Free Beautiful Captivity (The Club #1) by Ashleigh Townshend Page B

my body. My wrists and ankles hurt from being bound, but if I focus my attention on him, it goes away temporarily.
    “Anything.”
    “Why me? Why did you pick me?”
    “You’re beautiful. And I saw you and knew you were special. I didn’t want to feel anything. I just thought you would be exactly what we needed to bring in profits, but when I saw you the first time, I was ruined. You’ve ruined me, Nichole. I can’t be anything but yours now.”
    I smile. “I thought I was yours .”
    “We belong to each other, baby.”
    He rests his head on my chest and we fall asleep. I fear the days to come, but not with him by my side. This has to be enough to save us both. It just has to.
    …
    I wake to someone touching me, and at first, I’m happy. The hand between my legs, the fingers slipping inside of me, they feel good. I open my eyes, looking for Zane, his head now bald, and his dark eyes looking down at me. Instead, there is a man. A large man with tattoos that run along his arm and his neck, down his chest, and all the way to his stomach. They end right before his giant cock, which is erect, and pointed at me.
    I try to get away, but chains hold me in place.
    “No,” I say.
    “Good morning, Willow. That’s your name, correct? Willow?”
    I nod. I don’t want him to know my real name.
    “Well, Willow, I’m Ky. I think we need to talk. About what your place is in this organization.”
    He takes his hand out of my legs, which is a relief, I suppose. However, I don’t feel like this conversation is going to go well.
    “I’m not your whore,” I spit. “You can’t just take people from their lives.”
    “That’s where you’re wrong. Obviously we can. Do you come from money, Willow?”
    “No.”
    “So then you have no idea what money can do, do you? You can own anything you want if you have the funding, sweetheart. And you? A tight, pretty little virgin? There are many, many men who wanted that. However, you had to go and ruin it, didn’t you? You had to go be a little slut and fuck a nobody. Do you think Zed is going to take care of you? He can’t even take care of himself, Willow. We own him, too, you know.”
    “I guess it’s too bad. Because now I have nothing you can take.” I feel a bit of pride at that. They can do whatever they want to me. I gave myself to Zane and he will always have that part of me. They’re wrong about money. That was something no one bought. They tried, but I gave it to Zane for nothing. Because I chose to.
    “You may not be a virgin, but there is plenty we can take. And plenty we intend to take. You will earn that money back.”
    “And if I don’t?”
    He smacks me hard. It’s blinding in the pain, but I refuse to cry. I bite down on the inside of my lip and try to focus through the pain.
    “You will. Or we will kill you. We’ll probably kill you anyway. But I guess the question is how long you want to live. There’s also the matter of Zed.”
    “What about him?” I feel a chill run through me.
    “Let’s just say you have control over certain things, Willow. If you do what we want, if you serve the clients who paid a great deal of money to have you, maybe we’ll even let him live. If you continue to be so… resistant… well, then, I guess we will just have to use him to demonstrate exactly what will happen to you.”
    “Don’t hurt him,” I plead.
    “Don’t make us.”
    He leaves the room with the warning between us. I wish I knew where Zane was.

 
    HIM
    …
    They came to take me away before she woke. I hate thinking about what he’s doing to her. I tell myself I have to let it go, that she may have to do something with someone else to get us out of this, but the thought kills me. I don’t want anyone else with her. The jealousy drives me. She’s supposed to be mine.
    Rage that stems from the jealousy moves my body, as I approach the door. It’s steel, which is impenetrable, but I’m not bound or trapped. I just need a way out of this room. I look