Unbound (The Braille Club #2) (21 page)

Chapter 39

The Braille Club, London, One Year On: Caligo and the E-Suites vibrate with an eclectic mix of members. Tonight there is an underlying frisson of tension. A mixture of apprehension and hunger that only pleasure and pain can evoke. The Stoicum Zone is open for business.

London 2014

Toby

Toby was still acclimatising to his freedom. His father and stepmother were due a visit. They both treated him badly, not to mention his own mother, whom seemed to have vanished into thin air. He’d make time for all of them, but his priority was Niven. Just the thought of her had him vibrating with emotion. She was why his life had gone wrong. The cost—his freedom. That must never happen again. He’d rather die than go back inside.

His anger swelled. How had he ended up in this position? He’d dreamt repeatedly, once outside prison, he would be free, but not anymore. Nick Waters was in control of his life—there was nothing he could do to stop it. He hated him but you didn’t bite the hand that fed you. Well, not yet. He had certain plans for the future and he needed Nick’s money to achieve them. When he was ready, Nick Waters would pay like all the rest of them.

Toby’s life after the attack was no longer his own. He despised Nick but was too afraid to show it. It took his body weeks to recover from the beating Nick’s muscle men gave him. Seething with resentment, he was never alone with him again. There was always a menacing inmate lurking in the background. Nick appeared excited at the prospect of Toby working for him. He was less thrilled but the money Nick paid was substantial, and the only way of getting back on his feet.

He needed accommodation and a driver. He had yet to learn, having spent his later years incarcerated at Her Majesty’s pleasure. Once he’d had a few lessons he could get rid of the driver. It would be risky but a traffic offence was the least of his problems right now. This took longer than planned. He ended up outside a dilapidated building—the only place he could get without references. The sleazy landlord’s eyes lit up when he mentioned paying in cash. He didn’t ask any questions, for which Toby was grateful, but he baulked when he saw the room. His prison cell had been cleaner.

“This is a dump,” he fumed.

The landlord shrugged. “Take it or leave it.”

Toby knew he was out of options. Frustrated, he nodded his head. He paid the repulsive landlord and took his key. He went to the nearest shop, purchased cleaning materials, and got to work. Several hours later his room was still a dump but at least it was clean. He couldn’t even lie on the mattress it was so filthy. Obsessively clean, he knew he must replace it and buy new linens before he could consider staying. Exhausted, he booked into a hotel for the night. After a good night’s sleep and a long hot shower he was ready. He got what he needed and his room was now habitable. He moved onto finding a driver, persuading a lad at the bedsit to come with him to buy a car he’d seen advertised. The car was perfect for what he wanted it for; he paid in cash and got Paul to drive it to the nearest industrial estate so he could learn to drive. He was a quick learner and had mastered the main elements within weeks but still, it was frustrating.

Nick Waters supplied Toby with specific instructions and was impatient for an update but Toby was limited until he was mobile. He found Harrison’s architectural office and went inside, moving with the rest of the throng, invisible in his newly purchased suit. He did this every day until his perseverance paid off and he saw Harrison. The lift stopped at the 4
th
floor and Harrison got off. Toby glimpsed a pair of glass doors before the lift travelled upwards. This was his life now, surveillance, and he was surprised to find he was enjoying it. He enjoyed stalking, and the money was fantastic. However, he was wary of his employer.

Nick Waters wasn’t a man to be crossed. The incident in prison told him that, but the offer of the surveillance job and cash softened the blow. Plus, what were his choices? Spend the rest of his time inside fighting? He took the deal and so far it was working out. Nick Waters would get what was coming to him. However, he was low priority on his list at the moment. His list started and ended with Niven. She was his main objective, but he still needed to eat to survive and Nick’s money was helping him do that.

He read online about the best surveillance equipment, astounded at the sophistication of technology available. Nick Waters desperately wanted pictures, another new learning curve for him to get to grips with. The sales assistant had been really helpful in the camera store. Toby explained he wanted it for bird watching. The thought made him laugh. The camera was top of the range with a powerful zoom, as were the binoculars, and he was now familiar with Harrison’s routine. He’d arrive at his office about 8:30 and leave around 1:30 p.m. to travel somewhere. Toby, unable to follow him, had been left frustrated in those first few weeks. More confident now, he waited for the car with Benedict Harrison to pass him. Pulling out, he kept the Porsche Cayenne in his sights, careful not to drive too close. He was sweating and tense as he tried to anticipate the car’s direction. The Porsche stopped outside what looked like private parking, and waited for the garage door to open. Toby had no choice but to drive on.

He pulled over and parked as close as he could. Reaching for his binoculars, he trained them on the entrance but the Porsche had disappeared. He looked carefully, swinging the glasses left and right until something caught his attention. A small camera. He’d missed it at first. A camera located above the garage door would be invaluable. After studying it, he smiled. He could approach it from behind without being filmed. It hadn’t been easy but he’d returned that night. The entrance was quiet and it had taken him seconds to unfold the step he carried, place it against the wall, then reach up and place
his
camera onto the existing camera. There were tall plants screening him.

Stepping back behind them he’d noticed the girl. He’d frozen, his mind shocked to register it was none other than Niven. Excited, he’d grabbed the camera around his neck. He got as near as he dared, taking the shot quickly before ducking down. She’d turned around, stared in his direction, then the cab had distracted her. He’d waited until it was safe then returned quickly to his car. He was desperate to look at his prize but must attend to business first. The thrill of being so close to Niven had his adrenaline pumping. He sparked up the laptop, happy to see the camera was working while he noted the cab was turning around. The images were of a good quality; all he had to do was wait.

He didn’t believe in coincidence, he believed in fate. He was there because he had visual on his quarry and fate had given him Niven. Her flat had been easy to find. Everything was online these days. It had been simple, even Niven used Amazon.com. He had paid to get her account hacked and get her address. He had seen her CCTV and alarm. She was being careful but she couldn’t stop him with that. He wondered if she had reviewed the footage. He’d left her a message. Nothing she could do would stop him. She was his, she belonged to him, and he had waited long enough. He’d blinked at first when he saw her, unable to believe his eyes. She was beautiful and all grown up. He was annoyed he couldn’t see her eyes because of the sunglasses she was wearing; he couldn’t wait to take them off and see the fear that excited him so much. Niven was special, she knew what he was. She’d saw it in him from the beginning and he respected her for that. Her fear teased him. Slaughtering the dog and sending it to Clarisse had been fun but Niven would be better. Calmly, he put the binoculars down as the taxi disappeared. Business first. He turned to his laptop and focused on the task at hand.

Chapter 40

The Braille Club, London, One Year On: The Braille Club has always been an exploration of mind and body but there are always those who want to push…and be pushed, to their limits. The Stoicum Zone is fully booked and ready to deliver.

London 2014

Guy

Niven occupied Guy’s thoughts. His instincts registered her distress and inner turmoil. When she arrived, she looked hunted. Once seated, he studied her more closely. The signals she unwittingly gave off were almost the same as Anna…as if she’d been attacked or was under attack. Guy wanted to protect this girl. Something told him she needed help badly. Her face, as beautiful as it was, had a strained quality he recognised—fear.

He entered the curtained area and looked at Niven anxiously as she sat on the chair. Her body was stiff and taut, the air thick with tension. He wondered at her being the assignee, had banked on her being the patron, but onwards and upwards, he thought. He’d explained in detail how he would place weighted devices around her neck and waist. She was immobile, like a statue when he’d put them on. Though he had been as gentle as he could, she’d still flinched violently when he slipped the cuffs on. Not a good sign, but they wouldn’t touch again.

The scent in the room was soothing, and he hoped Niven would relax once the music began. He watched her closely, seeing her shoulders drop a little as the headphones contained within the hood played the music. He tapped her shoulder lightly to indicate start of play and she hadn’t jumped—hopefully she was more relaxed, but he had his doubts. Suddenly assailed by nerves, his intuition told him to stop. This was wrong. He could see she was trembling, the bells tingling quietly with the vibrations. The session would be excruciating, he thought gloomily; a mistake. Niven may never adapt…and if these sessions didn’t prove successful then it might be kinder to stop them altogether. He tentatively checked the sensory devices across her waist and neck were switched on.

Guy had investigated Niven’s background as part of the enrolment procedures. When he’d read about the accidental stabbing of her housekeeper by her stepbrother, he’d been shocked. All his copper instincts sensed something was amiss with the case. He dug deeper, called some colleagues, and they all confirmed the same suspicion—but with no proof the case had been closed. Niven’s high end glossy magazine pictures were haunting. Something in her eyes transcended through the lens, making beautiful and arresting images. Guy looked at these pictures, unable to reconcile them with the woman he met. Niven in real life was more fragile. A ghost of that person, like all the animation the camera captured was invisible to the naked eye. He did sense backbone and strength; you couldn’t be a model without that, but something was upsetting her.

His colleagues told him Niven was terrified of the stepbrother. Some thought she was the intended victim, and the housekeeper got in the way. However, Niven never confirmed it. There had been other incidents reported. Tyres were slashed and a gruesome delivery of internal organs turned out to be those of a dog. It all pointed at the stepbrother but nothing was found to connect him to the crimes. Guy made a mental note to check him out. Niven’s background check had been red flagged, but she herself was clean. Guy felt uneasy. The more he dug, the more he didn’t like what he found. He must speak with Benedict.

He lifted the new remote control. How to proceed? It would be trial and error. He had no idea what to expect from Niven. He pressed the chair on and took a deep breath. Gentle and patient in his approach, he increased the frequency of the chair and devices. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he saw it was a text from Anna. His pulse quickened.

Anna: Are you coming?

Guy: Working, will be another hour at least. x

Anna: Come now…or don’t you like coming? I seem to remember you don’t normally have any problems…

Guy reacted to the underlying inference, his arousal instantaneous as he thought of their last encounter and the air in the room changed again.

Guy: I’ll come as quick as I can. x

Almost intuitively he adjusted the sensory devices on Niven, willing her to respond. The quicker she did, the quicker he could get to Anna. His phone buzzed again.

Anna: Mmmmm, not sure I want you to come quickly…you must endure for your pleasure but the wait is always worth it, don’t you think?

Just those words sent shivers down his spine. He ached for her, his groin pulsing hotly as he distractedly altered the sensory equipment again. Frustrated and impatient, he wanted the session to be over. Wanting Anna, he fought to redirect his focus to Niven. Guy tried to retain some professionalism as his phone buzzed again. He must keep his private and business lives separate; he must stay with Niven. His gaze fell to his phone, fingers itching to open the text. Unable to concentrate, he let his heart rule his head. Without waiting, he clicked into the text and sucked in his breath; a picture of black high heeled shoes. His hand rubbed at his chest, remembering the way those heels dug into his flesh. The exquisite sensation of pleasure and pain left him desperate for more.

When Guy’s phone buzzed with a second image, his body tightened. Anna, insistent, would not be ignored. He looked at the picture—a pair of silk stockings. Images of Anna, naked except for those stockings, filled his head. His heartbeat rocketed and his trousers bulged. He twisted the knob that activated the suction on the Lapels without thinking, increasing the intensity. Niven gasped. Guy’s phone buzzed again, and he clicked on the image immediately. This time it was Anna’s slim thigh wearing the stocking, her foot encased in the high heel shoe; it left him literally panting. The top of her creamy thigh was tantalisingly revealed.

When Guy opened Anna’s next text, he almost stopped breathing. She’d sent a picture of her naked silhouette clear on the wall behind her. Head thrown back…her legs opened wide.

Anna: Are you COMING…because I am!

He was shaking, aroused, and frustrated. He wanted to be gone, already seeing himself banging on Anna’s door and what would happen when she let him in. Impatiently, he increased the intensity of both sensory devices. Niven gasped again.

Guy picked up his phone and texted two words.

Guy: Coming now.

No longer able to stay away, he threw everything there was at Niven, hoping she would forgive him this baptism of fire.

***

Niven

Guy was not the only person aroused. Niven sensed the change in atmosphere immediately, but could not pinpoint what it was. When the top tightened against her skin, she gasped at the tingling around her breasts, the sensation shocking. She resisted it, not wanting to respond, but it became harder and harder. The sensual music combined with the increased suction finally penetrated her senses. Her first ripple of desire tore through her body and left her completely unnerved.

Niven’s eyes fought to open beneath the hood she wore, her breath erratic as her body responded to some carnal desire she wasn’t aware she possessed. No longer able to resist, she let herself go and felt everything at once, from the erotic suction at her nipples to the central pulse rising through the chair. No longer immune, the verse slipped from her mind as her body jerked in response to the onslaught until at last her bells rang. Everything fell silent; she sat stunned, unable to process events. She was in shock, her body on fire, leaving her breathless with the realisation—she wanted more!

***

Guy

Guy turned and was out of the zone in seconds, striding to his car. The journey a blur, he battered on her door, breathing hard. As it opened he stepped inside and kicked it shut.