Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series (34 page)

“
This is what I want to
hear. Something that brings out your soul.” Nathan kissed her neck.
“What is it called?”

Melinda wistfully smiled.
“Longing.”

“
After we’re married, I
will get you into that recording studio so you can put together a
CD.”

Melinda stopped playing and stared
into his eyes. She knew then Nathan Cole would never allow her out
of his sight, and all of his promises were just tools to placate
her.

As she veered her eyes from his face,
she glimpsed the intercom on the wall behind him. She noted the
array of buttons along the bottom of the speaker and recalled
Phil’s instructions that first day she had arrived at The
Shallows.

Nathan put his hand under her chin and
turned her eyes back to him. “I want you, Melinda.”

She swallowed back her revulsion and
raised her hand to the crotch of his jeans. “I want you, too,
Nathan.”

He lifted her in his arms, and as
Nathan carried her to the decorative iron bed, Melinda began
hatching a plan to get away.

“
Let’s play, Nathan,” she
whispered, encouraged by her scheme. “And in the morning we can
make plans for our wedding.”

Chapter 20

The sun had just peeked through the
windows along the sitting room wall when Nathan stirred beside
Melinda. She pulled at the handcuffs on her right wrist that were
secured to the iron headboard.

Nathan cuddled against her and kissed
her cheek. “Did you sleep well?”

“
No,” Melinda curtly
answered. “I don’t understand why you had to handcuff me to the
bed. I told you I—”

“
It’s your own fault,
Melinda.” His finger tracked down her chin. “You made me doubt you,
and I have to take precautions.”

Melinda smiled sweetly for him,
curtailing her rage. “After last night, you still doubt
me?”

“
Yes, you were rather
amazing last night. You’ve never been like that before with
me.”

She rubbed her left hand across his
chest. “I’m glad your pleased.”

He pulled her into his arms. “For the
first time, I felt like you really wanted me.”

She nuzzled his cheek. “We didn’t play
any of your games last night, that’s why. I could finally be
me.”

“
I thought you liked my
games.”

“
I do,” she assured him,
patting his chest. “But sometimes I just like making love to you,
Nathan, without the games.”

“
Then perhaps we can try it
your way for a while.” Taking a silver key from the nightstand next
to him, Nathan undid the handcuffs and tossed them to the
floor.

Melinda slipped her arms around him.
“Let’s do it my way again.”

“
I would love to, baby, but
I’ve got to get ready for an early meeting.” He kissed the end of
her nose. “When I come home after lunch, I promise I will take you
up on that.”

“
What am I supposed to do
until you come back?”

He ran his hands over her slender back
and grabbed her butt. “You could work on your music. Why don’t you
write me a song?”

She spied her keyboard in the sitting
room next to the bed. “Are you going to handcuff me to the
keyboard?”

“
I’ll put it in the
playroom for you.”

Panic ricocheted in her chest. “No,
Nathan, please don’t put me in there again.”

“
It’s just until I come
home, Melinda.”

Tears were brimming in her eyes. “It’s
cold in there and I hate it. Handcuff me to the bed or my keyboard,
but please don’t put me back in there.”

He threw off the covers. “I have to.
It’s the only way I can make sure you won’t run away.” He went to
the bathroom and collected his clothes. “I don’t understand why you
don’t like that room,” he said, coming back into the bedroom.
“Julie used to love being locked up with all of her
toys.”

Melinda climbed from the bed. “What
toys?”

Nathan dumped his clothes on the bed.
“Like the things hanging on the wall in my apartment. Handcuffs,
collars, whips … things like that. Julie loved playing all sorts of
games with me.”

Melinda eased her way toward the
bedroom door, making sure to keep him in her sights. “What kind of
games did you two play?”

Nathan wrestled on his jeans. “Why?
Are you interested?”

Melinda coyly shrugged as she spotted
the intercom. “Could be?”

Picking up his shirt from the bed, he
smiled at her. “I can show you some things we used to do later. If
you like, I could even refurbish the playroom for you with all the
toys Julie loved.”

“
Let’s just see what I
think of your games first, shall we?” Melinda took another cautious
step toward the door. “I might want to do something different from
what you did with your old girlfriend.”

“
That almost makes you
sound jealous, my dear.”

She crept closer to the intercom.
“Maybe I am. I don’t really like hearing about Julie. The way you
talk about her …” She pouted her lips as she backed up to the
intercom. “It’s like you still have feelings for her.”

Nathan’s dark eyes came together.
“Don’t you dare think that, Melinda. The only feelings I have are
for you. I love you, remember?”

“
I love you, too.” She
leaned back against the wall and pressed her shoulder into the row
of buttons below the intercom speaker. “Maybe you just had to prove
to me how much you loved me before I could really
understand.”

Buttoning up his shirt, he came toward
her. “From the first day I saw you in Jackson Square, I sensed
somehow you were going to be the perfect woman for me. You were
beautiful, hungry, and willing to do whatever I wanted.”

Melinda kept her shoulder pressed into
the intercom as she grinned at Nathan. “And here I thought I was
the psychic.”

Pulling her away from the wall, he
enfolded her in his arms. “You always were much more than a psychic
to me, Melinda. I have to admit, I gave you the job because I
wanted to get to know you and see if you would fit into my world.”
He hugged her to him. “Now I know I made the right
choice.”

“
So why do you have to lock
me back in that storage room if I’m the woman for you?” she loudly
complained, hoping to be heard over the intercom.

“
Because, my love,” he
slapped her bottom, “you need to be taught how to be my submissive
before you can be wedded to me.”

She leaned back from him. “Yes,
Sir.”

“
I’m your Dom, Melinda. You
must learn to listen to me, do my bidding, and be what I tell you
to be.”

“
So you’re going to keep me
locked away in that storage room until we’re married, no matter
what I do or say?”

He let her go. “Until I can bind you
to me in marriage, you will have to stay sequestered away. I can’t
afford to have another woman run out on me. What would other men
think of me?” He grasped her hand. “Walk me to the
door.”

“
Can I get dressed
first?”

“
No, Melinda. Do as I
say.”

As Melinda walked with him to the
bedroom door, her eyes scanned the buttons along the bottom of the
intercom. She then gave Nathan a happy smile.

“
Yes, Nathan. Whatever you
want.”

* * *

In her nightshirt and thick robe,
Melinda was pacing the white-tiled floor, hoping someone had heard
her on the intercom. She wasn’t sure what buttons had been pressed,
but no fire department or EMS crews had shown up at her apartment
door, crushing her hopes that her plan had worked.

Time alone in the white room had made
her reconsider all of her dreams about fancy clothes, jewelry, and
a life filled with elegant outings and scintillating social events.
They had been nothing more than foolish fairy tales created by a
lonely girl. It had taken Nathan’s depraved acts to make her
realize all the things she had desired meant nothing when she was
being held prisoner by a man who was a control freak.

During her mental musings, it became
readily apparent that Melinda had done nothing but move from one
prison to the next. First, she had been trapped on the farm and had
jumped at the opportunity to get away with Josh. After he left her,
she had confined herself to her tiny French Quarter apartment.
Nathan had rescued her, but was now holding her prisoner. Once
again, she was hidden from the world.

“
Maybe it was meant to be,”
she whispered into the white room.

Meant to
be
. So many things in her life appeared
meant to be. Certain people had come along, for better or for
worse, and roused her sleepy soul into action. Maybe that was what
the entire fiasco with Nathan was supposed to prove. If there was a
better life out there for her, she needed to find it for herself
and not hope someone else would give it to her.

Melinda laughed at her stupidity until
tears filled her eyes. How could she not have noticed such a
glaring message?

“
Oh, Jack, you would have
had so much fun teasing me about this.”

Jack.
His name sent a calming sense of reassurance through her
soul. She recalled the music she had played for Nathan the night
before when she had been thinking of Jack. The way her hands had
glided effortlessly over the keys as she had pictured his handsome
face and wonderful smile. How could she not have realized it before
now? Jack had found his way into her heart. He was a part of
her.

She went to the keyboard Nathan had
set up in the corner of the room and had a seat on the
bench.

“
I have been such a fool.”
She sighed as her eyes took in the white walls around her. “If I
ever get out of here, I swear I will take every chance, grab every
opportunity, and tell Jack Deron how I really feel.”

But as the minutes ticked by, Melinda
wondered if she would ever get that chance. If she didn’t get free
of Nathan, her life would be absolutely miserable. One thing was
certain, she had to find a way to escape; otherwise, she feared
what he would eventually do to her.

“
Shit!” She ran her hands
over her face. “How did I get into this mess?”

The metal door flew open, startling
Melinda. Nathan came bounding into the room. Dressed in a gray suit
with a cream-colored tie, he had a pained expression on his
face.

“
Get up,” he said
breathlessly. “You’ve got to get dressed and come with
me.”

Quaking, Melinda slowly stood from her
keyboard. “What is it?”

“
Someone is here to see
you.”

“
Who?” she questioned,
doubting his intentions.

“
Carl Bordonaro wants to
talk to you.”

She was stunned. “Carl Bordonaro? But
why?”

Nathan’s lips pressed into a menacing
scowl. “It seems he heard you were a very good psychic.”

Melinda took a step toward Nathan,
contemplating her fate. Was this going to be her life from now on?
Being locked away in a closet and taken out to do readings to
entertain Nathan’s friends?

“
Did you tell him about me?
Is that why he wants me to read for him?”

“
No. Jack bragged about
you. Told him how good you were. Carl insisted on having a session
with you today. He was waiting downstairs when I arrived from my
meeting. I had no choice but to let you read for him.”

“
You have no choice?”
Melinda replied, almost laughing. “I find that hard to
believe.”

“
He’s Carl Bordonaro,
Melinda. You don’t just tell the man no. Besides, I need him. He’s
in tight with Denise, and I can’t help but wonder if she sent him
over here to feel me out about the Market Street deal. So play
along.” He came up to her and grabbed her forearm. “Don’t do
anything stupid. I’ll be by your side the entire time.”

Melinda could see the angry visions
swarming in his mind. It was worse than she had originally
imagined. He was prepared to kill her and anyone who stood in his
way.

Smiling complacently, she tried to
reassure his fear. “I have no intention of doing anything to anger
you.”

Seemingly swayed by her declaration,
Nathan’s charming smile returned. “If you behave with Carl, I’ll
give you a reward. Give him a wonderful reading, and I promise not
to lock you up in this room again.” He gazed about the room.
“You’ll have earned some of my trust if you send him on his way a
happy man.”

“
Deal.” She seductively
nudged forward, rubbing against his crotch. “After Carl is gone,
are you still going to take care of me, like you
promised?”

Nathan’s smile grew as he threw his
arms around her. “You’re getting the hang of this. I like you this
way.” He kissed her hard on the mouth.

Melinda returned his kiss with all the
passion she could muster.

When he pulled away, he took her hand.
“Let’s get you dressed and put on a show for Carl.”

As she walked behind him, Melinda
could not help but grin. Here was her chance to escape, and she was
going to make damn sure she didn’t blow it.