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CHAPTER 20

RICHARD

A fter placing Elizabeth’s sleeping form in my bed with a note for her to dress for dinner when she awakened, I returned to my office.

As I would have expected, all of my belongings were neatly arranged on the surface of my desk. My staff were paid extremely well to never be seen or heard and to keep their mouths shut. Picking up my phone, I dialed Harris’ number as I stepped out onto the balcony.

Inhaling deeply, I tried to calm the beast that was still snarling inside me.

If possible, I was obsessed with Elizabeth now more than ever.

She was everything I had been searching for in a woman.

I could see ever more extreme games in our future. With my money, nothing was beyond the limits of my imagination. I could create whole worlds for us to play and fuck in.

Flicking my tongue over the small puncture wound on my lip, I smiled. The taste of a victory soon won. This game was merely a prelude, level one. Already I was anticipating the next level, once I truly had her mind and body in the palm of my hand.

Perhaps I would try that memory drug on her? It would be an interesting challenge to see if I could seduce her all over again. Imagine that? Never losing the rush of a first lust. The relationship would always be new, yet different.

Or perhaps I would have her kidnapped and dropped in the middle of nowhere. An island I own in the South Pacific maybe? Absently stroking my jaw with my thumb, I thought it over. The idea had possibilities. The beast inside me growled in approval. Instead of hunting my prey within the confines of a concrete jungle filled with civil society, I could do so in the wild.

A primal, no-holds-barred game.

It had potential.

That was what was so exhilarating about my little bird. Soon I would completely clip her wings and then nothing would be off-limits.

“Yes, Your Grace?”

“Harris. How is my construction project coming along?”

“Very good, sir. The contractor says he’s having a hard time finding enough twenty-four-karat gold to overlay the entire cage and wants to know if he can lower the quality to fourteen karat?”

“Absolutely not. Only the best for my girl.”

“Yes, sir.”

“And you’ve made sure the dome is not taller than seven feet?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What about the velvet swing?”

“Ready to install as soon as the cage is finished.”

“Excellent. Tell the contractor I’m going to need it by next week. I’ll double his fee but I want it finished.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tossing the phone aside, I placed my hands on the iron railing and looked out over the Thames, a rare feeling of quiet satisfaction engulfing me.

It really was nice when a plan came together so perfectly.

Lizzie

Hands were holding me down. I struggled, twisting and turning my body, crying out. Opening my eyes, there was only darkness. My hands sawed the air, feeling nothing. It was then I fully awakened to see a black silk sheet twisted and wrapped about my naked body. Snatching the sheet up high, my head turned as I searched my unfamiliar surroundings.

The bed was impossibly large. Swiveling around to look at the headboard, I realized it was a massive mahogany sleigh bed. I had seen them before in furniture stores but never one so big. Stretching my arms wide, I realized the mattress continued on for several feet on either side, way bigger than a king-size bed.

Did they make beds just for emperors? No, Richard wasn’t an emperor, maybe a czar; that name implied wealth and ruthlessness. But no, he was neither. He was, however, a very rich and powerful duke and I was firmly in his clutches.

Lowering my head to my hands, I tried to make sense of the last few hours, from the kidnapping to allowing myself to be whipped and fucked over a desk.

This had to be another one of his games, right?

He was just keeping me off-kilter, like the time in the restaurant where he made me believe I was sucking his cock in front of a room full of people, when I wasn’t, not really.

Squeezing my eyes shut, I tried to remember our conversation but all I could think about was the feel of his belt on my ass, the way his cock filled me to the point of pain and my incredibly intense orgasm.

Flopping back onto the bed, my hand closed over a piece of paper. Opening the heavy cream envelope, I read his note.

We dine at eight p.m. Everything you need is in the dressing closet.

—R

My heart skipped at just seeing his familiar, confident black scrawl. Fuck, this man had me tied up in knots. I literally didn’t know my own mind anymore.

Pulling the top sheet free from the rest of the covers, I wrapped it securely around me as I rose and went in search of a bathroom.

The room was dripping in sensual luxury from its red silk fabric walls, to the black crystal chandelier, to the red velvet matching chaise lounges in front of an elaborately carved black marble fireplace so large I could stand in it.

Despite the luxury, all I could think was it made for a perfect villain’s lair.

There were two doors on either side of the fireplace. Picking the one closest to me, I swung it open and gasped.

It wasn’t a bathroom but rather a massive walk-in closet, but unlike any closet I had ever seen. The room was bigger than my damn apartment! Backlit shelves lined every wall. Rows upon rows of designer clothes with matching shoes and purses.

Walking slowly, I ran my fingertips over the dresses as I pulled out each one to examine it. A red velvet dress with thin straps and a deep plunge, a silver corset dress with full skirt, champagne silk under intricate black lace, all beautiful beyond my imagination. I couldn’t decide if my favorite was a Victorian riding habit-style dress with a gorgeous ink black taffeta skirt paired with a cream lace front blouse or the stunning emerald green silk with the tight bodice.

Fournié, Gaultier, Valli, Sorbier, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Margiela, Vauthier.

Each and every designer from the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture was represented here. Dresses and designs I thought I wouldn’t have been able to see except in my textbooks and magazines, let alone touch and admire.

What was even more astounding was each looked to be my size.

Before I could even entertain jealous thoughts of other women, I could see from each hanger small handwritten tags in different inks and penmanship with my name and measurements.

These were purchased and tailored just for me.

An entire closet full of couture gowns.

Turning, I began to pull out the drawers from the large, dark wood island in the center of the room. Each one contained elegant gloves, Hermès scarves, Gucci belts, and every other imaginable accessory.

Picking up the emerald green dress, I walked to the end of the closet to a small platform surrounded by ceiling-high gilt mirrors. Dropping the sheet, I held the gown before me. Imagining a strand of perfectly matched pearls at my throat and long silk black gloves stretched over my elbows. The gown would cinch in tight around my waist then flare around my hips to create the perfect hourglass shape.

Dropping the gown, I turned my back on the mirror and looked over my shoulder. My ass was striped with several fading red welts from his belt.

Evidence of our violent coupling.

Reaching back, I traced one of the welts, hissing as it stung.

There was no question I was in over my head with Richard. He was playing at a level far above me. The real question was… did I dare keep playing? Looking back down at the faint marks on my ass, I realized I probably didn’t have a choice.

After all, I wasn’t the one making the rules.