The Art of Retaliation (25 page)

“Very much so,” she said turning away from him, a gentle rosy blush
caressing her cheeks.
 
“It isn’t old
fashioned.
 
Marriage should always
be for love.”

Stephane
moved
beside her, his eyes flicking to the small split in her skirt at the side.
 
He stroked the bare skin on her leg that
it exposed.

‘That was some kick, where did you learn to handle yourself like
that, most women I know would just stand and scream.’

“You handled yourself well tonight.
 
Very impressive,’ he said moving her
hair
back
 
behind
her ear to kiss the side of her neck as he began smoothing the skirt up her
leg.

“Thanks.
 
It’s beautiful
in here,” she said breathlessly as he skimmed his hand over the front of her
skimpy black lace panties.

“Yes the room is very special.
 
It was created for one of my ancestors in the 18
^th
century.
 
The Count was furious with
a debtor and took his daughter as ransom.
 
He imprisoned her in this room with only a handful of servants to attend
her.”

His tone was low and sensual as he trailed his fingers along the top
of her panties before carefully, softly slipping his fingers inside.

“He fell in love with her and was determined to see her married to
him.
 
Katrine
wouldn’t entertain the idea and successfully resisted all of his advances, the
gifts he lavished on her and the love he professed.”

He heard Mara moan as he slipped his middle finger down between the
lush damp folds of her pussy.
 
Stephane
gave the small bud nestled there a pinch and more
moisture drenched his finger.
 
With
a triumphant smile he eased his digit up inside her and nibbled at the side of
her neck drawing her closer back against his chest with the arm he wound around
her waist.
 
He smiled when she
surrendered to his pleasuring and rested her head back on to his shoulder
bucking lightly down on top of the finger he had impaled inside her.

Convinced she was secure under his spell
Stephane
moved the arm he had placed around her waist to the zip at the back of her sexy
red dress.
 
Mara gave a little gasp
of surprise, opening her eyes wide as he slid the
open
 
dress
down her arms convincing
him she hadn’t even noticed that he had eased the zip down.
 
Her eyes began to follow its path to the
floor but he turned her to face him to sweep his eyes admiringly over her form
sheathed only in the black lace bra and panties.
 
He and cupped her chin holding her gaze
captive.

“Her father eventually paid the debt and had him arrested,” he said
seductively continuing the story about his ancestor.
 
“For a week she made him believe he was
going to the gallows, his love unrequited as punishment.”

Stephane
suddenly
slipped a hand under Mara’s legs to lift her up into his arms.
 

He carried her to the bed as he spoke.

“When the week had passed she begged her father to have him released
and agreed to marry him.”

The billionaire sat her down and causally undid her bra cupping her
breasts with a satisfied moan when they were free.

“He first made love to her on this bed in this room and all six of
their children were conceived here,” he told her bending to suckle at the dark
teat as his hands gathered up the material of the black panties he’d bought her
earlier that day and with a sharp tug tore them from her body.
 
He tossed the remnants to the floor.

She cried out with the force but began curling her hot wet body
around him.
 
Stephane
pushed her back down on top of the cotton sheets and stood up removing his suit
jacket and tie. Once more he leaned over her lifting her arms up and
together.
 
Seductively he wound the
red silk tie around her wrists and tied them together.
 
Her eyes widened but she made no
comment.
 
Instead her eyelashes
fluttered and she began to writhe on the bed intoxicated by her captivity.

Watching her move restlessly as though she were in heat,
Stephane
hurriedly removed his shirt with a grin.
 
The rest of his clothes followed
quickly.
 
He pounced on top of the
bed and turned her over holding her tied arms down above her head.
 
The billionaire smoothed his hand over
her pale naked bottom then raised it upwards from the bed.
 
He guided his cock to her entrance from
behind and thrust hard inside her in one fluid motion making Mara groan.

“I will bring my wife here on her wedding night and make her
conceive our first child as is the family tradition.
 
I want it to be you, Mara.
 
But first we need to get something clear
if you are going to be my wife,” he told her firmly holding his hard penis
still inside her so she could feel his strength and the power he held over her
in her subservient position.
 
“As I
told you once before I am in charge here and if I catch you putting yourself in
danger again by jumping on a man’s back when I am fighting him, I will lock you
in here for a week.
 
I am your
protector not the other way round.
 
Do I make myself clear, darling?”

“Marriage?
 
We can’t . .
. I would love . . .I was only trying to help and I . . .”

“Hush, as it is you have earned your first spanking,” he grinned
beginning to thrust.
 
He raised his
hand and slapped her buttock watching her plump curved flesh jump and quiver to
his satisfaction.

She cried out and protested but the second strike was raining down
on her and eventually her pained cries turned in to moans as he rode and
spanked her bare bottom all at the same time.
 
Finally the billionaire was getting to
tame his feisty captive.

“I suppose we better get ready for breakfast,”
Stephane
sighed looking down at Mara.

She lay content in his arms her head on his chest after making love
again.
 
His captive snuggled up
closer at the thought of having to leave the bed and him.

“I don’t want to leave here.
 
I want to stay in bed with you forever,” she laughed lifting her head up
to him.

“I would love to, Mara.
 
There is nothing I want more than to be with you always.”

She laughed again but the expression on his face told her that he
was serious.

“I wasn’t lying.
 
I meant
every word I said last night.
 
I
want us to be together.”

Mara moved her hand across his body feeling how smooth and tight it
was under the single white sheet that covered them and then sat up frowning.

“Come on I suppose we should get going.”

He pulled her back down towards him, kissing her long and hard,
searching for her breasts again.

“Don’t doubt me.”

“I don’t know how we can be together,
Stephane
,”
she said betraying the heavy resignation and disappointment she felt in her
heart.

“We will find a way.
 
I
won’t give up.
 
You are not escaping
me again.”

Mara threw the sheet off the bed praying he would find a way but
there was too much to lose.
 
She
gave him a shaky smile and nodded to calm his agitation and moved off the bed
to put her clothes back on.

“
Stephane
, you actually knocked.
 
I’m flattered,” Mara laughed as he
strode across her bedroom back in the main portion of the Chateau.
 
He helped her zip up the summer dress
she had washed and changed in to.

He slipped his arms around her waist behind her and moved his mouth
to her neck.

“You smell gorgeous.
 
Always wear that perfume for me and no one else,” he commanded.
 
“I don’t want another man near you.”

Mara didn’t have time to say different in return.
 
He was brushing her neck with small
kisses sending her into
a frenzy
.
 
She closed her eyes losing herself in
his caress as she felt his hands begin to travel the length of her body.

“Mara, you
have
 
lost
weight.
 
This dress is hanging off you.
 
We will have to do something about
that,” he whispered
 
“I’ll have to
have you fattened up.
 
I can’t be
seen with a skinny wife.
 
People
will think I do not take care of you.”
 

She giggled when he tickled her sides trying to show her there was
little flesh on her bones.

“I want your curves back,” he demanded.

“Monsieur, mademoiselle, breakfast is served and you are both wanted
downstairs,” they heard a voice shout behind the door of Mara’s room.

“We are coming now,” he said acknowledging the
house
keeper
.

Stephane
opened
the door for her and headed out into the hall.
 
They were half way along the hall when
she put her hand in his.
 
Surprised
he gave it a gentle squeeze. The housekeeper watched them from the bottom of
the stairs and frowned as she entered the dinning room.
 
Mara felt herself blushing and grew a
little afraid.
 
How would Chantal
take their relationship and her son’s determination to marry?

As they approached the dinning room,
Stephane
hung back letting Mara walk forward still holding his hand.
 
He swung her around and moved her
against the wall opposite the door.
 
His body moved against hers as he held her small waist in his hand,
whilst the other was above her head resting on the wall.
 
His mouth quickly sought hers.
 
The billionaire was ravenous for her
once more.

“
Stephane
, someone might see,” Mara
breathed as his fingers trailed her face and moved down to her chest.

“I don’t care,” he said.

“I can’t keep my hands off you.
”
he
murmured moving his lips to her neck.
 
“I want you in my bed tonight.” he whispered urgently.
 
“I want you here and now as well.”

Stephane’s
hands
begin to roam her body once again, lifting the skirt of her dress up to her
waist tugging at her panties.
 
He
groaned.

“I hate these never wear them when I am with you or I will be
angry.
 
I want always to be able to
touch you.”

“
Stephane
, are you there?” a voice called
from the dining room.

The sound of footsteps stopped him pulling at the material.

“You are safe for now,” he grinned lowering her dress.

Mara giggled.

Leon appeared at the door and saw the knowing glance the two
exchanged and the healthy rosy flush on Mara’s face.
 
He had never seen her smile like that in
the short time he had known her.
 
Leon had seen enough signs to know that his suspicions for their absence
were correct.
 
Stephane
smiled and put his finger to his lips before following him in to the room.

Stephane’s
mother
was pacing the floor when they entered.

“Where have you both been?
 
We have been waiting to eat?” she snapped.

Stephane
gave Mara
a quick glance as he sat down and allowed the Butler to pour him some coffee.

“We’ve been talking.”

His mother sat down and began to eat her breakfast.

“Have you told Mara what is happening tomorrow,
Stephane
?”
she asked casually obviously aware that he probably hadn’t.

Stephane’s
eyes
lowered with guilt when Mara looked at him intently.

“No, I haven’t” he said slowly.
 
“I wanted to try . . .”

“I will tell her then,” Chantal interrupted.
 
“Mara, you will be pleased to know that
your fiancé rang last night he is ready for the exchange to take place
tomorrow.”

A cruel triumphant smile rose around the woman’s lips as she told
Mara the news.

“Really,” was all Mara could say.

The painful reality began to dawn on her.
 
She had been stupid and naïve just as
she had been with Ryan.
 
Maxine was
right.
 
For an intelligent person
Mara had no common sense.
 
She’d
known all along the plan couldn’t change but she had blocked it out
deliberately, forgotten its power cocooned with
Stephane
in that room.
 
Stupidly she had some
misplaced idea that love would conquer all. But sometimes it didn’t.

“
Maman
,”
Stephane
sounded frustrated.
 
“I was going to
tell her but I thought we could work something else out.”

“Don’t be stupid,” his mother returned, her face clearly showing her
contempt for her son’s lack of loyalty.
 
“I know you are attracted to her.
 
I don’t know why she isn’t even French.
 
Don’t let your heart rule your head just
because you slept with her.
 
She’s a
woman, you will find another one as soon as you get rid of her.”

Mara hung her head ashamed of herself and wanted to sink down in the
chair slip off it under the table and hide.
 
She couldn’t even bring herself to look
at
Stephane
.

Mara quietly stood her chair scraping the floor as she moved it
back, breaking the stunned silence in the room.
 
She said nothing, she couldn’t.
 
It was hard enough to fight the impulse
to run out.
 
Tossing her napkin on
the table she slowly walked out of the room.
 
Stephane
stood
up.

“No wonder my father left you and sought comfort elsewhere.
 
He probably couldn’t stand being in the
same house as you,” he shouted at his mother.

The billionaire couldn’t stand being in the same room as her.
 
He followed Mara out but when he reached
her room, he found it locked.

“
Mara,
please let me in.
 
Don’t listen to her.
 
She’s just angry.
 
I was going to tell you that we could
work something else out.
 
I was
going to get the police involved. I . . .”

Stephane
shook the
door handle in vain and then slammed his hand against it in anger.
 
He was angry because he’d known all a
long that he couldn’t change anything and he blinded himself to it.
 
He’d hurt Mara more than he could ever
have done by keeping her a prisoner.
 
She would see him as having betrayed her and would probably never
forgive him.
 
After tomorrow he would
never see her again.
 
He shook the
door handle once again unable to bear the loss before it had even
happened.
 
Eventually he had no
choice but to walk away from the closed door and resign himself to his fate.

Mara listened to his footsteps as he walked away.
 
When the sound faded she calmly,
mechanically walked to the wardrobe.
 
She took out all of her clothes, careful to put to one side any that he
had given her and folded them neatly into the open suitcase she’d already lay
open on the bed and stayed in her room for the rest of the day.
 
To her surprise she was not disturbed
again.

The next morning she did not go down for breakfast but sat waiting
patiently for him to come and collect her.
 
When he arrived, she was power dressed in the suit she had worn at
Maxine’s when he had kidnapped her, all defenses and armor back in place.

“Are you ready?” he asked coldly.

Mara nodded and stood.
 
Her movements where slow and deliberate like that of an automaton.
 
She didn’t speak when he took the
suitcase from her and refused to allow him to take her laptop bag.

“I’d rather you didn’t.
 
There
are important documents in here that I would like to keep beside me,” she said
haughtily.

Mara followed the billionaire along the hall and down the stairs and
out to the car for the last time.
 
He handed the suitcase to the chauffeur and then got in to the front of
the car ignoring her presence.
 
Leon
looked after him and shook his head.

“Come on, Mara this will be all over soon,” he said resting a
comforting hand on her shoulder.
 

She looked at him surprised at the warmth in his voice.
 
He sat beside her in the back of the
car.
 
Their destination was Paris to
the Eiffel Tower.
 
Mara shook her
head and raised her eyes to the sky.
 
The setting all fitted in with Ryan’s sense of melodrama.

On arrival she was led in silence to the nearest exit to the tower
accompanied by both men.
  
It
was cramped full of passengers eager to see the sights of Paris from the
tallest advantage.
 
She stood
against the wall watching the people talk in their different languages.
 
Above the melodious din she heard an
English woman speaking and her eyes moved quickly to seek her out.