Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,16

his expression was just as stern as his demeanor. “We will deal with this on two levels, the employment coming later. What is first and foremost is that you attempted to kill a man, Alessandra. The infraction isn’t to be taken lightly. You do deserve punishment.”

“I already told you. I didn’t do anything wrong. Nothing. I could never attempt to kill anyone. I keep telling everyone that.”

“Perhaps there is a very good reason no one has bothered to listen. The evidence against you was significant, including your fingerprints on the knife that was used, the crime particularly... grotesque. Yes, there were several witnesses, all giving sworn statements to the police and every one of them indicated that you were the one standing over the victim with the bloody blade in your hand. By all rights, the poor young man is lucky to be alive.”

“Poor young man? Perhaps you weren’t given the correct information about Bobby Rivers. He was an arrogant thug and nothing more.”

“Even he didn’t deserve to be attacked.”

“That’s not fair,” I managed, remembering every ugly detail of the crime scene, even though there were no memories of the crime itself. I’d never even been to the bar where the crime had been committed before that night.

Tell him about the missing time.

Hell, no. I couldn’t trust him. I didn’t know who Gabriel Masters was. So what if I’d signed a deal?

“You will soon learn that very little in life is fair, circumstances not always within your control. That being said, your penalty phase is about to begin. Lower your jeans and underwear. It’s time for you to receive your first spanking.”

I took a step back, shaking my head. “No. That’s not what I signed up for.”

“That is exactly what you signed up for,” he said as he shifted his hands to his belt buckle.

I watched with a mixture of fascination as well as horror, my mind ready to shut down. I took two steps away, wringing my hands, prepared to flee the room. I’d go anywhere, finding a place to hide. This horrible man couldn’t keep me prisoner here. “Fuck you.”

Finding my courage, I bolted toward the door.

He wasted no time overpowering me, fisting my hair and dragging me back. Squealing, I struggled but it was no use. Very slowly he lowered his head, his stunning blue eyes now shifting into utter darkness.

“I can be a forgiving man, Alessandra, but not after you’ve acted like an ungrateful brat,” he hissed into my ear, the heat of his breath cascading across my skin.

I was floored by his vehemence, the force he’d used and by the way his chest rose and fell from his irritation. I was also able to see the mottled scar on the left side of his face for the first time, the skin appearing burned. He pulled me even closer until his luscious lips were mere centimeters away from my ear.

“Do not attempt even once to overstep your bounds in any way. When I ask you a question, you will answer without hesitation. You will respect my world as well as my house, including calling me sir. You are required to be obedient no matter what I command you to do and I assure you that I will use of every single inch of your body. If you think for even a second that I will ever let you out of the contract, you are wrong. You will never get away from me. If you attempt to do so, I will take extreme pleasure in developing and distributing the kind of punishment that will never allow you to forget. You are my property for the rest of your life. If I ask you to do something, you will never hesitate again. And the very reason? Because you are unworthy of anything else. You are guilty and deserve to pay the price.”

Even as the harsh words reverberated in my ears, the soft sensuality of his voice remained enthralling, the wave of heat pooling between my legs increasing. “Yes, sir.” I was sick to my stomach from the ugly realization that my body could respond in any manner other than utter disgust, revolting against everything he was telling me. I would never belong to anyone.

Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

The words reverberated in my mind, the ones I’d heard whispered in the courtroom.

He inhaled as he brushed his lips across my jaw then released his hold, walking away. As he did so, he finished unfastening his buckle. “I will command you one