I can feel Master’s anger radiating in waves, but he neither calls out his uncle’s homophobia nor defends me. “I can keepher,” he offers evenly, and my heart soars. Yes! He can keep me, and everything will be okay.
Anton’s wheezing laugh shatters my hopes. “Keep her? Are you crazy, boy? She’s still valuable merchandise. Not top class, since she’s flat as a board and her face is nothing to write home about, either, but still a toy way above our pay grade. The boss is looking for a new buyer. I just came to let you know you’ll have to keep her here for a few days longer before the new deal is finalized. She’ll never be yours,synok.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Master’s fists clenched so tight his knuckles are white, and I shudder at the coldness in his voice. “Right, because dolls are not for me.”
“Exactly. Now…” He unbuckles his belt. “How is she with blowjobs? She’s not much to look at, but I can close my eyes.”
I shouldn’t be horrified. I’m meant to serve my Master and whoever else he deems to share me with. But, dammit, I don’t want this old creep anywhere near me. Besides, if he thinks I’m ugly, why would he want a blowjob from me?
I’m beyond relieved when Master growls, “Get lost, Anton. This is my training area, not a fucking brothel.”
Anton smirks, but steps back and buckles his belt again. “Such a prickly little boy. Enjoy your illusion of superiority, Mikhail. It won’t last long. The boss is thinking about expanding the operation. Training one Doll at a time costs too much money and time. There’s been talks of mass production at multiple locations. Your methods, but on a grander scale.”
“Might as well just hand out common whores then,” Master replies derisively. “Text me when there’s a new buyer for the Doll. Don’t come back here.”
“Aww, it was nice seeing you too,synok. Gonna give your uncle a hug?” Anton taunts but, wisely, retreats without actually trying to hug Mikhail. I have a feeling he would have gotten punched instead.
Ignoring my presence, he punches a code into the console by the door. He’s too quick, and I only catch two of the five or six digits. Not that it matters. I’ve never been allowed to move around unsupervised, and I don’t expect that to change. And in a few days, Master will send me away. At least I can take comfort in knowing he doesn’t want to. He wants to keep me, but he can’t.
Now I understand what he meant when he said we both have our paths to walk. In a way, he’s as trapped as I am. We were never meant to stay together.
Chapter 23
Grace
After the altercation with his uncle, I expect Mikhail to go back to his workout, but he never does. Instead, he turns off the fucking machine and undoes my restraints. Surprised and a little wary of his empty expression, I watch him struggle with the clasps, as if his fingers were shaking. Once he removes my gag, I shakily pull myself into a kneeling position, leaning against the bench.
“Master?” I ask carefully, unsure of what’s happening. It’s clear that he’s struggling with some heavy emotions, and I want nothing more than to help him, but I don’t know how. If only he’d tell me what he needs from me, but he just roughly pulls me on my feet and walks me to my cot.
“Not now, Doll,” he cuts me off the second I open my mouth. “Just sleep.”
Sleep? I’m tired, yes, but that’s nothing new. I feel like I’ve been living in perpetual exhaustion for days now, but there’s no way I’ll be able to fall asleep when Master is this agitated. Mikhail, I remind myself. His name is Mikhail, but he probably wouldn’t be happy if I used it.
Not wanting to anger him further, I settle on the uncomfortable bed, wishing I had a blanket to snuggle into. Sleeping naked with nothing to cover myself would have sounded impossible to me a week ago but these days, I’m usually so tired I drop right into sleep once I’m allowed to. Except today. Today, I’m listening to Mikhail as he moves around the apartment.
In the kitchen, he slams the drawers and rattles the pans and pots with much more force than usual. Once he’s done with the dishes, he marches back into his gym corner and takes his anger out on the punching bag. Curses and other words I don’t understand flow from his mouth as he slams his fists into the bag over and over, until I’m sure his hands must hurt because he’s not wearing any gloves.
Even when he takes a shower, I hear his grumbled curses over the sound of falling water. It’s when I hear a grunt and a jarring thud that I decide that enough is enough. Is he punching walls now? The moron is going to break his knuckles! Clearly, he needs someone to save him from himself.
“Master?!” I call out, fully aware that I’m asking for trouble, but that’s the plan. He needs to unwind, and I’m the only one who can help him.
The water cuts off. “I told you to sleep, Doll,” comes a half-growled answer.
“I need to talk to you, Master. I need to tell you something important.”
More curses. Then he stomps over, clad only in a towel slung low around his hips, droplets of water dripping off his gloriously bare chest. “Need?” he snaps at me. “Since when does a Dollneedsomething other than to serve her Master and follow his fucking orders?”
Knowing I’m doing this to help him doesn’t make it any less scary, but seeing how tightly wound up he is, I crave nothing more than to help him relax. And there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to relax him. My pain. Punishing me will hopefully help him flush all of this vitriol out of his system, and then I can have my sweet and caring Master back. For a few days, anyway, but I don’t let the thought poison my determination. If I only have a few more days with him, I want to enjoy them with the best version of him, not with this pissed-off grizzly bear, and I definitely don’t want him to break his bones punching a tiled wall.
“You’re right, Master.” I attempt an innocent smile, though it’s probably a little strained. “I’m a bad Doll. I deserve to be punished.”
That catches him off guard. “You—what?” He stares at me as if I’ve grown a second head.
I wince as I shift on the bed, my asshole still tender after the earlier “training”. I’m not looking forward to getting hurt more, but I’m doing this for him. All for him. “I want nothing more but to stay with you, but if I have to leave in a few days… There’s something you need to know, Master. Something important.” Looking into his eyes, I take a deep breath, knowing I’m about to break one of the most important rules. Never mention your previous life. “My name is Grace Foster.”
***
Mikhail
