Chapter 5 - Ivan
The goal was to keep that flustered expression on her face for as long as possible…to keep those cheeks flushed and her eyes slightly wider than usual, leaving her guessing my next move.
I wanted her on the edge at all times, never able to anticipate my thoughts or intentions. To have her constantly in a state of paranoia and shock was the goal.
However, I didn’t anticipate how that proximity would hit me.
Seeing her like that, perched on the edge of the bed with her wrists bound in front of her, was far more erotic than I cared to admit.
I wasn’t supposed to still be attracted to her...not after everything she’s done. Not after I decided to keep her around to torment her.
Yet, slowly pulling the restraints undone, feeling her soft skin against mine, and being aware of her questioning gaze on me had me on edge.
The position was far too tempting, and as easy as it would be to just take what I wanted, I already knew that once wouldn’t be enough. If I were to have a taste, I’d only want more, which would entirely compromise my plan to make Daria pay for everything.
I needed her to regret her involvement, and immediately rewarding her wasn’t the way to accomplish that, regardless of how tense that proximity made me.
With those brown eyes locked firmly on me, breath held, Daria murmured, “You’re…taking these off?”
Despite myself, the innocence of that question made my lip pull slightly. It seemed Daria was assuming the worst of me, as she should. It was working, then.
“Yes,” I returned quieter than I expected to. My fingers slowly pulled at the silk to undo the knots and slacken it against her much smaller wrists. “You’re still my prisoner, but one who can use her hands, at least.”
She seemed surprised by that, watching while the restraints fell away before gently massaging her skin. A faint color settled in her cheeks when her gaze reached mine again. “Why?”
I cocked a brow at that, wondering why she would even be worried about such a thing. “In most cases, people normally don’t question why they’re being unbound.”
A flicker of annoyance shifted through her eyes, but she didn’t say anything and averted her gaze instead.
Watching her a moment longer, I narrowed my sights on her. “Not satisfied with having a semblance of freedom?”
When she refused to answer, looking irritated again, I took her chin in my hands and angled her face up, not giving her the chance to look away. I leaned in a bit closer and used the gentler tone that seemed to make her falter.
If things had been different, I knew that moment would be far too volatile to simply walk away from. I wouldn’t be able to leave the room before doing something worth regretting later.
“If this isn’t to your liking, then I’m sure I could make other arrangements,” I continued, smirking faintly at how startled she seemed by my touch. “I could tie you to a chair instead…or maybe against a wall to make you stand all night? Maybe, just maybe, I could secure you right to this bed and not let you move a muscle until I say so.”
Regardless of how subtle it was, I didn’t miss the quiet shift in her breathing. The spark of fear seemed to dissolve her resistance immediately.
For a moment, I could only take in her features, noting every change…every question and thought that seemed to pass through her eyes at once. Even if she didn’t care much for me, I could still see how conflicted she was, caught between interest and fear.
But even if I found myself wanting her still, there was no mistaking what needed to be done. No mistaking how pissed off I still was.
That reminder made my smirk dissolve little by little until I looked down at her with contempt and slipped the silk restraints back into my pocket. “But…you’re not worth the effort.”
Daria blinked back at me, still flustered and trying to regain her bearings. As hard as she worked to try and mask it, I wasn’t one to be fooled. I knew exactly how confused and torn she was.
Even if a part of me felt annoyed at even needing to restrain myself, the sliver of satisfaction I gained from her disbelief almost made up for it.
Giving her a final glance, not allowing her the chance to ask any more questions, I huffed to myself. “Get comfortable, prisoner…you have a long road ahead.”
Something about those words seemed to strike a nerve in Daria as her eyes widened fractionally, and while she didn’t move, I could practically feel the nervous hum emanating from her body.
Before I did anything stupid, I turned and headed for the door, at least glad I maintained enough restraint to hold back. Caving was the last thing I needed.
Not leaving the opportunity open for her to speak, I slipped through the threshold, spared one last glance in her direction, and then closed the door behind me.
The mental image of her sitting there on the side of the bed, looking completely helpless and unable to do anything else, burned into my mind all the while I locked the door—the very thing I once said I’d never do.
I scoffed at my brothers before for holding women as their prisoners…for enabling a chase, and for not giving up despite the obvious resistance they faced. I thought it was absurd and wondered why they would ever waste their time.
But my circumstances felt different. I excused it with thoughts of exacting revenge on behalf of my whole family against Daria. I wasn’t chasing after her...I was planning on putting her in her place and reminding her of every reason to not cross a Fokin. That was all.
Even with that thought in mind, I still couldn’t completely block out the whispers of temptation that called to me...telling me to get back into that room and take what I wanted.
Huffing out a breath, I moved down the hall to my room, urging myself to let it go. To forget about Daria for a while and just focus on unwinding.
Regardless of how I tried, the sight of her shivering from my touch kept replaying in the back of my head, along with the way she seemed to be enraptured in my proximity. She looked as every bit hungry as I felt, and as much as it made me feel more wound up, it was dangerous.
I didn’t care how I had lusted for her before; I couldn’t let my guard down. I had to keep my nerve.
With business handled for the night and too much restless energy inside me, I slipped out of my clothes, pulled on a pair of compression shorts, and went down to my home gym. If I couldn’t get the release I wanted, then I’d just have to find it differently…
Reaching the room, I flicked the lights on and watched as they lit up at once, revealing the state-of-the-art equipment waiting for me. Once I started playing music through the built-in surround sound, I got started on some cardio.
As much as I didn’t want to think about Daria for a minute, I couldn’t help myself.
But instead of thinking about her or the infuriating need she triggered inside me, I contemplated my next steps.
Part of me wanted nothing more than to torture her…to put my back into it and prove to her that I meant every word I said to her. I didn’t want her to think I could be swayed, or that I wasn’t committed to keeping my word.
But, I also knew I couldn’t use my usual methods.
I wasn’t known for being gentle with those who deserved it, and while I maintained the opinion that she at least partially deserved it, I had my a moral code. My brothers and I were in the Bratva, but we never raised a hand to women or children. At least, mostly when it came to women.
Our lifestyle was abundant in every breed of monster, regardless of sex, yet I still knew I couldn’t hurt her.
We were brutal when we needed to be, but even I knew when to draw the line.
That meant I had to do something big. Something that would make her squirm without needing to even lay a hand on her.
I was furious with her regardless of how beautiful I thought she was, and I needed to find a way to sate that craving for absolute revenge. Somehow, some way, I’d throw all of her lying and manipulating right back in her face.
The more I pushed myself, causing a light sheen of sweat to break out across my skin, the more the cogs in my mind moved, and the clearer that vision of revenge seemed to become.
Even if I couldn’t use outright violence to get back at her, I knew there had to be a viable option.
Panting and engaging my core, I delivered blow after calculated blow to the punching bag, operating on autopilot. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to keep going, regardless of the burn.
All the while, Daria and my need to get back at her never left my mind.
But the moment it hit me, I paused, grabbing the bag to stabilize it again.
It was genius. The very thing that would make her suffer without me touching a hair on her head…and of course, she wasn’t going to like it one bit.