Broken Ch. 04

He knew it was the alcohol. Alex did not feel remorse for what he did. He enjoyed his work. Enjoyed dominating women. Enjoyed the fact that they had no choice but to accept him. Please him. Obey him. But right now, all he wanted was to make her pain go away, and he wanted her to stop singing.

--

Every inch of her body felt like it was on fire, so when Alder stood her up and told her to sing, her mind was so focused on the burning, screaming, aching pain that she couldn't comprehend his order. He struck her across the face with a vicious back-handed blow that sent her to the floor. She flinched as he dragged her back onto her feet, but her focus had returned. "Sing," he growled. "Va laisse couler mes larmes."

She knew the piece, but it was difficult even when she was in top form. She took a long breath, tried to ignore the pain, and remembered the words. They were about a letter or suicide or something. French wasn't her strongest language. He had chosen well though. The feeling of the song was simply tragedy.

As she sang, he turned his back on her and walked to the window, overlooking the mountains and valley below. His room was beautifully furnished. The carpet was Persian, the king sized bed was made of mahogany, the covers looked as plush and white as a clouds, and the walls were painted a lavish maroon, lined with classic paintings. Judging by the direction, the view from his window was different than the one from her little room; it was three times as large and, she suspected, far more spectacular in daylight, though all she could see was the reflection of the room in its black surface.

She finished the piece on a low note with a strange turn into major melody before silence and pain reigned. Just like the first time he had heard her, he clapped. She held her breath until he spoke.

"I think you've learned your lesson, sweetheart," he said.

"Yes, Master," she said. And she really meant it. For the first time. "I'm so sorry."

He turned to show her his grin, and spread his arms. "Come here, sweetheart."

She almost ran to him, and pressed herself into his chest like she really did love him. Like she really wanted his approval and the comfort of his touch. She started shaking and crying into his shirt. He ran a hand down the back of her head. "I'm so sorry, Master," she said.

"I know, sweetheart," he said. "You're a good girl. And now that you've taken your punishment, we can go back to being friends."

He lifted her face from his chest and bent his head low to kiss her on the lips. She opened her mouth to receive him, and at the same time realized that this was the first kiss they'd ever shared. He tasted like peppermint.

He chuckled while their lips were still locked and pulled away. "Let's get some sleep, sweetheart," he said.

He led her to the bed and pulled back the covers to let her in first. She curled up facing him on her side, and he crawled into bed with her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close. The lights went out, though she didn't know how. It wasn't very dark with the large window letting in moon and starlight. As her muscles relaxed, the pain hit her again. She began to shake, and he held her tighter.

"That'll go away in a few days," he said. "I can wait until then to claim you. I want you to enjoy it when I take your virginity. Like you said, I'm very big. It'll feel good."

She nodded. "Yes, Master," she said. He petted her until the shivering eased and she was able to fall asleep.

--

Something hard hit Alex's leg in his sleep and he jerked awake. The hall was so dark he thought it was still nighttime, but there was a bold beam of light crossing the carpet and his outstretched legs. He looked up and saw Alder staring down at him. His boss was bare chested and huge, and he did not look pleased. "How was your night, Alex?" he asked.

The hangover hit him as hard as a hammer. He looked away from the light and tried to push through his pounding headache. "Uh..." he said.

"Maybe we should stand you up before you answer?" he said and held out a hand. Alex took it and was hoisted to his feet with a jerk. He thought his shoulder might pop out of its socket by the time he was upright.

He swayed for a moment before Alder began talking. "Since when have you lost your objectivity?" he asked.

"Since this fucking girl," said Alex with a growl. He screwed his eyes shut in response to a pang in his head. "She got to me."

"How?" he asked. "You've trained twenty girls."

"She's better than them," said Alex. "And I thought I had the bitch wrapped around my finger."

Alder smirked. "There's a reason I bought her Alex," he said. "I'm sorry, but she's mine. Did you blow off some steam like I told you?"

"Obviously," said Alex. "I'm sorry I didn't end up finishing the job. You punished her?"

"Thoroughly," said Alder. "She's strong, but as long as she's with me, she won't have a chance to escape, so even if she isn't completely broken yet it doesn't matter. Take a few weeks off, get some sun, I'll take her to my place in Aspen by then, and you can find another smart girl. Maybe another singer."

Alex shook his head. "You're right," he said. "I gotta get out of here." He started down the hall, and Alder walked with him. "Where are you going?"

"To get us breakfast," said Alder. "And ice."

--

Genevieve woke up to the smell of bacon, but the bed was so comfortable and she was so warm all she did was roll over and try to fall asleep again. When she did, all of the pain came back to her. The worst of it was in her legs, on the front and back of her thighs. She ground her teeth to stifle the sound of a groan. The smell grew stronger, and suddenly she felt a weight sink down onto the bed beside her.

"Wake up, sweetheart," said Alder. "Time for breakfast."

She sat up, still biting down to ease the pain in her back. He was bare-chested and smiling, as usual. Genevieve felt very small compared to him. She looked down at the tray he had placed between them. It bore plates containing a lot of eggs, bacon, and toasted bread.

"You cook, Master?" she asked.

"The kitchen, sweetheart," he said. "But the food we get up here is a lot better than the stuff we give you down in the basement." He lifted the tray onto her lap, settled beside her, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Feed me."

She picked a rasher of bacon from the tray and fed him. He licked her fingers when he reached the end of the strip. She thought the eggs might be too precarious on the fork, so she used the bread to pick some up. He grinned and ate that as well.

"You know, you're old master is really upset that he didn't get to keep you," he said. "Why do you think that is, sweetheart? There are plenty more downstairs to fuck."

She fed him more eggs while she tried to think of a good answer. "He always liked my voice, Master," she said. "He makes me sing for him while he..."

"Fucks you?" he asked.

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Master," she said. "I didn't know whether I was allowed to curse or not."

He smiled as he chewed some food she offered. "Why do you think I decided to buy you, sweetheart?" he asked.

She paused in serving him. "I don't know, Master," she said.

"Guess," he offered, sounding slightly exasperated.

"Because of my voice, Master?" she said. "And the classical music?"

"That's part of it," he said. "Why else?"

"Because you like how I look, Master," she said. "And how I feel." He always said she felt good when he fucked her.

"Mmhm," he said. "What else?"

What else was there? He wasn't like Alex. He had never tried to make her bond with him on an intellectual level, never shared any interests beyond a love of music. She took too long thinking, so he answered for her. He picked up a piece of of bacon from the tray, chewed and swallowed it before speaking.

"Because I know what's going on in that head of yours," he said. "And it gives me the greatest pleasure knowing that, unlike most of the sheep downstairs, you'd probably kill me in a heartbeat, given the chance. No matter how long I keep you, you'll wait, patient, lying dormant until the perfect moment. But, for now, you've prioritized your life over my death. And your life is over unless you can kill me and escape at the same time. Which is never going to happen. So no matter what I do to you or take from you, you'll be my good girl. Won't you?"

Genevieve stared at him for a long time, trying her hardest to keep from crying again. "Yes, Master," she said. He was right, of course. She would do what he said, hoping and praying for an opening that she was slowly realizing would never come.

He grinned and ate another piece of bacon. "You'd better find a way to be happy, sweetheart," he said. "Because until I'm done with you, you are never going to be free of me."

She nodded. "Yes, Master," she said.

He chuckled and played with her hair while he ate. The only sound in the room came from his chewing. Then his hand went down and touched her right breast. He sighed as his fingers pinched her nipple. "I suppose it's only fair that you eat something as well, sweetheart," he said.

He moved the tray onto the nightstand and pulled his pants down a few inches. She only hesitated for a second before bending down to free his cock from his pants. He was hard within seconds, and she began kissing the tip. After a while, she heard him start eating again.