Slave (22 page)

Bringing my hands up to surround her face, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers. The feel of her soft mouth against mine was absolutely amazing. She leaned into me, and even though I knew I shouldn’t, I took the invitation.

My tongue slipped through my lips and pressed against hers. She opened to me, and I wasted no time diving in and tasting her once again.

Brianna moved her tongue with mine as she had before, but this was so much different than the first time. On her bed it had been aggressive, heated. Here it was softer, and for my part, filled with love rather than lust.

The problem with that, however, was that my body had difficulty telling the difference. Before I wanted to, I had to pull back. She had had a rough day and the last thing she needed was for me to lose control and push our physical boundaries. I shouldn’t even be kissing her like I was, but I couldn’t find it within myself to be sorry.

Her eyes opened and met mine.

I love you, Brianna!

But instead of saying the words shouting at me in my head, I walked her to her room and said goodnight.

Stephan

Tuesday morning I said goodbye to Brianna with a little more reluctance than usual. For some reason it was harder to separate myself from her than it had been before, not that before it had been easy. She accepted my soft kiss just before I walked out the door and had a smile on her face when I left her.

The day was uneventful, thankfully. Sure, I’d had to deal with a few everyday problems, but nothing that added too much stress upon my already complicated life.

At five o’clock, I said goodnight to Jamie and drove home.

My excitement grew as I rode the elevator to my condo. And just like always, she was there on the floor, waiting for me.

Crossing the short distance between the door and where she knelt seemed too far. But it was like a breath of fresh air when my hand made its way into her hair, and I felt her lean into me. “Good evening, Brianna.”

“Good evening, Master.” Her voice held more confidence each day.

Three weeks. I couldn’t believe it had been three weeks.

Raising her chin, I peered into her eyes. They were open, looking directly into mine. So much different than that first night, that first week.

She held my gaze for several minutes before I pulled back and helped her to stand. “Prepare the table. I’ll be there in a minute.” With that I walked away, leaving her standing near the door.

Dinner was uneventful. Although I wanted to ask her questions, I knew it was best to wait until after. Talking seemed to be easier for her when we were touching.

After going through our days, our conversation revisited her experience the previous night. We talked about why the man’s eyes had bothered her, and it seemed she viewed them as
aggressive
. Her word, not mine.

“I want to try something. Stand up for me.” She nodded and stood, waiting.

I guided her to an open area of the room and took several steps back from her.

Brianna started to lower her head, but I stopped her. “No. I want you to look at me. Look directly into my eyes.”

She complied and waited. I didn’t make her wait long. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and let a part of my nature that I’d been keeping tightly under wraps come to the surface. When I opened my eyes, I saw her reaction immediately.

Her entire body stiffened, and her eyes widened in fear and apprehension. I watched as her breath picked up as my eyes roamed her body, the hunger in them painfully obvious. This was a side of me Brianna had only gotten a glimpse of once before and in a very small dose.

With measured steps I stalked toward her, each step predatory. She was trying very hard not to react to her obvious fear. I saw her legs twitch like she was preparing to run.

Closing the last feet between us, I kept my eyes firmly fixed on hers. “Was this the way his eyes looked, Brianna?”

I saw her swallow, but she didn’t answer.

“Answer me!”

“Yes!” she cried as the first tears erupted down her cheeks.

I pulled her into my arms. She held herself stiff, every muscle ready to react.

“Shh. Calm down, love. It’s just me. You are safe,” I said kissing her just above her ear.

It took several minutes before I felt the tension begin to leave her body. And when it did, the tears came in endless waves. I held her to my body for a long time before picking her up and carrying her into her bedroom.

I laid her down and tried to pull back, but she held tighter. I wasn’t sure what to do, but before I could make a decision her arms fell away.

After standing, I looked down at her lying there. Her eyes were looking down, not meeting mine.

Brianna had a fear of men in general, but especially predatory men, aggressive men. The man in the store had obviously found her attractive and had been expressing that want through his eyes. Sadly he didn’t know that his look of hungry appreciation would have the opposite effect with Brianna. It didn’t turn her on or make her feel wanted.

I knew Ian could have that predatory look. I’d see a little of it in his office. But how many other men had Brianna seen that look from?

She’d been so sure that I’d share her with Logan, so I had no doubt in my mind that she’d been shared in the past. The question was, how many men had she been shared with, and just what had they done to her to make her so fearful of being desired?

With that thought, I felt anger grow inside again. All those unknown men touching her against her wishes. I shook it off. Letting what happened in her past get to me would not help her.

Several minutes had passed, but she still wasn’t looking at me. I didn’t address her right away though. Instead I walked over to her dresser. I grabbed a pair of shorts and a tank top for her before walking back over to her bed.

I debated whether or not I should proceed. It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen her naked before, but I still hadn’t forgotten how the last time had ended.

But then again, maybe that was exactly why I should continue. She needed to know that I wouldn’t do anything she didn’t wish me to, even when I could look at her as I had in the other room.

Laying the clothes down on her nightstand, I extended my hand to her. “Sit up.”

She took a deep breath and then pushed herself into a sitting position while taking my hand. Her gaze fell to her lap as I twisted her around so that her feet were on the floor.

I released her hand and reached for the hem of her shirt. “Raise your arms above your head.”

Her entire body tensed again, but she did as instructed. I pulled her T-shirt up over her torso and over her head. She still wasn’t looking at me.

I reached behind her, unclasped her bra, and tossed it over to join her shirt at the end of the bed. My movements were unhurried as I took the tank top and placed it over her head. She didn’t fight me when I placed her arms through the straps and slid the garment into place.

Then I knelt before her and removed her shoes and socks. My hands gently slid up her ankles and wrapped around them as I looked up at her. She was watching me but she looked away again almost as soon as our eyes met.

I didn’t comment, but instead rose again, my hand outstretched. “Stand up,” I said softly.

Her body was close to mine as she stood. There was so little separating us, and I didn’t stop the impulse I had to kiss her. I took her face in my hands and brushed my lips against hers.

It was such a light touch, but I needed the contact. I hated to see her so scared even though I knew this process would uncover all her fears.

Her eyes fluttered open and met mine as I leaned back. “You never have to be afraid of me, Brianna.” She clamped her lips together, and I ran my thumb over them until I felt them relax and soften.

I released her face, brought my hands down to her waist, unbuttoned her jeans, and pushed the zipper down before sliding them down her legs. When they reached her ankles, she held onto my arms as she stepped out of them.

The bruises on the inside of her thighs had completely faded now, but the burn marks would always be a permanent reminder of what she’d gone through, what she’d survived. I longed to kiss each and every inch of her skin, but I held myself in check this time. Instead I took her shorts and bent down to help her put them on.

Once she was fully dressed for bed I asked her if she needed to go to the bathroom. She nodded, and I stepped back, letting her know I wanted her to go ahead. I watched as she slowly walked across the room and disappeared into the attached bathroom.

While she was gone I waited patiently on her bed. Looking around the room I noticed that even though she had been living here for three weeks, the only evidence of her habitation, besides the slept-in bed, were the two books on her nightstand. Everything else was exactly as it had been before she’d arrived. It was like she would only occupy the space temporarily, a room, a place to sleep, not a home.

Brianna didn’t take long in the bathroom, but when she returned she looked uncertain again. I stood and motioned for her to come to me.

Her walk was slow, but eventually she made it back to my side. I pulled back the covers and helped her lie down. This time her eyes didn’t leave me.

Tucking the sheets around her, I leaned in and placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Goodnight, Brianna,” I whispered against her flesh.

“Goodnight, Master,” she whispered back.

The next morning, I called Jamie and asked her to see if Brad could stop by my office around mid-day even though I knew he would come anytime I asked. That man was more than predictable. I honestly thought he’d jump off a cliff if I asked him to.

Sure enough, at twelve fifteen Jamie knocked on my door to let me know Brad had arrived. “Tell him I’ll meet him in the gym in five minutes.”

I changed quickly and headed down the hall. Brad was standing near the stack of weights against the wall but turned when he heard me come in. “Mr. Coleman,” he gushed.

Brad was a great personal trainer. He had a way of creating targeted workouts for his clients but changed things up often enough to keep it challenging. “Hello, Brad.”

He moved toward me. “Was there a problem with your workout, sir?”

It was no wonder he thought there was a problem. We normally met once every six weeks to go over and change things. I was two weeks early. “No. The workout is fine,” I said as I walked over to the mat to begin my routine. “I wanted to talk to you about how things are going with Brianna.”

“Ah,” he mused as he watched me move. It never escaped my notice that he paid a little too much attention to certain areas than others, but he’d never been inappropriate. I was a valued client and he treated me as such. “The beautiful Anna is doing very well. The treadmill has been hard for her to master, but everything else has been easy enough. Did you wish to step things up?”

Anna? Why did he call her Anna?

I shook my head, looking at him in the mirror. “No. Not exactly. I wanted to see what you thought about adding some self-defense moves to her program. Nothing too complicated, but something she can add to in the future.”

He nodded. “Some lunges and general agility would be a good starting point for her I think.”

I agreed. Anything more would overwhelm her.

Stepping onto the treadmill myself, I pressed the buttons and began my warm up. “Are you having any trouble getting her to communicate with you?”

My pace picked up to a run as he answered. “She doesn’t talk much, but if I ask her something, she answers. If I tell her to do something differently, she does her best to correct it.”

I nodded and continued my run while he watched. Brianna’s interaction with Brad hasn’t concerned me too much. Given he did not find females in the least bit attractive, I doubted Brianna would fear him as she did most males. He wasn’t a threat.

Brad didn’t comment until I slowed back down to a walk. “Looks like we are going to be increasing your cardio soon. That was way too easy for you,” he laughed.

“Speak for yourself,” I said, stepping off the machine.

He walked toward me and placed his fingers at my pulse point to check my heart rate. I noticed his pulse beat a little faster at the contact and had to suppress a laugh. After a few seconds, he lowered his hand and nodded. “It’s within the acceptable range, but I’d still like to increase it.”

I wouldn’t argue with him. Walking over to the weights, I said, “Have Jamie set up a two-hour block in two weeks, and we can rework the specifics for both Brianna and myself.”

“I’ll see you in two weeks,” he said as I saw him take one extra-long look at me in the mirror before turning to leave.

Shaking my head, I finished my workout. I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or cringe at the fact that my personal trainer was very obviously attracted to me.

Thursday night I decided not to push things with Brianna. We’d already made such progress this week, and I wanted to reward her. After dinner we just sat in my chair and watched television while I held her. All the while my mind kept returning to what Brad had called her today. Anna. Why had he called her Anna?

One o’clock on Friday I received a call from my lawyer. Oscar informed me that his secretary received a call earlier that morning from someone claiming to be from the sheriff’s department, inquiring about a Brianna Reeves.