Chapter 21
Diane
Death. Not once had I thought about it since leaving Sevastian’s home. Answers, insight into who I’d become, those were questions I prayed to have revealed every day. Even now, as I stared up at the blurry, distorted image of my new Master, I couldn’t stop my mind from getting some form of pleasure from the twisted discipline he’d decided to enforce on me.
Water rippled above while I clawed at his arms. Black dots were starting to cover my vision and I jerked my body violently, pushing my feet into the side of the tub for some form of stability.
“Do you think this is a joke?”
I gasped for air, gagging and coughing at the water that had forced its way deep into my mouth.
“Answer me. Is this s a fucking joke to you?”
My head shook and before I knew it, I was dunked back under. Burning made my lungs feel like they were caving and my limbs were growing weaker by the minute.
The loud intake of breath echoed in my ears and I barely recognized it as mine while I tried to breathe.
“Sevastian was right. You are the most stubborn, thickheaded woman I’ve ever come across. Now, answer my question, and do it correctly, or else you go back under.”
I blinked, letting his question come back. “No, Master, I do not think this is a joke.”
I’d fought Jaime with every ounce of strength I had. He wasn’t the man I thought I knew. Inside, he held something so sinister, I wasn’t even sure Master was aware. He enjoyed when I acted up. Loved the fight just as much as I did. I learned quickly to bend to his will, for he made it so.
“Get out.” He grabbed my arm and dropped me at his feet. Water poured down and dripped against my thighs. The night shorts stuck to me, clinging to my bruised skin.
“Next time I tell you to get out of bed, you’ll do it. Immediately. Now, take off your clothes while I get you some new ones. You know where the towels are.”
Drowned. That’s what he’d tried to do to me when I refused to get out of bed. A little over a week here and I found his tactics sometimes crueler that Master’s. I’d been held under the water until I was sure I’d swallowed enough to suffocate. It wasn’t far off from the shower incident with Master, but there was something scarier about being fully emerged. It had put me into the panic of my life. I didn’t know Jaime. Not really. And I was wondering if anyone really did.
I stripped off the clothes as fast as I could. Towels rested on a rack at the far side of the room and I tried to stop my teeth from chattering as I reached to grab one. The moment my hand connected, the door swung back open.
“Just so you know—”
Jaime didn’t move a muscle as he stared at me. Where his gaze stopped was the one place I didn’t want him to see. I jerked at the towel, bringing it in front of my body.
“No, no, no,” he said, rushing forward. “What the hell was that on your stomach?”
“Nothing, get out!” I tried my best to wrap myself, but it didn’t work. He ripped the towel out of my hand.
“Oh…shit.” He dropped to his knees, coming eyelevel with the scar of Master’s name. I flinched at him running his finger between the S and T. “Did he do this to you, or did you consent?”
I pulled back, but Jaime gripped my hips, not allowing me to leave.
“It was consensual. He holds mine on his stomach, too. Can I cover myself now?”
“Here, too,” he breathed out, raising to trace over the M by my shoulder
“That one was not consensual. Now, please.”
He lifted the towel and I blanketed myself in it. How many times had I ran my own finger over my Master’s name? I missed him so much that I couldn’t even think about anything else.
“That’s amazing. Beautiful, really.”
My eyebrows drew in and I lowered to my knees, staring at the floor while I waited for what he wanted me to do next. I was finished talking about Sevastian. Couldn’t bear to even speak of him, more or less hear his name. An impossible task since Jaime was always on the phone with him.
“May I please go to my room now and get dressed, Master?” The title came out through gritted teeth. To call him a name that held so much emotion was almost impossible. It had taken me almost five days before he had me repeating it. Maybe I was a slow learner, but I’d finally realized that I’d never escape these men until I complied with their orders. The sooner I was free, the better.
“Yes, you may. I need to make a few phone calls anyway. Next time, when I tell you something, do it the first time.”
Before I could answer, he turned and walked away. I stood, edging down the hallway, trying to listen for where he was going. From the footsteps on the marble, I knew he was back in the living room. The penthouse had marble everywhere aside from the bedrooms, and he never entered the kitchen.
“Master.”
I froze, stopping to listen, wishing that Master was really here and not just on the phone. It conflicted with what my brain wanted. The anger I had toward him was still great, but I couldn’t stop the longing to see him again.
“She’s fine.” He paused. “No…she’s coming around.” A few seconds went by before he sighed. “About two weeks. Maybe three. I can’t really tell yet.” Pacing. “No, we agreed she’d only need two, but she’s fought almost every day this week. I’ve only just recently gotten her to obey.”
Slowly, I walked closer toward his voice.
“You want to know how?”
I nearly laughed. Master would probably get a kick out of how similar they both were. It nearly made me roll my eyes.
“I whip her. Spank her. Just this morning she refused to get out of bed, so I held her under water to get my point across. It worked. But that’s actually the reason I called you.”
It got quiet and although I couldn’t hear what Master was saying, his deep tone had my eyes closing. God, I loved and hated that man with a passion.
“I saw what you did to her. The cutting. Is it true? Was the one on her stomach consensual?”
Why would he care? I stepped closer.
“Mm-hmm. And the one on her shoulder wasn’t? That’s what she said. Okay, I just wanted to check out the story.” The footsteps seemed to near and I rushed back a few feet. “And you hold her name on your stomach as well?” A pause. “Jesus, Master. What in the hell were you thinking? To just cut her up like that and then let her go?”
Whatever Sevastian was saying caused his voice to deepen. I knew that angry tone, could feel it vibrating my body all the way to my bones. Where it should have caused fear, it sent a thrill through me. He was so worked up. The power he’d wield if we were together while he was that mad had me growing wet.
“Alright. Are we still on for dinner tonight? I really need to talk to you about something. I’d prefer to do it in person.”
My pulse exploded in my chest, rattling my insides and deafening me until I feared I wouldn’t hear a word he said after that.
“You can’t keep putting us off. The faster you both face this and get on good terms, the better things will be. Not just for you, but for her. Think of Diane. She needs to move forward and get her life back together. You think she can do that if there’s a part of her that’s incomplete? Do this, Master. Become her friend, if nothing else. Whatever you do, fix it.”
I eased back toward my room, shutting myself inside. Sadness flourished, but I locked it away — something I was getting good at. As I began to get dressed, I wondered if he’d see us. Probably not.
The shirt slid over my head and I pulled it down to rest over the top of the jeans. The typewriter sat on the desk and I walked over, taking a seat. To spend my days writing used to be heaven. I’d walked away from it when Caylee and Ronnie were killed. If I hadn’t been so focused, I would have gone with them. We would have been taken together. To write now, was just another action ridiculed in guilt, but one I forced myself to do. Master had restarted me and I couldn’t help but continue with his lessons. I’d been told to write at least five hundred words a day. So far, I’d met each goal with plenty to spare.
“Slave.”
I turned, standing and walking over to kneel before Jaime.
“Yes, Master?”
He paused. “Sevastian will be dining with us tonight. You’re going to be on your best behavior or I’ll drowned you right in front of him. Nod if you understand.”
My hands shook as I clasped them in my lap and obeyed.
“Good. Wear the short, black dress you have hanging in your closet. No panties.”
I brought my eyes up to his, but didn’t question his order. “Yes, Master,” I said quietly, lowering my head again. Holy fuck. What did Jaime intend to do? I was almost too afraid to find out.
“No writing just yet. First, breakfast. Then, we research some stuff. You still want to be a nurse, correct?”
I nodded, eagerly. “Yes. Are you going to let me work now?”
“You mentioned you would need to recertify. Let’s start the process and see what exactly needs to be done. If your behavior improves, I’ll allow you to begin transitioning back into your own life. It’ll take a few weeks and we’ll have to find you an apartment. But until we get you set up and stable, you’ll stay here and continue by my rules. Do we have a deal?”
I agreed. Obeying was without question. Sure, I could try to run at my first opportunity of freedom, but I was done dealing with the consequences and starting over. I was here for the long haul and I knew it. It was for the best. Regardless of whether I liked Jaime or Sevastian’s demands, their authority was something I’d come depend on and enjoy — even if that did carry harsh punishments for my disobedience.
“Master, may I ask you a question?”
He squinted, cocking his head to the side just the slightest amount. “You may ask, but I might not answer.”
Please answer. “Why no panties? What are you planning for Sevastian? And how is whatever your scheming going to change anything?”
Jaime shrugged. “Maybe it’ll change nothing. Perhaps everything. I guess we’ll find out in time.”