the table.

  “Thank you.” He lifts the white mug with Expo’s rainbow colored logo on it. It’s as modern as the sleek building we’re sitting in.

  “Want to talk about it?” I ask as Mark takes a sip of the steaming tea. I would’ve at least blown on it first, but by the looks of him, he’s not feeling anything but anxiety at the moment.

  “It’s my fault,” he blurts out.

  “What?”

  “Ellie’s disappearance is my fault.”

  My jaw drops. “Why is it your fault?”

  “Because I should have been watching her more closely.”

  “Mark—”

  “That beautiful little spitfire is gone. And I’m completely helpless.” He puts his head in his hands. This is not good. I knew Ellie being taken would put a strain on her friends and family, but I never imagined Mark would blame himself or fall the fuck apart. I’ve never really had friends or family who cared about me that much, so maybe I underestimated the impact of her disappearance. She’s lucky, and loved, by more people than I realized. I feel a strange twinge in my chest. Jealousy? Envy maybe? Jett is the only person who would give two shits if I ever disappeared. Regardless of the repercussions, Ellie is safer being held captive by me than being tormented at the hands of Javier. I stand by my decision. As deceitful as it is.

  “Kayne, you were the last one to see her. What was she like? Was she drunk? Upset? Why did she leave alone?”

  As much as I wanted to avoid this conversation, it’s clear Mark needs answers. So I will give him some.

  “Trust me when I tell you, I tried everything in my power to get her to come home with me,” I divulge. Although in reality I didn’t have to try very hard. I think Ellie would have come home with me even before the alcohol freed her inhibitions. “But Ellie wasn’t having it. I think she was playing hard to get,” I insinuate.

  “She didn’t drink that much and seemed fine to leave on her own. I never would have left her side if I thought something might happen to her.” It’s the exact same thing I told the police when they questioned me. I knew it was going to happen. Luckily for me, the commissioner of New York is a personal friend. You meet a lot of high profile people in my line of work, and sometimes those contacts come in handy. “I offered her a ride several times, but she declined. You know how Ellie is,” I lie through my teeth.

  “Yes, I do.” Mark stares into the light brown liquid. “She’s a smart, young girl with a bright future ahead of her. It’s breaking my heart to think she’ll never have a chance to pursue it.”

  I sigh. I would never take Ellie’s future away from her. If anything, I hope one day to make it brighter. If she’ll let me; if she ever speaks to me again after this is all over.

  “She’s also strong, and I’m sure wherever she is, or whatever she’s going through, she’ll survive,” I try to reassure him.

  “I’m trying not to imagine what’s she’s going through.” Mark’s eyes water. Damn. I pull out the white handkerchief from my left pocket and hand it to him uncomfortably.

  “Thank you.” Mark takes it and wipes his eyes. Geez. I’m so bad at the emotions thing. I don’t even like my own.

  “I wish I could tell you everything is going to be okay. But I’m a realist.” And I don’t want to look too incriminating. “I can tell you that I care about Ellie just as much as you do. Maybe more.” Mark pauses and looks at me for what seems like the first time today. Like he’s really seeing me.

  “I understand. You two always did have explosive chemistry.”

  “Explosive?” I widen my eyes. “Was it that obvious?”

  “Boyfriend, please.” Mark makes a don’t bullshit me face. “Every time you two were in the same room, I had the bomb squad on speed dial.”

  I smirk coyly. “Ellie is a bit ... incandescent.”

  “She used to light up this whole office.” Mark smiles sadly.

  She will again.

  “Try not to be so hard on yourself,” I tell him.

  “That is easier said than done.” He twists the handkerchief in his hands.

  There’s nothing more I can say or do.

  After our conversation, and a little bit of work, I bid Mark goodbye. I wish I could’ve given him more reassurance. Told him I knew Ellie was going to be okay. But my secrets have to stay hidden, because even I can’t guarantee the outcome. I can only proceed with what I’m doing, with hope that Ellie will come around and we’ll both come out of this alive.

  Before I leave, I meander by Ellie’s desk. It’s filled with papers and sticky notes. Her keyboard has a thin layer of dust and the green plant she keeps on her filing cabinet is wilting. I spy the pictures on her pin board. She’s hugging a girl I don’t recognize. They look alike so I assume it’s her sister. There’s another of her with two older people. They must be her parents. She looks like her father. Their pointy noses are the same, and so is the color of their eyes. A deep mossy green. The one of her and Mark I find the most amusing. It’s St. Patrick’s Day, and they’re both wearing Kiss me I’m Irish t-shirts, green sparkly top hats, and have a shot glass in each hand. Looks like whiskey. Ellie’s cheeks are a little flushed, and she’s smiling brightly. If I had to guess, she’s a little tipsy. I catch myself grinning as I stare at her. I wonder if I’ll ever have the chance to get to know the girl in that picture. I really want to, almost desperately.

  Once back outside, I slip into the town car waiting for me on the street. I slide up the privacy screen and try to relax against the leather seat, loosening my tie and stretching my legs. Why didn’t I just rent a driver and take my limo? More room!

  I shift around uncomfortably, anxious to get home and play with my kitten. I drop my head back, close my eyes, and dream up numerous ways I can make Ellie come. I get hard just thinking about how she tastes on my tongue. I can’t wait to see what she feels like on my cock. I wonder if tonight will be the night she finally gives in. I know she’s close, so damn close to being mine. The wait is nearly killing me.

  I grab myself and stroke, trying to appease the arousal that is now a living, breathing beast ripping my insides apart.

  “Driver!” I kick the back of his seat restlessly. “Hurry the fuck up!”

  JETT DUBBED ME HIS BRUNETTE Barbie doll.

  Once again he did my nails and straightened my hair.

  He fed me ice cream for lunch and indulged me in mindless conversation. It was the least boring and least stressful day so far.

  I watch the sun set through the large circular window diagonal from my bed. As soon as the first shred of night appears, I know he’ll be here.

  I wait on my knees; impatiently, nervously.

  Tonight I know I’m going to say yes. My mind has finally lost the war. It will be my descent into darkness. I’ll finally be his. I try not to think about what that means. All I know is that I need more. My body needs more. It’s becoming dependent, like a junkie hooked on drugs, jonesing for the unparalleled pleasure only Kayne can distribute. It’s my escape, my avoidance, my diversion to the reality at hand.

  The door clicks and my body reacts, adrenaline rippling through me. I stay perfectly still as I listen to him approach. His footsteps sound different tonight. I flick my eyes up at the figure in front of me. It’s not Kayne. I snap my head to attention. The adrenaline previously rippling through me has turned into waves of dread. The man rakes over my naked body with cold black eyes and a twisted grin. I spring back, but he snatches my chain before I can get far. He drags me toward him sinisterly until my face is an inch from his.

  “Señorita,” he growls. I recognize him then. He’s the man who showed up at
Mark’s party.

  “Kayne has to do a better job training his slave. If you were mine, your mouth would already be wrapped around my dick.” His accent is thick and his tone is menacing. This man is evil.

  He unbuttons his pants with one hand. “No!” I push at him, struggling against the tight hold he has on the chain.

  He laughs at me. “That word doesn’t exist in my world.”

  He pulls me forward, forcing me to brace myself on the edge of the bed. I swipe at him with one hand spurring him to squeeze the collar until it’s choking me. I gasp for air as he brings the head of his penis to my lips.

  “No!” I try to turn my head, but his hold is tight and too restrictive. Tears spring. When I try to fight, he chokes me harder. I wheeze and cough desperate for oxygen as tiny stars cloud my vision.

  He lets up once I stop squirming, close to passing out.

  “Bite me and I’ll beat you unconscious.” He grabs a fist full of my hair and shoves his cock so far into my mouth I gag.

  Oh God, please no!

  IT TAKES ME A MINUTE to register what I’m seeing.

  Javier has Ellie bent over the edge of the bed by her collar.

  “What the fuck!” I roar as he tosses her aside crying and covered in ... Oh for Christ’s sake.

  “Your whore needs work,” he sneers.

  I see fucking red. The whole room is bleeding crimson.

  You can’t fucking kill him. Yet. I restrain myself as my heart tries to punch a hole straight through my chest.

  “This fucking room is off-limits, and you know it.” I step forward with my fists clenched.

  “Apparently not.” He zips his fly imperiously with that ridiculous smirk I want to smack right off his face.

  Javier brushes past me, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to beat him into the floor. As soon as he slams the door, I bolt to Ellie. She looks like she’s in shock.

  Our eyes meet for a fleeting moment then she loses it. “Unchain me!” she screams, sobbing irrepressibly. She yanks at her collar, then starts erratically wiping Javier’s come off her face and out of her hair. That fucking rat bastard. He’s dead.

  I clumsily release the chain from her collar during her fit. As soon as she’s free, she darts into the bathroom and turns on the shower. My anger has reached volcanic proportions. I give Ellie a minute, because truthfully I need one myself. Then I follow her into the bathroom.

  The muscle I forgot was in my chest cracks for the very first time in my life as I watch her scrub her face furiously under the water, bawling uncontrollably. My kitten. The crack fissures so deep it touches my soul.

  That tortilla-eating motherfucker did this to make a point. To flex his superiority. To get to me. Cocksucker. I want to scream, but I don’t want to upset Ellie more than she already is, so I stuff my amplified emotions away and step into the shower with her, clothes and all. Ellie instinctively cowers away from me, still crying. Her face is red from scrubbing and her body hunched in shame. I thank God for the stream of water running down my face. It masks the tears falling from my eyes. This was never supposed to happen. He was never supposed to get to her. I thought if I kept her close, kept her captive, she’d be safe. I was wrong.

  I hate being wrong.

  It eats me alive.

  So does her suffering.

  I pull a defiant Ellie into my arms. She fights me tooth and nail, but I’m bigger and stronger, and she knows it. She submits, wilting against me. Her pain is palpable through her wretched sounds. It guts me.

  In a fit of sudden rage, she balls her hands into fists and starts pounding on my chest. “You did this to me! You made me a whore!” Then her legs give out and she slumps into my arms.

  “He was never supposed to touch you.” I hug her tightly. “You only belong to me.” I press my lips to her head. She cries some more and I just hold her until the tears subside. It feels like an agonizing eternity. The only thing reminding me we’re still alive is the feel of the scalding water and sound of the strong spray.

  When Ellie finally looks up at me, it’s with dejected green eyes. It liquefies my soul. I drop my lips to hers, kissing her softly, trying to ease the pain, the shock, the after effect. She grabs at my face and kisses me fiercely, as if I’m the only lifeline she has left.

  I tighten my arms around her and allow her into my mouth, giving her what she needs; my body and my newly functioning heart.

  “I’m sorry, Ellie.” I find my balls. “I’m sorry he touched you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to stop him.” She blinks up at me naked, defenseless, and so utterly tempting. “I promise no one will ever hurt you again.” It’s a vow.

  “Except you.” Her voice is small, but callous none the less.

  Burn.

  I drop my forehead to hers. “I won’t as long as you behave.”

  “You promise?” She looks up at me with just her clouded eyes.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m trying,” she whispers weakly.

  “I know. You’re a good girl.”

  She closes her eyes as if surrendering. Giving up. Giving in. “Kayne, can you touch me?”

  The question blindsides me.

  “Is that what you want, Ellie?” I smooth my hand over her wet hair.

  “Yes. Please. Take it all away.” She doesn’t even hesitate.

  I would take every ounce of her suffering if I could.

  I lift her face, brushing my thumb across her raw skin. Then I drop a light kiss against her lips. She darts her tongue out, and I know in that instance I have her. A butterfly trapped in my web. My web of lies, and my web of deception. My web of selfishness, because I’ve always wanted Ellie. And now I finally have her. She’s Mine.

  I turn off the shower without a sound, pull Ellie’s listless body out, and then wrap her in a towel. When I lift her up and cradle her in my arms, she looks at me with hollow eyes. It feels like a piece of her spirit is broken, which is the last thing I ever wanted to happen.

  In the bedroom I place her on her feet, and then strip the bed, sending the comforter and sheets flying to the floor. She’ll get new bedding tomorrow; that set is being burned. I dry her off in silence, skimming over her breasts and stomach, and rubbing between her thighs. Then I dry her hair, soaking up the droplets of water from scalp to tip. When I’m through, she’s left naked in front of me wearing only her collar. The thick leather around her neck makes me hard as fuck. It’s a symbol, a statement. It tells the world she belongs solely to me.

  “Lie down,” I order. “On the carpet.” She steels herself, breathing heavily, and then walks to the center of the room.

  “Look at me.” She turns and raises her head. She is so goddamn beautiful it hurts, with those sultry green eyes and light brown hair. “On your back. Spread your legs.”

  Breathing erratically, she drops to her knees, and then lies on her back. Just like I taught her. My cock throbs. She props her feet up and opens her legs as wide as they can go. I nearly combust in my pants.

  “Good girl.”

  I stalk the seven steps it takes to get to her then unhook my belt, while standing above her. We never take our eyes off each other as I pull my wet shirt over my head and shed my pants. I’m completely naked, same as her.

  I kneel down between her legs; her enticing little pussy wide open and on display. I moan deep and guttural in my throat as its soft pink folds call to me. Tease me. Tell me they’re finally mine.

  I’m going to attempt to be gentle. I don’t exactly do gentle. But I can try for Ellie’s sake.

  “Tell me again that you want me to touch you.” I kiss the inside of her thigh.

  Ellie closes her eyes and grips the plush rug.

  “I want you to touch me.” Her voice is raspy from fighting back tears.

  “I have wanted you for so long.” And now that I have her, I’m going to make sure I bury myself so deep inside her, the only thing she’ll feel, taste, smell, breathe, or even think about is me. I know I’ve said I want her obe
dience, and her submission, and her body, but what I want most of all is her mind. I want to cloud it, consume it, rule over it. Have her thoughts only be of me. I never knew how deep my affections for Ellie ran until the night of Mark’s party. That first small kiss sparked it all. It ignited something between us, something that’s been smoldering ever since.

  Ellie closes her eyes as I run one finger down her slit, shaking like a leaf as I circle the tip of my finger over her clit. Her body springs to life as I slide it inside her. She gasps, grabbing onto the rug tighter as I push all the way in. I finger her slow and deep, after a while adding a second digit then a third. She moans loudly, her body bowing from the pleasurable intrusion.

  I drop my head and suck her clit between my teeth causing her to whimper. I love that sound. I’ve come to live for that sound.

  I work my mouth while simultaneously fucking her with my fingers. I know what she likes. I know what gets her off. She writhes beneath me, flexing her hips, begging for more. For a fleeting second I regret not tying her down. I withdraw my fingers and Ellie groans in protest. I crawl over her, licking my way up her body until we’re nose to nose, mouth to mouth. “Tell me you want me to fuck you.”

  She’s panting and flushed, the fear evident in her smoky green eyes. But there’s also something more, something dark and desirous.

  “I want you to fuck me.”

  I grab her by the collar and yank, pulling her face to mine. I kiss her hard, forcing her mouth open, giving her no choice but to accept my tongue. I plunge in deeply and swirl it all around, sucking the oxygen right out of the room. Then I shove her back down. My need spiraling.

  “Stay still.”

  I spread her legs wider with my hands and Ellie emits an uncomfortable sound. Then I line the head of my cock up to her entrance and tease her with shallow thrusts. Her pussy tightens, begging for more. I slide into her, taking her all at once. She sighs insufferably as a tear trickles down her cheek. I lean in and lick it off.

  I’ll swallow every salty emotion she sheds tonight.