“Sorry. That was dumbass.”
“No need to apologise.”
The other guys are still chuckling.
“It’s this place,” I say, laughing along. “It just gives the vibe of…”
“Mafia controlling assassins?”
“Yeah. Something like that.”
“That’s understandable. Powerful, yes. Ruthless, yes, at times. Violent assassins, definitely not.”
“That’s good to know,” I laugh.
The laughter opposite stops dead when someone leans forward and grabs hold of the chain between my cuffs. Oh, how it snaps me back to my current situation. I’m naked, being questioned by anonymous, powerful men who I’ll never see. Who want to use me.Hurt me.
“We may not endorse assassination, Holly, but please don’t forget that we are very controlling,” the voice says. “And we are extreme sadists. Which leads us on to the final question. Please consider your reply very carefully before you answer. The outcome will be severe.”
My palms feel sweaty. The atmosphere tensing up in the room.
“What is it?” I ask. “What is the final question?”
“Would you like to complete your proposal?”
I don’t need to consider my answer. It’s already right on my tongue.
I want a different type of tears rolling down my cheeks before the night is up. I want to surrender. To lose control. To free my soul in the most delirious of ways. Such a relief after so much tension, trying to keep my head together as the world spun off its axis around me.
“Yes,” I say, “It would be an absolute honour.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Prepare yourself, Holly,” the man says. “Soon you will meet your master.”
I give a nod in my hood, my shackled hands clasped on my lap as I hear the men stand up and leave the room.
I feel so alone in the armchair once the silence reigns. My mind begins to dance, and I breathe deeply, embracing the stillness as my bare skin sparks with ideas of what’s to come.
Canes… crops… clamps…
Nettles?
Whatever it is, I know it’s going to be so very painful. But the beauty of submission is worth far more than my flesh will have to pay for it. I’ll pay gladly.
I will serve my master with every piece of my soul.
I may think I’m deep into the realms of serenity when I hear the door open again, but that quickly proves itself to be bullshit. My chains rattle as I push myself back in the chair, and I let out a whimper as a firm hand lands on my shoulder.
“It’s time, Holly. Get to your feet.”
The voice belongs to the man who stripped me when I got here.
The chains are heavy as he helps me up. They jangle loudly as he leads me along, blinded by my hood. The warmth of carpet under my feet soon turns to the cold hardness of tiles as he leads me into another room, and I get goosebumps at the memory of being here before.
This is the same room as I was in for the last founders’ proposal. The ambience of the place is unforgettable.
My guide gives me a simplearms upinstruction before fastening my bound wrists onto a solid hook over my head. I screw my eyes closed when he uses a winch to raise me, precarious on my tiptoes as I strain to keep my position.
