Lessons of Love (8 page)

Cole
abruptly pushed her from him and rose to his feet glowering at her. "A moment o
f resistance doesn't make up for a night of whoring."
Jolie
recoiled from his words as if slapped. She blinked her eyes furiously hating he
rself for her tears. Damn him!

"Go to hell."

Cole
grabbed her lightening quick and pulled her against him. He grabbed
a fistful of her hair and yanked back
cruelly
, forcing her to look him in the eyes. The urge to strike her was almost overwhelming but he resisted. He couldn't bruise his showpiece. He shook her, and
Jolie
's teeth chattered but she stare
d him in the eyes
in defiance.

"Such nasty words from a lady. If you ever speak to me like that again, wife, I shall take great pleasure in taking a strap to you. Do you understand?"
Jolie
's eyes were shooting darts and her nostrils flared with her rage, but she hissed her
understa
nding between clenched teeth.

"I will have to chastise you later, my dear. If I laid a hand on you now, I would very likely kill you, but don't think you have escaped punishment for your behavior. You are to obey me and respect me, and I will beat
those facts into you if that's what it takes. The men will be up with your bath
,
and Gregor wi
ll assist you."

"A man! I'm to have a man for a cha
mbermaid? You must be joking."

"No my dear, I am not. There are no wo
men servants in my household."

"The
n I pr
efer to tend to myself."

"I don't care what you prefer,
Jolie
. Gregor will assist you, and I am sending for the seamstress. You need new gowns at once. No more of those high necked atrocities for you, pet. I prefer to have your charms on display. Besides,
if I remember correctly, you weren't fond of your gown yesterday either. I have business to attend to but expect you present at the dinner table at 7:00. And leave your hair down sweet. I like it that way. Gregor will be up in a m
oment. Have a good day, lo
ve."

He released her and
Jolie
scowled at his back as he left, pleased to see the scratches her nails had left, but then the key turned in the lock and her shoulders slumped in defeat. How was she ever going to get away from him? He would control her every
move.
Jolie
also had little doubt that he meant every word when he said he was going to punish her later. She would pay the price for her sharp tongue and defiant actions, just as she had paid for each wrong doi
ng in her stepfather
’
s home.

She looked aro
und frantically for something to cover herself with, but her wedding gown was in shreds and her under things were too. That beast had completely ruined everything. Finally in desperation,
Jolie
pulled the sheet from the bed and then sat upon it in a huff.
She may have to tolerate Gregor's attentions, but she would burn in hell before any of the other men saw her unclothed.
 

Five
 

Jolie
stood staring at the door as a key turned in the lock once more. Her eyes were bright with outrage, her body rigid, her
mouth turned downward in a scowl, clearly ready to do battle. A giant of a man entered and
Jolie
stared at him coldly, brazenly. She raised her chin and squared her shoulders, trying to put forth an appearance of courage she did not fully posses
s
.

The ma
n was huge. His arms bulged with muscles; his chest was as broad as a bull's and his hands were the size of her head, but sh
e refused to show fear though
the sight of him was hideous. His eyes were almost black and held a look of arrogance, his nose was sl
ightly hooked and he had a jagged scar running from his ear to the corner of his mouth. The overall appearance of him instilled terror in
Jolie
's heart. The moment she saw him, her hopes of fleeing were squashed, as her eyes traveled over the mountain of a
man before her. There would be no escaping around him, even if she were dressed. He strode over to where she stood and silently reached for her arm, making
Jolie
jerk back, s
haking his hold, eyes blazing.

"Get your hands off me. I may be married to that d
espicable man, but it doesn't gi
ve you the right to touch me."

"Watch your tongue woman. You may be the new lady of the house but I can assure you your position is in name only. You would be wise to do as you're told. Do not think for a moment that I will
hesitate to punish you for impudence. I can assure you that the flat of my hand on your backsid
e would temper your demeanor."

"I shall not watch my tongue. In the last day I have been molested, forced into marriage, beaten and raped. I will not continue th
e list of assaults on
my person by cowering to you."

Gregor grasped
Jolie
’
s arms with a crushing grip. She couldn't quite stifle the cry of pain that rose to her lips as he hauled her upward. He held her within an inch of his face and glowered down at her.
"I will take pleasure in introducing you to a whole new realm of pain if you don't hold your tongue wench. Now, I am going to take you to your quarters. The boss wishes for you to have a bath and
you damn well will have one."

Although
Jolie
was trembling
inside she did her best to hide it. She pulled herself up to her full height and pushed hard against Gregor's chest. He released her but it was by choice. "Am I expected to walk to my bedcha
mbers dressed in a bed sheet?"

Gregor's face flushed, his eyes har
d as steel as he fought for control over his temper. He didn't know how far he could go in disciplining this bratty witch. She wasn't one of their slaves to be sold, yet her position in the house fell well below that of the servants. It was probably best
t
o report her behavior to
Cole
and let him deal with the little hellion. If she were his, she would find herself on the receiving end of his belt before he flipped her over and used her for his pleasure, but alas, she wasn
’
t. Gregor curled his fingers in th
e sheet above
Jolie
's breasts and made a motion indicating he was going to bare her before him.
Jolie
gasped and batted at his hand, her face turning pal
e, then flushing with outrage.

"Heed my warning wench, for you will hear it only once. I take great ple
asure in hurting women and would delight in teaching you manners. Now I don't care if you walk or crawl and I certainly don't care if you are clothed when you go. All I know is that you will find yourself in your chambers in a minute regardless of how. Mo
v
e or I will strip you and carry you. Then I will bind you until your husband can find the time to give you a lesson about
a woman place in this house."

Jolie
's eyes blazed with fury and her nostrils flared as she tried to control her breathing. She stepped
away from Gregor, her head held high as she walked to the door. Pausing, she turned back to look at her new 'chambermaid' with daggers flying from her eyes. Gregor came forward and put a hand under her elbow, steering her
in the direction of her rooms.

Jo
lie
took careful note of her surroundings as they went, looking for a back staircase or a way to flee, taking it all in, but s
eeing no route for escape. Some
day, there would come a time when she would have the opportunity to run from this hellish prison, a
nd she would be ready. They arrived in her sitting room, and to
Jolie
's relief, the bath was already there and ready. At least she wouldn't have to be gawked at by the other men in the house. She shook off Gregor's hold and walked to the dressing scr
een in
the corner of the room.

"I am perfectly capable of bathing myself. Leave me alone and lock the door. I'm not a fool, I know
there is no place to run to."

Gregor walked to the door but instead of leaving he closed it and locked them both in. "My instructio
ns were to assist you. Now get into the bathtub. The seamstress will be here in an hour. Your husband has instructed her to design a new wardrobe for you. Her time is valuable and you wi
ll be ready when she arrives."

Before she could think of a sharp retor
t Gregor crossed the room and grabbed the sheet from her body.
Jolie
screeched and tried to cover herself with her hands. He laughed and gathered both her wrists in his grip and raked his gaze over her, appraising her body.
Jolie
blushed crimson and kicked
at the huge man. He responded by grabbing a nipple and twisting it cruelly.
Jolie
gasped and ceased her struggles, pain shooting through her as her tender breast was brutalized.

Wrenching her arms and applying more pressure to her tortured bud, Gregor fo
rced
Jolie
to her knees before him. He stared down at her triumphantly as her eyes shone with tears. Satisfied that he had taught her to bow to him, Gregor gathered her up and carried her to the tub over his shoulder, slapping her thighs and bottom repeate
dly as he went.
Jolie
's furious screams rose at each blow he landed, until the room resounded
with her banshee like shrieks.

Gregor dropped her into the tub and stood glowering over her. "I promise you that little temper tantrum of yours with be shared wit
h your husband. He would have been better off selling you. I have a feeling you are going to be much mor
e trouble than you are worth."

They both turned at the sound of a key in the lock. The door opened to admit a very furious looking
Cole
. His dark blue e
yes were raging and his brows were drawn together in a scowl. His hands were fisted at his sides as he crossed the room to stand over the tub.
Jolie
could see his jaw clench and she trembled. He was like a tiger ready to kill, w
aiting to spring on its prey
.

"From the sound of things, it seems I will have to attend my wife's bath
m
yself. I apologize for her rude behavior Gregor. You can be assured she will be receiving a lesson on acq
uiring a proper disposition."

Gregor looked down at
Jolie
with a smirk on
his face "She's all yours boss. She certainly is an insolent little hellion. Pity you aren't selling her. That tongue of hers
is sharp and disrespectful."

"Her tongue won't be sharp for long Gregor. My hand and my strap will turn her into a sweet little w
ife who does as she's told." Anyone who saw the rage on
Cole
's face at that moment wouldn't for a second
doubt the truth of his words.

After Gregor closed the door behind him
Cole
turned his attention back towards
Jolie
. She glared at him with all the cour
age and hatred she could muster then tried to rise. She had no desire to tangle with
Cole
while she was confined to the bathtub. He growled his disapproval and pushed down on her shoulders, forcing her back into the water.
Jolie
flailed her arms, splashing
water over his boots, fighting his hold on her.

Cole
knelt at the side of the tub and gathered her wrists in one hand.
Jolie
tensed, waiting for him to strike her. To her surprise he reached for the soap instead. He would tame his little hellion with pas
sion for the moment. Causing her body to betray her and submit to his touch would be more effective right now than beating her. She'd declared her disgust for him only an hour ago and to make her body respond to his would be a sweet victory. Forcing her t
o
come alive under his hands would show his rebel
lious wife who her master was.

Cole
released her wrists and gave her a harsh look that left no room for doubt that he would thrash the life out of her if she resisted him. He dipped his hands in the water and
lathered them up.
Cole
reached for one of
Jolie
's arms and worked his way from her fingertips to her shoulder. He paused, a frown creasing his brow when he saw the bruises that were already forming from Gregor's hurtful grip.
Cole
looked at her questionin
gly but
Jolie
sniffed and turned away, eyes narrowed, nose in the air.
Cole
then proceeded to lather and rinse her other arm. He leaned her forward and began to stroke her back, sliding his fingers down her side, grazing the edges of her breasts, slipping
over her smooth skin leaving fire in their w
ake.