Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38157 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 191(@200wpm)___ 153(@250wpm)___ 127(@300wpm)
“Come here,” Cole said, tugging her hand so that she was as close to him as she’d ever been, while purposely keeping them angled away from the peephole. “You listen to me, and you listen well. No matter what happens over the next few hours, you try to understand. Remember? Trust me, darlin’. Can you trust me?”
She glared at him, her jaw clenched.
“Trust you?” she asked helplessly. “Trust the man that took me from my home. Trust the man who whipped me over his knee. Trust the man who’s holding me hostage and planning to do who-knows-what to me?” Her face frowned in disgust. “I don’t trust you.”
Of course she didn’t. God, he’d been such a fool. He had her, right there in the palm of his hand, and now she’d turned from him again.
Spurred on by the need to make her understand what these men were capable of, he whispered in her ear, “You heard Monty talking earlier. You know what has to happen now. I promise I’ll make it good for you, darlin’. But you need to do exactly what I say.” He needed her to cooperate. She had to. “Do you have any idea what those men are capable of?”
Her eyes flashed. “Something worse than taking me against my will, whipping me, and holding me hostage?”
Cole chuckled darkly. “Oh, honey. That would only be them getting off to a good start. What I’ve seen those men do would make your toes curl.”
She turned her chin away from him defiantly.
Quickly, he tugged her closer. Fear raced through her eyes as if she feared punishment, as with her last act of defiance.
“No, I’m not spankin’ you right now, little girl,” he said. “Though if you keep it up, you will earn a trip over Daddy’s knee. No, it seems you’re still angry over what I said earlier.” He pulled her head down to his ear. “Darlin’, it’s nighttime. I still owe you a reward. And I’ll give it to you.” His voice dipped low as he whispered in her ear. “But they’re watchin’.” They could see but they could hear nothing but low murmurs, so he would have to use that to his advantage.
She started and whispered back, “Who’s watching?”
He took a deep breath and exhaled, whispering, “Pearson. The guy that brought us to this room.”
Her eyes widened, as he pulled her head down and crushed her mouth with his. He pushed her over to the bed, and gently but firmly made her lay back on the bed as he straddled her. Her breath came in gasps as her eyes widened, but she did not protest. She gasped, but his hand went to her mouth and he hushed her, speaking in a low whisper in her ear that couldn’t be heard by anyone but her. “I’m gonna take you, Aida. Take you while they watch. But I want you to fight me. You need to struggle. Struggle, girl. It’s for your own good,” he said.
She shook her head from side to side, her eyes wide and frightened, and he guessed anyone who was peering in at a distance would think that she was resisting him. But he knew she wasn’t shaking her head to feign resistance, but saying that she wouldn’t cooperate. She was defying him.
“Aida,” he warned, but she continued to glare and shake her head. Lifting his hand, he brought it down with a sharp crack to her thigh. She squealed, and he spanked her again.
“Struggle,” he hissed in her ear.
Her eyes narrowed and she froze in place, not moving. She didn’t believe him. Did she think he was lying?
So that was how it would be, then.
He took both of her hands and pinned them by her sides as his lips found hers. She moaned beneath him, her tongue meeting his as he took her mouth hard. She pushed her hands against him but could hardly move while he straddled her. It was an easy matter to overpower her. She wiggled helplessly beneath him, but it wasn’t real enough yet, it wasn’t desperate. The struggle had to be real and convincing.
He rolled off of her, sat on the bed, and hauled her straight over his lap. She squealed as he yanked her skirts up and her drawers down.
“No!” she screamed.
Now they were getting somewhere.
She flailed an arm helplessly back, her hand trying to slap his away, but he deftly pinned her hand to her lower back and slapped her naked backside, not pausing to even catch his breath as blow after blow fell. It would show those who watched him that he was in charge, in control, and that she was his captive.
He knew he was being a brute, but he also knew that playing the part of brute would be most convincing.
Yanking a fistful of her hair up, he pulled her head up.