Conquering Sabrina (11 page)

Raoul watched her wetness streak the sleek black metallic paint with approval. The heat of the car engine stirred her need. She moved restlessly, feeling her clit scrape the metallic surface, coaxing her pleasure. For the first time in a long time, Sabrina felt wanton and ready for passionate sex. Throwing caution to the wind in a sexual encounter had never happened in the last ten years. Yet this man was provoking feelings and reactions in her she had never dreamt possible of giving her such pleasure.

No words were spoken. Raoul simply unzipped his trousers and splayed his hands around her buttocks cooling in the winter air. He thrust strongly into her to the hilt. She leaned back and gave a satisfied sigh. He stood for a moment, silently, patiently waiting inside of her, allowing her to feel his cock’s dominance and mastery just like before, then rammed inside her fast and strong, unable to contain himself any further. She placed her tied hands around his neck and held on as he firmly fucked her into submission, making Sabrina feel truly conquered by her husband.

“I’ve invited some people for the weekend and they will arrive this evening,” Raoul told Sabrina in the car as they travelled home. Her hands were now untied. Although her bottom was sore, her cheeks bore a healthy glow of satisfaction. Raoul was holding her hand, smoothing the pad of his thumb over her knuckles in a loving protective gesture. Sabrina felt more relaxed than she had ever done. A growing need to be close to Raoul had taken root and was breaking down the wall of the defences she had erected to stop him getting inside. He was winning her back and she could do nothing but surrender willingly.

“Don’t worry, these people are very close to you,” Raoul continued. “Your best friend Maxine is dying to see you. That’s who I was on the phone to this morning. She didn’t believe you were back. You are both like sisters. I didn’t want to tell you straightaway, especially this morning when you seemed so distressed.”

Sabrina felt uneasy at the prospect of meeting more people who she called strangers. But she looked up at Raoul.

“I’m ok. I will deal with it,” she reluctantly assured him.

She turned away and pretended to preoccupied with watching the French countryside. She didn’t want to talk anymore. She felt tired, satiated. It seemed to creep up on her like it had done the night before. She closed her eyes and allowed the motion of the car to lull her into a gentle sleep as she wondered what her guests would be like.

* * *

Sabrina woke just before the car made its descent along the narrow road that led to the chateau. She found a blanket tucked around her body.

“Did you have a good sleep?” Raoul asked gently.

“Yes, broken with dreams or memories. I can’t seem to tell the difference these days.”

She glanced out of the window.

“The chateau is so beautiful in the snow. Why do we live there?” she asked sleepily. “I would have thought we would have lived in the centre of Paris for work.”

“We do, correction, did, during the week. Since you left I have spent more and more time in the chateau. I always felt close to you in the house.” He paused and continued on a lighter note. “We have a few properties,” he said. “One in London as well. I bought the chateau for your wedding present. It’s your home, Sabrina.”

“What? You’re joking, right?”

“No, I am perfectly serious. Your passion was history. What better wedding gift to give you? It seems even more appropriate now.”

She laughed, putting her hand to her mouth in shock.

He grinned. There was relief in his eyes every time she smiled.

“I wanted you to see the chateau first because it’s where we spent most of our time together. We lived there every weekend when we didn’t go away.”

“This has to be a dream,” she laughed again.

Francine greeted them at the door.

“Marie-Claire is running a bath for Madame Valoire. As soon as Madame is finished taking a bath, the massage therapist you asked to come will be waiting. Monsieur Valoire, your guests are on the way. All the rooms are ready. Oh, and your business acquaintance is waiting for you in your study.”

“You better go and get ready, Sabrina. Our guests will be arriving soon,” Raoul instructed.

“That is if they can make it in the weather, sir,” Francine added. “It is closing in. The snow is falling heavily again. I thought you might not make it back. You know how the roads get blocked with snow in the winter.”

Still Raoul remained positive.

“They’ll make it. Wild horses wouldn’t keep them from seeing Sabrina.”

“You make me sound like some kind of freak show.” Sabrina felt uncomfortable again.

“You aren’t a freak show. They are your friends and family. They’ve missed you. We all have. Please go and get ready and enjoy your massage.”

“I don’t need one…”

“It will relieve that stiff neck of yours. Don’t argue. I hope you like the present I have waiting for you on your bed,” he told her, stealing a quick kiss on her cheek and then he was gone before she could say anymore.

Raoul hurried down the stairs and straight to his study.

“Maxim.”

Raoul shook hands and hugged his oldest friend Maxim Tissier.

“I can’t believe she’s back. How is she? You must be ecstatic.”

“I’m not sure I really believe she is here. I’d just about given up hope and was ready to have her legally declared dead. She’s distressed, confused, emotionally tired, and afraid. She isn’t very sure of me either. But I am doing everything in my power to make the transition back into her old life as easy as possible.”

Raoul sat down in his chair behind his desk and leaned back. He looked wistfully up at the ceiling and eased his feet onto the end of the desk. He suddenly swung round in his chair and stared up at Sabrina’s portrait.

“She hasn’t changed at all. She thinks she has, but she just needs coaxing back out of her shell. She was always feisty; that was what first attracted me to her. I loved taming her nature and tempering recklessness. Seems I am back at square one in bringing her back under control.”

“You always like a challenge and Sabrina always provides you with one.”

Raoul turned back around to face him and nodded.

“Yes, she certainly does,” he grinned.

Maxim laughed again and swirled the warm cognac in his glass he helped himself to whilst waiting for Raoul.

“She is finding the real Sabrina a little hard to swallow at the moment, but I believe I am making great progress in reuniting her with her true self and leading her into acceptance.” Raoul smiled confidently.

“What about Cressida? Does Sabrina remember her?”

“We ran into her today. Yes, Sabrina remembered her, almost instantly,” he said with a heavy sigh. “And Cressida is already causing trouble.”

“I see,” Maxim grimaced. “Good luck with that one,” he said, taking another gulp of his drink.

Raoul thought for a moment and then addressed Maxim again.

“You know that I didn’t just ask you to come to see Sabrina again as a friend.”

“I gathered as much. So I am here in my official capacity as well?”

“Yes. The police are eager to talk to her and I would rather it was you. There is also the matter of her safety this weekend. I have increased the security on the chateau since Sabrina’s arrival. I have men at the gate, in the grounds, and around the chateau, but I trust you more. Whoever could have taken Sabrina from the chateau had to be on the inside. I thought it could have been one of the staff. But none of them left. Whoever it was will be in this house tonight. They all left around the same time as she disappeared.”

He took a key from a drawer and opened the drawer beneath it. He handed Maxim a letter that came this morning for Sabrina.

“He knows she is here, Maxim. I tried everything to keep Sabrina safe when she was stalked. There wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do…”

“I remember. You threatened to lock Sabrina away in one of the towers when she tried a jail break,” he murmured as he read the letter made up of letters cut out of newspapers.

“I wish I had, then she mightn’t have been kidnapped and raped.”

Maxim gave his friend a look of sympathy.

“I will do the same this time. I am taking a big risk by inviting everyone to the chateau this weekend. But I have to do it. I know one of them is the stalker and responsible for everything that happened to Sabrina. I want him caught. This is the only way I know how to get him,” Raoul told him with determination.

“By using Sabrina and her lost memory as bait to flush him out?”

“Yes. I know it’s dangerous. But I don’t know what else to do. I want Sabrina safe and not afraid for the rest of her life. Don’t worry, I will lock her in that tower and keep her well out of the way if he tries to do anything to her. I know we will get him this weekend.”

“By the looks of this letter, he’s going to try to take her again. We will have to watch Sabrina round the clock. I have men posted around the chateau. I will have this analysed to see if we can get a lead. Does Sabrina know about this letter?”

“No, and that’s the way I want it. I’ve made sure any messages for Sabrina are diverted through me. I had all of the landlines cut when I tried to stop Sabrina leaving yesterday.”

Raoul grinned at Maxim’s raised eyebrow.

“You know how stubborn she gets. She wanted to leave and work it all out on her own. I don’t think she realises just how much danger she is in. I have had to threaten her with everything to keep her here. I left two landlines in, one to my study and one for the domestic staff. She doesn’t know about them. I don’t want her to find out about them.”

“I will need to speak to Sabrina about all of this at some point; she is our star witness. Does she remember anything at all about her attack and kidnap?”

“She remembers being attacked in her study, but she can’t hold on to the memory and she never sees his face. I’m not sure she will be able to help you.”

“You will be surprised. Any little detail may help.”

Raoul nodded. His eyes blackened like a night storm, a hurricane of anger blowing inside him that was threatening to destroy everything in its path.

“I want her protected, Maxim, and that man caught. You better get to him before I do or I’m not sure I will be able to control myself.”

Chapter Nine

Sabrina slid off the couch, feeling the aromatherapy oils of lavender, grapefruit, and frankincense seep deeper into her skin. Her body was warm, supple, and free of pain after her body massage and all she could think about was slipping into bed and sleeping for a hundred years. It had been a long time since she had felt this relaxed. She tied the towel around her body and sat down on the bed. She jumped up, realising that she was sitting on top of something. She looked down at a dress elaborately laid out on top of the bed.

Its colour was a deep scarlet red, her favourite. She carefully picked it up, stroking her hand over the smooth taffeta. There were shoes to match and tiny droplet ruby earrings. She giggled; the man thought of everything. She quickly put on what little make-up she wore and smoothed the dress over her curves. It hung low at her ankles, swishing romantically as she walked around the room admiring herself in the mirror. The bodice fitted close across her breasts and tightened at the bottom with a taffeta tie to emphasise her slim waist. She ran her hands down the sides of the bodice, and then allowed them to skim the gentle flow of the skirt as she swirled it around her body.

“Madame, I have a Monsieur Jeffries calling from England. He says he needs to speak to you urgently,” one of the maids said on the other end of the telephone. “I am not sure why he came through down here…”

“I thought all of the landlines were down,” Sabrina interrupted with surprise.

“I know nothing about that, Madame. This one is working.”

“Ok, yes, please put him through.”

“Sabrina.”

She knew the minute he said her name that it was him. The man who took her from her home, raped her, and held her captive somewhere dark for endless days and beat her when she tried to escape. It was a disguised voice, but she knew it was him. The memories clouded her mind, making her head spin and her legs turn to jelly. The pain and fear were almost too much to remember, but she steadied her voice.

“Who are you?”

“I am the man you really belong to. You shouldn’t have run away. I will have to punish you.”

“Who are you?”

She persisted, trying to ignore the deep sinister voice that was frustratingly unrecognisable.

“You really can’t remember. That’s good. It will make it all the easier for me to take you away again. And this time, Sabrina, I won’t ever let you leave me again.”

“I’m not afraid of you. Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

“You should be afraid of me and if you aren’t, I will make you.”

The line went dead and Sabrina could hardly put the phone down for shaking. She didn’t have to; Raoul was taking it from her trembling hand. He held her arms, his eyes searching her face for comprehension.

“Who was that on the phone? It was him, wasn’t it?”

She nodded.

“I can’t remember who it is. But that voice. I feel sick. You said you cut the lines. You lied to me.”

Raoul guided her to the bed and sat her down, soothingly rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

“I couldn’t cut them all because of the staff and preparations for the weekend. Mobile reception out here is not good at the best of times. How did he get through? I’ve had all of your calls diverted to my phone, so this wouldn’t happen.”

“He said he was Dr Jeffries from the University. He says he is going to take me back. I remember, Raoul. I remember what he did. He raped me in the study, then he dragged me out of the house and pushed me in the boot. I’m sure there was somebody else with him in the car. He took me somewhere miles from here. I think it was to a house somewhere in the country. He kept me locked up in the cellar. It was so cold and dark. My food would come through a hole in the door. Sometimes I spent days sitting there in the dark, then he would come back and force me to… It feels as though it was just yesterday and not ten years ago. I don’t want to remember, I don’t want to remember.”