Her Submission (7 page)

“
We’re going outside,” he informed her. “Just you and me and the woodland creatures. We’re going to pee and then I’ll decide my next move. For your information, we’re in a national forest. Even if you still had your cell phone—I got rid of it—you probably couldn’t get reception here.”

Going by feel, he took hold of her elbows and levered her into a sitting position. Come morning he was going to take a long and lustful look at his latest acquisition, the creature he hadn’t known he was going to grab until he’d seen her.

“
This can go one of two ways. Either I haul you out of here like some misbehaving dog or you take the initiative and get out on your own. Which is it going to be?”

She mumbled something. Even with all his experience dealing with gagged
subjects
he couldn’t make sense of what she was saying.

“
Make up your damn mind,” he grumbled. With every second he was becoming more tired, proof of how much energy he’d expended today and how little he had in reserve.

Instead of trying to answer, she sagged forward. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe she’d surrendered. More likely this was momentary weakness on her part. Sooner or later they’d have the battle royal. He was looking forward to it.

Hell, he’d embrace anything that took him out of himself.

“
I’m not taking your word for it.” He chuckled. “Here’s how it’s going to play out. Slide forward until you reach the end of the tailgate. Once you’re there I’ll help you stand. One wrong move on your part—“ He jerked on the chain. “and you’ll regret it. Understand?”

After a telling moment she nodded.

Instead of ordering her to get moving, he waited to see what she’d do. He sensed more than saw her scoot forward on her buttocks. Twice she lost her balance and fell onto her side. Instead of helping her, he got out as she struggled to upright herself. As soon as she’d righted herself, he
encouraged
her to get going again via the handy chain.

Well-versed in the power of silence, he gave her no warning before wrapping his fingers around her
belt
in front and yanking her the last few inches. When she started to tip forward, he wrapped his arms around her and guided her legs to the ground.

The Carnal manual called for pushing her away as if he wanted nothing to do with being near her. Instead, he kept them close as her young warmth spread through him. He hadn’t held a woman for so long. More to the point, he couldn’t remember the last time one had willingly embraced him.

Get over yourself! You made your bed and know how to lie in it.

Despite his self-anger, he couldn’t help but wonder if she too had needed the contact. For just a second she’d gone all soft and loose.

He’d left the headlights on because his intention had been to walk them into the woods before doing their business, but her being barefoot made him reconsider. Even if his body was up to it, he wasn’t about to carry her.

Dismissing her grunts of pain caused by whatever she was stepping on, he hauled her around to the front of the truck and pointed at the ground. “There’s your bathroom—unless you want to keep on walking.”

Her head went up and she stared at him with huge shocked eyes. Then she looked at the woods and shook her head.

“
I like a woman who can make decisions. Here, I’ll help you.”

Hopefully before she could figure out what he had in mind, he unzipped her shorts and pulled them and her underpants down to her ankles. Her already ragged breathing became more labored, and she turned her head away from him. Before he needed to swat her ass in
encouragement
, she opened her legs as far as she could, thrust her pelvis forward, and squatted. He had to admire her balance. As far as he could tell, she managed to keep urine off her clothes. When, head still averted, she straightened, he pulled her practical panties and well-worn shorts back into place but didn’t bother with the zipper.

Holding tight to the chain, he extracted his cock and covered her urine with his. He wondered if she got the point which was that he was marking his territory.

Determined to continue the lesson, he roughly pulled her back to the truck bed and hoisted her into it via a firmer than necessary hold on her midriff. As she struggled to a sitting position, he painfully climbed in next to her. Darn it, if he hadn’t disabled the canopy’s light he’d be able to study her expression and give her a clear view of what her prison looked like. Again going by feel he refastened the neck chain to the bed wall at her back. Her arms had been behind her for longer than was good for them, but he didn’t want to take any risks until he was sure she was well-restrained.

He had to reach around a little before he found the rope attached to her one ankle, then fumbled a bit more before he located another of the metal fasteners welded to the bed’s side. He threaded the rope through it, tugged it tight, and knotted it. She still had one free leg, but it was on the side opposite of where he crouched.

After shortening the chain until she was off balance and in danger of falling backward, he pulled his knife out of his pocket and cut through the plastic ties around her wrists. He prepared himself for a battle, but she didn’t resist as he pulled her arms in front, positioned the belt so the ring was near her navel, and using another length of rope, tethered her wrists to the ring.

Rocking back on his heels, he kneaded her shoulders and upper arms. “I’m not a complete bastard. In fact by the time I’m done with you, you’re—I was going to say you’re going to worship me, but that’s getting ahead of the game. Here’s the deal. We’re going to stay here for a few hours while I get some sleep. There doesn’t appear to be anyone around for miles so I’m going to take a chance on ungagging you. One unapproved word out of you and you’ll regret it, got it?” He dug his fingers into the hollow above her collarbone.

She screamed into the gag and tried to wrench free. However, all she accomplished was to tip backward until the truck wall stopped her. He left her half sprawled as he unwound the tape by feel. Her hair stuck to it in a million places but finally he got it off.

He placed his hand over her mouth. “Remember what I said, no trying to call for help.”

Her slow nod said two things. One, he could believe her. Two, right now she hated more than feared him. Wondering why her opinion of him mattered, he stroked her lips. She shuddered but didn’t try to bite him.

“
Good response,” he told her. “If you continue to have a measure of self-control, you’ll get through this.”

“
What—what are you going to do to me?” she whispered.

“
That’s for me to know and you to find out.”

“
Why? I haven’t done anything to—“

“
Why? Because you’re a lovely young thing and I make my living off women like you.”

“
No! You can’t—“

“
Yes, I can.” He slid his hands down her arms to her wrists making his point. “I have and I will. End of discussion. Like I said, I need some sleep.” He started working his fingers back up her arms. Then because every moment with a subject should be part of a greater lesson, he cupped his hands around her breasts. Even with her top and bra in the way, he felt her hard nipples.

Several things could cause a woman’s nipples to harden, fear and arousal primary around them. If arousal factored in, that reinforced what he’d sensed about her during their brief discussion of ice cream.

“
Mine,” he told her. “From now on until I’m done with you, these belong to me.”

Chapter five

Kaci felt as if she was falling deeper and deeper into a dark hole. No matter how many times she tried to empty her mind so she could get the rest her body desperately needed, she couldn’t. The man had loosened the awful chain attached to the collar enough that she’d been able to lie down. Her arms didn’t hurt as much as they had when they’d been behind her, but she hated how useless they were. The ankle tie was overkill because without use of her hands she couldn’t possibly unhook herself. He’d thrown most of her clothes into the cab-over which meant what, that he intended to keep her with him indefinitely?

Trapped. Caught. Deep in the mountains she loved. Lost.

The man who’d done this to her—she didn’t want to know his name—had rolled out a sleeping bag and pillow and was stretched out near her. Of course her comfort didn’t matter to him. Maybe he didn’t care whether she lived to see tomorrow.

At least he hadn’t stripped her naked, she repeatedly told herself as cold night air made her shiver even more. Her shorts were still unzipped but at least they were back in place.

He’d touched her breasts.

Damn it, she’d known that sooner or later he’d do what he had so why was the act itself so hard to accept?

Because there wasn’t a thing she could do to stop him.

Tears threatened to break loose. Furious and scared, she fought them. Never, never again would she let anyone, especially herself, see her as weak. If she was going to die, she’d die strong.

She tried to turn onto her side but between the damnable chain and her bent elbows she couldn’t. For the hundredth time, she tested the security of the rope around her wrists. The way he’d tied them reminded her of pictures she’d seen of people wearing straitjackets.

If he’d done that on purpose—

He knew what he was doing. Oh god, he’d singled her out, set his sights on her, watched her, planned his capture.

And now that he had her—

Where was he taking her?

Why?

Not for the first time she chided herself for the stupid question. He intended to hold and repeatedly rape her until…

A tear leaked out from under her closed right eye. Just last night she’d mentally created a vivid fictional scenario of what her life as some all-powerful master’s sex slave would be like. She’d controlled every move and word both of them said and the rich scenes had turned her on as they always did.

What a fool she’d been! Reality was nothing like her sexual fantasies.

#

Kaci jerked awake. She guessed she’d only been asleep for a few minutes but during that time her mind had both cleared out and filled with the thoughts she’d been resisting since the moment he’d taken her. Eyes open and staring at nothing, she forced herself to stay with them.

For years she’d nurtured fantasy visions of herself as a sex slave. She’d chalked her deeply personal obsession up to a number of things including her sadly limited sex life. By light of day, she resisted acknowledging how much the real-as-life scenarios aroused her, but she couldn’t deny that she found them exciting—and far different from how she lived her life.

Years ago the legal system had controlled her every minute, and she’d hated it. Once that awful time was over, she’d vowed to become her own woman, to call the shots and make her own decisions.

During the day she took pride in being able to live by that standard. Nights, however, were different. Something she let run wild.

Just letting off a little emotional steam, she repeatedly told herself. Mentally playing with the absolute opposite of free will as a way of dealing with her past.

The question that had been waiting to break free continued to push at her. Fighting it, she squeezed her eyes shut, but that didn’t help, and after a brief battle she gave in.

What if her captor had somehow seen into her?

What if he knew about where her fantasies took her?

Planned to use them to his advantage.

#

Every muscle in Kaci’s body ached, and her head hurt from the lack of sleep. She was hungry.

By her reckoning, which she didn’t fully trust, her captor and she had been back on the move for a couple of hours. He’d wakened as it was getting light and took her out so she could pee again. At first she’d been determined not to say anything to this creature who treated her like a dog, but her dry mouth had gotten the best of her.

“
I’m thirsty,” she’d said.

“
If you want me to do anything about it,” he’d replied, “you’re going to have to ask.”

“
Please.” Saying the word nearly made her gag. “I’d like a drink.”

It hadn’t been enough. He’d wanted more from her, to take her deeper into submission. Knowing he could and would hold out much longer than she could, she’d begged. Opening her mouth while he held a water bottle to her lips had been horribly demeaning and yet she’d survived. She’d even thanked him without needing to be prompted.

They’d been on a gravel road for several minutes now, and the damn man was making no attempt to dodge pot holes. As a result, she kept bouncing. Her buttocks felt bruised, her back ached from trying to remain in a sitting position, and her tethered leg had cramped. At least, she reluctantly reminded herself, she was no longer thirsty.

When would he give her something to eat?

Maybe he intended to let her starve. Once she was weak enough, he’d exploit her weakness to force her to demean herself even more than she already had.

The canopy had narrow windows on both sides, and she could see evergreens. Shortly after getting underway this morning, the truck had started going downhill. She’d hoped that meant they were leaving the mountains and coming to a more populated area, but then they’d started climbing again. She’d tried to orient herself but couldn’t. They might not even be in the same state as yesterday.

Disappeared.

Gone.

No one who’d care what happened to her.

On the verge of again feeling sorry for herself, she reminded herself that she’d chosen this solitary life. One good thing, if her captor’s intention was to hold her for ransom, he was out of luck. Maybe he’d get tired of having to keep an eye on her and let her go.

No he wouldn’t.

The truck slowed, made a sharp left hand turn and continued. She wanted to it to speed up so they’d come to the end of this nightmare journey. Instead it crawled and bounced, the surrounding trees closing around her. So this was what driving into hell felt like.