“Can I stay in my room?”
“To eat?”
“For good. Until I’m sold.”
He arched a brow. “Sabrina is the biggest trouble maker, and she’s no longer a concern.”
“What’s the point of being around them? If I make a friend, I’ll lose her forever. If I make an enemy, it’s just more drama.”
He seemed to consider her request. “You’d still have to go to the gym.”
She waited, afraid to say the wrong thing when he looked so close to relenting.
“There’s a library here, and many rooms you’d be free to explore when no one’s using you.” She knew he saw her cringe at that, but he didn’t acknowledge her discomfort. “There’s even a pool outside. You could think of this place as a resort.”
She would never think of this place as a resort.
He was silent for a moment, then lifted the ice pack from her face to look at the swelling. He pressed it back against the corner of her lip and sat back, observing her.
“Tell me why. This can’t just be about being anti-social. You could avoid the other girls by ignoring them and going about your business. Others here do.”
Vivian stared at some point on the tiled floor on the other end of the room. She took a long time to answer, but Gabe didn’t push. He seemed willing to wait forever for her to find a coherent order for the jumbled thoughts in her brain. Finally, she took a deep breath.
“It’s too hard to live both ways. Feeling like property and also feeling like a guest. You’ve made my situation clear. If I’m property, I can’t stand to feel like I have more freedom than I really have.”
“You have the freedom we grant you. Once you’re sold and have bonded fully to your new master, it’s unlikely you’ll be locked in a cage all the time. It isn’t practical. You need to be able to handle the illusion of freedom. If we keep you locked in a room all day, how can you learn that?”
“You’re leaving Sabrina locked in a room,” she countered, hoping it didn’t sound petulant.
“I’m sorry, Vivian. We aren’t going to cater to your every whim. Go get your breakfast before the kitchen closes.”
“Yes, Sir.”
She started toward the door, but Gabe grabbed her hand and pulled her back to him. His lips caressed the corner of her mouth, and he whispered in her ear, “Don’t let yourself become like Sabrina because you’re afraid of this process. Your world is over. You’re in ours now.”
His hand slipped down to fondle her ass, and she dropped her head on his shoulder. Then his fingers moved underneath her gym shorts to stroke at the already moistening skin. It took little for Gabe to turn her on. She’d felt the chemistry between them the moment he’d first touched her.
He pulled away and gave her a little swat on the ass.
“Go.”
Vivian wobbled, disoriented, then watched as he sucked the finger that had been inside her panties. She left while she still had the ability to walk.
12
The cafeteria was empty when Vivian returned. She filled another plate, poured a glass of orange juice, then went to sit in a chair at one of the deserted tables.
She was midway through breakfast when she suddenly felt watched and looked up. Lindsay stood in the doorway.
She’d long given up thinking of him as Dr. Smith. Even if he was really a therapist, she couldn’t see him that way anymore, and was grateful she was expected to call him Sir. It felt emotionally safer.
He stalked her, his movements sleek and lithe. The lines of his suit flowed off his frame like water, the same style he’d worn the day she’d met him in the office with all the orchids. Valentino.
He pulled a chair up behind her and sat with his legs wrapping around hers. She tensed at the intimate gesture.
“Eat, Vivian,” he whispered in her ear.
She took another bite of pancakes as he spread her limbs apart.
“Keep your legs nice and wide for me.”
“Someone might come in.”
“If they do, I’ll tell them to leave.”
He gripped the front of her throat possessively, pulling her back against him. The grip wasn’t tight enough that she couldn’t eat. He was just sending her a message.
Vivian’s hand shook as she put the glass of juice to her mouth. She winced when the acidic beverage touched her lip.
“Do you need water, instead?”
“Yes, Sir.”
She heard the chair scrape out and experienced a momentary relief as he left and gave her space. The feeling was cut short a few minutes later when he placed a glass of cold water in front of her, then returned to his former position.
He used one hand to lightly stroke the front of her throat, while the other moved down to her shorts.
She tried to focus on her meal, but she couldn’t taste any of the food. Her world had been narrowed to what was going on between her legs as Lindsay fingered her. That, and watching the door, paranoid someone would walk in.
She managed to get through her breakfast, hovering on the edge of orgasm, holding back the moans that were relentless in their quest to bubble to the surface. When she’d eaten the last bit of fruit off her plate, Lindsay’s lips grazed the side of her ear.
“I told you you would lose all your inhibitions.”
“Fuck you.”
The doctor had always rubbed her the wrong way. With the exception of right now, her increasingly perverted brain supplied. His fingers hadn’t gone underneath her panties. Instead, they’d played softly over the cotton material, driving her even crazier than skin on skin contact would have.
He laughed at her helpless squirming as she struggled to escape his touch. His fingers pressed harder, causing her to respond more than she wanted to.
“It’s always a challenge,” he said, “to know how much of a slave’s fire to extinguish, and how much to let burn for the enjoyment of her future master.”
She bucked against him, struggling to free herself but only succeeding in causing his fingers to rub against her clit faster. She came without warning, shuddering helplessly in his arms. When her orgasm had run its course, she sagged against him, panting.
“That’s the orgasm you wanted in the coat room, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Sir.” Her cheeks were burning so much she knew they must be bright red, and anyone who might pass by the open doorway would see how embarrassed he’d made her. The thought of someone else seeing her so uncomfortable upset her more than them seeing her have an orgasm or give one to someone else.
Lindsay helped her to her feet. She didn’t say a word as he ushered her down the hallway and back to her room. When they got there, Brian was sitting at the foot of the bed, his cock jutting out of the top of his unbuttoned pants.
The doctor nudged her into the room. “Crawl to him.” His voice was so hard and guttural it made her jump.
“But . . . Gabe said . . . ”
“I don’t care what he said. Gabe isn’t here right now.”
She didn’t know why Brian unnerved her so much. Maybe it was the way others acted around him, as if he were someone especially to be feared. She let out a piercing scream, hoping Gabe would hear.
Lindsay’s hand clamped around her mouth. “I guess we’ll have to gag you.”