London

He came to bed late that night again, finishing up work downstairs with Ariel and the rest of his crew. I didn’t bother to pretend to be asleep this time. He walked inside and undid his tie, his eyes finding mine. Seductively, he removed every single item of clothing and dropped them on the floor. First, it was the tie and then it was the collared shirt. He undid his belt and bent it in his hands, testing the tightness. Then he dropped his slacks.

I eyed his near-naked body and felt repulsed by my immediate arousal. For a criminal, he had soft and flawless skin. The muscles coiled and moved every time he shifted, his power obvious in his build. He wasn’t bulky like Dunbar, but his long and lean look implied he was strong—but also fast.

He kicked off his shoes and socks then grabbed the brim of his boxers next.

I knew I shouldn’t look. I wasn’t sure why I was looking in the first place.

His brown eyes held a vibrant desire and confidence that was borderline arrogant. He pulled them down his waist until his hard cock appeared, the head swollen and a darker shade than the rest of his length. Nine inches of man emerged from his trimmed balls. He kicked the boxers aside then came to the bed, knowing he had my full attention.

He got into bed beside me and rested one arm underneath his head. The sheets bunched up to his waist, only the outline of his hard cock noticeable. Without trying, he looked like every woman’s dream. Masculine, powerful, and sexy. He was sleeping inside a castle that was passed on to him through his noble blood. He really was a king.

He turned his head and looked at me, his five o’clock shadow thicker than it was that morning. “Like what you see, Lovely?”

I didn’t bother lying anymore. It was obvious how attracted I was to him. But no matter how strong my needs were, I wasn’t going to go down that road. I had too much respect for myself, and my desire for freedom had never faltered. I couldn’t succumb to something so carnal and forget what was important. I may not be able to stop him from seducing me, but I could make sure I wasn’t making the first move. “I’m tired…” I yawned and turned over, trying to forget about the aching throb between my legs.

He turned off the bedside lamp and chuckled. “Whatever you say, Lovely. But very soon, you’ll be giving me exactly what I want.”

My heart quickened at his words. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’ll see in the morning.” He fell silent, refusing to give up any more information.

I didn’t take his threats lightly. He had power, money, and authority. He could make a lot of things happen—anything. I didn’t know what he was going to pull in the morning, but I had to make sure I wasn’t around to find out.

I concentrated on his breathing, studying it to determine what stage he was in during his REM cycle. I couldn’t make my move unless he was out cold. I was in the middle of nowhere, and I needed as much of a head start as possible.

When his breathing turned deep and constant, I slipped out of bed and put on the running shoes Dunbar had placed in my bag. I was in black leggings and a t-shirt, poor clothes for a quick getaway, but they would have to do.

I crept to the door on the other side of the room and slowly opened it, grateful it didn’t creak due to its old age. I stepped into the hallway and looked left and right, making sure no one was on guard. The deep red rug stretched down the hallway, underneath the crystal chandeliers which hung from the ceiling.

I crept down the hallway and stuck close to the wall, listening for any sound. I reached the end and peered down the stairway, seeing no one at the bottom. I crept down to the bottom floor, and my eyes immediately darted to the two enormous doors that marked the entryway.

Dunbar stood in front of them, dressed in all black. He looked at his phone like he might be playing a game to pass the time.

Damn. I couldn’t go that way.

I went back upstairs and took the hallway on the opposite side of the room, which went down a corridor of bedrooms. One room I passed had a woman moaning loudly while the bed creaked, and I couldn’t help but think of Crewe and what we could be doing right now if I hadn’t left.

Shake it off.

I had to get the hell out of there.

I took different hallways left and right, eventually getting lost in the enormous castle. The amount of power used to keep the lights on must be exorbitant. I moved to the opposite end and peered through the large window that overlooked the castle. From what I could gauge, I was on the opposite side of the property now, above a courtyard with rose bushes inside a garden.

The only staircases led back to the main entryways, and I had to assume they were all blocked. I had years of mountain climbing experience, so I could climb down to the bottom. I was on the third floor, so it was dangerous.

But it was worth the risk.

None of the windows opened, so I walked to a bedroom in the corner. Careful not to make a sound, I crept inside, relieved to see no one was occupying it. And to my luck, it had a balcony. I shut the door and locked it behind me.

The balcony was on top of the third roof. The only way I could get down was if I crawled along the grooves of the stones. It was dangerous and borderline stupid. There was grass at the bottom instead of concrete, but it was still so far of a fall that I would probably break something.

In the back of my mind, I heard Crewe’s warning. If I tried to escape and failed, there would be serious consequences. I knew the threat was sincere, and I would seriously pay for my actions. I could chicken out and return to the bedroom. Or I could continue forward and hope for the best.

I had to get out of here.

I threw my legs over the edge and slowly began to descend, digging my nails into the grooves over the stones to hold my weight up. Within a minute, my skin began to burn at the contact. The exertion caused me to sweat. I gritted my teeth as I moved down, refusing to look at the ground and risk losing my footing.

I was halfway to the bottom when I heard the shouts.

“Find her!” Crewe’s terrifying voice echoed across the courtyard, reaching my ears even though he was clear on the other side of the property.

Shit.

I glanced down and knew I still had a way to go, but I didn’t have time to take it slow. I had to jump and hope for the best. After I took a deep breath, I let go.

I landed on the grass and rolled, coming out of my fall without any broken bones. My joints ached at the momentum my body felt against the earth, but that was nothing compared to how bad it could have been.

Flashlights erupted throughout the castle, in windows and on balconies, followed by irritated voices.

I had to get out of there.

I sprinted through the courtyard and headed for the trees, my heart beating so fast it threatened to burst. My feet struck the earth loudly, but I kept going, needing to break the tree line. Once I was in the wild with the trees and meadows, I could hide until they finally gave up. They may be patient, but I was determined.

“There’s that little bitch!” Dunbar flashed his light on my shoulder, catching me in my sprint.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

I shifted my body into gear and ran as hard as I could. Being cooped up on Fair Isle hindered my stamina. I was in pretty good shape before I left New York, on my feet all day at the hospital. But my fitness level had taken a serious hit.

That didn’t stop me.

“Here!” Dunbar’s voice was terrifying because it was so loud. He was close by, just yards behind me.

I wasn’t going to make it.

But I couldn’t give up just yet. I would never give up.

I broke through the tree line and kept running, finally reaching the highlands. It was dark in the wilderness, the moonlight not enough to direct me. But even if I had a flashlight, I couldn’t use it.

I knew I couldn’t outrun Dunbar. He was in too good of shape.

I had to hide.

I sprinted past a tall tree and dug my feet into the earth as I stopped. Without thinking twice about it, I ran up the trunk and grabbed a thick branch. I hoisted myself up, ignoring the splinters of wood that impaled my palms, and kept going. I climbed as far as I could before the branches thinned out and couldn’t hold my weight.

Then I sat there, trying not to breathe loudly. These guys weren’t just average men. They worked for Crewe, so they were worth their salt. It shouldn’t be hard to figure out where I was.

But I could get lucky.

Dunbar’s voice was far too close for my liking. “She’s hiding. Probably in one of these trees.”

Goddammit.

Lights flashed everywhere as a dozen men walked around my location, shining their flashlights up neighboring trees and bushes. Dunbar’s heavy boots crunched against the grass as he came close to my hiding place.

Blood pounded in my ears as I gripped the tree branch I was perched on. I wasn’t going to get away, and I would have to suffer Crewe’s cruel punishment. My imagination ran wild and utterly terrified me.

Dunbar walked to the bottom of the tree, right in my line of sight. I could see his thick silhouette with his flashlight pointed to the ground. Then he turned and pointed the light upward right at me.

His smile could be heard in his voice. “Gotcha.”

All the hope drained from my body. I felt defeated, even stupid.

Dunbar shoved his fingers into his mouth and gave a loud whistle. “She’s over here, boys.”

There was nowhere for me to go.

His Scottish accent carried his condescending tone. “I’ll climb up there and drag you down if I have to. But we both know it would be easier if you came down here on your own. There’s nowhere to run or hide. And the boss will be here any second.”

Tears sprang to my eyes but didn’t fall. All I craved was freedom, to be respected as a human being again. I missed walking to the coffee shop around the corner from my house, standing under the sunlight without fear of someone taking my rights away.

“What’s it gonna be?” he asked angrily.

There was no other plan for escape. Instead of drawing it out, I climbed down. I moved from branch to branch and slowly got to the ground. I released the last branch I was holding and my shoes hit the grass.

Dunbar immediately grabbed me by the neck and threw me hard onto the ground. “Stay there.”

I obeyed without giving attitude. The men surrounded me with their flashlights, their silhouettes obvious. Sometimes I caught a glimpse of their faces from a neighboring flashlight. When the crowd parted, I knew they were making way for their leader.

Their king.

He slowly approached me on the ground and loomed over me, his black silhouette ominous. His anger was palpable, terrifying. He radiated fierce authority, turning into the dictator he truly was.

He kneeled in front of me, his face visible from the lights of the circle. His brown eyes were cruel, no longer charming. He didn’t say a single word but he didn’t need to. His stare was intimidating enough.

“What. Did. I. Say.” His voice came out as a whisper, full of threat. His hand shot out and he gripped me by the neck, squeezing me harder than he ever had before. He constricted my throat until I couldn’t breathe.

The sad thing was, I didn’t blame him for hurting me. He gave me a fair warning. I took the risk anyway when I didn’t have a solid plan. I should have scouted the area more, learned the layout of the castle. But when the following day loomed over my head, I panicked.

He squeezed me tighter, cutting off my airway altogether. “Get. Your. Ass. Up.” He stood and dragged me with him, forcing me to my feet without the gentleness he always used to handle me with. He pushed me aside. “Walk.”

I walked forward, feeling him behind me. I led the way, knowing a dozen men followed me, all their flashlights pointed at my back. I felt like livestock about to be slaughtered. My feet moved slowly, procrastinating as much as possible.

I felt Crewe’s eyes drill into my back.

Like a criminal walking to his own grave, I felt like this was the end.

We returned to the castle entryway. I didn’t know where he wanted me to go next, so I stood there, still tall but no longer proud.

“I’ll take it from here.” Crewe’s hand returned to my neck, and he guided me upstairs, walking me like a dog with his arm as a leash. Even though I’d been nothing but cooperative, he still nearly strangled me.

We arrived at the royal chamber, and he shoved me inside. “Strip.”

Oh god.

He slammed the door and stood behind me, his heavy breaths falling on my neck. “Don’t make me ask you again.”

I knew I wouldn’t be able to talk my way out of this one. I kept my eyes straight ahead as I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it aside.

Crewe leaned against the foot of the bed and crossed his arms over his chest. He stared me down coldly, his brown eyes not possessing even a hint of compassion.

I unclasped my bra and let it fall, trying not to feel so defeated. This man had seen me naked before, and fucked me on his bed and made me come. I shouldn’t feel embarrassed or weak. I felt a lot more comfortable now than I did the first time he commanded me to undress.

He watched me with angry eyes, not showing any arousal.

I kicked off my shoes and pulled down my leggings, taking my underwear with them. Then I stood naked in front of him, unsure what would happen next. I hoped he would take me from behind on the bed. Since the sex was good, that didn’t sound so bad. But that wouldn’t be much of a punishment.

The slacks he wore earlier were back on, along with his collared shirt. Even in the middle of the night, he refused to let his men see him at anything less than his best. He pulled his belt out of the loops of his pants then bent it in half. He pulled on the ends and made it snap together, causing a loud clap. “I’m going to punish you for what you’ve done. I’m going to spank you ten times and turn your ass red in reparations. So climb on the bed, ass in the air.”

He was going to spank me like a child? “That’s it?”

He made the belt snap again. “Don’t worry, Lovely. It’ll hurt. And I’ll enjoy hurting you.”

I couldn’t remember if I’d ever been spanked.

“Ass in the air,” he said with authority. “Now.”

I moved around him and crawled on the bed. My feet hung over the edge, and I pressed my cheek to the sheets. My ass was raised toward the ceiling, at the perfect position for him to whip me.

He came behind me and ran the leather gently over the skin, feeling the smoothness between both objects. Then he ran his hands over one cheek, giving it a tight squeeze. “You really pissed me off tonight, Lovely. I’ve been more lenient than I should be. But now that’s over.”

I gripped the sheets on either side of me, wanting this to end as quickly as possible.

He shifted behind me, his knees moving to the stone floor. His warmth breaths blew on my entrance, and I wondered what would happen next. Just when I turned to look, I felt his warm mouth kiss my most vulnerable area.

Oh wow…

His tongue worked my clit before he sucked it into his mouth.

I’d never had a man do that to me before, and as terrified as I was, it still felt incredible.

He gripped my thighs as his tongue delved inside me, tasting and exploring me. He worked my clit again, bringing me to the edge of a powerful orgasm. I could feel it approaching over the horizon. He kissed me harder, just as aggressive as when he kissed my mouth.

I was almost there, moaning at his touch. My hands scooted down the bed until they wrapped around his wrists.

He pushed me further, right on the precipice of euphoria.

Then he pulled away.

No.

He stood up again and grabbed his belt. “Your pussy is just as lovely.” He rested the belt on my ass before he pulled it off again. “We’re going to count to ten. When I say the number, you repeat it back to me. If you fail to do so, you’ll get another. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, sir.”

I couldn’t call him that. This was the most he would get out of me.

When I didn’t give him what he wanted, he continued on. “An extra five slaps, it is.” He positioned himself behind me before he threw all his weight into the swing of the belt. He hit me so hard I cried out, hearing the slap thud against my ears. He breathed heavily as if he was overexerting himself. But it was just his arousal breaking through the surface. His desire came out, loud and unmistakable. “One.”

That was only one?

I didn’t want to add another five to the list, so I counted with him. “One…”

He whipped my ass five more times, successfully slapping me in consecutive strokes. He hit the same area over and over, making me cry out in pain. It was a burning sensation I’d never experienced. He didn’t go easy on me, striking me as hard as he could. Tears prickled my eyes as the skin began to turn raw.

When we got to ten, he slowed down. “Do you see what happens when you fuck with me?”

I cried quietly into the sheets.

He came around the bed and grabbed me by the hair. He looked into my tear-stained face, showing no compassion. “I warned you, Lovely. I told you not to do it, but you did it anyway. You’re never going to learn unless I punish you.”

I steadied my tears and met his gaze, trying to find strength somewhere.

“You know you deserve this,” he whispered. “Are you going to run away again?”

“No…” I’d never be able to escape, not when a dozen men accompanied him wherever he went.

“Promise me.”

“I promise…” I just wanted it to stop. It wasn’t just the pain that bothered me. It was the humiliation of being whipped like a child. It was the fact that I had to lie there and take it. And worst of all, it was the fact that, deep down inside, a part of me liked it. I liked the way he pushed me on the bed and whipped me with dominance. I liked the way he controlled me, controlled the entire world around me. And I wanted him to keep doing what he was doing before with his mouth against my tender skin.

His hand softened and moved through my hair, taking on a gentler touch. “I want to stop, Lovely. But I can’t. I have to finish.”

“I said I won’t do it again…”

“I know.” He kissed the corner of my eye like he was truly sorry. “But I’m a man of my word. I can’t go back on my punishment.”

“You didn’t give me to Bones…”

“That was because I had a better use for you. It had nothing to do with sparing you.”

This man was more dangerous than I gave him credit for. The only thing he wouldn’t do was take me against my will. Everything else was on the table. “Then get it over with.”

He kissed me again, his lips moving to the corner of my mouth. “You have no idea how much I want you right now. You have no idea how beautiful you look, your ass in the air and tears on your cheeks. I’ve never been more aroused in my life than I am in this moment.” Somehow, he made the sinister confession actually sound sweet.

He left my side and returned to my rear. He snapped the belt together before he struck me, hitting me just as hard as before. “Eleven.”

I winced under the pain. “Eleven…”

He hit me again. “Twelve.” His breathing sped up again, his desire to fuck me filling the air between us.

“Twelve…”

“Louder, Lovely.”

I deepened my voice. “Twelve.”

He slapped the belt across both of my cheeks, hitting at the perfect angle to maximize the pain. “Thirteen.”

“Thirteen…”

He threw his entire body into the next one, hitting me so hard I rocked forward. He breathed hard without counting, catching his breath as he stared at my red ass. “Fourteen.”

“Fourteen…”

“Last one, Lovely. Let’s make it count.”

I closed my eyes and waited for it to be over.

He gave me the hardest slap he ever had, making the leather bite into my skin. “Fifteen.”

The number tumbled out of my mouth quickly, wanting to make sure he didn’t have an excuse to strike me again. “Fifteen.”

He dropped the belt on the floor then moved to his knees again. His lips kissed the raw skin of my ass then moved back to the place between my legs. He unzipped his slacks then spit on his hand. “Your pussy is amazing…” He jerked himself off as he sucked my pussy, doing amazing things to my clitoris that made me convulse. The previous pain and the current pleasure lit my body on fire. One hand reached behind me and grabbed his, listening to the sound of his wet hand stroking his cock.

He moaned into my pussy when he was on the verge of coming, his orgasm happening in record time.

Knowing he was about to come made me explode. His lips against my clitoris made my back arch and my jaw unhinge. I released a scream louder than all the rest, sounding like a dying animal. “God…”

He groaned as his mouth remained pressed to my opening, coming with me at the exact same time. “Fuck…”

I enjoyed the high as it swept me away. Slowly, it began to fade. It was the most powerful sensation I’d ever felt, making me writhe and twist. I lost my breath and forgot about the pain coming from my rear. I gave into the dark sensation, thoroughly enjoying it.

Crewe remained on his knees as he recovered from the high. He got to his feet then wiped himself off before he grabbed a jar of ointment. He dipped his fingers inside then spread it across my cheeks, curing the burn almost instantly. “I think we understand each other better now. Don’t cross me again.”

I learned my lesson.

“Or it’ll be thirty slaps.”