Crewe

I walked into Ariel’s office. “What’s on the agenda?”

She remained at her desk, her black glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose. She spun a pen in her fingertips as she pressed her lips tightly together. “We have a new buyer in Ireland. Wants to buy a large order of Highland Whiskey. And when I say large, I mean enormous.”

“How enormous are we talking?” I fell into the chair and unbuttoned the front of my black suit.

“We’d need to hire an extra crew just to oversee the production. You were thinking of expanding anyway. Perhaps we should pursue that now.”

If a business wasn’t growing, then it was at risk. That’s how I saw it. “Let’s do it.”

She made some notes. “Alright. I’ll take care of it.”

“Anything else?”

“Yes. Her Highness Wilhelmina is having a ball next weekend. Of course, you’re on the invite list.”

“Excellent.” I rested my fingertips against my lips as I listened to her. “What else?”

“We haven’t heard anything from—”

“Sir, I’m sorry to interrupt.” Finley walked inside, wearing slacks and a collared shirt. “London refuses everything I make for her. It’s been three days, so I thought I would bring it to your attention.”

I tried not to smile at the information. “I’ll take care of it, Finley. Thank you.”

“She hasn’t been drinking anything either.” He gave a slight bow before he walked out, closing the door behind him.

Ariel pulled the glasses off the bridge of her nose and rested them on the desk. She was just a few years younger than me, but her reading glasses aged her at least ten years. “Our guest has been a bit of a fuss, from what I understand.”

“She’s interesting…” There was no better way to put it. “Has a bigger backbone than Joseph.”

“So do a lot of people,” she jabbed.

I chuckled then rose to my feet, buttoning the front of my suit again. “I’ll get her under control soon enough. That’s when the real fun will begin.”

Ariel smiled before I walked out. “We’ll finish this conversation when you’re ready, sir.”

I walked across the house until I reached the entrance to the basement. The house was two stories tall, and it seemed like a mile from one end of the house to the other. I descended the staircase and found her sitting on the cot, stacks of food piled up on the opposite side of the cell.

When she realized I’d come for a visit, she turned her head in my direction, keeping her eyes glued to my movements.

“No appetite?”

“Maybe your servant just isn’t a good cook.”

She was the biggest smartass I had ever met. “I could make you something. And I’m definitely a good cook.”

“No, thanks. I’ll pass on the poison.”

I rested my elbows on the bars as I examined her in the cell. A quiet chuckle escaped my throat, quiet enough for only me to hear. “What’s your plan, London? Starve yourself to death?”

“Starve myself until I figure out a way to get out of here.”

“You expect to overpower me after fasting for three days?” I asked incredulously. Even if she were healthy, she would stand no chance against me.

Her silence told me she didn’t have a comeback—for once.

“Eat.”

“I’m not stupid. I’m sure you slipped something into my food to knock me out.”

“And why would I do that?”

She looked away. “Let’s not beat around the bush.”

I understood her implication. “Lovely, if I wanted to fuck you, I would hold you down and do it. I wouldn’t knock you out first. It’s not nearly as much fun that way.”

Her face immediately drained of all color.

“Now shut up and eat.”

She still didn’t move for the food, probably wanting to wait until I was out of the room.

“So, do you have any questions?” She still didn’t know why she was here, on the other side of the world and away from the life she once knew. I wanted her to know that her brother was responsible for her demise, that if she blamed anyone, it should be him.

“Nope.”

Her stubbornness baffled me. It was worse than mine. “I guess you don’t want that shower then?”

“I’ll pass.” She looked to the left side of the room, ignoring me like I wasn’t even there.

I didn’t expect it to take this long to get her to cooperate. I expected her to be somewhat scared after the initial shock wore off. But this woman was too courageous, too proud to give in to the fear.

So I’d have to make her give in to the fear.

* * *

Swiftly and silently, I unlocked the door and crept into her cell. The lights were off, and she lay in the small cot, the air freezing. I leaned over her, prepared to grab her by the neck.

But she must have heard me because she struck first. She threw her hand upward, aiming right for my eyes.

I was annoyed that she was so in tune with her surroundings. She didn’t trust her environment, not even for a second. For a woman in medical school, she had the reflexes of an assassin.

But I easily overpowered her, pinning her hand down along with the rest of her body. I forced my weight on top of her, keeping her against the hard cot and immobilizing her. I stared her down and watched her twist and turn underneath me, doing whatever she could to get free.

But nothing worked.

She eventually gave up her struggle when I didn’t move an inch. Like a mountain, she couldn’t move me with only sheer determination. Her hands finally went limp, and she stared at me with defeat in her eyes, not fear. “Let go of me.”

My voice came out as a whisper. “Make me.”

Fire glowed in her eyes, and she tried to throw me off with her hips.

But it was pointless.

She tried pushing me off her body with her legs, but that didn’t work either. She hissed between her teeth, sweaty and out of breath from the pointless exertion. She was too small and weak to overpower someone like me.

However, I did enjoy watching the fight. “You can’t beat me. Stop trying.”

“I’ll never stop trying,” she said through her heavy breathing. “One day, your guard is going to be down, and I’m going to hit you where it hurts.”

I separated her thighs with my knees, positioning her underneath me with a hint of sexual violence.

She stiffened, the terror finally entering her face. It was the first time she showed an ounce of fear. It was a trigger I suspected I could hit. I would use her body to make her feel dirty, defiled. “Don’t…” It was the first plea, the first beg.

The ball was back in my court, and I felt a surge of adrenaline. I pressed my face closer to hers, feeling her breath fall on my lips. “You don’t want me to fuck you? I promise, you’ll like it.”

She stared into my eyes, all her courage and strength completely gone.

I had the upper hand, the power. And I would use that to my full advantage. “If you don’t want me to, say please.”

Her lips parted, but the word didn’t escape. Her hesitance stemmed from stubbornness, not true desire. She didn’t like giving in to me, following any kind of command. She knew that would give me the small amount of power she possessed.

My hand moved to the top of my jeans, and I undid the button.

“Please.” She spit out the word quickly, squirming underneath me.

“Please, what?”

“Please don’t do it…” She couldn’t say the R word, the terrifying word every woman never wanted to say.

I exerted my dominance, my control—and that was all I wanted. I got off her and stood on my feet. “You’re coming with me. Now.”

“Where?” She immediately crawled into the corner of the cot like a frightened animal. She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to hide behind them.

I stood over the cot, piercing her with my terrifying gaze. “Get your ass up now.” I grabbed her by the ankle and yanked her off the bed until her back hit the floor. Then I grabbed her by the hair and pulled her to her feet. “Do as I say or I’ll make you do as I say.” I yanked her head back so her eyes were focused on the ceiling, my lips pressed to her ear. “Any questions?”

“No.”

I released the knot of hair and walked out of the cell.

She caught her breath then followed me, her eyes on me the entire time.

I shut the door behind her then pointed to the stairs. “Up.”

She walked up first, moving until she reached the door. It was unlocked, so she stepped inside.

My hand moved to the back of her neck, but I didn’t dig my fingers into the skin the way I would have liked. I guided her to the other side of the house, moving past the grand dining room, the vaulted ceilings of the entryway, and the first living room with a large hearth that still burned with firewood.

I took her to the second floor and into the bedroom she would soon be occupying. The large bathroom had a spacious shower, one with a glass door that opened and closed. I guided her inside then released her once she was in front of the shower. “Take off your clothes.” She’d been wearing them for four days now. They were about to go into the trash—to be forgotten.

The feistiness returned to her eyes. She stared at me in offense, unable to believe the command I just gave her.

“Did you not hear me?” I asked through clenched teeth, not wanting to waste time with another argument.

“I’ll take off my clothes if you shut the door.”

I shook my head. “That’s not how it works, lovely.”

“Don’t call me that,” she hissed.

“What do you prefer? Slave?”

She raised her hand and tried to slap me across the face.

I almost let her, but since establishing authority was more important right now, I snatched her by the wrist and yanked her arm to her side. Then I backhanded her across the cheek, slapping her hard enough to make the skin redden.

She sucked in a short breath at the hit. Her head remained turned the other way, in shock that I actually did it.

I grabbed her by both shoulders and shook her. “If you don’t want me to slap you, don’t slap me. If you don’t want me to hurt you, do as I say. If you don’t want me to fuck you on that bed in the other room, take off your clothes and get your ass in the shower.” I squeezed her hard before I finally let her go.

I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for her to do as I commanded.

She pulled her hair out of her face, her cheek turning red where my palm collided with the skin. Tears weren’t in her eyes, but she finally looked defeated, understanding that obeying my commands was better than defying me.

She felt the bottom of her shirt but didn’t pull it over her head. She tried to think of a way out of her situation, but unfortunately, there was nothing she could do. She had to pay the price of her brother’s stupidity—even if it wasn’t fair.

She finally pulled her top over her head, revealing a white bra underneath. Her tits formed a cleavage line down the middle, and it was the first time my cock thickened in interest. I had a long line of women in my life, and I never mixed business with pleasure, but seeing the natural swell of a rack was a bit of a turn on.

She opened the shower door and turned on the warm water, letting it get hot as she unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down her long legs. She didn’t make eye contact as she stripped down to her underwear, full of shame that she was giving in to my demands.

She hesitated when she was left in only underwear, knowing I was going to see every inch of her bare skin in just a moment.

I watched her in her black panties, still aroused even though she wasn’t wearing a thong. She had long and slender legs, the kind that would look kissable in heels. Her stomach was lined with muscles, subtle and sexy. Her arms were slender but defined by the grooves of muscle. She must have hit the gym a few times a week, probably to blow off steam after studying around the clock.

She undid her bra and let it come loose. But before she took it off, she turned around so I couldn’t see her tits head-on.

I almost commanded her to turn around.

She set the bra on top of her pile of clothes then reached for her panties. Now she just wanted to get it over with, because she bent over and yanked them off before she stepped into the shower. But she didn’t move quick enough to stop me from seeing the pink skin of her pussy and a glimpse of her small asshole.

Now I really was hard.

She got into the shower and shut the door behind her, the warm water greeting her. Her hair clung to her neck once it was wet, and she grabbed a bottle of shampoo and massaged her scalp, ridding it of the oil and grime.

I watched the water roll down her luscious body, peering through the steam that pressed against the glass doors. My cock twitched in my jeans the longer I stared at her. My arousal coursed through me at a blinding speed. I would have to make a trip to Glasgow to see one of my regulars. My cock needed to be sucked soon.

She stayed under the water for a long time, much longer than necessary. She probably cherished the feeling of cleanliness. Up until that point, she’d been stuck in the same clothes as the oil built up on her scalp and skin. Now that she had to go without this luxury, she truly appreciated it.

“That’s long enough,” I commanded.

She stared at the faucet before she turned it off, ending her shower.

I grabbed a thick towel and handed it to her, feeling my cock press against the fly of my jeans.

She immediately covered herself with it, hiding her nakedness even though I’d already seen all the good stuff. She patted herself dry, finally looking at me again with the same displeasure.

“You should dry your hair. Might get sick.” I pointed to the hair dryer.

She eyed the hair dryer before she looked at me again. “Like I care about getting sick.”

“Well, I do. I don’t want you to give it to me.” I smiled, trying to make a joke to wipe off the sour look on her face.

She just looked angrier.

She dried her hair quickly, using her fingers to comb through the strands as she kept the towel around her chest. When she was finished, she moved to grab her clothes, which were now gone. “What did you do with them?”

“You aren’t wearing those anymore.” I picked up the outfit sitting on the bed. “This is what you’re wearing now.” It was a long gray dress with sleeves, made from thick cotton. It was the perfect size for her narrow waist, highlighting her curvy features around her chest, stomach, and ass.

She tightened the towel around her torso as she stared at the dress in disappointment. “I’m supposed to wear that in the cell?”

“You could wear it up here—if you behaved yourself.”

She snatched the dress and headed back to the bathroom.

“I don’t think so, lovely. You can get dressed in front of me.” I sat at the foot of the bed and leaned back on my elbows.

The look she gave me was full of even more hatred than ever before. She pulled on the panties underneath her towel and managed to get the bra on in the same way. Then she abandoned the towel altogether and pulled the dress over her head. Even without makeup or styling her hair, she pulled it off.

She still had an attitude, but at least she was obeying me. “What we do next is your call.” I was tempted to command her to ride my cock, but I didn’t think she would actually do it. She was scared of me, but not scared enough.

“How so?”

“Personally, I don’t want to keep you in a cell like a rat. It’s awfully cold and dark down there.”

She crossed her arms over her chest.

“But if you keep acting up, you won’t leave me much choice.”

She looked out the bedroom window but couldn’t see anything since it was pitch black outside. It was two in the morning, so dawn was hours away. “What do you want from me? If you aren’t putting me into sex trafficking.”

She’d finally started to ask questions. “It’s pretty simple. Your brother tried to rip me off during a business deal. He tried to steal four million dollars from me. With the business I run, that kind of betrayal can’t slide. So, I took something valuable from him—you.”

Her arms slowly moved to her sides, and she forgot about her situation—for a heartbeat. “What kind of business do you run?”

“I sell intelligence. And he bought it.”

“Intelligence for what?” she asked. “My brother is a retirement advisor. He travels the world and tries to get people to invest in IRAs and SEPs.”

The only reason why I didn’t laugh was because I actually pitied her. “Sorry, lovely. He lied to you.”

She lowered her gaze, her eyes shifting back and forth as her mind worked quickly.

“When I told him you were the price he was going to pay, he wasn’t happy. But that’s how it goes.”

She came back to the conversation. “And what are you going to do with me?”

“That remains to be seen. But I can assure you, it’ll be in whatever way I can cause him the most pain.” I left the bed and stood, towering over her with my height. “It’s nothing personal, London. You’re just a victim in this game we’re playing.”

The hatred was gone from her expression. Now she continued to think quietly to herself, trying to understand the madness she had been thrown into. She was a prisoner in a foreign land, having no rights whatsoever. Whatever fear she had was hidden deep below the surface. “It is personal,” she whispered. “When you take my life away, it’s very personal.”