Before I can respond, he leaves the room, shutting and locking the door behind him. Fruitlessly, I turn the knob and try to open the door, but it’s impossible. I hate that I’ve been locked in here like this. The room is huge, but everywhere I turn there’s another reminder of him. His smell hangs about the place like an omen, dark and dangerous and to my utter disgust, erotic.
I’m alone, though. Blissfully alone. Solace is where I find my peace, the only place I’m comfortable, and this time it seems almost like a tease. I’m by myself, I have no privacy. And I don’t realize until he’s gone how badly I wished for this. How badly I wanted to be by myself for a little while. I haven’t been able to even think through what’s happened to me.
I assume if he’s left me in here, there aren’t many things I can get into that will aid me in my plan of escape. A cursory glance around the place tells me I’m not wrong.
There is no window in the bathroom. The bedroom’s ceilings are so high, I can’t even reach them. There is nowhere to climb to. No means of escape. The windows are large and airy, but too high to reach, and likely monitored or secured in some way. And even if I got to them, we’re too far up for me to escape.
Next, I walk to the door I assume is a closet but find it locked. There are two dressers and a bedside table, but when I open them and inspect the contents, all I find are women’s clothes. I shiver involuntarily. Who lived here before me?
The room is sparsely furnished. There is no television or a tablet, no cell phone or computer. Not even so much as a book. It’s like a prison, really. I try the door one last time, and give a little scream when it opens, only to find Kazimir standing on the other side, scowling at me.
“I told you to rest,” he says, his lip curling in a sneer. “I knew you’d want to snoop. They all do. But you’ll do what I tell you.” He takes me by the arm, spins me around, and gives my ass a sharp crack. “Now go.”
He might not break me with a spanking, but I have no interest in getting another one, so I do what he says and climb into bed, feeling a bit like a chastened child. Kazimir points a finger in my direction.
“Do not get out of bed again without my permission.”
Then he’s gone and the door clicks shut again.
I roll my eyes. I’m fuming but exhausted, so I mutter to myself and think about crazy means of escape while I lay there in bed. I don’t know how to get away from him, and even if I did, I don’t know how I would contact anyone who could help. He has connections everywhere. I know no one.
My eyes grow heavy with sleep, and I finally doze off. When I wake, the room is slightly darkened, and the door is open. Kazimir stands in front of me dressed in a suit. I sit up and shiver, pulling the blanket up around me. I didn’t even hear him getting dressed.
“Time to get up,” he says. “You’ll find your evening gown hanging in the bathroom for you to wear. Shortly, I’ll have an attendant come and get you dressed. This evening, you will dine with me and Dimitri.”
“Like some sort of date,” I mutter, but a warning look from him makes me freeze. I won’t get myself punished again. Not now, anyway.
“You belong to me, Sadie,” he states. “Therefore, when I eat with Dimitri, you will join me.” He’s adjusting a tie around his neck as he speaks. “This is part of your training.”
Frowning, I get out of bed, strangely sleepy and disoriented. My stomach churns with hunger. My mouth is dry and I long for something to quench my thirst.
When I’m three steps away from the bathroom, he calls my name.
“Sadie, stop.”
I freeze mid-step.
“Come back here.”
I turn to face him and give him a curious look. Crooking a finger at me, he points at the floor in front of him. With a sigh, I obey and walk until I’m standing in front of him.
“Good girl,” he says. “You respond to your training better than I expected. Now go lie on the bed on your back and spread your legs.”
I blink. “What? You just told me to get dressed.”
“Do it.”
My cheeks flame. What does this mean? When he uncrosses his arms and takes a step toward me, I quickly scurry to the bed and do what he says. My legs shake, my pulse races. I didn’t expect this, and remember his admonition about his particular methods of punishment with vivid clarity.