10. The Devil in Red #2
His hand knotted in her hair as he growled, “Open. Your. Mouth.”
Terrified of what he might do if she disobeyed him, she parted her lips. He pressed the glass to her mouth, and wine flooded her throat. Gulp after gulp, she tried to get it down, but it was too much. Choking, she sputtered and turned her face away.
He jerked her head back. “Did I say you could stop?”
“I can’t?—”
“No?” He dumped the contents over her mouth, letting the wine spill down her neck and chest. “Now, look what you’ve done.”
“I didn’t do anything!” She started to cry, but her tears earned her no mercy.
Gripping her jaw, he forced her to look up at him. “When I tell you to open your mouth, you open it. When I tell you to shut your mouth, you shut it. Is that unclear in any way?”
“No, sir.”
He released her with a thrust of his hand. “You’ve made a mess of yourself.”
She glanced down at her chest. The silk of her nightgown was soaked in red, and one of her straps had snapped, leaving her partially exposed
He refilled the goblet with wine and paced the carpet. “I’ll ask again. Was he your lover?”
“No,” she sobbed. “I told you the truth the first time!”
He gripped her by the shoulders, pinning her to the back of the chair. “Are you raising your voice at me?”
“No. I’m sorry.”
“I suppose there’s only one way to find out if you’re telling me the truth.” He shoved her nightgown to her hips, and she locked her knees. “Open your legs.”
She froze, refusing to accept that this was her only choice.
He caught her by the throat. “That was a command, not a request.”
When she still didn’t move, his touch gentled, and he trailed his fingers over her throat. Jolted by such extreme polarity, she started to cry.
“Let me explain what happens to those who disobey me on my ship. First, they’re punished.
Then, they’re taken to the lower deck, where they’re locked up in the dark.
Their rations are less than everyone else’s, but there are plenty of rats, plenty of ways to keep from starving if one has the constitution to survive.
Sometimes, my crew wanders off. They’re not the most moral of men.
That far below-deck sound doesn’t always carry either.
” He met her stare. “Now, let’s try this again. Open your legs.”
Wendy closed her eyes and forced her thighs to part, but even then, they only separated a mere inch. His investigation was deliberate and impersonal.
She gasped as his finger wedged inside of her.
“Stay still.” His gaze focused on the wall past her shoulder, his face close enough that she was tempted to bite him.
She whimpered at the bizarre sensation of having a stranger feel inside of her, and then the intrusion was gone.
“You told the truth.” He returned to his chair. “You’re a virgin.”
Her jaw hardened. “I have no reason to lie.”
He sat back and studied her. “If you’re so innocent, why were you at a lagoon party?”
“I was a guest. Technically, I wasn’t even invited. This entire night has been a long line of mistakes.”
“There are no mistakes.”
There was something untamed prowling beneath his polished exterior, something uncontrollable that warned her that laws didn’t apply to him. If this was some sort of ransom, she might be able to help him get what he wanted without endangering herself further.
“Why did you bring me here?”
“Do I look like someone who explains himself?”
“No,” she admitted. “But if I knew what you wanted, I could possibly make things less difficult. I do as I’m told—most of the time.”
“Only most of the time?” He leaned an arm over the back of the chair and arched a brow. “Tell me about a time when you did something you shouldn’t have.”
“I came here.”
“Something else. Something before today. Something you’ve never told anyone.”
Her mind blanked. “I can’t think of anything.”
“Try.” He swirled the wine in his glass. The scent alone was enough to intimidate her. “Has it come to you?”
Paralyzed by fear, she begged, “Please. I’ll be sick if you make me drink more.”
“I’m losing my patience.”
“I’m trying to think?—”
“Three…”
“I don’t have any secrets!”
“Two…”
“Please!”
“One. Time’s up. Open?—”
“I cheated on my senior project!”
He stilled, then tsked. “Wendy Moira Angela Darling.”
“Please don’t make me drink any more wine. I’ll tell you anything you want to know.”
“How did you cheat?”
“I paid a boy on my street to write my essay for me.”
“What was the topic of the paper?”
“I forget.”
“No, you don’t.” He lifted the wine.
“It was something about ethics!”
He laughed. “You cheated on a paper about ethics?”
“I know how that sounds, but I was?—”
“Did you pass?”
She looked down, ashamed. “I got an A—the highest grade in the class.”
“What an immoral little liar you are. What other unethical things have you done?”
“I’m truly not that interesting. My parents are extremely strict.”
“Which only tells me you have a craving for acting out. Tell me all the ways you’ve disobeyed Mumsy and Daddy.”
She shook her head. “I came here. They think I’m in my bed right now, but I snuck out.”
“And how did that happen?”
“Peter came to get me.”
“Why would he do that? You said you’re not lovers, and you seem unsure if he’s even your friend. What did you promise him?”
“Nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me. You did something to provoke his interest.”
She lowered her gaze, ashamed of what they would find as the last text on her phone. “I sent a picture of myself.”
“What kind of picture?”
“The immoral kind.”
“Be more specific. Show me what you were doing in the picture.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed. Leaning forward, she plumped up her breasts like she had for the selfie. When she opened her eyes again, his expression was unreadable.
“So, you’re not completely innocent.” He sipped the wine and studied her. “Are you attracted to Peter?”
“No.”
“Were you?” He held her stare.
She debated what would get her in more trouble, the truth or the lie. “Yes, at one time I found him attractive, but my feelings have changed.”
“So you’ve said. But what of his feelings? Does he still want you?”
“Peter wants everyone?—”
“Does he want to fuck you ? Answer the question.”
She swallowed. “Yes.”
“Good.” He set down the glass of wine. “You’re not leaving here a virgin.”
“ What —”
“This can happen in one of two ways. One will have pain, the other will not.”
Terrified of not only this man but all the men above deck, she panicked. “You can’t force me.”
“Don’t assume to tell me what I can and cannot do, Ms. Darling.
The depravity of my childhood alone would bring you to tears.
But I have no intention of forcing you. As I said, there are two options.
The sooner you make up your mind, the faster it will be done and over with.
Option one, you surrender. Option two, you take time to think things over. ”
It had to be a trap. “I want the time.”
“Of course, you do,” he said all too easily. “I’ll call for Jukes and he’ll escort you below deck where you can contemplate your options and take all the time you need.”
“Wait. Below deck with the rats?” Unable to accept that this was her reality, she closed her eyes.
If the outcome was inevitable, what was the point in suffering below deck?
At least up here, there was a fire to keep her warm.
It wasn’t a complicated choice, but it wasn’t that simple either.
He was a stranger and a terrifying one. But he was still a lot better than Jukes or the others in his crew.
He once again lifted her chin and forced her to meet his dark stare. “It can be as easy as cheating on a paper. Simply tell yourself you’ve made a choice and decide to live with it.”
“Please,” she whispered softly, unsure of what else she could say. “My family can pay you?—”
“I’m not interested in your family’s money. I’m only interested in the one thing Peter wants but cannot have.”
“Why?”
“That’s not your concern.”
Her vision blurred as she felt the walls closing in. She’d give anything to be back in her bedroom, safely tucked beneath the covers of her small bed.
“Tears will not save your virtue any more than begging will. You must choose. Do you consent?”
She couldn’t bring herself to say the words, so she silently nodded.
“Very good.” He went to the door and removed a key from his pocket. “You’ll have a light supper and a bath.”
She’d expected him to start tearing away her clothes the moment she agreed, not feed and bathe her. “You won’t hurt me?”
He cocked his head, studying her for a long moment. “Not all pain is unpleasant, little darling.”
“I’ll give you what you want. Just please don’t hurt me.”
He tsked. “Such a pretty little beggar you are.” He crossed the room and crouched before her. “Careful what you promise. I’m not an easy man to please.”
She believed him. “I won’t fight you. I promise.”
His full lips slowly twisted into a smile as his gaze dropped to her chest, where the wine had stained. He openly appraised her body in a way no man ever had.
“You’re quite a temptation. I see why Peter wanted you.
” He traced his knuckle softly down her cheek.
When his black stare found hers, dark promise reflected back.
“What if your pain is exactly what I want? What if I won’t be truly satisfied until I possess you in such a way that you’re left broken for all other men? What then, little darling?”
She sucked in a jagged breath, fighting back her tears as he trailed a finger down her chest.
“Will you still surrender then?”
She nodded, understanding that denying him would only lead to her suffering.
“That’s a good girl.”
“ Ah —” She looked up at him in shock. He pinched the tip of her nipple so tight that fresh tears sprung to her eyes.
“Yes, eyes on me. Let the pain in.” His grip tightened another degree, and her breath hitched. “You can cry if it helps.”
She gasped, but for some reason, his permission dried up her tears. Pressing her trembling lips into a firm line, she held his stare defiantly. Her body adjusted to the pain, and she was soon able to push it away.
“How very brave you are, little mouse.”
He released her breast, and she sucked in a sharp breath, doubling forward when the blood flooded back into the tip of her nipple. The absence of his touch burned in ways she couldn’t explain, and some part of her wanted his touch back.
He stood. “Say thank you.”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
She swallowed, unsure if she’d ever met such a tyrant. “Th-thank you.”
He yanked her hair back, tipping her head so she looked up at him. “Now, say it without the stammer.”
“Thank you.”
“Good girl.” He cupped her breast possessively. “You’ll thank me every time I touch you. Understand?”
“Yes.” He released her. “Thank you.”
He paused at the door and grinned, pleased by how quickly she learned. “Very good, little mouse. Your bath will be here soon. Any trouble and all promises go out to sea.”