The Beast (16 page)

She woke with a start, unaware of her surroundings. In her dream she had felt her father’s weight on the mattress, pushing it down as he crept up her bed like a stealthy predator. She knew, in her dream, what would follow. He would wrap his hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream or breath, and shove himself inside her, dry and fast, pain radiating from her cunny, as he called it. She whimpered in the darkened room, unsure of the time or circumstances that brought her here.

“Shhhhh, little dove, it’s ok, I’ve got you,” Dimitri whispered in the dark and pulled her close to his body. The moment she felt his strong arms around her and ran her hands over his broad chest, she knew the terror had passed. She was safe here in his arms.

“I was having a nightmare,” she said and wiggled close to him, “about my father.”

He ran his hand over her back and stroked her hair, “It’s ok, I’m with you now. Nobody will ever hurt you again,” he replied, his voice thick with sleep.

“What time is it? It’s so dark, did we sleep that late?” she asked him.

He stirred beside her and pushed himself up on an elbow. “I don’t think so,” he replied and reached for something on the bedside table. He held his arm out and the windows changed, they became clear.

“Oh my god, how did you do that?” she said and sat up. The sun was setting and the evening shadows from the North Shore Mountains stretched long into the water.

“Technology,” he replied and sat up next to he
r. He handed her a small remote and said, “Push that button, the windows go dark, push that button, they go clear. That’s as much as I know. But if it impresses you, then let’s say I invented this amazing magic, I am a magician.”

She played with the buttons a few times, then handed the remote back to him and told him. “Naw, I don’t need fancy technology to be impressed.” She reached down and grabbed his cock, making him grin at her bold move. “You’ve got everything I need right here.”

They fell back onto the bed and she climbed atop him, rode him awake and reinforced the creeping feeling in the back of her mind that she was helplessly, undeniably meant to be with this man for the rest of her life.

She curled back up in the safe circle of his arms when they had both reached their finish. She laughed to herself at how much her world had changed and he asked her, “What’s funny, little dove?”

Once again her heart melted when he said those words, and she grew serious at her next thought. “I am thinking about how much life can change in the blink of an eye,” she said, “I mean, three days ago I was hell bent on self destruction, living on the narrow edge between life and death, and agreeing to this stupid plan just to impress a guy I thought I liked.”

He stiffened and was quiet, finally saying, “Who is he?”

She laughed again and replied, “Nobody for you to be concerned with, Dimi, he’s just a boy.”

“What about other lovers?” he asked, pausing for the answer.

“I’ve had no other lovers,” she said and her face went dark. She didn’t consider her father a lover, and nobody else had been worth the risk of exposing her scarred body to.

“You have obviously been with somebody,” he prodded gently.

“I told you about that, my father, that was the only person and I would hardly call him a lover,” she spat.

“I am so sorry,” he said and pulled her face to his for a kiss, “I am such a jealous ass that I couldn’t see how much this conversation hu
rt you.” He kissed her deeply; she could feel his apology on his lips. She loved how possessive he was in fact; it made her feel secure. She knew, logically, that this didn’t make sense, that he was probably a controlling psycho, but it felt a lot safer than anywhere else she’d ever been. He pulled away and looked at her, a fire in his eyes, and said, “Do you want me to kill him for you?”

She thought about it. Really thought about it, really wanted it, but had to say, “No, I couldn't do that to my mother. She needs him, as crazy as it seems, I don’t know what they’d do without his income.”

“You know that’s not a problem,” he told her. “I could have him taken care of and send them more money than they’d ever need.”

“I will think about it,” she said. “But give me some time, this is all such a brand new idea that I don’t know how to process it.”

“I’ll give you all the time in the world, you just say the word and it’s done,” he reassured her and pulled her close.

She felt her stomach growl and wiggled away to look at the clock on the wall. It was almost eight in the evening and she knew, from experience, that the kitchen staff would be gone. Had it only been a day?
It had been, just a day since she thought she was going to die, then found herself revived and renewed by the most unlikely of men.

She sighed and pushed herself up. “I’m starving, can we get something to eat this late?” she asked.

“We can get anything we want at any time. You will never want for anything when you’re with me,” he said and noticed her frown. “Except your freedom, I know this hurts you now but you will eventually regain it, I promise. At this time I need to keep you close, for your own safety.”

“What safety? You know I would never leave you, but what are you concerned about?” she asked.

“I am one of the most hunted men in the world, one of the most dangerous and powerful men in the world failed in his attempt to destroy me. Since then I have defied him with my very existence and enraged him with my continued financial success. I am a smarter man than he, and he knows it.”

She took this information in and shook her head. She said, “This is all so crazy anyways, all of it, why not add
‘Internationally Wanted Criminal’ to the top of the list?”

“I was a criminal, little dove, I did terrible things for reasons you might never understand. I do not apologize about my past, but I do apologize that I am now bringing you into this dangerous world,” he said and pursed his lips. “For that I am sorry, if anything were to ever happen to you…”

“I am tougher than you think,” she replied, “and besides, they don’t know a thing about me, right?”

“Not yet,” he agreed,
“but they will. Sometimes it feels like Sergei’s people are one step ahead of me. As though they only gave me the illusion of anonymity in Vancouver to extend the hunt, to make it sweeter for him to kill me. I know this is not the case, but in this life, you can never be too careful.”

“I suppose everything happens for a reason,” she said, rubbing his arm to calm him down. “I mean look at me, I have had such a fucked up, terrible life but in a weird way it prepared me for you.”

He looked at her, startled, and asked, “In what way?”

“I have been living in fear for over a decade, fear for my life, fear for my sister’s life. I’ve been essentially held captive by my father. It does strange things to a person, to lose personal freedom.”

He nodded his agreement and indicated for her to go on.

She thought about how she wanted to phrase the next part and said, “So in a way, I was ripe for the picking. I mean, you captured me and I fought a little, but not that hard. I know this might be,
you know what they call it, Stockholm Syndrome? But it feels so real that I would argue with anyone who might deem it such.”

“I suppose,” he agreed with some reluctance. “But I would argue that sometimes two people are just meant to be together, their souls align perfectly.”

“I believe that is part of it,” she said, “But even our sex...I mean…” she trailed off and looked down, embarrassed to go on.

“You can tell me,” he coaxed her, “tell me anything.”

“I like it, I like it when you grab my neck and I like the pain. But I don’t think that’s normal, I don’t think I’m normal,” she told him and felt tears welling up in her eyes. “Every time I think about you fucking me and holding me down, I get so wet, I want it so bad...but maybe that’s just from my past? Is that my father still controlling me?”

He took her in his arms and soothed her as she cried. She worried because she knew how much he hated tears, but this time it didn’t seem to bother him. “Don’t ever think that, you are exactly who you are because of the things that happened, but they don’t define you. There are plenty of normal people who want harder and crazier things than we’ve ever done,” he said but
she felt skeptical. He went on, “Think of it this way, human desires, lust, they are a destination, you arrive at what turns you on eventually...be it wearing a latex body suit and being fucked up the ass, or laying under your husband in the dark, waiting for him to finish. Which of these is normal?”

She shook her
head; she didn't know where he was going with this.

He went on, “Ok, my English isn’t perfect, so I might not be getting my point across. I love women, I want to fuck women and be with them.” She pulled back and glared at him. “Ok, I’m making this worse. What I am trying to say is that I am straight, but I have done some things in my past that would lead you to think otherwise. When I was a child, I was used...and when I left my home I was desperate for cash so I did things to survive. These do not make me any less of a man because I still want pussy...your pussy.”

“I am so sorry you went through that,” she said and ran her hand along the scarred side of his face, the skin felt bumpy under her fingers which still gave her an odd thrill from the sensation.

“I meant to say that I am normal, in spite of it,” he replied and touched the scars along her arm. “We are normal. Whatever we do here is normal. If
desire is like a destination, then you are not defined by how you arrived.”

She finally understood what he was getting at. Her father no longer controlled her life, he had been involved in shaping her, but he had nothing to do with the here and now. All of her lust and desires, they came from her...and Dimitri. She lusted for him and the crazy things he did to her, how his body was perfect for her, scars and all
…and how safe he made her feel. “I think I see your point,” she said and touched the scars along his rib cage. “No matter how damaged we were by our lives, we are whole when we are together. No matter how we got here, the thing that makes us normal is exactly what we decide together.”

“Exactly!” he exclaimed and kissed the top of her head. “You have summed it up in two sentences where I struggled for words. You are amazing.”

“Ok, I can agree with that, now can we go eat before you really do fuck me to death? And call it normal?” she said and laughed.

*****

They raided the kitchen, the place she had remained hidden all that time, expecting to jump out and find Jarrod Jacobs. It all looked different now, she felt drunk on the high of their mutual acceptance and admiration. It was an incredible feeling.

As he pulled items out of the oversized glass fronted fridge, she perched on a stainless steel stool near an island. She was about five feet from the door to the front of the
penthouse; a sudden dash and she would have her freedom. His back was to her, he was rummaging for some kind of cheese he insisted she try, and she turned the stool to look at the door.

On the other side was her freedom. Even if there was a guard at the door, she could probably surprise him and make it past. She was wearing a lush, red bathrobe and soft slippers, but she could still find a way home. It was her city after all. Once they got to Hong Kong she would never be able to get away. She stared at the door and thought about Eden. She might still be at Kate’s house, when Columbia didn’t return for her and Kate's mother couldn’t find theirs...she might have kept her there.

Or she could be at home. Alone. With their father. The more she stared at the door, the more she worried about her little sister. The more she considered Dimitri’s offer to kill him. She would discuss it with him tomorrow, when there was a possibility of doing something about it. For now she would have to believe that Eden was at Kate’s and Columbia was allowed to enjoy the rush of new love with no feelings of guilt. Besides, some part of Columbia reasoned, she had put her own needs and safety aside for years to protect her sister. It might be time for her to live her own life.

She turned the stool back and saw Dimitri standing there, watching her, his face an unreadable mask.

“I was just-” she started to say, but how could she explain it?

“You were just thinking about running, I
know,” he said. Her heart flip-flopped in fear and her pulse increased dramatically.

“I wasn’t going to,” she protested, her mouth suddenly dry.

“I know,” he said and smiled, “I wanted to see what you would do, given the chance to make a break. You didn’t even stand up, you’re not going anywhere.”

She exhaled and smiled back. Her heart slowed and her body calmed down. She wasn’t in
danger; he knew she wanted to stay. All was right in the world again.

His heart dropped when he turned from the fridge with the Norwegian cheese, his favourite. He saw her staring at the door, and he knew she was contemplating her freedom. He quietly set the food on the island and tensed, waiting for her to make her move. He knew he could grab her before she made the door, but it would crush him if she tried.

But she didn’t, she turned back and blanched white when she caught him watching. Part of him wanted to make her squirm, fear his anger and remember this moment the next time she wanted to escape. But he couldn’t, this was Columbia and he had to reassure her immediately.

She didn’t make the attempt, which was the most important thing, the thing he focused on. She looked so relieved when he wasn't angry that he felt a pang of guilt for ever abusing her. He vowed from that moment on to only touch her roughly in times of love, for their mutual benefit, their version of normal.

“Shall we go
eat before we both waste away into nothingness?” he asked her and all at once felt ungainly and vulnerable for being so relieved that she chose to stay. She grinned and nodded. He mentally gave himself a shake for being so weak and pointed to a bottle of wine he had chosen. “Why don’t you find an opener there in the drawer in front of you, and bring the bottle?”

“Of course,” she replied, found it, picked up the bottle and followed him into the dining room. Dimitri laid out the food and they dove in. He fed her
little morsels of his favourite cheeses and foie gras, tidbits from here and there around the world that he had picked up a taste for in his travels.

“Tomorrow night I will order a real meal, I promise,” he said. “I want you in perfect health, I take care of my-” He stopped himself. He wanted to say pet, but that wasn’t it, courtesan? That didn’t seem right either. Family? He supposed she was, but that didn’t indicate to him the level of his devotion to her.

“Pet?” she continued for him and laughed. She must have seen his stricken look and said, “Don’t look so freaked out, I don’t mind being your pet. I know it sounds odd, but I like the idea that I belong to you. It makes me feel very safe.”

“Well, I don’t like the word pet. I will come up with something, but until then I will care for you, have no worries. For dinner, what would you like? I will have them prepare anything your heart desires.”

He loved the look on her face as she thought about it. She was really giving this some thought; of course such a sensuous woman would enjoy feasts of the body, mind, and palate. Her face lit up suddenly and she said, “Steak and lobster! I have never had a really good steak, and I have never ever had lobster. Just the fake stuff.”

“Perfect, your wish is my command, I will put the order in now.” He pulled out his phone and brought up the app to place their dinner order. When that was done, he saw he had a text from the concierge.

He opened it and read, “Is this your visitor?” The message had a photo attached, a grainy security camera image of Columbia walking with the young man he recognized from the phone she had with her. His stomach dropped and he felt shaky. Had Sergei’s men already discovered her?

“Yes,” he typed his reply
and looked up at Columbia. She was nibbling on a delicate pastry, a French affair stuffed with foie gras. She was so perfect, and so vulnerable. She would never be able to defend herself against Sergei’s men if they came looking for her. Dimitri would have to double his guard and increase his paranoia if he wanted to keep her alive. What had he done, bringing her into this? She saw him looking and smiled, her face radiant and her eyes glimmering with her realized love, the love he had for her reflected back at him. “I have to attend to some business,” he told her and walked to the office down the hall.

He sat down and waited for the concierge to reply. He finally wrote back, “She is beautiful, but in danger if Sergei’s men
gain access to our security system. You should do her a favour and send her home, let them think she is simply a staff member.”

Dimitri knew he was speaking the truth, his oldest friend was speaking from a place of concern for Dimitri, but he also recognized the danger Columbia would be in. The friend of an enemy becomes an enemy, and in this case Sergei would think nothing of killing Columbia to hurt Dimitri.

Or worse. The thought of his beautiful girl being held captive, raped and destroyed by the pigs that Sergei had in his
Bratva
, it made his stomach clench and his fists tighten.

He didn’t care, the safest place for her was right by his side. Even if Sergei didn’t know who she was, when he found out, Dimitri was determined that he could keep her safe.

“I will not. Continue as planned,” he wrote back to the concierge and returned to the dining room.

Columbia was sipping her wine and looking lovely in her red robe. It was a good colour for her, in spite of it not being actual clothing.

“I will have to buy you more red,” he said as he sat down. “You look ravishing in it.”

She blushed and took his hand, “I would like that. I used to just wear dark things, hoodies and jeans, because of the...you know, the scars.”

“Don’t cover yourself around me,” he told her, “they only serve to enhance your beauty, remind me of how perfect you really are.”

“Ha!” she barked, “I’m far from perfect...but if you’re saying it, I’ll take it.” He reached over and took her hand in his, stroked her arm and looked in her eyes.

“You are perfect for me, everything I never knew I was missing in my life,” he said and stood. She was seated and looked up at him, her eyes wide and full of anticipation. He pulled her up to stand in front of him, unhooked the tie around her waist and slid the robe off her shoulders. She was breathing faster, he could see her chest rise and fall in her excitement.

“I have never been happier,” she said and slipped her hands under his tee shirt. She lifted it and helped him out of it. She opened the tie on his pants and kept her hands on his hips as he let them drop. He reached down and found her ready, hot and wet and wanting him.

“I need to fuck you,” he said, his voice harsh with his desire. “I need it like I need air to breathe, I need to get inside of you, to feel your cunt tighten around me, to feel your neck in my hand and your teeth in my flesh.” He reached behind and swept everything off the table in a crash, lifted her onto it and shoved her knees apart.

“I need you too,” she replied and pulled him against her, guided his cock inside of her and wrapped her legs around him. “I need this, I need you inside of me, fuck….” she trailed off, distracted as his cock was buried deep, hitting the end of her. He held her there, impaled on him, frozen for half a breath while they both fell into the fever of their fucking.

He pulled back and she held onto his arms, steadying herself for the next impact. He hit her with such force that she bounced up off the table and exhaled with a “ooomph.”

He pulled out slowly and she whispered, “Oh my god, this feels so fucking good...insanely good...what are you doing to me?”

“The same thing you’re doing to me,” he replied and thrust ahead again, knocking her upwards with the force. He wrapped one arm around her back to steady her and reached up with his other hand, found her delicate throat, and tightened as he plunged into her. He increased his rhythm, her cunt opening to him and clenching around him as he tried to pull back. She gasped when he squeezed her throat, but he continued to fuck hard.

She reached behind her and braced herself with one hand, the other hand still holding on to his bicep. She took the impact of his thrusting and the tightened grip around her throat with increased force of her own. She reached up and held onto his shoulders as their bodies moved against each other.

“I want to come,” she said, “I’m going to come.” Her voice was husky and drove him wild. He went at her with a new energy and held her steady by the throat.

“Wait,” he commanded her and she groaned her response, needing to release her orgasm but obeying him. “I will tell you when you can.”

“Yes,” she replied, giving him the old answer he loved, a simple yes or no.”

“That’s my girl, you know who owns this pussy,” he told her and looked into her eyes. He could see her desperate need building, she wanted to let go and flood his cock with her juices, but he wanted her to wait until they were there together.

“Please,” she told him, “let me come.”

“No,” he replied and tightened his grip on her throat. Her cunt clenched in response and he knew she was loving every second of this. Their normal. Him taking her to the edge of the abyss and bringing her back, safe in his arms.

She pulled herself towards him, he bent his arm and allowed it, knowing what to expect. Their normal. Her bringing pain into his world of pleasure, mixing the two in an exotic cocktail of nerve endings and endorphins.

When she
sank her teeth into his chest, he almost called out, almost screamed “fuck” or “I love you” or “never let me go”...but he didn’t. He grunted in response and rode the wave of sharp pain until he felt his own building tension crest.

“Come now,” he told her and held her against his cock, forced her to be still as they crested together. He could feel her moan vibrate in her throat against his hand and the hot exhalation of breath hit his skin where her teeth were
sank in. She looked up at him and they shared their moment, he felt her orgasm on his cock as he released, filling her with his cum. She rolled her eyes in the back of her head momentarily as she finished, then made contact again immediately. “That’s right, that’s my girl. Come with me,” he rasped and thrust upwards one final time.

He felt the tension leave her body as her orgasm receded. His own was slowly leaving his tense muscles and he relaxed the grip on her throat. Earlier bruises stood out, so dark they appeared black on her flesh. He regretted marking her with his need, but felt helpless in the face of it. He knew only one way to love her, to show his love for her, and he accepted that it was his normal. He felt joy that it was her normal now as well.

She released his chest muscle, licked the bite mark and looked up at him, her eyes shining with triumph. “Sorry,” she said. “I get a little carried away.”

“Never apologize for what you need to do,” he said and
pulled back, his cock softening as it left her body. “I will never hold it against you,” he continued and offered her his hand, helping her off the table. She stood in front of him, her face at the level of his bite mark, she reached up and touched it, explored it with her fingers.

“You can see the perfect indentation of my teeth,” she said and looked up at him. “It’s almost pretty.”

“I’ll make it my next tattoo,” he declared impulsively. “I’ll wear a token of your affection at all times, bite somewhere above my heart when we find somebody to do the work.”

“I could handle that,” sh
e said and laughed. “Yeah, you make it really hard to stick around, I get to buy pretty things, eat whatever I want, and bite the hell out of you when I come.”

He picked up her robe from the floor and helped her into it. “And on top of everything else, I wait on you hand and foot,” he smiled as he put his own clothes back on. “I am the most attentive pet owner you’ll ever meet.” He winked at her, surprising her with the gesture, and she laughed. “Let’s go have a swim before bed,” he told her and took her hand. “I have a feeling it’s going to be another long night.”

*****

Sergei was coming for
him; he could feel it from the tips of his toes to the hair on his head. He was crouched in the apartment, in the dining room, and he couldn’t find Columbia anywhere. He called her name softly, and thought he heard a small whimper from the food cart near the door. He knew he had to get to her before Sergei did, or she would be killed.

The door opened and two men entered, guns drawn. Big guys in matching black
suits; they must be Sergei’s security detail. He was going to spring on the nearest one when he heard her call his name from the cart. “Dimi? Are you there? Help me Dimi, I’m so scared.”

The man nearest the cart held his finger to his lips and indicated the source of the noise. The two men stepped carefully towards Columbia’s hiding place and Dimitri’s blood went cold. They were going to find her and they were going to kill her.

“Hey assholes,” he yelled and stepped out from behind the dining table. Both men turned to him and he realized he wasn’t armed; he was wearing his sleeping attire and was barefoot. He reached instinctively for the knife on his midsection but remembered taking it off to be with Columbia. He would have to take them down by hand.

He tried to move fast, but it was as though his feet were stuck in cement. He punched towards the men, but couldn’t move. One of them turned back towards the food cart, where Columbia curled up in the dark, vulnerable and precious. The other kept coming towards Dimitri.

He got his hands around the man’s throat and squeezed as hard as he could, screaming for Columbia to get away the entire time. The man’s eyes bulged under the pressure and he was grasping at Dimitri’s determined hands, his fingers like claws. He scraped the skin on his hand and was trying to say something.

Dimitri listened carefully as the man’s mouth formed wordless noises. Finally he heard, “Dimi, please stop, you’re hurting me.”