Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
SOFIYA
M y eyes meet Vik’s the moment I step through the door. “Are you ok?” I ask, rushing over to her and Mila.
“Are you?” Mila asks.
“I’m fine.” Technically, a lie. I am far from “just fine.” What Andrei did to me has left me shaken, and knowing Mikhail is going to punish me isn’t helping.
Mary stands behind my sisters like she’s a guard and my sisters are her prisoners. The glare she sends my way shakes me to my core.
Mila pulls me into a hug, and I don’t let her go until Mikhail clears his throat and tells me, “It’s time.”
I turn to Vik. “Make sure Mila is taken care of.”
She nods and opens her mouth to say something, but Mikhail is taking my hand and leading me away. I just hope I’ll get the chance to talk to them after Mikhail is through with me. This cannot be the last time I speak to them.
Mikhail takes me into his playroom. I stand still, clutching my ruined dress to my body. It reminds me of when I stood naked before him, holding my wedding dress to my body. I was scared of him then, and I’m scared of him now.
“Before we begin,” he says, facing me with his arms crossed, “I need to know. Why did you decide to leave, even after the punishment I gave you?”
“I already answered that.”
He frowns. Somehow, it makes him even more handsome. “I’m asking again because I didn’t like your answer. Tell me again. Why did you leave me?”
“I’m afraid,” I admit.
“Afraid?”
“Of you. Of this.” I wave my hand around to encompass the room and all the things in it. “Of us.”
“Why us?”
“Because you’re pushing me in ways no one ever has before. It’s scary. I didn’t want to lose my sisters, so I left with them.”
“But you had the option to let them stay if you gave your virginity to me.”
“I know.” I drop my eyes to the floor, breathing heavily. “But I’m not sure I can do that. I don’t want to be pressured into giving you my body. I want to give my body freely.”
“Nothing in this life is free, Sofiya. Not in the world I inhabit. Everything is a give and take.”
“But that’s not fair.” I almost feel like stomping my foot, but I resist at the last moment.
He raises one eyebrow. “Who said life is fair? You lost your father and have now found yourself in a position without any protection. But I give you protection. I will always make sure you’re safe. I did with Andrei today, and you ran into my arms. Don’t you feel safe there?”
“I do,” I blurt out.
“So, then, what’s the problem? You feel safe with me, but you don’t want to give yourself to me.”
“I know it doesn’t make sense, but that’s how I feel.” Both attracted and fearful of him.
He nods once. “I can’t change your mind. I have no desire to do that. I want you to form your own opinions. But you need to know your place in my life. You are my wife. I protect you. And you don’t have to give yourself to me, but your sisters will not stay here. I can’t risk them filling your head with ideas of escape again. You’re mine, Sofiya. I expect you to know that.” He doesn’t say any of this in a mean or stern voice. Just calm. Mikhail knows what he wants in life, and he expects to get those things. He expects to get me.
“I understand,” I say even though it breaks my heart. My sisters will leave, and there’s no stopping it.
“Now, time for your punishment. I need to do this so we can move past it, and then once we’re done, we’ll have a clean slate. I’m not mad at you. I’m not doing this out of anger. I’m doing this because I care about you.”
A shiver runs through me. I want Mikhail to care for me. I want him to take away any lingering pain I have over my parents’ death. I want him to help me.
I just don’t know how to give up myself for him.
“Take all your clothes off,” he orders.
There’s no use resisting. Besides, I want to be forgiven. I need him to do this. For me. For us.
I let my dress drop down around my ankles, then slowly remove my bra and underwear. Standing before Mikhail naked isn’t anything new. He’s had his mouth on me. There’s no reason for me to be shy, yet I am. I can feel every inch of his gaze on me. I can feel every breath leaving my body and coming into my body. I can feel all the nerves within me, standing to attention.
I can feel him even though he’s across the room from me.
“Lie on the bench on your stomach and keep your legs spread.”
I gulp as I walk over to the bench. My heart won't stop pounding. If I die today, I wonder what would happen. Would my sisters be taken care of? Or would Mikhail move on and find another woman to marry? He was married once before. He could easily do it again.
That thought pains me—like knives plunging into my body over and over again. I don’t want Mikhail to move on from me.
After I lean over the bench and spread my legs, I realize this position puts my butt on display. I let my head hang down and shut my eyes. This will be easier if I can’t see what Mikhail is going to do to me.
I can hear him walking throughout the room, getting farther from me. Unable to stand the anticipation, I open my eyes back up to see what he’s doing. He’s at the wall that’s covered in canes, whips, and paddles. I watch as he picks up a paddle and walks over to me.
I inhale quickly. He’s going to hit me with a paddle? Oh god. My vision is dizzy, and being upside down isn’t helping.
Mikhail’s feet step between my legs. The sight of his shoes next to my naked body does something to me. A throb passes through my core. I have to resist the urge to clench my legs together.
I gasp when he places the paddle against my backside.
“I am going to spank you with this,” he tells me. “It will hurt. I will only spank your ass and upper thighs. Nowhere else. You will not be seriously hurt. I have no intention of doing that. You can say stop at any time, but then I will resume this punishment at a later date. I think you need this, Sofiya. Once this is done, you will be forgiven.”
I sag against the bench. That’s exactly what I want—to be forgiven. To have Mikhail tell me he’s proud of me.
“I will begin.” He gently taps the paddle against my butt a couple of times before raising it high, then smacking it against my skin. Thwack . I almost jump out of my skin completely. The cry that escapes my lips is loud and unhinged. Mikhail brings the paddle back down again, causing more pain to ripple up my body.
I surge off the bench, but Mikhail grabs my hips.
“You need to stay in place,” he says, putting me back into position. “The sooner you stay still, the sooner this will be over, and the sooner we can move on from this.”
I sniffle and nod my head, unable to speak.
Mikhail steadies his hand on my back before bringing the paddle back down. Thwack . I bite my lips to keep from screaming. Thwack . My eyes squeeze shut again to stop my tears. Thwack . My breath is ragged and raw. Thwack . The pain over my butt is intense—hot and searing. Thwack . I’m not sure how much more I can take.
Mikhail is silent as he punishes me with the paddle. The only sounds that escape him are his deep breaths, steady and calm. I doubt he’s even breaking a sweat.
“Please,” I whisper. “Please.”
“We’re not done yet, Sofiya.” The paddle smacks my butt, sending a burning heat across my body. My feet scrabble to get my weight under me, to get away from this pain, but in this position, it’s almost impossible.
“When?” I cry out.
“When I say so, and you will respect that. Now, stay quiet.” He brings the paddle down in quick succession three times. My cries are wild. I wonder if my sisters can hear. God, I hope not. That would be humiliating.
Mikhail is merciless in his punishment, never losing his steadiness. He just spanks me over and over again. After a while, I almost can’t even feel the pain anymore.
My body eventually stops fighting it, and I slump over the bench, letting Mikhail punish me however he wants to.
And just like that, he stops.
As I draw in a ragged breath, Mikhail walks back over to the wall and places the paddle back on its stand before returning to me. I hope Mikhail will end this soon. I’m not sure how much more I can take.
He gently touches my butt, causing me to hiss. “I know it hurts right now, but it will get better. This is a reminder—you are mine, Sofiya. And I think you want to be mine. So, stop fighting it. Now, I am going to show you what happens after I punish you.”
“What?” I whisper.
“I pleasure you.” He gets down on his knees and lowers his head down between my legs. I blush, knowing my butt is pressed up against his face, but Mikhail doesn’t seem to mind. He draws his tongue across my folds, making me gasp from the sudden pleasure that fills me. Mikhail’s hands grip my butt tighter, reminding me I’m still in pain, as he runs his tongue over my bundle of nerves. There, he flicks his tongue back and forth over my nub.
My hips press back against his face, seeking more friction. I’m embarrassed to say I love this. Mikhail is just as relentless with his tongue as with the paddle. He’s determined to wring pleasure from my body.
He pulls my hips back, drawing me across the bench, as he presses his tongue and lips against me harder. A soft moan leaves me, making me blush again. My husband just spanked me. With a paddle. I shouldn’t be moaning in pleasure right now … but I am. God, I am.
Mikhail hits that right spot on my nub and flicks his tongue back and forth over it, driving me crazy. My hips move at a faster rate. My hands press on the ground to steady me even though it’s pointless. I’m gone from the pleasure by now. Nothing can hold me back down.
I gasp when his fingers spread my cheeks, and he gently presses his finger against my back hole. He keeps his finger there as he pleasures me with his mouth.
The pleasure is building, building, building inside me …
Until I finally explode.
“Mikhail,” I gasp out as I come, my entire body trembling.
He makes a happy, low sound at the back of his throat that sends another spike of pleasure through me.
I slump against the bench, too spent even to move. Letting me go, Mikhail stands up. Even though my back is to him, I can feel him looking down at me.
“Pain and pleasure. Punishment and reward. You can stand up.”
I’m not sure I can, but I force myself to. My legs shake as I turn around to face him, and I see Mikhail open his arms wide for me. I don’t hesitate—I walk right into them and let him hold me.
“You’re forgiven,” he says into my hair. The tears hit me before I can stop them. They’re uncontrollable. Mikhail tightens his arms around me, holding me, protecting me, as I cry. His hand runs down the back of my head. I snuggle deeper into his arms and cling to his shirt, never wanting to let go again.
Mikhail fully and truly owns me now.
I will never leave him again.
“What happened in that room?” Mila asks after I join my sisters in Vik’s room.
“That’s between Mikhail and me.” I remain standing. I don’t think I’ll be able to sit down for days. “But everything is better between us. He’s forgiven me.”
Vik looks at me with curiosity in her eyes. “So, does that mean you’re safe now? With him?”
“I was always safe with him. I just … didn’t know it. But …” I sigh deeply. “He doesn’t want you guys here. He wants you to leave.”
“And go where?” Vik asks.
“You wanted to go back to New York.”
“I know. But that was before we were kidnapped by Andrei. That woke me up and made me realize we’re not safe on our own. We’re vulnerable. And trust me, I hate that we are. If I were born a man, I’d be ruling this world right now. But because I have a vagina, I will never have that. Mila and I will never be safe. If we return to New York, Boris will find us, and who knows what he’ll do? Worse than Andrei, possibly. So, where will we go that’s safe?”
“I don’t know.” I hate watching my sisters’ faces fall right before my eyes. I grab Mila’s hand. “But we’ll find a way. I promise. I will make sure you’re safe.”
“I trust you,” Mila says.
Vik huffs and stands up, limping with her cast. “So, you don’t trust me to keep you safe?’
“I never said that. But you said we’re vulnerable. Sofiya has a husband who can protect us. If anyone can keep us safe, it’s her.”
Vik turns her nose up at Mila. “You’ve always preferred Sofiya over me.”
Mila’s jaw drops.
“Enough,” I say. “Let’s not fight. Remember, I couldn’t keep any of us safe. I was kidnapped right along with you. It was you two who kept me safe. You went to Mikhail and got him for me.” I look right into Vik’s eyes. “So, thank you.”
Her eyes widen, her expression a little taken aback, but she nods. “You’re welcome. I know you might think I’m mean, but I would never let either of you die. Or … worse.”
The three of us share a look. We all know what’s worse than death, and it’s something a lot of women fear. Andrei could have done that to me today, but he didn’t, and I just hope Mikahil will always keep me safe so nothing like that can ever happen again.
“We have to stick together,” I say. “That’s the only way we’ll make this through. I’ll try talking to Mikhail again. I won't let you get hurt.”
After I leave my sisters, I get ready for bed. It’s been a long day between our escape attempt, Andrei, and Mikhail’s punishment. I have so much on my mind. I know one way I could save my sisters—give Mikhail my body completely.
I’m still hesitant because I know once I do, there’s no going back, and right now, I still have a barrier between us. It’s the only thing keeping me tied to my sense of self.
I’m naked in the closet as I pick out my pajamas when Mikhail enters the bedroom. He sets his sights directly on me, and goosebumps break out over my skin. I don’t think my body will ever stop responding to him.
He walks right up to me, grabs the clothes from my hands, and tosses them to the floor. “You don’t need to wear those to bed. I want access to you every moment of the night.”
I gulp.
“Sit down.” He nods at the plush seat in the middle of the closet. I do as he says, wincing as my sore butt touches the seat. “I need you again. Thinking about how I could have lost you has made me a possessive man.”
“You’ve always been possessive.”
He smirks. “I have.”
He kneels before me and grabs my legs, dragging my butt to the edge of the seat. I gasp as he spreads my legs wide and places my feet on the edge of the seat, leaving nothing to the imagination.
“Your body was made for me,” he growls as he swipes his finger up my folds. There isn’t a name for the sound that escapes me. He catches my eyes as he brings his lips back down to my sensitive nub. He licks over it again and again and again, his eyes never leaving mine. It doesn’t take long for my body to respond.
My hands slam against the seat behind me, catching myself. Mikhail runs his hands up and down my outer and inner thighs, helping me to relax. Without even thinking about it, my hips arch up to reach his mouth. They grind against him. I’m shameless, and I don’t care. It feels too good to care.
Mikhail slides his tongue inside me, moving it in and out. I moan, my head dropping back, and my eyes fluttering shut. The way he draws pleasure from my body is too much. I can’t take it. I can’t.
He brings his lips up to my stomach and replaces his tongue with his fingers, pressing them against my nub and rubbing it. I gasp when his finger enters me, stretching me wider. Mikhail’s burning gaze meets mine as I lift my head up. He doesn’t hold back from thrusting his finger deeper into me. My lips part, but no sound comes out.
“It feels good to have something inside you, doesn’t it?” he says in his deep voice. “Soon, it will be my cock.” He curls his finger inside me, catching that perfect pleasurable spot. I moan.
He removes his finger from me and palms my entire vulva, grinding his palm against my nub. My hips have a mind of their own as I thrust against his hand. All I know is I need my release. Nothing else matters.
And then it happens. “Oh,” I moan as another intense orgasm rakes over my body less than twenty-four hours after the last one.
“You’re insatiable,” he murmurs. “Tell me you’re my good girl. Tell me.”
“I’m your good girl.” I pause. “Sir,” I add.
Mikhail kisses up my body until his lips meet mine in a passionate, all-consuming kiss. I melt into him.
I’m sad when he pulls back and stands up, instantly cold without him.
My eyes are right at his waist, and I notice the bulge pressing against his pants. Mikhail is aroused. “How come you never ask for anything in return?”
Mikhail adjusts his pants. “That’s because I practice control. The first time I come with you will be when I’m deep inside you.”
“You don’t want me to touch you?”
“I want nothing more. But I don’t want to come in your hand or mouth. Only your pussy.” His eyes linger between my legs. Self-consciously, I close them.
“What if I’m never ready for that?”
“You will be. Someday. Now, let’s go to sleep. It’s been a long day.”
With shaking fingers, I pick up my pajamas, thinking over Mikhail’s words. He’s so confident I’ll give him my full body one day.
And the reality is—I know I will.
When Mikhail tells me the next day he’s decided to host another event as a farewell party to my sisters, to say I’m shocked is an understatement.
“A farewell party?” I ask over the breakfast table. Mila and Vik are with me, and we all stare at Mikhail as he speaks.
“I think it’s a good idea,” he says. “I know you’re not happy about your sisters leaving. This will give you a good chance to say goodbye to them.”
“But the last party you threw,” Vik says, “included Andrei, who forced Sofiya to be a table. And if you recall, I got slapped across the face.”
“My men will be on better behavior for tonight.”
“It’s tonight?” Vik practically screeches.
“Yes. Tonight. And then tomorrow, you two will leave.”
I stand up and grab Mikhail’s hand. “Please reconsider. Please.”
“You know my terms,” he says softly to me. Turning back to my sisters, he says, “The party is tonight, so dress appropriately. I have some work to get to. I’ll see you all later.” With that, he leaves the room.
“Is this really happening?” Mila asks.
It really is.
Nighttime comes too fast, and so does the farewell party.
I dress in a satin blue dress that hugs my body. It’s long, the hem going down to my heels. I know Mikhail expects me to dress well. Vik tried to refuse to go, but I told her there was a good chance Mikhail would drag her down to the party or send one of his men. That made her comply real fast.
She’s wearing another red evening gown, looking like she stepped off the set of an old Hollywood movie. Mila is cute in her soft, pink dress, looking the epitome of innocence. I’m just worried Mikhail’s men will see Mila and want to eat her alive.
The three of us go downstairs, where the party has already begun. Unlike last time when only men were involved, this time, women are in attendance, mingling with the men. That puts some of the stress off my shoulders.
My eyes land on Irina, who’s in a low-back, tight black dress. What’s she doing here?
Mikhail is busy mingling with his men again, too busy for me. It stings, honestly.
“I don’t really think this is a party for us,” Mila says.
Vik scoffs. “Of course it’s not. This is a way for Mikhail to put us in our place. He’s angry we made Sofiya come with us. Now, he’s punishing us by making us attend a party with the same men who tried to hurt us.”
And speaking of men who tried to hurt us … Andrei appears across the room. He meets my eyes and smiles tightly as he approaches.
“What are you doing here?” Vik asks.
“I still work for Mikhail,” Andrei explains, looking at Vik like she’s a bug that needs to be squashed. “I belong here. I heard you girls were leaving. What a shame.” He brings his champagne glass to his lips and takes a sip. “I wanted to have more time with you.”
Vik curls her lip and draws Mila closer to her. “You are disgusting.”
“Stay away from us,” I tell Andrei. “I don’t think Mikhail will appreciate you talking to us.”
Andrei smirks and looks me up and down. “You think you have a hold on Mikhail, but you don’t. No one does.” He sighs. “Listen, I wanted to apologize. What I did, I took too far.”
I don’t respond.
“Well, have a good night, ladies.” He walks away with a leisurely gait.
“I hate that man,” Vik grumbles.
Mila shudders. “He scares me.”
I catch Vik looking at someone across the room and quickly look away before glancing back. I follow her gaze and see a man who was at the last party. He’s handsome, incredibly handsome. But I have no idea who he is.
“Do you know him?” I ask Vik.
She scowls and looks away from the man. “He was here the other night. Aleksander, I think.” She shrugs. “I don’t know, and I don’t care. None of these men are good enough for me.”
Mikhail walks to the center of the room and claps his hands together, drawing everyone’s eyes onto him. “This party is for my wife’s sisters. They’ll be leaving tomorrow, and I wanted to send them off in grand style. If you don’t know, my wife and her sisters are ballet dancers. Very well-known in New York.” He looks at the three of us. “So, I wanted to ask you three for a dance. A way to commiserate your leaving. I know it’s not easy on any of you. Why not share a dance together one last time?”
I inhale deeply. Vik was right. Mikhail is trying to punish my sisters for leaving and having me go with them.
All the eyes in the room are on us. I catch Irina’s gaze and watch her slowly smirk. Every fiber of my being hates to see her look at me like that.
I raise my head high. “We would love to.”
Vik whips her head toward me. “Sofiya, I’m still wearing a cast. I can’t dance ballet.”
“You’re going to have to try,” I whisper. “Mikhail wants us to dance, so we’ll dance.” I grab Mila’s hand and tug her toward Mikhail. Vik follows behind with her head raised. Even though Vik doesn’t want to dance right now, she would never show it.
Mikhail steps out of the way and motions for us to take to the floor. Music starts playing—something classical I’ve never heard before.
Each of us takes off our shoes.
“We’ll modify,” I tell Vik. She nods and inhales slowly.
I ignore the men and women around us and begin to dance. Mila follows in, and finally, Vik joins. It’s one of the easier dances Celine choreographed for us. It’s a story about three sisters finding a magical realm and venturing into it.
I can’t dance very well in my tight dress, so I modify my movements. Not kicking as high, not spinning as fast. And jumps are out of the equation. Mila does well in her dress since it’s more flowy. She masters a pirouette, and our audience claps.
That only makes Vik look more annoyed. Out of the three of us, she’s struggling with her moves the most. In her defense, her ankle is still healing. She can’t do any jumps or spins. She can barely balance on her good ankle since it’s hard for her to lift her other leg with the cast on it.
But Vik tries because she’s determined.
And, right in front of everybody, she slips on the hardwood and lands on her hands and knees.
Mila and I stop and rush to her side.
“I’m fine,” Vik mutters, pushing herself back up.
“Should we continue?” Mila asks.
I glance at Mikhail, and he nods. “We should.” We pick up where we left off, but the energy is off. We’re not on a stage, and we’re not in our costumes, and Vik is hurt.
She stumbles again, and this time, she lands on her butt. She tries to hide her wince, but even Vik isn’t that perfect. A couple of people laugh. When I look up, I see Irina has a large smile on her face. The people in this crowd are enjoying Vik’s humiliation. This is what Mikhal wanted to do—he wanted Vik to feel bad for convincing me to leave.
Well, this ends now. Mikhail can punish me all he wants, but I refuse to let him do the same to my sisters.
I offer Vik my hand, and this time, she takes it, letting me pull her up. I bow and subtly motion for my sisters to join me. They do.
When I look up at Mikhail, I see the disapproval on his face. He doesn’t like that I made the choice to end the dance without his say. But he doesn’t need to know that that wasn’t the end of the dance.
Vik smiles tightly as she bows to the audience.
“I hope you enjoyed it,” I say.
Mikhail steps forward. “We did. That was lovely. Now, we should give these women a break. Dancing isn’t easy.”
“No, it’s not,” a familiar man’s voice says. “But if anyone can make it look easy, it’s the Morozova sisters.”
I turn toward the voice, and the face I see sends an icy shard over my body.
It’s Boris. He’s here in Russia. He’s here in Mikhail’s house. In my house.
And he’s making a beeline for Mila.
“What’s he doing here?” I ask Mikhail. “Did you invite him?”
“No. But Boris has contacts. He must have found out where your sisters are, and he’s come to collect them. Your father did give him permission to control you three while you were unmarried.”
I shudder as I watch Boris walk up to Mila and run his fingers down her arm. She tries to smile politely, but it’s tense.
He will marry her once he takes her back to New York. And who knows what will become of Vik. She tends to make Bratva men angry. Boris could kill her if he wanted to.
I tried putting it off. I tried fighting for myself.
But seeing Boris in the flesh again, I’m reminded of how unstable he is. He shot at me as I ran from him when he tried to marry me. He pointed a gun in Vik’s face. He will hurt my sisters. Sweet, innocent Mila. And brave, stern Viktoriya.
And no one can help them because Boris technically has control over them.
But Mikhail is more powerful, and he could protect my sisters if he wanted to. He just doesn’t want to.
Not unless … not unless I give him my virginity.
I can’t run from it anymore. Mikhail will have all of me. I might as well turn it into a positive and use it to protect my sisters.
“Does your offer still stand?” I ask Mikhail.
He stares down at me for a moment before nodding slowly.
“Then, I’ll do it. I’ll do it.”
I just signed my soul away to the devil, and there’s no going back now.