Taken by Two (2 page)

I was horrified.
Was I stolen as a sex slave? Or did they intend to rape me and…
The thought was too terrible. I pushed at his chest; I wanted him off me. My eyes shot to the doorway; Rex was gone. Nate rolled off me, a look of concern flooding his face. “Penny, what is it? I-I thought you wanted… What did I do wrong?” His tone was soft, genuine. I relaxed as his fingertips brushed gingerly across my cheek. The steel-blue eyes were filled with concern. I was confused; unsure of what was real and what I was imagining. “Why did you take me? Is Rex going to kill me?”

He shook his head, his eyes narrowing. “God, no, we’d never…I took you to keep you safe. I admit I hoped we might, um, hit it off, and that Rex would like you, too. Earlier he said if you wanted me, if we…he said it was okay if we were together.”

That was twisted
, my groggy brain screamed. “Let me go!’

“I can’t. I’m sorry—I can’t explain. You were in danger in Vegas. When the danger is over, we’ll take you home.” He turned his face to mine; his hypnotic blue eyes locking on my brown ones as his palm cradled my chin. “I’ll take care of you, I promise.” I shouldn’t have, but I believed him. I fell asleep on Nate’s lean, muscular chest, naked and leaking his essence as we drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the soft awareness of awakening floated over me—my eyes were still closed, but the fugue of the drug Nate used on me was gone. I felt like myself again—and couldn’t help but let my hand wander over to the sexy Nathaniel Slater lying next to me. As my palm wandered across him, I skimmed a hard, clothed being. My eyes popped open in a startle.

“Good morning, Princess. Was it good for you, too?” The scary man, Rex, was sitting next to me in bed—wearing the same dark t-shirt, worn jeans, and even the heavy black boots.
Combat boots
, I thought as my confused brain fought to form a plan. His muscled arm reached across me, the thick pattern of tattoos ended just above his wrist. “What—um, where’s Nate?” He chuckled and groped at my sheet in an attempt to pull it off me—I fought back and yanked it with both hands. He relented, but we both knew he was strong enough to do as he pleased with me. Rex was a huge, hulking presence—his menacing midnight blue eyes raked over my exposed skin.

“I sent him home ahead of us to prepare.”

“Does he always obey you?” The man nodded.

“Did you capture him like you did me?” I was terrified, but determined to keep my wits.

He cracked his knuckles and stared at me. I wasn’t sure if it was a threat, but it felt very much like a warning. “Everyone obeys me here, Princess. I’m the king on this island—King Rex.” He laughed out loud, his enormous barrel chest rising and falling underneath the cotton of his t-shirt. He was toying with me, and enjoying it. “Besides, I didn’t capture you, baby. Nathaniel did. In fact, your presence here is pretty much fucking up everything right now.” He leaned over and wrapped his immense hand around my throat and squeezed in warning. “So behave, or I’ll fucking toss you to the snakes, Princess.”

My hands shot up to my constricted neck, desperate to loosen his grasp as I struggled to breathe. “Are we clear?” His fingers effortlessly pulsed once more around my tortured throat before letting go. “Yes,” I coughed. “Yes, what?” He flexed his fingers as if he were going to choke me again. “Yes, Rex?” He rubbed at his knuckles and sighed, as if I’d failed my first test. “Yes, sir, would be nice. But I guess I’ll allow you to call me Rex. Now get up, we’re home.
My
home, not yours,” he said, pointing a long index finger at me. “Yes, sir,” I answered, my throat still raw from his strong hand.

The golden daylight was streaming into the small cabin of the airplane—dust particles danced in the bright rays of sun. The engine had shut down, and an eerie silence hung over the room. “Well, get dressed,” he croaked, pointing to my red silk dress on the floor across the cabin. I pulled the sheet around me and began to rise from the bed, but he yanked at it again. “Leave the sheet—and walk over and get dressed.
Slowly
.”

He’d spied on Nate and me having sex hours prior, but this seemed even more horrific. It was daylight, and he was fully dressed. With an amused smirk he added, “And do it now, or I’ll toss your sexy, curvy body over my shoulder and take you to my compound bare-ass naked.” I looked into his eyes—they weren’t angry, but slightly annoyed and very amused. He licked his lips in anticipation as I slid out from under the crisp linen sheet. Completely naked, I walked across the carpeted floor of the private airplane toward my crumpled dress. I bent down and snagged my panties while formulating a plan to manipulate the coarse, behemoth kidnapper. I didn’t even know if a man like Rex would find me attractive, but I’d found many men still loved curves and, despite not being built like a model, I knew how to work my Burlesque-like sensuality. As I bent at the waist, I let my full breasts hang heavily until I stood up again. I pulled the lace panties on one leg at a time as I looked over toward Rex. The change in him was palpable. The amusement was gone; replaced with a look I recognized—lust. A glance to his jeans confirmed it—the smug Rex’s erection strained not to bust through the soft fabric of his well-fitting jeans.

“You can skip the bra,” he groaned, resting the palm of his hand across his bulging erection.

“They’re fairly heavy, sir, may I?” I asked, reaching for my lace bra. He nodded, a fine dew of sweat glistening on his tanned forehead. Men may
think
they have the power, but I have my weapons—even against dominant alpha males like Rex.

I wrapped the lace bra around my weighty triple-D breasts before reaching for the silk dress. He was attracted to me—he shifted on the bed, his desire for me a tangible presence in the snug cabin. Stepping into the dress, I turned my back to him. “Zip me, sir?” I waited—praying he’d take the bait. Within seconds I heard his heavy feet shuffle toward me, his rough fingers deftly pulling the zipper up my back.

He grabbed me—his strong arms wrapping around my round waist. “Don’t play with me, Penny.” Continuing to hold me, his breathing was ragged, his erect cock pressing against my lush ass.
He used my name
, I thought, a smile fighting its way to my lips.

I ground against him before walking a step to slide into my designer pumps. I turned to face him. Rex was big—not just tall, but built like a tank. He towered over me, his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets—his prominent hard cock forming an immense curved outline against his torso.
Damn, Nathaniel is beautiful, but this guy is all sexy testosterone
, I thought as he walked toward me.

I moved to lean into him, to flirt, but he grabbed me hard and yanked me toward the door. “Let’s go,” he barked as I fought to stay upright on my stilettos. He was several feet behind me as we walked through the opulent interior of the small jet. I knew this was my chance to escape—there was no way this ape was taking me to his
compound
, no matter how sexy he was. The second it was within reach, I sprinted toward the cockpit and slammed the door behind me—in Rex’s face, I realized, as I felt the impact of flesh and heard him swear. Locking it, I quickly begged the two uniformed men to help me. “Please, I’ve been kidnapped, I’m Penelope Sedgewick and I…” Neither man moved. One looked to the other, hands flying up in a question, and said simply, “Que?” The other man looked from his co-pilot to me, but made no effort to move. “Please! Help me!” I begged of the man who seemed to understand English. “It’s okay, Miguel,” he said to his co-pilot. “Miss, open the door. Mr. Renton is going to be pissed as fuck.” I was incredulous as he stood and brushed past me in the cramped cockpit, opening the heavy door.

Rex stood there, his hand wiping blood away from his nose.
Shit!
“Do you need me to help you contain her, sir?” Rex walked toward the pilot,
his
pilot, I now realized, shaking his head. “Nah, this little impertinent brat is going to learn a fucking lesson,” he boomed as he grabbed me by the arm. Shaking with fear—calculating in my always scheming brain what to do next—I let him pull me from the cockpit and down the narrow stairs to the hot tarmac.

“What the fuck was that?
Everyone
here works for me—I don’t want to hurt you, Penny!” He was talking under his breath as he dragged me toward a large dark van. The humidity of the locale, some tropical island possibly, wrapped around me and caused the silk dress to cling to my body. “I thought you
did
want to hurt me, Rex, I mean you’ve choked me and now—”

“I’m the one who’s bleeding here, lady! I gave you a little frisky throat hug, nothing more, just to remind you of your manners. I’m not a caveman, though—I’d rather not harm you. But, I will if it means keeping Nate safe, do you understand? I’ll do
anything
to keep him from harm.” He pushed me from behind into the interior of the van—a blast of frigid air taking my breath away as he climbed in behind me. “You captured Nate, though, you…” Rex sighed heavily—I can be exasperating under the best of circumstances. I’m sure I didn’t make the best captive. “I didn’t capture Nate, for fuck’s sake! He captured me.”

The windows of the van were completely blacked out—I had no clue where he was taking me. I sat across the chilly van from Rex and watched him tap on his cell phone, a Blackberry—the tiny device almost comical looking in his large hands. His long legs were spread wide as he hunched over, tapping out some message with his large thumbs. On his left ring finger he wore a heavy gold band—I stared at it, trying to learn as much as I could about the enemy.

The thin silk dress didn’t offer me any protection against the blasting air conditioning of the van. “Rex,” I said, “I’m freezing—can we turn down the A/C? Or maybe can I borrow a jacket?” I used my softest tone of voice, but his dark eyes bore into me, his nose crinkled in a sneer. “Please, sir,” I added, suspecting I wasn’t on his good side. “I’m hot,” he said slowly, his eyes returning to his phone. My arms wrapped around my torso, shivering as I hunched into the vinyl seat.

He looked up and sighed before banging his hand on the divider glass separating us from the driver. It slid down, and a dark skinned man, perhaps Hispanic, answered, “Yes, Mr. Renton?” Rex pointed at me. “Rodrigo, can you turn the air down—the pampered Princess here is cold.” The driver reached over and with a stab of a button the strong wind of frigid air stopped. “Thank you, that’s all.” The glass slid back up.

“Thanks,” I said, still chilled but relieved to not be shaking.

“Here,” he croaked, reaching toward his waist and pulling his dark t-shirt up over his torso. “It’s all I have. We’re about fifteen minutes away. I think I have some chick clothes stashed somewhere you can wear—although I’d rather that flawless body stay naked.” His large cotton t-shirt landed on my lap, but I was too distracted to bother wrapping it around my goose-bumped arms. Rex’s abs were more than a six-pack, they were an eight-pack if that even exists. A light dusting of dark blonde hair covered his perfectly defined pecs, the line going down his center—my lusty eyes drank in his toned, inked body. Most distracting was his right nipple—a metal barbell piercing ran through it. I stared until he cleared his throat, drawing me back to reality. “Distracted, Princess?” A flirty smile slid across his lips. He winked and went back to his Blackberry, the knowing smile still visible at the edges of his lips.

I pulled his t-shirt over my arms as a warm blush rose from my chest to my cheeks. Yes, he’d caught me looking—but who wouldn’t look? The man was physical perfection and, even sexier, the cotton of his shirt smelled like all man. His scent was spicy and virile, with nothing artificial to cover up his masculinity. Nate smelled like a luscious cologne, but Rex smelled like an alpha male to die for.

A few minutes later, Rex broke the silence by answering his vibrating phone. “What’s up, man?” he said casually. His eyes looked over at me as he said, “Yeah, we’re ten minutes out.” He listened to the caller before answering, “Uh, yeah, I have it—I’ll get it done one way or another.” He ended the call and said to me, “Want some water?” My mouth was dry and gummy—I hadn’t had anything to drink for hours. “God, yes, I’m parched, my mouth is like sandpaper.” He reached into a compartment at the side of the van and pulled out a bottle of Fiji-brand water. I licked my dry lips, relieved that he was treating me civilly. He twisted the blue cap off and drained the entire bottle into his gulping throat. When he finished, he let a little roll down his scruffy chin before crushing the bottle in the palm of his hand. “Behave, and when you get to your room, you can have a drink. Maybe water, maybe…” He winked at me again and wiped the water from his face with the back of his hand.

I felt the chill of a cold sweat—Rex was clearly the type of man who had a sadistic streak; he liked to toy with a captive. Whether he would really hurt me or not, I wasn’t sure. Despite my trepidation, the thought of him coating my tongue betrayed me—my clit swelling and throbbing as we pulled into an industrial type garage.

The van came to a stop, but the large doors on the side didn’t open. Rex put his phone in his pocket and turned to face me, leaning in as if he was about to deliver bad news. “Listen, Penelope,” his voice was deep, serious. He’d never used my full first name before. A tremor ran across my spine. “I need you to get in this bag, it’ll only be for a—”

“No, please, I beg you—I won’t, I can’t, don’t…” He was reaching into a storage compartment and pulling out a body-sized burlap bag. “Don’t kill me!” I howled. His eyes narrowed as his eyebrows knitted together. “What? No, I’m not going to… I can’t have you seeing my place. Slip into the sack and I’ll carry you to your room. Behave and I’ll take care of you, fight me and I’ll toss you into the pond with the reptiles.”

“Blindfold me, anything but a bag. I-I’m claustrophobic, I can’t…”

“Sorry, Princess.” He leaned over in the cramped van and grabbed me, yanking me to the floor. I fought as he leaned his weight on me, holding me in place against the rough carpeted floor. “Be still,” he threatened as I continued to writhe and flail against his hard body. My mind went back to when I was seven; I accidentally got locked in a broken freezer in a friend’s garage. We were playing hide and seek, but once I got in, I couldn’t get out. They didn’t find me for almost an hour—and to this day I fear enclosed, dark places—that and anything that slithered.

My knee moved to sink into Rex’s groin, but before I made contact his fingers dug into a nerve in my neck—I was paralyzed, frozen there at his mercy. “You’re alright,” his deep voice crooned, rough but I could tell he was attempting to calm me. I should have been able to speak, but for some reason the feeling of being immobilized by his fingers on some sort of pressure point shocked me into silence.

The dark fabric covered my face, and he quickly pulled it around me and held me in his arms like a baby. “
Please
,” I begged from the darkness of the bag. He didn’t answer, but he held me tighter—the sensation more cradling than rough. He was walking quickly, the steamy humid heat replacing the cool, dry air of the van. Voices surrounded us, speaking what I thought was Spanish—or maybe Italian. Rex’s low baritone answered them fluently, in their language, as he continued to walk briskly with me in his arms.

In a few moments we were indoors again—the sensation of an artificially cooled area was unmistakable, even inside the cloth sack. Another short few moments passed, and I was being placed gently on a bed. After a loud click, Rex pulled the sack up over my feet and legs as I wiggled out of the bag.

As my eyes opened, my chest heaving from fear, Rex hovered over me, his body resting on the bed beside me. I looked into his eyes—searching for some sort of reassurance that I would make it home alive. “You okay?” he husked, his hands brushing the hair from my eyes. “Uh huh, I think so…” I finally managed to squeak out. “I’ll get you some water,” he said absently as his fingertips brushed against my cheek. “The door is locked from the outside. I don’t know you yet, Princess—I don’t trust easily. Nathaniel bringing you with us has put all of us in danger.” I nodded, even though I had no idea what he was talking about. His combination of hard and soft, warm and cold, kept me on edge.

The door locked behind him. I looked around the room—it was a normal bedroom, and there was sunlight coming from the two windows. They were covered in heavy bars, but other than that, the room didn’t seem like a prison, but more like a guest room. Well, like a barred guest room that locked from the outside. As messed up as it was, I yearned for Nate. He felt safe and comfortable, despite Rex’s reminding me that Nate actually was my captor.
Rex must have brainwashed Nate,
I reasoned.

Rex returned with a small basket and a duffle bag, and my lusty eyes weren’t disappointed that he was still shirtless. He opened the basket and pulled out a bottle of water, pointing it toward me. I greedily sipped the cool liquid as he watched me. “Hungry?” He held out a sandwich, but I shook my head. “Come on, Nate said you needed to eat. He made it with his own two lovely hands.” The mention of Nate perked me up. “Can I see him? He’s here?”

“Not yet. He’ll be in to see you if you can manage to behave.”

“I’m a prisoner then.” I looked around the room.

“No, these are precautions. I have to detain you for now, that’s all.”

I nodded, unconvinced.

“Eat, drink, and relax. There’s a TV over in the armoire—it’s not connected to the outside world, but there’s a shitload of movies there in the drawer. That door,” he said, pointing to the side of the room, “is your bathroom. This bag has some women’s clothing—I’m not sure they’ll fit, but you won’t be here long.” He stood up and headed for the door as I slunk into the bed.

Halfway to the door, he turned and said aloud, “Oh, I almost forgot.” In a flash, he lunged at me, his heavy body crushing mine against the mattress.

“Stop!” I screamed, horrified that he “almost forgot” to attack me. This man was insane, insane
and
violent.

“You are so damn feisty!” he howled, scrambling for something in his pockets.

In seconds he had my dress pulled up to my waist, and his large hands were yanking my panties down over my butt. “No, don’t!” I begged, sure he was going to rape me.

“Be still,” he said calmly as I felt a sharp jab.

Not a sexual jab, but a needle directly in the muscle of my behind.

“What was that?” I howled as he released me, pulling my panties up.

“Just a little shot to make sure you do as I say, Princess. Sorry to mar that perfect ass, though.” He turned and left, leaving me sobbing on the bed.

Hours later, after several movies, Nate came in with a tray of food and an apologetic look. “Sorry I left you like that. Rex said to give you a few hours alone.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” he shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“So you just did what he said without even asking—”

“Yes, Penny. I do what Rex tells me to do, without question.”
Brainwashed.
The psychotic goon was controlling the sexy, beautiful, and perfect Nathaniel Slater. I mean, he was a hot as hell goon, but still.

“Nate,” I sighed, “he’s evil! He choked me, and then he injected me with some drug—”

“Don’t say that!” He shook his head and stood up, heading toward the door.

“Wait, I’m sorry—don’t leave me,
please
.”

He stopped and turned toward me. “I like you Penny,
a lot
, but I won’t have you disrespecting Rex. He means the world to me. Whatever he’s done, it’s for our safety. Rex protects me, and he’ll protect you, too. But you
must
obey him.”

“Okay, okay, got it. Sit with me please? I’m so lonely and afraid.” He nodded and walked over toward the small table where he’d set the tray of food. “Let’s eat. Would you like some wine?” I was relieved when Nate popped the cork on a bottle of expensive chardonnay and poured two glasses before cuddling up next to me in the fluffy bed.

I tried to get physical with Nate, but he shook me off and explained, “Rex said I could only cuddle with you this time.” I couldn’t believe the level of mind-control the villain Rex had on my sweet Nate. I ran my fingers through his silky waves, the reddish brown color a sharp contrast to his flawless porcelain skin. My palm swept under his shirt; the feel of his ripped chest and the perfect V of his abs tying my greedy clit into knots. He lovingly pulled my fingers back as his cock swelled, muttering a gentle, “Not now, babe.” Unable to seduce him, we dozed off to sleep in a wine buzz with some romantic comedy playing out on the large television from a DVD we'd popped in earlier. I slept soundly in Nate’s comforting embrace—despite haunting worries of what sort of drug the evil Rex had injected me with.

When I woke up, it was morning and Nate was gone. I wandered into the small bathroom—an assortment of toiletries was lined up on the counter. The one small window, like the ones in my room, was barred. I took a shower, crying as I washed my hair. Thoughts of my father flooded me—my mom died three years ago, and despite a long estrangement, I’d grown closer to my father. He had to know I was gone, and I prayed he was looking for me.

I brushed my teeth with the new toothpaste and toothbrush on the sink before blow-drying my long blonde hair.
Think Penelope
, I scolded myself as I washed my face. I looked through the drawers—no makeup. Even though he was the one who kidnapped me, I sensed that Nate was my chance at freedom—his soft, warm presence was my best hope for escape. He was clearly brainwashed by the cruel King Rex, but he was also falling for me. Even without lipstick and eyeliner, I had to win over Nate.

When I emerged from the bathroom, the TV was off. Rex sat in a chair at the side of the room, tapping at his Blackberry. He was wearing darker jeans than the day prior, just as strained over his muscled legs, the same black combat boots, and a green camouflage t-shirt that struggled to cover his bulging biceps. He never looked up at me as I sat on the edge of the bed. We sat silently for what seemed like forever before he finally slid the phone in his pocket and looked up at me.

“Ah, you look nice, Princess. Much better with the war paint washed off.” His eyes roamed across my body. “The clothes fit?”

“A little snug, but yeah, they’ll do. Whose were they?”

A curtain of sadness slid across his face. “None of your fucking business,” he snapped. His large chest filled with air, and he slowly exhaled. He was trying to control his temper. “Listen, sweetheart, I’m here to chat with you because Nate the Kindhearted begged me to, and well, he can be quite…
persuasive
.”