Page 59 of Saved

His harder tone would have evoked tension in my weary body at any other time—an indication that I was somehow in trouble again—but kneeling there, something seemed to have shifted inside me.

Whether it was the viciousness of the blow job, the fact he hadn’t moved to untie me, or some other mental and emotional adjustment to my predicament I hadn’t yet registered, I didn’t know. I only acknowledged the difference in my demeanor as he stalked from my side. There was no longer the latent sense of dread snaking inside; the fear was replaced by a need to fight for something braver.

James and Miles might not have been my choice of companions, but so far as I knew, they’d both plummeted to their deaths on the hike, while my closest friend could still be out there somewhere, lost—or worse, dead—in the snow. What I’d endured on my knees was nothing by comparison. It didn’t matter how much he turned me on. I had to find the necessary steel to stand up to Eli’s bullying tactics. I had to get away.

Which will be easier once he unbinds me.

Following his progress to my bag, I watched as he searched for my water bottle, producing it a moment later. Straightening, he turned and locked gazes with me as he walked back to my side.

“Open up.” Unscrewing the lid, a hint of the same smirk that had greeted me in the aftermath of his orgasm painted his face.

“Why can’t I use my hands, sir?”

“Because I’m not removing the rope yet.” He didn’t even try to disguise his glee. “So, if you’re thirsty, I’ll help you.”

“But...” The pounding in my temple increased, fraternizing with my growing fury to aggravate my headache.

“Do you want the water or not?” He lifted the bottle to his lips, taking a large slug in a gesture that was no doubt intended to goad me further.

Fuck you.

Gritting my teeth, I fought against the urge to articulate the view, but I was sure he read it in my expression, his chuckle proof that he’d recognized my disgust.

“I’d watch how you look at me if I were you, little girl.” Lowering to his haunches, he hovered the bottle in front of me. “You do not want another spanking right now.”

“I’d like the water, please, sir.”

The combination of anger and despondency swilling in the pit of my chest was a pungent mixture. I detested him at that moment—despised everything he represented, hardly recalling the gentler man who’d brought me enormous pleasure only hours prior. Until he agreed to release my wrists, I was obliged to accept his so-called generosity, and if I wanted anything, including the water my throat so badly needed, there was no choice but to swallow whatever remained of my shattered pride and play his warped game.

“There.” The smile that had once seemed so handsome sliced at my self-worth like a blade. “Show me you can be a good girl and open that lovely mouth again.”

My lips parted, not from a misshapen desire to please the tyrant, but from thirst alone. I waited as he tipped small quantities of water past them, allowing me to swallow before he offered more. The fluid was a welcome relief, that one tiny gesture seeming normal in a rush of otherwise giddy angst and perversity.

“Good.” He screwed the lid back onto the bottle and placed the plastic down by my side. “That’s more like it.”

Flitting from his face around the room, my focus looked for anything that meant not having to look him in the eyes while he delivered yet another lecture about my alleged behavior. I couldn’t handle that. Not when he was the one who’d behaved so badly and I was still tethered on my knees.

As my attention swept the inside of the hut, his rambling words faded into the background. Instead, I took in the dark corners the light had invaded, scanning the wooden rafters and the breadth of the floor. I dared not dwell on the state of the place or what I might be kneeling on, preferring to fix my concentration on things I hadn’t previously noticed, like the redundant cobwebs hanging on the beam over his head and the long, dark object slid against the side of the wall that was barely visible from the withdrawing shadows.

Wait, what?

My heart sped up as my gaze traveled back to the floorboards in question. The space would normally have been covered by the bed, but we’d moved it in an attempt to keep me warm. Eli had seemed so accommodating then, willing to do almost anything to please and protect me. He was nothing like the idiot ranting over me.

“...and that means looking at me, little girl!”

I glanced at his face, noticing his eyes burning with emotions he had no right to feel.

Iwas the one who was angry. I was upset. I was vulnerable, whereas he was struggling to even stay self-righteous.

Asshole.

The echoing word in my head was oddly comforting, the notion permitting my concentration to travel back to the strange item that had caught my attention.

“What is so fucking fascinating over there?” He peered over his shoulder in the same direction I’d been searching in.

“I thought I saw something, sir,” I mumbled. “I hadn’t noticed it until now.”

Probably because I’ve had your cock shoved down my throat.

---