Slave Read online

  Ian’s prideful voice interrupted my thoughts. “Isn’t she, though? She was a bit of a challenge at first, but we’ve taken care of that.”

  I nodded and cringed internally because of what I was about to do.

  My hand went to her chin and pushed her face up. She kept her gaze downcast as much as she was able, but I could see the fear. Daren was right. This was not her choice. There was no satisfaction in her eyes or her posture in serving her Master.

  “Open,” I commanded.

  She did as she was told, and I made a point of looking at the health of her teeth. I had no idea what I was looking for, of course; I was no dentist or doctor, for that matter. “How long have you had her?”

  His voice was smug as we discussed his property. “A little over ten months. One of the best purchases I ever made. She has been . . .” his voice trailed off as he looked for the right word, “. . . entertaining.” Then he sighed. “But I’m willing to part with her. For the right price, that is.”

  Nausea returned as I listened to him, and I was glad I’d forgone dinner.

  Pushing her chin up, indicating I wanted her to close her mouth, I ran my hands down her bare neck and shoulders before palming her breasts over the thin material of her tube top. I gave them a light squeeze as if measuring their size and the feel of them in my hands. I noticed a small furrowing of her brow, but otherwise she didn’t move. I tucked that piece of information away for later.

  Then I knelt, bringing my hands to her narrow waist. I knew she most likely wasn’t wearing underwear, so that was not what surprised me when I lifted her skirt. It was the deep bruising running up the inside of both her thighs made worse by the evidence of older bruises.

  My anger roared inside me, and I had to fight with myself not to let it show. It wouldn’t help my cause. I stood and continued to do what was expected.

  Going around behind her, I ran my hands over her once again before stepping away.

  “Do you like her? She’s well-proportioned. Her oral skills are quite good as well. You are more than welcome to try them out if you’d like.”

  “That won’t be necessary. I do believe she will work.” And then I uttered the words I never wanted to say again. “How much?”

  I felt Brianna shift beside me. It was small, but I wasn’t the only one who saw it.

  Ian glared at her before walking to her side. “Maybe we should go downstairs first, and I can remind you of your place,” he snapped.

  She didn’t answer him. Instead, her head bowed farther, showing him her submission. He seemed pleased with her compliance.

  He began again. “My apologies,” he said, all business again. “Now, where were we?”

  The negotiation took almost an hour, but in the end I handed over a check for a substantial amount of money. Daren was correct when he mentioned that I had more money than him. He would have been hard pressed to access the sum I now freely handed over to Ian Pierce. I wouldn’t miss it.

  Ian removed a painting from the wall behind him and placed the check in a safe before turning to Brianna and removing her black leather collar. He laid it on his desk and asked, “Do you have something for her already?”

  “I didn’t bring it with me since I hadn’t looked her over yet.” All I wanted to do was get out of here. This entire charade was making me sick. He just nodded and then took her face in his hand, forcing her to look at him for the first time since I’d been there. I could see his fingers biting into the flesh of her cheeks. “You belong to him now. You will not embarrass me, do you understand?”

  “Yes, Master.” Her voice was cold, almost robotic.

  His wicked smile reappeared. “I do love hearing you say that, but I am not your Master now.”

  With that, he released her and turned his back on both of us, strolling back to his desk. “Alex, show them out,” he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

  Alex walked us directly to the door and opened it, letting the chilly evening breeze wash over us. I looked down at Brianna and her attire. A tube top and a miniskirt were not the best things to wear mid-April in Minnesota. Turning to Alex, I asked, “Does she have other clothing or a jacket?”

  Ian’s alpha slave looked at Brianna with what could only be described as disgust. “She does not own anything, Sir.”

  I sighed in exasperation, took off my suit jacket, and placed it around her shoulders. It was far too big for her, but it would work for now.

  Brianna walked one step behind me the entire way to my car. She stopped outside the vehicle even after I opened the door for her. “You may get into the car.”

  After I’d given her permission, she complied quickly.

  The ride back to my condo was quiet, as I knew it would be. She held my jacket close to her body as we drove. Her hands were shaking even though I could see she was trying to hide it from me. She was scared. After living with Ian Pierce for the past ten months and seeing the bruises, I had no doubt of that. Brianna lived in fear, not pleasure.

  I was going to change that.

  When we arrived at my building just before nine, I parked my car in its usual spot and got out. It wasn’t until I was halfway to the elevator that I realized Brianna had not followed.

  Walking back to my car, I opened the door for her. “You may get out of the vehicle.” She did, and then stood looking down at the concrete floor. “Come.” She followed.

  As we made our way to the elevator and then up to my penthouse, I contemplated the new problems I had. I’d never “owned” a slave before. Brianna had nothing but the clothes on her back, and those weren’t suitable for public. I knew Ian might disagree with me on that, but from the little I’d seen already, I had a feeling we didn’t agree on much.

  We managed to reach my condo without running into any of the other tenants in the elevator, and she followed me inside.

  I loved my home. When I moved back to the city after college, it was my first major purchase. It was in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, and I had a view of the city skyline from my living room. The open floor plan had always appealed to me, and of course the wood beams in my ceiling came in handy when playing. My aunt and uncle offered to let me stay with them for a while until I could find a house, but I needed to be out on my own. I was not the lost boy they’d sent off to college anymore.

  Laying my keys down on the side table, I walked to the kitchen, loosening my tie. I didn’t know about Brianna, but I was starving now that I’d had time to calm down after my sickening business dealings tonight.

  Reaching into the freezer, I pulled out two french bread pizzas, putting one in the microwave. “Have you eaten dinner?”

  “No, Master,” she whispered.

  It was not that I had a problem with her calling me Master: both of my collared submissives had at one point in time. The way she said it, though, held not respect but fear. I didn’t like it, but it was too late to try and fix anything tonight. My main priority was to get us both fed and into bed.

  The microwave beeped, and I took the first pizza out, sliding it onto a plate. Setting it down on the counter across from me, I looked over at her. She hadn’t moved a muscle. “Come eat.” Brianna came.

  She stood stiffly as she picked up the pizza and began eating. Her first bites were slow but soon became faster as if she hadn’t eaten in a very long time. My anger for Ian continued to grow the more I observed the beautiful creature in front of me, wolfing down her dinner. Her pizza was gone before mine finished cooking.

  I brought my food with me and sat on the stool beside her. She was stiff as a board and still looking down. “You may sit, Brianna.”

  She did.

  Brianna didn’t move as I began to eat. There was a mixture of both dread and excitement as I realized the task I had in front of me. She was broken, totally and completely. It would take a lot of work to rebuild her self-worth, but I knew the end result would be worth it.

  All of a sudden she started jerking, almost as if she was choking. I stood immediately
and moved behind her, ready to give the Heimlich maneuver should she be in need.

  “Let it out,” I said softly, hoping that she wasn’t trying to downplay whatever was happening, fearing my response.

  As soon as the words left my mouth, her jaw relaxed, and the pizza she had just shoveled down covered the counter.

  I stood stunned. If I had not moved from my seat when I did, I would probably have been part of the collateral damage.

  It was only Brianna’s movement that brought me out of my fog. She practically collapsed onto the floor. At first I thought she had fallen, but realized it was too controlled for that.

  She was on her knees, forehead to the floor. Her entire form shook with what I finally realized were silent sobs.

  I stood looking back and forth from the mess on the counter to the girl shaking on the floor before deciding to leave the mess and deal with Brianna first.

  Squatting down, I kept my voice calm and even. “Look at me.” Her head slowly came up off the floor, but every muscle in her body tensed as if she was waiting for something awful to happen. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and I noticed that she needed some cleaning up. “Are you okay?” I asked, concerned.

  For some reason this made her cry harder, but she nodded.

  I reached out, trying to offer my assistance, but she stiffened more, so I pulled back again.

  With a sigh, I pushed myself up to my full height, and asked, “Can you walk?”

  “Y—Yesss, Master,” she stuttered.

  “Follow me,” I said, knowing she wouldn’t move from her spot unless I told her. Leading her through the living room, I walked into the room next to mine.

  This would be her bedroom. It was smaller than mine, but it had its own full bathroom. I showed her the bathroom. “Go clean yourself up. I’ll wait here,” I said, taking a position a few feet from the door. She lowered her head and walked inside.

  I looked around the room. It had been empty for a while, since Tami. The bed was the dominant feature in the room along with a built-in dresser and closet along one wall. There were two end tables, one on either side of the bed, but other than a lamp and alarm clock they were empty. The only other piece of furniture was a plush leather chair that sat in the corner. All personal touches to the room had left with the person who used to occupy the space. Hard to believe that was six months ago.

  Brianna didn’t take long. She was gone less than five minutes. Her face was slightly red where she’d obviously scrubbed it clean, as were her neck and shoulders. She stood with her head bowed, waiting.

  As I watched her, I wondered briefly if I should try to find her something else to wear to bed besides her current attire, but figure it wouldn’t hurt her to wear them for another night. Tomorrow I’d be finding something else for her to wear anyway. “Come to bed,” I said, motioning toward the queen-size bed. “This is where you will sleep.”

  She walked over beside the bed. But instead of getting into it, she lay down on the floor.

  What the . . .?

  Walking over, I knelt beside her and reached out slowly for her hands. It was the first time I’d touched her since leaving Ian’s, and she jumped slightly, not able to help herself. I saw her eyes widen in fear as she realized what she’d done.

  “Brianna,” I said in a voice that brooked no argument. “You will sleep in the bed, not on the floor.”

  I didn’t think her eyes could get any bigger, but they did. Then she got up and climbed onto the bed, lying flat on her back, her arms down at her sides.

  Her face was set, waiting for something.

  I studied her for a minute before it dawned on me what she was waiting for; she thought I wanted sex.

  We would get to that, but not tonight, and not with her like this. Opening the dresser drawer, I pulled out a bottle of salve.

  Her breathing picked up as I sat on the bed beside her, a telltale sign of her nervousness. Brianna’s eyes were closed now. She was mentally preparing herself for whatever I was going to do to her.

  I lifted her skirt, once again revealing her bruises. They looked worse in the bright artificial light of this room, and I felt the pizza I’d just eaten threaten to come back up. Without waiting any more, I placed some of the salve on my fingers and began massaging it into her thighs.

  When I finished and put her skirt back in place, she was looking at me. Then, realizing her mistake, she quickly looked away. I stood and put the bottle back in the drawer.

  “You don’t have to fear me, Brianna. Goodnight.”

  Turning off the light, I left her alone and went back out to the kitchen to clean up before heading to my own bedroom. Stripping down to my boxers, I fell into bed. The emotional strain of the day quickly pulled me into a deep sleep. And my last thoughts were of a fragile woman with brown hair and blue eyes.

  Stephan

  A piercing scream tore me from sleep. Throwing the covers off, I ran to Brianna’s room to find her huddled against the headboard of her bed, looking wild with fright. Her hands were twisted in her hair, tangling it. At first she didn’t seem to notice me in the dim light from the window, but when she did, she closed her eyes, tilted her head down, and began to shake.

  Slowly, I walked toward her. I didn’t want to frighten her more, but I felt I needed to do something. Brianna was my responsibility. She was in a strange place, alone. Although I was a stranger, I was all she had at the moment.

  By the time I reached the end of her bed, she was moving. I hesitated. She nearly tripped over herself as she scrambled to the floor to kneel in front of me.

  Her name was on the tip of my tongue when she started jerking. I bent down, concerned that she was having another episode, and reached out to grasp her by the shoulders. Her eyes were closed tight, and she looked like she was in pain. Scooping her up, I carried her to her bathroom and set her down by the toilet. I lifted the toilet seat and pulled her hair back. She bent over and let loose, but nothing came out. Her stomach was empty. All she had were dry heaves.

  Once she calmed, I got two washcloths from the rack. After running them under cold water, I took them to Brianna. She hadn’t moved, not that I’d really expected her to. Her body was unnaturally still, her eyes cast to the floor as I washed her face.

  When I was finished I tossed the dirty cloth into the sink and turned back to her. Again, she looked like she was about ready to cry.

  I carried her back to her bed.

  Placing her on the rumpled covers, I brushed her hair back and placed the fresh washcloth on her forehead. Her eyes flicked to my face, then closed as she tensed.

  She acted as if she was waiting for me to molest her. The fact that she thought I’d do so when she was obviously unwell made me wonder just what horrors she’d undergone while living with Ian Pierce.

  Without another word, I stepped away and settled into the chair in the corner of the room. I’d used the chair for various reasons in the past, but a bed had never been one of them before tonight.

  As I leaned back, trying to get comfortable, I watched her still form on the bed, letting myself study her. Her delicate features were silhouetted against the lights of the city coming through the window. It gave the illusion of a peace that wasn’t present. She was a mystery. I had no idea of her past beyond her time with Ian, and even that was sketchy. Who was she before? Was this a life she chose that went horribly wrong or something worse?

  Eventually, she seemed to relax and fall back to sleep. With a sigh, my eyes closed, and I tried to find some rest of my own.

  When I woke the next morning with a crick in my neck, she was on the floor beside her bed, patiently kneeling. She had an amazing submissive presence. Her posture was near perfection. Ian had not been exaggerating on the amount of work he’d put into her training.

  I rubbed the sleep from my face before addressing her. “Good morning, Brianna.”

  She didn’t answer.

  “You may respond.”

  “Good morning, Master.” Her voice was de
ad, and she did not look up.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Better, Master.” She sounded like a robot. There was no emotion behind her words. I frowned. Was this really what Ian had wanted? Someone who just did what you told them to do without feeling? I repressed a shiver and pushed the thought aside. It would do me no good.

  Looking down at her, I noticed her color had improved. Her fair skin showed a faint blush. Hopefully her stomach had also settled, but I wasn’t taking any chances. “Go to your bathroom and do what you need to, then come meet me in the kitchen.”

  She didn’t respond in any way other than to get up and walk into her bathroom. I rubbed a hand across my face, and then went to my own room to get dressed.

  I decided to keep breakfast as simple as possible given what happened last night. She needed to eat something, but I didn’t want to have to clean up a mess again.

  As I was putting the bread in the toaster, she walked into the room. Her movements were stiff and unnatural. It was as if she were trying to be invisible.

  Taking two glasses down from the cabinet, I turned to put them next to our plates only to find Brianna kneeling on the floor. I stared at her bowed head for several seconds before deciding to go ahead and finish what I was doing before addressing her.

  Once I had everything set on the counter—toast, butter, and jelly, along with juice for me and water for her—I walked around the island and sat. “Come sit beside me and eat, Brianna.”

  She obeyed and took the same seat beside me as she had last night. When she reached for the dry toast I’d put on her plate, I placed a hand on her arm to stop her. “Slowly.”

  Brianna was like a statue until I turned back to my food and started eating. Then, hesitantly, she picked up her toast and took a small bite. We managed to get through breakfast without another incident.