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.