Page 6

She wanted to be brave as he lifted his hand from the phrases, taking a few steps before plucking a long metal thing from the wall. Two prongs loomed at the end, and when he wrapped his hands around the base a loud, electric snap crackled through the room.

Fuck no.

“I prefer to give you the rules up front, then you’ll know exactly why you’re being punished if you disobey one.” Casually, he walked towards her, resting the terrifying thing on the bed beside her leg. Shrugging out of the suit jacket, he dropped it into his chair, and then he worked at the cuffs of his dress shirt.

Unbutton, roll-up sleeve. Repeat.

Never breaking eye contact as he prepared to hurt her.

“Please don’t do this.” There was no strength in her voice as he picked up the tool and the bright flash from its tip was accompanied by another loud crackle of electricity. Her body jerked involuntarily, terror rolling through her.

A cattle prod. That’s a fucking cattle prod.

The name of it registered, even though the knowledge was useless.

“You can keep begging.” He trailed the twin prongs at the tip down her thigh and she whined, waiting for the pain. “But read the first rule aloud.”

Lifting her head once more she stared at the stark black letters, but her mouth wouldn’t form them. I’m not property. I’m a person.

This can’t be happening.

Sudden, blinding pain zapped her thigh, the pop of the cattle prod firing almost lost in her involuntary yelp. It had been quick, sharp torment, and now the muscle was sore beneath it, the skin tingling. The man sighed, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked her over before he met her gaze. “I do not enjoy repeating myself, that is another lesson you can learn from this. Now, read.”

The cattle prod touched the inside of her other thigh and Beth jumped. “You— you are n-not your own, you are property.”

“Good. Now read it in the first person, not the second. I want to hear you acknowledge the words.” He tilted his head towards the wall, prompting her unnecessarily. “Go on, slave. I am not…”

Clenching her jaw, Beth bit back the tears as he called her slave again. What had she done to deserve this? Why had he picked her? This was—

The sharp stab of electricity on the delicate skin of her inner thigh forced a scream. It ripped out of her, straining her throat, her legs trying to close. To protect herself.

Impossible.

The fucking metal prongs slid higher on her inner thigh and panic owned her completely as she shouted out the words he wanted. “I’m not my own! I’m property! THERE! Just stop, please don’t.”

“Was that so hard?” he asked, a smile that was not a smile on his lips. When she only glared at him, he dug the points of the prod into her skin, pressing until they hurt all on their own, his cold smile never faltering. “Se

cond rule.”

Beth swallowed, looking at the poster again. “I can’t do this, I can’t be a slave, I swear this—”

Somewhere, someone was screaming. It wasn’t until the too-loud sputter of electricity stopped that she realized it was her. She’d never heard her own voice like that. It sounded like someone dying, and he watched her with fascination as she gasped for air. Eyes never wavering, not even a hint of temper, just a serene enjoyment of her suffering. “By all means, continue disobeying me. If you pass out from the pain I’ll just wake you up so we can finish.”

He’s insane.

She was tied down to a bed in front of an insane man holding a fucking cattle prod. Skin burning, muscles twitching, she wrapped her hands around the ropes like they could help her. “I will address you as…”

“Yes?” The cattle prod moved to her hip, just on the inside of the bone. Normally, she was terribly ticklish there. Even the brush of a finger could have her collapsing into giggles, but nothing happened. Fear and pain made the idea of laughing impossible.

“I will address you as Master.” Never. “Everyone else as Sir or Ma’am…” She swallowed as the words sunk in. “Are there really others here?” Others like him? Just the idea had her stomach turning as he moved the metal tips in tiny circles on her skin.

“Not right now,” he answered, and then his eyes slid down her body, landing between her thighs. “Keep going.”

“I will kneel in all rooms, and again whenever you enter.” Licking her lips, she twitched with the urge to deny every word leaving her lips. I’m just reading, I’m not agreeing. These are all lies. Lies, lies, lies.

“Do you need me to prompt you?” The man’s ice blue eyes glinted just before the pain hit. A shorter burst than before, but it felt worse on her stomach. She could taste blood in her mouth as awareness returned. One side of her tongue ached as she whimpered and tried to blink the tears from her eyes to read.

Just get it over with.