9. Chapter Nine
Chapter Nine
Benji
M y arms ached where they were bound to the chair and my feet had long since fallen asleep. I wriggled my toes in my boots, but it did nothing to alleviate the numbness. I had no idea how much time had passed. There was nothing that marked the passing of seconds and I struggled to even estimate at what time it was. There was no natural light, no sounds. Just the damp walls and this bright, artificial light I was sat in. And of course, the chair. The rock hard, uncomfortable chair. Jeez, my ass was numb.
“Hello!” I shouted. “Damyr! You come back and untie me, right now!”
It was probably useless to shout. I hadn’t seen anyone other than Damyr and there was every possibility I was in a shipping container, on a boat in the middle of the Baltic Sea. The whole damp walls and mildew smell could all be a fabrication.
“Fuck you, Damyr. You goddamn fucking asshole!”
Moving my cat and my clothes like he had a right to them. Wait until I tell Maya about this.
Shit. Maya. Would she even know I was missing? I had no idea how long I’d been gone. Had it been two hours, or ten? Was it more? Fuck. She’d probably gone home with that beast of a guy she’d been dancing with, and she probably wouldn’t realise I’m missing until morning.
Why couldn’t I be more selfish? Less decent? More of a jackass? If only I’d looked the other way and left Charlie to his fate, then I wouldn’t be here, trying to squeeze some life into my butt cheeks.
I could have left him, but I’d have hated myself for it. Just like the whole thing with Dr Kingsly. That monster. Why was the world so goddamn frustrating? And now I was here, rotting in some shipping container, or whatever this room was, and trying my best to keep it together.
I wasn’t succeeding.
I pulled my wrists against the cable ties, yelling out as they cut into my skin. I pulled and pulled, not caring that my skin was shredding. I wanted out. I wanted to go home. I wanted—
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you,” a musical voice said cheerfully from the darkness.
My chest heaved as I tried to get a grip on my sanity. “Who’s there?”
No one responded. Had I imagined it?
My skin stung where the cable ties had sliced into my wrists and blood pooled beneath the black bands. I was a fucking idiot. Now I had a numb ass, and I’d cut myself.
I pulled at the restraints one more time for good measure, but nope. They still held firmly. They really were a good tool for a kidnapper.
“They’re as bad as sharks, this lot. I’d suggest you stop injuring yourself.”
I jolted as the guy started speaking again. Shit. Was this another psycho joining my little kidnapping party? How did he even get in here? I didn’t hear the door. “Who are you?”
“That’s a loaded question, love. There are many answers and I’m not sure I know which is the truth anymore.”
The fuck was that supposed to mean?
“Do you scream that loud when you come?”
“What?” I spurted.
“Just curious,” he said, his tone smooth and calm. I could hear something tapping, like fingernails on a table.
“Why?” I asked, before I could stop myself. Why the hell was I entertaining this conversation? Probably because it was better than sitting here in silence and trying to find a way to escape. If escape was even possible.
“Your screams made my dick hard. Just wondered if it was possible to make you scream that loud whilst being fucked. Would you like to find out?”
I huffed a nervous laugh. “No, thank you.” I wanted to get as far away from this guy as possible. Was it wrong that I wanted Damyr to come back?
“Shame.” I swear I could hear the pout in his voice. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
That wasn’t going to be likely.
The sound of swishing silk echoed around the room as the mystery guy stepped forward. “Has anyone ever told you that your mouth is utterly, fucking, biteable?”
A cacophony of colours swarmed before my eyes as I finally got my first look at my mystery visitor. An old fashioned, floor length red and gold brocade house coat sat atop a neon pink mesh top and luminous tangerine trousers.
“I know, love. It’s a lot to take in.”
I trailed my gaze from the tips of his purple pointed boots to the top of his electric blue hair. He was glorious. There were no other words for it. Silver eyes lined in gold stared at me with the same frankness that was in my own gaze.
“So,” he said, his lips pursed. “You’re Damyr’s new pet.”
I scowled. “I’m not a pet.”
He laughed musically, throwing his head back and showing off his long, elegant neck. “Oh, darling, you have no idea, do you?”
“About what?”
His grin was wide as he closed the distance between us. Bending at the waist, he brought his face close to mine. Close enough that I could see flecks of lightning shimmering in his silver eyes. He gripped my chin between his finger and thumb and electricity zipped along my skin. “He will never let you go.”
I scowled. “Well, he’s going to have to.”
Another musical laugh. “The only way you’re leaving here is in a box.”
I jerked my chin out of his hold. “Is that a threat?”
“Why? Did it sound like a compliment?”
“I have people who will miss me.”
He stroked a finger over the curve of my cheek. “I’m sure you would. If they knew you were missing. Unfortunately for you, I’m good at fabricating tales.”
My blood ran cold. “What?”
“Right now, sweet, darling Maya thinks you’ve decided to go on a spur of the moment cruise to re-evaluate your life. You just couldn’t handle being fired from your residency and thought some fun in the sun would help bring back perspective. You’ll be gone for two weeks. At least. You might even decide to extend your vacation and tour the world on some soul-searching venture. Who knows.”
“But you can’t do that.” A sheen of sweat coated my skin as the realisation hit that no one would be missing me. Not a single person would know where I was. Tears burned the backs of my eyes. Was this all my life had resulted in? That I was utterly alone enough that my one and only friend would believe I’d just cut and run because I’d been fired.
“Oh, but I can. And because Damyr told me to. Trust me, you don’t want to disobey that guy,” he said with a chuckle. “One of his goons did and he lost a head.”
I blanched. “His head?”
“Yep,” he said gleefully. “It was pretty epic. Byron used a Samurai sword and everything.” The blue haired guy tilted his head and narrowed his eyes at me, his gaze assessing. “I can see why Byron calls you ‘little bird’.”
“Can you?” I replied in a clipped tone.
“You’re just so…” he rolled his bottom lip through his teeth. “Fragile.”
“What?”
“Oh, don’t be upset, darling. There’s nothing wrong with being breakable. In fact, I think that’s part of your charm.”
“Well, if you’ve finished gawking at me, you can go.” I’d rather sit here and stare at the walls than listen to whatever else this guy had to say. I also, maybe, wanted to throw myself a pity party for one.
“Oh, you’re no fun, Benji,” he said with a pout as he flounced himself over to me and dropped his ass on my knees. “You know, you really should try and keep the crazy ones happy.”
I scowled at him and tried to wriggle him off my knees but it was no use. He wrapped an arm behind the back of my neck and got himself comfy, crossing one long leg over the other.
“It would make me happy if you got off me,” I grumbled. It wasn’t likely but a guy could hope.
“What’s that? You want me to get you off?” he said gleefully, before thrusting his hand between us and going for my dick.
“No!” I yelled and squirrelled my hips back as far as I could. “Absolutely fucking not!”
He laughed manically, throwing his head back and arching his long neck. “I’m just playing with you. You’re not my type anyway. I like my lovers big enough that they could throw me around and fuck me into the mattress until I think I’m dead. Know what I mean?”
I hummed in agreement before I could stop myself. Heat rushed up the side of my neck at his rueful smile.
“I knew it!” He tucked his head under my chin, and I got a waft of old leather and sandalwood. It reminded me of an old library and was oddly comforting. “I bet Damyr will fuck you into the mattress if you ask nicely. He’s the kind of guy that’s full of pent-up rage. I’m almost jealous that he won’t be taking it out on my ass.”
I snorted at that. Damyr was good looking and incredibly seductive, but I wasn’t letting him anywhere near my ass. Now or ever.
But those hands…
Nope. Stop it, Benji .
Those dark lines that swirled to make those intriguing snake tattoos…
I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t think the guy could charm his way into my pants. Hell, I’d nearly let him touch my dick already. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. The guy had kidnapped me, tied me to a chair and left me.
But he had also brought my cat so Maurice wouldn’t be left on his own. Which was kind of sweet, in a really fucked up way.
Wait. What was I thinking?!
No, Benji. Damyr is a crime lord. He probably kills someone before breakfast every day and has his own personal cemetery full of dead people. No custom three-piece suit is going to hide the bad guy, even if it does make him look fucking delicious. And those damn forearms…
Fuck, my mouth was watering.
Was I drooling? I swiped my chin with my shoulder just to make sure.
Nope. We were good. No dribble.
The door creaked open with an ominous screech. Slow, purposeful heels clacked along the floor before the outline of a body emerged from the shadows. I swallowed and flexed my fingers, nervousness flooding my system.
“Acheron, you really are tempting fate sat there, aren’t you?”
Byron stepped out of the darkness and into the halo of light surrounding me. His eyes still as cold and frigid as I remembered. Something about the way he looked at me made my blood shiver. It was like he was dissecting me, little by little, and figuring out the best way to kill me. It was damn uncomfortable and I’m sure I’d be squirming if I weren’t tied down.
“Oh hush, Byron. I’m only having fun,” Acheron – who I’m guessing was the blue haired rainbow in my lap – said with a smile.
“Get out of the little bird’s lap, or I’ll make you,” Byron said coolly. “I don’t want to have to cut up your body into little pieces for the bears to eat.”
Acheron unfurled himself and stood gracefully. “Promises, promises.”
“The boss wants his new pet upstairs.” Byron stepped closer and pulled a knife from somewhere. The movement was so fast I didn’t see where it come from.
I flinched at the sharp snick as the butterfly blade unfolded and Byron smirked at me.
“Don’t worry, little bird. I’m not here to kill you.”
“Oh, good,” I replied with more confidence than I felt. “And don’t call me little bird.”
The psycho’s grin widened as he slipped the sharp edge of the blade under the cable ties. He didn’t reply, just pulled the blade through the thick plastic like it was cutting through butter. Jeez, those things must be sharp.
“On second thoughts, call me whatever you like,” I mumbled. Was probably wise to keep the psychopath on side, right?
He cut through the other cable tie and then knelt slowly at my feet, his eyes maintaining unrelenting contact. I gripped the arms of the chair, unsure as to whether I was about to lose a limb or something. This guy made me nervous. No, beyond nervous. This guy terrified me.
There was an audible snick as he cut through the ties around my ankles, and I felt blessed relief as I stretched my legs. It was painful at first, but the extreme pins and needles thankfully drifted away as I wriggled my limbs.
“Would you like something to eat?” Byron said as I stood shakily from my chair.
I felt the colour drain from my face as I watched the guy lick his lips. “Um, no thank you.”
Acheron laughed and swatted Byron in the chest. “Stop teasing the poor guy. We have actual food upstairs, sugar. I promise there are no body parts in the freezer. Come on, I’ll take you.”
Thank God. For a moment there, I thought the absolute worst.
***
Delightful smells of tomatoes and garlic assaulted my senses as Acheron led me to the kitchen. My stomach rumbled loudly as I stepped across the threshold, but my feet halted when I saw who was cooking.
Damyr stood in front of the hob, frilly apron tied around his waist, stirring sauce in a pan. I couldn’t quite reconcile this image of domesticity with the seductive mobster I’d interacted with in his basement. Turns out, I wasn’t in the middle of the Baltic Sea but an ordinary basement beneath the Morozov Mansion. I was almost disappointed with how cliché that was, but I decided to count my blessings instead and be grateful for the fact I was still on solid ground in a city I knew well.
“Is he cooking?” I heard Acheron whisper behind me.
“Yes,” Byron whispered back. “Weird.”
I turned around to comment, but found they’d both vanished, leaving me alone with the mobster boss. How the fuck did those two manage to move so silently? But I suppose it was a useful skill in the criminal underworld, to be able to manoeuvre undetected. I was definitely not stealthy. I think that’s what ultimately led me to medicine, so that I could patch myself up when I needed to because I was so damn clumsy.
“Sit,” Damyr commanded, that low tone brooking no argument. He didn’t even look at me, the asshole.
I folded my arms across my chest. “You could ask nicely.”
I swear I could hear his teeth grinding as he clenched his jaw. He turned to face me, and I was hit again by how gorgeous this guy was, but nope, I wasn’t going to think that.
He’d kidnapped me.
He’d kidnapped my cat.
He’d tied me to a chair.
But… he was cooking for me. Did that cancel out some of the bad?
Guess it depended on how good the food was.
“Benjamin, sit. Please.” The guy looked like he’d chewed glass as he said that last word and it almost drew a laugh from me. This guy was something else.
I sat in one of the bar stools on the island and looked around the room. There were large, arched windows that looked out onto the garden. It was still dark out so I couldn’t have been gone that long. Unless I’d somehow lost a whole day, but I didn’t think I had. The moonlight streamed into the kitchen through the windows, framed by heavy thick black curtains. All the appliances in the kitchen looked brand new, like they were either really well looked after or hardly ever used.
“Do you cook much?” I ventured.
“No.”
I waited for him to continue but he gave me nothing.
“I like cooking,” I offered. “I would always cook with my Nan on Sundays but I don’t really have the time anymore. Well, I might now that asshole got me fired.” I supposed I would have more free time. Perhaps I could get that Caribbean recipe book Maya was always raving about. It would be good to try something new.
“You were fired?” Damyr asked with a frown. “That wasn’t in your file.”
“My file?”
He waved a hand dismissively at me. “Don’t worry. I have a file on everyone I meet.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“No, why should it?” Damyr cocked his head, and looked me with a curious expression.
Maybe this guy did have some psychopathic tendencies if he couldn’t get sarcasm. A shiver ran through me at the thought. Was I about to have dinner with a psychopath?
“Never mind,” I mumbled and looked for a change of subject. “How come you have a top notch kitchen if you don’t use it?”
“I have a chef,” Damyr replied with a shrug. “He likes to use it. Besides, he cooks for the whole family and I can’t be bothered with that.”
I sniffed the air again, dragging the scents of tomatoes and herbs deep into my lungs. “What are you making?”
“One of my favourites.”
Okay, so I guess this guy was hard work when he wasn’t interrogating someone. Got it. “And that is…?”
“Penne al’arrabbiata.” He turned to chop some peppers with a precision that was a little unsettling actually.
That was one of my favourites too, but I wasn’t sure I should tell him that. I carried on watching him work until he was plating it up and placing a dish in front of me. He sat on the stool next to me and I noticed he didn’t get any for himself.
“Are you not eating?”
He shook his head. “No, I ate earlier.”
When I was tied to a chair in his basement.
An awkward silence blossomed between us as he looked at the marks on my wrists.
I picked the fork up and let out a little nervous laugh. “This looks good. You didn’t need to go to the trouble of cooking for me. I’d have been happy with a piece of toast.”
Which was pretty normal fare for me. It was rare I got to sit an eat a meal, so I was actually impressed that he’d gone to the trouble for me. It was definitely a big tick in my books. Not that I’d tell him that. I didn’t want to give him a chance of getting on my good side.
“It’s no trouble and I wanted to… um…”
“Apologise?”
“Yes. That.”
I chuckled. “Don’t say sorry often then?”
He straightened his back, and a sneer curled his lips. “I do not need to.”
“I can imagine,” I mumbled before finally taking a bite of the delicious smelling pasta.
Holy moly.
Flavour exploded along my taste buds. Tomatoes and spices and fuck me, that was so good. A guttural moan passed my lips as I swallowed the food.
“Fuck,” Damyr mumbled under his breath.
I shot my eyes over to his and watched the blue darken to a colour as rich and deep as the darkest night. His reached out his hand and swiped his thumb along the corner of my mouth. My pulse skyrocketed.
“You missed a spot,” he rasped before licking the pasta sauce off the tip of his thumb.
I felt that lick of his tongue along the length of my cock. Fuck me. This guy wasn’t playing fair.
His eyes still held mine. Unblinkingly. Like there was a wolf lurking behind the blue and I knew I should be afraid. I mean, he might eat me, but that didn’t make me want to run away. Nope. It was the most thrilling feeling I’d felt in a very long time.
Bad Benji .
What happened to the Benji who made sensible choices? Clearly, he’d taken a hiatus when I’d thrown my badge at the hospital board and now all I had left were impulsive decisions and lust for a guy who’d kidnapped me. Man, a psychologist would have a field day with me right now.
“Um, thank you,” I managed to get out.
“You’re welcome.”
I went back to my pasta and carried on shoving the delectable treat into my face. It really was good. Damyr kept his gaze fixed on me as I moaned and groaned my way through my meal. If I were at home, I’d be licking the plate clean but that probably wasn’t going to give a good impression.
“That was delicious,” I said as finished my last mouthful.
“It was,” he replied, his voice a hoarse whisper. The guy looked at me like he wanted to devour me, and I had to keep reminding myself that he was a bad guy.
I turned in my seat to face him. “Are you going to kill me?”
Damyr cocked his head like a German Shepherd. “No. We’ve already been over this. Why are you asking again?”
I shrugged and propped my elbow on the islands surface, cupping my chin in my hand. “Just curious. Seems an odd thing to do, to kidnap me then cook for me. I guess I’m just trying to figure you out.”
“You’d be here for a long time trying to do that.” Damyr looked almost wistful as he spoke, his eyes taking on a far off look for a moment before snapping back to mine with the dark intensity that seemed to pour from him.
“Do you still want to keep me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His dark brows pinched. “I… I’m not sure.”
That seemed honest. “Don’t I know too much?”
“What?”
“In the movies, the guy who’s seen the bad guys’ faces always ends up dead.”
“This isn’t a movie, Benjamin. There’s definitely more danger here.”
I should be worried, should be looking for an escape but I couldn’t seem to take my eyes away from Damyr. It was like something was holding me captive.
He leant closer and his palms cupped my face. His skin was cool against mine, a soothing caress that I wanted to sink into. I reached out and mirrored him, dragging my fingers across those razor sharp cheek bones. “What power do you hold over me, Damyr? Why am I not running from you?”
It was a valid question and one I couldn’t seem to find any logical answer to. The last twenty-four hours had been the weirdest, most upheaved hours of my entire existence. Maybe this was just a dream. Perhaps I was experiencing psychosis. Whatever it was, it was madness.
“I don’t know, Benjamin,” he replied with a small smile.
I couldn’t help but notice how pointy his teeth were. I stretched out my finger towards his mouth.
“Careful. I bite.”
I swallowed, my mouth suddenly drier than the desert, and my hard cock pressed uncomfortably against my zipper. I knew this was wrong, knew it was mad, but I pressed my finger against one of his sharp, sexy, pointy incisors.
I gasped as Damyr bit down, not hard enough to pierce my skin, but hard enough that my dick certainly took notice.
He took my finger into the coolness of his mouth and wrapped his tongue around it, sucking it like he probably would my cock. With long hard drags of his tongue and suction I’d most likely feel all the way to my balls.
He released my digit with a pop, and I spotted a small indent on the tip of my finger where he’d bitten me. The guy had marked me, like an animal, and I’d willingly let him. God, there was something wrong with me because I liked it . I wanted him to mark me any way he could.
“Are you real?” I asked breathlessly.
He leaned into my personal space, so close that the tip of his nose brushed my cheekbone. “Does this feel real?”
“Yes.”
His teeth nipped my earlobe. “And this?”
“Yes.” I gasped at the sudden, sharp sting.
He pulled back, his eyes locked on mine. “You belong to me, Benjamin.”
“Are you going to hurt me?” I asked with a nervous swallow.
“Yes, but only in the best way.” His grin was feral, and that smile did something to me.
It fucking broke me.
I surged forward and crushed my lips against his. He reacted instantly, thrusting his hands into my hair and gripping it hard enough to hurt. Pain lanced across my skull and desire zinged straight to my cock.
He yanked my head backwards, forcing me to bend to his will as he loomed over me. He controlled the kiss completely, pushing my lips open wide so he could explore every inch of my mouth with his tongue.
Heat flushed my skin as he pulled me onto his lap, and I groaned as his hard length pressed against mine. Fuck. He was big. Bigger than me. This must be a fever dream. There’s no way I’d do this under any circumstances. I was kissing my kidnapper, and it was absolutely ruining me.
Damyr kissed me like he owned me, like he was entitled to every gasp, moan and sigh that he wrung from my body and damn if I didn’t want to be owned by him. To be bent over and fucked at this island. To be marked and branded by him.
“This is madness,” I growled against his lips.
“Or brilliance.”
“Huh?” I couldn’t string a coherent thought together, not with how he was rolling his hips beneath me and sliding his hard cock between my ass cheeks. I kissed him again, frantic and wild. It was all teeth and tongue before Damyr pulled back and sucked hard on my bottom lip. There was a sharp sting as he nipped at my over sensitive lip, hard enough to break the skin. Blood dripped into my mouth, not much, but enough that I could taste the copper tang.
Damyr’s tongue darted out and swept across the cut, soothing the pain away. That shouldn’t be hot. I shouldn’t enjoy the way he groaned, deep and guttural, as he tasted my blood, but I did. Fuck me, but I did. How could something so wrong, something so depraved, make me feel alive in a way I never had before.
“Benjamin.”
My name sounded like a goddamn prayer rumbling from his lips and I couldn’t stop myself if I wanted to. I dragged his mouth back to mine and gasped as he sucked even harder on my bottom lip. Fuck, I felt that all the way to my balls.
I ground my hips down into his, loving the way he hissed deep into my mouth. I wanted to know what other sounds he made. Could I make him—
Nails scraped along my skull and a cry of outrage filled the room. Someone jerked me backwards and off Damyr’s lap. I fell to the floor with a thud, my hands scrambling to keep me upright as my brain tried to process what was going on.
A foot slammed into my chest and pushed me down, my hands slipping out from under me with the force. I tried to move but the sharp stiletto point of a red-soled shoe dug further into my chest.
“I wouldn’t move, if I were you.”
I trailed my gaze from the shoe threatening to end my life, up to the face of a woman who stared down at me with eyes dripping with venom.
Clad in a tailored black pant suit, she towered over me, her bright red lips pulled back in a vicious snarl.
“Damyr, who is this?” I asked with a curious glance over to him. The guy looked dishevelled and it kind of made him look adorable. If it weren’t for the pinched grimace twisting that mouth that had just been on mine.
“My wife.”
Excuse me?! What the fuck?!