Gasping, moaning, my body shuddered with such pleasure, and I came before I
even knew I was ready. The orgasm ruptured through me like an atomic bomb,
electrifying every nerve in my body, blood rushing so fast my head spun. Before I
even had a chance to calm down from the high, Darren was already inside me, and I
jerked from the force of his initial thrust. I was still sore from the night before, but
I didn’t care. I felt alive. With each thrust of Darren’s cock, my burning ass rubbed
against the table, allowing the pain to give me a new type of sensation, and fuck if I
didn’t want more of it.
My hands curled around Darren’s biceps, attempting to hold myself still, but his
hands immediately pulled them away, pinning both my wrists at either side of my
head. He rammed into me with the force of a madman, over and over again, forcing
the second orgasm to flutter into something that couldn’t be anything less than
magic. Darren groaned in his own release, shooting hot jets of his cum inside me
while my core milked him for every drop. Battling for breath and with Darren
hunched over me, his nose rubbing into my neck, I focused on making the world
spinning around me come to a standstill. I tested his restraint on my wrists,
pushing up just a centimeter, but he would not give.
His nose traced up the side of my ear, slowly tickling me before he finally
drawled, “Tell me what I want to hear.”
I took in a sharp breath. “I belong to you.”
“Good girl,” he approved and pulled himself from me.
Fuck, that was a hell of a dinner.
25
TRUST
That night, I gave Darren back his watch, and he presented me with one of my
own. A white gold diamond encrusted Rolex to match my cuffs as if they were
part of a set. Half the size of Darren’s and much lighter, the face was Mother of
Pearl, and even the hands had diamonds on them. It was fucking gorgeous, but I’d
easily tarnish it within a week.
I was not allowed outside today, but if I could demonstrate my ability to tell time
and switch my “activities” every hour, then I’d be granted access to the woods
tomorrow, and Darren would accompany me this one time so he could determine if
he was comfortable with me being out there alone. I swear it was as if I was a fragile
child in his eyes. A helpless child who could shoot guns, ride superbikes at high
speeds, and beat the shit out of his guards. Yep, helpless child right here. I rolled
my eyes at the thought but didn’t argue with him. If it meant a moment away from
the chaos that was my life, then I would compromise.
It was beyond difficult and annoying trying to find something new to do every
hour. I ate, worked out, showered, and made myself look pretty, played pool, had
lunch, watched half a movie, read, painted (begrudgingly), and then went back to
my room to build myself a house of cards until dinner.
I was bored out of my fucking skull, yet at times, I just wanted to sit on my
chaise or balcony to simply watch the world go by. I had a feeling one of the reasons
Darren didn’t want me sitting around was so I wouldn’t be afforded the opportunity
to sulk and drift back into negative thinking. In a way, he was right, but I would be
plotting more than sulking.
Observation was my strong suit; attention to detail was crucial as a legal
assistant, but I’d perfected it long ago when I was still training for my black belt.
And now, trapped here, I’d use it to my advantage. I’d study the rotation of the
guards, their shifts, the German Shepherds who followed certain guards on leashes,
and the assault rifles they used. The FN SCAR was becoming increasingly popular
among the military for an assault rifle, yet Darren’s men seemed to have plenty to
go around; some were even equipped with damn grenade launchers. It was like they
were all prepared to go to war on the estate at any time. I wondered who was
supplying Darren with such high-quality firearms, if he had a deal with someone or
if he simply manufactured them himself.
Building the house of cards on my little white desk gave me the opportunity to
appear focused on something as mundane as stacking cards on top of each other,
but I was really building something else entirely—assumptions.
Assuming Darren relied on others to supply his kingdom with weapons, there
was a chance that supply could run dry should the right connection become
severed. He’d no longer have access to such steel protection, at least not illegally.
same supplier.
I assumed that every jar Darren had his fingers in required a connection, a
business arrangement, a contract, and a person. Those persons needed to become
targets, misrepresented targets. I needed to figure out a way to collect as much intel
on Darren’s people as possible, find out their connections, and eliminate their
resources. Whether they were financial, social, or even political, every last thread
that tied Darren to his resources needed to be severed. I just didn’t know how the
fuck I was going to accomplish that, considering how discreet Darren was around
me.
The only thing that didn’t require an assumption was Darren’s obsession over
me. I didn’t get it. I thought I was more trouble than I was worth, but he was
obviously confident in his ability to break me in and ensure my obedience. In a way,
it was working because I needed him to trust me again. I needed to get him to let
down his guard, but I knew that would take years to accomplish, and I didn’t know
if I had years in me.
Sitting back in my chair to admire my masterpiece, I took a good look at the
triple decker card castle, reflecting on each card and how they all held a purpose.
They all leaned on each other, and without one, the rest would fall. I somehow
doubted Darren’s empire resembled the same fragileness of a card house, but like
any structure, if the foundation cracked, the whole thing would crumble. A simple
flick of the bottom middle card and the entire house fell to a scattered mess in the
blink of an eye. I hoped it would be that quick.
The following day, Darren worked from home, and since I was successful at my
hourly activities schedule, he assured me we would walk through the woods
together after my lunch. I was a little reluctant, afraid he might find some reason to
keep me from the trees, or that he would be looking for a reason. I had to express
the importance of this to him; that if he wanted me mentally healthy, I needed a
moment of fucking peace.
After my lunch, I paced in front of the back door as I waited for Darren. Dressed
in my pink Nikes, white skort, and black tank top, I was beginning to think I’d wear
my shoes out before he got here. I kept checking my new watch, watching the
seconds tick by agonizingly slow. This was bullshit.
“Ugh, where is he?” I whined to my shadows, throwing my arms out
dramatically.
“He’ll be here soon, Miss Jaden,” Owen replied. “He’s handling something right
now.”
I wanted to break something. I loved how if I was three minutes late for
&n
bsp; something, I got an ass beating over his knee, but he could take his sweet ass time
with whatever the fuck he wanted. I guess that was the highlight of being the boss.
Stupid fucker.
An hour and a half later, Darren finally emerged, dressed in dark jeans and a
dark maroon button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He didn’t
usually dress that casual, but when he did, fuck, it was sexy, especially when I could
see his tattoos.
“Ready?” he asked me.
Snapping the book I had been reading closed, I rose from the couch,
nonchalantly shoved the book in Clive’s arms, and headed over to Darren. I tried
hard not to glare at him for making me wait so long, but it was difficult to placate
my foul attitude. Taking my hand in his, Darren led me outside, leaving Clive and
Owen to watch from the windows.
The sun was bright and warm as we walked through the grass, but I couldn’t
help but feel a twinge of nervousness. I’d hoped this would go well; otherwise, I
didn’t know what I was going to do with my life.
Even though he kept me waiting, Darren’s demeanor seemed light and carefree,
though I knew his guard was still up. My hand still clutched in his, we walked past
the hammock and stream, and I released a deep breath.
“Why are you so nervous?” he finally asked me, a smirk hiding in the corners of
his mouth.
Goddammit.
I huffed again. “I’m afraid you’ll find some bullshit reason to take this away
from me.”
“Mouth,” he warned, tightening his grip on my hand. “And I will do whatever is
necessary to make sure you’re safe.”
I scoffed. “This isn’t about my safety. This is about your obsessive need to
control everything concerning me, including the damn environment.”
“And why do you think I need that control?” he asked me.
Good question.
I shrugged. “You tell me.”
“Because it’s safer that way, Jaden,” he replied, halting us so he could stare
down at me. “The more I can control, the more likely you will be safe.”
“I thought we agreed that sheltering me was a bad idea.”
“We never agreed to that. You will be prepared for any type of situation, but I
will shelter you from any such potentially harmful situation as best I can.” His tone
was getting angry, and I didn’t need that right now.
“Whatever. I don’t want to argue. Just keep in mind this is important to me.”
“That’s a first,” he replied snidely.
I rolled my eyes and suddenly found my arm yanked, my body following while
Darren’s palm struck my ass with a quick hard slap.
“I saw that,” he admonished.
I wanted to roll my eyes again but thought better of it.
“What is it that you do out here?” Darren asked me a few minutes later as we
kept on the trail.
“Find ways to make peace with my life,” I replied darkly.
“Oh? By doing what?”
“By enjoying what little freedoms I have been granted, however long they may
last.”
Darren sighed. “You’re really expecting me to take this away from you.”
“I have learned to always expect the worse with you … so yes.”
“You only have yourself to blame for that. If you’d listened to me months ago
and settled, you’d be in a much happier state of mind.”
“I disagree, but then again what do I know? I’m just a worthless whore with a
tight hole to fuck.”
Darren yanked me toward him, locking me against his chest and nearly snarling
down at me.
“The man who uttered those words to you is dead because of them. So what
makes you think I will tolerate them when they leave your mouth?”
“Because he was right,” I snapped bitterly. “The only thing that validates my
life is you, and I hate you for it! I fucking hate—”
Before I could finish my rant, Darren tugged me closer and kissed me with such
force, I nearly lost my breath. His mouth was soft against mine yet firm in its
mission to distract me. Darren’s hands gripped my hips, not giving me an inch to
move while my hands remained planted on his wide chest, my blood rushing
through my veins while my stomach knotted with demonic little butterflies.
Releasing me from his kiss, his forehead lingered against mine while I fought to
find my breath.
“You can hate me all you want; it won’t change anything. But you are not ever to
hate yourself. You are worth more to me than my own fucking life, so don’t pretend
for a second that the opinion of a dead foot soldier measures your worth. He was
wrong.”
I blinked. It was the only thing I could do to respond to what he had just said.
The intensity of his eyes told me how serious he was and that I should probably
shut up about it.
“Now, I never want to hear you say shit like that again. Do you understand me?”
I pursed my lips in rebellion. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” he snapped.
“Yes, Darren.”
“Good. Come on.”
The argument and kiss long forgotten, Darren strolled the woods with me. I
showed him the clearing where I practiced yoga and meditation. I even showed him
the tree where I’d forgotten his watch. Throughout the entire tour, I prayed like
hell my little fox family wouldn’t make themselves known. I knew that would
probably be the end of them. I kept my eyes peeled for anything gray in hopes I
could distract Darren into looking the opposite way, but it was difficult with how
observant he was.
His eyes scanned every direction, every rodent that moved, every bird that flew
by, and every branch that swung in my direction. I kept catching his eyes glancing
up for several seconds at the trees as we passed them—probably wondering where
he could hide the security cameras he was probably going to install so he could
watch me from afar.
“This can’t be all you do out here,” he suddenly said, sounding irritated. “Even I
would find myself bored after a while.”
He was looking for a reason! Goddamn snoop!
“Not when you’re only allowed an hour,” I retorted. “It goes by faster than you
think.”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “There’s something missing. Something you’re
not sharing.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’ve circled the entire area.”
“Your eyes keep whipping in every direction like you’re waiting for something to
show up and you don’t want me to see it. You also keep purposely avoiding a certain
area. I want to know why.”
Shit, he was good. I was avoiding the fox den like the plague, slowly directing
him away from it as best I could and hoping to God one of those fuzzy little fuckers
didn’t show their face right now. I was afraid that if I showed him, he’d see them as
a threat and exterminate them. Maybe I could distract him with another argument?
“And your eyes keep wandering to every damn tree like you’re wondering if it’s a
good place to hide a camera,” I retorted.
“Jaden, you’d better show me what you’re hiding right now, or you won’t be
coming back out here. End of story,” he threatened.
My lips tightened in frustration before I finally sighed in defeat.
“All right, fine, but I’m trusting you not to ruin this. It makes me happy to see
them.”
“Them?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
“Come on,” I said, this time being the one to tug him along.
I led Darren toward the den, hoping the foxes wouldn’t be out, but of course, I
could hear the little yaps and growling of the kits. When we were about ten feet
from the tree I normally hid behind, I slowed our pace.
“You have to be really quiet, or you’ll scare them,” I said, looking up at Darren
with a pleading look. He returned a very unsettled suspicious one. “Don’t be mad,”
I pressed, emphasizing my puppy dog eyes.
Taking his hand, I pulled him into a crouching position behind a nearby bush
and pointed toward the den. The kits were playing all over the place, jumping on
broken tree stumps, clawing and snapping at each other while the mother finished
snacking on the remains of another dead rabbit. “See? Aren’t they cute?” I said
softly, hoping like fuck he thought the same thing.
“Son of a bitch,” Darren whispered under his breath, his agitation becoming
clear as he rose to get a better look.
I immediately latched on to his forearm to pull him back down. “Darren, please.
I’m trusting you, remember?” I whispered a little too loudly. The scowl that he
returned was enough to make me withdraw my hands as if I was backing away from
a snarling animal. I sat back in the bushes in a huff, knowing it was over and he was
going to ruin everything. Again. Glancing up, Darren’s face contorted in anger as he
watched the little foxes play. After a few moments, he released a heavy breath and
sat down next to me.
“You’ve never tried to interact with them, have you? You don’t touch them?” he
asked, that anger still fresh in his voice.
“No, Darren. I just sit here and watch them for a while.”
“Jaden, do not fuck with me on this,” he growled.
“I swear!” I replied, getting a little too defensive now.
Darren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as his mouth creased into a thin
line. When he seemed to calm down, he stood, grabbing my arm and taking me
with him.
“Come on, let’s go. I’ve seen enough,” he said, pulling me along through the