Page 14 of Heal Me

My back arches as heat coalesces deep within my belly, and I strain against the straitjacket. Even the tight constriction is no longer oppressive.

“I’ve got you. I’m right here. Just let go,” Dorin says, and as I push my arms against the tight sleeves again, it’s more like a warm hug than a cruel humiliation. It sends a wave of energy straight to my core, making my toes curl, and when I repeat the motion, I come apart.

Sweet relief washes through me in a wave of heat. I moan. Long and deep. A freeing sound from the pit of my belly.

“Look at me,” Dorin says.

As I open my eyes and stare up at this stranger who has reached deeper inside me than anyone else, I feel new. Cleansed.

11

DORIN

Her eyes are swimming and unfocused, her limbs loose and heavy, as I help her up to sit. Having to support her to keep her upright, I scoot onto the mattress and nestle her into my side as I unbuckle the gag. Her small, pliant body feels surprisingly good against mine, so instead of placing her against the wall, I keep her at my side as I lift the bowl of kasha to feed her.

All thoughts seem to have vanished from her mind, leaving her in a floaty, almost drugged state. I’m not sure she even realizes what’s going on as she opens her mouth to accept the food. It seems to be a reflexive response. One that I enjoy more than I would have thought. I have always found willing obedience overrated and never did understand Mikhail’s and Dax’s fascination with Nikolai’s submissive girl—and now, Dax’s little project. But something about this girl makes me appreciate things I’ve never cared for before. It’s as unsettling as it is fascinating.

Little by little, she regains awareness. Her head moves more as she accepts each scoop and chews, and she stirs to get more comfortable against my side. But even after she has eaten the last spoonful of kasha, she remains quiet and still.

I let her sit there for a few minutes, curious to see what she’ll do. When she shows no signs of change, I lower her to the mattress and cover her with the blankets, then get up to leaveto give her some time to rest. When I open the door, there’s a small mewl, maybe half a word, that makes me turn. Her eyes are now focused on me, though just barely, and her lips move as she struggles to put voice to her words.

“Stay.”

I’m barely sure I heard right. Her voice is so weak that the word is almost intelligible, and the idea of a girl wanting me to stay is laughable, but the pleading look in her eyes tells me she does indeed mean it.

Pausing, I consider if I want to stay and am surprised to find that I do. So I return to sit on the mattress beside her. No touching, just sitting there.

My presence seems to calm her. She closes her eyes, and her breaths deepen as relief seems to wash through her.

I lean against the wall and carefully press my palm to her forehead. I half expect her to pull away like a scared cat, but she only hums. It’s a soft, low sound, barely there, but as I start stroking her skin, she repeats, and peace seems to settle over her.

I’m not sure how long I stay there, just sitting at her side, stroking her hair. When I catch myself nodding off for the second time, I decide it’s time to leave.

She’s fast asleep, breathing calmly. She only stirs a little as I remove the dildo, but falls back to sleep immediately again. I’m about to turn her to remove the straitjacket but change my mind as I watch the peaceful expression on her face. Such a different look than the one I found her with in the tub. I don’t want to ruin that, so I decide to come back later.

Besides, I like having her helpless here, waiting for me.

As I leave her cell and walk away, I grit my teeth at the sound of a voice these halls have been blissfully void of for the better part of several months.

“What the hell is going on here?” Mikhail calls out, making me stop and turn. He’s been gone on business, as he often is, and as always, I’m not exactly happy to have him back. I prefer to be my own boss and not have some annoying prick in a fancy suit breathing down my neck about money and profits and not damaging the merchandise. “You’re supposed to keep an eye on things when I’m gone,” he continues, stopping in front of me—closer than anyone else dares to. “Now I have four barely sellable girls. One girl because Dax can’t do his job and hands it over to you, and three others because the new guy, Jan, is out of control. And everyone keeps whispering about the girl in cell one. Explain.”

“I told you that fucker was up to no good when you hired him,” I shoot back, having had a bad feeling about Jan from the start. Mikhail surely knew even before I told him but chose to ignore his instincts, badly needing more trainers.

“I need you to put him in line. But no killing him. I need him back in shape in two weeks.”

“Sure,” I say in a non-committed tone and begin to walk away.

Grabbing my arm to make me turn, Mikhail gets himself goddamn close to getting my fist in his face. “I’m serious, Dorin. I’m getting a new shipment, and I won’t have the manpower to train them if we’re a man down.”

“Two weeks, and you make sure no one touchesher.” I stab my finger through the air toward the cell I just left.

“She’s all yours as long as you keep your end of the deal.”

Without another word, I walk away to go find Jan. He’s in the middle of beating up a girl in one of the whipping rooms. I can tell from her shallow breaths and hunched-forward posture that he has already broken one of her ribs. He’s about to break another as he lifts his fist, aiming for her chest.

Goddamn idiot.I told him not to hit their ribs, and now he’s taking it one step further, breaking them.

Shaking my head, I cross the room and punch his face with enough force to send him to the ground. Then I cut the ropes on the girl’s wrists and carry her into the hallway, where I dump her on the ground. Someone else will take her away when they find her.

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