Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Elevation

Mark

It was as though all his Christmases had come at once. Hannah had admitted her terror, her wide eyes and flushed skin confirming what her lips pleaded, and he couldn't believe his luck. In all the time he'd held her in the basement he'd shared with Fuller, he couldn't recall such honesty from her. Or, perhaps that wasn't fair. Maybe she'd expressed fear there, too, but all he could remember was how wet she'd been, how much she'd welcomed his touch.

This was different, though. It wasn't like before. Now, there was no Fuller, no Matthew, and no other captives. It was only the two of them, ensnared in the delicious dance he'd initiated.

"Did you really think I'd forget what had happened?" His fingertips skimmed the back of her knee. "Forget that you took the stand to testify against me."

"No, I?—"

"Did you think I'd forget you , Hannah?"

"I thought you were in prison, Mr. Lawes, sir." Her watery eyes rose to meet his.

"Oh, I was." He sighed. "Long years at the Crown's leisure." He shuddered. "Not the best times… but now, I'm out."

She nodded. "And you thought of me?"

The disbelief that had laced her voice had been replaced by the delectable waver of alarm he loved to hear.

"Immediately." He smiled as his finger made its way back toward her mouthwatering sex.

He knew that pussy, recalled how it felt under his fingers and responded to his rough treatment. In all the years he and Fuller had collected women, he'd never known one as aligned to his needs as Hannah was.

"You're special, little girl."

"There's nothing special about me." Clenching her delicate hands into fists, she strained against her restraints.

"You've always been special," he corrected, disliking her derogatory self-talk. "I won't hear a word to the contrary."

"Is that why you're doing this to me, Mr. Lawes, sir?" She sniffed, watching his hand moving along her thigh.

He'd already told her why, hadn't he? He wanted vengeance, but having her there reminded him of all the reasons they were good together.

"I'm doing this for us ."

He should be gagging that sweet mouth of hers, but despite his careful planning and the fact he'd told her there'd be no more questions, he still seemed to be answering her inquiries.

Why is that?

Fleetingly, he second-guessed himself. Why did he have such a soft spot for the beautiful woman with the smart mouth? She wasn't his first victim, after all, and neither was she the fieriest. He recalled another abductee, April, and all the endless fun she'd instigated, yet there had always been something about Hannah.

"But there is no us !" Her breathing accelerated as she presumably tried to make him see reason.

He wanted to snigger at her mistake. No one had ever managed to make him see any view that wasn't his. Not even Fuller had that influence over him.

"I understand you see it that way, little girl." He overlooked the absence of his title to make sure she comprehended what came next. He had to make her see things the way he did. That affecting his revenge and taking her back meant giving them both what they needed—each other and a lifetime of perverted pleasure. "But I don't agree. You were the architect of my downfall, Hannah, but also of my greatest pleasures. I can't conceive a life that doesn't include your dirty little mind and all your incredible responses."

"Oh." Her head fell, as though she hadn't expected the reaction.

"That's enough." His flaring irritation was directed more at himself than her. He should have known better, should have had her gagged by now, but he'd allowed her to manipulate him. "Open up, little girl."

He dangled the gag before her, watching with elation as her eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"No!" Recoiling into the worn seat as far as she could, she turned her face away as the plastic ball neared. Once more, she grappled with the bondage, tugging frantically for her arms to be freed and help her resist the inevitable, and Lawes vehemently welcomed her struggle.

Her every exertion was exquisite, each writhe in the chair stimulating his already eager cock. Surely, she knew what she did to him. Yet still, she continued, thrashing her head from side to side until he steadied it between his palms.

"I do love your performance." Gazing down at her bound body, he considered kissing her, imagining what the punishing caress would feel like when he took it. She was shouting obscenities at him. Retorts he should punish, and yet staring at her, all he could think about was that kiss.

But still, he held back.

There would be time for such dallies in the days to come, but it was time he remained steadfast.

"Little girl." He hoped his deeper voice would convey his disapproval, but he feared it only revealed the extent of his excitement.

"You can't do this, you bastard!" she shrieked, having apparently forgotten all decorum, let alone the respect he deserved. "Leave me alone."

"Wrong." Her undisciplined display aided the use of force he employed as he shoved the plastic ball into her mouth. He'd hoped she'd surrender to it willingly, but in the end, he'd been wrong, so he did what needed to be done.

She screeched with frustration as he tilted her head forward to tighten the strap and lodge the ball gag between her teeth. If there had been any doubt, then she accepted at that moment that she was beaten. He witnessed the glimmer of surrender in her gaze—an acknowledgment that he would have his way.

Just as he always did.

Jail had been a hurdle he hadn't anticipated, but even the State couldn't suppress a man like Mark Lawes for long. He was going to be freed one day, and on that day, Hannah Bowman's card had always been marked. She just appeared completely unaware of the fact.

"Better." He smoothed her tangled hair back on the headrest. He'd need to get her cleaned up eventually—another job for a time when she was calmer. "But don't think I'll forget how you acted or spoke to me just then."

Fresh fear flickered in her eyes as her pupils darted to follow him. Towering over her, he acknowledged how fucking wonderful she was. That one silent gesture alone was enough to inspire precum from the tip of his rock-solid shaft.

"Let's get you ready for me." He tugged at the blouse that had separated him from the fabulous tits he knew waited beneath it.

She squirmed at his words, trying to dodge his touch, and he laughed at her rebellion. Hannah's defiance had always been a source of fascination for him. Perhaps that's why she'd reminded him of April so much. The two had never settled into their submission. It was strange, considering how much their subjugation had turned them on, but they'd never stopped fighting.

"No more complaints." He grinned, lifting his free hand to run his fingers over the strap, helping to silence her. "I love your fight, but you will pay for it."

She stilled at that, moisture glistening on her brow as she waited to see what he'd do next.

"You know how this works." His tone was curt. "Behave, and we'll get along."

Releasing the first two buttons of her blouse, he allowed his hand to brush over the silky fabric. "This is a lovely shirt, little girl. It seems a shame to cut it, so I'm choosing the conventional route."

She bit down on the plastic, her fingers splaying as he helped himself to what he wanted. Unfastening the remaining buttons, he stretched back the material to expose her pretty lingerie before he let out a long wolf whistle.

His gaze rose to lock with hers. "Saul was a very lucky man."

Her brows knitted at his sarcasm but rose as he tugged lightly at the front of the bra.

"This, though…" Releasing the purple fabric, he skimmed his fingers along the bottom of the lacy cup. "This is going to be trickier. There's no easy way to rid you of it without me untying you first, so it'll need to be our first casualty."

"Ooooo." A long string of vowel noises escaped her throat as her head whipped left and right.

"Oh, yes," he mimicked. "I'm afraid so. I need to bare my little girl."

Disregarding her sexy noises, he slipped behind her chair to the table of implements that were laid out waiting. The string of intoxicating noises coming from her mouth were probably complaints, but listening to them was making it difficult for him to think beyond the next step. He'd dreamed about that moment for so long—snatching her, binding her, and gagging her. It was everything he'd wanted, everything that had kept him going night after night when morons like Dylan had rabbited on about hurting and intimidating him, and now he finally had her.

He needed to hold his nerve and make sure the next few hours played out perfectly. Reaching for the wire cutters and the pair of scissors on the table, he rearranged his dick as he spun back to her.

No pleasure yet. His lips stretched wider as he strode back to her side.