Page 16 of Power and Possession

That was insane. Of course, I should be angry and fight my captor with every bone in my body. I’d seen movies and read books where the heroine falls head over heels with her jailer, but this was real life. Not one of my mom’s crazy novels. As hot as Steele was, he was keeping me against my will. That was the plain and simple truth of the matter.

The table was set up elegantly, and the finest crystal and silver adorned the pristine tablecloth. Several candlesticks were lit, giving the room a soft, cozy glow.

“Is this how you try to get into my pants?” I snorted sarcastically.

Steele sat on the other side of the long table, wearing dark jeans and a gray shirt. He must have showered right before he came downstairs, because his hair was still a bit wet, the ends shining with water under the low lighting.

“If I wanted to get into your pants, I would have already succeeded,” he purred. “And if you recall, I was the one who pushed you away last night.”

My cheeks radiated with warmth, and I knew I wasblushing. I hoped that he wouldn’t see the red on my cheeks from across the table.

“I was thinking of someone else,” I lied lamely. “Plain and simple. I would never want you, not in a million years.”

“We’ll see,” he said smugly, pausing the conversation as the older man I’d tripped in the basement came forward. He had a bandage on his head from where he’d fallen into the metal of the bed, but I refused to care. There were always casualties in battle, and whatever there was between me and Steele raged like a war to end all wars.

The man placed a glass of scotch in front of Steele and then went to exit the room again. I watched as Steele lifted the glass to his mouth and gulped down the liquid.

“Speaking of last night, I believe I reminded you that I need to be drunk to be in your company,” I said, my eyes meeting his. He glared at me hard, and then snapped his fingers and nodded towards his butler.

“Rude,” I mumbled under my breath.

Steele’s eyes didn’t leave mine, silently challenging me. His stare was so intense that I dropped my gaze after a few seconds, unable to withstand his intense scrutiny.The air was charged, the tension palpable.

“That’s what I thought, Miss Phillips.” He was obviously happy that he won our silent standoff.

I ground my teeth, torn between wanting to rip his head off, or his clothes. I didn’t know why I was attracted to him. It had to be purely physical, because his superior attitude and cocky mannerisms weren’t appealing to me. And yet…his strength and his control intrigued me a bit. I’d really thought he was going to strangle me the night before, and then again in my room this afternoon he restrained himself when I hit him with the book. It almost seemed like a game to him, like he was trying to keep me on my toes.

I would also never admit it or let him know, but I did find him handsome. He was lean, but muscular in all the right places. His shirt stretched over his large biceps, and his face had beenshaved clean. With his blue eyes, dark hair and perfect build, he no doubt had a slew of women after him. What could I do to seduce a man like this, and enthrall him enough to grant me my freedom?

The butler came back in with a second glass of scotch. He didn’t so much as glance at me when he set it down with a thud, some of the amber liquid slushing out over the top.

Drink finished, Steele put his elbows on the table and put his fingertips together, leaning over slightly as he watched me drink my scotch.

“Has my father made contact yet?”

With the mention of my father, his face tensed again, forehead wrinkled, and jaw locked.

“You’d be advised, Miss Phillips, not to bring him up again.”

I contemplated sticking my tongue out at him, but I’d already pushed him quite a bit today.

“So, are we going to talk about the weather then?”

He smirked, looking out of the window where the lights of London shone, then he looked back at me.

“I’d rather talk about how you’re going to behave for the rest of your stay here, and the rules you will abide by while under my care.”

“Care? You’re fucking kidding me, right? I’m a hostage here!”

He put up his hand to silence me. For once I bit my tongue, not because of his power over me, but because I was literally too shocked to speak.

“Rule number one, watch your tone and your language, especially when speaking to me.”

“Fucking bullshit,” I muttered haughtily under my breath.

He glared at my retort but continued.

“Number two, you will be locked in your room for the duration of your…stay. I’ll permit you a half an hour of exercise each day, which will be supervised by myself or my butler.”

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