A Bedtime Story (23 page)

“Ten minutes.” That’s all he said before hanging up.

Ten interminable minutes passed, each waiting for the other to stop
the monstrosity about to unfold. Their staring contest ended with the sound of
clicking heels.

Laura watched in disbelief as a beautiful blonde entered the
dungeon and quietly removed her trench coat, wearing nothing but a black choker
matching her lingerie and stiletto heels. Without being told, she got down on all
fours, bowed her head, and waited for instructions. She displayed no reaction at
seeing Laura tied up.

Kayne was watching Laura and decided to give her another ten
seconds, to speak up, say anything, just make a sound, and he would send the whore
packing. But she didn’t see him, she was watching the whore, horrified, repulsed,
and silent.

The ten seconds passed. He inhaled deeply.
So be it
. He
finally turned toward their unwanted guest.

“Come here, slut,” he threw at her callously.

She immediately got moving, crawling on hands and feet, somehow
making it sensual, not demeaning in the way Laura thought.

When she reached him, Kayne looked at Laura before giving his next
instruction. She met his gaze, her breathing heavy, her eyes fixed in that horrified
state.

“Kiss my feet,” he commanded the woman kneeling by
his side. With deference, the woman removed his shoes and socks, placing them
carefully one beside the other, then proceeded to obey his instructions with such
ardor, Laura could not believe it was genuine.

He reached for a thin black leash on a table near him and, in a
harsh tone, commanded her to stop and raise herself.

“What do you want, my pet?” He finally smirked at her, as he
brushed her cheek with his thumb, cradling the side of her face in his palm. She
rubbed her face to his hand like a dog seeking his master’s touch. The association
sent shivers down Laura’s spine. She hated her and pitied her at the same time,
burned with jealousy and recoiled in repulsion simultaneously.

“I just want to please you, Master,” the blonde answered in a low
sensual tone.

He shot a fast glance in Laura’s direction. He realized how sick
this was and yet could not be more turned on.

“Please me with your mouth.”

He felt himself growing even harder as she took him into her mouth,
lathering him with her expert tongue. He kept her head down, pulling her hair while
he stared at Laura, who watched helplessly the twisted spectacle. One she requested,
one he knew killed her inside. Yet still she remained silent, did not turn her eyes
away, and returned his stare as his whore pleasured him.

He came with a groan in the woman’s mouth as she swallowed his seed
with no required instructions. He took a few breaths with his eyes closed. When they
reopened, they automatically fell on Laura.

“Beat it.” He dismissed his whore without looking her way.

She scrambled to her feet and was gone in a moment.

Kayne slowly got off his chair, zipped up his pants, and languidly
walked up to Laura whose eyes followed his every movement.

When he reached her, he let the tip of his fingers
glide down her back and over his shirt. She shivered at the contact, grounding her
teeth as she shot him daggers.

He moved to her side, letting his free hand rest on her thigh.
Slowly, he moved his hand up, toward the inside. She let out short rapid breaths,
but still no sound escaped her lips.

“Bet you wished you had asked for the whip instead…” he huskily
whispered into her ear, his fingers making their way to her wetness. A strangled
scream came out of her in response. He hardened instantly at finding her wet.
Fuck
, he bit his lip. His perfect woman, his goddess. He wanted to whip
her, fuck her, please and worship her.

He fell to his knees and forced her legs apart as her body twisted
and turned in his grip. He held her firmly, bringing his lips to her wet core. He
licked her engorged flesh and felt her juices on his tongue. She screamed and cried
out her pleasure, her torture, as she felt the world around her subside. Her pained
moans only increased his hunger. He licked, kissed, and teased until he pushed her
over the edge. Her orgasm came out in one long, loud wounded sound. She broke into a
hysterical sob as her whole body gave out, being only held up by his arm as he
unbound her. The moment he freed her wrists, her arms came crashing down on him. She
hit him, over and over again, her fists raining down on his chest as she howled in
pain and fury.

He let her, stood still as she expelled the poison. He let her hit
him until she had no strength left and fell to the ground slowly. He lowered himself
with her, never letting go of his hold. Her sobs didn’t fade. Every now and then,
when she regained enough energy, she hit him again, then pushed him away. He kept
holding her as they lay on the floor together. He would stay, for as long as it
took.

Laura fell silent at last with Kayne still by her side, holding
her. She stared up at the ceiling, her eyes now dry, her breathing even. She finally
pulled herself up, not wanting his help to pull her up or carry her, regardless of
how much she craved it.

“I’m going to bed,” she said flatly.

She felt his hand on her arm and turned around to find him already
standing behind her. Without a word, he offered his hand. She considered it but
wanted to walk out on him, for once to be the one to leave him behind. He didn’t
give her the chance to bring her threat to fruition. In her hesitation, he grabbed
her hand. Gently, he led her up the stairs and all the way to his room. It was
bittersweet. Her heart wouldn’t let her walk away. Its fresh scars wouldn’t let her
savor the moment.

Kayne had never brought anyone to his room. The moment felt almost
surreal. He kept looking at Laura, wondering what she was thinking. This cold and
collected Laura disgruntled him. He felt their bond so fragile, hanging by a thread
pulled so tight, any rough moves and it would break. He pulled the covers, his
movements slow and cautious. She got inside on her own, avoiding his touch whenever
possible. As he lay beside her, she could feel his deep breath, the entire night,
could sense his desire to reach for her.

Kayne fell asleep thinking of the woman lying next to him. He woke
up not long after, feeling uneasy, and immediately looked to his left to find her
side empty. He snapped up and, scanning the room, found her huddled on the floor in
the corner. She was hugging her legs, staring straight ahead. When he put his feet
on the ground and moved toward her, he felt her body tense, saw the panic in her
eyes. It killed him, but he understood. He wouldn’t go to her. This Laura he faced
was wild. He would have to tame her all over again, earn her trust, and for once
hope to be worthy. He slid himself to the ground, his back leaning against the bed
as she watched him like a hawk. He made no more moves toward her, maintaining the
distance she had deemed safe. He stayed on the ground, never shifting from his
uncomfortable position, and he just stared back at her, his eyelids heavy from
sleep. Noticing her shiver in his shirt, he slowly reached for the cover on the bed,
brought it to the floor, and, with cautious moves, slid it over to her. She reached
for it tentatively, covered her legs, and went back to watching him.

The sun was creeping up as they remained on the
floor. Too afraid to move, too afraid to sleep. She feared closing her eyes and
finding him break their established boundary to reach for her. He feared closing his
and finding that she’d pulled away even further.

T
hey were awakened by the sound of a
cellphone ringing. Both stared at each other, surprised at having fallen asleep,
relieved at finding the other exactly where they were. Tiredly, he reached for the
phone on his end table, rubbing his eyes as he picked up. He exited the room to take
the call. When he came back, Laura was gone.

***

It was already well into the afternoon when Laura quietly snuck out
of Kayne’s room to find refuge in hers. She was exhausted, could not sleep by his
side, constantly wanting to go to him, feeling the burn the moment she tried. She’d
wanted to go back to her room in the middle of the night but only found the strength
to crawl the ten feet away. Even in that moment, she found comfort in knowing he was
near. She wished he had whipped her instead. Physical pain could be contained; what
she felt was pure chaos. There was no cure for that, only a coward’s way out.

She got ready for supper in a trance, unconsciously reaching for a
black dress befitting her mood. She fixed her hair and makeup as if preparing for a
night out. She smiled back at her glamorous reflection. She had never been one to
pride herself on her looks or invest the time and effort required to enhance them.
She understood now the motivations behind the art of beauty. It was a necessary mask
to hide the emptiness inside. She already felt stronger hiding her weakness behind
smoky eyes and lifted her chin to face the tête-a-tête she was not ready to
attend.

***

Kayne was dressed as elegantly in a black suit and greeted her in a
somber mood. Following the rushed greeting, no other words were exchanged as they
ate their meal in heavy silence.

“I’ll be leaving for a while.” He dropped the bomb
after finishing his plate. He stood up and went to her side. They hadn’t yet
exchanged a smile. They wouldn’t.

She simply looked up at him but didn’t say a word as he placed a
few items on the table next to her plate.

“A bank account has been opened under your name, credit card, and
cellphone. Lucas will leave with me. Anything you need, anywhere you have to go, see
Kiev. He will take care of you.”

She would not ask him for how long, would not ask him why he had to
go, where he would be. She would not ask him if his departure hurt him as much as it
hurt her. She simply nodded her head.

She thought he would put his hand on her shoulder for a second.
Instead, he brought his hand down on the table, tapping his fingers.

Was that it, was that all he had to say? she thought bitterly.
“Well… Bon voyage,” she said at last, staring straight ahead, her voice betraying no
emotion.

He closed his eyes, nodding quickly. He opened his mouth, then
closed it without saying anything, only inhaled deeply. “While I’m away, you may go
wherever you like... inside the house… or out. All I ask is that you take Kiev with
you when you leave the premises.”

A jaded smile crossed her lips. She barely nodded her head. She
watched him leave, the man she realized with a twist in her heart she loved, the man
whom to this day still didn’t trust her. She watched him walk away until he became a
little black speck and disappeared into the distance. She didn’t call out to him.
Silently, she prayed he would return to her.

K
ayne looked out the window of his fancy
hotel suite, staring at the full moon. It made him think of Laura. It had been
almost two months he hadn’t seen or spoken with her. He’d traveled to many countries
with Lucas, met with business associates, had all types of orders carried out, left
countless bodies behind. He’d attended underground parties and shows, had more women
than he could account for. The moment he was alone, his mind always traveled back to
Laura. When Dimitri had called him, advised him of the travel, he’d been reluctant
to leave Laura the way things were, but he had no choice. He realized with a sting
that she, however, would only be too glad to be rid of him. He feared he’d lost her
forever. He hadn’t called her directly but made sure to program his number into her
cellphone should she want to reach him. She hadn’t.

Sometimes when he lay alone in bed, especially on those nights when
the moon was particularly bright, he would think back to an old Russian folktale
Olga use to tell him, when he was still a child. He would imagine Laura and himself
as Alexei and Aniska, the two of them against the whole world, two parts of an
unbreakable whole. With bitterness, he realized he wasn’t Alexei. Laura had her
Alexei; he’d taken him from her. He was the murdering huntsman, the wicked white
wolf. He was no hero. He would always be the villain in the story.

***

Emptiness. It filled Laura’s world. Not the type of emptiness that
left you bedridden, depressed, and alone, seeking solitude and dying from it. It was
the loneliness of a clown, hiding behind laughter and noise. Laura Malkin didn’t
sulk. She hired a full staff to fill the house with life, went out as often as she
could, spending her days shopping away, her nights hosting endless gatherings.
She dressed in the finest gowns, laughed the loudest, and danced
the night away. She was always the last one standing, pushing the inevitable lonely
nights as far as she could. She would crawl back to her bedroom and look out the
window, thinking of Kayne. Her life was rendered meaningless. For all the things she
bought and people she surrounded herself with, nothing could fill the void his
absence left. Every once in a while, the moon would call out to her. She would slip
upstairs into Kayne’s room, wear his shirt, and fall asleep on his bed. Those nights
she would dream of him, those mornings, were the hardest.

***

Kiev had helped hire the new staff; they were all approved by the
Organization. Olga was very happy for the help, and the company. Most were of
Russian origin except the two youngest, who were barely in their twenties. French
Canadians, Louis Lavallé and Genevieve Roy were as thick as thieves, always giggling
together in the corners of the house. Olga felt weary of the young blonde beauty,
and even more so of the protective way Louis always eyed her. She wondered why Laura
accepted her. She didn’t like the defiant way Genevieve took orders. She was a flirt
with all the men, rebellious and arrogant with the women.
Never a good
combination for an employee at the Malkin household
. But Olga knew her
place. She didn’t breathe a word of her concern to Laura but kept a close watch on
the French Lolita.