Page 59 of Clawed
She didn’t want the collar, but she also didn’t want to rile Lawes and provoke an unexpected consequence.Obliging him would be easier, and if she was lucky, perhaps she could persuade him to offer her more pleasure before she found a way to break free of his grasp.Certainly, she preferred the sound of that outcome.She wouldn’t risk doing anything to enflame him.
Lifting her hair, he slid the collar back into place.She waited obediently when he secured the buckle, her gaze darting to the window as he grasped the end of the leash.
“On your knees now.”One click of his fingers saw her moving, her hands and knees hitting the threadbare carpet before he needed to prompt her.“Follow me.”
She scurried behind him as he led her from the room, surprised to see that the door had not been locked.Crawling was just as cumbersome as she remembered, her movement ungainly as he steered her back toward the tired-looking bathroom.
Catching sight of the tub, a dozen sordid recollections returned to haunt her.That had been where he’d chosen to shave her, and behind them was the door he’d fucked her against, yet in the current pale light, the space seemed cold and uninviting.
“Good girl,” he praised, moving to ruffle her hair.“You’re quite the little pet.”
Her focus fell to the disheveled mat beneath her.She tried not to think about how old the weary fabric was or how many other pairs of feet it might have entertained over the years.
“Up on the toilet now.”He lifted the lid and motioned for her to move.Watching as she climbed slowly from her knees, he wrapped the end of her leash around the water faucet of the bathtub.“I’ll wait by the door.Don’t be too long.”
He flashed her a warning glance as he stalked back to the hallway, leaving the door open and standing with his back against the wall.From where she was perched, she could see the outline of his left arm and shoulder, as well as his left foot.He’d given her a whiff of privacy, but was still easily in proximity, and even though she despised the humiliation of having to pee while he was in earshot, she was once again struck by his apparent generosity.The Lawes of old would have had her relieving herself over a pot, and he’d have delighted in her ignominy, but the current iteration of her captor seemed different.
Softer?
She frowned at the unlikely word.Nothing about Lawes was soft, yet she’d witnessed a more tender version of the brute.The man who’d whipped her into a sexual fervor against the door had wielded both the brutality of the brush and the flawless caresses of his fingers.Surely, he wouldn’t have bothered to offer her pleasure at all unless he cared for her?
She sensed the crease on her brow deepen.A man who swept her from the streets to crawl around his house at his beck and call without so much as seeking her opinion on the matter was clearly no Casanova.She didn’t know why she was elevating him to the status of an affectionate lover.The complicated man outside was who he’d always been—intent on making her come and interested in inflicting her penance.
“Why am I not hearing any progress in there, little girl?”He glanced back, his expression hard.
“I’m s-sorry.”She shifted on the plastic seat, her face reddening that he’d caught her lost in such a maddening thought.
“You have two minutes.”He scowled as he straightened, and focusing on her bladder, she concentrated on the task at hand.
What did it matter if he heard her pee, anyway?Lawes had seen her in far greater peril and reveled in her utmost denigration.The ability to actually use a toilet was still a privilege as far as being around him was concerned.
“I’m finished, Mr.Lawes, sir.”Turning, she flushed the silver handle of the system.“Please, may I wash my hands?”
Spinning to face her, his lips curled, though it was the rest of his honed physique that her gaze traveled to.His body was covered in taut muscles and a little dark hair.He was far too tempting for her own good.
“You may,” he agreed.“Let me help you with that leash.”
Walking toward her, he released the handle from the faucet and waited while she used the basin.There was no soap, but that hardly mattered when she’d probably be back on the floor, anyway.Still, she used the small, musty hand towel, jostling it between her cuffed hands as she waited for his next command.
“Open wide.”He closed the short distance between them with one stride, his impressive frame looming beside her.“Let me see what’s happened to those teeth in my absence.”
She hadn’t seen that request coming, but keen not to rile the seemingly content beast currently sleeping inside her captor, she nervously stretched her lips wide.
Reaching for her with one slow hand, he stroked the side of her face while he peered into her open mouth.Her heart stood still while he silently appraised her, her anxiety elevating as she recalled that first time in his chair at the shiny dental practice.
“You’ve had a new filling since I last saw you?”His green eyes glinted with wry amusement.“It’s not a bad job, but I’d have done a better one.”
Her brow rose at his observational skills.After so long, she was surprised he remembered anything about that first check-up he’d given her, let alone what state her teeth had been in.He was once a dentist, though—that much had been revealed in court—so she supposed old habits died hard.
More than anything, though, she couldn’t believe how professional his tone sounded.Standing there naked while holding the end of a leash he’d insisted on her donning, he was commenting on the quality of her dental hygiene as though she were a regular, paying client.
Her breath caught as she nodded to concur.She had gone for dental work while he’d been serving time, and the professional she’d seen had been far more respectful than he ever was.Once upon a time, she’d been his paying client, a naïve young woman who’d wandered into his trap, and she’d paid the price.
In many ways, she wasstillpaying.
“Got over your fear of dentists, did you?”Patting the side of her face with a smirk, he indicated that she could close her mouth, and she wet her lips as she complied.
“I hada lotof therapy, as well as seeing a dentist, sir.”
