about it. Capri, the Le Cabaret dancer who'd told me about Couture House was there, in the presence of a familiar-looking man in his fifties with a shock of dark grey hair.
She spotted me too, and her worried expression stretched into a smile. But her face fell the next moment as the man seemed to notice her attention had shifted. He reprimanded her, grabbing her by the arm and making me wonder how hard his grip was when Capri winced.
"Seen someone you know?" Grayson muttered in my ear, and I nodded, turning to face him.
"My friend, Capri," I said. "She's the one you should thank for making me go to Couture House in the first place."
"Well then," he smiled broadly. "We might as well head over there and thank her now. I trust you recognize the man with her, too?"
"I don't," I muttered, feeling ashamed. Was I supposed to recognize him? "Who is he?"
Grayson smiled widely at me. "He's the other man who almost outbid me at your auction. Come, let's say hello."
My smile faded. I remembered the gray-haired man then, sitting in the audience as I stood up on the stage in the auction house in Notting Hill. I wasn't exactly thrilled about saying hello to him, but Grayson's lecture on obedience was still too fresh on my mind for me to disagree.
I meekly followed him to the other end of the room where Capri's smile grew once she saw us nearing her.
"Capri!" I exclaimed, hugging her close. Her body was stiff under my embrace, as if she were nervous to display any kind of affection toward me. But her eyes spoke volumes, and I was worried to see signs of pain in her once innocent gaze.
"It's so good to see you," she whispered in my ear when I pulled back from the hug. "So good."
"Kline," the man with her spoke coolly, but his interest shifted to me after the greeting. "Is this the little toy you picked up for yourself the other day? No, it can't be."
"Indeed it is," Grayson replied with a smooth smile, proprietorially wrapping an arm around my waist. I felt shivers go down my spine when he touched my exposed back. "Finding it hard to believe?"
"Well, she looks much better," the older man chuckled. "She was nothing more than a street urchin at the auction."
My smile fell. The man was rude, and I didn't enjoy his leering gaze as he devoured my body with his eyes. I didn't like what he'd said about me. As if I was worth nothing before Grayson got his hands on me.
"From what I remember," I spoke up. "You were more than eager to get your hands on me even when I was just a street urchin."
"Doesn't she have a mouth on her," the older man smirked, ignoring me as if I were just a useless toy. "You'll have to clip that tongue, Kline. Or maybe I could discipline her myself."
"No," Capri cut in. "Please don't."
"Did I ask you a question?" the man hissed.
"No, Sir, I'm sorry, but-"
"Then shut up." His tone left no room for arguing and I paled at the way he treated her. I was grateful when Grayson's arm pulled me in closer.
"We'll be leaving now," he said, nodding at the older man. "Until next time."
"Goodbye," I whispered at Capri, knowing her tortured gaze would follow me into my dreams. "I hope I'll see you again soon."
She merely nodded as Grayson led me away. I was too scared to bring up the man or Capri again, but I could tell by his troubled expression, the older man's mistreatment of my friend hadn't escaped Grayson, either.
The ride back home in Grayson's limousine was quiet and charged with electricity. He didn't take his eyes off me once, staring intently as we drove back to the penthouse. I knew whatever was coming when we returned would include him stripping my clothes off and edging me until I begged for release. There were still a few hours to go, hours where I wouldn't be allowed to come, and I had a feeling Grayson would take the time to torture me so beautifully I'd be desperate for more.
I wasn't wrong. The moment we arrived back in the penthouse, he undid his bowtie, his eyes devouring me as he said, "Finally alone, Kitty. Join me in front of the locked door in the hallway in ten minutes. Keep on your lingerie, the jewels, and the shoes. Your hair and makeup exactly the