Beast’s Demands by Sam Crescent

Chapter Seven

Ashley

 

“I don’t think you should be going,” Emily said.

We both sat out in the yard. Guards were all around. Earl was with Emily’s four guys, making arrangements for us to leave.

“There’s nothing here for me right now, Em.”

“There’s me. I’m here.”

I pushed some hair off my face. I still hadn’t cut it even though I’d been tempted. There were times when I was around Earl when he seemed like the nicest man in the world. Then the reality of who he was and what he did set in, making me realize I was naïve.

“You know I will always love you. You’re more than just my best friend, you’re the sister I never had.” I reached for her, holding her close. I wasn’t going to tell Emily about the threat Earl still had over her.

The danger of the Monsters’ fathers was all gone, but he was still there. He hadn’t changed his tune, and I would never forget that.

“Ash, I don’t like this. You’re hugging me as if it’s goodbye.” Emily pulled me away from her and cupped my face. “Tell me what the fuck is going on. What is going on with Earl? I can talk to my guys. If you really don’t want to go, I can make it stop. He’s got no power here.”

I couldn’t help but rest my hand on her stomach. “You’ve got a little angel growing here.”

“I can’t believe I’m pregnant.”

“I can. You’re going to be an amazing mom.”

Emily snorted. “You think I’m going to be amazing. I don’t even know how to take care of a kid. I’m going to be a disaster. Look how I was raised.”

“Do you think I’d make a bad mom?” I asked.

Emily frowned. “No, not at all. You’re going to be amazing. I see you baking pies and treating boo-boos.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Thank you.”

“I’m being honest.”

“And it means a lot, but the fact is, my mom wasn’t great, Em. She left me to my own devices. She would tell me how much of a pain in the ass I was because she wanted to be with her boyfriend and I was a drag to her. You’re not like that. You’re never going to treat your kid like that. I like to think we know the best ways now to treat our kids. No one is perfect.”

Emily threw her arms around me, and I rubbed her back. “I’m here.”

“I don’t want you to leave, Ash. I know we’re back home now, but we’re supposed to get through life together.”

“I’ll be a phone call away.” I made the promise before I could think about it. I really shouldn’t be making suggestions that Earl could take from me. He was the one who held all the power.

We stayed outside for a long time. Emily wasn’t happy about being locked up in the big house. She liked to have some space, and right now, after the days spent on Earl’s boat, which he kept reminding me was a yacht, I was enjoying the ground not moving around me.

The sun had started to set when we were called in to dinner.

There was still tension at the table. Earl and the men would never get along and I didn’t mind that.

By the time the meal ended, I’d had enough and made my escape to our room. Earl had wanted to go back to the hotel he’d arranged, but with us leaving in a few days, I figured it was the best time to be with Emily.

I wasn’t alone for long before Earl was in the room. He locked the door, and I ignored him, going to the bathroom. After removing my clothes, I ran the bath. It was still running when he entered the room.

“Are you going to tell me why you’re giving me the silent treatment?”

“No reason.” I stepped into the water, wincing at the heat, but I didn’t get out. “I’ve got nothing to say.”

His arms were folded as he leaned against the doorframe. “Do I need to be worried about you leaving me?”

“No. I told you, I’m coming with you.”

“Then what’s the problem?” he asked. “I don’t see what the fuck is the problem.”

“I’m going to miss my best friend, okay? Is that such a problem for you? A mystery? You know I care about her, and I don’t know how long I’m going to be gone. I don’t know anything about how my life is going to be. Can’t you give me some time for that?” I couldn’t help but tense.

“You can still talk to Emily on the phone. How about that?”

It was on the tip of mine to tell him that I’d already negotiated that, but I had a feeling he was going to be pissed.

“Thank you.”

The smirk he gave me had me clenching my hands into fists.

“You don’t think I know you already made that agreement with her?”

“I’m sorry.”

“No need to be. I had every intention of letting you stay in touch.” He stepped into the room, dropping down to his knees beside me.

I couldn’t help but tense up, but all he did was grab the sponge and the soap. Unable to take my eyes away from him, I watched, mesmerized as he started to work the sponge, lathering it up. Why did him washing me feel so intimate? Shouldn’t I feel like he was treating me like a child?

When his hands were on my body, they made me melt. I loved the way he touched me. Each time his fingers grazed across my flesh, I came alive. My nipples felt tight, and he didn’t take his time. He washed me almost mechanically.

He stood when he did my hair, and once I was all done, he grabbed a towel. It was time for me to get out.

I stood, and he helped me out. Wrapping the towel around my body, I stepped into the bedroom, expecting him to take me to bed.

He didn’t.

“I’ll be back,” he said.

Before I could ask him where he was going, he was gone.

I was all alone in the room.

After quickly drying my body, I changed into some pajamas and sat on the edge of the bed. I stared at my hands.

He didn’t order me to stay in the bedroom or tell me to go to sleep. I wouldn’t be breaking any rules.

Without talking myself out of this, I left the bedroom. There was a guard outside, and I lingered, expecting him to tell me to get back inside.

He didn’t.

I made my way downstairs, and ignoring the conversation coming from the library, I went to the kitchen. It didn’t matter whose kitchen it was, it was the one room in the house that made me happy.

The moment I entered, I paused.

Caleb sat at the kitchen counter, nursing a beer.

He looked up at me but didn’t say anything.

“I can leave.”

“Why? I’m not stopping you.”

I stepped further into the room, going to the fridge. I’d gotten accustomed to the kitchen quite quickly. With the milk in my hand, I grabbed a saucepan and poured a mugful into the pan.

Caleb hadn’t left and he wasn’t talking.

I tried to ignore him, but his presence made it impossible. He had always been scary to me.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He drank his beer while looking at me. This was so hard.

“I’m fine. Why are you out of your room?”

My cheeks heated. I felt them start to warm under his gaze.

“I … I can walk around and do what I want.” Within reason, but I didn’t add that.

“You think I don’t know the kind of man he is?” Caleb asked.

“If I couldn’t leave my room, the guard posted outside would have told me.” I turned my back on him, looking at the milk. It was so easy to overheat milk, and it would just boil over.

“Ashley, do you want to go away with him?” Caleb asked.

Time. That was what I needed.

The milk was nice and warm, and the chocolate chips were in a small container, which I grabbed and measured out a couple of tablespoons. After dropping them into the milk, I did the finishing touches to my hot chocolate, pouring it back into my mug before returning my attention to Caleb.

His gaze was still on me, waiting.

“Tell me,” he said.

“I don’t think this is appropriate.”

He laughed. “You don’t think it’s appropriate?”

“I’m going with Earl.”

“But you didn’t pick him. He’s taken the choice right out of your hands.”

“It’s not like that.” I stared into my mug. It was totally like that. I was taken from a job I loved, and the next thing I knew, I’d woken up on a boat with all of my choices taken away.

“Then tell me what it is like because I’m coming up with nothing.”

Rather than answer him straight away, I took a long sip of my hot chocolate, not even caring anymore if it burned me. Caleb and his friends didn’t care about me when they made this bargain, so why would they care now? Because of Emily? I meant nothing to them.

“This is none of your business.”

“I’m making it my business.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. It wasn’t a pretty sound either. “Really? The same business it was that got me captured in the first place? How you bargained my life for Emily’s? All you and the rest of your friends wanted was her. I didn’t matter.”

“You were safe.”

“You don’t know that. For all you knew, he was going to take what he wanted and throw me out to the ocean.”

Caleb’s fist hit the counter. “No! He’s the one who betrayed our trust, Ashley. Him, not us. We organized for him to be close. He wasn’t supposed to take you out on his yacht, traveling all over the world. You were meant to stay close by for Emily.”

“Well, whatever you bargained, you sold the one thing that was mine. You want to yell at me, to try to make this better, go ahead. I’m not stopping you. It still doesn’t give you the right to demand answers from me when you sold what was mine so easily.”

“Ashley—”

“Can you look in the mirror?”

“What?” he asked.

“It’s a simple question.”

“Of course, I can.”

“What do you see?”

The frown on his face was priceless. I would’ve been laughing long and hard if I found it funny, which I didn’t. Nothing about this was funny to me. I found it irritating. I was tired of him trying to pretend to be the bigger man, the brave man, when the truth was he was neither.

“I really don’t see the point of this.”

Tilting my head to the side, I stared at him. He didn’t flinch or squirm. There was no guilt or remorse.

“Well, I see your father and Emily’s dad.”

“For fuck’s sake.”

“Yeah, go ahead, curse me out. Be angry. Hell, be so fucking infuriated with me. I don’t care. They all at some point make a deal or a bargain with a woman’s innocence. They chose who gets it. Not her. That’s the exact deal you made.” The hot chocolate I’d been enjoying suddenly lost its appeal. “Good night.”

I put the mug on the counter. Maybe someone would come and pick it up, and then I wouldn’t feel like I wasted food.

“I’m sorry,” Caleb said.

“No, you’re not. You got what you wanted.”

I didn’t linger to talk to him more, there was no point. I wasn’t going to pretend any of this was okay. They made their deal. I was part of it, even though I didn’t want to be. Just because Earl hadn’t raped me, or taken what he wanted and tossed me aside, didn’t make any of this right. I was so angry all of a sudden. Earl acted like a gentleman now, but what if he got bored? Once he’d had his fill of me, taken everything he could, and tossed me aside, what was I supposed to do then? I didn’t have the first clue what to do. If he was being honest, then I was going to be rich for the time I’d spent with him, but no matter how he dressed it up, I’d still feel like a whore if I would get rich off my virginity.

Walking out of the kitchen, I made my way back to the bedroom. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. All I wanted was to be alone in my bedroom, or the guest bedroom. It wasn’t mine. I wasn’t staying here. It didn’t belong to me.

The moment I entered, I saw Earl sitting on the bed, fingertips pressed together.

“Where were you?” he asked.

I was surprised he didn’t have all of my moves monitored. “In the kitchen.”

“You’re pissed off.”

I didn’t answer him. I slipped off my shoes because I didn’t like walking around barefoot, and moved toward the head of the bed. Earl captured my hand before I could stop him, pulling me toward his body. The moment he touched me, I felt the swirling, intense need spiral within my body. This was what scared me.

This man wasn’t mine.

He was a beast, not a monster, and he was used to getting what he wanted. He traded in human flesh, while I had no choice but to deal with him now. I didn’t just give in to him. I fought him, tugging on my wrist like my life depended on it. To a point, my heart did. I was angry when I should have been happy.

Emily was safe. So long as I kept with the bargain I made with this bastard, she and all of her men will be safe. I couldn’t tell her this. I had to keep it to myself.

Earl wasn’t happy with my fighting. Before long, he was up on his feet, and he was so much taller than me. All it took was a few moves, and he had me pinned to the bed, my arms spread out above me. I tried to buck him off, bite him, anything. I wasn’t screaming though. Even as I appeared to be losing my mind, I continued to have a sane part that told me to keep quiet. The moment I made a sound, they could all come running.

Did I want Earl dead?

I didn’t know.

Releasing a huff, I tried again to throw him off me, but I somehow managed to get his cock flush against me. I felt how hard he was. Part of me wanted to fight, to tell him to fuck off, to scream, and to bring all kinds of hell down on his ass, but instead, I just lay there. Taking a deep breath, I ignored the woman inside me begging for me to fight more. Tears filled my eyes.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

“This is not nothing, Ashley. Tell me.”

“No! We’re not in the company of others. I don’t have to be on my best behavior. I won’t tell you just because you demand it. Or are you going to grab a guard and force him to come in here so I don’t have a choice? Spank me again. Tell me, Earl, what exactly are you going to do?”

He slammed his lips down on mine, kissing me. This wasn’t a gentle kiss. He wasn’t being nice or kind. This was a ravishment. He was punishing and rewarding me at the same time. Our teeth clashed together and caused a slight pain, but I didn’t care. This wasn’t supposed to be beautiful. He wasn’t my lover. He was my owner. I was nothing more than his property. No, a piece of flesh between my legs belonged to him. I was the one who was attached to it. There was nothing loving about this. No happiness. We weren’t in love.

His fingers sank into my hair, and I couldn’t contain my gasp as he gripped the length and tugged it back, exposing my neck. The feel of his lips brushing across my skin was almost too much for me to bear, but when he got to the curve of my breast, a moan escaped my lips. Especially as he released the strap of my shirt. I didn’t stop him as he dragged it down my arm, exposing my breast to him. He kissed down to my nipple, his tongue circling the bud, and waves of pleasure rushed through my body.

Closing my eyes, I released a little moan. The tips of his fingers worked from my knee and up the inside of my thigh until he cupped my pussy.

“This is all mine,” he said.

I knew. The instant he said the words, I felt like a bucket of ice water had been thrown over my head, and I tensed up.

Before he got a chance to speak, his cell phone went off, and whatever had been happening between us stopped.

****

Earl

Business always came first.

Ever since Ashley froze up on me, I hadn’t been able to get her alone. I’d finished all of my dealings with the Monsters, we’d done what was needed, and then we left. I had no choice but to leave her on the yacht while I took care of some problems with several shipments.

I came back to the yacht to find Ashley had spent most of her time in the bedroom. She rarely ate. My men were ordered to keep an eye on her, and the women who worked for me had also reported her complete lack of interest.

Arriving at my private island, I expected her to be happy. That was two days ago. Staring out at the ocean, I knew she was watching me. The first few nights, I’d been locked away, completing much-needed work, but now, I was only needed for necessities. Ashley had me all to herself.

I swiped my hand across my face, wondering what the hell happened back in Crude Hill. I didn’t like how cold Ashley had become.

My men were stationed on the island, and several of the women came with me so they could clean any mess we made. They weren’t to be seen unless I demanded it.

I rarely came to this island. This was a tranquil place, full of peace and quiet I rarely felt. My life didn’t allow me to disconnect from the world. My enemies were many, and more often than not, they tried to take what belonged to me. Turning on my heel, I found Ashley in the doorway, staring at me. She wore a pure-white dress. The straps were thin, but I saw she wore a bra. The light spilled across the sand, and she tilted her head back to look at it.

My island was beautiful.

Most women would be on their knees begging for me to do whatever the hell I wanted to them. Not Ashley. She didn’t even seem impressed.

Watching her, I saw the sadness in her eyes until finally, she turned away from me and walked back into the house, pissing me the fuck off.

I didn’t linger at the beach.

I stormed toward the house, slamming the door open, and I found her in the kitchen. She was pouring herself a cup of coffee, and that action alone was enough to send my anger over the edge.

Grabbing the cup from her, I threw it with much-needed force across the room. “What the fuck is going on?”

I caught the flinch before she stepped away. There was no way I was going to let her get far. I was angry, yes, and I knew what I wanted. I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me.

“Get off me,” she said.

Unlike on the bed, she didn’t fight me. She glared. I felt the weight of her look right down to my fucking toes.

“I get that you’re pissed off and you’re doing your little spoiled brat routine. Enough. I don’t care for it.”

“Yes, sir, or should it be yes, beast? What do you want me to say? Do you want me to be meek? Submissive? Are you going to threaten my friends again? What more do you want from me? It’s not enough that you want what’s mine, but what more can I possibly give you?”

She batted her eyelids, trying not to cry.

Her hands were curved into her body. She was tense in my grip. Seeing her like this, I didn’t know, it made me sick to my stomach, and I slowly let her go. She stepped back from me, and I gave her time to compose herself.

“We have an agreement.”

“I know.”

“Then tell me what happened.”

“It’s nothing.”

I slammed my palm on the counter. I was tired of being lied to. “Now!” She knew what I wanted.

“Stop it.”

“No. I’m not going to stop it. You’re going to tell me what the hell happened.”

“Nothing happened.”

I gripped the back of her neck and hauled her close to me. “Do I need to make you tell me?”

“You’re going to hit me again?”

“No, I can think of a lot of other satisfying ways of making you tell me.”

“Rape?”

“It’s not rape if you want it.” I didn’t know why I was getting so angry, but the rage consumed me.

Ashley licked her lips, her gaze looking deep into mine. I got the sense she wanted to say something. Nothing good could come between us right now.

She was breathing deeply, and the truth was I was ready to take her right there and then.

“Do you want to hurt me?” she asked.

“No.”

“Then let me go.”

She didn’t have the power here. I kept hold of her neck, keeping her in place so she knew what was good for her. I wasn’t going to let her go, not even for a moment. “No. You seem to be under the impression you’ve got power here. Do you want your friends to suffer?” She tried to pull away, but I wasn’t having that. I didn’t want her to go anywhere. The growl that emitted from her lips was full of frustration, anger, and pain.

I moved us both so she was pressed against my body and the kitchen counter. There was nowhere else for her to go. Her hands gripped the edge of the counter, holding on to it, likely thinking it would stop me from doing whatever the hell I wanted to.

It wouldn’t.

Nothing was going to stop me.

“You want to know what my problem is?” She paused, and I waited. “You. You and men like you. Caleb, Gael, Vadik, River, you, their fathers, Emily’s dad. All of you men who can play around with women’s lives. With their bodies. I’m angry at all of you, and then you think you can ask me if I’m happy, or if I want to go, and it’s like everything is okay, when it’s really not. Nothing is okay.” She pressed her lips together.

I didn’t know what to do or say. My body liked being pressed up against her. She had all the curves I craved.

Slowly, I let go of her neck and took a step back.

She didn’t move. Her hands kept a grip on the counter.

“I want you to take your clothes off and go and lie down on the sofa.”

She swiped at the tears she’d tried so hard to repress. There was anger and disappointment in them. I really didn’t give a fuck.

Following behind her, I watched as she removed her dress, dropping it to the floor. I bent, picked it up, and pressed it against my nose, breathing in the scent of her.

“And your panties and bra. Completely naked,” I said as she went to sit down.

With her back to me, she took care of her underwear, sliding it off and throwing it to the floor. This time with a lot more force.

I waited.

She sat on the sofa, trying to maintain her modesty.

My cock was aching to get out of the tight confines of my pants. I focused on her. “Lean back. Relax.”

“Like I can relax.”

I sat opposite her. “I won’t move from this spot.”

“Earl, I don’t want to do this.”

“Tough. Do as you’re told or I will come and do it for you.”

She sank her teeth into her top lip, and I waited.

I could do this all day, stare at a beautiful woman.

She finally did as I requested.

“Now, spread your legs.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“I don’t joke around.” I was horny as fuck.

Again, I expected to wait, but this time, she spread her legs. There was a great deal of attitude in the way she moved, but I got what I wanted.

With my gaze still on hers, it took every single ounce of control not to blow just from looking at her. And I wasn’t even looking anywhere else than at her eyes.

“Lick your fingers.”

She wasn’t testing my patience anymore.

“Touch your pussy.”

This time, I followed the action of her hand as she slid it down her body, touching her pretty pink pussy.

She wasn’t as wet as I would have liked her to be, but I was a patient man. Most men would have torn through her virginity and taken what they want, discarding her. I wasn’t one to take this gift and discard it. There was pleasure in the buildup. In making her wait for it.

Ashley intrigued me.

Her sweetness. Her resolve. Even her loyalty to Emily. Determined to keep her friend safe when everyone else had her on the chopping block.

Then of course there was her virgin state, her body. She made me feel alive in ways I’d never felt.

Women were often a passing fancy. There were so many at my disposal, and I didn’t take the time to enjoy them.

She reached her pussy, her fingers grazing across the small nub of her clit. That one touch, and she arched up just a little. A single jolt of a reaction, but it was enough for me to want more.

Quickly, she pulled her hand away as if she had been scolded, and that simply wouldn’t do. Not for me.

“Touch your pussy. Stroke your clit.”

“I don’t know what your game is.”

“Have you ever thought, Ashley, that you just need to come?” I chuckled at the death glare she gave me. “You can hate me all you want, but it’s not going to stop the fact you’re going to be playing with your pussy until you come. The moment you stop, I’ll get my cock out, and I’ll find more ways to enjoy myself.”

She stroked her clit.

The inexperience of her touch was clear to see.

I wanted to taste her. To slide my tongue through her pussy and taste her exploding on my tongue. Instead, I held myself back, allowing her to become accustomed to her own touch. Waiting for the pleasure to take over.

Ashley kept closing her eyes. Only for a few seconds, but it was enough for me to know she felt the tension build. The desire curling within her gut. The deep-seated need to take what she wanted.

She was angry. Alone. Helpless. There was power inside her, and I wanted her to learn to tap into that, to be able to take what she wanted without thinking.

Seconds passed.

Minutes.

Finally, she sank against the sofa. Her head flung back, eyes closed as she rocked against her hand.

I allowed myself the pleasure of watching her. The way her cunt went slick. She was soaking wet as she released a moan. I wanted to hear my name on her lips, but I waited. This was about her.

Her tits shook with every thrust and indrawn breath.

My cock pulsed in my pants. The urge was even stronger to take myself out and stroke to completion, but I held back. I wasn’t going to spoil this.

Ashley came, and as she did, my name spilled from her lips. It sounded almost like a promise of what was to come. I was going to be the one driving her orgasms.

The release ebbed away and she lay back, gasping, happy, and I watched, smiling.

She opened her eyes, and the reality sank back in.

“Whenever you’re angry or pissed off with your circumstances, I want you to play with your pussy until you come, screaming my name.” Getting up from my position on the sofa, I didn’t hide my obvious erection.

I closed the distance between us, took hold of her wrist, and licked her fingers, tasting her cum.

Delicious. Just like I knew she would be.