Page 41 of Fear and Desire

Forward…

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Forward…

Hold…

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In…

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In…

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23

Josh:

Josharrivedbackatthe Farm in the late afternoon, bruised and sweaty, his soul calmed for now. He’d spent the afternoon in the boxing ring at the gym in town. Those who sparred with him called him ‘The Devil’ behind his back. They had no idea why he fought with a single-minded ferocity that had most of the other boxers afraid of taking him on. Only a few rose to the challenge, and he beat most of them—but not all. The days when he lost, pummeled until he was bruised and battered and lying semiconscious on the mat, were the only days he got rid of the demon that dug its claws in his back and haunted his dreams, for just a little while.

He tossed his gear on the bed in the small room he’d claimed and took a hot shower. He toyed with the idea of having Laura giving him a massage, then dismissed it with a snort. If DeLeo didn’t kill him for messing with his slave, Dan would.

Speaking of Dan… Josh wandered down to the office. He gave a perfunctory knock and let himself in.

Dan was on the floor, slumped against the front of the desk. With a curse, Josh slammed the door shut and strode over to his partner. Dan’s eyes were open but unfocused. The small glass of honey-colored liquid in his hand told part of the story.

“Shit, man, what the fuck is going on?” Josh grabbed the glass and set it on the desk.

Dan looked up at Josh, his eyes attempting and failing at focusing. When he spoke, his words were slurred. “I was a bastard today. A fucking bastard. And I enjoyed it.”

Joshquicklybrewedsomecoffee and left Dan with a cup in his hand as he went to check on Laura. She was curled up on her bed, and facing the wall.

“Laura,” he called quietly.

“What.” Anger radiated out in waves.

Not now.“You will not speak to me like that. Do you understand?” His voice hardened.

Silence. “Fuck. You. All.”

Dammit! He’d just come for a quick check, but he couldn’t let her rebellion go unaddressed. Without warning, he picked her up off the bed, and as she shrieked, he swung her around and sat with her draped over his lap. He pinned her wildly kicking legs between his thighs, and when she reached back to claw him, he grabbed her hands and pinned them in the small of her back. She went limp and started to cry.

If she was Josh’s sub, he’d hold her and talk to her until she was calm, and find out what was bothering her. He would make sure she knew he cared for her. But here, in this hell, the caring Dominant and the uncaring slaver had to part company. The cameras meant there could be no show of forgiveness. He raised a hand and brought it down hard on her bottom. She screeched and struggled.

“Listen and listen good. Disrespect willnotbe tolerated. You will talk toallyour masters with respectevery timeyou open your mouth. And if you have any hope of being treated well by Victor DeLeo, you’ll not only be respectful, you’ll be quiet and obedient, too. Do. You. Understand?” He punctuated each word with a painful wallop to her tender skin.

“Ow! Stop! Please! I’ll be respectful, please! I’m sorry!”

“When I call your name, how do you respond?”

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