A Bedtime Story (9 page)

“Sir…”

He turned to her, his eyes still absorbed in thought.

“Are you taking me to an interrogation?” she breathed, fear in her
eyes.

That got his attention.
No, definitely not naïve
, Kayne
thought to himself. He sighed then looked away from her, staring out the window. “We
are going to a party actually. I suspect it’s not your typical scene.”

“Why not? What’s at the party? Please tell me.”

“You’ll see. You won’t like it,” he said cryptically and turned his
head away from her again. “My boss wanted me to bring you. He’s the one
hosting.”

She paled. “So you
are
taking me to an interrogation…”

He turned back to her, keeping his composure. “I
don’t know, Laura,” he finally responded, irritation tainting his voice.

He was nervous. That didn’t happen very often to Kayne Malkin. The
entire way, he tried to reassure himself. He would talk to Dimitri; it would all
work out. It had to, there was no other viable option for him. He could not openly
defy Dimitri, and yet he would not let him harm the girl,
his girl
.

Laura couldn’t have suspected his inner turmoil. She only heard his
fatalistic answer, the crushing response thrown callously at her. She wanted to jump
out of the moving car, but they were going over a hundred kilometers per hour on the
freeway, the doors locked under the driver’s control. She started rocking herself
back and forth, not knowing what to do, what to think, or how to feel. A firm but
gentle hand held her by the arm, steadying her movement.

“Laura, look at me.” He waited until she did. “Do as I say, and you
will be fine. Okay?” Kayne’s eyes burned into hers as he said the words. He knew
them to be true the moment they came out of his lips. He would not stand and watch
as they had their way with her. She was his and his alone. He had found and claimed
her, and Kayne always protected what was rightfully his. He could feel her muscles
relax. She nodded, her eyes vacant.

“Do you trust me?”

What a wonderfully ironic question. She laughed in her head at how
ridiculous it sounded coming from him, and yet the answer was yes,
yes, she
did
. She nodded again, this time meeting his gaze. He gently squeezed her
arm, his smile brittle before letting go and turning back away from her.

***

The SUV finally turned into a driveway, not unlike Kayne’s, though
the mansion it led to was twice the size. There was security all over the premises,
valet service, and even a doorman. Kayne turned to Laura just before exiting the
car, fire in his eyes, his mood entirely changed.

“Ready?”

“Ready,” a subdued voice answered back.

He led her to the entrance with his hand on the small of her back,
right above where the material of her dress fell into graceful folds. Just the touch
of his hand on her bare skin caused Laura to feel a knot in her stomach. She tried
to walk ahead, ignoring the very pleasant burning sensation his hand was creating on
her soft skin. Before they got in the door, he leaned into her ear and instructed
her in a hushed tone, “Stay close to me, don’t speak to anyone, and keep your eyes
on the ground.” He then added, jeering at her, though not unkindly, “Last part
shouldn’t be too hard for you.” She just nodded, too nervous to be offended or
embarrassed.

Words could barely express the sickening spectacle awaiting Laura.
She froze in the doorway, refusing to take another step. There were hundreds of
people. All the men were dressed formally in fancy black suits, much like Kayne’s.
As for the women… she was simply horrified. Some, which she assumed were strippers,
were dancing in metal cages dangling from the high ceilings. Other women donned
black latex underwear, some were completely naked. Most of them had collars, some
with leashes, being dragged by a man, crawling on all fours. A very select few wore
dark gowns like herself. She felt nauseated.

“I told you you wouldn’t like it,” Kayne whispered with devilish
amusement in her ear before dragging her forward.

As they moved into the house, more explicit scenes befell her eyes.
Orgies were happening all over the place. In one room, there was a group of men
casually conversing with drinks in their hands while women serviced them, one woman
serving only as a footrest. In another, five men were huddled by a naked woman,
splayed flat on a table. One of them was carelessly thrusting himself into her mouth
while another put her other orifices to good use. With her hands, she was pleasuring
the others gathered around her as they fondled her generous breasts.

Laura looked around in panic, somewhere between revulsion and
disbelief. It reminded her of the sex scene in the movie
Eyes Wide
Shut
, except there was no pretense to this, no need for costumes and
occult hocus-pocus.

“You… you go to these things?” she asked him, in a hushed tone
barely masking her disgust.

“Yes.”

She let go of his arm, taking a step back, her eyes wide. He didn’t
reach out to pull her back to him. He remained still in his spot, his eyes boring
into hers with a wicked gleam. As if on cue, a man drunkenly stumbled toward them,
undressing her with his eyes. “Well well... what do we have here?” He slurred his
words, raising his hand to touch her hair.

In an instant she was back at Kayne’s side, half her body hiding
behind him, gripping his arm fiercely with both her hands, her nails digging into
his jacket.

“She’s with me,” Kayne coolly warned the man.

“Oh, Mr. Malkin, I’m so sorry, I didn’t know.” And just as fast,
the man scurried out of sight.

Kayne waited a few moments, then turned his face to Laura. He
gently unclenched her firm grip on him, taking both her hands into his.

“So we’re friends again…” he observed, a smirk on his face. Laura
didn’t respond, just tightened her hold on his hand.

As they walked around, Kayne ran into many acquaintances. They all
checked her out shamelessly, some making lewd comments about her, mostly about how
they couldn’t wait for her to become available or about looking forward to seeing
her in action. Kayne brushed off the comments dismissively, never letting them get
too far, but no one risked approaching her. A shiver ran through her spine at every
comment, every lingering leer. The thought of these men touching her made her feel
sick. She understood; they thought she was his whore and that Kayne didn’t share his
whores with other men but that he’d let them watch sometimes… She wondered if he’d
do this to her, if he’d make her strip in front of them as he had her do earlier at
his home. The mere thought
petrified her. It was bad enough she had
done it for him, but in a way, it also made it okay, because it
was
him.

Her train of thought and frightful speculations were interrupted
suddenly by a very present, very real terror. Maxwell Bane was standing right across
the room from them, caught in a lively conversation with another man and a woman
wearing a black velvet gown. Laura’s face blanched, her hand squeezed his even
tighter, if it was possible. “Kayne…” Her voice strangled.

He immediately turned to face her. She just nudged her head toward
the back of the room, unable to say another word. Maxwell noticed, acknowledging
them with a vile smile. The woman standing at his side turned her head in their
direction. She was strikingly beautiful, tall and slender, a red mane slicked into
an elegant side ponytail, contouring her delicate features and feline green eyes.
She smiled brightly upon seeing Kayne, taking Maxwell’s offered arm as they both
made their way to Kayne and Laura.

Kayne was caught unaware, hearing his name from her lips. He was
even more surprised at how much he liked it. She hadn’t pronounced his name since he
had brought her to Maxwell the night they met, when he betrayed her. He never
allowed his whores to call him by his name; they would refer to him as
sir
or
master
, conveying the respect they owed him. But she wasn’t his whore…
yet, and he caught himself questioning if that was still his objective. Granted, he
wanted her, in all the twisted ways he always wanted beautiful women. And yet he was
at a loss explaining the emerging feelings she stirred in him, the protective way he
looked at her, the slow seduction he instinctively opted for. Never before had he
felt such pleasure from hearing his name uttered, never before was it spoken with
such familiarity and urgent need. He wondered if that was the price to pay for
holding her captive. The bond he inadvertently created, the responsibility he now
felt toward a woman he would have otherwise just seduced and discarded without a
second thought.

Kayne’s eyes narrowed seeing the source of her distress. He turned
his attention back to Laura, feeling her quickened breaths, her
panic
rising. He pulled her closer, brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, and softly
whispered to her, leaning his face close but not too close as to enable eye contact.
“Laura… Laura… Look at me, Laura,” he patiently commanded her attention, snapping
her out of the swirl of terror ensnaring her.

She looked up at him, dread in her eyes.

“Don’t worry about him.”

She nodded nervously, clearly not appeased.

He sighed, brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. “He won’t
hurt you. I won’t let him.”

At his touch, she relaxed a little, his words slowly entering her
mind, fighting off her fears.

“Kayne! How are you? I see you brought the ever-so-lovely Miss
Spencer.” Maxwell turned to Laura, a reptilian smile plastered on his face as Laura
shrank back.

“Oh my… she’s a shy one,” the pretty redhead said in a cutesy
voice.

Kayne wrapped his arm around Laura’s waist, pulling her close in a
possessive gesture. “Maxwell, Tanya… How have you been?” he replied nonchalantly,
annoyance perceptible in his voice.

“Good… good… I see you didn’t waste your time with her… Can’t say I
blame you… She sure is a delectable little thing…” Maxwell licked his lips as
Kayne’s stare turned icy.

Laura couldn’t help but notice that Kayne hadn’t reacted the same
way when other men made comments, he had merely brushed them off. She sensed
Maxwell’s convivial manners were affected. Kayne didn’t even try to hide his
hostility. There was definitely bad blood between the two. As for the woman smiling
with such familiarity at Kayne…
Tanya, was that her name?
There was no doubt,
from the first glance they exchanged, she knew the animosity she felt was
reciprocated.

“So, Kayne… How long ’til we can play a little with her, huh? It’s
so unfair really, you’re no team player!” Maxwell chortled loudly.
“Oh, come now, Maxwell, you know Kayne doesn’t like to share his toys…” Tanya
added in a singsong tone. “My guess is… hmm… two months? Maybe three… She looks
special
… But tell me, Kayne, if I promise not to break her, can
I
play with her?” She batted her eyes coyly at him as she raised her hand to touch
Laura’s face. Laura was already backing away when Kayne caught Tanya’s arm
midair.

“Don’t,” he said sharply, warning in his voice.

She glared at him for a moment but quickly fell back on a honeyed
tone and a mock hurt look. “Not even me?” She pouted her mouth. “My my… Guess she
is
special after all…”

“Bah… no matter.” Maxwell shrugged his shoulders. “In the end
they’re even better when he’s done with them,” and he winked at Tanya.

She let out a loud strident laugh, throwing her head back
coquettishly, but her eyes, if only for a second, betrayed the hurt the remark just
inflicted on her. And with that, they turned around and walked away, Tanya’s chuckle
still heard, Maxwell with his hand wrapped around her waist, his head barely
reaching her shoulders.

The whole time, Laura had tried to keep her eyes on the ground, to
focus on breathing, on Kayne’s soothing hand gently rubbing her back, up and down.
She tried to focus on the calmness it procured her and not shriek at the top of her
lungs before stumbling into complete insanity.

The moment they were gone, Kayne leaned even closer to her. His
hand still caressing her back, he whispered softly in her ear, “Are you okay?”

Her eyes watery, she shook her head. “Can we leave now?” she barely
managed to say.

“Not yet… Not yet,” he repeated, caressing her cheek again, his
eyes soft, half smiling indulgently. “Come.”

He led her to the back of the room where two doormen opened the
double French doors giving way to a gorgeous terrace. There were a few tables here
and there with waiters going about them
offering beverages. A big
illuminated water fountain stood in the middle, the whole of it surrounded by a
magnificent garden. Laura couldn’t help but take in all the beauty. What a lovely
place it must look like from the outside. Kayne pulled her into a corner and offered
her a cigarette, holding both in the corner of his mouth to light them, then handing
her one.

Laura took the cigarette with shaky fingers. “You do this…”

“Do what?”

“This… to women…”

“Do you really want to have this conversation now, Laura?” His
voice was calm. Though not threatening, it carried the implication that if she knew
what was good for her, she’d drop it. In a way she knew he was right. In this
moment, she didn’t want to see him for the monster he was, to know the atrocities
her only protection in this godforsaken place was capable of.

One of the doormen approached them, bowing his head with deference
before addressing Kayne. “Mr. Malkin, Mr. Drugov is ready for you.”

Kayne nodded, and the doorman left. He looked back at Laura.
“Ready?”

“No?” She offered a weak smile.

He smiled back, wrapping his arm around her back, and with a grave
voice added, “Let’s go.”

They went back in and entered a glass elevator that led them to the
third floor. Dimitri Drugov was waiting for them in his office behind his desk. He
was old, Laura guessed in his seventies, still had all his white hair, and divulged
an imposing belly when standing up to meet them. He had a large nose, no facial
hair, and pale blue eyes. His facial features, though severe, softened considerably
when he smiled.