IT TAKES ME A MINUTE to register what I’m seeing.
Javier has Ellie bent over the edge of the bed by her collar.
“What the fuck!” I roar as he tosses her aside crying and covered in ... Oh for Christ’s sake.
“Your whore needs work,” he sneers.
I see fucking red. The whole room is bleeding crimson.
You can’t fucking kill him. Yet. I restrain myself as my heart tries to punch a hole straight through my chest.
“This fucking room is off-limits, and you know it.” I step forward with my fists clenched.
“Apparently not.” He zips his fly imperiously with that ridiculous smirk I want to smack right off his face.
Javier brushes past me, and it takes every ounce of control I have not to beat him into the floor. As soon as he slams the door, I bolt to Ellie. She looks like she’s in shock.
Our eyes meet for a fleeting moment then she loses it. “Unchain me!” she screams, sobbing irrepressibly. She yanks at her collar, then starts erratically wiping Javier’s come off her face and out of her hair. That fucking rat bastard. He’s dead.
I clumsily release the chain from her collar during her fit. As soon as she’s free, she darts into the bathroom and turns on the shower. My anger has reached volcanic proportions. I give Ellie a minute, because truthfully I need one myself. Then I follow her into the bathroom.
The muscle I forgot was in my chest cracks for the very first time in my life as I watch her scrub her face furiously under the water, bawling uncontrollably. My kitten. The crack fissures so deep it touches my soul.
That tortilla-eating motherfucker did this to make a point. To flex his superiority. To get to me. Cocksucker. I want to scream, but I don’t want to upset Ellie more than she already is, so I stuff my amplified emotions away and step into the shower with her, clothes and all. Ellie instinctively cowers away from me, still crying. Her face is red from scrubbing and her body hunched in shame. I thank God for the stream of water running down my face. It masks the tears falling from my eyes. This was never supposed to happen. He was never supposed to get to her. I thought if I kept her close, kept her captive, she’d be safe. I was wrong.
I hate being wrong.
It eats me alive.
So does her suffering.
I pull a defiant Ellie into my arms. She fights me tooth and nail, but I’m bigger and stronger, and she knows it. She submits, wilting against me. Her pain is palpable through her wretched sounds. It guts me.
In a fit of sudden rage, she balls her hands into fists and starts pounding on my chest. “You did this to me! You made me a whore!” Then her legs give out and she slumps into my arms.
“He was never supposed to touch you.” I hug her tightly. “You only belong to me.” I press my lips to her head. She cries some more and I just hold her until the tears subside. It feels like an agonizing eternity. The only thing reminding me we’re still alive is the feel of the scalding water and sound of the strong spray.
When Ellie finally looks up at me, it’s with dejected green eyes. It liquefies my soul. I drop my lips to hers, kissing her softly, trying to ease the pain, the shock, the after effect. She grabs at my face and kisses me fiercely, as if I’m the only lifeline she has left.
I tighten my arms around her and allow her into my mouth, giving her what she needs; my body and my newly functioning heart.
“I’m sorry, Ellie.” I find my balls. “I’m sorry he touched you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to stop him.” She blinks up at me naked, defenseless, and so utterly tempting. “I promise no one will ever hurt you again.” It’s a vow.
“Except you.” Her voice is small, but callous none the less.
Burn.
I drop my forehead to hers. “I won’t as long as you behave.”
“You promise?” She looks up at me with just her clouded eyes.
“Yes.”
“I’m trying,” she whispers weakly.
“I know. You’re a good girl.”
She closes her eyes as if surrendering. Giving up. Giving in. “Kayne, can you touch me?”
The question blindsides me.
“Is that what you want, Ellie?” I smooth my hand over her wet hair.
“Yes. Please. Take it all away.” She doesn’t even hesitate.
I would take every ounce of her suffering if I could.
I lift her face, brushing my thumb across her raw skin. Then I drop a light kiss against her lips. She darts her tongue out, and I know in that instance I have her. A butterfly trapped in my web. My web of lies, and my web of deception. My web of selfishness, because I’ve always wanted Ellie. And now I finally have her. She’s Mine.
I turn off the shower without a sound, pull Ellie’s listless body out, and then wrap her in a towel. When I lift her up and cradle her in my arms, she looks at me with hollow eyes. It feels like a piece of her spirit is broken, which is the last thing I ever wanted to happen.
In the bedroom I place her on her feet, and then strip the bed, sending the comforter and sheets flying to the floor. She’ll get new bedding tomorrow; that set is being burned. I dry her off in silence, skimming over her breasts and stomach, and rubbing between her thighs. Then I dry her hair, soaking up the droplets of water from scalp to tip. When I’m through, she’s left naked in front of me wearing only her collar. The thick leather around her neck makes me hard as fuck. It’s a symbol, a statement. It tells the world she belongs solely to me.
“Lie down,” I order. “On the carpet.” She steels herself, breathing heavily, and then walks to the center of the room.
“Look at me.” She turns and raises her head. She is so goddamn beautiful it hurts, with those sultry green eyes and light brown hair. “On your back. Spread your legs.”
Breathing erratically, she drops to her knees, and then lies on her back. Just like I taught her. My cock throbs. She props her feet up and opens her legs as wide as they can go. I nearly combust in my pants.
“Good girl.”
I stalk the seven steps it takes to get to her then unhook my belt, while standing above her. We never take our eyes off each other as I pull my wet shirt over my head and shed my pants. I’m completely naked, same as her.
I kneel down between her legs; her enticing little pussy wide open and on display. I moan deep and guttural in my throat as its soft pink folds call to me. Tease me. Tell me they’re finally mine.
I’m going to attempt to be gentle. I don’t exactly do gentle. But I can try for Ellie’s sake.
“Tell me again that you want me to touch you.” I kiss the inside of her thigh.
Ellie closes her eyes and grips the plush rug.
“I want you to touch me.” Her voice is raspy from fighting back tears.
“I have wanted you for so long.” And now that I have her, I’m going to make sure I bury myself so deep inside her, the only thing she’ll feel, taste, smell, breathe, or even think about is me. I know I’ve said I want her obedience, and her submission, and her body, but what I want most of all is her mind. I want to cloud it, consume it, rule over it. Have her thoughts only be of me. I never knew how deep my affections for Ellie ran until the night of Mark’s party. That first small kiss sparked it all. It ignited something between us, something that’s been smoldering ever since.
Ellie closes her eyes as I run one finger down her slit, shaking like a leaf as I circle the tip of my finger over her clit. Her body springs to life as I slide it inside her. She gasps, grabbing onto the rug tighter as I push all the way in. I finger her slow and deep, after a while adding a second digit then a third. She moans loudly, her body bowing from the pleasurable intrusion.
I drop my head and suck her clit between my teeth causing her to whimper. I love that sound. I’ve come to live for that sound.
I work my mouth while simultaneously fucking her with my fingers. I know what she likes. I know what gets her off. She writhes beneath me, flexing her hips, begging for more. For a fleeting second I regret not tying her down. I withdraw my fingers and Ellie groans in protest. I crawl over her, licking my way up her body until we’re nose to nose, mouth to mouth. “Tell me you want me to fuck you.”
She’s panting and flushed, the fear evident in her smoky green eyes. But there’s also something more, something dark and desirous.
“I want you to fuck me.”
I grab her by the collar and yank, pulling her face to mine. I kiss her hard, forcing her mouth open, giving her no choice but to accept my tongue. I plunge in deeply and swirl it all around, sucking the oxygen right out of the room. Then I shove her back down. My need spiraling.
“Stay still.”
I spread her legs wider with my hands and Ellie emits an uncomfortable sound. Then I line the head of my cock up to her entrance and tease her with shallow thrusts. Her pussy tightens, begging for more. I slide into her, taking her all at once. She sighs insufferably as a tear trickles down her cheek. I lean in and lick it off.
I’ll swallow every salty emotion she sheds tonight.
Taking her wrists I pin her down, fucking her as slow and as leisurely as I can. As controlled as my body will allow.
“How do I feel?” I ask as I thrust.
“Big,” she responds, her fists clenching.
I chuckle not expecting that response.
She starts to shift. “Kayne—”
“Keep those fucking legs open. And no talking. Unless you’re asking permission to come.” I grit my teeth. The Dom is never far. It’s a ramification of this life.
She obeys, crying a little harder. I hold her wrists tighter as I lick her face.
“Cry all you need. It won’t be the last time,” I tell her as I pump into her harder. Her pussy tight and wet, constricting around me. I nearly see stars.
Ellie’s breathing speeds up, becoming erratic and disjointed, as our hips clash together.
“Please, may I come?!” she erupts. Her eyes are screwed shut, her body is tense.
I want to say no, but I’ll be nice. Tonight, Ellie needs nice.
“Come, baby. Come as many times as you need.”
She lets go as soon as I consent. A flood of warm heat saturates my cock as she clamps down around me. Fuck, Ellie feels better than I could have ever imagined, could have ever conjured in my wildest dreams.
She cries out, struggling against me as her orgasm tears her apart. I watch transfixed as her face strains in ecstasy, her breasts swell, and nipples harden. I suck one into my mouth during the height of her pleasure and another little ripple of arousal washes over me. The sensation makes me crazy. Makes me crave blood.
Her body gives out as soon as her tremors subside.
“Turn over,” I order. Ellie immediately rolls onto her stomach. I pull her hips up, forcing her on all fours then slam into her, burying myself to the hilt.
“Oh!” she screams. My desire has me drunk, lustful, and unrepentant. I beat into her, holding on tight, sprinting after my orgasm.
“Who do you belong to, Ellie?”
“You,” she strains.
I grab her collar, fucking her harder.
“If I tell you to spread your legs for me, what do you say?
“Yes, Kayne.”
“If I tell you to bend over so I can fuck you, what do you say?
“Yes, Kayne.”
“What do I want?” I ask as my climax circles like a cyclone.
“My obedience. My submission. My body.”
I have all three. I pull out right before I explode and come all over her abused ass. The crop marks still red and fresh. I love it.
I drop back, panting wildly once the oscillating sensations subside and drink Ellie in on all fours.
MINE.
“Lie down,” I command. She slides forward onto her stomach, stretching out like a tired little kitten. My tired little kitten.
I crawl over her. “Did I hurt you?”
She looks up at me. Her eyes are red and her cheeks are puffy.
“No.”
“Are you telling me the truth, or what you think I want to hear?”
She bites her lip. “It hurt a little. You’re big.”
I hold back a grin. Her response just stroked my ego. Big time.
“I don’t ever want you to lie to me, understand? If I ask you a question, tell me the truth.”
She nods, pressing her cheek into the plush white rug. I kiss her softly on the corner of her mouth then grab the towel on the floor next to the bed. I wipe my come off her ass then pull her to her feet. She stands like she’s supposed to, with her head bowed. Just like I trained her to. It’s arousing and odious all at the same time. I draw her face up. “Mine, Ellie.”
“Yes, Kayne,” she answers, and my insides go berserk. I will never get tired of hearing her say that.
I walk over to the armoire and open the intricately decorated doors with Ellie standing where I left her. I grab what I’m looking for, and then return to the center of the room.
“Look at me.”
Ellie lifts her head. I unlock the thick black training collar and remove it from her neck.
“I don’t have to wear it anymore?” Her voice pitches.
“No. Not that one.” I drop it on the floor.
Her face falls. I lift the new collar to show her. This one is less harsh, more feminine. With rhinestones. It also has a padded inside so it won’t rub uncomfortably against her skin. I slide it around her neck and lock it in place. I yank her forward by it and give her a kiss. “I like you collared, baby. I like you naked. I like you mine.”
I STAY WITH ELLIE UNTIL she falls asleep.
It seemed wrong to just leave after the night she had. I didn’t exactly know what to do with myself once I put her to bed. Should I lie down with her? Sit next to her? Hold her? Holding her seemed a little too close for comfort. Although, if I had to choose, it would be option number three. But I can’t cross that line. For all our sakes. An arm’s length is where I have to keep her. Owner/pet. Master/slave. That is as far as the relationship can go.
Sitting in the chair at the table, I watch as she drifts off. The moonlight shining through the wagon wheel window is illuminating her face, highlighting the streaks of tears running down her cheeks. The rhinestones on her new collar reflecting off the light every time she shifts.
Beautiful is too inferior a word to describe Ellie. Inside and out. Even when she’s crying, she’s the most captivating thing on the face of the Earth. At least to me. I could watch her sleep for hours. Watch her move and laugh and come apart in my arms. She’s mine.
Once her breathing levels off and she’s sleeping peacefully, I silently slip out of the room.
I thought I had fucked all the murderous rage out of me, but as I walk down the dimly lit hallway, my fury returns.
My legs bring me to the exact place my brain forbids me to go. With extreme force I kick open the door to Javier’s room. The lock splinters straight through the wood. That felt good. I walk in to find Javier once again with Spice. He’s taken a pathological liking to her. It irks me. She looks too much like Ellie. Same green eyes and brown hair. It heightens the turmoil blistering beneath my skin. I grab the switchblade out of my pocket and pop the knife as I stalk toward Javier. His black eyes widen, and then turn hard. He’s not afraid of me. He should be. I slam him up against the wall next to the bed. “Next time you decide to stick your dick where it doesn’t belong, I’ll cut your nut sack open and watch your balls fall to the floor.” I dig the tip of the blade into his crotch. He goes up on his toes. “This is my fucking house. You will respect me and my girls.
“Vivas bajo mi techo, obedeces mis reglas. Comprende?”
You live under my roof, you obey my rules. Understand?
Javier sneers, staring me down. “I obey no one.”
This is an all-around dicey situation. One wrong move or one wrong word and I could fuck everything up. All the years of hard work and money spent. All the sacrifices and all the lies, good for nothing.
But at the moment I just don’t give a fuck. All I know is if Javier ever lays a hand on Ellie again, the whole compound is going to go up in smoke. “It doesn’t look like you have much of a choice at the moment.” I twist the knife deeper.
Javier’s mouth curves up into a taut deranged smile, despite the compromising position I have him in. “You amuse me, amigo.”
“Glad to know I’m good for something.”
“You’re good for many things,” he says cryptically.
“Stay away from what’s mine,” I warn one last time, then shove myself away from him. I cut Spice loose, she’s bound and gagged and has been whimpering the whole time. Javier tied her up so tightly to the four poster bed she’s suspended over the mattress. Her wrists are rubbed raw from the abrasive rope and there’s hot red wax drizzled all over her body. Both of her nipples are completely covered. It looks like the poor girl is bleeding to death. She scrambles up once she’s free and rushes out of the room. Fear and relief are both evident in her eyes. She doesn’t even bother to remove the ball gag stretching her mouth. My heart lurches. If I hadn’t walked in, who knows what else he might have done.
“You cut my fish loose.”
“Your gaming privileges have been revoked. No more playtime for you. You’ve had your fun.” The words feel like battery acid burning my tongue. Ellie’s horrified face flashes in front of me. It’s an image that has been permanently branded into my brain.
“I don’t like boundaries, amigo.”
“I don’t like you,” I spit.
I leave Javier’s room after that, praying to almighty God I didn’t just destroy everything I’ve worked the last six years for. I don’t stop walking until I reach the gym. I lift my hands, not even bothering with gloves, and pound away, seeing Javier’s face every time my fist connects with the punching bag.