I headed straight to my brother’s office when Adrian and I got back to the mansion. I was too agitated to sit still for very long.
Like always, I didn’t knock before barging in. Emmaline was in his lap, her hair a mess, her shirt bunched around her waist. Her cheeks flushed red as she quickly scrambled off of James’s lap. My brother glowered at me.
“Debriefing couldn’t have fucking waited?” he asked.
“Not when my woman’s life is on the fucking line, no,” I snarled.
That got his attention. He stood up. “What the fuck do you mean her life is on the line?” he demanded, his eyes narrowed at me.
“Juliana Garcia,” I said simply, watching as James quickly connected the dots.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he snapped. “She’s Andres Garcia’s fucking daughter?!” he roared.
I nodded once in confirmation. He stormed to the windows of his office and back again. “Makes fucking sense now. You said she’s basically fucking mute right? Probably was fucking trained that way. Bet if we pull a background check, Rodriguez was her mother’s last name.”
I’d been thinking the same thing. If her name was on a contract, ID had been pulled.
“She’s got an irrational fear of men unexpectedly touching her,” I told him. “Never been that way with me – maybe because I fucking saved her ass the other night. But when your attorney touched her unexpectedly, she freaked the fuck out.”
“The hell was she doing at my club, then?” James asked.
“It’s all she might know,” Emmaline quietly spoke up. James turned to look at her, but she looked at me. “Right, Darren?”
I nodded. That had been my guess, too. She’d escaped the life of a sex slave, but she’d run to another place where she would only be used for the same thing. But at least she felt somewhat in control there of who got to touch her.
“Doesn’t make any goddamn sense to me,” James said, shaking his head. “I’m trying to figure out why you run from one place where you’re good for nothing more than your pussy to another place where you’re going to get treated the exact same way.”
“She was protected there – for the most part,” Emmaline explained to her husband. James turned to look at her, soaking in what she had to say. Emmaline was smart in her own way, and she understood victims of abuse. “That’s my guess, anyway. Some women take back control of their lives after being sexually assaulted by having more sex, but this time, it’s of their own control.”
“I need a protection detail for Juliana,” I told James, knowing he had the manpower to do it. He looked at me. “Not a fucking thing can happen to my woman, James,” I warned him. “I promised her I would always protect her.”
He nodded once, understanding instantly where I was coming from. I knew he’d do the same for his wife and son in less than a heartbeat. “I’ll put another guard on your door with the one already there, and you’ll have two sets of two guards for your door. They’ll have rotating shifts of twelve hours. A guard will be posted on your hall. If you two have to go anywhere, you’ll have six guards with you. That work?”
I nodded. “That works, brother. Thanks.”
He nodded once at me. “We’ll keep her safe, Darren. She’s family now.”
I nodded once before I walked back out of his office, heading to my room. I needed my woman – needed to reassure myself that she was safe.
Which meant I was about to give my little girl her first real session with me.
~*~*~
Juliana was awake when I walked into our room. She had taken another shower, and her hair was hanging wet around her shoulders. She only had on one of my t-shirts, her bare legs on display.
I hungrily ran my eyes over her. Somehow sensing what I wanted, she got on her knees in front of me, her hands flattening on her thighs, her eyes downcast.
The perfect, meek submissive.
But I wanted her to fucking burn for me.
“You ready for me, little girl?” I asked her.
“Yes, Daddy,” she said softly.
“On your feet,” I ordered.
As soon as she was on her feet again, I grabbed her hand in mine and led her into my closet. I pushed aside some of my clothes to reveal the door to my playroom. After unlocking it, I led her inside.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
The room was done in dark purple and black tones. It was soothing and comforting to me, and judging by the way Juliana relaxed at my side once we were enclosed in the room, she felt safe in here as well.
“In here, I am your daddy,” I told her quietly. I locked my hand around the front of her throat and pulled her body against mine. I leaned my head down, letting my breath fan her ear. She softly moaned, her body shuddering against mine. “Remember, I collared you,” I rasped. She nodded. “From the moment you signed that contract, know you became mine. No one else ever gets to tell you what to do but me,” I told her, feeling the need to enforce that for her. Her father and his men would never fucking touch her again. “I’m the only one who controls you – the only one you fucking answer to,” I growled.
She nodded. “I want your words, baby girl. Can you give me your sweet voice inside of this room?”
She hesitated for a moment. I waited patiently. “Yes, Daddy,” she finally whispered.
I pressed my lips to her temple. “That’s my good, little girl,” I crooned. I turned her to face me and gripped the hem of my shirt she was wearing. “When we enter this room, I am the one who undresses you.” I looked down at her, my nostrils flaring.
No fucking panties.