Indulgence (370 page)

“Easy, Silver.” Kirk slid in and locked the door behind him.
“I thought you’d be asleep.”

“Oh, sure after today, I’m going to sleep like a baby.
Besides, I thought I’d have to let you in.”

“I told you to go to bed. I picked up a spare key from
security. You haven’t even showered.”

I looked down at my clothes. It was lucky only he knew that
I hadn’t listened.

“Did Gabe do anything?”

I shook my head. “Do, no. He said he’d have me though.”

“What?”

“Don’t worry,” I mocked Gabe’s voice, “I’ll have you yet,
Princess.”

“Princess?”

I rolled my eyes.

“Time for a shower.” Kirk wrapped an arm around my back and
lifted me off the floor. He winced with the motion but didn’t let me go until
we reached the shower.

“You going to wash my hair?” I teased as we stripped,
waiting for the water to warm.

“Don’t press your luck,” he said, picking me up again and
dropping me in the still cool stream.

I squealed and moved to the back of the tub. “If you didn’t
look like an invalid….”

“You’re really asking for it tonight, aren’t you?” He
stepped in the front of the shower and I charted the injuries, the largest
bruise was on his left side, paired with a smaller one near the bottom of his
ribs on the right. There was another just above his left hip, the outside of
his right thigh.

I was afraid he’d turn around and I’d see even more.

“I’m still walking and breathing, Silver. I haven’t left you
to the wolves yet.”

I leaned against the wall, sleep threatening to claim me
right there in the shower. Apparently now that he was back, my body no longer
felt the need to stay on high alert. Kirk pulled me against him and lathered up
my back.

“Why do you care what happens to me?” I whispered into his
chest.

He didn’t stop his movements, and I wondered if he even
heard me. I pulled away, even though my body felt weary and no longer willing
to stand under its own volition.

“Why?” I asked again. “Why did you save me? Why do you hold
me when I’m freaking out or hurting? Why do you let me get away with running my
mouth to you?”

“Because I want you.”

“As a slave.”

“Yes,” he pressed me into the wall but didn’t take his
motions any further. “As my slave. The other girls aren’t like you, Silver. If
they fight, it’s for a very different reason. You’re alive—every bit of you.
You fight for that. You’re a torrid of emotions.” He kissed me, pulling the
rest of the energy out of my exhausted body. “I want to keep you that way, but
that kind of attitude is dangerous here.”

He rubbed the soap between his hands then caressed it over
my breasts and ass. “And, I like having you as a distraction too much.”

“I want that good day you promised me. I need a distraction,
too.”

“Right now, you need sleep.”

I shook my head and covered my eyes as the tears came up
from nowhere. “I didn’t—I was terrified he’d make me keep going. Hell, I’m
terrified of what you do to me. Everyone else instills a level far beyond
terror.”

He pulled my hands down and twisted them behind my back. “Do
what I say and you have no reason to be afraid of me.”

“You even control me in my dreams now. You and your damn
snake.”

I wasn’t even sure I was making sense anymore, so I kept my
mouth closed. Leaning against the back of the stall and watching while Kirk scrubbed
his own skin then turned off the water.

“Come on, Sugar.”

I stepped out of the tub and wrapped a towel around my body,
drying off as quickly as possible so I could crawl into bed and pass out.

Unceremoniously, Kirk and I both climbed into bed, and I pulled
the covers up to my neck. Every day I ended up more confused, and I needed a
reprieve. Not that I was any more likely to get that in my sleep.

The Snake and the Schemer

I managed a dreamless night—or at least I didn’t remember any
fucked up delusions the next morning. Kirk and I were both quiet during
breakfast. I figured he had work to take care of, and for once, I was thankful
for it. After the past twenty-four hours, I wasn’t sure what I’d do if given
the opportunity with him alone.

I stayed in the kitchen, trying to at least stay on his good
side by doing the dishes and cleaning up, but it didn’t take long to run out of
things to do that wouldn’t involve being in the same room.

He glanced up at me when I entered the living room, but
continued working, his attention divided between his phone and computer.

“You ever decide what books you wanted?” he asked.

I pulled the notebook he’d given me from the home I’d given
it under the couch and tore out the first sheet of paper. I put it on top of
the e-reader.

“There are more than three books here.”

“You said I could earn more,” I said, leaning over the back
of the couch. “Is everything okay?”

Kirk nodded, “I just thought you wanted some space, so I’ve
been giving it to you.”

“Do you really have to read me so easily?”

“Makes life easier,” he said, hooking the e-reader to his
computer. “Am I going in order?”

“Sure.”

“I do have to go upstairs for a while.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, I didn’t want him to leave me
alone or take him with me.

“You’ll be fine” he handed back the e-reader. “You have two
books; I’ll do a couple more tonight.”

He patted my cheek as he stood and I jerked away.

“What’s that about?” He twisted his fingers in my hair and
pulled me to his face. “Sugar, you will be fine. No one is going to come in
here to get you.”

“You didn’t see the look on Gabe’s face last night.”

“I already made sure that Gabe isn’t even on site today.
I’ll be right upstairs, five minutes away, and I’ll be back soon.” He kissed
me, and I parted my lips, giving him what—as far as anyone here was
concerned—was his. “It’s going to be a good day. I promised you that, and I’ll
give it to you, but I have to take care of things first.”

“You’re the boss.”

Kirk scoffed. “Be ready to leave for lunch when I get back.”

“Leave?” My heart pounded. “Where exactly are you taking
me?”

“You’ll see. Be ready in an hour. The clothes I want you to
wear are in the top drawer.”

As soon as the deadbolt clicked, I ran into the bedroom to
see what clothes he’d left, hoping it’d give me some clue to what he was
planning. The only thing in the top drawer was a cropped tank top and a pair of
jean shorts.

The last time I’d stepped out of this room wearing regular
clothes, the day had gone to hell fairly quickly.

*****

The door opened, and I dropped the e-reader into the couch
to look at the clock.

“You don’t look ready,” Kirk said.

“Um, you’re fifteen minutes early,” I said, but I wasn’t
entirely convinced of the argument myself. I held up the e-reader and waved it.
“I was enjoying not being here for a while.”

“Stop making excuses and get dressed.” He crossed his arms
and leaned against the wall, but what really caught my attention was his smile.
I didn’t recognize it. It wasn’t the one he wore when he was being conniving to
make me miserable or reassuring me even though he was worried. It was light and
reflected a spark of mischief.

I was torn between running for my sanity and embracing it.

I slid the e-reader under the couch and sprinted into the
bedroom, pulling on the clothes that he’d left in the drawer for me. Then, I
met him at the front door.

“Swear you’re on your best behavior.” He said, putting his
arm over my shoulders.

“Yes, Master.”

As we stepped off the elevator on the ground floor, I could
see freedom right through the front door—only 100 yards away, but before I
could take a second step a young boy tackled Kirk’s leg.

Kids? I couldn’t imagine why on earth kids would be in this
place.

An older girl followed behind and took the boy’s hand. Kirk
went down on one knee and ruffled her hair.

“Who is she?” the girl pointed to me.

“Silver.”

A woman shouted from across the room. “Greg. Mindy.”

Both kids jumped and retreated to a bench near the wall. The
way the woman scowled, I guessed that she wasn’t particularly happy with the
kids talking to us. Either that or she wasn’t happy to be here. Ross stepped
from around the corner and glanced in our direction. I dropped my eyes to the
floor, watching everyone from the edge of my vision.

Ross and the woman turned their attention to each other.

“Ross’s family,” Kirk whispered. My eyes widened as I jerked
back to look him in the face to confirm he wasn’t kidding. I forced my mouth to
stay closed.

Across the room, Ross silently summoned Kirk.

“Do. Not. Move.”

I took a deep breath and pressed my back to the wall. “Yes,
Master.”

I stared out the window but noticed the woman approaching in
my periphery. I glanced passed her, but neither Ross nor Kirk were paying
attention, so I assumed she was just tending to the children. She whispered
something to them and pointed to Ross, then continued in my direction.

The kids scampered off to stand with their father—I still
couldn’t believe that Ross could serve in such a role.

I couldn’t imagine what she’d have to say to me. Maybe she
didn’t know who… what I was. Maybe—

She stopped in front of me, without saying a word. Her mouth
pressed in a line then she swung, hitting my cheek with the back of her hand.

I stumbled, sliding against the wall as Kirk and Ross ran
toward us.

I wiped the blood from my lip while Ross’ wife walked away
as calmly as she’d approached. Ross intercepted her and they exchanged a few
heated whispers before she stormed out with the kids.

“What was that for?” I whispered to Kirk as he examined my
face.

“Wrong place, wrong time.”

“Story of my life lately.” I knew I should have stayed in
the apartment.

Ross handed Kirk a handkerchief, his gaze raking over me.
Then, without a word, he walked around us and boarded the elevator.

Once Kirk had dabbed away the visible blood, he led me into a
back room, stopping at an industrial sized kitchen sink to wet the
handkerchief. “Are you okay?”

I nodded, even though the tinge of blood still polluted my
mouth. “Maybe you should put me back in lock down.”

“Emilyn gets pissy at least a few times a month. She wants
him to get out of the business—mostly to get rid of the slaves. They’ve
threatened divorce half a dozen times in the last year.” Kirk tilted his head
and snorted. “Like I said, you’re trouble for the both of us. Need some ice?”

I shook my head. “She didn’t hit that hard—just enough to
startle me. I think I bit my lip.”

Once he was satisfied that the bleeding had stopped and
nothing was swelling too much, he took my hand and led me into a walk-in
refrigerator, handing me a bottle of water then strapping a cooler over his
shoulder.

In another nearby storage room, he picked up a blanket and
handed it to me.

My eyes widened, “You’re taking me on a picnic?”

He nodded.

“Outside,” I breathed. All of the nerves in my body tingled
at the thought of being outside. The grass, the sun. All I wanted was outside
of these walls. It would be close enough to freedom for now.

“You run—”

I shook my head. “No running. I got the message.”

As soon as we got outside, I wanted to drop the blanket and
bask in the sun. Two steps was all it took, and I didn’t care whether we went
farther or not. My body felt lighter than it had in weeks, and the air smelled
sweet, carrying the scent of spring flowers.

A long drive wound down the hill next to us, with a large
gated fence at the end. But Kirk led me in the opposite direction of the drive,
toward a large area of grass dotted with trees.

“To the outside world we’re a large and very exclusive
retreat. It hasn’t been a difficult image to maintain since we screen anyone
that we let in. They all know to keep their mouths shut. If they might be a
danger to our cover, they don’t get out.”

I looked around. The grounds were beautifully maintained,
but I didn't see a single other person around. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I figured if I entertain your incessant curiosity
with information, you might manage to keep your mouth shut and keep yourself
out of trouble.”

“I find trouble even when I don’t say a word. I feel bad for
Ross’ wife.”

Kirk made a sour face. “Don’t. She knew what he was when
they got together. She saw money and power.”

I wondered what Kirk saw, why he got into all of this when
he seemed so different from the others, but I didn’t think that’d be a great
question to lead with.

“Do you want a family?”

“No,” he answered quicker and with more certainty than I had
anticipated. “I never considered sharing my life with anyone, definitely not
kids.”

We stopped in a slightly wooded area overlooking a small
lake and I spread the blanket out while he opened the cooler, pulling out wine,
potato salad, coleslaw, and chicken club wraps.

Kirk entertained my questions while we ate, even though his
attention seemed to be directed at watching the area around us.

“Thank you,” I said, unsure if it was the wine talking or
the comforting feeling of the sun. I stretched out on my stomach across the
blanket and let the sun warm my back. Kirk stretched out next to me, resting on
his side.

“I’m not completely heartless and unreasonable.”

I smiled then rolled to my back. I leaned up and kissed his
lips.

His eyes widened and he jerked back slightly. “You don’t
have—”

“I know, but every time you try to protect me, I make things
harder.”