Uncovering You 2: Submission Page 4

  “Good evening, Lilly,” he greets me.

  “Good evening, Jeremy,” I reply.

  “I see you were waiting for me. That’s good.” He takes a small sip of water. “I hate it when it’s the other way around.”

  “I promise, that won’t happen again.” I offer a sickly-sweet smile.

  “Good.” Stonehart nods. He leans back and drapes one arm over his chair. “You look beautiful tonight, Lilly.”

  His voice is completely sincere. It takes me by surprise.

  “Thank you, Jeremy.”

  “The color of your dress brings out your eyes,” he observes. “I am pleased you took the effort to find suitable clothes.”

  “It’s not hard when I have such a generous selection at my disposal.”

  Stonehart nods in approval. “I have to say, your behavior is a pleasant surprise. I was expecting more… defiance… from you.”

  I smile at him sweetly. “Why would you expect defiance, Jeremy? You provide me with everything that I need.”

  He smirks. “Yes. You might say that.” He glances over his shoulder. “Shall we eat?”

  On his word, a young man in a tuxedo bustles in from the sitting room. He wheels a tray of food with him. Delectable scents waft from the covered platter.

  He sets up the table with practiced efficiency. Stonehart does not acknowledge him until he’s done, and I take his cue. We both wait in silence.

  When the young man is finished, Stonehart gives a curt nod of dismissal. The man bows, turns, and walks away.

  When we’re alone again, Stonehart smiles. “How was your day?” he asks.

  I stare at him as my brain goes blank. I nearly forget myself enough to let my jaw drop. How was my day? Is he fucking serious?

  “Lilly,” he notes, “it’s customary to reply to a polite inquiry at dinner.”

  “It was fine,” I sputter, shaking my head. “How was yours?”

  Stonehart’s eyes narrow. The movement is so slight it’d be imperceptible to most people. I pick up on it. I know better than to let my guard down around him. Not when so much depends on his moods.

  “Need I remind you of the rules governing your behavior?” Stonehart asks, his eyes growing hard. “Rule three, in particular: You are not allowed to question my desires. Questions pertaining to your situation are prohibited,” he quotes.

  My stomach instantly twists into a knot. “No, Jeremy, I didn’t mean it that way. I’m sorry. It just—slipped out.” I lower my eyes to my plate. “Please don’t punish me,” I whisper.

  “Now, now, Lilly.” Stonehart speaks with rich, mocking warmth. “What need would I have to punish you? I’m not immune to your situation. I understand some of your social abilities have dulled over the course of your stay. That just adds one more item to the list of things we need to work on.”

  “I’ll do better,” I promise, silently cursing myself. Groveling goes against every bone in my body, but it’s what I must do if I want to play my role right. “You’re right. I’m rusty.”

  “Of course I’m right,” he tells me. “You’d be hard-pressed to find a situation in which I’m wrong.”

  Except about me, I repeat in my head. You’re wrong about me.

  Stonehart smiles. I’d call it a greasy smile if it were on a face even a tenth less handsome. But he has clearly mastered the art of presentation. Everything about him flows from a place of cool confidence. “Shall we eat?”

  “Yes,” I agree, glad for a distraction. “Yes, let’s.”

  ***

  The rest of dinner goes by without much in the way of conversation. I don’t know my place yet, so I don’t speak unless Stonehart asks me a direct question.

  That attitude fosters a growing silence between us. It has me on edge. Stonehart, on the other hand, looks right at ease. As he eats, he directs a polite smile at me every once in a while. The quiet does not bother him.

  Then again, why should it? I imagine he has dealt with situations that were orders of magnitude more stressful—and important—than a dinner with his… plaything. To him, this dinner means nothing.

  But for me, interactions like this are of utmost importance. One-on-one time with Stonehart is the only chance I have to learn about him.

  This is his mask, I realize just as I’m taking my last bite. This is the face he shows to his colleagues. To the public. This is the face of Jeremy Stonehart, mega-millionaire, CEO of Stonehart Industries.

  It gives no hint of the monster lurking underneath.

  After our plates are taken away, Stonehart leans back. He still hasn’t said anything. He smiles, and I feel his eyes taking my features in. They dip past my neck, to the hemline of my dress. Being openly ogled like that makes me uncomfortable. I want to tug the straps up, and hide more of my skin, but I am sure that doing so would irritate him.

  So, I sit perfectly straight and pretend not to notice.

  Eventually, the silence becomes unbearable. This is the most time I’ve spent with him without having his cock shoved down my throat. I need to take advantage, especially so long as we’re both operating on some pretense of civility.

  “Jeremy?” I venture. I make sure to add the proper amount of hesitation to my voice. “May I ask you a question?”

  He picks up his wineglass and swirls it in his hand. “Do you remember our rules?” he asks.

  “Yes. My question—well, it’s not even a question, really, more like… a clarification. It has to do with your—with my—rules. I’m only asking so I don’t risk breaking them later.”

  Stonehart leans forward, intrigued. “You’re taking initiative,” he says. “You’re owning your situation. I respect that.” He nods. “Go on.”

  I clear my throat. “You mentioned, before… um, consequences of misbehavior.”

  “Yes,” he says. “I did.”

  “I was wondering…” I clear my throat again. “What those would be?”

  Stonehart smiles grandly. “Why, Lilly. I didn’t think a smart girl like you would have any trouble figuring that out.” He pauses to lean back and crosses one leg over the other. “The answer’s simple:

  “If you misbehave, I will leave you in the dark.”

  All the blood drains from my brain. No. No, I will not go back there!

  My grip on my own wineglass slackens. It slips through my fingers and falls to the floor, splintering into tiny, sharp shards. The red liquid spreads like a growing pool of blood.

  Stonehart frowns. “I’ve upset you,” he says softly. “Lilly, I assure you, that was not my intention.”

  “It’s my fault,” I stammer, shaking my head. There is no act this time. This reaction is wholly my own. “I just… I just need…”

  “Yes?” Stonehart asks, leaning forward. “Lilly. Tell me what you need.”

  “I need… I need… air!”

  I gasp and push up from the table. I stumble as a wave of light-headedness hits me.

  Stonehart is by my side in a flash. His hands gently grip my shoulders and he lowers me to my chair.

  “Breathe,” he tells me. “Lower your head.” I see him looking up at me, and realize he’s kneeling down to be on my level. I see both compassion and concern on his face.

  Damn him for being such a good actor! Nobody in their right mind would ever think those emotions are faked. But I know better.

  Stonehart holds my hand between both of his. I should be repulsed by having him so close, but somehow, beyond all reason, that simple grip on my hand gives me strength.

  “Do you need some water?” he asks. Holy hell! He even manages to make his voice sound sincere. “You said you need air. Would you like to go outside?”

  I nod dumbly. Stonehart stands, looping one arm around my waist, and helps me up. I have to lean on him for support as he leads me forward.

  We walk to the door. I’m breathing quickly, taking sharp, little gasps as I force my feet to move. It feels like I’m close to a panic attack.

  Stonehart stops in front of the glass doo
r and brings his wrist to the sensor. I hear the beep of the scanner—and remember the still-active collar around my neck.

  I push away from Stonehart and stare, wide-eyed, as cool, sweet night air rushes in from the gaping door.

  “The range,” I half-gasp. “Did you change it?”

  Stonehart looks at me with pity. “My sweet Lilly,” he says. “The moment I change the range, you will be the first to know.”

  My eyes dart to the door. My hands are balled into fists at my side. My heart is racing. “You were going to lead me outside,” I say, trying to make sense of it. “Past the perimeter you set?”

  Stonehart spreads his arms. I catch a filthy, malicious glimmer in his eye. “You said that’s where you wanted to go.”

  White hot rage erupts in me like an inferno. “You BASTARD!” I scream. “You knew what would happen if I stepped over the threshold!”

  “Lilly, Lilly,” he chastises. “There’s no need to raise your voice. Of course I knew. As did you. But who am I to deny a lady’s request?”

  “You knew what would happen!” I accuse. “You knew, and you still led me there!” I must be mad, to be screaming at him like this.

  Stonehart takes one strong step toward me. “You keep yelling at me, Lilly, and you risk making me angry.” His smile deepens. “I don’t think you’ll like me when I’m angry.”

  “Like you? I hate you!” Insanity has definitely taken its hold. The buffer between my thoughts and my speech has disappeared. “You’re sick! What kind of a man does that to a woman? To a stranger! Who am I to you, Jeremy? You’re sick, twisted, and I FUCKING HATE YOU!”

  Stonehart takes in my tirade with a calm and steady grace. I’m gasping for breath by the end. Every fiber of my body is trembling, strung tight.

  “Are you quite done?” he asks in a soft, cool voice.

  I answer by stalking to the table, picking up the bottle of wine, and flinging it at his face.

  He ducks out of the way of the projectile. It smashes against the glass panel behind him and shatters.

  Stonehart growls, and advances on me. He moves fast. I jump back, but his hands dart out to catch me.

  I struggle in his grip, trying to break free. “Let go!”

  His fingers dig into my arms. It hurts. “Look at me,” he commands.

  I shake my head with reckless abandon. What happened to calm, rational Lilly? a voice in the far-reaches of my mind asks. What happened to the girl who would bide her time?

  “Fine. Your choice.” His hand jerks up and tangles in my hair. He closes his fist, ruthlessly pulling my roots.

  Pain shoots from his grip, runs down my spine, and overtakes my body. It’s enough to draw tears.

  Stonehart forces my head up. I whimper like a frightened child. He’s so much bigger than I am, so much stronger. He can manhandle me with absolutely no effort.

  I’m terrified of what I’m going to find in his eyes. I squeeze mine shut harder, trying to escape from this nightmare.

  His hand digs into my hair even more. “Open your eyes,” he commands. “Open your eyes, and face me, Lilly.”

  Adrenaline is shooting through my body with every heartbeat. My breathing is ragged. The pain running from the back of my scalp is so bad it’s unbearable. Still, I refuse to open my eyes.

  “I will tell you once more,” Stonehart says. “Or, are you refusing to comply?”

  No. No! I will not be left in the dark again!

  I crack one eye open, then the other, and face the monster I’ve enraged. The moment I see his burning glare, the darkness does not seem like such a bad alternative.

  “I will answer your questions in the order you posed them,” he tells me, his chopped diction the only indication of his emotions. “What kind of man am I? The kind who can, Lilly. And the kind who does. I can do this to you, so I do.” His hand tightens in my hair, making me gasp. I blink rapidly against the swell of tears.

  “Who are you to me? You’re my employee, and, as an extension of that, my property. You remain so for the duration of our contract.” He lowers his face to mine. I can feel his breath on my skin. “You haven’t forgotten that, have you?” He twists my hair, making my cry out. “Well? Answer me!”

  “N-no!” I cry.

  “No. You say ‘no,’ Lilly. But, I think that you have forgotten. In fact, I think I’ve been too lenient with you.” He pulls so hard that I’m sure my hair will rip free at any moment.

  “Please,” I beg. “Please, you’re hurting me.”

  A sinister smirk forms on his lips. “You don’t enjoy this?” he asks, his eyes moving from my face to his hand and back again. “You don’t like being handled this way?”

  Tears blur my vision. All I can think of is, somehow, relieving the horrible pain emanating from his grip. “No,” I whimper. “Please. Please, let go.”

  Instead of letting go, he jerks my head to the side so he can hiss in my ear, “I don’t like having things thrown at me.”

  “I won’t do it again. I swear! I’m sorry. I—”

  My plea is cut off as Stonehart releases me. My knees give out. I crumple to the floor and start to weep in a horrible mix of relief and humiliation.

  “Lilly, Lilly, Lilly,” Stonehart intones. I can feel him walking circles around me, like a lion around its wounded prey. “What are we going to do with you?”

  I curl into a tiny ball on my side. My hands cover my head. All I can do is sob and shake.

  “Now. You’re scared of me. I can see that.” Stonehart’s voice is cold as ice, and deathly calm. “You’re frightened. You’re thinking: What is he going to do next?”

  I give an incoherent whimper.

  Stonehart squats down in front of me. I open my eyes enough to see him rolling up his sleeves. “I’m not going to beat you, Lilly,” he says. “That isn’t my style. Besides—” he chuckles, “—what use are you to me bloody and bruised? I want you fresh, my dear.”

  Without warning his hands shoot out and pin my shoulders to the floor. He swings one leg over me and shifts his entire weight onto my body.

  His breathing becomes heavier. It’s deep and raspy, coming from somewhere above me.

  “Now.” He sweeps my hair to one side to expose my face. “This little adventure of ours has got my blood boiling. I know of only one outlet for that.”

  I struggle against him, but it’s no use. It’s like trying to move a rock.

  “Sweet Lilly.” He caresses my cheek with the back of his hand. I can feel the hairs of his knuckles against my smooth skin. “Sweet, sweet Lilly. I must admit, I enjoy evoking such passion in you. But you must let me make an equal to it.”

  He lowers his head to my ear and adds in a heated whisper, “Fight back. The struggle… it turns me on.”

  Chapter Eight

  I gasp as he grabs my dress with both hands and rips it down the middle. My breasts heave out.

  “Yes,” he growls. I thrash on the floor against him. “Yes. This is what I’ve been waiting for.”

  I try to scream, but the sound is muffled as Stonehart crashes his mouth over mine. The kiss is hard and brutal. I clamp my lips shut, but his tongue finds a way in anyway. I shake my head back and forth, screaming, ‘No, no, no!’ in my mind. But I can’t do anything against the assault.

  One of his hands finds my breast. He grabs it and presses down hard, squeezing at the same time. Still I continue to fight, struggling beneath him like a pinned gazelle.

  Stonehart pulls up from my mouth. His heavy breathing is almost feral, and it matches my own. I see pure, animal aggression in his eyes.

  “Squirm,” he rasps in my ear. “Kick. Scream. Bite. I like it rough.”

  I acquiesce his request by bashing my forehead into his jaw.

  For a moment, he is too stunned to move. His grip lets go. I squander my opportunity to escape by hesitating for too long.

  Half a heartbeat later, Stonehart’s hand whips forward and catches my neck. I gasp, feeling the blood being cut off from my brain immedi
ately.

  “So you manage to follow directions, for once,” he enunciates, cracking his neck to one side. “That’s good, Lilly. But you have to remember: I am always in control.”

  He releases my throat and blood swells into my head like water from an opened flood gate. The euphoria of oxygen reaching my brain again overwhelms me, and I drift into a momentary stupor.

  Stonehart wastes no time. He takes advantage of my condition by flipping me over so that my face is pressed against the floor. His grip on my shoulders forces me down. I can feel the unforgiving marble pressing into my cheekbone. No matter how much I writhe, I can’t budge so much as an inch.

  I hear the sound of his belt being unbuckled, and then I hear it slide out of its loops. Stonehart grabs one of my hands and twists it back in a horrible, unnatural position. Pain shoots through my shoulder, and I scream.

  I feel a leather loop tighten around my wrist. Before I know what’s happening, my other arm is twisted back in the same fashion. Both shoulders burn as if pierced by a molten spike. I thrash side to side, but the more I move, the worse the pain gets.

  I give up and stop fighting. As soon as I do, and let my body go limp on the floor, the pain lessens. It’s not gone, of course, but it feels markedly better.

  Stonehart’s breaths are coming heavy above me. I feel his weight lift off for a bare second. I don’t try to take advantage. There is nowhere to run.

  All of a sudden, I feel my dress being lifted. Stonehart makes a primal sound of satisfaction as air rushes over my ass cheeks. He slaps me once, not hard, but the sound of skin-on-skin contact echoes through the room. He chuckles, and then does it again, to my other cheek.

  He stands up. “I like you like this, Lilly. You become very… compliant.”

  Out of nowhere, he hits me with a full-arm slap that contains enough force to make me slide forward on the floor. I cry out in pain. I don’t even have time to brace myself before he does it again. And again. And again.

  Each violent spank rocks my whole body. I don’t know how long it lasts. By the time he’s done, I don’t even feel the individual slaps anymore. All my nerves are numb.