Madeleine Abducted (3 page)

“ …
but
maybe, it will help you to
know this sooner, rather than later. You are a slave. You caught the attention
of the man to whom you now belong. You are to do as you are told
without
asking questions and you are to
follow instructions
exactly
as they
are given. Obedience is paramount from this point further. Any infraction on
your part will provoke dire circumstances. Do you understand?”

She was able to nod her head in response, even though the
rest of her was paralyzed by the realization that she was now a missing person.
She’d seen notices about them all the time: on the news, in the paper, on the
internet
, and on those flyers she received in the mail. Never
had she imagined she would become that random face plastered across the media. Those
things always happened to someone else; someone less careful than her; someone less
scared of life outside.

The man must have been satisfied with her silence because he
turned and moved swiftly to the door, dragging her along as he walked. The door
swung open and she was momentarily blinded as he dragged her out from the darkness
and into the light.

The girl looked like shit and
Xander
was instantly pissed that she would need to be cleaned up before she could be
presented
. Her skin was literally blue
from having been sprayed down in that meat locker they called a room. He felt
sorry for her as he watched her feet trip over
themselves
,
desperately attempting to match his pace. He wanted to be kind and slow down to
accommodate her weakened condition, but his kindness would only work against
her in the end. She needed to learn now that she was no longer a free person,
and that she should no longer expect compassion or understanding from any of
her
superiors
.

Xander
knew Aaron wasn’t going to
be pleased with this turn of events and he was not looking forward to Aaron’s
reaction when his new slave was discovered. If Aaron were to have his way, his
birthday would have been forgotten. He would have been left alone to tend to
his own interests. Unfortunately, his father, Joseph Carmichael — also
known as the head of this Estate — was a cruel bastard and had learned to
take anything of enjoyment to Aaron and turn it into something dark and
disturbing. It was a subtle manipulation tactic on his part, and Aaron was
powerless to fight against it while his father still held the reigns.

Xander’s
eyes couldn’t help but
take in the small girl walking ahead of him. He inwardly chuckled at the irony
that such a little person would have absolute mastery over an instrument that
was damn near the same size as her. Unfortunately, it was that very same talent
that caught Aaron’s attention.
Xander
had to admit, Cricket
was beautiful. Even with her small stature, her body was a sight to behold with
the perfectly proportioned curves of her chest and her ass. If a man had to
have a slave, she was definitely not one to be passed up. Regardless, he
worried for her. Even though Aaron never intended to enslave her, he wouldn’t
exactly be the type to set her free. No concessions would be given to this
little beauty and he knew Aaron would not stand for any questions or rebellion
on her part. Aaron was a good man, but lacked the patience it required to train
a decent slave. Believing that Cricket would, most likely, be passed to him for
training, he decided to pity her this one time and prepare her for what was to
come.

He pulled her petite body close to his and leaned down so
that he could whisper to her as they walked. His gait was made awkward by the
position he was forced to take because he practically had to bend in half to
reach his mouth to her ear. “You are going to be cleaned up very shortly. You
do not want to struggle against it or display any modesty by attempting to
cover yourself. There will be several large men in the room who would be
perfectly willing to correct you for any acts of disobedience.”

Her tiny frame trembled violently and she reminded him of an
excitable Chihuahua. Except for the trembling, she remained still as he spoke
to her.
Xander
was impressed that she hadn’t yet
broken down into absolute hysterics. Typically by the time a woman had been
made aware of her fate in this place, it was a matter of seconds before the
true histrionics began. The fact that she wasn’t throwing herself on the ground
in a fit of self-pity made him think that there might be more strength to the
little sprite than he believed.

Leaning down to speak to her again, she turned suddenly,
looking him dead in the eye.
Xander
was instantly
struck by the dark blue hue of her gaze. Almost a cobalt color, yet there were
tiny specks of a lighter color that resembled starbursts. The light hit her
eyes in such a way that he was reminded of the way the sun reflects off of
turbulent water; blinding and beautiful one second, gone the next. Her gaze was
so disconcerting in its depth, it seemed like she was looking beyond his
physical eyes into something much more private and personal. He shook himself
of that thought and held her stare as he gave his final instruction: “Do NOT
fight against them, Cricket. They will not redirect with words. They prefer a
more …
physical
… approach.” Another
tremble, and it was time to push through those doors.

Xander
led
Maddy
into the dressing room that had been designated for her. In order to keep her
presentable for Aaron, he’d requested that only other slaves or he be the ones
to handle her. He noticed that her cheek was already marked from her run in
with Marcus and he was going to be sure to speak with Aaron about Marcus’
inability to follow strict orders. Even though he was nothing more than a
bodyguard and henchman to Aaron, he still carried weight in the Estate due to
his closeness to the second in command. Mr. Carmichael and Aaron may run the Estate
and businesses, but
Xander
was one of the best when
it came to the rest of the underlings, and he wasn’t about to put up with
Marcus’ transgression.

As soon as
Maddy
passed through
the double doors, she froze at the sight of the other slaves and their guards. Her
sudden stop was unexpected and
Xander
almost knocked
her over when he collided with her back. He knew she was scared and didn’t like
to speak much, but was a warning too much to ask? Stepping around her, he
continued dragging her to the open shower in the room. He looked down at one of
the nameless slaves and ordered, “She is to be cleaned up with warm water. We
can’t exactly gift wrap a
smurf
and expect Aaron to be happy.”

The little blonde slave followed his instruction without
question, taking
Maddy
from his arm. When
Maddy
resisted,
Xander
stepped
toward her to redirect her behavior, but stopped when he saw her shoulders drop
in defeat while she held her chin up in silent defiance. He was instantly
intrigued by her actions and considered her fate to be a waste of such an
interesting person. Talented, beautiful
and
the inner-strength of a champion; it was a shame to have to break her down
further. It was obvious that she was not the type to stand naked in front of a
group of men and women, yet she did so without so much as flinching. She had
the instincts of a survivor.

Once she was cleaned and her skin had taken on a pinkish
color, she was removed from the water and
set aside to be
dried and
prepared.
Xander’s
eyes wandered
over her ample breasts and perfectly flat stomach. Her waist looked cinched in
comparison to the well-rounded curves of her hips; his dick twitched at the
sight of her. When they dried her and began applying scented oils to her skin, he
had to look away so as to avoid any embarrassment from his body’s reaction. He
couldn’t help it. He was a man and before him stood one of the most beautiful
women he’d ever seen. The only problem being that she was Aaron’s and he
couldn’t act on the overwhelming urge he had to throw her down and claim that
tiny body for himself.

Once
Maddy
was oiled and
Xander
felt like he had regained control over his manhood,
he turned back to monitor their progress. Her eyes were trained to the floor,
but within seconds they suddenly shot up to him. There was no fight in her
stare; she appeared to have already accepted her fate and he didn’t know if he
was heartbroken over how easily that had occurred, or relieved to know she
wouldn’t endure as many beatings in her training. Her eyes silently pleaded
with his, but not for release or mercy; no, she pleaded with him to maintain
their connection, almost as if she was looking at him as a distraction from the
other people in the room.

Very
Interesting.

It seemed as if he’d somehow earned a small token of trust
from her.
Xander
decided to grant her the comfort to
which she was attaching herself, but eventually she would need to learn that
eye contact was only permissible when requested. However, if it kept her calm
for now, he was willing to condone it. The poor thing was about to be shoved into
a box; it was best to keep her pliable until it was time for her to be degraded
even further.

“Now, Cricket, you need to remember that you are a gift to
someone very special and if you were to ruin the surprise by moving or making noise,
I’m positive you would not like the results. Your arms and legs will be bound
and you will be in a tight space. You are to remain perfectly still and
perfectly quiet and it will all be over with before you know it. Understand?”

Her eyes continued to hold his as he spoke. He expected her
eyes to narrow, her eyebrows to furrow, or to see even a small spark of rage
develop in her stare — some kind of response to his instructions —
but there was nothing. She simply put her hands behind her back, waiting to be
bound. The position caused her bare chest to pop out and he groaned as his
pants tightened again. He couldn’t watch as they bound her and placed her in
the cardboard container, so he simply turned and walked to the door. Once it
was stated that she was ready to be moved, his arm went up against the door and
he pushed his way out into the hallway.

It was a simple sequence of events that led to the moment
when Madeleine ended up naked, bound, and gagged in a box. It was a little
anticlimactic. There was no true struggle: no fight to keep herself clothed, or
unbound, or to even keep herself in an upright position. There was no dramatic
plea for her freedom. She just let them do this to her. She could have fought,
or screamed, but really, would it have done any good? Do bad men ever really
let someone go when begged?

Maddy
still had no idea who these
people were or why they chose her, but she knew she was targeted, watched,
maybe even followed at some point or another. Maybe if she’d been more
diligent, paid better attention to her surroundings, this wouldn’t have
happened. Truthfully, she could come up with a thousand different decisions she
could have made that would have changed the circumstances leading up to her
capture; but ultimately, would those decisions have changed her fate? Or would
they have merely delayed the inevitable?

As
Maddy
remained crouched and silently
crying inside her tiny cardboard prison, the partygoers were becoming more
drunk and obnoxious. Laughter from women turned into small screams and moans. She
didn’t even want to know what was going on outside the four cardboard walls and
she began to appreciate her hiding place, despite the pain and discomfort. Her
mind drifted over the events that had occurred since she’d awakened to a
nightmare. The two men: Marcus and the other one. Marcus was an obvious
monster, but the other man, he was more deceptive. He was the kind of monster
that you didn’t see coming; his demeanor refined and calm so that there was no
visual warning of the evil lurking within.

She remembered when she first turned to him after they’d
exited the dark room. The beauty of the man who’d informed her that she was a
slave instantly struck her. His face was chiseled and his jaw line was
sprinkled with the shadow of a beard. He was dressed well, much like a
businessman, but more casual as he lacked a tie and the top buttons of his
shirt had been casually left undone. His clothes screamed wealth; he was not
the image that typically came to mind when she imagined what a kidnapper might
look like. It was his eyes, however, that struck her to her core. Even as he
maintained a matter of fact, almost pragmatic, composure, his eyes told her a
different story altogether. When she first gazed into those dark blue eyes, she
noticed flecks of green that added life and vitality to his stare. Within the
depth of his gaze a far more sinister side was revealed of him, a side that
remained hidden, waiting for the chance to strike. Even as she trembled, frozen
in place by his gaze, she was captivated by his beauty.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!”

She jumped at the booming salutation and was instantly
dragged from her thoughts by the shouts and bellows resonating throughout the
room. Laughter erupted, followed by crude comments and jabs at the man who’d
entered. From what
Maddy
could hear, the man who’d
entered was not happy to be there as he was teased for not donning a smile. Her
heart skipped and the violent shaking of her body returned. Her breathing quickly
became labored and the thick air in the box was making her lightheaded. If he’d
arrived, that meant she would soon be
unwrapped
and she wasn’t particularly interested to know what would happen to her next.

“Aaron. I’m so glad you could join your own party.” A man’s
voice rose over the others.

Aaron?

“Smile, son. Everybody is gathered to celebrate your life … the
least you could do is look like you
enjoy
being here.” A veiled threat was evident in the man’s words. The room grew
eerily quiet; so quiet, that
Maddy
swore others would
hear the pounding of her heart.

“I apologize father, but I had business to attend to.” Audible
contempt rolled off those words. The man’s voice was so familiar; she couldn’t
place where she’d heard it, but she was sure she recognized the voice. Even
though her mind couldn’t place the sound, her body froze to hear it. Instinct
was more aware than intellect in that moment.

“Of course, Aaron. I understand you are a busy man, so let’s
get right to it. I have a very special gift for your twenty-fifth birthday. I
thought long and hard trying to decide the perfect gift for a man turning a
quarter of a century old, and I believe I’ve found exactly what you wanted.”

Her body clenched to a point of pain. Her breaths coming out
in short pants as it felt like her heart would tear through the walls of her
chest. A soft whimper escaped her, so overtaken by fear that she was losing
control. Panic set in. This was the moment she would finally face the man to
whom she now
belonged
. She would
never be used to those words;
slave,
master, belong
; she was now property and nothing more.

The room grew quiet and
Maddy
could hear slow, steady footsteps approaching her. Curling herself tighter, she
was desperate to hide from what she knew was to come. Two quick taps sounded
against the walls of the box.

“Let me guess, father, you bought me a pony.” The voice was
a deep baritone, the tone mocking and resentful.

That voice … so
familiar …

She could hear the soft swish of material, just as the box
was jarred sideways and the walls began to fall. When the perspiration of her
skin met with the chilled air of the room, she shivered from the sudden change
in temperature, not daring to uncurl herself from the tight position she held.

“What is this
?!
” Cold anger
saturated those words; spoken softly, they were made even more terrifying.

Fingers entwined themselves in the back of her hair just
before her head was pulled upwards, pain splitting along her scalp from the
forceful hold. An intake of breath, fingers loosening in her hair, she slowly
opened her eyes and was met with the emerald greens eyes of the man who’d given
her the rose on the night of her performance.

“Madeleine Clark?” His voice was a whisper drowned in
disbelief and shock. His eyes changed from confusion to anger almost instantly,
but became blank as a mask fell over his face, effectively hiding his thoughts.
Turning in the direction of the older man from the parking lot, he released his
hold on her hair, only to replace the grip of his large hand around her arm.
Maddy
flinched not knowing what he intended to do next.

A cough sounded from within the room and Madeleine forced
her eyes off of the man who held her and turned to look at her surroundings. The
sheer opulence of the room was unexpected. Madeleine gasped when her eyes were
flooded with the decadent dark wood furnishings and the collection of luxurious
fabrics used to fill the large space. The vaulted ceilings rounded into a dome,
with dark wood beams running evenly spaced, all meeting at the center. Below
the point where the beams met hung a large, breathtakingly elegant chandelier
made entirely of fine crystal. It filled the top space entirely, the lights
dancing off the multi-faceted crystal; small rainbows of color cast upon the
cream paint of the ceiling.

Maddy’s
eyes traveled down, taking
in the burgundy red of the walls. The richness of the dark color was broken
apart by exquisitely detailed tapestries and large oil paintings in gilded
frames. The stark beauty of the room was inspired, every detail obvious in the
loving touch of its designer.
Maddy
couldn’t make
sense of how such beauty existed within the same place as the dark and damp
room in which she’d awakened.

For a fleeting moment, she was relieved of her fear, her
embarrassment and her torment as her eyes danced along the wonder of her
surroundings. However, she was quickly pulled back to her nightmare when she
heard laughter erupt within the space.

Turning back, she remembered her nudity and attempted to
curl back into herself, attempting to hide from the surrounding people.

“Surprise, Aaron! I do hope you like her. I thought long and
hard about your
gift
.” The father’s
voice rattled
Maddy’s
nerves. Forcing back a whimper,
she closed her eyes to block out the stares of the audience around her. Her
skin crawled as Aaron’s father continued the sardonic explanation for his gift
to his son. “I’ve noticed that you’ve never taken interest in the slaves kept
by The Estate. It’s concerned me, to say the least.” His father laughed a
humorless laugh before continuing in a threatening tone, “I’ve even wondered if
it was possible that you fancied
Xander
a bit too
much.”

The partygoers quietly laughed at the father’s teasing
remark. He waited for silence to resettle over the room before he continued
again, his voice booming throughout the large room. “I struggled with what to
get you, Aaron; but then, it was brought to my attention that you had an
appreciation for this particular woman … that you’d even approached her on the
night of her performance. Once I learned of your interest in her, I was
delighted to finally find the perfect gift.”

Aaron stood perfectly still, like a coiled snake, muscles
tense and ready to strike. His hand gripped
Maddy’s
arm tighter, causing her to wince in pain. Almost instantly, he loosened his
grip. His voice was smooth and controlled as he responded to his father’s
explanation, “Thank you. I shall see to her now if it pleases you.”

After another soft wave of laughter, the partygoers were not
sure whether they should believe Aaron’s words. He pulled on Madeleine’s arm,
urging her down from the table upon which she was displayed. She resisted,
every instinct within her begging her to scream … to fight against being pulled
along to the next attack she would face. His head whipped around to look at her
before he leaned down to whisper in her ear. His voice was rough with anger, a
subtle threat wrapped within his tone. “You will get down from that table and
follow me if you know what’s good for you. DO NOT fight against me, Madeleine. It
will bring you more harm than good.”

Her body convulsed with terror, her muscles suddenly
becoming weak. Fearing the sting of another beating, she slowly uncurled
herself, tears seeping from her eyes from the shame of her unclothed state. When
her eyes met Aaron’s,
Maddy
thought she saw a small
glimpse of compassion; but when she looked deeper, she saw nothing more than
the lethal edge of a honed blade. Aaron’s beauty was a wicked veil; mystifying
and lulling those that looked upon him into a false sense of awe, only to have
that security ripped from them when they saw the menace lurking beneath.

She turned and moved her legs over the edge of the table. Pushing
down, her feet met with the cool stone floor. Violently, her body shook as she
steadied herself on legs burning from the cramped conditions and uncomfortable
position she’d been forced to hold in the box. Once she was standing, Aaron
pulled her to him, his warmth enveloping her skin where they touched. She was
sickened by her enjoyment of that warmth, wanting to feel nothing more than
revulsion at the man holding her captive. She kept her eyes trained on the
floor as they moved through the space. Walking along a center aisle, she knew
she was in full view of every soul within that room. Aaron’s father sat at a
center table along the left side, his voice booming out as they passed.

“She is a slave, Aaron. I want to make sure that you
understand that fact.” It was a warning
Maddy
could
not fully comprehend. “I expect that she will be trained accordingly.”

Maddy
looked up at Aaron, noticed
the curt nod of his head toward his father before he pulled her along to the
door. Aaron stopped, turning suddenly, his eyes met with those of the man that
had removed her from the dark room. The silent exchange between the two men was
understood as the man moved to take up his position behind them.

The silence between the three was only broken by the sounds
of the men’s shoes along the floors of the hall; each step echoing back
steadily and in perfect time with the other.
Maddy’s
heart felt like it would tear through her skin, her throat closing, making it
difficult for her to breathe. Her bare feet ached from the chill of the stones
upon which she walked as it seeped past her skin into the delicate bones. Her
neck hurt and felt locked, her body continued to tremble from fear of where she
was being led. Desperately, her mind ran back to any memory that would help her
escape the present. She thought about the fear she’d felt before her
performance that night, about how silly that fear seemed in comparison to her
current circumstances. She forced her thoughts to a place far from where she
stood, to a time when she was safe within the confines of a sheltered life. Her
uncle had raised her in a meager home after her parents died when she was
young. Their home could have fit within the ballroom she’d just occupied, but
it was warm, filled with love of each other and the love of music. She’d never
understood wealth growing up, never knew the need of anything beyond the warmth
of the home her uncle had provided her.

They stopped suddenly, causing Madeleine to bump against
Aaron’s back before she could stop herself. Peeking up through her lashes, she
watched as his eyes moved to hers; her fear returning in a dizzying wave when
their gazes locked. Instantly she felt violated by his stare; his eyes seemed
to penetrate the hidden depths within her.

Xander
stepped around them, his
hand grasping the handles to the large, rounded set of doors. He pushed down on
the handles and against the doors, both opening to reveal another large room on
the other side. Aaron turned his attention away from her, pulling her with him
as he entered the room.