Page 51 of Blood and Lies (A Twisted Duet 1)

Forcing back tears, fighting against my will not to succumb, I slowly eased onto my knees.

“Good. Now crawl to me.”

My eyes shot up to his, defiance burning in my chest. But I saw the determination in his eyes, I saw the resolve on his features. I was too weak to fight him today. Too hungry, too thirsty, too tired. Not today. I couldn’t fight him today…so I crawled. I crawled like a pathetic fucking dog to its owner in hopes of getting a treat. With every inch I moved closer toward him, I hated him, I hated myself, my body for needing fucking food so much that I was willing to let myself be humiliated this way.

“Hmm, you have no idea how fucking good you look on your knees, little mouse.” His voice was a dark hum of dominance and sexual allure—and God help me, but it woke the toxic anticipation inside my core. The way he stared at me with his feral gaze, watching my every move had me wanting to clench my thighs together.

I stopped in front of him, still on all fours, and he leaned forward.

“If only you could see yourself now, see how good submission suits you.” He reached out, touching my nipple before cupping the weight of my breast in his palm. I suppressed a whimper, trying to stop my body from reacting, but the need was already there, pooling between my legs, the betrayal of flesh against spirit.

He let go of my breast, and I silently mourned the loss of his touch. He leaned back in his chair. “I’m not so sure I should feed you now since being hungry obviously makes you more…cooperative.”

“Please—”

“Hush. Lucky for you I’m a man of my word. Now, sit.” He gestured beside his leg, and I flinched as if I had been struck in the face. The humiliation, the degradation of being treated like a pet, had me biting my tongue. It was such a thin line I was treading, and I was just too damn hungry to risk not getting something to fill my belly.

I sat down…next to his leg…like a fucking pet…hispet.

To add to my humiliation, he dragged his hand over my head, weaving his fingers through my hair as if he was rewarding my obedience.

“You see, little mouse, it’s not that difficult to obey. I told you the other day, if you obey, you will be rewarded. It’s that simple.”

I didn’t dare look up at him. Instead, I kept my gaze on the floor like a tame animal, hiding the threatening tears.

“Look at me.” He placed his hand beneath my chin and forced my face up. He loosened his tie, pulling it from around his neck, and I shuddered to think what he was going to do with it—yet a part of me yearned to know.

“Once you allow yourself to embrace this part of you that you’re so desperate to hide, you’ll be addicted to the freedom.”

“Who are you to talk about freedom?” I whispered softly, regretting the words the second they left my mouth.

Taking my hair in his one hand, he lifted the strands, placing the tie around the back of my neck. “Oh, I have freedom, little mouse.”

This time I etched my gaze on his. “No, you don’t. Your misplaced loyalty toward your family, doing their bidding has you bound to them. In reality, you are more trapped than I am between these four walls.”

Abruptly, the tie tightened around my neck, pinching my skin where the silk met. Folding the tie one more time, securing it around my neck, he tugged hard and forced me forward just as he leaned down. Our faces were mere inches apart, our breath crashing together in a whirlwind between us.

“Your last warning before I revoke your reward of food, Miss Linscott. So I suggest you play nice from here on out if you’d like a full belly.”

My mouth closed, biting back the words that were burning to get out, to humiliate and anger him more. A part of me liked him angry, liked testing him to see how far he could be pushed. But that part needed to take a back seat, at least until I achieved my goal…which was to get food inside this weak body of mine.

While winding the end of the tie around his fist, he leaned over the table and picked up a strawberry, holding it temptingly between his fingers.

“If you bite, you won’t get anything more. Understood?”

I nodded, already able to taste that ripe strawberry on my tongue.

Slowly, he brought it closer to my mouth, and I licked my lips, my throat dry with the anticipation of tasting something—anything.

“Open for me, little mouse.” The sexual innuendo wasn’t lost on me. In fact, it momentarily made my insides tighten with desire, especially when I saw the hunger in his eyes as he stared at my lips, as if he couldn’t wait to see me eat out of his hand.

I opened my mouth, and he placed the strawberry on my lips, easing it into my mouth. The feel of his fingers against my lips together with the sweetness that burst from the fruit onto my tongue caused me to moan while I chewed the flesh of the strawberry between my teeth. I rolled my tongue through the sugariness, loving the explosion of flavor.

God, I wanted more.

“You like that, little mouse?”

“Yes, sir.” The second that word left my mouth, I recoiled, shock twisting my mind and my stomach into a vise.

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