***LONDON’S POV***
The room is spinning when I open my eyes. It takes me a few minutes to realize that it is not the room that is spinning. I am having a bad headache. My entire body hurts.
I feel tears start prickling my eyes when I feel Zane’s movement shifts. He had been leaning against the vanity, his eyes on me.
“You are awake,” he states the obvious making little steps towards me.
I don’t say anything. My body is already in a lot of pain, I can’t even think of challenging Zane right now.
“How do you feel? I applied a balm while you were asleep, I hope the burn in your ass isn’t as bad as we think, huh?” he says staring at me as if he wasn’t sure of what my reaction would be.
I nod. Zane doesn’t seem satisfied with that response, he sits on the bed and looks at me.
“How are you feeling, little girl?” he asks his grip on my hand gently but his voice wasn’t indicating anything like that.
“Let go of me, Zane. I just want my brother, Micah. I wish I could be anywhere but here,” I bark out the words.
I see the pain flash in Zane’s eyes, he doesn’t let me know that he feels bad, but it is right there, his eyes don’t lie.
Those brown jewels are so expressive.
“London,” he starts.
I shake my head, picking my hand away as I look at him.
“You’ve hurt me a lot, Zane. Even a doll would be damaged from all the spankings I have received already. Your aftercare sucks,” I yell out, peeling my body from the bed.
I manage to put some clothes on by some miracle, and Zane is still behind me, just starting as I slip on bum shorts and one of his t-shirts. I wore it because it was over-sized. I didn’t care about borrowing it first, it didn’t matter.
“Where are you going to?” he asks his tone menacingly slow.
“Downstairs. I need you to stay away from me Zane, I don’t want you touching me anymore. Just leave me alone. You’ve hurt me a lot,” I was racing my voice now.
I knew Zane had asked me a few times to watch my mouth around him, but who the fuck cares when there is a man like him pulling at every naked string of sanity I fucking have? I wondered.
“You need to stop disobeying daddy’s orders,” Zane pushed out, letting me know he was in the daddy zone.
If he expects me to be his little girl just now, well, he has another shot coming to him because I don’t even see myself getting to that at all.
“No. And I’ll find a way to pay you back, Zane. Then, I’ll be out of your hair for good,” I spit out pushing past Zane and walking out of the room.
Tears are running free down my eyes, I feel frustrated, it is just as if someone was holding the house in his fists and shaking it.
I don’t see Reaper in the kitchen doorway until I crush through him. He holds me tight as I scramble backward, almost falling.
When I blink, his face comes forth, then, those of the men I know from Zane’s life. Caleb and… Sinner. I smile but it falters quickly.
“Hey, London, are you okay?” Sinner asks pulling me away from Reaper’s body and helping me to my feet.
It takes a while, but I do stand correctly. My legs are shaking, it makes me want to go kick my ass but I resist that urge.
“Sorry gentlemen, I didn’t know you all were here,” I purr out, sniffing.
Caleb gives me a soft paper towel and I blow my nose in it, feeling grateful for that little move.
“You have been here long?” I ask my eyes looking at my feet.
“Enough to hear you stop crying. We knew you passed out when Zane was handling your punishment. Sorry about that,” Sinner says.
His voice had only the slightest tinge of amusement in it, but he didn’t show it as he knew it would be rude.
Again, I felt the burning edge as my entire face was warm with humiliation. I can’t believe they had actually saved me.
“Th… Thank you… For saving me,” I finish the sentence.
I don’t know what Zane would have done to me if they hadn’t come when they had.
“I appreciate it,” I mutter out warmly.
*
Sinner and Caleb made some popcorn while Reaper and I ended up on the couch. The big man was cozy, and we only cuddled slightly, a reasonable distance was put between us.
When the popcorn came, it didn’t last long for the doorbell to ring.
“That must be the pizza we were waiting for,” Caleb says dashing to the door.
Of course, it was. Caleb brought two boxes of pepperoni-filled pizzas. He had even paid for the extra pepperoni slices on it.
Zane came downstairs when the room was set for a film night. The guys had me in the claw, and Zane was exempted. He didn’t say anything, and neither did any of the guys.
I could watch Zane’s eyes on mine the entire time we watched the movie.
It was a horror movie. A haunted house actually, and the ghost apparition would make me shout and hug Reaper.
At first, it was normal, I was reacting from the fear of the movie, only Zane didn’t find it the least funny, or scary.
When a jump scare scene came up, I shouted and swirled my hands around Reaper’s hard neck, I felt him tense as a loud groan sounded at the other end of the room.
I felt strong large arms around me as I looked up to find Zane picking me up from the couch from where I was nestled on Reaper’s strong body.
He moves me to the sofa and carries me on his body. I look up to steal just a minute glance and all the fucking men in the large room were looking at me.
I blushed, then, dug my head in Zane’s chest.
I had been mad at him earlier, but that anger seemed to have disappeared now with him in tow. I love him and I am not going to lie about that.
“You don’t have to hold me like that,” I tell Zane frowning.
“I don’t want you in any man’s arms if it isn’t me,” he mutters but his tone is light.
We had a very rough fight earlier, I don’t want it to happen again, but I know it was for the better. Zane wouldn’t cross my path again when he knew what was at stake.
Unless he is bent on getting rid of me anyhow.
“Come on now, Zane, don’t be possessive,” I say chuckling.
He rubs my ass a little bit and I wince from the pain, knowing how hard Zane had gone with me today.
I know I shouldn’t let him get any closer to me, he only uses it as an excuse to hurt me more.
With that thought in my mind, I slid out of Zane’s grasp. If he was being toxic, the least I could do was feed that toxic threat to the wolf. He would get rough and truly hurt me.
I slide out of Zane’s grip and his eyes hold numerous questions, I shake my head.
“I will sit on my own and watch the movie, Zane. I don’t want you touching me,” I blurt out.
Zane opens his mouth a few times to speak but he closes his mouth when it is obvious I wouldn’t bend to him.
That meant disagreeing with Zane in front of his men. That was freaking crazy.
We focused on the movie, and after that, Zane took his men to his office for a brief meeting.
I rushed upstairs to the room where the burner phone was left.
“Micah? How long do you have to take before raising the money?”
I shoot Micah a text.
He replies to me immediately.
“I am in deep shit, London. I need fifteen thousand dollars before morning. I’ll die if I can’t raise the money,” Micah’s message reads.
I feel my throat burning down my throat.
I know this is fucked up because he hasn’t finished raising money to pay Zane, any accumulated debt would let him keep me with Zane even more. From the records, I know the hell I am going through already.
“How do we raise the money?” I ask.
The burner phone starts vibrating, so, I pick it up and answer, trying my best to hush my voice.
“You can steal from Zane, London. The man has a lot of money. I bet fifteen thousand dollars would be a little change in his collection. He wouldn’t even miss the money,” Micah says.
I know this idea was bad. The last time Micah had stolen from Zane, I had become his prisoner. If I tried it, I don’t know what the man would do to me.
“I would have to check, but I don’t know where Zane keeps his cash. Even if I knew, I don’t think it would amount to what you are asking, besides, I don’t know what you want to do with it,” I cry out.
Micah tries his best to be the reasonable one, he calms me down as much as he can, letting his words reassure me that I can smuggle money from Zane’s house.
My heart was beating just thinking about it.
The idea was enough to hunt me down. My ass was on fire from Zane’s punishment, he had warned me never to disobey him again.
I wonder what he would make me do if he discovered that I actually stole from me.
“Micah!” I whisper, fear feeding my soul, making my voice shiver.
“I’ve got to go, London. But I need the money before noon tomorrow,” he tells me.
Tomorrow was the day I was meeting Michael at his bakery. It was believable that I was going there, but I hadn’t even asked permission from Zane yet. I doubt he will give me, but if I don’t ask him, then, he wouldn’t have the chance to say no.
I only had to hope that he was working tomorrow, or at least, had something that kept him busy enough to know that I was not around.
“I’ll give you a location tomorrow then. But be discreet about it,” I speak, making sure my voice is actually a whisper.
When I replaced the phone as I used to keep it, I returned the key and made it downstairs.
Zane was there with the men having some whiskey.
“Where have you been, London?” he asks opening his arm to me.
As much as I want him to leave me alone, I don’t hesitate to walk right into his embrace, tilting my chin just the right measure to let him kiss me.
His lips are gentle against mine, and when he pushes his tongue into my mouth, I break the kiss. Zane is visibly mad at me, but he doesn’t say anything.
If his men saw what I did, they made no sound about it, thus, Zane repeated his question, reminding me that I hadn’t answered it.
“Uh… Uhmm… Using the bathroom,” I say. Which is a straight lie.
Zane’s brows quirked upwards, “Will it make you feel better if I say I was in our room when I left my office just now?” he asked.
I gulp, fear taking hold of me. I shake my head, knowing that Zane might be setting a trap for me.
I choose my next words carefully.
“I had finished using it. Just watching…” I looked around the house finding words to back me up. I found them on the wall.
“Photos. I was checking the pictures on the wall upstairs,” I lie through my teeth.
The men snort as if my lie was a see through one.
Zane’s brown eyes darken, but he just nods his head. When his lips press against my ears, he says wildly,
“Lying to me will cost you daddy’s belt, little human. Remember that,” he finishes and walks away from me.
My legs give out on me as I slide onto the nearby seat. I was sweating already, although the Air conditioner was on. It may be the heat from Zane’s reminder to me.
That was truly hot, but terrifying as well. His spankings might turn me on, but it still hurt.