Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Sofiya
The guests Dimitri invites over are a man named Silvio and his wife, Mary. Charlie, a friend visiting Greece from America also joins, along with a woman from France named Camille.
“This is my new wife, Sofiya,” Dimitri introduces.
I give all four of them a polite, courteous smile because that’s what I was taught to do.
I will make Dimitri proud tonight. My backside is still sore from the spanking he gave me yesterday.
All day today I’ve kept to myself in the bedroom while Dimitri got more work done.
I haven’t even asked him what kind of work he has in Greece on our honeymoon of all places because I don’t want to risk another spanking.
I still remember how my body responded to his touch though. How close I was to giving in to him. He wants to break me down and I’m worried that I’m already starting to be.
We all settle around the living room with glasses of wine and appetizers. I go to sit down on the couch when Dimitri pulls me onto his lap. I wince from the sting in my backside but I mask it with a smile so the guests don’t find it suspicious.
“I can sit on my own,” I say quietly to Dimitri.
“I want you right here.” He makes a point of laying his hand on my thigh. My dress is fortunately a long one that completely covers my legs but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel Dimitri’s hand burning a bole right through the fabric.
“Is she your trophy, Dimitri?” Charlie asks.
“She is,” he responds point blank. The guests all laugh, thinking he’s joking when I know he’s not.
“Newlyweds,” Mary says wistfully. “I remember when we first got married. How romantic it all was. We’ll allow you two some grace. I understand how you always want to touch when you’re first married.”
“How has married life been?” Silvio asks, smiling down at his wife. They look so happy and content. Will I ever have that in my own marriage? Remembering how Dimitri spanked me, I doubt it.
“It’s been wonderful,” Dimitri says.
“And you, Sofiya?” Mary asks, pointing her wine glass at me.
I can feel Dimitri’s gaze on me, telling me to not blow this. “I couldn’t want for a better husband. Like he said, it’s been wonderful. So far.”
Charlie laughs. “Hedging your bets. I like that.”
“Why would you like that?” Dimitri asks with a frown.
“Because Sofiya is a beautiful woman. If things don’t work out between the two of you…”
Dimitri’s hand tightens on my thigh while my heart rate increases. “Are you saying you want my wife, Charlie? I know you’re American but even that’s very forward.”
“You’re American too,” Camille says. “You may be Russian but you’re American.”
“And I know not to flirt with another man’s wife,” Dimitri growls.
Charlie raises his hands in surrender. “I wasn’t flirting with her. Just saying the obvious. Your wife doesn’t look like she’s too sure if she wants to be with you.”
I school my features. Everything inside of me wants to ask these people for help but they won’t offer it. Not when they’re friends of Dimitri. And the way Dimitri is looking at Charlie right now, tells me that no one wants to be on his bad side.
“Don’t talk about my wife like you know her,” Dimitri snaps. “You want her, Charlie? Just say it.”
“I was just making a joke.”
“About being with my wife.”
Charlie looks around at the other three guests but they all avert their eyes. They know Charlie is in hot water and they have no desire to help him.
“I am sorry, Dimitri,” Charlie says. “I didn’t mean for you to take offense. It was just a joke. It was in poor taste.”
Dimitri eases me off his lap and stands up. “Get up,” he orders to Charlie.
Charlie’s mouth gapes open. “What?”
“I said, get up.” He grabs Charlie by the front of his shirt and hauls him to his feet and before everyone in the room, punches Charlie in the face. I gasp. Camille lets out a little shriek. Silvio wraps an arm around Mary, protecting her.
From my husband.
Charlie falls straight to the ground, unconscious from the hit.
Dimitri isn’t even breathing heavy. Punching Charlie looked like the easiest thing in the world for him. “Don’t make jokes about being with my wife.” He turns to the other guests. “I apologize for that. But I think it’s best everyone leaves.”
No one objects.
“Silvio, take Charlie with you.”
Silvio doesn’t complain as he lifts Charlie to his feet and with his wife, they carry Charlie out of the villa, leaving me and Dimitri behind.
Alone once more.
“Why did you make that comment?” he asks.
“What comment.”
“That our marriage has been wonderful… so far.”
I cringe internally. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said it.”
“You told me you would be on your best behavior.”
“It just slipped out. You spanked me, Dimitri. I wouldn’t say our marriage has been wonderful at all.”
“You’re right. It hasn’t been wonderful. Because you’re not broken yet. There’s still some act of defiance left inside of you. I’m going to snuff that out. Go into the bedroom and lay down on the bed. On your back this time.”
Panic spikes through me. “Dimitri, please.”
“That’s good. Beg me. I want you to beg me. I want you to think only of me. Do as I say, Sofiya.”
If there’s one thing I’m sure of it, it’s this: Dimitri won’t kill me. He wants me to become utterly consumed by him so I know that death isn’t on the table. He went out of his way to secure the deal with my father all because he wanted me. So at least I don’t have to worry about him killing me.
But there are things worse than death in this world.
My legs are numb as I go into the bedroom and lay down on the bed. My heart is pounding so hard, it’s difficult to even think.
Dimitri comes in a moment later. “I’ll be kind to you tonight. I’ll let you keep your dress on. Let this be a lesson in how merciful I can be.”
“What are you going to do?”
He leans over me and cups my face. “I want you to submit to me. Utterly and completely. This will help lead you towards that.” He walks over to his suitcase and pulls out red silk ties. I hold still. If I try to run, it will only be worse for me.
Dimitri pulls my hands above my head and wraps the silk ties around my wrists before tying them to the bed post. My ankles are free but my wrists are not. I try tugging on them but the fabric only tightens around my wrists.
“I would be careful with that,” Dimitri says. “You don’t want to cut off circulation. I want you to submit to me. I don’t want you to be seriously hurt.”
So, there is some sort of care inside of him. Deep down inside of him.
“How long do I have to stay like this?” I ask, nodding at the binds.
“I’m not going to give you a set time so you can count down to it. Just stay like this tonight. I’ll sleep in the other room. I’ll release you from the binds when I want. When I decide.”
“But what if I have to use the bathroom?”
He looks me straight in the eye and says, “Hold it. Or don’t. That’s not my problem. I asked you to be polite and good tonight. To make me proud tonight. But you made that comment.”
“Charlie was the one who insulted you.”
“And I handled Charlie. I gave him a punch he’ll never forget. Now it’s your turn to learn your lesson. Give in to me, Sofiya. Fully. That’s all I ask.”
It’s like asking me to give him my entire soul. To open the world up and go to the center of it, which is impossible.
How can I give myself completely over to a dangerous man like him? One that terrifies me but also excites me?
He leaves the room. I don’t bother pulling at my binds since I know it’s futile. I’m stuck here until Dimitri changes his mind.
It’s a long night. I can’t truly sleep with my arms above my head like this and the urge to pee becomes hard to ignore about a few hours in. I shouldn’t have drank any of that wine. My stomach also rumbles from how hungry I am.
Tears stream down my face. There’s no point in holding them back. Dimitri isn’t here to see me cry. This is for myself.
Some honeymoon. I was taught to be a good daughter. I was taught to be a good wife someday.
But I never could have expected to be married to a man like Dimitri. One that’s so demanding and intense. The power he exudes is too much to handle.
About five hours in, I’m bursting to pee and my tears have all dried up, giving me a headache, and I’m so thirsty and hungry it feels painful.
“Dimitri?” I call out. No response. Is he asleep? It’s dark out now. He could very well be. Or is he awake, waiting for this moment when I would call him?
“Dimitri?” I try again and still no answer. I bite my lip, waiting, hoping and praying that he’ll appear. But he doesn’t.
And I realize why. He wants me to submit to him. Beg him.
If that’s what it takes, I’ll do it. I’m becoming desperate.
“Dimitri, please,” I beg. “Please help me. I’m sorry.
I didn’t mean to make that comment. I want to make you proud.
” And I do. Not just because I’m worried he’ll spank me again if I don’t, but also because I just want to make him proud.
Dimitri has this ability about him. It makes the people in his life want to cater to him.
I want to be the best wife I can be to my husband. That’s what I was trained to do.
“I want to make you proud,” I say again. “I do. I feel terrible about my comment. Charlie got hurt because of it. I never should have said it. Please, Dimitri. Please!”
I finally hear his footsteps approach the room and the light switches on, stinging my eyes. “So, you care that Charlie got hurt, is that it?”
I frown, trying to blink the sudden light out of my eyes. “I don’t want my actions to hurt other people. So, yes.”
He leans over me, his face right above my own. So close we could kiss if we wanted to. What would it be like to kiss him? I’m sure I would fall straight into him. “You care about another man?”
It dawns on me what he’s asking. “No. I don’t care about Charlie. I don’t even know him. I only said that I don’t want others to get hurt because of me. That’s all.”
“So, you’re not here, in this bedroom, thinking of another man other than me?”