The Maestro's Apprentice (16 page)

Autumn knew she was in a bad situation. She tried to keep herself from becoming aroused so she could keep a clear head, but it wasn’t working. The whole thing felt like a game. Francois was just another random man controlling the situation and taking what he wanted from her. She couldn’t convince her body otherwise.

Francois bent his head down to look at her, with a strange little smile around teeth that were almost bared. “Oh, yes,” he breathed as he fucked her. “You’ve been trained for this, trained to fear punishment and to take what vampires want to give you. I may just have to keep you.”

She tried to listen, to gain clues about what he wanted and figure out how to escape, but the warm sensations between her legs were becoming stronger with every thrust. She cried out as he pounded her savagely, partly out of shock and partly from the surprising pleasure building in her body. It wasn’t long before she stopped trying to figure it out, stopped trying to resist what he was forcing her to feel, and simply surrendered once again to the sensation of being taken.

She climaxed painfully, throwing her head back and thrashing beneath Francois, who paused and watched with an amused expression on his face. “Very nice,” he said, when 140

she had finished, and began rocking his hips against her. “How did Claudio do it,
cherie
?

Hmm? Does he still speak softly to his victims to make them think he is seducing them? I don’t need to do that, because I don’t care if you love me. Claudio has such a need to be loved by people he thinks are beneath him. He wants to be a god. I don’t care if you love me or not, so I don’t have to seduce you. I get to just
fuck
you.”

His words made Autumn gasp. She closed her eyes and concentrated on how it felt to be pounded by this strange vampire who had kidnapped her and taken against her will and given her one of the most powerful orgasms of her life, let herself wonder what else he was going to do to her. Would she belong to him now? Would he punish her for whatever it was that Claudio had done to him? The thought made her cringe and tingle at the same time.

Francois pulled out. He watched her intently with a little smile on his face as he rose up on his knees and pumped his erection until he came, spraying his thick juices over her shirt and bare midriff. Autumn swallowed, and kept her eyes on his face. Her fear had returned.

“What are you going to do with me?” she asked.

“I’m going to teach Claudio the consequences of his actions,” Francois replied, dismounting her and accepting a tissue from Josh, who now held the video camera with one hand. “Unfortunately, you are the one who will have to bear the brunt of the lesson.”

He turned to the camera as he cleaned himself. “I hope you enjoy the first of my series,

‘What’s Happening to Autumn?’ Stay tuned for the next episode. It’s going to be even more interesting.” To Josh, he said, “That’s enough for now. I’ll send it to him later tonight.”

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Autumn watched him silently, glad that the orgasm had made her more relaxed and calm.

“And clean up that mess,” Francois said, waving vaguely in Autumn’s direction before heading for the front of the van.

Josh stepped forward and panned the length of her body with the camera, then turned it off and put it in the bucket seat with the leather strap. He tore some paper towels from a roll on the floor and began cleaning her roughly. “He doesn’t want you, you know,” he said. “He’s just doing this to piss off that other guy.”

“I don’t want him to want me,” Autumn whispered.

“Good,” Josh said, tossing the paper towels into a nearby waste can. “He doesn’t even
like
girls.”

“Yes, it’s Francois Villaforte,” Francois said into his cell. “I wanted to let you know I can be there in an hour with the girl. I have tried her and she is very nice. … No, no one can feed from her yet. I’m afraid I will have to insist. I fed heavily from her this morning.

But whoever wants to fuck her is welcome, as long as they don’t mind being recorded. …

We’ll see you then.”

Autumn’s heart began to pound furiously. “What’s he talking about?” she asked Josh.

“There’s going to be a party. Some vampires he knows like to fuck random girls who are brought in for a gang-bang. They’re going to love you, because you’re not exactly willing.”

If she wasn’t willing, Autumn wondered, why did the thought of being thrown to a pack of hungry vampires send tendrils of heat into her tender areas?

“Can I have my jeans back?” she asked.

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“Maybe,” Josh said and put his hand between her legs. She gasped and arched her back. “Francois,” he called. “Can I fuck her?”

“Later,” Francois replied. “At the moment, I want you up here with me. Untie her and tell her yes, she may dress.”

Josh stood and gave her a smirk. “Don’t make any trouble,” he said. “My master will hurt you if you do, believe me.”

Autumn held still as Josh untied her wrists and took the rope with him. When he had joined Francois in the front of the van, she pulled her jeans back on and looked around for her shoes, but couldn’t find them.

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Francois took Autumn to a shotgun house in a row of other shotgun houses. The paint, which had grayed with age, was peeling. The porch sagged. There was a dead tree in the middle of the yard.

He parked in front of the house and turned off the van, then walked to the back, where Autumn had remained. She cringed away from him. He had a hairbrush in his hand. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said, sitting down. “I just want you to look presentable. Now turn around.”

She did as he said, and tried not to listen to her heart pounding as he began to brush her hair, simultaneously smoothing it with his free hand. “What’s going to happen to me?” she asked.

“You’re going to be fucked. Really fucked. Do what you’re told, or I will beat you to within an inch of your life when I get you out of there. Do you understand me?”

Autumn nodded and bowed her head, trying not to tremble and trying not to let his words arouse her. She knew she shouldn’t let herself sink down into this feeling, because then she would lose the will to escape, but she couldn’t help it. It was so warm, and so dark.

When Francois finished with her hair, he stood up and pulled her off the seat, turning her face and scrutinizing her. “It will have to do,” he said, then took her hand and tugged her along behind him. “Come on.”

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She followed meekly, feeling awkward holding his hand, very aware of Josh and his camera bringing up the rear. She tried to hold her broken fly together with her free hand.

Her scalp prickled with fear. She felt cold.

The men sat around the front room watching porn on an old television. There were five of them, all dressed in leather jackets and biker boots. It struck Autumn as odd that there wasn’t a tattoo among them, even though she knew that vampires couldn’t keep tattoos. She didn’t have long to follow that line of thought, however, because one of the men, with a long platinum-colored Mohawk and deep-set eyes, got up and sauntered over to her, chewing a toothpick. The chains on his clothing rattled as he moved.

Autumn shrank away.

“What, is this one a virgin?” the man asked.

“Not by a long shot,” Francois said.

“Hm. Too bad,” the vampire said and tossed the toothpick on the floor. He grabbed the hem of Autumn’s T-shirt and started to pull it over her head. It was too much for her.

She pulled away. Several of the men stirred in their seats, but all deferred to a tall, strange-looking man with long dark hair. By the time he reached her, however, Mohawk had forced the shirt over her head. The tall man pressed himself against her from behind as Mohawk sucked on her nipples, grazing her flesh with the points of his fangs from time to time.

Autumn’s body trembled all over in fear and desire.

“That’s it,” the man behind her said. His voice was deep, and vibrated into her body as he spoke. She leaned into him, partly because his holding made her feel anchored, and 145

partly because the man in front of her was so very aggressive. She cried out and flailed in panic as he pulled her broken jeans over her hips.

The man behind her held her tighter. “Shh…” he said. “Easy.”

He lifted her a little when the other man had her jeans below her knees, and took her feet off the ground so Mohawk guy could remove the jeans from her body. He put his arms around her as she looked around at the others.

Mohawk guy kicked an ottoman into the middle of the room. “I get her first,” he said.

“Of course,” the tall one replied, relinquishing his hold when the other man pulled her away by the upper arms. Mohawk guy took her and bent her over the ottoman. There was snickering among the three men still seated. One guy made a show of rubbing his crotch when she looked over at him. He made a biting gesture at her, showing his fangs.

Francois took a seat on the couch next to one of the men while Josh positioned himself in front of Autumn just as the Mohawk guy shoved his cock into Autumn from behind. It was sudden and it hurt. She made a face and cried out a little, looking into the camera, wondering if Adam and Maria—and Claudio—realized she was missing.

“Oh, fuck me! Fuck
me!
” the Mohawk guy said, thrusting harder. Autumn grasped the edge of the ottoman and tried not to look around. She didn’t know what to think or what to feel. She knew she should be very alarmed, and she was. At the same time, it seemed natural that she should be here, cringing in front of six frightening vampire men, waiting for them to sink their cocks and their fangs into her.

“Fuck her,” someone growled, low in his throat.

Mohawk guy grabbed her hair and pulled back her head, slapping his balls against her and groaning. She wanted to close her eyes, but she couldn’t. There were three men who 146

hadn’t yet made a move toward her—one with a long, chiseled face and large nose, who had his dark hair in messy spikes and looked to be in his mid- to late twenties; another who looked to be the same age, with reddish hair way below his shoulders, who kept leaning in to whisper to the first, making him laugh; and still another with dark blond curls, who kept his eyes on Autumn and didn’t move or speak.

“Yes! Yes!” the man growled as he fucked her deeply, pressing her hips against the ottoman, pulling back hard on her hair and making her screw up her face.

“Give it to her, Manny,” the red-haired man said. “I want to see her scream in ecstasy.”

The guy with spiked hair pressed his forehead against his hand and shook his head, trying not to laugh.

Autumn wasn’t sure if they were laughing at her. They had every right, she supposed.

How had she gotten herself into this?

Manny the Mohawk guy tensed and pulled back so hard she had to straighten her arms and push herself up. She cried out, but doubted that was what the other vampire had meant. The next moment, as if reading her mind, he seemed to agree.

“No, no, no. Let me show you how it’s done,” he said, getting up.

Manny pulled out of her and returned to his chair to collapse, shiny with sweat, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket to clean his cock. Autumn slid back on her haunches and looked up at the red-haired man, who had taken off his jacket and wore a tight-fitting gray sweater. All traces of mirth had gone from his face as he approached gracefully, lowering himself on his haunches across the ottoman from her. She watched him curiously as he touched her cheek with the backs of his fingers.

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“How are you doing, sweetheart?” he asked. “Are you doing okay?”

She nodded, because she suspected that was what he wanted.

“Give me your hand,” he said softly.

Autumn found the sound of his voice, and the way he held her gaze, mesmerizing.

She put her hand in his and stood when he indicated subtly with his touch that it was what he wanted her to do. He pulled her to him. “You’re so beautiful,” he said. “Will someone move that thing out of the way?”

His friend with spiked hair obliged, and he lay Autumn down on the floor. She didn’t mind being naked for him. His voice was so calming, she forgot they were surrounded by a roomful of men and that one of them had a video camera.

He lay on top of her and brushed his lips over her face, letting his hair curtain around her. “So beautiful.” he murmured.

“Oh come on, Tee,” Manny said. “Cut the romantic bullshit and just fuck her already.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Tee said, before raising his head. “I’ll fuck you, if that’s what you want, Manny.”

“Fucking Christ on a stick,” Manny murmured, and got up. “I’m getting a beer.”

Tee looked back down at her and put his hand on her breast, teasing the nipple with his long fingers, then moving his hand down her body, teasing the folds of skin between her legs. “You like that?” he asked.

Autumn nodded, partly because it was true and partly because she wanted to make this beautiful vampire happy. He played with her for a while, then opened his pants, 148

making the chains there jingle. He parted his lips as he became excited, rubbing the slick head of his erection against her, making her wetter.

“Easy,” he said, sliding it in, stretching her.

His body undulated against hers as he fucked her, in and up against her clit, tightening and releasing until she couldn’t help but raise her hips to him. “I wish I could taste you,” he said. “I want to taste you.”

He flicked his tongue against her neck. She wanted him to sink his fangs into her, but knew she had been tapped enough by Francois, and was afraid of passing out again, or worse. So she raised her head to watch the vampire’s pale hips rock as he took her, studied his face as he closed his eyes and moaned in climax, felt him throb between her legs and release his juices into her.

When it was over, he opened his eyes and smiled, then dipped his head and kissed her, before standing up. His friend threw a towel at her. “Clean him off,” he told her.

Autumn looked around, wondering what was expected of her. Tee smiled at his friend. The quiet man with blond curls sighed and rolled his eyes. The tall man with long hair who had first approached her stood nearby with his feet apart and hands clasped in front of him. Francois leaned against the door frame and smirked. Manny stood in the other doorway and pulled on his Mohawk with one hand, while holding a can of Pabst in the other.