It wasn’t.
She thought she’d just play along, but he wanted obedience and servitude from her all the time. She’d had the best intentions when she’d bargained for Janette’s freedom, but talking a good game and playing it were two very different things.
“No. The only way this will be real is if I train you properly,” he said.
Annette glanced at Brian. He looked like a hungry wolf about to get something good to eat. When she turned back to Anton, he had much the same look on his face. The two of them behaved as though they were circling prey, a coordinated hunt.
“Did you have lunch, kiska?”
“Y-yes, Master.”
“Good. It’s going to be a long afternoon for you.”
He moved closer, and she backed away until she’d backed into Brian’s arms. He held her tight, and Anton leaned close to her ear.
“Pet, I will not damage you. But I will break this urge you have to control me. I am the one in control here. You will not play me again—not after today.”
Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest, the walls seemed as though they were closing in, and a flush of heat moved up her neck and over her face.
All at once the tears started to fall. It was the first time she’d cried for her own predicament since she’d gotten here. Half an hour ago Phyllis had asked her to run, and they’d had the smallest window to freedom. Should she have taken it? But there was still Janette out there. If it were just her, she might have run. And now with the silver metal band locked around her wrist, it was far too late for that.
“Master, please. Just one more chance. I promise I won’t play you.”
Anton shook his head. “Sorry, kiska. How can I trust a liar? Your word is no good here, but it will be soon enough.”
Brian’s erection pressed against her hip. She could see the outline of Anton’s through the black swim trunks.
For the millionth time, she wondered why she’d played with fire at the club. Why had she said those things? Right or wrong, she was sure he never would have taken Janette if she’d acted differently. She never should have gotten on his radar. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know how men could be. She’d seen it play out over and over with work.
“What do you think I should do first? Pain or orgasm denial?” Anton asked.
“Pain,” Brian said. “It softens them up more. Make her hurt, then make her want you.”
Anton nodded. “Yes. I think you’re right.” He untied the strings on the red and white striped bikini and let it fall to the floor.
“Oh, pet, you’re trembling,” he said, rubbing her arms. She’d been too scared to notice the shaking that had started.
His concern sounded real, but she was sure it was fake. After all, if he truly cared how she felt, he wouldn’t be doing this at all. He led her over to what looked like two large wooden beams formed into an “X”. There were ropes attached to all four ends of it. Anton stretched one of her arms over the beam and bound her wrist. Brian did the same on the other side. Then they did the same with her ankles so that she stood spread-eagled.
It was too exposed. Somehow much worse than the previous night with four men gawking at her on the pool table. This time there was no arousal cream driving her out of her mind.
Anton stood back to look at her, his arms crossed over his chest. “Tell me, kiska, do you still think you’re going to play me?”
She shook her head. “No, Master. I swear.” Maybe he was bluffing. Maybe he just wanted to scare her. If so, mission accomplished.
But he didn’t untie her. Instead, he crossed the room to a large black box and started rummaging through the contents. Occasionally he said “hmmm.”
While Anton was deciding what he was going to do to her, the door to the cell opened. Annette craned her neck to see who it was. She barely glimpsed the shock of surfer-blond hair as Gabe moved into the room. He came around to the front of the beams so that he could look her in the eyes, but she looked away.
He touched her chin and raised her face, concern in his eyes. Real concern. “She looks terrified.”
“She should be. She’s being punished,” Anton said.
“For what?”
“It’s not your concern.”
“For what?” Gabe repeated, unwilling to let it go.
Of the men at the house, Gabe seemed like the most likely to help. Annette had seriously miscalculated who she should be appealing to.
“She lied to me. And she needs to be broken anyway so she’ll acknowledge who I am.”
Gabe made a disgusted face after the word broken. He seemed the least likely candidate to be part of this group of deviants.
“Lied about what?” Gabe didn’t seem convinced any high crimes had been committed. He stroked the side of her face and brushed her hair out of her eyes.
“Don’t comfort her,” Anton said. “In fact, I want you to go.”
“Brian gets to stay.”
“Brian isn’t going to argue with me about everything I do.”
Annette watched Gabe. She was smart enough not to try to appeal to him verbally, but she was doing everything she could with her eyes, hoping he would stay. Maybe he would hold Brian and Anton back.
He looked at her, then at the other two men in the room. Finally, he said, “Fine, but I didn’t sign on for this shit.”
“Oh, please,” Brian said. “You knew exactly what you were signing on for. You’re in as deep as the rest of us, so put away the fucking halo.”
“Fuck you,” Gabe said. And then he was gone.
There it went. Her only chance or hope of rescue. Even if Lindsay barged in next, she didn’t believe he’d help her.
During the exchange with the blond, Anton had selected several items from the box. He laid them all in a nice, neat row on the stone floor in front of her where she could see them all.
“Since you didn’t know what a safe word was, I assume everything you said at the club was just something you heard or saw somewhere, and you don’t know anything about anything in my world. Am I correct in assuming that?”
“Yes, Master.” She didn’t dare lie to him again. Not now. He would know.
Now that he’d been paying far closer attention to her reactions to things, he seemed able to tell when she was lying—a gift that wouldn’t do her any good. Why did she have to be held captive by the one man who could tell if she was lying? He may have fallen for it once at the club, but it was unlikely he would let his guard down with her again.
Anton pointed at each item in turn. “Flogger. Single-tailed whip. Riding crop. Nipple clamps. Paddle. Knife.”
She would have rolled her eyes. She knew what a paddle and knife were. But she was too afraid of what he planned to do with that knife to make any comment.
“Let me… oh, please let me,” Brian said. He was bouncing back and forth from foot to foot like a kid at Christmas.
“No!” Annette hadn’t meant to say it. It just slipped out. She hadn’t meant to say anything at all.
“No?” Anton said, one dark eyebrow raised in mock surprise. “I don’t believe I heard you right. Yes, Brian. Go ahead. Since my little pet thinks she’s in charge, it can be another lesson.” He dragged a chair over from the corner and sat in front of her.