Page 157 of To Catch a Sub

“I’m glad she’s back,” the other man said in accented English. “You’ll have to make sure she knows she’s yours now.”

“Ahh, I know what you like to do to them.” There was a smile in Damien’s voice.

The mattress dipped as Damien sat, then dipped more as he lay down beside her. Colette’s breath hitched as he ran his hand over her breasts.

“I know where you were,” he said softly. “I know where they were keeping you. What kind of place it was.”

Colette’s breath caught. He knew not only about Interpol but about Club Alibi?

“I promised not to beat you.” A thin line of anger laced through his words, and Colette opened her eyes, looking at him. He was so close she could clearly see the ring of darker blue around the outside of his irises.

“You shouldn’t have let anyone touch you. You know that.” He placed the tip of his finger against one of the love bites, then traced the outline of the small oval-shaped mark. He was being so gentle. It terrified her.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, voice shaking.

“I know.”

He gripped her breast, squeezing hard. Her flesh plumped between his fingers, and she winced at the odd, deep pain.

“I heard you were their slave,” Damien whispered. “Their whore.”

“No.” She made the word firm. A fact. “I served drinks.”

“Topless?”

She nodded, playing into whatever assumptions he was making.

“Other men wanted you. Tasted you.” He gripped her other breast, treating it to the same brutal squeeze.

She breathed through the pain, knowing it would end. It had to end.

Finally he released her, and she slumped into the mattress.

“I know how it’s done,” Damien said after a moment. “Even the ones who aren’t for sale are there to please men’s eyes. And it’s good business to let clients have a taste of exactly what they’ll be allowed to do once they pay.”

Colette wondered how many brothels he ran. How many women he trafficked into those places. How many had done what she was doing now, trying to divorce themselves from their own bodies as a man put his hands on them.

Damien lowered his mouth to her breast, and bit her. Hard.

He took his time, obliterating each of the marks Landon had made with one of his own. But his bites were savage, bringing tears to her eyes, and sometimes she couldn’t help but look, sure he’d broken her skin and there’d be blood on her breasts. She stayed silent, only the occasional gasp escaping, though she couldn’t stop herself from crying, the tears sliding into the hair at her temples and ears.

Her whole chest throbbed by the time he was done.

Damien propped himself up on one elbow, looking at her with satisfaction.

Colette stared at his chin, happy to be emotionally numb.

That didn’t last.

Damien’s hand slid down her body and between her legs.

She cried out in pain when he tried to force a finger into her, and then let out a second cry when he managed it.

“Oh, my sweet wife. Still so tight for me.”

Colette nodded, agreeing with him, as tears of mingled pain and relief sprung to her eyes.

She whimpered when he withdrew his finger and tried to close her legs, but he slapped the inside of her thighs.