Forced Submission (24 page)

She smiled.

Chapter 16

It was only four in the morning but Mia was wide awake. She
went into the guest bathroom, used the toilet and washed her face. She looked at
herself in the mirror, still deeply dismayed by her shaven head. She touched
her scalp, running her fingers over the stubble. At least now it would be able
to grow again. No more being tied to a chair in front of the sink while Sir—no,
not Sir! While Ellis Fucking Hughes squirted shaving cream all over her head
and scraped away her humanity with a razor, one stroke at a time.

Her eyes traveled down her body and she lifted the T-shirt
to stare at the gold rings that hung at her nipples. She pulled the T-shirt
over her head and dropped it on the counter as she leaned closer to the mirror.
Each ring was held in place by the ball screw. Though she had played with the
rings when she had been locked for long periods of time in the cage, she had
never dared to loosen the balls.

Now she couldn’t wait to get the hated symbols of Sir’s
“ownership” off her body. Leaning over the counter toward the mirror, she
carefully twisted the ball screw on the left ring. When it was loose enough,
she pushed the ring slowly out of the piercing, holding her breath all the
while.

She flung the bit of gold across the bathroom, not caring
where it landed, and repeated the process with the second ring. She looked at herself
again. There were still small holes on either side of each nipple, but she
supposed they would close in time. She touched her cheek, shuddering at the
recollection of his threat to brand her face. Thank god she’d managed to get
away in time.

“I will make you pay, Ellis Fucking Hughes,” she whispered
to the mirror, almost frightened by the rage she saw in her face. Reaching for
the T-shirt, she pulled it back over her head.

Returning to the guest bedroom, she pulled open the bureau
drawers, hoping to find some cast-off women’s clothing, or anything else that
might be useful. The drawers were empty, save for a pretty silk scarf. She
pulled it out and returned to the bathroom, Again facing the mirror, she tied
the scarf around her bald head. Though she knew it was silly, this made her
suddenly feel much better, and she smiled at her image in the mirror.

She left the room and headed in the direction of her
bedroom. No, not her bedroom. Nothing in this place was hers, and in a few
short hours she would be gone. She stood just outside the closet door,
listening. She heard nothing. She’d let the bastard sleep a while longer, if
that’s what he was doing.

After getting herself something to eat, Mia returned to the
study. She opened her email to see if there was an update from the prince, but
there was nothing. She opened Master E’s email account, surprised to see that
Sub
Girl
had responded. Curious, she opened the email.

To:
[email protected]

From:
[email protected]

What the hell is this? Some kind of a joke??!! If it is,
I’m going to sue your ass. I already gave notice at my job and canceled the
lease on my apartment. What the hell!!! Who are you really? What the hell is
going on? Is this some kind of test? I don’t believe your crazy story. I bet
you’re married and your wife busted your ass. You stupid loser. You’re probably
not even as good looking as your picture. I bet that isn’t even you!! I bet you
don’t have a Scarsdale mansion. I bet you live in some trailer park with your
mother and you weigh three-hundred pounds. I bet that plane ticket you reserved
for me is bogus too. Fuck you, Master E or whoever the hell you really are. I’m
going to report you at Alt.com and BDSMPersonals.com as a poser and a creep.
Don’t ever email me again.

Mia smiled wryly. Mission accomplished regarding her
would-be sister slave.

A folder on the sidebar of Ellis’ email caught her eye:
D/s
Island Paradise.
Her heart quickened and she clicked on the folder. A whole
series of emails to and from Prince Kamau were saved there. Mia opened them one
at a time, sickened with shame and fury as she read the lies and misinformation
Ellis had told about her.

Exiting out of the emails, she deleted the entire folder.
Then she went into the trash folder and deleted it forever. She slammed the lid
of the laptop closed, her hands curling around the machine, her arms aching to
hurl it against the wall.

But no, she told herself. Leave it for the cops. Let them
find the emails sent by Master E to unsuspecting women, and the huge caches of
non-consensual porn. Not that downloading porn was illegal, but it would help
paint a picture of who the man really was. Who knew what else they’d find on
his machine. Far be it from her to impede justice, she thought with a grim
smile.

Returning to the kitchen, she poured herself another cup of
coffee. She opened the bakery box on the counter that contained the sweet rolls
Ellis liked to eat for breakfast. How many mornings had she waited on her knees
beside the table like a dog, hoping against hope Sir would bother to toss her a
bite or two before the day’s torture would begin.

She put a plump, sticky roll on a plate and carried it,
along with the coffee mug, up the stairs. She entered the bedroom. Pulling open
the punishment closet door, she turned on the light. Ellis jerked suddenly and
lifted his head, smacking it against the top of the cage. He grunted in pain
and cursed. “Damn it, let me out of here.”

Mia noticed the water bottle she’d left for him the night
before sitting on the floor beside the cage, filled with his urine. She had
half a mind to dump the contents over him, or better yet, to make him drink it,
but she hadn’t the stomach for it.

Instead, as Ellis had done so many times to her, she dragged
the stool from the corner of the closet and positioned it in front of the cage.
“Morning, E. Did you sleep well?” She took a big bite of the sweet roll and
chewed thoughtfully as she regarded him.

“Let me out, M. I mean it.”

“What did you call me?” She pulled the gun from her pocket
and set it carefully on her lap. She took a sip of coffee and another bite of
the roll as she watched the play of emotions move over his face—first the fury,
then the fear, then the surrender. She set the coffee cup down on the ground
and finished the roll, one hand curled protectively around the handgun. She
licked her fingers, pleased to note him watching her intently, like a dog
hoping to be tossed a bone.

“I—I’m sorry,” he stammered. “I forgot, uh, Ms. Roberts.
Please let me out. I can make it very worth your while, you know. I’m worth a
lot of money. Millions. This has all just been an unfortunate misunderstanding.
I thought you—”

“Shut the fuck up!” Mia shouted, leaping up from the stool,
which fell back against the floor with a clatter. She pointed the gun at his
face. “How dare you? There was no
misunderstanding
, you bastard. You did
what you did in cold blood, every bit of it calculated to destroy another
person’s life. This isn’t a negotiation. I will tell you exactly what I expect
of you and you will perform, to the letter. Or I’ll shoot your dick off and
then blow your fucking head off. Are we very,
very
clear on this, E?”

Ellis blanched, shrinking back in the cage. “Hey, calm down.”
His tone was placating. “Let me out of here and let’s talk like sensible
people—”

“First rule,” Mia interrupted brusquely, “you will not speak
unless asked a direct question. When you address me, you will always remember
to call me Ms. Roberts. Failure to do so will result in punishment. Is that
understood, E?”

“This is—”

“Is. That. Understood.” Mia took a step closer, the gun
aimed at Ellis’ head. How easy it would be to just pull the trigger, and put
them both out of Ellis’ misery. He deserved to die for what he had done to her.

No, Mia. Stop. If you kill him, you become him.

She knew at that moment, despite her rage, despite his
crimes, she would not be the one to exact justice, at least not of such a
permanent nature. She would, however, give the bastard a taste of his own
medicine for the few hours she was forced to remain in his house. She held the
gun steady and stared down at the man who only a day ago would have whipped her
to shreds just for daring to meet his eye.

Ellis swallowed hard, his lips bunching together as if he
couldn’t force himself to form the words. A muscle was leaping in his jaw, but
finally he muttered through clenched teeth, “Yes, Ms. Roberts.”

“Good boy. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” No response. “
Was
it?”

“No, Ms. Roberts.”

Satisfied, Mia lowered the gun. She noticed Ellis was
clutching his upper arm where the bullet had grazed him. “Let me see your
wound,” she ordered.

Ellis lowered his hand, which came away bloody. The skin was
torn but not too deeply. She had suffered worse from the cane. She raised the
gun again, pointing it in his direction. “I’m going to let you out of the cage,
E. If you try anything, anything at all, I’ll shoot you, and this time I’ll
shoot to kill. Do you promise to be a good boy, E?”

When he didn’t immediately respond, Mia lifted her eyebrows
and clicked off the safety.

“Yes, Ms. Roberts,” Ellis replied in a rush.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the key ring.
Keeping the gun trained on her prisoner, Mia slipped the tiny key into the slot
and turned it, releasing the padlock. She pulled open the small gate and stood
quickly, stepping back as Ellis shifted forward.

“I
will
kill you,” she repeated, “if you make any
sudden move. Crawl out slowly and keep your head down. You will not stand up.
You will crawl out of the room and down the hall to the dungeon.”

“My shoulder,” he began.

“Shut up,” Mia snapped. “I didn’t ask you a question. You’re
in pain? Too fucking bad, asshole. How about we pierce your dick with a needle,
huh? Then I’ll cane you until you bleed and make you jerk off while I’m doing
it. Then I’ll dunk your head in cold water and hold you under until you think
you’re going to drown. Still want to talk about your little flesh wound,
cocksucker?”

Ellis wisely said nothing as he maneuvered his bulk out of
the small cage, though if looks could kill, she would have fallen dead on the
spot. He crawled slowly through the room, his fury and resentment radiating
from him like a heat mirage. Mia walked behind him, her gun trained on the back
of his head. She had meant what she said—if he made any sudden movement she
wouldn’t hesitate to blow his brains out. A part of her almost wanted him to.

Again she reminded herself:
If you kill him, you become
him.

He moved slowly but steadily through the room and along the
hall. He crawled to the center of the dungeon and twisted his head back to
regard her. Mia waved the gun at him. “Stand up. Open the stocks and place your
head and wrists in position.”

“You can’t be serious,” the bastard had the nerve to utter.

“As a heart attack,” Mia snapped. “Do it. Now.” Her finger
actually quivered on the trigger. Ellis must have sensed she was that close to
shooting him, because he pulled himself to his feet and moved toward the stocks
where Mia had spent so many miserable, terrified hours.

“Go on. Open them and get in position. If I have to tell you
again I’ll shoot you in the ass.”

Ellis lifted the heavy wooden bar and crouched awkwardly in
the stocks, wincing in pain as the wound on his shoulder started to seep blood.
Mia moved in front of him and lowered the top of the stocks over his neck and
wrists, quickly sliding home the bolt that held the device closed.

Her heart was beating a mile a minute and the adrenaline
coursing through her body made her feel lightheaded and giddy. She had done it!
He was in the stocks now, and he wouldn’t be going anywhere any time soon.

Without saying anything to him, she turned on her heel and
left the room, eager to check for any word from Prince Kamau. When she logged
on to her email, she was thrilled to see he had written.

To:
[email protected]

From:
[email protected]

Dearest Mia,

We have secured a jet and await momentary takeoff.
Arrangements are being made for a car to take us directly from your local
airport to the address you gave me. I hope to be there within the next
twenty-four hours. Please stay safe, dear girl. Zahara is eagerly awaiting your
return.

Yours in peace,

Kamau

Twenty-four hours. That should be plenty of time to execute
the rest of her plan. Opening a Word document, she typed out the lines that had
been running through her mind. She hit print and, as the words appeared on the paper,
she closed the document without electing to save it.

Taking the single sheet of paper, she returned to the
dungeon. Ellis was on his knees in the stocks, his body curved in a posture of
defeat. “Get up,” Mia commanded as she entered the room. “Feet flat, ass out.”

She watched with satisfaction as Ellis struggled to his
feet. Pulling a stool into his line of vision, she set the gun carefully down
on top of the piece of paper she’d pulled from the printer. She went to the
wardrobe and retrieved the purple whip Ellis called the stinger. Thrusting it
in Ellis’ face, she barked, “You know what to do.”

Fury sparked in Ellis’ eyes, but he bunched his mouth in
imitation of a kiss and touched the whip handle with his lips. Mia jerked the
whip away and went behind him. She struck him without warning, putting her
entire arm and wrist into the motion. The strands of knotted rubber whipped
across his muscular ass with a whooshing sound. Ellis yelped and tried to jerk
away, but of course he wasn’t going anywhere.