15. Dimitri
15
DIMITRI
B riar Thorne is mine.
She has been from the moment I first saw her.
I hold her sleeping body close to my chest. I’ll do absolutely anything I have to in order to keep her.
I glance out the window of the private jet. We’re over the Atlantic Ocean. Our destination will only be known by those closest to me.
“Sir, lunch is ready to be served,” the air hostess says.
“Please serve it to my men,” I say. “I’m not hungry right now.”
I turn around and nod at my men. It’s customary for them to eat only after I take my first bite. It’s a show of respect, but I think we’re all too tired to follow customs right now.
The smell of grilled lamb, beet soup, and honey cake permeates the cabin air. My stomach is in knots.
I’m slowly losing my mind over this girl.
It was that look she gave me right before she lost consciousness.
Her violet eyes shone with betrayal.
She didn’t think that I would ever be the one to let her down like that. But I wasn’t left with much of a choice. We were out in broad daylight, and I needed her to cooperate. Some things are different in America. In Russia, my homeland, I could get away with absolutely anything, and nobody would blink an eye. People know who I am. The same isn’t always true in other countries.
I lean against the headrest. Briar’s head is on my chest, right where it belongs. She’s going to give me those distrustful eyes when she wakes up, so I savor this moment while it lasts.
“ Pakhan , we have some good news,” Pavel says.
I turn to look at him. His food remains untouched in front of him. He’s staring at his phone, his eyes flicking over the screen.
“It’s about time,” I say. “What do you have for me?”
“Our men captured Malorie Thorne,” he says, speaking of Briar’s wicked mother. “She’s in our possession.”
Finally, things are falling into place. Things are starting to go my way.
“Have her brought to our location,” I say.
“Our island?” Pavel asks, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes, it’s about time she gets a taste of her own medicine,” I say. Literally. I’m going to have her on so many drugs that she won’t ever be able to escape the bars of her own mind. “But warn the men to be careful around her. She’s a silver-tongued devil.”
I remember the photographs I’ve seen of her.
Her resemblance to Briar is uncanny. But they couldn’t be more different as people. Briar is all warmth and sunshine, while Malorie is a glacier. She may look bright on the surface, but she’s frozen all the way to her core.
“And did we find anything about her associates?” I ask him.
“Not yet,” he says. “But our team is still working on it.”
Malorie Thorne is a mastermind.
She’s been scheming and plotting all her life, using people as stepping stones to get to where she is today. She’s always had money, but the power she holds today is astonishing. She’s one of the most prominent leaders of a global human trafficking ring, so she has information that could save the lives of numerous children and women.
What we know right now is that she has hideouts all over the world.
They keep their sex slaves on private islands. Only the rich and elite are given access. They do despicable things to other human beings just because they can.
And it needs to be stopped because it’s giving all of us a bad name. Interpol and other government agencies are breathing down our necks, cracking into our operations, and sending our men to prison for lesser crimes.
To make matters worse, someone got wind that a Russian crime family is working alongside Malorie and her billionaire friends. So not only are we dealing with the cops but the Russians are also getting hate from other crime families.
And if we’re not careful, this will be the beginning of a war with no survivors.
She wakes up right as we land on the island.
She gasps, shielding her eyes against the bright sunlight.
“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” I say. “I almost thought I would have to kiss you awake again. Not that I mind doing it.”
She blinks up at me. For a moment, I see relief in those starry eyes. She looks at me like she used to. And then the paranoia kicks in.
“You drugged me,” she whispers. Her voice is thick with distrust.
I open a bottle of mineral water and bring it to her lips.
“Open,” I say.
She eyes the water bottle.
“What’s in it?” she asks. “More sedatives?”
I put the bottle aside and grab another one. This time, I open it in front of her. I know she can hear the seal breaking as I twist the lid open.
“I’m sorry for the methods I had to use to get you to cooperate,” I say. “But I promise I’ll never drug you again.”
“Your promise means nothing to me,” she retorts.
My hold on her tightens. I brought her to a secluded island. She won’t be able to leave me again. She’s going to come to terms with her fate and accept it.
“Drink some water, solnishko ,” I say. “I know your throat is parched.”
“Don’t pretend you care about my well-being,” she says, pushing against my chest.
Since my arm is banded around her waist, she doesn’t budge. As the cabin door opens, all of my men filter out, leaving me alone with Briar.
She glances down at herself. She’s still wearing the hoodie from before, but she’s also wearing a long-sleeved shirt underneath.
“You changed my clothes while I was knocked out?” she asks.
“You were cold and shivering,” I say. “And besides, it’s not like I haven’t seen your body before.”
“That does not give you the right to undress me whenever you like,” she says. She sounds like she’s on the verge of tears. But there’s that fire burning deep inside her. That temper I’ve come to adore.
“I apologize,” I say.
She glances out the window, blinking as she gets used to the view.
“Where the hell did you bring me?” she asks.
“Home,” I say.
I lift her as I stand. She weighs nothing in my arms. Gasping, she tightens her arms around my neck.
“What is this place?” she asks, blinking as the bright sunlight hits her face. She’s been kept indoors most of her life. She grew up in a house where the heavy drapes were always closed, and minimal sunlight entered the mansion.
I should know. I walked through the great halls and endless passageways. The rooms were too big, and there wasn’t enough warmth inside the house.
“I can’t tell you the location for security reasons,” I say.
She goes back to watching me. “You think you’re such a hero, don’t you?”
“I never claimed to be anything of that sort,” I say.
Her words from earlier are still fresh in my mind. She called me a monster. Just another monster in her life.
“You don’t get it,” she says. “I know you think you’re helping me, but you’re making me relive the same hell over and over again. You’re killing me slowly.”
I catch sight of Pavel.
“Did you take all the cargo inside?” I say, glancing back at the large crates being taken out of the cargo compartment of the private jet.
“We’ll let you know once it’s all transported,” Pavel answers.
Briar shifts in my arms. She’s uncomfortable being carried in my arms in front of other people.
She glares at me as I walk away from Pavel.
“I can walk, you know,” she says.
“Yes, but you’re even better at running,” I say.
“Where would I even run to?” she says. “You have me trapped on an island.”
She has a point. Reluctantly, I set her back down on the ground. She’s glaring at me, but her eyes soften when her toes touch the sand underneath her bare feet.
She digs her toes into the sand.
“You always loved the beach,” I say.
Her eyes flick up to mine, surprised.
“We talked,” I say. “We fucked a lot, but we also did a lot of talking in between.”
She looks back out at the water.
“Does Chloe know that you brought me here?” she asks. When I remain quiet, she purses her lips and nods. “Just as I thought. This is exactly why I wanted to run from you.”
“She doesn’t know you like I do,” I say.
“Do you have any idea how crazy you sound right now?” Briar asks.
I didn’t want it to be like this. She’s going to get her memories back any day now. But until then, she’s going to have to respect me.
Which means that she needs to be afraid of the consequences.
“I understand that it’s going to be quite the adjustment for you, but you will get used to it,” I say. “Now, come.”
I offer her my hand. She only stares at it.
“If you knew the first thing about me, you’d know that all I wanted my entire life was to get away from my controlling mother,” she says. “I wanted to be away from her violence and cruelty. And here you are, telling me that you know what’s best for me. You drugged me, and you brought me to an unknown location. You’re just as cruel as she is.”
“Just because you keep repeating that won’t make it true,” I say, taking her wrist and tugging her toward me. “And I know exactly what you need right now.”
Her eyes are pure fire.
“Yeah?” she asks. “And what’s that?”
“A good spanking,” I say.
She blinks. My words take her by surprise. She wasn’t expecting this. But it was one of the things that turned her on. She said that it made her feel grounded. Like she was tethered to something real.
“You’re all bark and no bite,” I say. “All you need is a good spanking, and you’ll be eating from my hand.”
She grits her teeth. “I’m going to find a way out of here.”
“Every person on this island works for me,” I say. “There’s not a single person you can turn to for help.”
A corner of her mouth lifts. “All I’m hearing is that I’m surrounded by lots of men. I’ve seen a few of them. They’re good-looking. Maybe I can seduce them into helping me. I’m sure it won’t be hard.”
I see red.
She’s bluffing. She’s pushing me to see how far I’ll go.
I shouldn’t lose my temper over this, but my body acts on its own. Before I know it, I’m throwing her over my shoulder and marching toward the guesthouse. The building is separate from the main house, and it’s already been set up for her.
She kicks her feet.
“Put me down, you maniac.” She tries to claw my back.
I land the first strike on her perfect bottom. She yelps out loud as the pain blooms over her backside.
“I was going to be gentle with you, but you just had to go and push all my buttons, didn’t you?”
It’s an inferno in my chest. To claim this girl once more. It’s been too long since I’ve last had her, and I need to remind her who she belongs to.
I enter the guesthouse and take the stairs that lead to the bedroom. I throw the bedroom door open.
She blinks when she sees the glass roof and the glass walls. The forest encloses it on two sides, and the other side faces the ocean.
I sit on the bed and drape her body over my lap.
“Wh-what are you doing?” she whimpers, looking back at me.
The sight of her looking at me over her shoulder reminds me of all the times I fucked her from behind.
“I’m reminding you who you belong to,” I say, rolling down her sweatpants to reveal her curvy ass. “Now, count.”
I raise my hand and deliver a sharp slap on her right ass cheek.
I don’t hold back. She never wanted me to before. She liked the stinging pain that gave rise to pleasure.
Her skin turns a beautiful shade of red. I let her keep her panties on because I know I’ll lose control if I see her wet little pussy. I’ll end up rutting inside her and then apologize for my behavior when my come trickles down her thighs.
“Count, solnishko ,” I say. “If you don’t, I’ll only keep going.”
“One,” she says. Her eyes are glassy as they watch me, but there’s also surprise and longing there. She’s confused about why she likes this so much.
“There,” I say, raining down a sharp blow on her other ass cheek. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it? All you have to do is be a good girl for me, and everything will be okay.”
“Two,” she says.
She wiggles in my lap, making her ass bounce with the movement.
“Let this be your lesson,” I say, landing two hard blows on her ass that have her lurching forward with the force of them. “You belong to me and only me.”
“Three,” she says. “Four.”
I grab her flesh hard, massaging the pain away. Apart from the redness on her ass, there’s now color on her face too.
“It’s okay if this makes your pussy wet, Briar,” I say. “I already know how you like it. You like being dominated, being owned. And your body knows I can give you all that and so much more.”
“In your fucking dreams,” she hisses.
I spank her harder, making her count every one. I make sure it’s on the same spot. She won’t be able to sit in a chair tomorrow without thinking about me.
I want to stay with her longer, but I know that if I do, I’ll end up doing something I’ll regret tomorrow. She’s pliant and wet for me right now. But if I let myself fuck her, it will only make her hate me even more.
When I finally do take her, I need it to be more than just something between our bodies.
“You’ll be free to do whatever you please as long as it’s contained to the guesthouse,” I say. “You will not be allowed outside until you prove you can be trusted.”
“So you’ve become my jailor now?” She rolls over on her side, watching me with those gorgeous violet eyes.
I walk toward the door.
She stands.
“You’re going to lock me inside, aren’t you?” she asks.
“You won’t be alone,” I say.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asks. “Do you have this place bugged? Will you be secretly watching me like some creep?”
“You’ll find out exactly what it means,” I say.
My hands ball into fists when I see how needy she still is. She’s wearing multiple layers of clothing, but I can see her hard nipples poking through. It’s like every part of her was made to tease me and taunt me.
When she catches me staring, she crosses her arms over her chest.
“Remember,” I say. “I lost you once before. I will die before losing you a second time.”
“What if there’s an emergency?” she asks. “What if there’s a fire? My mother’s side of the family all died in a fire before.”
“I know,” I say. “In case of an emergency, there’s a phone.”
I point at her bedside table, where there’s a landline.
“Dial 1,” I say.
“Who does that connect to?” she asks.
“I’m the only person in your world now, Briar,” I say.
With that, I leave before my self-control snaps. My men have been waiting for me, but I need a cold shower before dealing with anything else.
I head to my bedroom and go straight to the shower.
The water feels like shards of ice scraping against my skin, but it doesn’t help me. I’m still stuck on the forbidden lust in her eyes and the curve of her hips.
My cock is hard. Swollen. Angry .
The fire she ignited inside me is too potent. It’s made my skin feverish, my heart beat too hard.
And despite what I told myself, I know I need release. Even if I can’t have it inside her tight little pussy, I need to let this frantic energy out of me.
I think about her as I stroke myself for the first time in weeks.
I think about her soft lips wrapping around my cock for the first time. I think about that night when we first made love under the stars.
It feels like forever ago.
And she has no recollection of any of it.
But I know it’s all there in her pretty little head. It’s locked away somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind. She packed away all her memories, put them in a box, and then covered them with a lid.
I want to fuck her so hard that the lid in her head comes loose. I want to fuck her until her head is filled with thoughts of me.
And then, she’ll understand why it had to be this way.