Seduced in the Dark (13 page)

He sighed, wishing things could be so
simple. What would Rafiq say to such a request? Did it even have to
be a request? Caleb was a man after all, and a dangerous one at
that. Perhaps Caleb need only inform Rafiq of the way it was to be
and move on from there. The girl was beaten and bruised, her
virginity in question as far as Rafiq would be concerned. How
difficult would it be to simply call it a lost cause with Kitten?
But honestly, it wouldn’t repair anything. He would forever be her
captor and she would forever be his prisoner. He had to stop going
back and forth. He’d made a decision, he would stick to it. End of
story.

Kitten shifted some more on the bed and
whimpered for a few seconds before her eyes finally opened. Her
lungs rose and fell deeply and harshly. Apparently, Caleb wasn’t
the only one suffering from nightmares. To her credit, she hadn’t
cried out or asked for him. She looked around the room and caught
sight of him, then looked away and sat up slowly.

“Morning,” he said wryly.

She nodded, but otherwise didn’t respond.
She tossed her blanket off of her legs in a slow, taxing motion and
stiffly stood before walking into the bathroom and shutting the
door. Within seconds he could hear the water from the sink running.
Caleb wondered how she was planning to use the facilities because
the toilet was set into the ground and required the user to squat
above it to do their business. It would be difficult for her to
maintain her balance given her injuries, but he decided her need
for privacy was perhaps greater than her need for help at the
moment.

Caleb went about setting the room to rights
and collecting the things he’d need to get ready for the day ahead.
Neither of them had much in the way of clothing, but they only had
one more day to travel, so the point was moot. He looked through
the groceries he had purchased and found the bananas as well as
some raspberry pastries. That would do nicely for breakfast. There
were plenty of bottles of water left as well. He checked his watch
and noted it was only five-thirty in the morning. The sooner they
were out and on the road the better. They could make it to Tuxtepec
by dinner time, even if they took another twelve hours to get
there. He would have to make a stop in town before they left.

Caleb reached for his cell phone and dialed
Rafiq.

“
Salaam.
”

“Why haven’t you been answering your
phone?”

“Am I to answer to you, then?”

“Why the fuck not? We’re partners, or has
Jair usurped my position in the last two days?”

Rafiq laughed. It was the kind of laugh
Caleb had suffered through for years, a dismissive, derisive laugh,
meant to put Caleb in his place, below his master. “Don’t be
childish, Caleb. You’re the one who made our last conversation so
hostile. Jair is hardly in a position to incite your jealousy.”

“I’m not jealous, I’m irritated and you’re
only making it worse. Where are you?”

“Where are you, Caleb? Where is the
girl?”

Caleb took a deep breath and exhaled away
from the phone. It was the moment of truth. “We’re in Zacatecas. We
should be in Tuxtepec by morning at the latest.”

“The morning?” Rafiq admonished, “You’re
less than a day’s drive from Jair and your hostages, why would you
be gone any longer?”

“It’s the girl, her injuries slow us down. I
keep having to stop for her.”

“You’re going to arouse suspicion by driving
around with her like that.” Rafiq paused, his breathing as grating
as his voice. Caleb braced for it. “She is the final part of this,
Caleb. She must be ready. She must be perfect. If you can’t do
this, I would be more than willing to take over.”

Caleb clenched his jaw with so much force he
could hear it popping. “It’ll be fine, Rafiq. I can do it,” he bit
out. “Stop questioning me. I know what I need to do. That’s all I
think about.”

“What about the hostages you’ve taken? What
are your plans for them?”

“Revenge. Naturally.”

Rafiq laughed, “There you are,
Khoya
.
I’d begun to worry. Do try to keep your head this time, from what I
hear, the pair might prove useful to us.”

A strange feeling bloomed in Caleb’s chest,
“Where are you?”

“Close.”

“Fine. I assume I’ll see you soon.” He hung
up, annoyed.

Kitten stepped out of the bathroom looking a
bit lost. Last night had put them on different footing and now it
was up to Caleb to maintain the status quo he had created between
them. He set his phone on the table and walked toward his captive.
She stilled as he approached, her eyes set upon the floor and her
hands clasped in front of her. Her nervousness was obvious, but
alluring nonetheless.

Caleb swept his hand down her face, careful
not to press on her bruises and swept her hair back over her
shoulder. “Whenever you enter a room and your purpose is unclear,
always kneel next to your master.” Kitten did not hesitate to
comply, though her movements were slow as she struggled toward the
ground.

“Good,” Caleb whispered, “now spread your
knees and sit back on your ankles with your hands on your thighs
and your head bowed. Your master should be able to see every part
of you and know you will not move until you’re told. Do you
understand?”

“Yes,” Kitten whispered with some
hesitation, “Master.” Tentatively, she moved her limbs into
position. She wore a nightgown and her body was not visible to
Caleb, but he knew her body well enough to know what he was missing
and his body unwittingly responded.

“
Leet sawm k’leet sue
is Russian.
When you hear the command, you will lie on your back with your
knees spread and lifted toward your chest. Hold your legs behind
your knees.” Kitten broke position and stared up at him with a
pleading expression.

Caleb’s breath stuttered into his lungs from
his excitement. At last, she was compliant, and his to command. The
feeling was heady, but made somewhat hollow because he was teaching
her the commands in Russian. “
Leet sawm k’leet sue
,” he
repeated. His expression was hard, his eyes serious.

Kitten’s mouth tilted downward at the
corners in a slight grimace, her chin trembling with her effort not
to cry, but she nodded. In achingly slow degrees, she put herself
flat on the ground. She looked up at the ceiling and the tears she
had been holding fell down the sides of her face into her hair.

This was hard for her, Caleb knew it would
be, but it was the easiest thing she could do compared to the
journey ahead. There was guilt on his part, but also desire,
intense desire that thrummed in his veins. The guilt was nothing
when pitted against his desire to have Kitten at his mercy. If that
made him sick and depraved, he’d accepted it a long time ago. “Your
legs, Kitten. Let’s have it.”

He watched as her knees began to bend and he
nearly doubled over with want as her hands pulled at the nightgown,
raising it over her knees and up her thighs. He hadn’t expected her
to bare herself to him, but she was. His cock began to stir to the
beat of his speeding heart, filling, lengthening and begging to
show itself. Kitten raised her knees toward her chest, her hands
fisting the nightgown at her waist. Her pussy was clearly visible,
the pink lips spread and flushed, her tiny clit peeking out from
beneath its hood. Caleb drew a sharp breath and swallowed.

He could stare at her forever, but his
desire was not the purpose of this exercise. It was the most
concise manner of re-establishing their roles. There would be no
outbursts today, no arguments on the road, no confusion about
whether or not he would spare her. “You really are beautiful there,
Kitten.”

She whimpered.

“Excuse me?” he snapped.

“Thank you, Master” she corrected.

“Very good, Kitten. You can put your legs
down now.” Her movements were quicker than he thought possible with
her injuries, but he declined to comment. He also ignored her
sniffling. “
Lye zhaash chee
means,
prone
. Do you
understand the word?”

Kitten sobbed as she nodded, “Yes,
Master.”

“Over on your stomach then.”

“It’ll hurt,” she said.

“Attempt it at the very least. Always try to
obey. Let me worry about what you can and cannot handle, return to
the rest position, with your back to me,” Caleb said. His words
were clipped and brooked no argument. “
Lye zhaash chee.
”

A mewling sound burst past Kitten’s lips,
but she quickly pressed her lips together and held her breath as
she struggled, like a turtle flipped on its shell, to roll over.
Caleb hesitated to help her and it reminded him of the first time
she had disobeyed him and he had slapped her breasts a rosy pink
until she obeyed. It seemed like ages ago.

It took a minute or two, but finally she was
in the rest position. Caleb admired the way her ass rested on her
bare feet. “Now lean your body forward with your ass in the air.
Normally, you have your arms stretched out in front of you, but for
now, keep them wherever it’s most comfortable.

Kitten was stoic as she did what she was
told. She chose to keep her arms crossed over her chest, letting
the side of her face rest against the ground. The nightgown
obstructed Caleb’s view. He stepped forward and gathered the fabric
up over the soft cheeks of her ass.

“Oh, Kitten. I
do
like you like this.
So much.” His words held nothing but truth. He couldn’t resist
palming her lightly splayed cheeks and opening them slowly. Kitten
trembled, but remained otherwise still beneath his questing
fingers. “Can I touch you?” he asked, with a hint of challenge.

There was silence for a few seconds and then
she answered, “Yes, Master.” Caleb smiled, it was exactly the
answer he wanted and exactly the one she should give. She was
learning.

“That’s good, Kitten. I’m proud of you,” he
said. He stroked the soft flesh of her inner thighs. Kitten let out
a gust of breath, Caleb, interpreted as desperation. This was a lot
for her to handle so soon after the trauma of the last few days.
She’d done well, and he really was proud of her. It was enough.

He pulled the nightgown back into place and
urged her back into her rest position. Tears tracked down her
cheeks and her face was most definitely worse for wear, but Caleb
kissed her wet cheeks anyway as he helped her regain her calm.

After he gave her more medicine for her
pain, he calmly fed her breakfast while she sat quietly between his
knees, accepting all he had to give her.

Chapter Eight

Day 9:

Dr. Sloan doesn’t ask me why I’m crying and
I assume it’s because she figures she knows. I would rather she ask
me. “I know what you’re thinking,” I say, but it sounds like an
accusation.

Dr. Sloan clears her throat, “What am I
thinking?”

“That Caleb is awful, that he’s cruel and
I’m stupid for loving him.”

She shakes her head, somewhat wryly and
responds in a way I perceive as clinical, “I don’t think you’re
stupid at all. If anything, I think you’re extraordinarily
brave.”

I scoff. “Right. I’m brave. Reed said the
same thing.”

I hear the scratching of her pen as she
makes more notes, “Well then, you have a second opinion now. You
don’t think your actions were brave?”

“Not especially. I think I just did what I
had to do. Caleb’s always saying a person has to do what they must
in order to survive. Survival is the only thing that matters.”

“You don’t think surviving is brave?”

“I don’t know. Do you think that guy who cut
off his arm because he was trapped by a boulder was brave? It’s
just instinct.”

“It’s called fight or flight and one is
certainly braver than the other, depending on the circumstances.
Under your circumstances, what you did was very brave. You’re here,
Olivia. You survived.”

“I wish you wouldn’t call me that. I don’t
like it.”

“Would you prefer, Miss Ruiz? Agent Reed
says you don’t mind that as much.”

“Yeah? What else did he say about me?”

She smiles coyly and suddenly I find myself
suspicious of their relationship. I don’t like the fact they talk
about me. “We’re required to discuss the case, Miss Ruiz. We
exchange all notes and information as well as any insights we might
have. I did tell you all of this.”

“I know. What did he say about me?” I have a
strange curiosity about Reed that hasn’t abated. I don’t know what
it is about him, but there’s definitely something.

“He said you’re a brat,” she says, but her
eyes smile. I smile a little too. Reed didn’t say that at all.

“Back to the subject. Why don’t you think
you’re brave?”

I sigh, “I don’t know. I guess…I’m here and
that’s what Caleb wants.” An uncomfortable silence settles between
us. I’m lost in my thoughts.
What, Caleb, wants.
I thought I
did everything he wanted, I tried my very best to make him happy,
but in the end…I guess it doesn’t matter.

“You keep referring to him in the present
tense, why?”

I can see his face in my mind’s eye, so
beautiful, so sad. There’s blood smudged across his cheek, but I
don’t care. I’m not squeamish any more. It’s the face of the man I
love, the only one I’ve ever loved and it’s difficult to imagine
there will ever be another. I wipe more tears away.
That
bastard.
“It’s easier,” I finally answer, “I don’t like the
idea he’s gone.”

Sloan nods. “Go ahead, tell me what happened
next.”

“Nothing much really, after breakfast he
helped me get dressed. Then he tied me to the bed, gagged me, and
left for a few hours.” I know where he went now – he went to the
bank, but I don’t know if I should tell Sloan or not. Then again,
Reed already knows about the money. “He went to the bank,” I add.
Sloan flips through her paperwork and writes something down.