Training the Help [Hedon Falls 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) (20 page)

Sophie ended the call before she heard anything else. At least if she quit, she’d be able to turn in the phone and not worry about hearing from Tony any more. She looked at the clock on the dashboard. It had been over an hour since she’d run out of the house. Would they have had enough time to talk by now? She hoped so. Sophie felt horrible about what had happened and knew it needed to be brought out in the open, but she shouldn’t have to be the one to tell. It was too cold to continue sitting there, so she turned the car on and drove back to the house.

When she arrived, Kendra was in the kitchen. Sophie stole a quick glance before heading for her own room. As she tried to close the door, Kendra appeared before it, her blue eyes electric with anger.

“Let me in.” Sophie gulped. There was no denying that commanding tone. She stepped out of the way and Kendra stomped into the room.

“How could you?” she screamed. “How could you fuck my husband? You’ve been cheated on and you know how it feels, but you went and did it anyway!”

Sophie bowed her head as the tears began to flow. Kendra was right. Sophie
did
know how it felt to be cheated on and she should have worked harder to keep Jack away from her. But her shame was quickly followed by a flash of anger.

“Kendra, I messed up and I know that. But I fucked you, too. How does Jack feel about that?” Sophie shot back at her.

The two women stood glaring at each other. Neither said a word.

At last, Sophie sighed. “I’ll get my stuff together and get out of here in the morning.”

Kendra’s brows furrowed. “What?”

“I’m quitting.”

“You can’t quit!” Kendra’s eyes widened into huge circles. “We still need you here. We’re both leaving tomorrow.”

In all the drama, Sophie had forgotten about their upcoming trips. They were supposed to be away until just before New Year’s Eve. Jack was attempting to buy a small publisher in France, and Kendra had more shooting to do on the soundstage. It wouldn’t do for the house to sit empty for ten days. “Fine,” Sophie said at last. “I’ll stay until you get back, but then you’ll have to find someone else. I can’t stay with you both after…everything.”

“Fine,” Kendra snapped. She whirled around and stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Sophie moved through the rooms on the main floor, not really seeing what she was doing as she dusted. She couldn’t stop thinking about Jack and Kendra, and she hated being so mopey. And it was Christmas Eve. For the first time in her life, the day seemed to hold no meaning for her. She wasn’t with family or friends or anyone she cared about. She was stuck alone in a frigging mansion. In an attempt to keep her mind occupied, she was sticking to her normal routine. Sophie had just begun to dust the formal sitting room when the phone rang. She looked at the display and recognized the number for the security system at the main gate. She answered it.

“I have a delivery for Mr. Sullivan,” said the tinny voice at the other end of the line.

Jack hadn’t mentioned a delivery, but it was probably a Christmas present. The nearest television was at the other end of the house so she couldn’t check the closed-circuit video. She briefly debated asking the man to wait while she checked, but then decided she was being paranoid and pressed the code to open the gate. She hung up the phone and went to the front door to wait. She punched in the alarm code and opened the door. She saw a van winding its way down the drive. It pulled up in front and she saw the driver rummaging around in the back for a moment before he stepped out and made his way toward the door. He held a box in one hand and a clipboard in the other and was dressed in a navy blue uniform with a baseball cap on his head. He was looking down at the clipboard as he made his way up the steps.

“Hi,” Sophie said. “I can sign for that. Mr. Sullivan isn’t here at the moment.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that,” said a familiar voice.

A feeling of dread settled in the pit of Sophie’s stomach as the man finally looked up. It was Tony. She backpedaled, trying to get inside and close the door before he could do anything, but he dropped the box and clipboard and leaped forward to block the door from closing. He pushed his shoulder into it and though Sophie tried to hold him off, he was almost a foot taller and eighty pounds heavier. He easily muscled his way into the house and grabbed Sophie’s arm before she could run. He kicked the door closed behind him and jerked her up against him.

“Merry Christmas, babe. Are you happy to see me?” he asked, bending down to press his lips to hers.

Sophie struggled to turn her head away. His grip on her arm was like a vise, and she knew there would be bruises later. “Let go of me!” she snapped.

He laughed but there was no amusement in his eyes. “I thought you liked it rough.”

“Tony, you need to get out of here. Just go!”

“No, I don’t think so,” he said. “You’re mine, Sophie, and I’m going to show you just what you’ve been missing out on.”

“Fuck you!” she spat.

“Yes, you will,” he said. He seized her hair and pulled it hard so she couldn’t turn her head. Then he kissed her, mashing his lips painfully against hers and attempting to worm his tongue into her mouth. She managed to keep her lips firmly together until he gave her hair a sharp yank and she gasped. He seized the opportunity to push his way between her lips. Sophie could barely breathe and Tony wasn’t relenting at all. But eventually, when she didn’t return his kiss, he lifted his head.

“I see you’re very good at your role playing,” he said. “I know that a big kinkster like Sullivan has a dungeon in this house somewhere. I want you to take me there.”

“No fucking way,” Sophie replied.

He squeezed her arm even harder and it brought tears to her eyes. “I guess you need some convincing,” he said. Without letting go of her, he opened the box he’d set on the floor and pulled out a rope and a knife.

Adrenaline made Sophie’s heart race and her muscles tense. Her stomach hurt, it was so tightly wound. Tony pushed her face-first into the wall and used his weight to hold her there as he released her arm. He wound the rope around her neck and pulled her arms behind her, binding them tightly together. She felt the point of his knife in her side and tried not to breathe too deeply.

“Take me to the playroom, Sophie.” Tony’s voice was low and menacing. “If you try to run, the rope will pull tight around your neck. If you don’t move quickly enough, the knife will start to cut you. Do you understand?”

Panic completely numbed Sophie and all she could do was nod. She started toward the stairs and led Tony upward. She struggled to think of a way out of this, but she was so scared, nothing came to her. When they arrived at the master suite, Tony looked around and whistled.

“Nice place. I can’t wait to see the equipment he has.”

Sophie went to the playroom door and opened it. They never kept it locked anymore. Tony laughed when he saw it. “This place is fucking awesome! We’re going to have so much fun!”

Tears began to roll over Sophie’s face and she trembled violently. Tony shoved her forward to the spanking bench. He ran a hand over it.

“We’ll start here,” he said. “I can’t wait to see that ass in the air for me.” He pushed her up to the bench and knelt down. He grabbed the waistband of her pants and yanked them down, pushing them off her feet. He started to push one of her legs up to the restraint at the bottom and when she resisted, he yanked on the rope around her neck. It bit into the skin and squeezed, forcing a gasp from Sophie. She willingly moved her foot so he could cuff it to the bench. He stood and pushed her torso down so he could cuff her hands on the other side. When she was trapped, he took a step back to admire her.

“Now that’s how I like to see you, Sophie,” he said. He reached out to rub her ass and she jerked at his touch. He slapped her, much harder than Jack or Kendra ever had and it brought a renewed rush of tears. She could hear him moving around behind her and wondered what he was doing. “This looks like fun.” A moment later, she felt a painful sting on her upper thighs. He must have one of the floggers, she thought. He hit her again and again, putting as much force behind each stroke as he could.

Tears fell to the floor and Sophie’s nose ran as she cried. “Tony! Please!” she begged. “Please, stop!” Her pleas were ignored as he flogged her over and over. She was beyond coherent speech and instead just made meaningless, garbled, noises. She could feel a few spots where blood was trickling down her ass and legs.

Sophie was convinced he wouldn’t stop, but at last, he said, “That was fun, but there’s something I want more.” Her relief that the beating was over was quickly replaced by rage and terror when she felt him tugging on her panties. He worked them partway down her legs and then pressed his hand against her pussy.

“Stop it!” she screamed. “Get your fucking hands off me, Tony!”

“I don’t think you really mean that,” Tony said. “You’re just a dirty slut who likes it when a guy takes charge. I’m going to fuck you so hard—”

“Police! Don’t move!” a voice yelled from the doorway.

“What the fuck?” Tony said.

Sophie heard a series of dull thwacks and grunts before the distinctive sound of handcuffs being slid closed. Was someone here? How had they known to come? A face appeared in front of her. It was a man in a policeman’s uniform and Sophie didn’t think she’d ever been so happy to see someone.

“Just hold on a minute, ma’am,” he said as he began to undo the restraints. “I’ll have you off of there in a jiffy.”

Sophie was overwhelmed with emotion and couldn’t do more than nod her head. She felt a blanket being thrown over her and strong hands helping her to stand up and move away from the bench. When she looked around the room, she saw a pair of uniformed security guards and two more policemen. Tony was nowhere in sight. Her shoulders slumped in relief and she couldn’t hold back the sobs.

“It’s all right,” said a soft voice beside her. “He’s gone and won’t hurt you anymore.”

Sophie looked to see a tall woman in a police uniform beside her. She nodded and allowed herself to be led into the bedroom. The officer tried to help her sit, but Sophie was in too much pain, so she rolled onto her side and curled into a ball. The officer crouched at the side of the bed so she could meet Sophie’s eyes.

“I’m Officer Davis,” the woman said. “I’ll be staying with you for a while. The paramedics will be here shortly. Can you tell me your name?”

“Sophie LaPlante,” she whispered.

“Hi, Sophie. I just want to ask a couple of questions. Is that okay?” When Sophie nodded, Officer Davis continued. “Do you live here?”

“I’m the housekeeper,” Sophie said. “Jack and Kendra are away.”

“Okay, Sophie. Do you know the man who was with you?”

Sophie opened her mouth to answer, but the tears overcame her again and she buried her face into the pillow as she sobbed. Officer Davis pressed some tissues into Sophie’s hand and she blew her nose. The policewoman waited patiently until Sophie was ready. “He’s my ex-boyfriend. Tony Dellio.”

“I have to ask, given the nature of the room over there,” Officer Davis said. “Was what you were doing consensual?”

Sophie shook her head emphatically as fresh tears streamed down her face. She looked up as two paramedics entered the room. Officer Davis stood and went to talk to them, their voices too low for Sophie to hear. After a moment, the policewoman returned and said, “We’re going to take you to the hospital to be checked over. Is there anyone you’d like us to call?”

Jack and Kendra were the only people Sophie wanted right now, but they weren’t available. She hardly knew anyone else. But maybe Remy would come? “Can you call Remy? I don’t even know his last name, but he owns the salon beside the aquarium store.”

Officer Davis smiled. “I know exactly who you’re talking about. I’ll do that right away and then I’ll meet you at the hospital.”

* * * *

Jack doodled on the page in front of him, trying to listen to the presentation, but finding it difficult to concentrate. These meetings could be very tedious. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and pulled it out to check the display. Hedon Falls Police? Apprehension settled over him as he quickly stood, murmured an apology, and left the room.

“Jack Sullivan,” he barked into the phone as soon as he was in the hall.

“Mr. Sullivan, I’m Officer Davis, with the Hedon Falls Police Department,” said a woman’s voice. “I’m calling about an incident at your home earlier today.”

“What incident?” Jack’s heart was hammering. Sophie was usually home by herself. What had happened?

“A man forced his way into the house and attacked your housekeeper.”

Jack reeled. He felt as though he’d been kicked in the stomach and he could barely breathe. “Is Sophie okay? Where is she now? How did he get in?”

“The details are still being put together,” the officer replied. “But Sophie is fine. She’s at the hospital here for observation.”

“I’ll be on the next flight out,” Jack said into the phone before hanging up. He stuck his head back into the meeting room for a moment to make his apologies before he headed out of the building and hailed a cab. As the car made its way through the city to the airport, he dialed Kendra’s number. He hoped she would be able to answer, but wasn’t surprised when her voicemail picked up. He left a hurried message saying that Sophie had been hurt and he was heading home.