Page 5 of Slave

The negotiation took almost an hour, but in the end I handed over a check for a substantial amount of money. Daren was correct when he mentioned that I had more money than him. He would have been hard pressed to access the sum I now freely handed over to Ian Pierce. I wouldn’t miss it.

Ian removed a painting from the wall behind him and placed the check in a safe before turning to Brianna and removing her black leather collar. He laid it on his desk and asked, “Do you have something for her already?”

“I didn’t bring it with me since I hadn’t looked her over yet.” All I wanted to do was get out of here. This entire charade was making me sick. He just nodded and then took her face in his hand, forcing her to look at him for the first time since I’d been there. I could see his fingers biting into the flesh of her cheeks. “You belong to him now. You will not embarrass me, do you understand?”

“Yes, Master.” Her voice was cold, almost robotic.

His wicked smile reappeared. “I do love hearing you say that, but I am not your Master now.”

With that, he released her and turned his back on both of us, strolling back to his desk. “Alex, show them out,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

Alex walked us directly to the door and opened it, letting the chilly evening breeze wash over us. I looked down at Brianna and her attire. A tube top and a miniskirt were not the best things to wear mid-April in Minnesota. Turning to Alex, I asked, “Does she have other clothing or a jacket?”

Ian’s alpha slave looked at Brianna with what could only be described as disgust. “She does not own anything, Sir.”

I sighed in exasperation, took off my suit jacket, and placed it around her shoulders. It was far too big for her, but it would work for now.

Brianna walked one step behind me the entire way to my car. She stopped outside the vehicle even after I opened the door for her. “You may get into the car.”

After I’d given her permission, she complied quickly.

The ride back to my condo was quiet, as I knew it would be. She held my jacket close to her body as we drove. Her hands were shaking even though I could see she was trying to hide it from me. She was scared. After living with Ian Pierce for the past ten months and seeing the bruises, I had no doubt of that. Brianna lived in fear, not pleasure.

I was going to change that.

When we arrived at my building just before nine, I parked my car in its usual spot and got out. It wasn’t until I was halfway to the elevator that I realized Brianna had not followed.

Walking back to my car, I opened the door for her. “You may get out of the vehicle.” She did, and then stood looking down at the concrete floor. “Come.” She followed.

As we made our way to the elevator and then up to my penthouse, I contemplated the new problems I had. I’d never “owned” a slave before. Brianna had nothing but the clothes on her back, and those weren’t suitable for public. I knew Ian might disagree with me on that, but from the little I’d seen already, I had a feeling we didn’t agree on much.

We managed to reach my condo without running into any of the other tenants in the elevator, and she followed me inside.

I loved my home. When I moved back to the city after college, it was my first major purchase. It was in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, and I had a view of the city skyline from my living room. The open floor plan had always appealed to me, and of course the wood beams in my ceiling came in handy when playing. My aunt and uncle offered to let me stay with them for a while until I could find a house, but I needed to be out on my own. I was not the lost boy they’d sent off to college anymore.

Laying my keys down on the side table, I walked to the kitchen, loosening my tie. I didn’t know about Brianna, but I was starving now that I’d had time to calm down after my sickening business dealings tonight.

Reaching into the freezer, I pulled out two french bread pizzas, putting one in the microwave. “Have you eaten dinner?”

“No, Master,” she whispered.

It was not that I had a problem with her calling me Master: both of my collared submissives had at one point in time. The way she said it, though, held not respect but fear. I didn’t like it, but it was too late to try and fix anything tonight. My main priority was to get us both fed and into bed.

The microwave beeped, and I took the first pizza out, sliding it onto a plate. Setting it down on the counter across from me, I looked over at her. She hadn’t moved a muscle. “Come eat.” Brianna came.

She stood stiffly as she picked up the pizza and began eating. Her first bites were slow but soon became faster as if she hadn’t eaten in a very long time. My anger for Ian continued to grow the more I observed the beautiful creature in front of me, wolfing down her dinner. Her pizza was gone before mine finished cooking.

I brought my food with me and sat on the stool beside her. She was stiff as a board and still looking down. “You may sit, Brianna.”

She did.

Brianna didn’t move as I began to eat. There was a mixture of both dread and excitement as I realized the task I had in front of me. She was broken, totally and completely. It would take a lot of work to rebuild her self-worth, but I knew the end result would be worth it.

All of a sudden she started jerking, almost as if she was choking. I stood immediately and moved behind her, ready to give the Heimlich maneuver should she be in need.

“Let it out,” I said softly, hoping that she wasn’t trying to downplay whatever was happening, fearing my response.

As soon as the words left my mouth, her jaw relaxed, and the pizza she had just shoveled down covered the counter.

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