"Chew, Alice."
Hating herself for fighting against that small spark of rebellion within her, she did as she was told. Swallowing down the bite took effort, and when it finally slid past the knot in her throat, it fell like a boulder into her stomach, writhing in the churning acid of her fear.
When she didn't move to take another bite, her fork lying useless against the delicate pattern of the ceramic plate, he lifted a questioning brow. "Should I continue to feed you myself? Or do you think you can manage without being forced?"
A veiled threat, a tender question. The dichotomy of one against the other was staggering. She didn't want to eat, didn't think it was possible to force another crumb past the throat that restrained her silent scream. But what choice did she have?
Only the one he gave her.
Fifteen minutes passed, Max' eyes set and focused on the small woman as she picked at the dinner on her plate. He studied every movement she made, the food she selected, the manner in which she chewed slowly and thoroughly to ensure she didn't choke on the nutrients he'd prepared for her body.
Had it been up to her, she would have starved that body until there was nothing left but skin and bone. It didn't belong to her anymore, so why would she care for it? If she was truly his possession now, she wanted nothing to do with it.
"Thank you," he whispered, his hand coming across the plate to rest on her own. The fork dropped from her fingers, her head bowed so that only the scraps of food left on the plate were visible to her tear filled eyes.
Pulling his hand from hers, he plucked the napkin from his lap, placing it on the table without releasing her from his cold and calculated stare. "We should clear the table, Alice. I can't function unless everything is clean and in its place."
She hated everything about the man who refused to release her from his tethered hold. The formality of him, the manners, the routine he attempted to force between them. Families ate dinner together. Families cleared the table and washed the dishes. But not like this. Not with him.
Daring to question him, she swallowed her fear, her hand reaching up to brush the burning moisture from her eyes. “Why are you doing this to me? Why are you torturing me with all of this bullshit?” Her hand flew across the table, the dishes that had been set so beautifully were scattered until they crashed against the wall and floor.
She expected to be restrained for her behavior, slapped or kicked, raped or beaten, but none of those things would occur.
Without commenting, Max watched the dishes fly across the room, the delicate patterns shattering into the same tiny pieces as Alice's heart and mind. Only when the last shard had settled its frenetic clamoring against the floor did he resettle his gaze back on her.
A shy smile tugged at his lips, unspoken thoughts obvious behind the brilliance of his blue eyes.
"You prove me right in everything you do."
He allowed that comment to hang between them, allowed her anger to ratchet higher until it was a blanket covering her fear. With a voice that betrayed nothing of the emotions he was feeling, he said, "You’re so easy, Alice. So predictable. I keep waiting for you to do something to surprise me."
"Fuck you." Her words came out on a shaky breath, rage settling over her vocal chords as her mouth curled into a sneer.
Finally having forced him to his breaking point with two simple words, she learned about the violence in the man who'd stolen her.
He struck out before she could react to his movement, his strong fingers gripping her fine blonde hair, twisting the length of her tresses until they wrapped his hand and forearm. Alice screamed in shocked response at first, but soon that sound was a manifestation of the burning pain that spread like fire across her scalp.
Pulling her close so that her body lifted from her chair and hung over his lap, he ignored her anguished pleas. He dropped his lips against her ear.
"I warned you. Do not try my patience, Alice. I'm trying not to harm you."
Despite his words, despite the controlled manner of his voice, the beast inside him rose to the surface, his eyes shadowed with rage and righteous anger as he forced her to the floor. Standing up from his seat, he took deliberate steps around the table, still clenching Alice's hair in his hand. She had no choice but to crawl at his feet, a woman made into a pathetic dog by the man who'd claimed her fate.
Crossing the room, he finally released her at the wall where the dishes had shattered, her body falling helplessly to the floor as broken as the shards she’d been dropped down upon.
"Clean it the fuck up."