“It wasn’t a request, Kassandra,” he replied. His tone was condescending and far too demanding. It was clear he was used to being obeyed, but he hadn’t met me yet. He didn’t know me, and he was never going to. I wasn’t going to get naked and beg for mercy, not from the likes of him. Just because he was a rich and powerful man didn’t mean that he was going to see me nude, that he was going to fuck me just because of who he was. Just because of the size of his bank account.
If he thought that, he had another think coming.
He stood up from his desk once more, illuminated by a soft overhead light. The shadows played on his face, and immediately, he reminded me of the devil.
For a moment, I was taken aback. I should have been terrified, but instead, I was strangely fascinated beneath my anger.
It was as though he was carved perfection. His hair, lit from above, was the color of dark chocolate. It was thick and quite long, and for the briefest of seconds, I yearned to drag my fingers through it. His eyes were dark, irises bordering on obsidian, but in the light, I realized that they were flecked with red. Thick eyebrows gave him an even more formidable glare. His jawline was powerful and strong, his cheekbones angled. Thick brown stubble covered his chin, giving him an ominous glow. His skin was bronzed, as though he’d spent a lifetime working in the rays of the sun. Had I not known any better, I would have equated him to the likes of a god, or at least an ancient carving of old.
In a different setting, I may have pursued him. He was my type. Tall, dark, and handsome. Undeniably Greek. The type of man that every single woman in the world would desire. The type of man I should have wanted to be on my arm.
“Kassandra, take off your clothes. Don’t make me repeat myself again,” he demanded for a second time, the forcefulness of his voice making my heart race.
“I won’t do it. Let me go this instant. Open the fucking door,” I snarled, trying to sound brave.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he answered. His expression was dark and expectant. He walked from around the back of his desk and I took a step back.
“Don’t touch me,” I warned.
He didn’t answer but continued to move toward me. It was obvious that he wasn’t backing down and soon, I’d be on the defensive.
I had no choice. If I was going to escape, I’d have to fight my way out. There wasn’t any doubt in my mind that he had locked me in the room with him, that I wasn’t getting out unless I figured out how to get that door open. It was clear that he wasn’t willing to let me go, at least until he got what he wanted. He wasn’t going to get that, not if I could help it.
I wouldn’t allow him to take me against my will. Not now, not ever.
He continued to walk toward me and I took one step backwards after another, until the vulnerable bare skin of my back pressed against the metal door.
“Don’t come any closer,” I warned, and my voice shook with my terror.
Damnit. I wish they hadn’t found my gun. I could have shot my way out of here. I could have killed him and been done with it.
His hands slapped against the rock wall behind me and I gasped at the sound. His gaze was heated, expectant and I snarled in his direction. He chuckled, moving quickly to grasp my chin. His grip was hard, and it hurt, but I didn’t cry out. He stood over me, taller than me by a solid foot and I did the first thing I could think of.
I brought up my knee hard, right in between his legs. Sure, some might call it a cheap shot, but I didn’t care. I wanted to get out of here, and I wanted to do it with my integrity intact. His face crumpled, but only a little bit and that’s when I realized that there was something bigger at play here. Something was very wrong.
That one shot should have brought a normal man to his knees. I was strong, trained in self-defense. I’d taken many courses and exceled through them at a pace that impressed even the most highly accomplished trainers. A blow like that would have taken them down in a heartbeat.
His expression darkened, and he grabbed my shoulders, his fingers digging into my flesh. I spun out of his grip and took a swipe at the side of his head with my elbow. He bowed backwards, just barely avoiding the blow, but still, I moved. I used my smaller size to my advantage, whirling just out of his reach, but he was ready for me. Like he’d anticipated my next move.
He bent down, narrowly missing the kick I’d intended to strike right at his kidneys. He grabbed my foot and wrenched my leg backwards. I cried out in shock, pain lancing up my leg as he twisted it hard, forcing me to fall to the floor on my hands and knees. My shoulders jolted hard as I landed, and I knew without a doubt that I would be sore the next day.
He pushed me down, pressing hard in the center of my back. I tried to use my arms to push myself back up, but it was no use, he was so much stronger than I had anticipated and soon, I felt the coolness of the stone floor through the satin dress covering my belly. I shrieked for help, panicking as I felt the heat of his body behind me, coming closer to the nakedness of my flesh. I could feel his weight pressing down on me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get away.
He fucking laughed at me. It was a cold sound and I knew then that I could scream all I wanted. No one was going to come. No one was going to rescue me.
That’s the kind of thing money like his could buy.
I screamed when I felt the hardness of his cock press up against my ass.
“No one is going to hear you, Kassandra,” he said coldly. “No one is going to save you from this, from me. You’re going to be mine, forever.”
My blood ran cold as I felt his knee work its way between my legs. My breasts pressed against the icy floor as he forced my thighs open, my nipples hardening painfully against the chill. With one hand, he gripped the back of my neck, holding me down as the other began to explore my body.
“Get the fuck off of me,” I yelled.
He laughed openly, the sound chilling me to the bone.
At first, the movement of his other hand was gentle, the complete opposite of how he’d been when he’d forced me to the floor. The feel of his flesh on mine was like liquid heat, as though he was branding me with fire. His finger edged across my bare shoulders, traveling down the length of my spine, vertebra by vertebra, just stopping once he reached the curves of my buttocks. Moving his fingertips side to side, he claimed one inch of my body after another. Like he was marking me as his.