Page 28 of His Captive Pet

She swallowed back the nervous laugh threatening to erupt. He couldn’t have hit the nail any more directly on the damn head. She had been scared he’d take back his offer of dinner. More afraid of that than of the strapping.

“But you did lie. You did a lot of naughty things, but I already punished you for those. Right now, we’re just talking. We’re setting things straight. All the cards on the table, now, Aubree. Are you ready to listen to your new rules?”

She couldn’t move her lips with his hand pressed against her mouth. She’d hear him out then she’d talk some reason into him. Though she’d never seen Blake as someone who could be so easily manipulated. And the darkness lingering in his gaze now didn’t give her much hope she would be able to manage him the way she had previous men.

She gave a nod, little as it was with him pressing her against the wall. He seemed appeased.

“Good. Rule number one. You obey without hesitation. No questioning or backtalk.”

He seemed to want a response, so she nodded again.

“Rule number two. You will not under any circumstance try to get a hold of anyone back home. You don’t know who Jorge has started to target while looking for you, and you don’t want anyone to have to try to lie for you.”

The clinic. They’d be expecting her at her next shift in the morning. She’d need to get a hold of them at least, but she nodded anyway.

“Rule number three. You will never lie to me again. If you so much as fib to me, I’ll wear my belt out on your ass. Do you understand?” This rule was given with more force. His eyes narrowed, and his lips thinned. Her teeth dug into her lips from the force of his grip.

When she nodded for the third time, he pulled his hand away. She licked her lips, opening and closing her mouth a few times once the pressure lifted from her jaw.

“Good.”

His hand wrapped around her throat and pinned her to the wall. She lifted her leg to kick him away, but he only pressed his body against her. His hard, muscular body should have terrified her.

“None of that now. I just want to see you, and I don’t want you wiggling. If I have to lock down your legs, it will be more uncomfortable for you, and that’s not my goal this morning.”

“My throat,” she said, a little surprised at how easy talking was with his hand gripping her.

“Does this frighten you?” He squeezed a little tighter.

Would he listen if she threw out her safeword? He’d ignored it when he punished her, but he wasn’t disciplining her now.

He sighed. She hadn’t answered him again.

“No,” she said quickly, sure he would start to see her hesitation as disobedience. Her ass still had a small bruise from the strap he’d used the day before, and she had no intentions of revisiting that thing.

“Good.” He kept the pressure on her throat and took half a step back.

She wouldn’t react. Keeping her mind completely void of his actions would be the only way to get through the sense of humiliation at his inspection.

Except he wouldn’t let her hide in her own mind.

“I will never get tired of seeing you naked. Maybe I should just keep you this way.” He winked at her. A casual wink, as though they were sitting across from each other at a coffee shop.

“I don’t want your help, Blake. Just let me go. I don’t need you. I don’t need anyone.” She yanked against the chains and fought against meeting his eyes. Her mantra. She didn’t need anyone. A lesson learned long ago. Counting on someone else to save her didn’t get the job done.

No one had come to save her mother. Not even Aubree. She’d gone off to college, listening to her mother promise she’d be okay, swearing everything would be fine. But she’d been a coward. Her mother had needed her, and she hadn’t been there.

So, she couldn’t depend on Blake. The only safe place to put her faith was in herself. She didn’t deserve his help. Cowards should walk the earth alone.

“You confuse need with weakness. You think if you need me you can’t be strong, but you’ll learn. Putting your faith in someone else, depending on them, takes a hell of a lot more strength than you think.”

She blocked out his words. Leaning on him was weak and undeserved.

Her breath picked up as his hand lightly brushed over each breast, the back of his knuckles flicking her nipples in kind. Her stomach fluttered when he caressed her skin and her pussy tightened when the tips of his fingers trailed over her mound.

Why the hell was her body betraying her so easily? Already she could feel the wetness between her legs. Her nipples stood at attention, as though awaiting his orders.

“What’s this?” He tickled the spot right above her clit. She hadn’t been to the salon in a few weeks, and she’d forgotten to shave the day before. “Seems grooming wasn’t top on your list, was it, Aubree?”

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