Page 109 of Resistant

“C’mon, Brynn dance for me.”

He doesn’t miss a step, and I stop memorizing the smile on his face.

Non-Brynn is screaming again, to run to Knox. I won’t survive the punishment; he’ll kill me or trap me in a living coma.

I hesitantly rock sept back away from him and turn. Declan clasps my hand and brings me back into his chest in a spin that exhilarates me.

He pushes me back out and we are east coast swing dancing. I laugh at him feeling something burst in my mind, and his smile is heady. We move together without speaking. I feel a light sheen of sweat cover my temple, and my breath is coming out in short pants.

I feel something else give way inside a locked gate opening, like summer rain when I’m parched, a soothing cleanse. He leads me through the song, spinning, lifting me and rocking back together facing the room and as the horns fade out, he tosses me into a low dip. He holds me there for a long moment, looking into my eyes. My smile gives way and I realize my moment is over.

“Goodbye Declan.”

The music fades and an older gentleman approaches with drinks for both of us and leads us off the dance floor. Delcan keeps my hand firmly clutched in his, and I can’t help myself. I stay next to him, breathing in his scent and leaning against his arm for brief moments.

The conversations he participates in are brief, but the people approach us steadily asking about his future plans as a senator.

I listen to all of it, confused but pretending that I am okay. I haven’t seen Knox in more than an hour, and I feel all my muscles tense when Mr. Anderson leads me away from Declan. He squeezes my hand before he lets go. I know Knox isn’t happy, but I’ll submit to him again and again to keep my children safe.

The night air is brisk and I’m freezing out here without a coat. Mr. Anderson bundles me into the back seat of a sedan.

“Brynn, I don’t know what’s going to happen. You still need to go back to the hotel with Knox, but you know what to do once he leaves your room, right?”

He looks at me in the rear-view mirror.

“Brynn, I’m undercover. I’ll help Declan get you out. But I can’t keep you from this next part. We need you to be brave. The papers are not signed thanks to that little dance number you and Declan performed. There won’t be any appropriate witnesses at the hotel. But just in case, don’t sign anything, do you hear me?”

I nod.

“Okay, darling, put your game face back on. One last time in the lion’s den. I will not leave you. I’ll be right outside your door. Do you understand?”

I nod again. I can feel Brynn slipping back away from my psyche and non-Brynn taking over. I know I will never escape Knox, even if my body gets away from him.

The door closes behind me and Knox is waiting, a drink in one hand and his belt in the other.

“On your knees, lay your torso on the bed and lift your dress up.”

I kneel at his feet. Something he has never required of me before, but non-Brynn knows that she has to atone for her sins. I don’t know to what extent his plans were waylaid this evening, but I understand enough that Knox is furious.

“Angel, this is your punishment for leaving my side. I can still fix this, and you are still useful to me, but your behavior this evening cannot go without consequences. You will remain silent for your punishment ma lagniappe, understand?”

With shaking limbs, I press my head to the coverlet. He yanks off his tie and knots it around my wrists. He attaches his tie to a rope that extends from a post on the headboard. He lifts me up, so my knees are underneath me and my ass is perched up in the air. My ankles are tied together. I hear a sharp crack of the leather and jump. The ropes hold me in position.

“Such a naughty girl, Angel. And not in the way that I like. Here’s your punishment you little bitch. You’d better hope I don’t get my hands on your sons.”

The belt whistles through the air and cracks on my bare ass. I feel the sting of the leather and the bite of the buckle. I can’t take a breath before the next whistle and crack arrives. The welts blister immediately, and my ass is on fire. I lay as quietly as I can and take this. If I open my mouth or beg, he will rain down more fury on my ass. Whistle, CRACK! Whistle, CRACK!

I’ve lost count of how many times the belt has made contact. My skin is reeling with the pain. The blows keep coming.

Babbling noises erupt from my lips and I bite them until I taste blood to keep quiet. Sweat drips from my brow onto the coverlet. I feel his fingers caress my lower back, pushing me further into the mattress.

The motion stretches the skin on my backside, and I turn my face into the bed and cry out, the pain spreading across my hips and down my thighs. The ties on my wrists burn, competing with the fire that roars on my backside.

He hits me one final time and something inside me snaps and I sink into the mattress. The belt thuds to the floor, and my ropes are untied. Knox grabs my elbow and pushes me out into the hall where Mr. Anderson catches me by my elbows and ushers me toward my room. Knox brutally pushes me inside and the door clicks and locks behind me.

Absently, I notice that my bag is set out on the luggage rack, and my toiletries are placed carefully on the vanity. I lay carefully at the foot of the bed, the fan blades blowing cool air on my backside. It hurts so badly; I cannot cry. I shake and tremble in silence. Minutes, or hours pass. I’m not sure. I stand and wipe my face.

Someone must have entered my room because a steaming mug of tea waits on the dresser and I go wrap my palms around the mug. The familiar scent tickles my nose. I place my lips on the cup, and a zing in my head erupts,don’t drink that!I pour most of the tea down the sink drain.

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