Against Her Will (Dragon's Lair) (2 page)

“
I said on your knees, woman, or there’ll be more where that came from.”

She fell to her knees
out of confusion rather than obedience, and she rubbed a sleeve against her cheek in case there was blood. She couldn’t tell because her entire body had gone numb. Luke had never so much as growled at her, let alone raised a hand. Her parents had coddled her as the treasured only princess and sole grandchild on both sides of the family. She had lived her life treated as carefully as fine china; no one had ever spoken to her with such disdain and disrespect.

Yet something inside of her thrilled at the raw terror coursing through her bones. She had r
ead exciting stories of capture and gasped in awe as one amazing hero after another rescued a beautiful heroine, but she had never thought about the stories coming to life. What would a heroine do in her situation? She would come up with a smart remark, probably, and fail to show fear. She’d stop being mousy Sarah, office temp, and become Xena, warrior princess. If only she could trade her showy shoes for something more practical. Then again, stilettos had a good, sharp edge on the heel…if she could only see where to kick.

“
I’m not afraid of you.”

The slap came harder this time, knocking her breath away. She gasped and
lowered her chin to her chest, sure that heroines in stories must have better comebacks and harder skin.

“
Hands above your head, woman, if you know what’s good for you.”

It took her a few moments to figure out how to keep her balance and raise her arms, but she managed it. The prospect of a fourth slap had diminished her desire to be
come a kick-ass heroine. She’d prefer for Luke to call off his silly game and let her go home. Maybe she could find another fiancé on Craigslist.

The footsteps circl
ed her, slow and deliberate. A chuckle escaped, and the tip of a rubber baton prodded her buttocks and thighs. “Up. No, not standing. Up on your knees.”

Sarah straightened her back and raised her torso to a ninety-degree angle from the floor, her arms beginning to shake with the effort of keeping the position.
“Tell Luke to knock it off,” she commanded. “It’s not funny.”

The footsteps ignored her, and the baton poked harder. She wobbled and lowered her buttocks as if to sit on her legs again, but the baton whacked the backs of her thighs. She gasped with pain, trembling. Until now, this had seemed like nothing more than an elaborate
- if twisted - game by someone who must be Luke. Luke had promised to pick her up, had promised her a “wild” night, and she had obeyed because how could a soft-spoken office worker think of anything wilder than an unauthorized entry onto a spreadsheet?

“
We will present you to Master Dragon,” the voice informed her coldly, as if she had no purpose other than to be presented. “With or without your cooperation.” The rubber baton struck again, and this time she could no longer stay upright. She fell to the frigid concrete floor, writhing in agony. Despite commands to rise and resume the position, Sarah concentrated only on her crashing heartbeat and inability to breathe. This was real. Not some fantasy game, but actual danger that couldn’t be solved with a smart remark or a superhero swinging on spider webbing. Tears soaked the blindfold, and she whimpered like a small child.

“
No,” she gasped. “Luke, no.” Where was he?

“
You were warned,” the voice repeated. Large hands fumbled with her shirt and skirt, tearing her clothes away in loud, rending motions. She fought against her restraints, but the voice repeated its words. “You were warned.”

Even though she could not see herself, the cool air against her private parts told her that she stood naked. Goosebumps prickled her flesh, and she shook her manacled hands in a vain attempt to focus her attention elsewhere. Her ears pricked as she heard clearing of throats and shuffling of feet
of others now immediately in front of her. She had thought she was alone with her tormentor, but now doubt crept into her mind. How many people watched her? How many eyes traveled up and down her body, revealed for all to see? She attempted to scream, but before the first sound escaped she hastily closed her mouth. She’d been hit more in the past few minutes than the entire twenty-two years of her life. Cautiously, she licked her lips as she thought of what to say. What
could
she say? Naked, blinded, and stripped of all that made her human, she was at the complete mercy of her merciless captor.

“
Further disobedience will be severely punished.”

Disobedience of
what?
Kidnapping her was disobedience of laws, and he accused
her
of disobedience? Sarah choked, gagging and coughing. Her knees knocked together, and she had the overwhelming urge to relieve herself. She still felt as if this was a dream, but the ache in her head told her otherwise. She might wish for this to be a dream, but she would most likely sport bruises for the next few days.

“
Luke,” she whimpered, wishing with all of her heart for the safety of his three-piece suit, the tenderness of the kiss he offered her at each greeting.

To her surprise, a warm hand cupped her chin. She flinched, expecting more blows, but the hand lifted her face for a kiss. A rough one, to be sure, but
it was a confident kiss, possessive lips mashing against her own. The scent of musky cologne reached her nostrils, and her knees trembled against her will. The hands moved to her shoulders, pushing downward almost like a massage. They cupped her full breasts, tweaking her nipples and rolling them in between the fingers. She cried out, expecting pain, but the hands continued downward to explore her bottom. They parted her legs to stroke her labia, and against her will she her nipples hardened with arousal. She yelped, pretending to feel pain, stricken that the touch could awaken desire within her when she should be preparing herself to commit her life to Luke. Luke never touched her in this way, never tousled her with an expert touch, both deft and rough at the same time.

As quickly as the pleasure began, it stopped when the hands left her body. Sarah mewled involuntarily, trying to follow the touch that had brought her so maddeningly close to...something. Something unexpected, something she had never imagined might happen.

Instead of pleasure, the rubber baton inflicted pain against her buttocks, and the voice snapped at her to stand at attention. She obeyed, tears soaking the handkerchief blindfold at the unexplained harshness. The voice had been almost kind, and the unexpected contrast made the blow hurt even more.

“
Sarah Mathison.”

She wondered how he knew her name, but she had no time to consider the possibilities before the voice continued.

“For now, you will be known as Dragonfly. You will be assigned to the first available nurse and trained to please your new master. Then you will be given your Dragon name. If you fail to learn quickly, you will face the wrath of Master Dragon.”

“
But…”

Another whack from the baton silenced her half-uttered protest.
“You are now the property of Master Dragon, and you belong to his Lair. You will speak only when spoken to, and you will follow all orders to the letter. Disobedience will be punished. Swiftly and severely.”

As if she could not understand words alone, the baton emphasized the awful pronouncement with a blow that sent her reeling. She fell, and this time the voice allowed her to remain on the ground. Footsteps withdrew, and the clank of metal scraped once more. The clicking of a key turned in a lock, and the darkness of her blindfold left her even more helpless than before. She sobbed, retching with dry heaves.

“Luke,” she cried into the abyss. “Luke!”

Mercifully, the tears exhausted her and she slid into a dreamless, agitated sleep.

*
              *              *

Becky fidgeted with the pencils on her desk as she dialed Sarah’s home number. Wedding or not, Becky couldn’t believe Sarah would quit her job without so much as a good-bye. Sure, Luke made good money, but Sarah had never seemed like someone who would want to loll around at home while her husband worked.

Becky frowned at the message.
No longer in service? She had a funny feeling about this. She asked a few of the other office girls, but no one had heard from Sarah either. Becky called up Sarah’s employment file to find her home address. Something was wrong, and Becky planned to find out what.

Richard Winston III
popped a butterscotch disk into his mouth, kicked back in his comfortable office desk, and took out his newest file. He reached for a sip of his morning coffee, winced as he tasted the cold liquid, and set the cup down. Blast. He poured himself a cup of coffee every morning before he began his work, and he forgot to drink it while it was still hot. He had too much to do, and he felt guilty at taking a few seconds away from his work for coffee breaks. Master Dragon had entrusted him with the title of Commandant, the second-in-command of the Lair. Richard wanted to live up to that trust, but he struggled to stay abreast of all the needs of the Lair. A degree in business management hadn’t prepared him for
this
kind of business.

Still, he loved his job and would never trade his position for anywhere else.
He resigned himself to another coffee-less morning and scanned the paperwork and photos submitted by his newest employee. While the photos were stunning, the entrance ones didn’t do her justice. She lay limp and unresponsive, still heavily drugged. Age twenty-two, former captain of the football cheerleading squad, only child, and - he licked his lips - a virgin. That was not only rare but a downright treasure these days, considering that sex education classes began in preschool. With condoms passed around like lollipops and available for anyone without parental permission, virginity had gone the way of dinosaurs and videocassette recorders. This new recruit was a treasure, indeed.

Richard
’s employer, the venerated Master Dragon, had tasked him with finding the impossible: a consort suitable for breeding and educating, perhaps even a Mistress to join the ranks of the famous Dragon’s Lair. But who could find a match for Master Dragon? No one had been deemed suitable despite years of intense training for potentials. A Mistress had to be both submissive and dominant, one who could support Master Dragon as partner in the enterprise while still able to please him in private. If the immense reach of the Dragon scouts had failed to find a proper mate so far, how could anyone turn up now? It was out of the question, and Richard knew it. So did Master Dragon, if anyone were able to speak plainly. But they were not, and so the futile search would continue indefinitely.

Barring that,
Richard should provide at least a well-trained girl who would bring in a handsome sum from the highest bidder. The underground network of the Lair scoured information sources whenever a young woman appeared. Engagement announcements in the local newspaper, along with graduation lists from colleges and high schools, allowed the Dragon council to find potential recruits.

Richard permitted himself a faint smile.
“Recruits,” they were called, even if the girls never actually enlisted. Soon enough, with the renowned Dragon training, the girls acclimated to the Lair and proved suitable for placement. Men came from all over the world to find a Dragon girl, and Richard had sent alumnae to forty-nine countries. Hard work, high standards, and the finest trainers money could buy made all of his successes possible, but none of it mattered without quality recruits. He had become indifferent while reading through each morning’s report of the recruits from the night before, but something about this new girl caught his eye. Was it the arch of her back, or was it the lift of her chin as she stood handcuffed and blindfolded in her new surroundings? Or was it her ability to stand at attention without succumbing to fear? Dragon girls should show absolute submission, but submission meant nothing from a girl who was weak. The gift of submission became all the sweeter when offered with great sacrifice.

Richard finished inspecting the photos and
re-read the paperwork.
Sarah Marie Mathison,
he
mused to himself.
Your life has finally become interesting.

After a pause, he stamped a red mark of approval on her intake papers and affixed a green Post-It flag
to the top page. Ordinary recruits’ paperwork went into the slush pile, and the recruits were trained in groups of eight to ten girls. More promising specimens were directed for small-group attention, with one nurse training four to five girls at a time. Good nurses were both scarce and expensive, and Dragon’s Lair struggled to keep up with the enormous demand for its trained graduates. Only for the most promising recruits did Dragon’s Lair invest the undivided attention of a nurse trained by Master Dragon himself. The course would be challenging, if not outright brutal, but not one green-flag recruit had failed to complete the program and be matched with a top-ranking man from anywhere across the globe.

Richard turned over various nurse prospects in his mind. Nurse Debbie? No, she had begun training a new group of mid-range recruits. Nurse Athena? A remarkable woman, if a bit set in her ways. No, Richard told
himself. Nurse Athena produced quality girls but allowed her trainees to fraternize more than was wise. He needed focused, dedicated training that would produce a girl capable of pleasing the most discerning, demanding customer. Dragon’s Lair did well financially on the whole, but it depended on lucrative sales to support all of the expenses involved in the training. He snapped his fingers. Of course! He picked up the phone and dialed without consulting his contact list.

“
Nurse Julia,” he said into the phone, and his voice warmed with pleasure at speaking to his favorite of the trainers. Julia had entered the program as a recruit many years ago, and she had achieved the honor of being asked to stay as a trainer rather than being sent out as a graduate. Many girls aspired to become trainers, but Dragon’s Lair already had a full complement. Only for the truly exceptional candidates did Dragon’s Lair allow a girl to earn the honor of a nurse. In recognition of Julia’s talents, Master Dragon had permitted her to choose or refuse any assignment. Unlike the other nurses who had to accept any recruit given to them, had Julia turned down four out of five job offers.

“
Yes?” she asked over the phone, skepticism lacing her voice. No other nurse would dare to speak to him with such familiarity, but she never showed that kind of attitude in front of the girls. Besides, she saved both of their time by getting straight to the point. If he were honest, he would admit that her confidence was rather attractive. She was exactly the right role model for future consorts of prominent men. “Have you finally found a girl worth my time?”

Richard picked up Sarah
’s photo and admired her curves again. “I can’t promise,” he admitted. “But I’d like you to take a look.”

Julia sighed.
“You said that the last three times. Oh well, you might as well send her paperwork over, and I’ll give you an answer by tomorrow.”

Any other nurse would be fired on the spot for sp
eaking to him that way, but the pre-approval was part of Julia’s process. The more she felt pressured into taking an assignment, the greater her reluctance to perform the necessary tasks to transform a girl from terrified abductee into confident submissive. Julia was an artist when it came to training girls, and artists needed their space in order to produce their best work.

Richard dropped the papers and photos into a courier bag, and he beckoned to one of the new interns. He scrawled Julia
’s address on the outside and sealed the bag shut. “Take this right away,” he barked. When he returned to his phone call with Julia, he smiled. “If this girl isn’t something special, I’ll let you take that six-month sabbatical you wanted,” he promised. “Anywhere in the world, all expenses paid.”

So much for not pressuring her.
Master Dragon would kill him for making such an extravagant gesture, but Richard’s gut instincts overcame his natural caution. If this girl couldn’t tempt Julia out of her semi-retirement, no one could. And if this girl trained to be the sensation he was sure she would be, everyone would win.

“
To the Carribean,” Julia offered, and they both laughed. “You know I hate the winter cold. Very well, I said I’d take a look. At least until I renew my passport for my new trip.”

Richard smiled and said nothing. To create the special girl Dragon
’s Lair needed, Julia had always insisted on complete control over her recruits. Her methods were harsh, costly, and time-intensive. She allowed no one to interact with the girls but her, and she insisted on the best quality training materials. Some employees at Dragon’s Lair complained and said Julia took more than her fair share of the resources. Each time Richard went over the budget, someone suggested cutting costs; however, he left Julia’s account alone. No one could argue with her success. Plus, the surveillance footage of her training had become a sought-after commodity in its own right.

Richard picked up his coffee up one more time, only to spit his mouthful of beverage back into the cup. Some day, he would drink
his coffee before it got cold.

*              *              *

Julia Rothschild buzzed open the security gate for the delivery. She was the only employee of Dragon’s Lair allowed to live off the premises, and that made Richard nervous. No, not nervous exactly, but paranoid that papers might fall into the wrong hands. Plenty of copycat enterprises had sprung up since Dragon’s Lair became famous, and their competitors would have loved to learn the Dragon secrets. Or so he reminded her every chance he got.

Julia cared nothing for competition or good business. She wanted top quality training resources,
particularly for the girls the Dragon team found for her. She had inherited a sizable sum of money when her mother died, allowing her to live comfortably—if frugally—in between paid jobs. Unlike the other nurses who vied for assignments, Julia preferred rest periods in between work. How could she keep her immaculate performance record if she worked with inferior material?

Snapping her fingers at Magda to open the door, Julia thought back to her own training. She had
learned under Nurse Tessa, the girl who had served Master Dragon himself. “Girl,” Julia thought to herself, smiling. “Girl” meant recruit, not the women who trained them. And yet, sometimes the training could progress beyond the grim work as rigorous as any military basic training. Recruits emerged in top shape both physically and emotionally, ready to serve however best they were needed. How fortunate that Julia had received the honor of becoming the first nurse appointed straight from the graduating class. While Dragon graduates lived to serve, Julia thrived on passing her hard-won training down to the next generation of girls. She gave a rather wolfish smile as she opened the courier bag and nodded for Magda to begin preparing dinner. What had excited Richard so much that he begged her to take the job?

The first photo took Julia
’s breath away. Fresh-caught, Richard had said. If Julia hadn’t known better, she would have mistaken the photograph for the girl’s placement papers. Without even a day inside the Lair, this girl knew how to pose for best effect. Her shoulders squared with confidence, allowing her perky breasts to stand at attention. Julia smiled, imagining the feel of the soft, tender fullness as she taught the girl to respond appropriately. The unmarked fair skin without a blemish anywhere, front or back. The supple, creamy buttocks and thighs that shone despite the faint bruises. Richard’s men had to rough up the recruits at first, or else the girls would remain uncooperative. A healthy dose of fear in the beginning led to more pliable girls and happier training for everyone.

Unreasonably, Julia was furious at
Richard for not removing the girl’s blindfold. This girl could say so much with the crook of her neck, with the curve of her instep. Her entire body begged to be used and abused, and its nakedness still remained a mystery as long as Julia could not see the girl’s eyes.

Stop it
, Julia told herself.
She is a recruit, nothing more
. Professional detachment was a necessity of the job. Of course, the nurses were allowed to take their pleasure with the recruits as long as they were discreet. The recruits, terrified and homesick, lapped up the attention with gratitude. But to become personally attached to a girl marked as someone else’s property, well, that would spell disaster for everyone, but most especially for the nurse who had trained her.

Julia sighed. She picked up her phone and dialed.

“Julia! Signing on this quickly? I’ll get you a room right away.” Richard’s smug voice made her want to smack him. Cocky and full of himself.

“
You’ll have to find someone else,” she said flatly.

“
What? But she’s perfect! Like nothing else we’ve seen in ten years.” His bafflement would have amused her on another day. How she loved to trip him up at his own game! This time, however, she had to play it differently.

“
She’s not worth my time,” Julia lied. Well, was it really a lie? The girl was not worth Julia’s time if she spelled trouble for both of them.

“
Julia,” Richard protested, his voice strengthening as he recovered from his shock. “There is no way you can look at this recruit and not want to train her.”

That much was true. Julia wanted this girl across her lap, as naked as the day she was born, squalling for mercy as Julia tamed her inevitable naughtiness. This girl had spark and spirit,
and she was the most delectable specimen Dragon’s Lair had seen since...well, since Julia herself had been caught. She grinned a most un-nurse-like grin. She shook her head, though, and focused. She’d built her reputation for too many years to have it destroyed now. The stirrings between her legs told her clearly - the further she stayed away from this girl, the better. Nurses had no authority if they lusted after their young charges, and lust had ruined many a nurse’s career before. Nurse Cathy had taken a severance package, sobbing in humiliation because she had made plans to elope with her recruit. Recruits were the property of Dragon’s Lair, and nurses were only the caretakers. Trying to take that property without authorization amounted to stealing, and Cathy would never be able to work as a nurse again. Julia might not need the work, but she had her pride. She had not played the game for this many years to allow her hard-earned concessions slip away. Unless she maintained her rank as the indispensable Nurse for recruits, she was nothing more than a glorified recruit.