Her cheeks flushed crimson, and her gaze dropped to the carpet. I knew the truth.
“I see. Your first real orgasm will belong to me.”
A light tremor raced across her skin, and it took all my careful control to stop myself from touching her again.
“Later,” I murmured, speaking to myself more than to her. I allowed my fingers to trail through her hair, the only contact I could allow myself. If I explored her further, I’d never leave.
She cringed away, helping me find the resolve to withdraw from her. She didn’t look up at me again, so I stepped away and went about getting ready for my day. Leaving her chained to the bed, I went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. My cock was rock hard when I stripped off my sweatpants, but I didn’t have time to see to my needs. My brother was waiting, and I wouldn’t risk drawing his attention to Samantha by being tardy.
I was still hard when I slung a towel around my hips and returned to the bedroom. She blinked, and her gaze focused on me. Her eyes dropped from my face, trailing down my chest and abs before coming to rest on the bulge of my erection against the towel.
“You can look at me,” I invited. “There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
She giggled, a shrill, maddened sound. “Right. Nothing to be afraid of. Only the huge, scarred, scary man who’s chained me to his bed.”
My gut clenched, all my pleasure turning sour. When I’d been toying with her lovely body, I’d almost forgotten about my disfigurement.
“Do my scars bother you so much?” I asked roughly. “Am I so terrifying to look at?”
She pressed her lips together and shuddered, refusing to look at me any longer. I growled my frustration as my lust finally cooled. I moved with swift, jerky movements as I dried off and pulled on my suit. She didn’t so much as glance in my direction.
I didn’t look at her, either. It made something ache in my chest to see her disgust. But when I reached the bedroom door, I couldn’t help turning back for one last look.
She sat exactly as I’d left
her: back straight, chin up, breasts thrust out on display.
My lips tilted with renewed pleasure. “Good girl.”
I had one sweet moment to register her shocked expression before I closed the door behind me. Another chuckle rumbled from my chest, the sound strange from disuse.
I quickened my pace to leave my penthouse. The sooner I finished with my meeting, the sooner I could return to her. No matter what Cristian said, I was going to keep her. Samantha was mine.
Chapter 3
I retrieved my phone from the desk drawer where I kept it locked and powered down while I was in the private sanctuary of my penthouse. This was my space to relax and keep my own schedule. I used my laptop to do my work or to play a game of chess online, but otherwise, I mostly disconnected while I was in my haven. It also meant that I couldn’t be distracted when I was focusing on my sweet new captive. She had my full attention; something that would be required to bend her to my will.
Even though my brother had summoned me to leave her side, chaining her to my bed would keep her focused on my control in my absence. She’d quickly come to learn that she was completely powerless to resist me or defy me in any way.
As I entered the elevator to exit my penthouse, I called Lauren and requested that she take care of Samantha in my absence. Unlike the woman locked in my bedroom, I wouldn’t order Lauren around. She’d suffered enough powerlessness from the sick drugs my brother used against the women who served in the brothel on the third floor of my building. I hated the way the Bliss left them broken and empty inside, but that wasn’t something I could force my brother to change.
He’d made it clear that I couldn’t defy him when he punished me three years ago. Any thoughts of resistance had died in that basement.
I also put in a call to Ben, the young man who was tasked with keeping my home clean. This time, I did issue stern orders. He was not allowed to so much as glance at Samantha. He needed to go about his duties, but I wouldn’t tolerate another man coveting what was mine.
His fear of my infamous, ruthless retribution would guarantee he obeyed.
I made my way down to the third floor, where my brother had commanded me to meet him. I knew he chose the brothel to bait me.
At least Lauren wouldn’t be there for him to touch and torment while I watched. The sweet woman—little more than a girl, really—had earned my affection and my pity. She didn’t flinch at the sight of my scars; she was devoted to me, despite what she suffered in my home. I treated her with a kind but firm hand. My commanding demeanor calmed and comforted her. She wasn’t afraid of me like the other girls. It was why I’d trust her to take care of Samantha.
I’d never touched the beautiful, willowy blonde with the haunted green eyes. The very idea of using her sexually made my stomach twist. But I was still determined to care for her and see to her wellbeing as best I could.
By the time the elevator stopped on the third floor, I’d concluded my threatening phone call to Ben. I took a breath in the final moment of privacy, unwilling to betray even the smallest show of weakness in front to Cristian. Still, I needed to brace myself for whatever he had in store for me. Especially now that Samantha’s fate hung in the balance. I believed she was a field agent—although a very inexperienced one. She’d never been tested in the field, and it was already obvious that she didn’t have it in her to lie or truly harm another human being.
Not even one as terrifying as me. Her instincts for self-preservation weren’t strong enough to quash her submissive nature, no matter how fierce she tried to appear.
The way she’d softened under my harsh hands and grown wet when I punished her let me know she was a perfect match for my more perverse needs. Even if she wanted to deny it, she would accept me eventually.