Page 48 of Master of My Heart

“After you finish eating, we’ll watch one of his movies.” He smirked. “I’m sure you’ll see what the girls got excited about.”

Sabrina smiled. “Thanks.” She didn’t want to look like an idiot when she met a big movie star for the first time.

They settled onto the couch and Jayson started Brave Saturdays. It was a romantic comedy about a guy who signs up for speed dating every Saturday in the hopes he’ll find the love of his life. It was cute, and Sabrina found Aiden very good looking. The movie was only a few years old. Sabrina wondered how he’d play Drosselmeyer.

Chapter Eighteen

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?”

I jump as a voice yanks me from the painful memories of my parents’ too-recent deaths. I turn from the window I’ve been staring out of for hours and see a stocky Mexican man with cold, dark eyes standing in the doorway of the room I’ve been raped in for the last three days. A taller man with similar coloring stands behind him, leering at me. I grasp at the blanket beneath me, trying to cover my nakedness, but the shorter man shakes his head.

“No need for modesty in mi casa, Sabrina,” he says in a heavily accented voice, walking toward me. “I am Ramon De Sousa. Bienvenido.”

I ignore his welcome and pull the covers over my body. He clicks his tongue. “I am not a patient man, señorita,” he says, yanking the blanket out of my hands. “You will do what I say when I say, or there will be consequences.”

My eyes burn from the hours and hours of crying, but I hope the glare I turn on him conveys the hatred I feel. I’ve already been raped repeatedly. What else can he do to me?

I bring my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I hate the way they look at me.

Without warning, he lunges at me, grabs me by my hair, and yanks me to my feet. I struggle against his hold and gasp when he tightens his hand in my hair. “No, no, little one. You are here for my pleasure.” He cups my breast and I slap his hand away. He laughs. “Ah, you haven’t had the spirit fucked out of you yet.” He grins wickedly. “I always enjoy breaking in a new girl. Your Master warned me you might fight.” He leans into me, his face inches from mine. “I was hoping he wasn’t exaggerating.”

He pinches my nipple hard. I squeal while trying to pull away, but his grip is too strong. He pushes me to my knees and I glare up at him. He caresses my cheek. “So much spirit in such a little girl.”

My eyes narrow farther.

“Let me explain how things work in mi casa,” he says in a matter-of-fact tone. “As I said, you will do what I say when I say it and things will go well for you. Well, mostly. They will certainly be less painful... but not painless. I do enjoy seeing a woman in pain.” He smiles. “You will learn to obey me and the men who come to you. You will learn to enjoy the feel of a dick in your mouth, your pussy... and anywhere else he may want to put it.”

I make a face at the thought of a man’s penis in my mouth, making him laugh. “So naïve.” He swings me around, pushing my face into the bed and smacking my rear.

I yelp and kick. “Leave me alone! Let me go!”

But he only laughs and pushes down on my back, making me arch. “Look, Miguel. Look how pretty her cunt is.” He smacks me between the legs. I screech in pain.

I kick at him again, making contact. I think I kicked him between the legs because he releases my hair. I get a few steps across the room, away from him, before an arm wraps around my waist and I’m yanked back against a hard body.

“Take her to the stocks,” Ramon says in a pained voice.

I smile, knowing I hurt him. Miguel picks me up. I kick and swipe at him as he carries me down a brightly lit hallway. He pushes open a door and walks into a dimly lit room.

It’s big. Several rows of benches sit in front of a wide-open area with a sandy floor. Ceiling lights illuminate the area, and I freeze when I see a dark stain on the sand. Is that blood?

Miguel laughs. His voice is deeper than Ramon’s. “You will spend a lot of time in here. You will spill your blood for our pleasure, just like the other girls.”

I swallow hard and look up at him. He looks amused.

In the center of the open floor is a table, straps and chains hanging from it. When he starts walking toward it, I begin squirming again. Miguel just laughs. He drops me onto the table and, quicker than I could have imagined, straps me down. I’m unable to move, except to turn my head to the left and right.

I scream, begging him to let me go, but he only laughs. When I’m secure, he walks away without saying another word.

Dread fills me. The room is silent and creepy. I pull against the straps, but they don’t budge.

Finally, in my despair, I begin to cry.

I lie there for a long time. There’s no way to know how much time passes. I close my eyes, trying to think of anything except what might happen when someone returns. I remember Chase, dancing with him... talking with him... his kiss... It was less than a week ago when all that happened, yet it seems like a lifetime.

I start remembering the various ballets I’ve danced in, replaying them in my mind. Dancing in my memories.

I’ve gone through Swan Lake and am halfway through Giselle when the door opens and Ramon walks in, followed by Miguel.

---