How to Fall in Love (71 page)

“Your punishment will be carried out now, with the Master present,” a guard says.

My skin prickles.

He
is
here.

Once again he sits, quietly, not giving us anything. Anger bubbles in my chest, even though I know I should squash it down.

“Why don’t you carry it out?” I bark. “Why won’t you speak?”

I rattle my chains, angry at myself for lashing out, and angry at him for acting so...so...
crazy.

A finger suddenly grazes my cheek, and I jerk, almost hissing at the contact. Another hand comes up, and steadies my face while that finger makes little stroking motions on my cheek. My skin prickles, and I clench my jaw tightly, wanting to lash out and beat the hand touching me, but I can’t.

“
Au răbdare, Beauty. Răbdarea este puterea sufletului,”
he murmurs.

“Speak English,” I cry. “Your trickery won’t work on me.”

When he speaks to me in English, my entire body seems to melt. His voice is raspy and heavily accented. It’s...mesmerizing and sickeningly beautiful. “I said, have patience, Beauty. Patience is the strength of the soul. I am not here to trick you.”

“What do you want from me then?” I almost whimper.

“Your trust,” he says, before his hand drops from my face, and I hear him walk away.

“You’ll never have it,” I scream, before the guards come over and jerk the shackles off me.

“Girls,” he says, ignoring me. His voice is smooth as he speaks, calm, even. “I’m disappointed in you. Do you think I enjoy taking this out on you? Do you think I truly want to hurt you? I’m trying to take care of you. I’m trying to teach you to be better people. It bothers me that it has to come to this, and on your first day, nonetheless.” Then I hear him shuffle about, and I realize when he speaks again, he’s talking to the guards. “Ten lashes for her, five for the girls in her group.”

My entire body stiffens. “No!” I scream. “No, it wasn’t their fault.”

“There were rules put in place, rules that were made
very
clear to you, Number Thirteen,” Master William says in a warm, silky tone. Like it doesn’t even bother him that I’m about to get belted. “I’m a man of my word. I follow through with my promises, and my threats. You were told if you make a mistake, everyone in your group suffers.”

“You’re a monster,” I wail, thrashing. “We’re just girls!”

He comes closer; I can feel him. I twist in the guard’s grasp, but I can’t move.

“You may be girls, but you’re also
human
. There are consequences for every action. If you don’t want those consequences, then you don’t make mistakes. What I am doing here is giving you a
lesson
.”

“By hurting us?” I bellow.

“No,” he says simply. “By teaching you to be a good person.”

I hear him shuffle away. My heart is pounding; I don’t want the other girls to be whipped. I can hear Number Three sobbing. This will break her. It will damage her to no end. I have to stop this; I can’t let them suffer for my bad behavior.

“I’ll take all of them,” I blurt before I can stop myself.

“I beg your pardon?” Master William says.

“You heard me. I made the mistake. It was on me. They didn’t do anything wrong, so I’m telling you to let me take their punishment.”

It’s quiet for a long, long moment before he speaks again. If I’m not mistaken, I can hear a hint of pride in his tone. “Very well. She will receive twenty lashes, but they will all remain down here for a full twenty-four hours with no food.”

I hear the door squeak open, and once again I catch a flash of a tall, powerful man before it’s dark again. He’s not staying? He’s not going to watch? I feel a strange burn of what seems like disappointment. Why would I be disappointed that he’s not going to be in here to witness me being punished?
Maybe because a tiny part of me wanted him to see how far I’m willing to go to protect what I believe in
.

And again, why do I need to prove that to him?

I hang my head as the guard leads me over to a chair, and pushes me over it.

He doesn’t speak as he raises my shirt, and brings the belt over my back twenty times. The pain is intense, and each crack of the belt echoes through the room. I don’t scream; I won’t give them that. I bite my lip so hard blood fills my mouth, and tears run down my face as he nears the end. My back feels like it’s on fire, and the hate I have for William burns in my chest. 

I sense he is watching, even though he’s not here.

CHAPTER SEVEN

NUMBER THIRTEEN

They leave us down here for twenty-four hours. In that time, the guards come and take Number Twelve. She’s gone for only an hour before she’s returned, looking pink in the cheeks. They immediately take Number Seven after her, and I know they’re taking them to Master William. I don’t know what he’s looking for, but it seems he’s seeking something in us girls. He picked this group for a reason, though I can’t see enough of a similarity between us to know what that reason is.

The only thing we have in common is that we’re gentle. There’s something fragile about all of us.

Though I’m sure Master William has changed his mind about me by now. I don’t understand how he couldn’t have. I’m the only one who speaks out to him, and because of it, I’ve been punished. Remembering the punishment has the welts on my back aching in response. I’m starving, sore, and tired. They’ve not fed us since we’ve been down here, nor have they given us water. My back is against the wall, and it burns every time I move. I’m on the verge of losing it, but I won’t show that kind of weakness to the other girls.

Four hours later, I give in to that weakness.

My heart breaks as I begin to sob, furious at myself for my lack of strength. My back, it hurts so badly. I can’t keep the tears at bay now, because it’s just become too much. I need relief; I just want to get out of here.

I try to keep my sobbing quiet, but soon it becomes loud and noisy. The others look over at me, but they’re helpless. What can they do? They can’t move to help me, and their words will do nothing. It won’t take the pain away.

I sob for an hour before someone comes in. It’s the head guard, George, I believe. He walks over, followed by four other guards. They each grab one of the girls, with one supervising, and they unshackle them, leading them out. George turns to me, and he leans down, doing the same for me. He leads me out of the room, and my legs work only because I’m forcing them too. I’m exhausted.

I expect George to take me to my room, he doesn’t. He takes me to Master William. I start sobbing even more. “Don’t take me in there,” I cry.

He doesn’t even acknowledge me; it’s as though I haven’t even spoken. He knocks three times on Master William’s door before turning to me and placing a blindfold over my eyes. “JESUS!” I yell out, just before my voice quivers. “Just let me see him.”

He opens the door, and shoves me in so I take two steps. Two hands instantly take my arms. I know that it’s William. I cringe and try to jerk out of his grip, but he’s too strong. He leads me further into the room, and things get darker behind the blindfold. He makes a bit of noise for a second or two, then he is trying to push me, belly first, onto something I can’t see.

“No,” I whimper. “Please.”

He keeps pushing until my weak knees can do nothing but buckle. I feel my body press against what seems to be a table, though there’s a pillow that cushions my face. I turn my head to the side, and tears leak out of my eyes and slide down my cheeks as I feel myself becoming frenzied. William’s hands are at my shirt, and slowly, he raises it. I feel it peeling off my moist, damaged skin, and I cry out in pain.

Is he going to hit me again?

At the thought of that, I suddenly thrash, and try to launch myself off the bed. He presses me down by my shoulders, and murmurs a hushed, “Be still,
frumusețe.”

I know what that word means now; he’s calling me “beauty.” I drop my head in exhaustion, and my body sinks into the table. I’m completely stripped of any fight. I just can’t bring my weak body to battle him.

His hands are on my skin, and he skims his fingertips over my welting skin. I yelp as it burns beneath his touch. He hushes me again, and I hear him rustling around before his fingers return, only this time they’re covered in a cool balm. The relief is instant, and my entire body shudders. He moves his fingers over me until my skin is cool and completely covered, then he moves my shirt down and lifts me up.

Once again I find myself on his lap, with his arms around me. It’s obviously some sort of trust exercise, but what I don’t know is why he wants me to trust him? It seems important to him. I have so many questions, but I already know he won’t answer them. Master William answers only what he wants to, and even then it’s as if he speaks in riddles. Like he wants us to take ourselves around in circles until we become confused and just stop trying.

“What do you want with us?” I try anyway.

He strokes a hand over my arm.

“Please,” I plead. “Give me something.”

“Give only to those who give to you,
frumusețe.
”

Riddles again.

“Is that what you want from me? You want me to give myself to you?”

He doesn’t answer.

“Why do you keep my memories from me?”

“Sometimes memories are best left forgotten,” he murmurs into my hair.

“It’s not your right to take them.”

“It’s not your right to have them when they cause nothing more than pain,” he retorts, though his voice is still soft.

“I cannot give myself to you when you will not tell me why we’re here.”

He’s silent again, and his finger tangles into my hair. He’s outright refusing to give me any part of him. And why would he? I’m nothing more than a slave to him. I close my eyes, gathering myself.

“It’s a two-way street,” I say, in a soft voice. “You give me something, I give you something. I’ve given you part of me, by sitting here on your lap. Now, I ask that you answer one question for me. Why thirteen girls?”

He’s silent for so long I’m sure he’s going to ignore me, and just continue with his stroking until I go crazy and yell at him again. Just as I’m about to open my mouth and protest, he speaks. His voice comes out thick, and full of emotion.

“I was thirteen the day they stripped my innocence from me, and turned me into
this
. Now do
not
ask me questions again unless I give you permission.”

Turned him into this?

What’s this?

My heart aches to know.

––––––––

CHAPTER EIGHT

WILLIAM

“Y
ou can’t avoid the meeting, Will,” my brother Ben says down the phone.

“I’m fully aware of that, Ben, but I’ve got pressing things that need to be dealt with right now.”

“It’s an hour.”

I sigh, rubbing my temples. “Fine, I’ll head over for an hour.”

“I’ll see you then.”

I press the phone down, and feel my jaw clenching. Ben is the only family that I’ve got who cares enough to constantly check up on me. He works for my father, and I’m the silent partner who does all my work from here. I’m the one he doesn’t want the world to know about. I’m the child he’s
ashamed
of.

I turn to my desk and lift a phone to my ear, dialing George. He answers on the first ring, as he always does.

“Yes, Master?”

“I have to go and meet Ben. I’ll be gone for around an hour and a half. I need you to make sure the girls are all secured in their rooms. They’re not to come out until I return.”

“I can do that, sir.”

“Thank you, George.”

I hang up and stand, pulling on my suit jacket and exiting the room. I got out the back door, and walk around to where my car sits in the garage. I’m not one for having someone drive me places. I don’t trust another person enough to let them risk my life by driving me. I unlock the small Audi and slide into the front seat.

Here goes an hour of my life with a man I despise.

~*~*~*~

T
he meeting is at my father’s business in the middle of the city. It’s a well-established place, and he owns branches throughout the country. I park my car in a reserved spot, and pull on the eye patch I refuse to go in public without. I straighten my shoulders and step out of the car and into the lot. There’s an elevator here that will lead me directly to my father’s receptionist.

The moment I step into the room, she smiles at me. She always does, and I know it’s out of
pity
. People always pity the damaged, but what they don’t understand is that we don’t want their pity, we just want to be treated
normally.
She knows I’m here for my father, so she nods towards his office and murmurs, “They’re waiting for you.”

I jerk my chin in a sharp nod, and walk into the room. The minute I step in, I see Ben standing by the window, puffing on a cigar. He looks over at me, and his eyes brighten, but behind that brightness I can see the pain he always has in his gaze when he looks at me. I know he blames himself for what happened, and I’ve stopped trying to convince him it wasn’t his fault.

His hair is cut fairly short, and curls around his ears. He has light-blue eyes, just like...
mine
. He’s a powerful man, standing at six-foot tall. He’s strong, and well built. He wears a crisp gray suit with a blue tie that brings out the color in his eyes.

I turn to my father, who is glaring at me. He’s aging now, and his once dark hair is silver. His skin is wrinkling, but his eyes are as stark blue as they always were.

The man sitting at the table isn’t someone I’ve seen before. He’s older, with a balding head and square glasses. If his stomach gets any bigger, it’ll pop out of the suit that’s straining to keep it in. He doesn’t even acknowledge my presence; he just stares down at the mass of papers in front of him. Ben walks over, clapping me on the shoulder.

“It’s good to see you, brother.”

I nod at him. “Let’s get this over with.”

“
Stai, Benjamin
,” my father rasps, ordering Ben to sit.