Protected (20 page)

I
am laying watching him, my breathing erratic as I try to come to terms with
what I’ve just done.  Luke pulls out of me, his eyes regarding me as if I
am going to run, but he needn’t have bothered.  It’s too late, I’ve given
up.

‘You
okay?’ He checks, leaning over to a box of tissues on the side table and begins
to clean me up.

‘I
want more,’ I announce, anything other than sitting waiting to die.

He
halts for a moment, before helping me up.  ‘You want to fuck, more?’ He
asks, his face showing confusion.

‘Yeah,’
I pull the straps of my dress up, ‘you up for it?’  My voice doesn’t sound
my own, but it sounds strong. 

‘Fucking
right I’m up for it,’ he smiles, tucking his flagging erection back inside his
trousers.  ‘But in my bed,’ he turns, I follow.  ‘And this time, I’m
in control,’ his voice holds an edge that immediately has me wet.

‘You
have handcuffs?’ I query.

‘You
have no idea,’ he laughs, but not the good laugh of earlier, a laugh that
suggests I have bitten off way more than I can chew.

It
lasts hours, and I enjoy every second of it. It’s like pleasurable punishment.  Luke
ties my hands to his huge bed, then he ties my legs, wide open.  His
tongue and mouth suck and lick me into submission before he releases my legs
and flips me over, pulls me up onto my knees and fucks me from behind.  I
come over and over before falling into an exhaustive slumber. 

I
have detached from my body; this is happening to someone else. 

I
wake to an empty bed, I visit the bathroom and mechanically shower, wash my
hair and brush my teeth using Luke’s toothbrush.  Wrapping a robe around
me I re-enter the bedroom, and he is there, dressed in trousers and a shirt
with the sleeves rolled up.  His face is hard and measuring as I walk up
to him as he leans against the chest of drawers.

‘Everything
okay?’ I question him softly, worried whether I had done something wrong. 
Did he not enjoy fucking me, does he want me gone?  I don’t mean sending
me back to Nate, that would be heavenly, I mean discarded.

‘I
don’t know Sophie, is everything okay?’ He probes, his perceptive gaze burning
into mine.

‘What
do you mean?’ I stand before him, my hair wet from the shower and wait for his
reply my body tense.

‘You
fucking me like there is no tomorrow, what’s your angle?’ He queries,
accusingly.

I
frown, ‘no angle, I thought you enjoyed it? Besides, who of us know if there is
a tomorrow,’ I laugh, ironically.

‘And
your detective?’ he raises an eyebrow, waiting for my reaction, ‘who you claim
to love?’

‘Isn’t
here,’ I announce, coldly, ignoring the hot searing pain through my chest.

He
watches me, his grey eyes moving over my blank features.  ‘You’re mine
now, he is history,’ he proclaims, calmly.

Inside
my head I am screaming, outwardly I murmur, ‘I’m yours, you let him live his
life?’

He
nods, ‘agreed. Now, I want to fuck your mouth,’ he expresses.

I force
a smile, drop to my knees and oblige.  I pull out the thick cock already
hard for me and lick up the length. I circle the head with my tongue before
sucking him in deep.  I moisten the length as much as I can and drop my
hands.  ‘Go for it!’

He
smiles cruelly, fists my hair and fucks me slowly, inch by inch until he fits
almost the whole length in my throat. ‘Take the robe off, take care of yourself,’
he demands as he continues to fuck me, his eyes cold and hard, but filled with
a need that I know is me.
  I drop the robe and
play with my clit, stroking across the wetness until he pumps a mouthful of
come into my mouth with a growl.  I suck up what I can, ‘swallow it,’ he
commands, as I lap up all the juices. 

He
then lays me on the bed and kisses me deep, as he did last night, consuming me
before moving down my body biting a trail down to my sex.  When I come around
his tongue, he strips off and reaches in his bedside cabinet, lubes me up and
fucks my arse, hard. 

And
this has become my life.

********

It
is now two weeks later, after the third day, I stopped asking.  I stopped
enquiring about the money. I stopped my brain from going to Nate.  Luke was
never going to let me go; he never anticipated having to let me go.  I was
his; he has claimed me. 

I
slept in his bed every night where he fucked me into submission.  He
showed me no love or tenderness, which was fine by me, I loved Nate, I couldn’t
love Luke. If I could keep him interested, I would stay alive, and more
importantly so would Nate and his family. 

I
knew the second night when he told me he was in negotiation with my dad that it
was pointless.  Luke wouldn’t negotiate with my dad, he would take what he
wanted and kill him if necessary.  He certainly wouldn’t be told what to
do, especially by an old man.  I had no doubt he had the money, he also
wanted me.  I gave him me, well as much of it as I could give.  The
rest was hidden somewhere not even I could find.

I wake
and turn to face Luke, allowing my eyes to roam over his features, he was a
good looking man, and his bedroom skills knew no bounds.  He could have me
coming in about twenty seconds flat.  I knew it was the desire to survive
that had me obeying his every demand.

His
eyes flickered open, and his hand moved to stroke my face.  He was in a
good mood that was always a bonus in my eyes. 

‘Hey!’
I smile, softly.

‘Hey,
beautiful,’ he brings me to him by way of a hand at my nape and kisses me
softly.  ‘I thought I’d take you to work with me today,’ he declares.

‘Okay,’
I smile, ‘it would be good to get out of this place for a while.’

‘You
don’t like the house?’ He questions.

‘I
like it fine, it would be nice to have a change of scenery,’ I explain. 

Luke
nods.  ‘Then, it’s bring your woman to work day,’ he smiles,
bringing me over his body to lay on top of him.  ‘First, sit on my face,’
he instructs.  ‘I want to taste your pussy.’

********

I
don’t know what to expect spending the day with Luke.  He tells me to
dress up and wear no underwear.  I dress up and wear no underwear. 

His
hand holds mine as we enter into an office block, not dissimilar to the one
that we first met.  I ignore the stares I get from men and women alike and
zone out completely, concentrating only on Luke.

I stand
by the window in the office, looking out onto Denver, and my mind is dead. I no
longer marvel at the stunning skyline against the backdrop of the Rocky
Mountains.  Nothing means anything to me any longer.  I refuse to let
my mind wander to Nate, Krystal or anything from my former life.  There is
little point. I was never going to see it again.

I
hear Luke’s voice rise and stiffen before turning, ‘you think you can have one
over on me you sniffling little Tosser, you can think again,’ he growls into
the face of an incredibly frightened man, his shivering body pale and sickly.

‘I’m
sorry Mr. Ericson, I need another couple of days,’ he blubbered.  Dread
fills my gut.  I know this isn’t going to go well.

‘You
think I am a charity?’ His voice is cold, and I could only imagine what that
meant.

‘No,
Mr. Ericson, of course not,’ he attempted to talk his way out of it.

‘Shoot
his leg,’ Luke instructs Robson. 

Robson
casually pulls out a gun from a holster under his jacket and shoots
the poor guy's kneecap, right in front of me. My body tightens at the piercing
sound that omits from the man now writhing on the floor in agony, squirming in
his own blood. I show no outward signs of care.  I am getting better and
better at hiding my emotions, my moods, if he read my mind he would kill me on
the spot.  So, I have trained my facial expression to remain blank,
impassive.

Luke
glances over to me, ‘come here, baby,’ he calls.  I mindlessly walk over
to him, ‘take him outside, give me the room,’ he tells the suits.

Everyone
leaves, I stand in front of Luke who is observing me intently. ‘Sorry you had
to see that,’ he doesn’t look in the least bit sorry.  He pulls me to the
edge of the desk, where I sit opposite him in the leather chair.  ‘You
okay?’

‘Yeah,’
I update him, with a small smile.

He
pushes my legs apart, exposing my sex to his eyes and I know this is why no
underwear.  His fingers move up and run along the already glistening lips
of my core, his thumb brushing my clitoris.  It’s as if my body has a mind
of its own; it likes that it doesn’t have to think about the wrongs and rights
of how it feels.   

‘Sit
on my cock,’ he unclasps his trousers and brings out his steel-like erection
fisting it up and down in long strokes. 

I
move over him and lift my dress enough so that I can sit on his dick and work
him over. Our lips clash, and I fuck him hard. Halfway through, someone enters
the room, I ignore them and continue to fuck him, even when he shouts at them
to get out. I am not here; I have finally detached to enable me to
function.  I come hard, at the moment he demands before he pours himself
into me, then with a kiss, he cleans us both up and lets me up.

********

From
that moment onwards, Luke takes me everywhere with him.  Easy access, I
never wear underwear, and he buys me a whole heap of expensive dresses to wear
when we visit various offices throughout the week.  We never seem to visit
the same office twice, which is probably why he never gets caught. 

I
never see any drugs, I only ever witness briefcases, holdalls and sometimes
suitcases being exchanged.  When he gets paid, he fucks me sweeter,
usually over the desk.  When there're only excuses, he fucks me hard,
sometimes twice, while his men stand guard outside.  They know what’s
going on, everyone does.  When he has finished with me, he always cleans
me up, kisses me hard and we walk out hand in hand.

The
one thing I did notice on that first day of joining Luke to work, he didn’t
both blindfolding me on the way back to his house. 

Confirmation
that I was ever going to get out alive.

********

NATE

‘What
the fuck do you mean she went willingly?’ He couldn’t take any more of
this.  It had been ten weeks, twelve you count the time she was in
England, since he held her, loved her.  He’d woken up in the hospital with
a cut head and a concussion and immediately discharged himself to track down
his woman. 

‘I
saw it for myself brother,’ Kyle attempts to put some soft into his voice, but
the truth was his brother’s woman had switched teams.

‘Tell
me what exactly you saw?’ Nate instructs.

‘They
drove up in the customary black SUV and he gets out with her on his arm. 
She’s dressed up to the nines, fucking fantastic legs up to her shoulders,
man.’

‘Get
the fuck on with it, Kyle,’ Nate growls.

‘Sorry
man, but he kisses her deep, grabs her hand, and they enter the building. 
Spoke to one of the security guys who reckons when the deal’s sealed everyone
leaves the room while he fucks her.’

Nate’s
gut tightens, and he fights against the nausea that rises in his throat. 

‘I’m
telling you, brother, this isn’t my Sophie,’ his voice is weak, he feels like
he’s going to vomit.

‘I’m
only telling you what I saw, Nate,’ his brother calls gently.

‘We
need to get her out,’ Nate’s voice strengthens.  ‘The guys got a hold of
her, her dad paid the debt the day after she was taken; there’s something else
we are missing.’

‘She’s
never on her own, Nate, and I mean never.  There’s no way to get to her
other than to go in all guns blazing and I have to tell you, man, he has an
army of army around him.  All veterans, protecting him twenty-four seven.’

‘What
do you expect me to do, Kyle. I love her; she loves me,’ Nate whispers, ‘she
needs me.’

‘Let
me make some calls,’ Kyle suggests. 

Nate
disconnects the call and sits in his loft surrounded by her boxes from
England.  He is waiting for her to come home to unpack and make all the
changes that they had discussed on the phone. 

The
whole of Krystal, and a lot of Denver police department were out looking for
her, well they had been in the early days, not so much now.  There had
been a couple of recent sightings of her that suggest she is where she is
because she wants to be.  Therefore, people stopped looking and started
giving him a pitying look that suggested she had left him for someone
else. 

He
had managed to convince his brother to take on the investigation as soon as he
had arrived back from Iraq two months ago.  Kyle had immediately sprung
into action.  Nate had to face facts, it now looked as if they had all
been right, she had shacked up with Lucas Ericson, well known in the drugs
world, one of the top dogs in fact. 

Ellie,
she is the only one that believes him when he swears Sophie is wherever she is
because someone is holding her there.  Ellie knew how much Sophie loved
him.

Shauna
had arrived, with her baby in tow, a week after Sophie had vanished and stayed
for two weeks, also out of her wits mind as to the whereabouts of her best
friend.  Nate had given her the loft to stay in and stayed at a hotel, not
wanting to sleep in the bed until Sophie came home.  But when Shauna’s
husband had demanded she go home, Nate had to come to terms with the fact that
Sophie may never return and reluctantly slept in the bed alone.

He
had to see for himself, had to try to resolve things in his mind and then, if
necessary, he needed to move on.  How he was going to do that, he had no
idea, but he had to try for the sake of his sanity.

********

Sophie

It
was a rare evening trip out and Luke insisted we make the most of by enjoying a
meal in one of his favourite restaurants.  I dressed in one of my new outfits
and took extra time to do my hair and make-up. My hair was growing
rapidly.  Luke had brought someone around the house to give it a trim, but
informed me we were growing it longer.  The hairdresser trimmed the back
and sides, leaving the front to grow down.  I didn’t have an opinion on
the matter. 

We
first dealt with business, which thankfully was successful, so I got sweet Luke
who let me straddle him and fuck him, for a change.  Then we made our way
to eat.  We stepped out at the infamous restaurant in the heart of Denver
City.  I halt my mind from wandering to the memories of me and Nate’s
various walks around the region and step up to the marbled floor of the
reception area.  I stand by while Luke confirms the reservation and the
hostess guide us to the table.  The suits are at various stations around
the restaurant, I know this without being told, we don’t go anywhere on our
own.

We
sit at a table, in the corner of the room, where Luke sits to face the
restaurant.  After ordering for me, he takes my hand and evaluates my expression.

‘You
okay, baby?’ He asks softly, his handsome smile pointed in my direction.

‘Fine,’
I smile, encouragingly. 

‘You
look beautiful,’ he breathes, his eyes gazing with wonder. He is into me, I
know this, I have always known this, I also know it’s the only reason I’m still
alive.

‘Thank
you, Luke,’ I give him my shy smile, knowing he can’t resist it and watch as
his eyes flare, his hand brings mine to his lips, and he kisses my knuckles.

I
drink my wine, eager to feel the buzz through my body.  I am tired, my
body is exhausted, I am a sex toy, pure and simple.  Sometimes I wake up
and wish that I’d taken the other option, death.  At least it would be
quick, this way I feel as if I am dying slowly, day by day.

Between
the main course and desert, I excuse myself to go to the bathroom.  I
watch Luke lift his eyebrows to one of his suits, but I ignore it and follow the
signs for the restrooms.

It’s
as I leave the stall, to wash my hands that I see the illusion leaning back
against the sink, his cautious eyes on mine.  I stand, enjoying the view,
refreshing my memory of him for later.  I need more pictures of him in my mind
because every time I fuck Luke, in my mind, I am fucking Nate.   

Luke
has started to improvise, using riding crops and butt plugs, they always make
me come hard.  I love the punishment; I deserve the punishment, but I
don’t know how long I can keep him satisfied.

‘Sophie,’
he speaks.  I just stare into his eyes wishing I was back in Krystal
before all the dramas began.  ‘Sophie, say something,’ he urges, softly,
his glorious blue eyes round with what looks like distress.

‘I
wish you were truly here, Nate,’ I whisper, trancelike.

He
steps forwards, ‘I am here, babe,’ he whispers back, his fingers brushing down
my bare arm.

His
touch wakes me from my delirium, I jump, my body instantly beginning to tremble. 
‘You can’t be here, he’ll kill you,’ I whisper, turning my head from left to
right panicking.

‘Calm
down,’ he hushes me.

‘No,
you don’t understand,’ a feral sound omits from my throat.  ‘Go, Nate,
please, he’ll kill you, he sees me with you. Please, if you ever loved me, just
go!’

A
knock on the door reminds me of how quickly things could escalate, ‘Miss
Parker, everything okay?’ Robson.

‘Just
coming!’ I force the words out.  ‘Forget me,’ I whisper to Nate, ‘for your
own good.’

His
face is pale, his eyes round with an emotion I can’t decipher. 

But,
what I do know is that the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life is
leave Nathan Austin in the restroom, along with my heart and soul.

********

NATE

‘She’s
absolutely petrified of him,’ he tells his brother, running his hands through
his hair, tiredly.  He hadn’t been able to sleep since witnessing that
haunted look on his woman’s face.  ‘She said if he saw me he would kill
me, her eyes are dead, and she is far from happy.’

‘Maybe
it was just a turn of phrase, he’ll kill you, like a jealous man’s response to
finding his woman in another man’s bed.’ Kyle pales, ‘sorry brother, I didn’t
mean you and ….’

‘Forget
it,’ Nate calls, distractedly, knowing he is referring to his ex-wife, Cary. 

‘Tell
me what I can do Nate, I trust your instincts man, but maybe we need to get the
sheriff involved?’

‘Keep
tailing her, I need to see her again, try to convince her to leave him,’ Nate
suggests, ‘meanwhile, I’ll speak to my boss and see if we can do anything from
a legal point of view.’

‘Nate,
man, you considered she might not want to leave him?’ His brother asks, gently.

‘Not
now I’ve seen her, she is doing this to keep me safe,’ he asserts, ‘she has
given up her life for mine.’ 

‘Okay,
I’m going to put the feelers out to my army pals, see if anyone knows anything,’
Kyle promises.

********

KYLE

‘Hey
man,’ Kyle Austin shakes the hand of the dark haired, thick built man sitting
at the bar. 

‘Austin,
good to see you man,’ Troy Kane, pumps the hand of his fellow veteran.

They
chat good-naturedly about their time in the armed forces over a beer before
Kyle gets to the point.  ‘Got a problem, man,’ he watches as Kane’s face
goes blank.

‘As
long as it’s not to do with my current employer, we are good, fella,’ Kane
responds, plainly picking up the vibes.

‘Come
on man, you have to know what he is doing to that woman is wrong,’ his blue
eyes fall on the broad-shouldered soldier.  ‘That’s someone’s daughter,
Kane.’

‘Not
my business,’ he tips his glass back, emptying the amber liquid into his throat.

‘You
know that my brother’s in love with her?’ Kyle probes.

Kane
double takes a look, ‘your brother is her detective?’ This was evidently news
to him.

Kyle
nods, ‘yeah, he’s cut up Kane, refuses to move on.’

Kane
shakes his head in a warning, ‘tell him to move on, Austin.  Seriously,
man, the guy has got it bad, absolutely idolizes her.  Never seen it
before, normally he fucks them a few times and leaves them wanting more,’ he
signals to the barman for another two beers.  ‘He’s never going to let her
go, fella.  Takes her everywhere with him, can’t bear it when she leaves
the room.’

Kyle
blows out a deep breath, ‘he’s not going to like that,’ he knows his brother is
relentless, he has also never seen him so infatuated with a woman, not even his
wife.

‘Like
it or not, he starts interfering, he’s history, man.  Know he’s your
brother and all, but he will as soon as put a bullet in his brain he even looks
in her direction.’

Kyle’s
stomach twists as he nods, ‘cheers,’ he picks up the bottle of beer and swigs a
mouthful. ‘What she like with him?’ He asks, curiously.

He
shrugs, ‘gives him what he wants, whenever he wants.  A stunning woman,’
he adds, before he expels a breath, ‘between you and me, man,’ he shakes his
head, ‘I’ve watched, I’m her protection, she is slowly losing all that made her
what she is.  All her spunk is slowly dying off; she is becoming compliant
to his demands. She loses her sparkle, not sure what her prospects are. You
tell your brother, he values his life, back off man.’

‘She
free to walk away?’ Kyle checks.

‘Is
she fuck!’ he scoffs.  ‘She was initially on his hit list, she knows that. 
She walked in looking as she does, gave him a bit of soft, he instantly fell
for her.  She never stood a chance. Thought he’d fuck her and get rid,
can’t seem to get enough of her,’ he turns to face Kyle.  ‘Fucks her
everywhere and anywhere, man.  Found myself a woman like that, I’d worship
the fucking ground she walked on.’

‘Thanks,
man, for giving me this,’ Kyle nods. 

‘No
comeback, Austin,’ Kane reminds him.

‘Goes
without saying. Got to tell you man, I’m apprehensive, my brother worships the
ground she walks on,’ he eyes his pal.

‘Won’t
end well,’ Kane shakes his head.

‘How
you get mixed up with the likes of him, fella?’ As disrespectable as it sounds,
Kyle knows that Kane is better than protection for some high-class drug king.

Kane
just eyes him, ‘leave it, man.’

‘Starting
up my own business, now I’m back, you want in you let me know,’ Kyle offers.

‘What
you doing, security?’ He probes, his interest piqued.

‘With
a bit of PI work thrown in, could do with your expertise man, get you out of
all that angst.’ He tempts.

‘Not
sure how easy it would be to get out of my current situation,’ he frowns. 
It's then that he realises, they were all prisoners, every single one of them.

********