I stood, moving closer.
When Mr. Douglas moved her mane of hair over her shoulder as if to get a better look, I reached for the screen door handle. My heart was pounding a distraught rhythm and my skin felt feverish. I became possessed by an impulsive urge to go down there and remind them that I was supposed to be the one taking care of him. I was here, ready to be called on, just as my master had asked of me. Had Marco forgotten? I could just remind him.
I wasn’t in my right mind when I peeked behind me and found the two bodyguards in their own conversational world, clueless that I’d ever do anything as foolish as I was about to do. But in my desperate mind at that moment it made sense. I pulled open the door and rushed down the steps on my bare feet.
The sun hit my face. A strong ocean breeze blew my hat off, over the rocks and down the cliffside. I didn’t care.
“Maestro!” I called out to Marco. “Estoy aquí!” Master, I’m here.
The shouts of Luis and Paulo sounded behind me, and for one moment I felt elated when Marco and Mr. Douglas turned and saw me. Now they remembered! But Marco’s look of confusion quickly turned to anger, and Mr. Douglas’s look of shock quickly turned to apprehension. He stood, practically tossing the slave girl off his lap.
Luis barreled into me from behind, lifting me off my feet and running with me toward the house. I struggled against him at first, wanting him to put me down so I could explain. But by the time we hit the cool shade of the indoors my madness had cleared, swiftly replaced by a shameful horror at what I’d done.
Luis dropped me to the floor where I banged my knee and cowered backward against the wall. Trembling began as multiple pairs of feet rushed in, voices raised, Marco asking Luis what the hell was going on. Everyone from the pool seemed to cram into the room to witness the spectacle I’d caused.
I was shaking so hard. What had I done? What had I done? I wanted to bury myself in the floor as the shouts rang out above me. I flattened myself in a ball, pressing my face between my knees. And then someone had a handful of my hair and was yanking my head upward. Luis.
“Answer him!” he shouted.
Marco stood in front of me, his hands behind his back, that woeful look of disappointment on his face. I could only whimper because I hadn’t heard the question.
“Lo siento,” I whispered.
“My Angel.” His voice was calm, so calm. “I don’t know what you were thinking, but this is your gravest disobedience to me yet.”
I swallowed hard and my eyes slipped to Mr. Douglas next to him. His jaw was set as if he were the one angered and scared. Did he think I was a bad girl now? I didn’t want him to think that. I was good. I’d been good so long.
I found Josef in the door’s entrance. The sheer fear and sadness on his face made a single sob bubble up from my chest and a tear spilled over.
Marco stepped forward and smacked me across the face.
I gasped. He hadn’t hit me very hard, but a scorching flare of pain reverberated from my cheek and through my whole body. It was guilt. I had let him down.
“You will be whipped.”
I nodded, fighting back tears. It’d been so long since I had the urge to cry, and it was hard to hold back.
“Your actions have also forfeited your prized possession,” he said coldly.
My prized…? Oh, no.
“No, Maestro,” I whispered. “Por favor, no.” Luis yanked my head again to shush me. My chin quivered.
“Sí, Angel, sí,” Marco said in a low voice. “I was hoping it would not come to this, but you have pushed me too far this time.”
Who would do it?
The air was buzzing with excitement. All around us were hungry eyes.
“What is her prized possession, Se?or?” the wiry, short man asked with far too much enthusiasm.
Marco stared at me for what felt like forever, building the tension in the room.
“Her anal virginity.”
Oohs and ahs and sniggers of enthusiasm rose up throughout the room. I shut my eyes, placing my palms on the floor to steady myself as dizziness took over. My insides quaked with icy fear, spreading to outward tremors.
And then a low, clear, Scottish voice rang out above the din of whispers.
“I’ll do it, Se?or.” The room hushed and every set of eyes turned toward Mr. Douglas’s serious face as he addressed Marco. “Allow me to punish her.”
He didn’t know what the hell’d gotten into him, but there was no way he was allowing any of these idiots to beat Angela on his watch, or let them get their dicks anywhere near her arse. He stared at Marco, waiting for his response, ready and more than willing to fight if it came to that. His muscles were tense and his neck was tight.
He could see Marco was unsure. Contemplating.