Joseph raised a shaky hand. “Give it to me…” He cleared his throat and tried to sit up, wanting to appear strong.
Crewe smiled before he handed the tracker over. “Just press the top button, and it’ll be over instantly.” He turned back to me, the gun still pointed at my face. “Watching your brother end his own life should be punishment enough for both of you.”
I turned red in the face because I was so angry. I let this man touch me, kiss me, and he was worse than the devil himself. Every day was worse than the previous one, and now I was going to lose the only family I had left in the world. “Crewe, please. I’ll do anything.”
“There’s nothing you can offer me,” he said coldly, holding the gun steady. “Hit the button already, Joseph. The rest of us have lives to live.”
“No.” I grabbed Joseph’s wrist and forced his hand down. “Crewe, there has to be something you want. I’ll give you anything in the world. Just don’t do this. Let my brother go. You’ve gotten enough revenge.”
“The only thing I want is something you’ve proven you can’t give.” He pressed the barrel against the skin between my eyes.
I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. “What?”
“Obedience. Absolute obedience.”
That was something I could never give to anyone—until now. “You want me to obey you? If I do what you ask, you’ll let him live?” If that was the case, he was asking for a lot. My body and mind would no longer be my own. Like a dog, I’d have to bark at his command.
“The only way I’d let this asshole go is if you agree to give me your absolute devotion. When I tell you to do something, you do it. No questions asked. You’re my slave, my property. Your purpose is to listen to me, to hang on to every single word I say. When I ask you to sit, you sit. When I ask you to suck my cock, you do it and enjoy it. It’s a price too high for you to pay. I know you, London. You couldn’t handle it.”
No, I couldn’t. But I would make it happen to save my last family member. “I’ll do it, Crewe. Whatever you want.” I would let him break me, let him control me exactly the way he wanted. If he wanted to fuck me, he could fuck me.
Crewe finally lowered the gun, cocking his head to the side. “I don’t think you understand, London. I’ll still have this tracker. The second you fail to please me, I’ll hit that button. I’ll ask you to do stuff you despise—and act like you enjoy it. I’ve allowed you to get away with a lot since you came into my possession, but all those freedoms will be gone. Everything will be different.”
I did understand the cruelty he implied. I understood I would have to close off my mind and obey his every command. Listening to someone boss me around went against everything I believed in. But I had to do the right thing for my brother. I had to spare him. Eventually, he would figure out how to rescue me. And when he did, I would be free. This imprisonment was only temporary. I could do this.
Crewe continued to watch me with his mocha-colored eyes, the gun still raised. “Are you sure you can handle that?”
I nodded. “Just let him go.”
He finally lowered the gun. “Your spine is even harder than I realized.” He stood up and motioned to his men. “Get him out of here.”
The men moved to Joseph and gripped him by the arms. His body was limp because he was still out of it, unable to think or speak.
“Where are you taking him?” I demanded.
“Somewhere safe.” Crewe shoved the gun into the back of his slacks.
They carried Joseph’s body out of the drawing room and to the entryway. I was still terrified for his safety, unsure if he would really be okay. “How do I know you aren’t just going to kill him anyway?”
Crewe walked up to me, his face pressed close to mine. His hand moved to my cheek, his thumb brushing across the skin. He was tender with me despite being so inhumane just a moment ago. “I’m a man of my word, Lovely. If I say he’s safe, he’s safe.”
For some idiotic reason, I believed him. “Where?”
“They’ll drop him off in a hotel. When he wakes up, he can call his men.”
I closed my eyes in relief, needing to know my brother would be okay. I hadn’t seen him as often as I would’ve liked over the past few years, but we were still close. Once our parents died, we stopped being bickering siblings and turned into our own family. He was the one person I would do anything for without hesitation.
“For this plan to work, I need him alive.” Crewe continued to reassure me even though I didn’t voice my doubts. “I want him to know you’re my prisoner, sacrificing yourself so he may live. Everyone will fear me even more than they already do.”
That’s all he seemed to care about. Money was irrelevant. What he craved was absolute power.
He dropped his hand from my cheek, and his gaze turned cold. His emotions shifted dramatically, from one extreme to the next. His breathing picked up just the way it did when he whipped my ass until it was red. “Go to my quarters, dress yourself up, and take a knee on the hardwood floor. Wait for me.”
He issued his first command, and I had to obey. If I didn’t, all he had to do was hit the small button, and my brother would be dead. My spine shivered in rebuttal, but I kept my mouth shut. He watched me intently, waiting to see my response. I despised myself for cooperating, but I had to do it. I had to give this king what he wanted. “Yes.”
His hand moved to my neck, his fingers wrapping around my throat gently. He pressed his face close to mine, his lips just inches away. He stared at my mouth. “Yes, sir.”
Revulsion swept through me like a storm. My body internally writhed and burned in anguish. I had to submit to him, to give up my self-respect and perseverance. Despite the circumstance, I still judged myself for cooperating. I refused to let a man boss me around, but now I had to drop my principles—to survive. “Yes…sir.”
15
Crewe
I couldn’t stop shaking.
I stood outside the royal chambers and stared at my hands. They wouldn’t remain still. The second she called me sir, exquisite pleasure crept down my spine all the way to my balls. I almost grabbed her by the hair and pushed her to her knees.
I won.
I finally got her where I wanted her to be, on her knees. A part of me loved her independence and fire, the fact that she refused to be controlled by anyone—especially me. But I also craved her submission. It brought the desire from deep within my bones. I hadn’t been this hard since the last time I fucked her.
Now I really wanted to fuck her.
I stood outside the door until I could control my breathing. It was haywire, full of intense desire. I couldn’t wait to do so many things to her. Even though she was here against her will, I knew she enjoyed everything I did to her. She enjoyed the kisses, the spanks, and the sex. But she was far too proud to admit it to herself. Her stubbornness was too powerful for her to ignore.