Page 8 of Avenging Devil: Part 1

“Not just women, it works for some men.” He stares at his beer bottle. “Some people need the adrenaline rush from extreme sports, others wouldn’t sky dive if you paid them too. Kinks vary, Niran. Think for a moment about what I do. Can you imagine how much trust a sub must put in their Dom to crawl naked in a room of bikers looking on? Knowing their Dom will protect them? Knowing men can look, but not touch?”

“But what does she get out of it?”

“The idea she’s desirable, that I want to show her off. That she doesn’t have to think about anything, and I’ll take care of her.”

I snort. “Then you take her back to your room and fuck? Seems like you do a lot to get a twisted kink satisfied, Brother. Me? I’d go straight to the good stuff.”

“And again, you’re wrong. Sometimes sex isn’t involved. My kink, as you term it, is the heady feeling I get from knowing how much trust is placed in me. I would never hurt a sub, nor push her further than her set boundaries.”

“And here I was, thinking you were just showing off.” I chuckle.

“The club’s a great place to bring my subs,” he says, seriously. “None of you fuckers would touch my property, but there’s an edge, as the sub doesn’t one hundred percent know that. She has to trust me that I won’t allow anyone close. The exhilaration she feels is equal to that adrenaline rush I was just talking about. That glassy expression in my subs’ eyes you must have seen? That’s when they’ve let all their doubts and everyday worries go, and have placed their trust in me, their Dom, completely.”

To be honest, I’d often thought they were stoned.

I still can’t comprehend fully, but he’s opened my eyes. “So, it’s a kind of therapy?”

“Kind of. Back to the case of the bank manager. She goes home, is able to switch off and get a good night’s sleep. The next day, she’s back at work making decisions logically, instead of her emotions having kept her awake.”

“So, your expertise is humiliation?”

He snorts. “Some Doms prefer one kind of shit over another. Some aren’t programmed to do what I do, but I won’t say that’s my only forte.” He turns and stares at me. “Being a Dom is a heavy responsibility. It’s not just sex. If I wanted that, I’d go with a club girl and get my balls emptied in record time. Negotiating, learning what a girl really needs, then carrying it out, all takes time. It’s not a quick release, Brother, and that’s if I even get there.” After a moment, he nods, seeing I’m taking it in. “You’ve got a Dominant streak in you, Niran. If you’re interested, we can speak more.”

Having just taken a large swig of my beer, I choke. When I’ve recovered with the aid of a hefty back slap, I look him in the face. “Seems like too much darn trouble to me.”

He laughs. Sliding off the stool, he rests a hand briefly on my shoulder. “Offer’s open anytime, Brother.”

Chapter Four

Saffie

Four months ago

When Duke left my hospital room, I was terrified. How the hell can I escape when he’s given me just one day? In his mind, the time limit was probably generous, and if I refuse to leave, I’ve no doubt he’ll carry out his threat to abduct me. Hell, I wouldn’t put it past him to hire a private ambulance and forge papers to say I was being transferred. Nothing ever gets in Duke’s way.

Twenty-four hours.That’s all he’s given me.

What the hell can I do? I’m hooked up to machines, a catheter in place. Even if I wanted to move, it’s too painful to do much more than breathe.

I’m trapped. Just as I’ve been for the last five years and will continue to be until Duke has enough of me.

The same nurse who was in earlier comes in again and checks the monitors and the fluids dripping into me. Letting her get on with her job, I focus on worrying about myself.

Could I call my parents? Would they help?

I only wish I could, but according to Duke, they’ve washed their hands of me. While I wouldn’t give much credence to anything uttered by him, I know it’s probably the truth. I may not know the details, but Duke used me to get revenge on my father. It’s all my fault I enabled whatever had happened by being taken in by his lies. As for my mother, she swears that a marriage vow once uttered can never be rescinded. I disobeyed once, when I divorced my cheating ex, and last time I saw her, she still hadn’t forgiven me. She definitely wouldn’t approve of me leaving another man, and if she knows I’m with child, whether or not she likes Duke, she’d insist that he be involved with his child.

No, it’s too dangerous. I can’t take the risk they’ve disowned me as their daughter and can’t rely on them to protect me from him.

“Sapphire, may I speak plainly?”

Lost in my thoughts, it takes a moment for me to realise I’m being addressed. Awkwardly turning my head, I focus on the nurse.

“Your husband did this, didn’t he?” Her lips are pressed tightly together.

“It was a mugging.” I parrot what I’ve been told to say.

She grimaces and ignores me. “If it was your husband, I can get you help.”

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