CHAPTER 11
Present time
We were set up.
She pushed us to this point.
She wanted us to fail.
“Strike one. Now it’s time for the real punishment to begin.”
What have we done.
How idiotic could we be?
It’s clear now. No doubt in my mind. Motherfuck, this had been her plan all along—to break us. Take our mutual attraction and use it to guide our actions.
Tempt enough and a person’s will breaks.
Desperation leads way to stupidity. Makes you act based on instinct.
Not that she gives a shite over the demonic ramifications these moments put on our psyche.
Fuck. Fuck them.
Beneath me, Ivy stiffens at the evil tinge in our captor’s tone. A harsh shudder rushes through her body, causing involuntary movement. Small jerks against my semi-hard cock.
Now is not the time to get hard, arsehole.
But then again, I’ve never been able to control my cock around her. Always hard and throbbing.
“Explain yourselves.”
There is no misunderstanding here. We just screwed ourselves.
Ivy’s muscles tense beneath my hands. Fear permeates the air around us, suffocating.
We are expendable. Toys. Entertainment for what I can now assume is an audience of perverse psychopaths.
Ignoring the voice, Ivy’s big doe eyes look up at me. “Noah, I’m so—”
“Shut it,” I hiss from between clenched teeth. It came out harsh, but at the moment, I feel out of control. Like a caged animal. A wild beast that only understands that he must protect that which is his—his female.
Pure, red hot anger pulses through my veins as I search each corner of the room. We need to escape. Have to.
They’ve come into this room at least twice. Once to drop us in, and the other to deliver the chair used for her spanking. Problem is, for the life of me, I can’t find a bloody seam to the wall.
No joints or chipped plaster. No concrete or drywall shavings on the floor. Not a goddamned thing that can help me figure out where the exit is.
But I will find it. They will make a mistake.
I’ll be fucked if we die in here.
“Please don’t be mad at me,” Ivy brokenly whispers and it takes everything in me not to look down and kiss her. Reassure her that all will be okay.
Her hands are splayed across my back, fingers digging into the muscle. Begging with her touch for me to react. Give her anything to hold onto.
Lowering my face to hers, I nuzzle her cheek.“Give me a second, love. Let me think.” It’s a low whisper. Just a hum, before I pull back and continue to focus on our surroundings.
I’m mad at her for pushing me to lose control, but at the same time, at peace with what we did. It was us. Acting on our desires without prompt from our captors.
No threat.
No blood.
Just pure unadulterated want.
But, fuck, our losing control can end up equaling Ivy being hurt.
Or me.
I wouldn’t give a damn about me, but I need to be able to protect Ivy. If they hurt me, that’ll be impossible.
“So angry, Noah,” the voice tsks after a few minutes, her tone condescending. Laughter follows, a sign that our audience approves of the taunt. “Isn’t this what you wanted? Thought about while you defiled my broken doll? Anne was such a sweet girl and, yet, you never actually focused on her while you fucked her, did you?”
“Don’t.” I can’t stop the small shiver that travels down my spine at those words. The invasion to my privacy is extreme; the ramifications beyond dire.
How long had they been watching us?
She has all the information. All the facts. I have none, which means that our captor continues to hold the upper hand.
In the background, I register the small sob that Ivy releases, but I ignore it for the moment. Now is not the time to show weakness. And she’s just that, my one and only weakness. They’ll hurt her to get to me. “Just don’t.”
“She loved you, you know. In her darkest moments, Anne cried out for you to come and save her.”
My eyes close and I’m haunted by the sadness on Anne’s face once she saw me. How her lips trembled—bloody tears caressed her cheek at the sight of my body’s closeness to Ivy.
In that moment, I saw the defeat in her. Anne shut down and accepted that my concern was not for her. She knew where my heart lay and it will always be with Ivy.
I feel like a monster for that. For having to choose and abandoning her.
Small fingers push against my chest, bringing me back to the present. “Please move, Noah. I can’t breath,” Ivy’s voice is full of anguish, of desperation.
Looking down, I realize that I laid my body over hers. Covering her from head to toe. Every single inch of her nakedness is pressing against mine. Our mutual release sticky; a slippery reminder of what we just did. How she lost herself to my touch.
The memory of her every moan and sigh is drowning out that shite lullaby we’ve been subjected to, her scent keeping the images of a lifeless Anne from taking me under.
Nodding, I rise just enough to let her take in a deep breath. Ivy’s rosy cheeks puff out a bit and any other time, I would’ve found the act cute, but not today. The sinful color reminds me of the flush that spread across her flesh while she came.
Sinful. Delicious. Could cost us our lives if we aren’t careful.
I wouldn’t give two shites about dying just to have her, but getting her out of here is non-negotiable.
“We’ll revisit the topic of—let’s call her your distraction—later, Noah.” A low hum of pleasure leaves her throat and the sound of glass breaking shortly follows. Not just one item, it sounds like several. One after another.
They crash and with each one my girl flinches.
“It’s going to be okay, baby. Trust me.”
“I do,” she whimpers mid-sob. Ivy’s tiny frame trembles beneath me. Anxiety spiking, her body’s sending out emergency signals to her system. Shocking her. Causing itself to almost shut down.
Again.
“Enough with the theatrics, Ivy.” This bitch has no idea how much I long to kill her. Avenge us. How each snide word toward my girl burns me alive with ire. “You caused this. All you. Explain yourself.”
“I—I won’t apologize.” It came out low, but concise. Fear palpable, exuding from her every pore, and yet she’s pushing on.
Hits me then: Ivy is being strong for me.
But God help us, this isn’t the time.
“Excuse me?”
“Ivy . . . baby . . . don’t.” Instead of acknowledging my request, she tries to push me off. Her fingernails dig into my pecs while her palms press up. “Stop.”
“Move, Noah.” Her aquamarine eyes besiege me to listen. To get up and off, so I do.
My backs hits the mattress beside her naked flesh and then I wait. “Think about what you’re about to do,” is all I say in warning.
Her nod is a subtle move on the mattress. “I said . . . ” taking in a deep, she let’s it out slowly “ . . . I’m not going to apologize for what we both know you wanted to happen. We’ve been set up to fail from the very beginning. We stood no chance. You knew we were going to want each other that badly.”
It takes two seconds for the meaning of what she just admitted to sink in.
She is exposed yet determined; Ivy doesn’t make a single move to cover herself. Her fingers reach for my own and grasp. Entertwine.
“Is that so?” Our captor seems amused by my girl’s choice of words. “Why would I do that?”
“Because you can.”
And that is the God’s honest truth.
No one says a word for a few minutes, the sole sound in the room coming from that annoying song on constant replay. It’s low inside the cold room, but I can hear it clearly. As I hold myself still next to Ivy, ears straining, mind racing, I pick up what sounds like low whispers above the music.
People talking among themselves.
More confirmation.
There’s people on her end. A lot of them. All watching us. Participating in this twisted bullshite.
This isn’t a small team operation. We’re dealing with something larger.
Finally, a deep exhale leaves our captor. “Normally, that kind of cheek would get you punished. Severely. But you put on such a good show for the audience that it would be a waste to do so.”
Ivy’s wide eyes meet mine.
My heart races, but I try to hide any sign of relief. I may not be able to help myself when it comes to touching Ivy’s sexy body, but I can leave our captor guessing in other ways.
It’s the only upper hand I can possibly gain.
“As a matter of fact, the audience is so pleased that I think you’ve both earned a reward.”
Another twist. Another unexpected turn.
Ivy’s hand tightens around mine. “What kind of reward?” Her voice shakes as she asks.
“Close your eyes.”
“No,” I say calmly. It doesn’t matter how much danger we’re in, I’m not giving up my sight.
Ivy’s shaking increases but she remains silent, standing by me.
“Close your eyes or I’ll change my mind and turn your reward into a punishment.”
Fuck. Should have expected that.
Ivy’s eyes land on me and I see the panic rising in her. Calmly, I nod my head and give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Do it, love.”
My brave girl returns my nod. Facing forward, she lets her lids drift down over her eyes.
I take one last look around the entire place, mind cataloging everything around us, before letting my eyes close.
Even behind my eyelids, I see the moment all the lights go out.