TAMED

MEASHA STONE

ONE

David

* * *

Sniffling.

A gentle sniffle greeted me as I made my way down to the cellar. My heavy work boots clomped against the wood stairs, announcing my arrival. I didn’t mind. I wasn’t trying to surprise the little pup. Better she know her master’s on his way down to greet her.

I’d been at work when the delivery had been made, so they put her in the holding kennel I kept in my cellar, beneath the two-bedroom, two-bathroom cabin I lived in up in the mountains. It was quiet up there, and visitors were scarce.

The delivery guys had left the lights off in the cellar, which I’m sure did more to scare her than just being alone in the chilled room. I found the switch on the wall as I stepped off the stairs and eased the dimmer up to bring a soft glow to the otherwise dank area. It was damp down there, so I kept it mostly for storage of old furniture and tools.

And the kennel, of course, for when they acted up and needed some time to settle down. It was a good reminder of how much worse things could be. Left alone down in the dark. No toys to play with.

From the foot of the stairs, I glanced over at the kennel, an eight-by-eight space fenced off with floor to ceiling chain-link fencing. No luxury trappings, but there was a large bed in the corner.

I stopped for a moment and winced. I could smell her from where I stood. Didn’t they give her a bath before bringing her to me?

Letting out a low whistle, I took out my keys and headed for the door of the kennel. She shifted inside, burying herself farther into the far corner. Of course, she was frightened. It would be strange if she didn’t have some misgivings. Hell, I worried about the ones that didn’t seem to give a damn when they found themselves stashed in my house. Those were the broken ones. Completely lost before they made their way into my kennel.

Metal clanked as I shoved the key into the lock. I kept my eyes on her huddled form. What seemed like a submissive stance could quickly turn into a full-blown attack if I wasn’t careful. By the marks on her side, I could see she gave them a fight. I had to be ready.

Once inside the kennel, I shut the door behind me so she couldn’t run loose. My boot scraped against the dark gray concrete flooring as I came to stand over her.

“Gabriella?” I nudged her toes with the tip of my boot. “Gabriella, look at me.” I snapped my fingers at her.

She remained folded into herself. Her arms wrapped around her knees, hugging them close to her chest. She’d been stripped already. That was good.

I squatted down in front of her. “Gabriella, I said look at me. Don’t make me repeat myself.” I kept my voice firm. She needed to know who was boss here, and it sure as fuck wasn’t her.

“Please.” A soft whimper came, but she kept her face hidden in her knees. Her hands were bound with a dirty rope. Red marks were already ruining her wrists, probably from her trying to free herself.

“Look at me.” I gave her another chance to obey. It was a damn simple command, but girls like her, the ones that thought they could withstand what was coming, didn’t give in easy. If I didn’t enjoy the taming so damn much, I’d be annoyed by it.

A woman who kowtowed too easily bored me. What fun was breaking them and training them if they had distanced themselves from the act? No. The ones like this girl, the ones that had some defiance left in them—they were the ones I liked best.

I ran my hand over her long dirty blonde hair once, twice, and on the third stroke, I fisted my hand into the tangled mess and yanked her head back until her eyes were finally on me. Large, dark blue eyes locked on to me. Her mouth opened, ready to scream, but I twisted her hair hard to keep her quiet. Dirt smudged her face with thin streaks from her tears.

She brought her bound hands up, pushing them at me as though that would get me to go anywhere. I grabbed the rope between her wrists and shoved her hands down.

“They didn’t bathe you.” I frowned. “Are you hurt?” I asked, glancing down her body. She was still coiled up, though, making my inspection impossible. “Get up.” I released her hair and got back to my feet, taking a step back to give her room to move.

She shook her head. “Please. Just leave me alone.”

“Not gonna happen.” I nudged her with the toe of my boot again. “Get up, Gabriella, or you’re going to have your first lesson in obedience.” I’d rather wait until I had her cleaned up and fed before we went over the finer points of her stay with me, but if she was going to keep being so stubborn, I wouldn’t delay a punishment. Best to get her to understand her place right away. It would be easier on her later.

Not that anything coming her way would be easy. Wherever she’d been taken from, she’d never see it again. If she had family, they’d probably never know what happened to her. And if she had any dreams for her future, they were never going to come true.

She was nothing more than a pet now. Mine for the time while I had her, and then to whoever had actually purchased her. It was my job, my fucking pleasure, to train her and get her ready for her new life of obedience and servitude.

“Fine. Have it your way.” I grabbed hold of her hair again and yanked her to her feet. She brought her hands up to my fist, trying to push me away.

“Okay! I’m up! I’m up.” She scrambled to her feet, but it was too late.

I walked her backward to the wall, not stopping until her bare back hit the concrete.

“You were warned.” I let go of her hair and moved my grip to her arm, spinning her around until her bare ass faced me. Pinning her to the wall with my left hand between her shoulder blades, I unbuckled my belt with my right hand.

“No! Please no!” She wiggled, trying to get free, but I had the benefit of having played this game before. She wasn’t going anywhere.

I had the belt free of my jeans and wound around my fist to the length I liked before she could make another plea. In one hard, fluid movement, I brought my belt across her ass.

She moved up onto her toes, howling from the lash. But I wasn’t finished. Again and again, I whipped her with my belt. Through the dirt and grime on her flesh, I could see the bright pink from the lashings. I lowered my aim, striking her across the back of both her thighs. Another screech of pain from her, and my cock was steel hard.

Only when she finally stopped trying to twist away from me did I stop the belting. Soft sobs echoed in the kennel. Her shoulders slumped, shaking softly from her crying. I release my hold on her and stepped back, replacing the belt back into the loops of my jeans.

“When I give a command, follow it the first time,” I reiterated the lesson. “Now turn around so I can get a good look at you.”

She nodded and shuffled her feet until she faced me once more.

“Put your hands down,” I ordered when she kept her bound wrists up against her chest, trying to hide her naked breasts from me.

Slowly, she eased them away from her body. I took in my fill in silence.

The girls given to me weren’t mine full time. I had only a certain time with them, so I didn’t pay too close attention to their appearance other than to be sure any injuries from before they came to me healed, and that they were in good condition when their real owners picked them up. But this woman.

Fuck, I could look at her like that all night.

“Are you injured anywhere?” I asked, walking around her to inspect her back and her ass. I’d already taken note that her ass cheeks were free of bruising before I started the belting. But she’d probably have a welt or two for the next few days now.

Before she could answer, I swept her hair away from her back and exposed a long angry welt across her shoulder blades. She’d been hit with a bullwhip.

I touched the welt, enjoying the hiss she let loose. “Someone was a bad girl,” I commented lightly, but inside anger boiled. This wasn’t how you treated a pet. Those assholes.

“Why am I here?” she asked, instead of commenting on how she earned the welt. Her shoulders rolled back, and her chin lifted.

“You’re here to learn. And I’m here to teach you.” I walked around her again. “Whoever bought you will be here in a week to collect you.”

“Bought me?” She narrowed her eyes and tilted her head. It was then that the light from outside the kennel struck her face, giving me a clearer view.

“We’ll talk about it after you’ve had your bath and eaten.” I brushed her hair back from her face, then dragged my hands across her cheeks, wiping away some of the dirt. “Gabby.” The name erupted from the back of my brain, from deep in the past.

“What?” She jerked her face away from my touch.

The wind flew out of my chest. I stepped back from her, letting the information sink into my head while working through what needed to be done.

“After I get the bath ready, I’ll be back.” I stepped out of the kennel and made sure the lock was in place. She rushed forward to the fence.

“No. Please, don’t leave me down here.”

“Once you’ve proven you can behave, you won’t have to stay down here. But first, you get bathed and eat.” I reached my fingers through the links and stroked her knuckles. “Be a good pup, and you’ll be rewarded.”

I left her there, standing at the gate, her fingers clinging to the chain links as I climbed the steps back into the cabin. She didn’t yell after me, she didn’t beg me to let her go. No. Gabby wouldn’t. Gabby was a plotter. Gabby was a fighter.

Gabby was going to be hard to break.

But I would break her.

TWO

Gabby

* * *

I checked the perimeter of the fencing again, looking for any break in the links or any spot where I might be able to break down the wall. Nothing. The damn cell was basically Fort Knox.

Pressing my forehead against the fence, I took a shaky breath. There were no more tears to cry. I’d used them all up when I found myself blindfolded, gagged, and stuffed in the back of a van. What little I had left fell when I’d woken up in this cell naked and filthy.

I had no idea how much time had passed since I walked out of the library after my night shift. Had I been taken a day ago, a week, a month? I had no memory of much other than the stench of cigar smoke. The one time my captors had let the sedative wear off enough, I’d attacked them, biting someone’s hand hard enough to draw blood. The blindfold had still been on, but I could taste the metallic flavoring on my tongue.

Walking past the fluffy dog bed in the corner of the cell, I went back to my corner. I sank down to the floor and crossed my legs in front of me while leaning my head back against the cinder block wall. Whoever my keeper was now, he was moving around over my head. I could hear every step he took.

There was something familiar about him. At the time, when he was in the cell with me, manhandling me, hurting me, I felt it. Now that I was alone, I racked my brain trying to place him. His voice had that deep authoritative tone to it that you don’t forget when you hear it. I knew the voice. With his thick beard, though, I couldn’t place his features.

I recrossed my legs which put more pressure on my ass. The ache lingered, but the stark pain had eased.

He’d left the light on when he went back upstairs, which gave me a better view of the room I was locked away in. The cell was big enough I could walk several paces in all directions. The rest of the room seemed to be used as storage. Aside from the washer and dryer tucked away in the far corner. He must do his laundry down there.

Don’t make him human. He’s not human. He’s a monster.

He said he had me for a week and then I’d be handed off again. New tears I didn’t think possible sprung to my eyes. What was going to happen to me?

Heavy footsteps on the stairs drew my attention away from my fear. I would have time later to worry about the future, I had to deal with this moment right now. And if I was going to survive him, survive this place, I would have to keep my mind focused.

“The bath’s ready.” He unlocked the cage and swung the door open just enough to come inside with me. Instinct told me to shove him and bolt from the door, but sense won out. He was at least twice my size. More than a head taller, and the man had muscle beneath that dark gray button-down shirt he wore.

I moved up to my feet and raised my wrists. “Can you take these off? They hurt.”

“When we get upstairs, I’ll take a look at that.” He gently wrapped his hand around my forearm, careful not to put pressure near my wrists. “Let’s go.”

I shuffled forward, taking careful steps and following him out of the cage. I made my way up the wooden stairs, looking ahead of him as he led me. There was another door, maybe six feet away from the cellar door. Did it lead outside? Maybe I could get out and run. I had no idea where I was, but there had to be another house somewhere close.

“The bathroom’s this way.” When he stepped off the stairs, he blocked my view of the back door and pointed toward a kitchen. He grabbed my arm again, harder this time, and pulled me through the kitchen. Away from the door. My chest tightened.

The bathroom came into view. The large door was open wide. A gentle steam rose from the tub. My aching muscles nearly wept at the idea of sinking into a hot bath. But I didn’t have time for a soak. From the rays coming in through the window, I knew I only had an hour or two left of sunlight outside. If I was going to get out of there before dark, I had to get moving.

“Stand here.” He brought me into the bathroom and pressed me against the counter next to the sink. He pulled out a knife from his back pocket and flipped the blade out. I pinched my lips tightly as he wiggled the blade between my wrists beneath the rope. In one hard tug, he cut through the rope and pulled the rough material away from my wrists.

As soon as my eyes took in the raw skin, the burning pain pierced my brain. I hissed and tried to pull away when he lightly touched the skin.

“No.” He flicked my nose. “Stay still.”

I blinked, stunned for a moment.

He turned my hands over and then back again. “We’ll get these cleaned up in the bath then I’ll put some medicine on them before I wrap them.”

“Don’t tie me up again.” I raised my gaze up from my wounds to his eyes. Dark blue, almost kind if I were to stare long enough into them.

“I won’t tie your hands.” He let go of my wrists. “The water’s warm but not too hot. Take advantage, you won’t be getting so much spoiling later on.” He stepped away from me to open a small closet where the linens were kept.

My throat tightened, which is probably the only thing that kept my heart from jumping straight out of me. Once he grabbed a towel, he turned his back to me, shaking it out.

Go!

I bolted. There was probably another door in the front of the house, but I couldn’t waste time looking for what I wasn’t sure about.

“Gabby! Dammit!” he yelled my name from the bathroom. I pushed myself to move quicker. My legs were heavy, but I had to keep going. I rounded the corner in the kitchen, slipping on the floor, but managed to stay upright.

Please let the door be unlocked. Please!

“Get back here!” His footsteps weren’t far behind.

I yanked on the door handle and almost wept when the door flung open at me. I shoved through the screen door and jumped to the grass. After a fast survey, all I could make out were trees. In all directions.

The screen door creaked behind me, and again I took off. My bare feet crunched sticks and leaves as I ran through the massive yard toward the tree line. The leaves had already begun turning and falling from the trees, making every step I took an announcement of my location.

I wouldn’t be able to hide, so I’d have to rely on running faster than him.

My lungs burned, my chest ached, but I pushed harder and harder to get to the trees. Maybe I could lose him in the forest. I heard him behind me, cursing at me, but I didn’t waste time looking back. I’d seen plenty of movies to know the moment I turned my head, I’d trip over a rock or a root.

But it didn’t matter.

“Last chance to be a good girl and come back!” he bellowed from behind me.

“No! Leave me alone!” I screamed. “Help! Someone help!”

A sharp pain bit my ass cheek as I tried to turn into the trees. My legs went limp, my mind swirled. The last thing I saw was his boots coming toward me.

THREE

David

* * *

There was a special corner of hell reserved for me when I got there. I came to terms with that a long time ago. At first, I convinced myself it was a small thing, this little job I took on the side to pay off college loans. I’d been dealt a raw deal, losing my scholarship because of one fucking night with the dean’s daughter.

Getting involved with the scum I worked for seemed like a quick way to pay off my debts. But the sick fuck that I am, I didn’t hate it. Teaching the women that came through my cabin to be good puppies—I enjoyed it. And by the time I was done with them, they did too. What happened to them when they were taken away, I had no idea. And I didn’t think about it. Bad things happen to people; nothing I did would ever change that.

After I carried Gabby back into the house and cleaned her up, I laid her on the bed. Her hair would have to air dry on the pillow. The sedative in the dart I shot her with would keep her asleep for an hour or so. I left her to sleep off the drug while I made my first check-in.

“How’s she doing?” Damien, my only point of contact, asked when I called.

“Fine.” I worked the bolt on the cellar door closed.

“Just fine?”

“Yeah. Hey, do you know who the buyer is for this one?” I asked.

Silence on the other side of the line stretched. I’d never asked before.

I’d never really cared before.

“No. Why? Thinking to buy her for yourself?” He laughed. “She’s that good?”

“She’s just like the rest,” I assured him. No fucking way would I let him know there was anything different about Gabby.

“Good.” I heard him puff on his smoke. “You’re good with the timing? I know you usually get more than just a week, but they’re on a timeline.”

“Yeah. A week is fine for what they want.” Sometimes they wanted more than basic submissive behaviors, those girls had a harder time, and it took longer to get them to accept their fate. They begged and pleaded with me to help them. They offered all the money they had and swore to get more that they didn’t. But it never mattered. Money had already been exchanged.

“I’m working on a deal right now; you may have to take two. Can you handle two?”

I glanced down the hall where I left Gabby sleeping in my bed. I’d left the door open so I could see her. Her chest rose and fell in a steady beat with her breath. The room was a little chilled; her nipples were hard peaks.

“David. Can you?”

“Yeah. I can handle two,” I said, turning away from the woman sleeping in my bed.

“Good. I’ll let you know if the deal goes through and when.”

“You do that.”

I ended the call and slid the phone across the counter, suddenly wanting it as far away from me as possible.

After checking on Gabby one more time, I stalked off to the second bedroom. Scanning the bookshelves of my office, I found the hardcover-bound yearbook.

I slid it out from between other memorabilia from a lifetime ago and wiped the dust off the cover.

River Scouts

Black Bears

2010

I flipped through the pages until I found what I was looking for. Summer camp 2010.

Fuck. Me.

FOUR

Gabby

* * *

I woke up in a soft bed, my head rested on one of the most comfortable pillows I’d ever used. It was almost enough to make me forget exactly where I was, but not quite. A flash flood of memories came back to me. I jolted, ready to jump off the bed, but I was immediately yanked back.

I touched my throat where I’d been pulled back. A thick leather collar wrapped around my neck. A ring hung from the front and the back with a chain attached to the back ring and hooked to the metal frame of the bed.

There was just enough slack for me to sit up, but not move from the bed. I was still naked, but I was clean. White bandages had been wrapped around my wrists. My hair had been washed and brushed. A new sense of violation washed over me with the realization he’d touched me. He’d bathed me and carried me to the bed.

At least it wasn’t that dirty cell again.

“You’re awake.”

I scooted back against the headboard and wrapped my arms around my knees. He stood in the doorway, a soft smile on his lips.

“You know when you sit like that, I can see your pussy even better.”

Heat rushed up my neck and covered my face. I stretched out my legs in front of me, eliciting a laugh from him.

“You shouldn’t have run like that, Gabby.”

“Why do you keep calling me that?” I focused on the nickname he kept using. I hadn’t been called Gabby since high school.

His eyes darkened as he stared at me from the doorway. There it was again, a familiarity I couldn’t explain.

“What’s your name?” I asked when he ignored my question.

“It doesn’t matter.” He shook his head.

“Of course, it matters.” I tried to soften my irritation. I’d read somewhere making a connection with your abductor could help get him to see you as a real human. And when that happened, maybe he’d be less likely to kill you.

His lips spread wide. “I’m sure you’re concocting all sorts of things in that pretty head of yours.” He moved to the foot of the bed, glaring down at me. “And I can promise almost all of it’s not true.”

“So, you’re not a kidnapping murdering monster?” I couldn’t stop the words, they just popped right out. This was why my mother laughed when I had toyed with the idea of going into the police academy. My nerves shook all the common sense out of my head.

He laughed. “I didn’t kidnap you, and to date, I’ve never murdered anyone.” He scratched his chin beneath his beard. “So, like I said, mostly not true.”

Did he just admit to being a monster? I rubbed my temples; a dull throb was growing behind my eyes. Probably from the drugs he shot into my system.

“You washed me up.”

“I did.” He moved to the dresser, opening the top drawer and fumbling around.

“Can you take this off?” I asked, pulling at the stiff leather of the collar.

“Nope.” He pulled something out of the drawer and shut it. When he turned back around, he held a short purple nylon leash. “You ran away, and that was a bad girl.” He walked toward me, his boots making soft sounds against the thin carpeting of the room.

“What are you going to do?” I asked, putting my hands up to ward him off.

“Hands down, Gabby. Now.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at me. Chained to his bed, did I really have any options?

I dropped my hands to my lap.

“Good girl,” he said with an easy smile. After clipping the end of the leash to the ring on my collar, he reached around and opened the clasp on the back. I was loose from the bed, but not from him. The leash was too short for me to get farther than three steps from him and he held a firm grip on his end.

“I was going to give you a night to get used to the idea of what’s going to happen, but you were too naughty. It’s best we start your training right now.”

“Training for what?” I wanted to scream. He kept talking like I had any idea what the subject was.

He pointed to the carpeting. “Down on your hands and knees.”

I shook my head. “No. Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on.” I folded my arms over my chest like I had any real power.

His eyes narrowed and I could feel the disappointment roll off him in waves. Within a blink of an eye, he snatched my hair in his fist again and shoved me to the floor.

“When I say down, you get down.”

The carpeting was too thin to offer any sort of cushion when my knees hit. I fell forward, catching myself on my palms. His hand stayed buried in my hair.

“This is how a good puppy obeys.” He wiggled his booted foot beneath me, brushing against my pussy, and lifted my ass up in the air. “I’m going to take you to the kitchen so you can have your dinner and after that, you’ll use the washroom before I put you down for the night.”

“I can walk,” I said softly.

“Puppies don’t walk on two feet, Gabby.” He released my hair and moved back to his feet, tugging the leash forward as he stepped toward the door. In one yank, I stumbled forward on all fours.

And then—I crawled.

Crawled! Down a short hallway to the kitchen. The carpeting gave way to the hardwood that lined the rest of the small house. As we moved into the kitchen, the back door caught my eye.

“If you try it again, Gabby, I’ll belt your ass until you can’t sit.” It was a firm warning given with extreme calm. I wasn’t used to this tone. I understood screaming and yelling. I could get my head wrapped around a beer bottle whipped at the wall, but this calm and collected stuff made me uneasy.

He led me to the table where I could already smell food.

“Sit.” He pointed to a spot beside a chair. My heart sank. He wasn’t going to let me up from the floor. My face burned with humiliation as I did as he asked.

“Good girl.” He patted my head and took his seat. “It’s not fancy. Just some meatloaf and green beans.” He placed a small pink bowl on the floor in front of me. Chunks of meatloaf mixed with the green beans were inside. He didn’t offer a fork.

“I can’t do this,” I whispered, hanging my head. The humiliation was too much, too hard to swallow. I’d rather not eat at all.

He turned in his chair and caught my chin in his hand, pulling it up. Tears stung my eyes before leaking out the side across my temple.

“You can do this. You don’t have a choice anyway,” he reminded me of that solid fact. If I refused, I’d go hungry at best, but at worst, he could bring out his belt. My ass still stung from my earlier punishment, and I had no desire to repeat it.

“Don’t make me,” I pleaded. Would he see my plea as a weakness to be disgusted by, or a small act of submission to soften him toward me?

He frowned. “Better you learn now so it won’t be so hard later.” He let go of my chin and ran the back of his hand over my cheek. It was a tender touch, gentle and warm. And short-lived. He yanked his hand away as though my skin burned him and turned back to his food.

“Eat.” He nudged the bowl toward me with his boot.

I picked up a chunk of the meatloaf with my hand and brought it to my mouth. At least he didn’t force me to dip my face into the bowl, but I had a feeling this was a baby step in that direction.

“You said someone else will be coming to get me. Who is it?” I asked, feeling somewhat brave as my belly filled with food. I had no idea when I had last eaten.

“I don’t know. I don’t get that information. Just a time and date.” He looked down at me. “You want something to drink?”

“In a glass?” I asked, still clawing at hope.

The left side of his lips kicked up. “Not a chance, pup.”

My insides curled inward at the moniker. Pup. Not even human.

“I’m fine, then.” I slid a green bean into my mouth. “You like this? Taking scared women who’ve been kidnapped and forced to be here and hurting them until they do what you say? This makes you happy?” Okay, maybe the food made me too brave.

“There’s a bad part of every job.” He shrugged as if we were talking about having to clean out the grease traps at the end of a twelve-hour shift.

A cell phone rang from the counter. He got up to answer it while leaning his hip against the countertop. His eyes landed on me, and a silent warning scraped out from the darkness to not make any trouble.

I could scream for help, on the off chance the person on the other side of the line wasn’t someone like him. But even if they could help me, by the time they got here, he’d probably have me gone.

“Go ahead and start the Doxycycline,” he said, tucking his right hand under his left arm. The casual stance gave him a less severe look. But the tenderness in my ass reminded me how severe he could actually be.

“No, no trouble at all. Call if he worsens.” He finished up the call and slid the phone back onto the counter.

“Are you a doctor?” I asked when he sat back down.

“I’m a veterinarian.”

I picked up the last green bean from my bowl and focused on chewing it. How could a man who did what this guy did take care of helpless animals?

“Time to go to the bathroom,” he announced and reached for the leash again.

FIVE

David

* * *

The universe was probably laughing at me. Of all the women in the world that could end up in my kennels, it had to be Gabby.

“You don’t need the leash,” she said quietly and started to crawl back toward the kitchen. Maybe she thought if she did everything right, she’d find a way out of this mess. But there was no way out.

She’d already been bought and paid for. Whoever had this done to her wouldn’t give two shits if she behaved well or if she didn’t. They just wanted her to learn the basics, crawl, eat from the bowls, take the humiliation given without too much trouble. There were no gold stars here that would help her.

“Sit,” I called to her when she was a few feet away from me. “Gabby, sit.”

She looked over her shoulder at me, confusion warring with anger. In the end, she sank back on her heels. A sweet blush covered her sun-kissed cheeks.

I clicked the leash back into place. “Puppies don’t potty in the house.”

Immediately, she tugged back on the leash, wrapping her hands around the nylon material and pulling backward.

I would win though; I always did when they fought this part. And most of them fought this the hardest.

“No.” She shook her head and kept tugging.

I squatted in front of her. “Shhhh.” I petted her hair down, soothing her, but she only returned that same angry glare. “You don’t have a choice. I’ll make you do it and you won’t get your reward.” I kept my tone even, but firm. She had to know she couldn’t get out of her training.

Tears filled her eyes and one rolled down her cheek. I caught it with my thumb and brought it to my mouth, licking the salty drop.

“Let’s go.” I got back up to my feet and tugged her leash, clicking my tongue against the roof of my mouth. She moved behind me, slowly, each step labored. Her sniffle should have woken up my conscience, but I’d lost that a while ago. Instead, my cock grew harder for her.

I opened the back door after unlatching the lock on top. Even if she got away from me again and unbolted the door, she wouldn’t be able to reach the top latch without something to stand on. Pushing the screen door outward, I stepped out onto the wooden deck and held the door open so she could crawl through easily.

She kept her head down so her hair curtained around her face, hiding her humiliation from me. I’d tie it back tomorrow. The blushing and the tears were the best part of all of this. I shouldn’t deny myself.

“One step, you can do it.” I moved ahead of her and stepped down onto the grass. My plot of land stretched three acres in every direction. No one would see her out in the yard. She moved down to the grass and glanced up at me, a plea written all over her pretty face.

I almost always found the girls good-looking. Hell, the people who wanted them weren’t going to pay the sort of money they did if they weren’t attracted to them. But Gabby was different than those girls. Her beauty wasn’t just on the surface, it was ingrained in her entire being. Did the jackass who bought her know her?

Stop it!

I had to remember my job. Keep my focus on the money. I was close to getting the last bit of debts paid off. Going off track now would derail the plan.

I led her to a patch of thicker grass to the left of the house. She must have caught a glimpse at the three kennels lined up on the side of the house, because she stopped moving again. “Am I… am I staying out here?”

“No.” I tugged on her leash. “Over here is good.” I pointed to a spot. There was nothing special about it, she didn’t need to know that. She only needed to accept that when I told her to go somewhere, she needed to follow the direction.

“I don’t think I can.” She sat back on her heels and pressed her palms into her thighs. Her positioning pushed her breasts together, but I don’t think she was concentrating on that at the moment.

“Well, we’ll stay out here until you can,” I said with a shrug. It wouldn’t take as long as she thought. She hadn’t used the washroom since she arrived. “The sun’s going down pretty quick. It’ll be dark soon.” I pointed toward the tree line. “We get wildlife out here at night.”

She closed her eyes softly while she dug her fingernails into her thighs. Her plump lips moved. Was she praying? God wouldn’t help her out here.

Long moments passed by before she finally shifted her position to squat over the grass. Her back was to me, but there was still enough light for me to see her muscles tense. Another moment later, the slow trickle started as she released her bladder.

While she finished up, I pulled out the package of wipes I had stashed in my back pocket. When she finished, she swiftly moved away from where she’d made a puddle and covered her face with both her hands.

“Face down.” I tapped her head. “Put your ass up so I can clean you.”

She groaned but moved into position anyway. I wiped the cleansing cloth over her pussy, cleaning away any leftover droplets. The second time I wiped, it was with just my fingers, and I took a moment to feel for her clit.

“You did good, Gabby. You were such a good girl for me just now.” I slowly rubbed her clit in circles. Her ass clenched, but she couldn’t hide her response to the stimulation. Her pussy became slick, and her clit swelled beneath my touch.

“Please.” She shook her head, but I doubted she understood exactly what she was asking for.

“Take your reward,” I said, moving to her side. While my fingers continued to rub her clit, I ran my other hand over her hair. “You did so good,” I said again, bringing my thumb to the entrance of her pussy. Sliding it in, her body tightened around me. “Oh, someone likes her pussy played with.”

She whimpered, but her ass rose tighter, her thighs slid apart another inch.

“That’s a good girl.” I thrust my thumb in harder while I rubbed her clit faster with my fingers. She was like a little instrument, and I was learning the keys.

“Do you want more?” I asked, wiggling my thumb inside. “Do you?” I asked, flicking her clit.

She raised her ass higher still.

“No, no, puppies either wiggle their asses when they want something, or they bark.”

Another groan that sent an electric current through my blood. If she barked or yelped, I’m not sure I would have been able to follow my own rule about fucking the girls. I gave them rewards, taught them how to behave, how to take the rewards, and other acts their owners wanted. Fucking never happened on the first night, though.

Slowly, her ass swayed side to side, wiggling at me for more attention.

“Such a good girl!” I shifted my hands, moving from her hair to reaching beneath her naked body and finding her clit with my left hand. I replaced my thumb with two fingers, thrusting quickly inside of her body.

“Oh fuck,” she moaned softly, arching her back.

“Harder?” I asked, twisting my hand and curling my fingers. A tremor ran through her body, and I knew I’d found the little sensitive button. “Harder, pup?” I asked again with a grin, since she couldn’t see me.

She yelped for me.

I stilled. It was the sweetest little sound.

When I remained frozen, she made the sound again, louder this time.

“Fuck, you’re being so good.” I inserted a third finger and plowed into her faster and harder, rubbing her clit in circles with more force. Her delicate fingers fisted the grass. She spread her legs even farther.

Little tremors ran through her thighs.

“Come for me, sweet girl.” I continued to stroke her, fuck her with my fingers, and then I lowered my face down to her shoulder. A soft kiss, and then a nip, and then a full-on bite. It was the last bit of pain that sent her over the edge.

“Fuck!” she howled, her body tensing as her orgasm ripped through her body. I continued to fuck her as her juices overwhelmed my fingers. The ripples of her release faded, and she buried her face in the grass, chasing down her breath.

I eased my fingers from her pussy and brought them to her mouth. “Clean up, sweet girl,” I urged her.

Slowly, her soft pink tongue slipped out from behind her lips, and she licked every bit of her juices from my fingers.

I patted her ass and moved back to my feet. “Good girl. Now let’s get you settled for the night.”

It only took a small tug on her leash to get her moving and she crawled a step behind me the entire way back to the cabin. I glanced down at her briefly, taking note of the tear tracks on her cheeks. But more than those, the complete glimmer of satisfaction in her eyes.

Gabby might just make a good pup yet.

SIX

Gabby

* * *

When I woke up the morning after my complete humiliation in the yard, my captor was in the bathroom. The collar was tethered to the bed again, so all I could do was sit and wait for him. And think.

The one thing I absolutely did not want to do was remember anything of the previous day. My cheeks heated with the memory. How could I have let him play my body the way he had? He’d taken something so horrible, so inhumane, and turned it into a white-hot flame burning in my core.

The water in the attached bathroom turned off. I could hear the shower curtain pull back. He’d be out any minute, and I’d wasted my time alone remembering the horrors of last night instead of coming up with a plan to get away.

Someone had to have noticed I was gone. I’d been taken on a Thursday night, so no matter how long ago that was, I’d have missed at least one shift at the library.

Taking the job overseeing the children’s department in a small north Chicago branch hadn’t exactly been a dream come true, but it was a job. And after the stretched-out war of a divorce I’d depleted my savings and my energy on over the past two years, a job far away from Tennessee is what I needed. It hadn’t been glorious, but it was a calm atmosphere, and it paid well. I had hopes for a brighter future, a new beginning after a horrible marriage; and now look where I ended up.

The door to the bathroom swung open. Steam billowed out ahead of him as he stepped into the room with a single white towel wrapped around his waist. I kept my head lowered, but through my eyelashes, I could make out his muscular torso and the harsh cut of his biceps. It was when I glanced up at his face that my breath caught in my throat.

He’d shaved. The long, shaggy beard was gone, but before I could get a clear look, he turned away toward the dresser. His back muscles moved beneath his skin, water droplets slid down his spine as he pulled out a pair of boxers and jeans.

“You sleep okay?” he asked, pulling the towel from his waist and tossing it onto the dresser. I quickly turned my head after getting a healthy glimpse of his tight ass.

“I’d sleep better in my own bed.” I leaned back against the rods of the headboard and pulled the blanket up to my chin.

He pulled a black T-shirt over his head and tucked it into his jeans.

“Do you need to use the washroom?” he asked, running his hands through his hair, leaving it standing on end in places.

“No.” I shook my head. I’d hold it until the last second before I admitted it.

“You can use the washroom here.” He turned around and pointed at the bathroom door behind him.

I blinked, taking in his face. No one as cruel as him should be so beautiful. Without the beard hiding his features, I could see how attractive he was. If he’d approached me on the street, I’d probably have given him my number. And then he would have tied me to his bed and forced me to eat from a doggy bowl. I had that sort of luck with men.

But there were more than just good looks here. There was a familiarity. I’d seen him before. He walked over to the bed and unlocked the chain from the back of my collar.

“Don’t be too long and leave the door open.” He tossed the chain across the pillow beside me. The pillow he’d slept on. I’d been so tired and stressed by the time he brought me back to the bed I hadn’t questioned him about where he’d sleep. I was only too happy that he hadn’t brought me back down to the cell.

I scrambled from the bed and ran to the bathroom. It was tempting to slam the door and lock it, but when I turned back, he was gone from the room. I quickly relieved myself and washed up in the sink. My hair was tangled and wild. After a quick finger comb, I was able to get some of the tangles out, but at least I felt more human. Less like the animal he seemed hell-bent on making me.

Bacon sizzling caught my attention when I stepped into the bedroom again. I looked at the dresser. I could grab some clothing. Which would probably piss him off and make him lock me up again, or worse, bring out his belt.

I quietly made my way to the kitchen, where I found him plating up scrambled eggs and two strips of bacon onto his plate. My pink bowl was on the counter as well; steam from the eggs hovered over it. My chest tightened.

“Go to the table,” he said without turning around.

I walked to the same spot I was in yesterday, but this time I went for the chair.

“We can start the day with an ass whipping if you want,” he announced again without turning around. I looked down at the chair with its plump gray cushion and frowned. It wasn’t worth that damn belt. After shoving the chair back under the table, I sank to the ground. I sat on my ass and folded my legs over each other.

He turned off the burners and pushed a frying pan to the back of the stove before grabbing our food. His eyebrows shot up when he noticed how I sat.

“Is that correct positioning?” he asked, still standing at the stove. “Correct yourself so I won’t have to.”

I gritted my teeth.

“No.” I was taking the wrong road, but I couldn’t stop myself. It was enough that I’d been thoroughly humiliated, and he still wouldn’t allow me to sit in a real chair. I was not about to sit on my heels and be the sweet puppy for him.

“No?” He put his plate and my bowl on the counter again.

“I’m not doing this. I won’t do it.” I shoved up to my feet. Well, the fat’s in the fire now.

He had his belt off in a split second. I didn’t even take in the jangle of his buckle before he was on me, grabbing me by my hair and spinning me around. He pinned me over the table. The white-hot lash of the belt hit my thighs first.

“No! Please!” I’m not sure what I expected. I’d fully challenged him. Did I really think he’d just shrug it off and offer me his plate?

“Learn it now, Gabby, because when you leave here you won’t be with someone as generous as me.” The belt crashed across my ass. I screamed, but it didn’t matter. There was no one to hear, no one to care. It came down again and again and again, until I was a sobbing mess of a woman, begging him to stop, but at the same time, strangely, not wanting him to.

The spanking stopped, but his hand didn’t leave my body. His fingers swept through my sex, collecting the evidence of my arousal.

“You have no idea how much I love this part.” He let me go and stepped back from the table, taking his belt back. “Now. Get in the right position or I can take you to the outside kennel for the day.”

I stood up from the table, swiping the back of my hands across my cheeks. He stared at me, his jaw tense, his eyes concentrating on me. One false move and he’d be on me again. Shaving off his beard made him appear more human, but it hadn’t changed anything on the inside.

SEVEN

David

* * *

Fuck, she had no idea how glorious she was with dried tears on her cheeks, her nose red from her crying, and all the shimmer in her large, round eyes. The afternoon’s lesson could not come fast enough for me. But first, she needed to eat something.

I left her kneeling, the correct way, beside my chair and went back to the counter to get our breakfast. I wasn’t that hard of a man. Follow the rules, do as you’re told, and she’d have an easier time of it. Not completely easy; there were certain lessons she needed to learn if she was going to have any chance of survival once her forever owner showed up.

A familiar truck horn blasted from outside in the drive.

“Fuck.” I put the breakfast back down and hurried over to Gabby. “Come with me and keep your mouth shut.” I grabbed hold of her collar and dragged her to her feet. She wasn’t stupid though, and the first chance she got, she yelled for help.

I shoved her into my bedroom, to the far corner of the room.

“I told you not to do that.” I pushed her to the ground and pointed a finger at her. “Make another sound and you’ll stay in there all day.” I turned her attention to the metal crate I had on my side of the bed. She hadn’t had free rein of the room yet, so she probably hadn’t noticed it there. It wasn’t very large. Big enough for her to climb in and turn around, but that was it.

“I’m not going in there.” She started to back away, but I grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her forward. How easily they all crawled when their hair acted as the lead. The horn blew again.

While still holding her by the hair, I flipped open the lid of the footlocker. I grabbed the new collar and quickly replaced the worn leather one with the new.

“If you make a sound, this box here is going to make you wish you hadn’t.” I tapped on the small electrical box attached to the collar. The two metal prongs were positioned at the front of her throat and the latch for the collar was in the back. She wouldn’t be able to remove the collar with the special latch I put on it, but she might be able to slide it around. It didn’t matter, a small shock would hurt no matter where it was placed on her neck.

“Now go.” I snapped my fingers and pointed at the crate. Her cheeks heated, but it wasn’t fear fueling her. No, she was furious.

Good. Let her stew in her own anger, quietly in her crate.

I shut the door and flipped the locks. “Not a sound, Gabby, if you want to come out of there today. Just relax while I deal with something.”

I snapped the blinds closed on my way out of the room and shut the door behind me, locking it with the key and tucking it in my back pocket.

By the time I got to the front door, Scott was hustling up the front stairs with a border collie puppy in his arms.

“Hey.” I pushed the screen door out. He elbowed the door and pushed into the house.

“I tried calling, you didn’t pick up. He’s gotten worse.”

“No problem. Did you start the antibiotics?” I asked, going straight to work at looking the little guy over.

“I did, but Scrappy’s gotten worse. He’s got the shits and now he sneezed blood this morning. Cherise told me to bring him up here right away.”

I nodded. “It’s fine. I wasn’t going to the office today. I have a room back here.” I took the puppy from his arms and checked out his ears as I led him to the small room off the kitchen that I used for such situations. Living in such a small town, it wasn’t uncommon for folks that knew me to bring their sick pets over when they knew I wouldn’t be in town.

“Here.” I pointed to a chair against the wall for Scott to sit while I gave the puppy a better examination. “Any blood in his stool or urine?”

“No, not that I noticed. Just coughing. He sneezed this morning and out came blood. But nothing else.”

“He’s eating and playing?” I grabbed hold of the thermometer from a drawer along with a small tube of lubrication. “I want to check his temperature; I’ll need you to hold him with me.”

“Yeah, yeah, of course.” He stepped up to the table and held his dog, cradling him against his chest while I lubed the thermometer and inserted it into the dog’s anus. Scrappy whimpered a bit, but otherwise complied.

For a moment, my mind pictured having Gabby strapped down to the table, with her ass cheeks splayed wide while I slid my cock into her. I cleared my throat, trying to clear the picture from my mind at the same time.

“His temp is good.” I removed the device and tossed it into the small sink. “I think it’s just the kennel cough making him miserable.” I grabbed a pad of paper and a pen. “I want you to stop at the pharmacy and pick up some Robitussin DM. Give him one milliliter twice a day. It should help with the coughing and thin out the mucus so he can actually get some of that up.”

“Robitussin, really?”

“Yeah. It works well for puppies, but don’t go over that dose, all right? And if you have a humidifier, put that near his crate.” I handed him the scratch paper with the instructions. “How’re the other dogs?” Scott’s dog, Maxine, had just had a litter of puppies. Scrappy was the only one giving him any trouble.

“They’re all fine. Maxine’s taking to being a mama real easy. Now if only I could get them to sleep longer through the night.” He yawned as he gave his complaints.

“Puppies do that.” I laughed. “If he’s not better in a few days, bring him to the office, but I think he’ll start improving soon.”

“Good.” He heaved a heavy sigh of relief. Scott was built like a Chicago Bears linebacker, but when it came to his dogs, he was more of a teddy bear. “Sorry to have bugged you about this. I was just so scared and then I couldn’t get you on the phone.”

I patted his back as we made our way back through the kitchen. “Not a problem, Scott. Any time.”

He paused at the counter, glancing down at the bowl of scrambled eggs next to my plate.

“Did you get a dog?”

“No.” I laughed. “I put that bowl of scraps out by the shed in the back. There’s always a few strays running through the woods back there.”

“You’re a good man, David.” He held out his hand for me. If I had any part of my soul left, he might have been right.

“Thanks.” I walked him out to his truck and helped him get Scrappy settled in his travel crate in the back.

Scott beeped the horn once more as he backed out of the long drive and gave me a wave as he turned around and disappeared down the road.

I remained frozen in place for a long moment, waiting to see if he’d come back. Did he forget something?

After enough time went by to make me feel safe, I jogged back into the house and went straight for the bedroom.

Breakfast would have to wait. I needed to teach my pup a new lesson.

She was going to learn about the command, come.

EIGHT

Gabby

* * *

He sounded almost like a decent guy. The walls weren’t thick in the old cabin, so I could hear almost everything going on in the next room. There was another man inside with us, and a puppy—a real puppy. My captor’s voice was even and soft, like he actually had some sort of feelings for the little dog. No wonder he put the damn shock collar around my throat, if I made any noise, the guy surely would hear me.

When he’d left me alone at first, I tried it. Making only a small sound at first to test if it was live. It was. And I wasn’t willing to test it anymore.

Long minutes after the horn blared again outside, the bedroom door swung open, and my captor came to the crate. He had the leash in his hand again.

Silently, he opened the door and gestured for me to come out. Like a good pup, I crawled forward and sat on my heels at his feet. I’d heard the soft nature he’d had with the man and his sick dog. Maybe if I just gave in a little, he’d have the same rapport with me, and I could find a way to get out of this nightmare.

“That’s a good girl.” He snapped the leash on the ring of the collar and fiddled with the box pressed against my skin. “I turned it down. It will still give you a little zap if you’re noisy, but it won’t hurt as much.”

How nice of him.

I nodded. What the hell else was I going to do? Wag my ass? Just thinking about it made my cheeks flame.

“Up on the bed, Gabby.” He patted the mattress. “On your back,” he said as soon as I climbed up onto the soft bed.

My insides tightened, unsure of what was coming and knowing what the possibilities were.

“You’re going to learn the word come.” He grinned as he walked around the bed and tied the end of the leash to the bars of his headboard.

He pulled off his shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor, then shucked off his jeans. The entire time, keeping his eyes focused on me. I glance down and bit the inside of my cheek. His thick, long cock hung free from his pants. He fisted his hard length and climbed up on the bed, one knee at a time.

“You’ve been fucked before, right?” he asked, sliding his hand up and down his shaft.

I nodded, pressing my knees together harder.

“Open your legs like a good girl, Gabby and I’ll take the shock collar off before I make you come.” He tapped my knees. “Or be a bad girl, and I’ll crank it up again and make you scream.”

I should have been scared. Fear should have shaken me to my very core. But somehow, when he looked down at me with that firmness in his jaw, my body softened to him. It was confusing and horrifying. What the fuck was he doing to me? Was he pumping my food full of drugs? How the fuck could I possibly find anything arousing in this situation?

But there I was, spreading my legs for him and exposing my wetness.

He licked his lips as he swept his gaze over my pussy. “You’re a good girl, Gabby, even when you don’t want to be.”

He lowered himself to his belly until his face hovered over my pussy. “Keep your hands out of my way,” he warned just before he swept his tongue through my folds, then flicked my clit with the tip of his tongue.

I moaned and the sudden pleasure washed over me. It was just enough to make the collar vibrate, but no zap.

He chuckled. “Hmm, maybe I was too nice to lower it.” With two fingers, he pulled my pussy lips apart and took my clit between his teeth, biting down gently before sucking it. Again I groaned, completely lost to the pleasure he gave. This time, I was too loud, and a sharp electric shock zapped my neck.

“That good?” He thrust two fingers into my entrance, aiming them downward as he plunged in and retracted. I clenched my teeth, holding back the sounds trying to climb out of my throat. He continued plowing in and out with his fingers while swirling his hot tongue around my clit.

“Don’t come yet, pup. If you do, I’ll have to punish you. You don’t come until I tell you to,” he muttered, barely taking his mouth off of my pussy.

My mind brought forth the memory of his belt lashing against my ass. It should have been a deterrent, but instead, it only drove me closer to the edge. My body coiled into a tight spring, ready to bounce to the ceiling at any minute.

“Such a good girl.” He kissed the inside of my thigh, scraping his teeth over my skin lightly. His devious blue eyes locked on mine as he looked up the length of my body at me. “Let’s see if you can keep being good.”

He crawled up my body as though he were hunting me down. Didn’t he realize he already had me? I was locked to his bed, and my body was already singing to his tune.

The round tip of his cock pressed against my entrance, snapping my attention back to the present instead of wandering out in the cloud of pleasure.

“I’m going to fuck you and you’re going to come.” His full lips spread wide. “Feel free to scream when you do.”

He plowed into me with one powerful thrust. I instinctively grabbed his shoulders as his cock filled me, stretched me. Slowly, he pulled back, but before he was completely gone from my body, he rocked forward. I yelped, a small sound that triggered a light shock.

“Fuck, I love that sound.” He groaned and thrust into me again and again, harder and harder, faster and faster. I spread my legs farther, trying to accommodate his size and his speed.

“Oh!” I cried out, another zap, stronger this time, but it only drove me farther toward him. He reached between our bodies.

“Come, Gabby. Come for me, Gabby!” he cheered me on, as though I were his little puppy he was trying to get to crawl across the room.

My legs shook. Intense pressure built.

“Good girrrrll,” he groaned, plowing even harder as he rubbed my clit.

“Fuck!” I screamed, almost oblivious to the shock of the collar as my orgasm ripped through my body, shaking my muscles, and firing off impulses between nerves.

“So, good.” He kissed my cheek. He rocked forward again, plowing once, twice, three more times before stilling over me as his cock unloaded all of his hot cum into my pussy. He grunted, then fell forward, his head on the pillow beside me, his dick still lodged in my cunt.

Quietly, he reached beneath my head and worked open the lock on the collar and pulled it free from my throat. He pushed himself up on one elbow and moved my head back and to the side.

“Good. No marks.” He eased himself out of me and climbed off the bed. I watched him, unsure of what was coming next. Unsure of the mixture of horror and pleasure rolling around in my chest. A thick lock of hair fell forward, covering his left eye as he pulled up his jeans.

It was then that a name blasted from the back of my mind.

“David.”

He jerked his head up to stare at me, shock written all over his face.

“David, right? That’s your name.” I sat up, slowly at first, because of the tenderness in both my ass and now my pussy.

“You need your breakfast. Get cleaned up and meet me in the kitchen.” He tossed the first collar at me. “Put that back on and be in position in ten minutes.”

He slammed the door on his way out of the room, leaving me to sit on the bed more confused than ever.

I was right. I knew I was right. I hadn’t recognized him without his glasses, and he’d definitely gotten more fit over the last eleven years, but I knew him.

I was being held captive by David, a boy who’d once saved my life.

What the actual fuck was going on?

NINE

David

* * *

I finished eating and was washing my dish when the bedroom door finally creaked open. When I turned to put the plate in the drainer, I caught a glimpse of her crawling to her bowl I’d left at the foot of my chair.

She sat on her heels and used her fingers to feed herself the scrambled eggs. Eventually, I’d have to make her eat properly from her bowl, but I could give it another day.

The coffee maker gurgled as the last bit of the brew hit the pot and I snagged a cup. When I sat down at the table again, she finished the last bite of her breakfast and turned her face up to me. Her hair was wet still from the quick shower she’d taken. A small droplet slid over her shoulder and down her chest.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” I offered the second cup I’d brought with me.

“Yes.” She started to pull the chair out nearest to her but stopped. “Can I?”

My brow raised. “Yeah. Just this once since it seems we have something to discuss.”

She climbed up into the chair and grabbed hold of the coffee.

“I wasn’t sure how you took it.” I pointed to the sugar bowl on the table. “I can get the cream if you want?”

“No. No. This is perfect. Thank you.” She took a slow sip and a gentle smile tugged at her lips. I watched the brew slip between those full lips and wondered what it would feel like to kiss them. Not some little peck, but a real kiss. One that made her understand that she belonged to me.

I jerked my gaze away from her. Thoughts like that would get me into trouble. Could get her hurt. She wasn’t mine. She couldn’t be mine. She’d been bought and paid for, and her true owner was going to collect her in just a few days.

“What happened to you?” Her voice was soft, concerned.

“What do you mean?” I sipped my coffee while watching her lips twist upward as she tried to find a delicate way to ask how I became the monster before her.

“You were different when I knew you.” She went the general statement route. Okay, we could dance around the bush a few times, if that’s what she wanted.

“That was over ten years ago, Gabby. People change.”

“Not this much.” She waved her hand at herself. “I mean, look at me.”

She’d put on her collar again, like I’d told her to. Her new behavior wasn’t genuine. A lot of girls tried this. They thought if they went along with me, behaved good, they’d find an opportunity to get away. Or they could endear themselves to me so much I wouldn’t want to let them go.

“I am looking at you.” I reached over and flicked the D ring on her collar. “You’re starting to come around.” I could play the same game.

Her look of repulsion hit me square in the chest, but I had to brush it off. My options were limited, and no matter how much the protector in me wanted to help her, I would not. I couldn’t. I was too fucking close to stop now. After her and the two new pups coming my way, I would be free.

“When I saw you at camp, you weren’t this guy.” She drudged up the past. The girls’ part of the camp was separated from the River Scouts’ side, but only with a log fence. Easily climbed.

“I was this guy; you just didn’t see him.” I finished my coffee.

“I don’t believe that.” She shook her head, looking at me with conviction. As though if she could just get me to tap into the boy I was all those years ago, the man I became would see the errors of his ways.

“You can believe whatever you want.” I took my cup to the coffee maker for a refill, slipping in a shot of whiskey from the bottle I kept nearby.

“That last summer you… you defended me. You protected me.” She stood up from the chair, her hands fisted at her sides, a fierceness blazing in her eyes.

I raised an eyebrow and pointed to the chair. “Watch yourself, pup.”

Her cheeks flamed before me, but I had no delusions it was from embarrassment. She was getting ramped up for an argument, but her common sense must have kicked in, because she sank back into the seat.

“Jason Ritters was a fucking prick and a half, when I saw him pawing at you—” I paused. Remembering that asshole trying to get her shirt off behind the fish cleaning shed made my blood heat even now, eleven years later. But who the fuck was I to play judge and jury now? Hell, I hadn’t let her have a piece of clothing since she arrived. I’d made her piss outside on the grass!

No, I had no moral podium to stand behind.

“When you caught him trying to push me further than I wanted, you shoved him away. And when he said those horrible things about me, you punched him right in the nose.” She jabbed her finger into the table as she made her points. “You kept him from me the rest of the summer.”

And I paid a hefty price for it, too. Jason Ritters’ father owned the construction company my father worked at as a foreman. A week after camp was over, my dad was out of a job and had been blackballed by the other crews in town. Dad had to take a job two counties over, which meant we had to pick up and move. It was on that drive, pulling the U-Haul behind his truck with my mom, that they were struck by a semi, shoving them off the road and flipping them into a ditch. I’d been driving my car two miles behind them. I was told I had been lucky.

I still didn’t believe that.

“Jason got the last laugh on me, don’t worry. I didn’t beat him.” I took a heavy sip of my coffee, enjoying the subtle burn of the whiskey as it slid down my throat.

“I know.” She lowered her gaze. “I heard what his dad did.”

“You did?”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “My sister was dating Jason’s older brother. They got married a year later and have four little boys now.”

“So, you and Jason are related now.” A twist in my chest caught me off guard. Knowing she’d been around him all these years shouldn’t have affected me in the least. But it sure as fuck did.

“Sort of. He’s been a thorn in my side for years. He says he’s the reason my marriage didn’t work. Says it was because deep down I wanted him.”

“He’s still chasing you?” Did the asshole not take a hint? After all these years, still trying to get under her skirt. He’d probably blow a blood vessel if he knew what I’d done to her.

“He doesn’t take no for an answer easily.” She sat up straighter. “Just like back then.”

“He was a prick.”

“And you weren’t. But now…” She let her words trail off, like I should fill in the blanks. I already knew damn well what I was. A survivor.

“So, what do you think happens now, Gabby? You think because you remember the scrawny River Scout working on his veterinarian patch all those years ago, I’m going to just let you go? Fuck myself in the process? Because that’s not the guy I am now.” I stalked to the table, leaving my drink behind. “The guy I am now wants to drag your pretty ass back out into the backyard and force you on your knees. I want to play fetch with you, make you run the yard and bring me back the little ball I keep for my puppies. And once you’re all tired and worn out, I want to drag you back to bed and fuck you senseless until we both pass out in a sweaty heap.” I pressed one hand on the table and the other on the back of her chair. “That’s the guy I am now.”

She reached up and gently cupped my cheek. “I heard you helping that puppy. You’re not that guy all the time.”

I jerked back from her touch. “Go back to your crate.” I snapped my fingers and pointed toward the hall. “Now.”

Sad eyes met mine, but she didn’t argue. She got up from the chair and walked down the hall. Walked. On her feet. I shouldn’t have let that happen. I should have shoved her back to the ground.

But my cheek stung from where she touched me, leaving me too dazed to remember my own damn rules.

TEN

Gabby

* * *

David left me in the crate the rest of the morning after our conversation. And he only spoke sparingly with me for two days following that. He didn’t make me sleep in the crate, but he kept me bound to his bed and he didn’t come in until I was already asleep.

During the day, he walked me around his back yard on a leash or let me watch television with him in the living room so long as I stayed on the pillow at his feet. Every approach I tried to get him talking again was met with a command to stay quiet or to lie down.

The longer this went on, the more distant I felt from him. I began looking forward to watching TV with him because he would eventually begin stroking my hair. It was that little bit of connection that kept me from trying to get away. If my attempt failed again, he’d surely keep me locked in that crate.

I wasn’t sure how many days I had left before whoever was supposed to pick me up was coming, but I knew my time was running out.

“Gabby.” David walked into the kitchen where I was eating my lunch—a ham sandwich with a small fistful of Cheetos.

I looked up from my sandwich. He held a bright blue plastic ring in his hand and my stomach fell. I’d been waiting for him to bring it up again but had hoped he would have been happy with what we’d already been doing.

“You’re going to have to learn eventually,” he said, bringing the leash from the hook on the back door over to me.

“David, I don’t want to go with anyone. I don’t want to be sold. I don’t want to live like this. Please. Can’t you just…” I stopped talking the moment my eyes connected with his dark glare. He wasn’t listening to my words; he was only hearing me not obeying him.

What was my life going to be like once I changed hands again? Would the next guy be as civil as David was being? Or would he be cruel and unrelenting, like David had been in the beginning? Would I be able to get away? How long would it take?

What if I never found a way home?

David clicked the leash in place and gave me a little tug. I moved to my hands and knees and crawled behind him, like the dutiful little pup he’d made me to be.

Once we were in the yard, he unhooked the leash and showed me the ring. “I’m going to toss this and you’re going to bring it back to me in your teeth. No hands, Gabby. If you use your hands, I’ll take my belt to your palms.”

Instinctively, I fisted my hands to protect the tender spots.

“Do you understand? One yelp for yes, and two for no.” The playful grin was on his lips again. He’d had the same look the night before when he’d made me howl while he forced a second orgasm from me. I say forced, but he’d brought it out of me so damn easily, I never had a chance at holding it back.

I sat back on my heels and gave him what he wanted. I yelped in a high-pitched sound.

His grin widened as the pleasure moved up to his eyes.

“Good girl.” He patted my head, then turned and tossed the ring about five feet away from us. I crawled to it, making sure to wag my ass as I did so. Getting him hot and bothered was the only control I had these days. The harder I made his cock, the more uncomfortable he was until he fucked me senseless. A win-win, really.

As I came to the ring, I turned my ass toward him and lowered my face to the grass. My teeth sank into the soft silicone toy, and I lifted it with no trouble. I waited for a rush of humiliation to overtake me as I turned back toward him with the ring dangling between my teeth. Nothing happened. Where was the embarrassment at being treated like this?

My eyes made contact with his as I made the trek back to his side. Pride. The man was proud of me. Warmth expanded through my chest. I lifted my head a little higher as I brought the ring to his outstretched hand.

“Good girl, Gabby.” He patted my head and took the ring. “Again.” He tossed the ring a little farther and I hurried across the grass. My knees carried a thin green layer from the dew on the grass; the same was true for my hands. When I brought the ring back to him the second time, he bent down and grabbed my wrist.

“Dirty puppy,” he chided, but there was too much enjoyment in his tone for me to mistake it as an actual disappointment. “Let’s see your knees.”

I moved to squat on my feet, and he shook his head. “Filthy.”

I nudged his hand with my head, which made him chuckle. Was he laughing at what he’d turned me into? I wanted to survive, to somehow get back to my normal life, and he thought I was funny. As he reached to pet me again, I nipped at his hand, getting a good bite into his thumb. He wanted a puppy, he’d get one.

“I wasn’t laughing at you, Gabby,” he assured me, fisting his hand in my hair and pulling my head back. I fell forward, back to my knees, as he shifted his position before me. “If you want to play with your mouth, I have something much better than my thumb for you.”

He latched the leash to my collar while unbuttoning his jeans. I licked at my lips, staring at the hard bulge.

“Open.” He tapped my lips, settling himself over my upturned face. He pulled his cock out, stroking it until a dollop of precum sat at the tip. “Tongue out,” he ordered, and like the good puppy I’d become, I obeyed.

He wiped the salty bead across my tongue, taking a step closer to me. The leash wrapped around his fist over and over again until I could feel a tug on my collar. I wouldn’t be able to get even half a step back from him with the leash so tight.

“Take every bit of me, Gabby.” He slid his cock over my tongue, going farther and farther until the round head of his dick hit the back of my throat. I gagged and tried to pull back, but he held the leash tight. “No. Swallow me down.”

Panic set in and I tried to yank back again, shoving my fists at his thighs, but it didn’t matter.

“Swallow and breathe through your nose,” he instructed, pulling back just enough to let me breathe again. “Ready?” He looked down at me, determination blazing in his expression. I had come to know that look. There was no getting away from this.

Again, he plowed forward, down my throat, but this time I was ready and swallowed. He groaned, pulling back, only to thrust into my mouth again. He kept a steady rhythm, fucking my mouth, my throat with the same seriousness he fucked my pussy. I swallowed around him, slid my tongue beneath his silky cock as he moved it over my tongue.

“Fuck.” He growled, sounding every bit the animal he wanted me to be. “Ass up.” He jerked out of my mouth and unraveled the leash just enough for me to obey. I wiped my saliva that had drooled onto my chin as I turned around and offered him my body.

His hands dug into my hips as he lowered himself onto his knees behind me and in one powerful thrust, he was inside me. I moaned at the sudden fullness, the sweet burn of it as he began to move. In and out, his cock moved within me.

“Please, David. Please,” I begged quietly.

“Please what? You want your clit touched?” he asked, amusement in his voice.

“Please.” I nodded along with my plea.

He reached beneath me and flicked my clit with two fingers.

“Yes. Yes!” I bucked back at him, wanting every bit of him so long as it continued to feel so fucking good. He stroked my clit over and over again, while his cock pounded into me.

“You want to come?” he asked, pinching my clit between two fingers.

“Yes!” I hit the ground with my fist, kicking up some loose grass. “Please.”

“Come, Gabby. Be a good girl and come.” He rubbed my clit in circles with more pressure as he fucked me even harder. I stretched around him, and the burn never felt so damn good.

The pressure built, my legs wobbled, and before I could breathe another breath, my body exploded beneath him. I screamed. I screamed out his name as my body was ravaged by my orgasm.

He wasn’t a patient man; he’d told me that before and he proved it to me then. Before I could catch my breath, he gripped my hips and pulled me back toward him as he thrust forward. The slapping sounds of our bodies meeting carried through the empty yard, to be followed by his bellow of release as his own orgasm swept him away.

Moments passed as we stayed in the same position, both trying to catch our breath. He eased away from my body and got to his feet. The sounds of pleasure were replaced with a zipper and belt being put back in place.

He tugged on my collar gently. “Let’s go inside.”

I started to crawl after him, exhausted and sated, but he stopped me with a touch to my head. “You can get up on your feet.”

We walked into the cabin, and he brought me to the bathroom attached to his bedroom. “You okay?” he asked, giving me a once-over. “You didn’t cut your knees up, did you? The leaves are falling more now and there’s probably a lot of twigs out there.”

“I’m fine,” I assured him as I waited for him to fill the tub.

He grabbed a bottle from beneath the sink and poured the liquid into the tub. Bubbles formed, giving off a strong scent of lavender. He was letting me have a bubble bath?

“Let’s take off the collar for the tub so the leather doesn’t get ruined,” he instructed, turning me around to unlock the buckle in the back. When he dropped it to the sink, he inspected my throat. “The leather is soft, but it’s starting to make a mark.” With a feathery touch, he trailed his fingers along the back of my neck. “If you can be good, I’ll leave it off for today.”

I turned to face him, pushing my hair out of my face.

“I can be good,” I promised, but there was more weight to my words than I had initially intended. I could admit, at least to myself, the happiness and pride in his expression gave me pleasure, too. I was coming to enjoy the smiles and pats and the quiet time we spent together.

“Okay then.” He brushed a lock of hair from my cheek, pushing it behind my ear with the rest. His hand cupped my cheek, and he lowered his mouth over mine. I froze for a moment, but quickly, as his tongue swept over my bottom lip, I softened to him, welcoming him. And as quickly as it started, it ended. He pulled back, blinked, then released my face.

“Take as much time as you need.” He left the bathroom, shutting the door behind him quietly.

I touched my fingers to my mouth, where the warmth of his lips still lingered.

What the hell was happening?

ELEVEN

DAVID

* * *

Kissing her had been a fucking mistake. The last few days had gone smoothly, she was coming around, and then I went and fucking kissed her! Nothing like giving her mixed signals.

I paced the kitchen, trying to find something to keep me busy while she soaked in the tub. Fucking her hadn’t been the plan either when I took her outside, but after seeing how playful she was, how sweetly submissive she’d been, I changed course.

Wasn’t that exactly the way it seemed to go with Gabby?

My phone rang, distracting me from my self-condemnation.

“Hey, David. I know you’re not due to come in until tomorrow, but Scott just called. Scrappy isn’t doing so hot, so he’s bringing him in. He wanted to bring him back up to your place, but I figured you’d want to meet him down here,” Cherise, the office manager at the clinic, explained. “Do you want me to call him and tell him to go up to you?”

“No. If the dog’s still having trouble, I want an X-ray of his chest. Can you get that done if he gets there before I do?” I went to the bedroom to grab a fresh set of clothes.

“Yeah, no problem.”

I tossed the phone on the bed and changed into clean jeans and a collared shirt. The slosh of water in the bathroom drew my attention. I’d be gone at least two hours, more if Scrappy was more ill than I thought. If I left Gabby in the house by herself, she’d be too tempted to find a way out.

I glanced at the crate and internally cringed. I could use the large kennel in the cellar, but the memory of finding her curled up in the corner, dirty and scared, canceled that idea. I wouldn’t put her back down there.

“Are you leaving?” Gabby appeared in the doorway; a towel wrapped around her torso. It was the first time in days that I hadn’t been given a full view of her naked body.

“The dog that was here the other day isn’t getting better. I have to go to the clinic.” I finished tying my boot.

“Oh.” She stood there, holding the towel around her.

“You’re coming with me.” I decided it a split second before I said it. Opening the bottom drawer of my dresser, I pulled out a soft lavender summer dress that had been left behind by an old flame. The girls I trained were never given clothing, and I never saw a need to keep anything for them. I’d only kept the dress because I’d meant to mail it to Sandra when she settled in New York, but I’d forgotten the dress and her immediately after she’d left.

I tossed the dress onto the bed.

“Put that on, we have to hurry.”

“I need shoes, David.” She picked up the dress.

Sandra hadn’t left any of those, but I had a pair of tennis shoes I’d never worn. I grabbed them from the closet and dropped them at her feet. “They’re probably too big, but it’s all I have. Now hurry.”

I left her in the bedroom while I gathered my wallet and the keys to my truck. Gabby met me in the living room, my shoes clomping against the floor as she walked through the kitchen.

I remembered the dress when Sandra wore it. It had been too tight on her, stretching the cotton material over her breasts and hips. But Gabby was slimmer, more petite, the dress fit perfectly. I’d had the woman naked this entire time, but with the soft cotton clinging to her skin, the skirt swishing around her knees as she walked, she stole my breath away.

“Let’s go,” I said, diverting my gaze and gesturing for her to go out the front door.

One of my shoes fell off as she climbed down the front porch steps. I grabbed the shoe and urged her toward the truck. “We’ll get you something else,” I muttered as I shut the cabin door when she was settled in the seat.

“You want to go shoe shopping?” she asked with a light tone as I maneuvered my truck down the gravel road toward the main strip.

“Yeah, that would be great. Take a barefoot woman into a shoe store in this tiny ass town, I’m sure no one would notice.”

“Then I guess I’ll go barefoot into the animal hospital?” She pushed off the other shoe and tucked her feet beneath her in her seat.

“I’ll figure something out.”

“Can I ask you something?” she asked, turning to face me.

“What?”

“Why do you do this? I mean, what do you get out of it.”

“Being a vet?”

“No. Your other job.”

“Money,” I answered abruptly. “A lot of money.”

“Don’t you make good money with owning an animal hospital?” she asked, sounding genuinely curious.

“I don’t own it,” I corrected her. “Yet.”

“Is that why you do this? With women like me? You want to own the hospital? You couldn’t just sell your property? You have a lot of it, I bet you could get a good amount for it.”

I glanced over at her. “That land is all I have left of my family. It’s been in our family for three generations. I’m not giving it up.”

“So you’d rather just sell women into sick slavery?”

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t mistreat the girls that come to me.”

“Do you know what happens to them when they leave?”

“I learned to mind my own business in that regard.”

“How much are you getting for me?” she asked, surprising me.

“What?”

“How much are you getting to train me to be a little puppy for some sick fucker who will probably rape me over and over and over again until he’s sick of me and then kills me?”

“No one’s going to do that to you,” I said, blocking out the reality that she was completely right to be worried about it. I had no idea what happened to the girls once they left my property. I’d never allowed myself to think about it.

She turned to look out the window.

“Gabby, that’s not going to happen.” I’d have to make a few calls to track down who the buyer was. It wasn’t something I’d ever concerned myself with before, but I wouldn’t allow her to be handed over to anyone that would mistreat her. Just thinking of handing her over at all made my insides twist together.

“If it doesn’t to me, it will to the next girl or the next,” she said softly, leaning her head against the window.

I flipped on the radio, turning the volume up. There wasn’t any reason to continue the conversation the way it was headed. She’d only get more worried and tense and there wasn’t shit I could do about it anyway.

I parked in the back lot of the clinic and turned off the ignition. “Before we go in there.”

“I know. I know.” She put her hand up. “Don’t try to do anything that might actually get me out of this mess, or you’ll do something awful to me.”

I grabbed her wrist and put it back in her lap. “I’m serious, Gabby. I’ve never brought a girl here with me before, Cherise—the manager—will probably be all over you with questions. Be good.” I pointed a finger at her, pressing the tip to her nose.

“I won’t say a word,” she whispered. Her shoulders dropped. “I promise.”

I pressed a kiss to her cheek, then released her.

Cherise greeted us at the back entrance to the clinic. The sharp barks of the dogs in the boarding kennels echoed behind her.

“Thank you for coming down,” Cherise said. “Oh, lord, did I interrupt something?” she asked, glancing at Gabby.

“Cherise, this is Gabriella. An old friend.”

“You don’t have on any shoes!” Cherise pointed at Gabby’s bare feet. “You can’t walk around this place barefoot. Let’s find you something.” She pulled on Gabby’s arm. “Scott’s in exam two.” She waved a hand in the air at me as she took Gabby into the staff room.

I watched them go, unsure of what to expect next. Cherise would probably think Gabby was out of her mind if Gabby decided to tell her the truth of what was going on. But that didn’t mean she wouldn’t believe her. I’d lived here for five years and had no real friends to speak of, for such a small town that was strange.

“David, thank god you’re here!” Scott waved at me from the exam room he’d been stashed in to wait for me.

I gave another quick look down the hall, waiting to hear a scream of alarm or something telling me Gabby was making a run for it. Laughter floated into the hallway. Whatever they were talking about, it wasn’t me.

Or it was.

“Okay, Okay, Scott. Let me look at the X-ray.” I focused on getting Scrappy back to health so I could get my puppy back home and safe, tucked away in the cabin.

I shouldn’t have been so reckless bringing her down to the office. She could get away. It could cost me, but it wasn’t the cash I worried about anymore.

TWELVE

Gabby

* * *

Spending time with Cherise at the clinic while David worked with the sick puppy gave me an opening to find freedom. She’d taken me to the little kitchenette the staff used and found me a pair of old flip-flops that one of the techs had left behind. I tried to explain that I’d been screwing around in the truck on the way over and my sandals fell off, but she only laughed and shook her head. She hadn’t bought it, but she hadn’t pushed for the real story either.

“Look. David is one of the best vets we’ve had in this clinic since we opened,” she said. She looked to be in her late fifties. The roots of her hair were bordering gray, a stark contrast to the deep brown of her locks and she had a pair of reading glasses hanging around her neck. “What he does when he’s not here is his own business. I’ve never seen a man so caring when it comes to these animals or their owners. He never gets short with them, no matter how annoying they get.”

“The pets or the owners?” I asked, wiggling my toes into the sandals. A little big, but better than his shoes had been.

“Both.” She laughed. “Take Scott. That puppy of his is just fine. It takes a week sometimes to get over kennel cough, but he’s a worrywart. Does David get mad that he has to come in on his day off? No. He just picks up and comes down to make sure the dog is doing okay, and to calm down Scott.”

The man she described reminded me of the David I’d met at camp. He stuck up for kids that couldn’t hold their own against bullies. Even if it meant having those jerks turn on him. Jason had been a member of his own scout tribe, but that didn’t stop David from stepping in to help me.

But that man contrasted with the man in the cabin. That David punished me. He kept me in a crate. He bathed me and treated me like a pet.

My cheeks heated as I considered the fact that I hadn’t hated it like I should have. Once I recognized him, once I knew who he was, the fear had diminished. What had started as a way to survive my captivity had grown into something more.

Something I didn’t want to understand yet.

“So, where are you from originally? What sort of work do you do?” Cherise asked while putting a can of soda on the table beside me.

“Oh. Uh. Chicago. I work at a library, a small branch library.” I opened the can and took a long sip, loving the feeling the bubbles gave me as they tickled my throat.

“A librarian?”

“No.” I shook my head. “I just reshelve books and work the checkouts for the kid’s department. Nothing fancy but it pays the bills.” I took another sip. And that’s all it did. Other than putting cash in my bank account every two weeks, I had no love for the job. A means to an end, that was all.

“Okay, Cherise. Scrappy is all set to go. Scott needs to make an appointment for two weeks from now and I’m sending him home with a care kit.” David appeared in the doorway, his eyes flicking toward me first. Probably to be sure I wasn’t halfway to the highway.

Cherise nodded. “Great. Thanks again for coming down.” She stopped in the doorway to turn back to me with a smile. “I hope to see you again, Gabriella. It was nice to meet you.”

“Same here, Cherise. And thanks for the soda.” I gestured toward the can on the table.

David stood frozen until she was gone. “Soda is full of sugar and caffeine. It’s going to be hell getting you down for your nap now.” His grin softened the sharpness of his tone.

“Funny,” I said and picked up the can to finish off the sweet drink. “Is Scrappy okay?” I asked him.

“He’s fine. Scott needed a little hand-holding, that’s all.” He looked down at my feet. “She found you something.”

“Yeah. If we’re going already, I can leave them.”

“No. Keep them. They’ve been back here forever. If someone finally realizes they forgot them, I’ll replace them.” He put out his hand for me. “But we do need to get back.”

“Of course.” I stepped toward him, slowly putting my hand in his.

He squeezed gently, then laced his fingers through mine and led me back to the truck. My opportunity for escape, if there had been one, was gone.

We drove back to the cabin in silence. I watched the trees as we passed them, rolling down the window to get some breeze and fresh air. Who knew when I might have this sense of freedom again? I pushed the idea away from my mind. Getting my future to line up with my present wasn’t working. As afraid as I was of what might happen, there was also a sense of calm. I was with David. How could something bad happen to me?

“Who the fuck?” David turned off the radio and slowed his truck as he pulled up the drive toward the cabin. A black Ford Bronco was parked outside the house with music blaring.

“Not a friend of yours?” I swallowed hard.

“No.” He parked the truck. “Stay here.” He reached over me to the glove compartment and removed a gun, tucking it in the back of his pants. “Don’t get out of the truck until I say so. Understood?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if I went inside?” I asked, glancing at the front door.

“Not until I know if anyone’s in there.” The driver’s side door creaked as he pushed it open. The door of the Bronco opened as well, and the driver hopped out.

David’s door slammed shut. He walked toward the front of his truck. I unbuckled my seat belt and leaned as far forward as I could to see the man making his way toward David.

My breath lodged in my throat, choking me.

Jason.

“Shit. You?” David laughed when he realized who was standing in front of him. Jason hadn’t changed, would never change. He was still the entitled little dick he’d always been. Dressed in a pair of designer jeans and black leather pointed boots, he stood in front of David with a look of superiority that he had no right having.

“What the hell are you doing here?” David asked, still forcing his tone to hold some levity, but I knew his mannerisms well enough to know when he was tense. And every bit of him was wound tight, ready to fight.

“I came to pick up my puppy. You got her ready for me?” Jason leaned forward, looking toward the truck where I was. He nodded. “There she is.” He held up a hand.

My stomach rolled with nausea.

“You did this to her?” David asked, his fingers curling into fists.

Jason turned back to David with a sneer. “You know what a cold bitch she can be. She just needed a little training, and when I heard that you were in the business, I knew you would be just the guy to handle her for me.”

I pushed the door of the truck open and jumped out.

“What’s she doing in that dress?” Jason asked, pointing at me as I stepped toward them.

David put his hand up to stop me and I froze in place. His jaw was tight, his full attention on Jason.

“You aren’t taking her anywhere,” David announced firmly.

“We already had a deal, Davey-boy. No going back.” Jason’s facade faded and the asshole I knew for over fifteen years came forward. “She’s mine.”

David drew his gun and pointed it at Jason. “You take one step in her direction, and you’ll never see the light of day again.”

“What the fuck is this? What… did you fall for her again? Man, didn’t you learn last time what happens when you get in my way?” Jason stepped forward, puffing his chest like a peacock. As though he could scare David away with such a weak move.

“Yeah. I got a good idea what happens when you don’t get your way.” David cocked his gun, moving his finger to hug the trigger.

“Jason,” I called to him. “Just go. Just go home.” I waved my hand at him. “I won’t tell anyone about this, and you can just go home.”

The little wrinkles around Jason’s eyes deepened. He had no concept of what sort of trouble he was looking at. He really thought he had the upper hand.

“Go home? Fuck no. I paid top dollar for your ass, and you’re coming with me. But I sure as fuck don’t want you this way.” He pulled out his phone. “You’re going to another trainer. One that will do the fucking job right. I want you on your damn knees, Gabriella.”

“Never gonna happen,” David said, then squeezed the trigger, sending a single bullet straight through Jason’s forehead while he was still tapping his fingers against the screen of his phone. Birds flew from the trees above with the sound of the gun, but then there was silence.

Jason fell backward, landing on his back on the gravel driveway.

My scream stuck in my chest. A burst of emotions clogged my throat.

“Gabby.” David tucked his gun back into his jeans. “Go inside, Gabby.” He hurried to me, blocking my view of Jason’s dead body. Blood already pooled beneath him, spreading through the pebbles.

David grabbed my face with his hands and drew me to look at him. “Go inside. Here are the keys.” He pulled a small set of keys from his pocket and pushed them into my hand. “I’ll be inside soon. Just stay inside. No, don’t look at him. He’s not going to hurt you.”

“You killed him.” I brought my gaze back to David’s. There was no remorse there, no fear or panic, just resolve.

“He wasn’t getting one finger on you. Now, go inside.” He let go of my face and gave me a little shove. “Go!” he barked, smacking my ass when I remained frozen to the ground.

I nodded and as though my body went into autopilot mode, I walked up the steps to the front door and shoved the key into the lock. When I looked over my shoulder, David was still blocking Jason’s body from me. His arms were crossed over his chest and his firm glare fixed on me.

My nerves settled. David would take care of this. I just needed to trust him.

THIRTEEN

David

* * *

The cleanup crew finished, taking away Jason’s body to be disposed of, however the fuck they handled that, within an hour. I stood on the front porch watching the truck with his body inside and his Bronco making their way down the path toward the main road.

Damien hadn’t been thrilled with the situation, but since Jason had been stupid enough to pay upfront, there wasn’t any money lost. Which meant, other than having the cleanup fee taken from my cut, no bad blood existed.

With that resolved, I set my thoughts to what I had to do next. Saying goodbye to Gabby had been the intention since I found her in my kennel barely two weeks ago. But now that the time was here, waves of nausea rolled over me.

I found her in my bedroom, sitting against the headboard, hugging her knees to her chest. The same way I’d found her in the kennel. Only this time, she was clean and clothed.

“When you get home, there’s going to be questions.” I leaned against the dresser, shoving my hands into my front pockets.

“No, there won’t,” she said, raising her eyes to mine.

“You’ve been gone over a week, Gabby. People will have noticed. At least your job will have. You’ll probably lose it, well, unless you decide to go to the cops.” It was an option for her, and one I had to resign myself to accepting if she did.

“I won’t be talking to the police,” she spoke softly.

“Well. If you do, I would understand.” I raked a hand through my hair. “What I did… what I’ve been doing.” I sighed. “Fuck, I’m a monster.”

She slowly climbed off the bed and settled herself on her knees before nudging my hand with her head. “No, David. You’re not. Not anymore.”

“Gabby, you don’t have to do that anymore. Get up.” I reached down to help her to her feet, but she pushed my hands away.

“I don’t have to, but I want to.” A tear slid down her cheek. “It may be fucked up, but I don’t want to go home, David. I want to stay here. With you. Like this.”

“Fuck, Gabby. That’s just because of what you saw outside. You’re in shock. This isn’t what you want.” I grabbed her arms and dragged her up to her feet. “You don’t want to be with a man like me.” I didn’t deserve her. I didn’t deserve anyone.

“I am not.” She shoved me away again. “I could have told Cherise everything, but I didn’t. I didn’t even want to, David. I could have run out the back door of that clinic and been on the road before you even knew it, but I didn’t want to.”

“Gabby.” I stepped closer, capturing her face between my hands. “I’m not a good man. You’ve seen what I can do, what I’m capable of.”

“I saw you protect me. Again.” She held my wrists. “Yeah, I know what you’re capable of, and I know I can take it.”

What the fuck was I supposed to say to that?

“I’ve been fucking with your mind since you got here.” I shook my head. “You don’t know what you want.”

“I want you. I want to curl at your feet when we watch movies. I want to play with you in the yard. I want to have quiet dinners with you, and I want to help you grow your veterinary practice. I want the quiet this place has, and I want the chaos your attention brings.”

“Gabby, I don’t do normal. This shit we’ve been doing, it wasn’t fake on my part. I love whipping you. I get hard as fuck when I walk you on the leash. That stuff, it’s who I am.” She had to understand, I was who I was.

She leaned up on her toes and brushed her mouth against mine. A soft touch at first, but it wasn’t enough for me. I sank my hand into her hair and held her firmly, taking the kiss deeper and deeper until she softened beneath me.

When I broke the kiss, her lips were swollen, her pupils dilated. She ran the tip of her tongue over her top lip.

“Can we get a prettier collar? Maybe one with little gems on it?” she asked softly with her eyes lowered.

Sweet Jesus.

“You want a collar with gems?” I repeated the question, positive I’d lost my mind. Maybe Jason had shot me and not the other way around.

“I do.” She nodded. “And a new bowl with my name on it. I don’t want to use anything that you’ve used with anyone else.”

I ran my knuckles over her jaw and sighed. She’d look damn cute in a pink collar with diamonds on it.

“I’m supposed to take one more job,” I said lowly.

She stared at me, as though she already knew what I was going to say. Of course, she did. Gabby saw right through all the layers of bullshit, right down into my core.

“I canceled it.” I stroked her cheek. “I won’t be taking any more jobs. I’ll put an offer on the clinic with what I have and take a loan for the rest.”

Her full, pink lips pulled wide into a smile. “I have savings, David. Not much, but I can help. We can do it together.”

I shook my head. “How the fuck did a monster like me get so damn lucky?”

“The world is a fucked-up place, David. Better to be with people who understand you and love you for it than wandering around alone trying to fit in places you don’t belong.” I got a sense she wasn’t just talking about me.

“If you’re staying, then I’m not sure what the fuck you’re doing in that damn dress. Get it off.”

Her face lit up with my words. She yanked the dress over her head and tossed it toward the bed. Slowly, she sank back down to her knees and rubbed her cheek against my leg.

“Now. How about some lunch, pup?”

She yapped, a sweet, sharp sound, and then scurried through the door toward the kitchen, her ass wiggling at me.

Life was good.

And it would only get better.

The End.

***************

If you enjoyed the pet play element of Tamed, you’re gonna love even more of it in Protecting His Pet! Turn the page for a peak…

PROTECTING HIS PET

CHAPTER ONE

The busses were running late again. No big surprise, especially in the middle of September on a day the Cubs played at home. The game having just let out within the hour, the Addison route would be packed with half drunk or totally drunk fans making their way home.

Kara tilted her chin up into the soft wind of fall, delighting in the slight chill. The heat and humidity of Chicago summer had finally broken, leaving a more habitable environment. She hated heat above all else.

“Did we miss it?” Julie jogged up to her at the bus stop, breath heaving from the exertion.

Kara laughed. “No, it’s late. And will be crowded as hell, too.”

“I know. Damn those emergencies.” Julie pulled a pack of cigarettes from her scrub pocket and dug out a fresh smoke. Kara watched Julie light the cigarette then blow a large cloud into the air before stuffing her pack and lighter back into her pocket. “I was hoping to get out before the game ended.”

Kara looked down the street, past the line of cars waiting to get through the traffic light in hopes of sighting the bus. The eye clinic they worked at stayed open later for an emergency chemical burn, making them miss the last bus before the Cubs game destroyed traffic.

“It’s times like this that I wish I owned a car.” Kara gave up trying to find the green limousine and plunked down on the bench. She sat in front of the latest photograph of the top realtor in the area.

“In the city? And where would you park it?” Julie scoffed. It was true. Parking spots were a commodity that her medical receptionist salary couldn’t cover, even in her supervisory role. “You know, you could have left. I was there, so was Dr. Conrad; you didn’t need to stay.”

“Someone needed to check the guy out and make his next appointment. I wasn’t going to leave that up to you. You technicians mess up the schedule whenever you touch it.” Julie looked at her, one eyebrow raised over the edge of the sunglasses perched high on her nose.

Kara wouldn’t let anyone else handle what she considered to be her responsibility, and they both knew it. If it needed doing, she’d get it done. Leaving while there was still a patient in the office wasn’t going to happen. She’d expect any of the receptionists beneath her to stay until the patient had been fully checked out, and she wouldn’t do less than she expected of her subordinates.

A black sedan pulled in front of Kara and she sighed. She hadn’t called him, so of course he’d come to her work looking for her.

“My brother.” Kara waved at the car in explanation. “I forgot to text him, it’s our dinner night.” She waved to Tommy, who gave a curt nod and started playing with his phone.

Julie ducked a bit to look in the window. “He’s sorta cute,” she said, sucking in a drag of her cigarette.

“No, he’s not,” Kara corrected. “He’s my brother. He’s obnoxious… I’ll see you tomorrow.” Kara pulled open the passenger door and climbed into the front seat, dumping her purse between her legs before snapping on her seat belt. Tommy had already pulled into traffic before she could adjust the belt.

“You didn’t call or text,” he said, flipping the radio off and checking his mirrors. First the side views, then the rearview.

“Had an emergency, and I was cleaning up. I forgot.” She leaned her head back against the headrest. “So, pizza or you wanna go back to my place?”

Tommy checked the mirrors again then gave her a look that suggested she knew better than to think they’d go to her place. “Pizza’s good. Here, order it now and it will be there by the time we get to my place.” Tommy tossed her his phone. Tommy had a specific preference for every one of his take-outs, and all were programmed in his phone.

“Cheese okay?” she asked as she hit the pizza contact in his directory.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine,” he nodded, checking the mirrors again.

“You seem more tense than usual.” She tried to laugh, but the muscles in his neck were strung pretty tight and if he checked those damn mirrors again, she’d lose her mind.

He let out a long breath. “Don’t start, okay? Everything’s fine.”

After placing the order, she clicked off the call, noticing the messages in his text screen that he had left up. She quickly ran through them, her stomach clenching. The code left her mostly in the dark, because most people didn’t talk in code. People with normal jobs didn’t need to do that, they just said what they wanted to say. She put the phone back in the middle console.

“Don’t worry, Kara.” He patted her knee. “It’s fine.” He’d used the same tone and words when their mom died. She’d been ten, and things were not fine. Not then, and not now.

“Did you apply for that job I emailed you?” She tucked her hair behind her ear.

He sighed and changed lanes. “No. Kara. I told you, I have it covered. Everything’s fine. I have some cash for you, too. I know you need some new shit—at least some new shoes; look at those things, they’re beat to hell.” He pulled up to a stoplight and pointed at her feet. The once-white gym shoes were scuffed and worn, the sole on the right foot was being held together by nearly an entire bottle of superglue, but that didn’t change things. She wouldn’t take his money.

“Where’d you get the cash?” she asked pointedly.

He smiled at her, the soft smile he always threw her way when he was about to lie. That little tell had been around her entire life. She wasn’t a sucker for it anymore. Not when he swore he didn’t steal that car so their mom would have a way of getting to work without taking two busses and a train, not when he said he’d borrowed the cash from the guy next door so Kara could get a new bike, and not when he promised her he stopped doing illegal jobs to earn his cash.

“Kara, we’ve been over this.” He pulled his car into the garage behind his apartment building and turned off the ignition.

“Why can’t we go to my place? You’ve never even been to my apartment.”

“Because. It’s not safe for me to be seen there,” he said and popped his door open.

“How can this be the life you want to live, Tommy?” She slammed her door and met him at the garage entrance.

He wrapped a single arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Kara, it’s the only way I know how. Now, no more. Let’s get the pizza and chow down. Devin’s supposed to be here in a couple hours, and I’d rather you be gone before he shows.”

“Devin?” She gave him a half smile. She’d met him once before, briefly. A quick hello as she left Tommy’s apartment, but she’d seen enough. He was cute—no, that wasn’t the word. Hot. Yes, that better described him. Hot.

“He works with me, Kara.” The warning in Tommy’s voice didn’t escape her notice. She didn’t need it anyway. If he worked with Tommy, she wouldn’t go near him.

“Fine.” She shoved her purse strap over her shoulder and walked down the gangway toward the building. She heard Tommy pick up a call on his cell from behind her. She rolled her eyes and headed up the stairs to his apartment.

The door behind her shut. Loud. She paused on the steps to see if Tommy would open the door. Nothing. She looked out the frosted glass, but couldn’t see anything. No shadowed figures, nothing. Her heart started to pound.

“It’s fine. Just the wind,” she promised herself as she turned the knob on the door and slowly pulled it toward her.

Peeking her head out, she looked back down the gangway. No Tommy. She looked the other way, toward the front yard; not a soul. Cars sped down the street, a horn blared from the alley, but nothing from her brother. She stepped down into the small walkway between his building and the next. Her breath caught in her chest, her hand flew to her already trembling lips.

A pool of blood a few feet in front of her, followed by a trail of it going all the way to the alley. She ran, not thinking, to the alley. More blood, but it stopped right at the back gate. Tire marks, black tire marks ran off down the alley.

ALSO BY MEASHA STONE

OWNED AND PROTECTED

Protecting His Pet

Protecting His Runaway

His Captive Pet

His Captive Kitten

Becoming His Pet

Training His Pet

EVER AFTER

Beast

Tower

Red

Hound

GIRLS OF THE ANNEX

Daddy Ever After

Obediently Ever After

DARK LACE SERIES

Club Dark Lace (Boxset)

Unzoned

Until Daddy

DARK ROMANCE STANDALONES

Valor

Kristoff

Dolly

Finding His Strength

Simmer

The Mob Boss’ Pet

Gray

MAFIA BRIDES

(Staszek Family)

Taken By Him

Kept By Him

Captivated By Him

RELUCTANT BRIDES

(Kaczmarek Family)

Unwilling Pawn

Reluctant Surrender

Veiled Treasure

INNOCENT BRIDES

Corrupted Innocence

Ruined Innocence

Ravaged Innocence

BLACK LIGHT SERIES

Black Light Valentine Roulette

Black Light Cuffed

Black Light Roulette Redux

Black Light Suspicion

Black Light Celebrity Roulette

Black Light Roulette War

Black Light Roulette Rematch

Windy City SERIES

Hidden Heart

Secured Heart

Indebted Heart

Liberated Heart

Daddy’s Heart

Windy City Box Set