Page 47 of Declan

She eyes my warily but doesn’t step back as she retorts, “Yes. Stop pretending to be the nice, silly guy and show me what kind of deranged psychopath you really are.”

I snake a hand out and grab her by her throat, squeezing just hard enough so she can breathe but not speak. Then I lean in, my nose almost touching hers as I grit out, “The first thing you’re going to do is shut your fucking mouth.”

Her eyes widen, and her hands come up to claw at the back of mine as she shakes her head. But it’s too late to take it back, and I move forward, pushing her backward until we’re next to my bedside table. I shove her so she falls against the bed, then lean down and open the drawer, grabbing the ball gag I keep there.

I release her throat and flip her onto her stomach, climbing onto her and straddling her back at the same time I press the ball between her lips, so all she manages is a small scream before I’m securing the leather behind her head.

I lean back, grabbing the set of wrist restraints from the drawer, easing off her enough to bring her arms around so I can secure them behind her back. She thrashes beneath me, and I slide down her body so I’m pressing my hard cock against her ass, my face rubbing against her cheek as I shush her.

It takes a few moments for her to calm enough for me to speak, and even then, she’s breathing heavily through her nose, her eyes shooting daggers at me as I whisper, “I’m going to show you the real me, doll face. Just like you asked me to. But let me be very clear on one thing; are you listening?”

She stills for a moment, and there’s no sound in the room except her labored breathing. Then, she nods, and I continue, “I will never put my hands on you sexually when you’re incapable of communicating distress to me. Do you understand?”

She nods again, without hesitation this time, and I take some comfort from this fact as it insinuates she wasn’t truly worried I was going to force myself on her sexually.

But that doesn’t mean I won’t put her in a cage of my making and force her to stay by my side for the rest of my life.

I sit back, then move off the bed and grab another set of restraints from the bedside table, kneeling down and securing her ankles before shoving her the rest of the way on the bed and connecting her ankles to her wrists, eliminating any chance she can escape.

I stand back, admiring my handiwork, and she glares at me, her garbled words most likely of the four-letter variety, but I smile down at her lovingly. “You wait here and cool off for a while, darlin’. I’m going to go get ready for tonight’s concert.”

She makes another garbled statement, and I laugh as I add, “Don’t worry, doll face. You’re going to have a front-row seat.”

I press my road manager’s number, waiting for him to answer before saying, “I’m going to need a cage.”

18

A Rock Opera, of Sorts

Issa

Thatno-goodbastard.

That’s all that’s running through my head as I prowl this cage like a wild animal.

It doesn’t take long for me to realize where I am.

At the venue.

On stage.

It seems Declan plans on making me part of his show, though I can’t imagine how he plans on incorporating me into his normal set.

Then, I remember this is Declan fucking Hughes, and his normal set doesn’t mean shit when he has the power and means to change his set however he pleases at a moment’s notice.

Which means this could get ugly.

The venue fills up rapidly, and before too long, the sound check is complete, and the place is getting amped for the show to begin. I’ve never been to one of Declan’s live concerts, but they’re well-known for being a raucous good time.

He’s been playing with the same band for at least a decade, and they have things fine-tuned to the point I think any one of them could step in for the other without even blinking.

Well, with the exception of Declan.

The band comes out first, most of them giving me a nod, but no one speaks to me directly. I don’t bother trying to start up a conversation or, worse yet, asking someone to let me out, knowing it would be a waste of breath.

The band takes their places, making sure everything is set for go-time, and the fervor of the crowd increases with every moment they wait for Declan to appear on stage.

The atmosphere is electric, and I’m enveloped by this odd warmth that’s comforting and disconcerting at the same time.

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