Page 132 of Stains of Desire
When the door finally opens, I lift my head off the table and out of my arms.
William walks in, and new chills dig into my bones.
Of course. He labeled me as a spy.
But why?
His pinstriped, three-piece suit is wrinkled. My guess is from the flight. His hair is almost entirely silver, except for a few darker pieces sprinkled throughout. The sage scent of his cologne nauseates me further.
"Penelope." His cold voice matches his eyes.
"William," I squeak out through tears.
"Get up."
"Why?"
He slams his hand on the table, and I jump. "Do not question me."
I rise, every inch of my body shaking.
He holds my chin and pushes my head back. His face hovers above mine, scowling.
There's a sharp pain in the back of my neck. "You're hurting me," I cry out.
He doesn't release me. Spit flies from his mouth as he speaks. "You're mine. Did you forget that?"
I don't answer, only shed more tears. William has never physically beaten me. He's been harsh with me at times, but this is the roughest, and I'm scared I'm going to get assaulted.
His eyes get darker, and he scans my face. "What were you doing with that man?"
Oh God.
I don't know how to answer.
Something catches his eye, and he lifts his other finger and pushes on a bruise on the back of my neck where Axel marked me. His face reddens with anger. He pulls a key out of his pocket and removes my handcuffs. "Take off your clothes."
"What?"
Through clenched teeth, he growls, "You better start obeying." He releases my neck and steps back, folds his arms over his chest, and glares.
I'm paralyzed until he yells, "Now."
My hands tremble so hard, I have a hard time grasping the bottom of my T-shirt. I manage to get it off. I push my pants over my ass, and they drop to the floor.
He's going to go crazy on me.
It was several days ago when I made Axel mark me. The bite marks no longer look like teeth, but the bruises are purple and yellow. They aren't big, like when the jet ski hurt me, but I have them all over me.
"He did this to you?" His voice is controlled.
I only cry harder and look at the floor.
"Did you enjoy it?"
I look at him in surprise. I decide it's better to lie. "No."
"He forced himself on you and did this?"
