Faith (A Dark Romance Novel) (12 page)

“No need to thank me now. You can thank me later.” He span back to the group. “I apologize for this little set-back. If a couple of you could give me a hand we can get this cleaned up quickly and move on with the auction.”

Chapter 15

Tanner

She didn’t seem grateful that I’d killed her would-be rapist. Maybe she was still pissed, or maybe she couldn’t quite grasp the magnitude of the gesture I’d made for her. Okay, all right, maybe I hadn’t done it entirely for her. He’d touched her and she was mine. Nobody played with my toys but me. No one touched my things without my permission. He’d taken liberties, and while when I’d been working for The Organization my actions might have resulted in discipline, this was my world now, my playground, and I made the rules.

I looked across my desk at Flynn and silently willed the other man to leave. He was in the middle of his pitch. I didn’t care. I’d heard it over the phone a dozen times, I had no desire to hear it again, but out of professional courtesy I acted as if I cared. I really didn’t want to be on Flynn’s bad side – I might need him one day. All the others had left, leaving me Flynn and a couple of his men. Even Victoria was gone, with her new owner. And all I really wanted was to get to Emily and ensure she was aware of my grand gesture. She’d thank me when she understood.

“So what do you say, son? Join us.”

I sat back in my desk chair and steepled my fingers before mw. “I’m sorry Flynn. I’m done with this life, for now at least. I have everything I want and need right now, there just isn’t anything you can offer me.”

Flynn frowned but slowly nodded. “That’s unfortunate. I saw your work with Victoria and was very impressed.” He shrugged. “The other one definitely needs more work.”

Something within me coiled in anger. She didn’t need work. She was just the way I wanted her. All right, maybe not exactly, but she was coming. I didn’t want a fucking drone. “She’s fine,” I growled.

A grin spread across Flynn’s slips and he nodded. “I think I’m beginning to understand. You realize I would be fine with you keeping your pet while you worked for us. There’s no rule you have to get rid of her. For that matter, there’s no rule you even need to do the training yourself, just oversee. That’s all. You make the rules, Tanner.”

“I just don’t think it’s going to happen. Again, I’m sorry.” I stood and extended my hand to Flynn. “But if I change my mind…”

With reluctance, Flynn stood and took my outstretched hand. “Very well, then.”

Once Flynn and his guards were gone, I groaned a sigh of relief. Finally we were alone. The house was empty with the exception of me and Emily, just the way I wanted it. I’d locked her in her room for safekeeping, but now I could bring her back up and we could make some supper. Maybe we’d watch a movie. We could play happy, boring couple for a night. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d actually done something like that – pretended to be in a ‘normal’ relationship It might be fun.

After taking a quick shower and shaving the several days’ worth of stubble that had grown, I made my way downstairs to retrieve Emily. Unlocking the door, I found Emily on the bed curled up in a tight little beautiful ball. She didn’t move when I entered, but I could tell by her rapid breathing that she was awake.

“Everyone is gone.” She didn’t answer, so I proceeded into the room. “I thought we could go upstairs, maybe make some supper and then watch a movie. Your choice. We could even watch some chick flick if that’s what you’d like.” With a sigh, I sat down on the bed and ran my fingers through her dark locks. “What’s wrong now?”

Still silence.

“Don’t force me to do something drastic to get you to talk to me. I don’t think either of us wants to go down that road.”

She opened her eyes and looked up at me, remaining in the curled-up position. She looked so tiny, so delicate in that position. “You sold her.”

“Of course I did. I told you I was going to. I’ve told you before I’d never lie to you.”

“And you killed that man. He’s dead because of me.” Tears began to stream down her cheeks.

All right, I’ll admit, this confused me. I thought she would be thanking me, ecstatic I cared enough to kill a business associate for her. She shouldn’t be staring up at me with hate and sorrow in her eyes. No, she should be falling to her knees and begging me to let her blow me for being such a kind and considerate owner. This lack of gratitude was beginning to seriously piss me off.

“You’re crying tears for him? Do you have any idea how horrible of a person that man was? Normally I wouldn’t care, but he hurt you, he took what was mine, and so he paid the price. Did he not hurt you?”

She paused but slowly nodded.

“Did he not make you bleed?” A new surge of anger washed over me. He’d taken what was supposed to be mine. Her blood was supposed to be for me. I’d been relishing the fact she’d bleed on my cock as I breached her and now he’d ruined that for me. If he were alive and here right now, I’d have killed the motherfucker a second time. But everything said and done, she was still a virgin. No one was taking that from me.

She nodded again.

“Do you think he felt regretful over his actions?”

She shook her head, her frown deepening. 

“Then why the tears?”

She shrugged. “I feel responsible.” A new stream of tears slid down her cheeks. I didn’t like seeing those tears. When she cried for me, because of me, I liked it. It gave me an instant hard-on. But this wasn’t the case – she was crying over that piece of shit. My anger deepened, but I supressed it, forcing a calm expression onto my face for her benefit.

I cocked my head to the side and eyed her, trying to make sense of her logic. “Why are you responsible? He was told not to touch you or I’d kill him. He touched you. I killed him. Cause and effect – it couldn’t be any more straightforward. If anything he’s the only one to blame for his death.” It was so simple. I didn’t get why she couldn’t see it that way.

She turned her face away. “You don’t understand. Why would I ever think you would?”

Good question. Surely I’d missed something.

“I’m a man of my word, Emily. Everyone who knows me knows that. So take this as the truth – that man deserved it. Even I can barely comprehend some of the things he does, if that gives you an idea of how vile he is, so rest assured the world is a better place without him.”

The statement was slightly over the top and dramatic, but it seemed to have the desired effect. After a minute she uncurled herself and sat up. Slipping her arms around my neck, she clung tightly to me, crying softly against my neck. Wrapping my arms around her, I held her tight, gently rocking her back and forth, murmuring soft reassurances in her ear. I was starting to get that this had less to do with me killing him and more to do with what he’d done to her.

~*~*~*~

Emily

After a few minutes – or twenty, I really had no idea how long – I was finally able to pull myself together and the tears slowed to a stop. But I clung on to him for a few minutes longer, and for those few minutes pretended I wasn’t in this situation and I felt safe.

“Are you ready for your surprise?”

Surprise? I pulled back from him and sniffed, staring up into his dark eyes, frowning. The last time he’d ‘surprised’ me, I’d got a dog collar put around my neck and an electric shock. He was great at surprises.  

He must have seen the look of apprehension on my face because he chuckled and raked his hand through my hair. “Oh no. I think you’ll like this surprise better than the last one.” He stood and extended his hand to me. “Will you come upstairs with me?”

I nodded, taking his hand and sliding from the bed. “Okay.” Not like I had a choice – if I refused he’d just jab a needle in my neck and carry me up anyhow.

He led me upstairs and into his bedroom. Releasing my hand, he motioned to the bed. Walking past him, I went over to the bed, where there was a number of items waiting. The first thing I grabbed was the pale pink sundress. It was simple but pretty. I looked back over my shoulder at him.

“It’s for you. I hope you like it. And the make-up is yours too.” Reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out a key and approached me. Grabbing my collar, he spun it around until the padlock was at the front and unlocked it, taking the collar off. “This is a fresh start, honey.”

I immediately moved my head from side to side, back and forth. It was so nice to no longer have my neck restricted by the thing. God, I didn’t know how much I hated it until it was off. I felt so free without it.

“Thank you, Master.”

He smiled. “There’s more.” Motioning me to follow him, he entered the connecting master bathroom. He immediately went to the large bathtub and turned on the water, adding bath salts, oils and bubble bath. I really couldn’t help but laugh – this certainly wasn’t what I expected.

“Is that for me?”

With the water running in the bath, he turned back to me and smiled. “Of course. I already told you that it was your surprise.” Crouching, he opened the cabinet under the sink and grabbed a razor and shaving gel. “Can I allow you with these things without you slitting your wrists or something equally stupid?”

“Yes. I haven’t tried to hurt myself yet, have I?”

He shrugged. “Just making sure. I’ve got a nice date night planned for us, so I’d hate to have it ruined.”

Date night! My heart soared. It had been over two weeks, maybe three – I’d already begun to lose track of time – since I’d been out of this house. The thought of actually going into town was like a dream come true. “We’re going out? To the city.”

“No. Not to the city. It’s too risky. Your disappearance is too fresh and we’re too close to where you were taken to be able to risk it, but we can go out on the back porch. Maybe go for a little walk on the property if you like. It is seventy acres. If you want we could go see the dogs. They’re beautiful bloodhounds.”

My heart sank a little, but still, outside was better than nothing and I’d really like to see the dogs, even if they might be part of the reason I was never going to escape from this place.

He stepped up to me and took my upper arms in his hands. “I hate to spoil this mood, but I need to make a couple of things clear to you. If you attempt to escape, your punishment will be that I’ll have a new girl occupy that room that is now vacant. With Victoria gone, I want this to be a new beginning.”

“But you promised…”

“I promised that as long as you keep me happy, it’ll be only you.” He brushed a lock of hair from my face and tucked it behind my ear. “But if you try to escape, then I assure you, I won’t be happy. Okay?”

I nodded. “Yes, Master.”

“And one final surprise.”

“What’s that?”

“Since you were so good at the auction, and in the spirit of our date night, I’ll give you a pardon from having to use the term Master tonight. Tanner is fine.”

I wasn’t sure what was going on or what his plan was – he always seemed to have a motive for everything he did – but the last thing I was going to do was second-guess a good thing. Maybe for tonight I could pretend this wasn’t what is was and maybe I could pretend it was a normal date. There was a good chance there was a catch that came with the night, but for now I’d take the gesture at face value.

Chapter 16

Emily

The bathwater was divine. I felt like a queen soaking in the large tub full of bubbles, smelling of lavender and roses. The bath oils were working their way into my skin, leaving it soft and lightly scented. Tanner had turned on some music, some jazz station. I never really listened to jazz, but it was nice and soothing. It was so relaxing that the events of earlier that day seemed like some sort of bad dream. Heck, the events of the past few weeks seemed like another lifetime – some nightmare I’d finally awoken from.

A soft knock sounded on the door – there was even a door to this bathroom! It didn’t lock, but still it was a door. A moment later it opened and Tanner poked his head in. I sank deeper into the water until only my head and shoulders were visible above the thick layer of bubbles. “If you don’t come out soon you’re going to shrivel up.” He smiled, a sweet, sexy smile. Even his dark onyx coloured eyes carried an amused twinkle. It was the same smile he’d flashed me at the club and it had the same effect, making my tummy flutter and my pulse race.

“Do you want me to get out, Ma—” I bit down on my lower lip and smiled. I wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity to use his name for a change. “Tanner.”

“I just thought you’d like to see your next surprise. I think you might like it.” He gave me a wink. “But if you’d rather stay in the bathtub…” He left, closing the door behind him.

Now I was facing a dilemma. Continue to enjoy the bath or venture out to see what else he had planned? The problem was that what he thought would be a nice surprise was a crap shoot. But he was right, I was starting to wrinkle up. My curiosity got the best of me. I quickly shaved my legs and mound, then pulled the plug, got out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my body.

Leaving the bathroom, I found Tanner in the middle of the bedroom doing up a pair of black pants and fastening his belt. I stood watching him for a moment. He was wearing a dark blue, long sleeved, V-neck sweater that hugged his lean, muscular torso and broad shoulders. Hearing me enter the room, he looked up and gave me another smile. The smile was friendly and made me wonder if I’d imagined the past few weeks.

“Curiosity got the best of you, huh?”

I nodded. “Kinda.”

He walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer and my heart sank with disappointment. That was where he kept the handcuffs and butt plugs and heaven knows what else. He had already informed me that we were yet to even begin our ‘journey’ together.

When he turned around he was holding a thin, square velvet jewelry box in his hands. “What’s the matter?” He asked as he walked towards me.

“Nothing. I just…”

He looked at the drawer and nodded. “You thought…”

I nodded.

“I told you this was a special night for you. I’m not forcing anything on you tonight, I promise.” He stopped a foot from me and opened the case. “I picked this up for you the other day, for tonight. I hope you like it.”

A wide smile spread across my lips as I looked down at the gold necklace with a heart pendant with diamond center. I also noticed a pair of diamond pear drop earrings and bracelet to match. They were all so beautiful, the light from overhead making the diamonds sparkle and gleam.

I’d never been given beautiful things growing up, certainly nothing like these. Father always felt that people bought things like this for vanity’s sake, so we were never given such things. The only jewelry I owned was a set of pearls, pearl stud earrings, which were reserved for church and church events only, and a plain Timex watch with a black leather band.

“They’re for me?” I looked up from the jewelry and caught his gaze, my brow furrowing. Why would he give these to me? There had to be a catch.

“I thought I’d already said that.”

“It’s just a little hard to grasp.”

His smile faded to a frown. He looked like he might actually be hurt. “I don’t follow. You don’t want them?”

“I just don’t understand why you would get them for me, that’s all. I’m confused.” I wanted to reach out and touch them, but I needed to know the strings that were attached to the beautiful gift.

“You told me not too long ago that you’d never been on a real date. I felt, aside from trying to kill me, that you’ve coped pretty well with this situation and your being here makes me happy, so I wanted to do something for you. I thought I would do what I could to make you happy tonight. Is that wrong?”

This whole messed-up situation is wrong
, I wanted to say, but bit my tongue.
Keeping me prisoner here is wrong
. I said neither of those things. Instead I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve never been given a gift like this before, I’m just taken aback. That’s all.” I smiled at him and the anxiety that seemed to have entered his eyes quickly faded and he relaxed, returning mine.

“In that case…” He reached into the case and pulled the necklace out. Setting the case on the bed, he motioned for me to turn around. “Let me put this on you.”

I lifted my still wet hair as he slipped the necklace around my neck, his knuckles lightly grazing my bare shoulders and sending a shiver through me. Once the necklace was clasped, he grabbed the bracelet and secured it around my wrist.

“Pretty. Very pretty.” His eyes lowered to the pendant and then back up to meet mine. “I’ll go start dinner and leave you to get dressed.”

“Thank you.”

  He started to walk away from me, stopped and turned back. My breath hitched in my throat as he leaned in to me. I half expected him to grab me by the throat and toss me onto the bed, or something similar, but he didn’t. Instead he grazed his knuckles along my jawline and lowered his lips to mine for a sweet, soft kiss, before straightening again and leaving without another word.

*-*-*-*

Tanner

I whistled as I prepared the spaghetti and salad. The smile on her face has been so sweet when I’d given her the necklace. I was glad that I’d taken the time to pick it out for her. What kind of life did she have that she wasn’t given nice things once in a while? I have to admit, my curiosity about her father and family was getting the best of me. Hearing her enter the kitchen, I placed the lid back on the pot of boiling spaghetti and turned towards her.

“What do you think?” She gave me a timid smile and slowly turned.

I watched her for a moment. “Beautiful.” I wished I could take her out and show her off. The dress fit her beautifully, the neckline dipping just enough into her cleavage to be enticing but not so much as to give off a whore vibe, and the skirt landed just above the knees. She’d applied some make-up – not a lot, but enough to make her eyes really stand out and gloss on her lips. “Really stunning.” Though stunning was an understatement.

Blushing, she chewed lightly at her lower lip. “Thanks.” She tentatively approached me. “What are you cooking?”

“Spaghetti, meatballs, thought I’d put together a Caesar salad.”

Leaning over the saucepan, she inhaled deeply. “Smells good. How come you don’t get me to cook?”

I frowned, feigning hurt. “You don’t care for my food?”

“No, I just… I was wondering. I did a lot of the cooking at home.”

“Considering how the last time you were in the kitchen with a knife turned out, I’m not sure I’m feeling too confident about you being around the knives.” A grin was forcing its way onto my lips, but I fought to keep a stern expression.

“Tanner, I’m sorry…”

“I’m teasing you, Emily.” I gently took her upper arms in my hands. “It’s fine. I’ve already told you, that night was a great rush to me.” I shrugged. “Besides, I deserved being stabbed.” Releasing her arms, I went back to stirring the pasta.

“So if I stabbed you right now, you’d get off on that?”

A burst of laughter escaped me. “Not exactly. It was the chase. The being stabbed sucked.”

“But if you like the chase, then why would you be mad if I tried to escape now?” she asked as she leaned back against the counter.

I stopped stirring the pasta and turned back to her. “Good question.” She cocked a brow up at me and waited for me to further explain. “I’m not sure I can explain it to you Emily. I’m not quite sure I understand it completely myself. The feelings I have for you, I’m not completely familiar with. I just know I want you with me.”

She nodded as if she knew what I meant, though she didn’t. How could she, since I didn’t know myself? “Would you like me to set the table?”

I looked over at the empty table and nodded. “Yeah, that would be good.” I watched as she took her time setting the table, ensuring everything was in order. This was so strange, but nice. This was the first time since my parents died that I’d actually had my kitchen table set and was about to eat there with a woman. It was such a common practice to a normal person, but to me it was a foreign experience.

Sensing my eyes on her, she finished setting the table and turned to return my stare. “Is everything all right?” she asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

~*~*~*~

Emily

“Can we go for a walk outside before we sit down to watch a movie?” I looked longingly out the kitchen window into the night. It looked beautiful out, the sky clear. 

“It’s your night. Whatever you want, love.”

We got to the front door and I stopped, chewing my lower lip between my teeth, looking down.

“What’s wrong?”

My brow creased as I looked at my bare feet. “Ummm, shoes.”

Opening the foyer closet, he stepped aside and motioned inside. “Take your pick. I got your size from the shoes you were wearing when you arrived and picked some things up for you the other day. Since you’re going to stay here, I assumed you’d need them. There’s a half dozen or so pairs to choose from.”

Sure enough there was a variety of shoes in my size from sneakers to sandals. I picked a pair of beige flat sandals from the pile and didn’t miss the fact that they said
Prada
and slipped them on
.
I really had no idea how much something with the name
Prada
cost, but knew it was a lot. It was confusing to me. Why would he buy me such things? I would have been happy with Wal-mart brands. Heck most of my wardrobe was hand-me-downs. Something new from Wal-mart had always been considered a luxury.

“What’s the problem?”

Shrugging, I forced my eyes up from my beautiful new shoes, not sure how to respond. I really didn’t know what the problem was, I mean, I knew to a certain extent, but I was so confused. “Why buy me these nice things? If I’m just some slave to you, why give me such nice, expensive things? Is this another game you’re playing with me?”

He captured my chin in his hand and forced my eyes up to meet his. I was expecting to see the hard anger in his eyes that I’d seen many times before, but that wasn’t the case this time. This time I saw a sliver of compassion. “Emily, I bought you these things because I thought they’d make you happy. My intention isn’t to make your life so miserable that it isn’t worth living. Yes, I do put my interests first and always will. You’re mine, and what I want from you I’ll take when I want it. And yes, seeing your family will never happen – that part of your life is over – but this new chapter in your life doesn’t have to be miserable.”

   Opening the door, he took my hand and led me out and onto the porch. The night was stunning. The dogs began barking from their kennel behind the house. “So, where to first?”

Over to my right I noticed a large white gazebo, soft white lights illuminating it. Seemed a little romantic for a man who didn’t believe in such things. I pointed to the gazebo and gave his hand a tug, heading towards it. For a brief while I’d questioned if I’d ever see the moon and stars again. It’s funny how something as everyday as seeing the moon and stars can seem like a miracle when you’ve spent days questioning if you’d ever see them again.

~*~*~*~

Tanner

“Okay. Spill. What’s bothering you?” Her mood was so up and down I was having a hard time keeping up. I supposed it was my fault she was like this, but it was still as frustrating as hell. She looked down at our hands, fingers still laced together as we remained seated in the gazebo.

She chewed at her lower lip and looked up to meet my gaze, uncertainty in her eyes. “I’m just… I’m worried about Victoria.”

I bit back a string of curses. Fuck, I’d finally gotten rid of her and she was still haunting us. Fuck and double fuck. I forced myself to keep my temper in check. “What do you mean by worried?”

She shrugged. “Are they going to hurt her?”

With a sigh, I gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. I’d told her this was her night. If she wanted to waste it focusing on Victoria, well, whatever. Let her waste it. “I didn’t sell Victoria to the highest bidder.”

Cocking her head to the side, she eyed me, her gaze displaying her confusion. “Why not?”

“I didn’t sell her to the highest bidder for you. I know the reputations of the men who were at auction, most of whom have been my business associates for many years. The highest bidder has a tendency to be hard on his slaves, some would say sadistic. I chose who I’d sell her to. It was actually the fourth highest bidder, who I might had add paid a significantly lower amount then the highest, but I sold her to him because he treats his girls well. I assure you, Victoria is going to have a decent life with him. Much better then she had before I took her, I can promise you that. She won’t be free, but she’ll be cared for.”