Owned Read online

  OWNED

  By Alexx Andria

  Copyright 2011 by Alexx Andria

  Smashwords edition

  *This naughty bit of a story is intended for mature readers only. It features acts of sexual gratification of the dominant and submissive kind. If you’re not 18 years or older, find something else to read.

  The following short story is a work of fiction.

  How do you run from fate?

  The simple answer: You don’t.

  I didn’t know it then, but the moment I laid eyes on him, my life was forever changed.

  There was something about him that held me in thrall, rooted my feet to the floor and demanded my attention.

  I’d never been one who commanded a room — preferring the quiet solitude of a library to the limelight — so when it seemed his gaze had zeroed in on me in spite of the countless more attractive people who frequented the club downstairs, I was shocked by the stark hunger I saw in his eyes.

  And he wasn’t sly about it either; in fact, he was downright brazen, as if he had a right to allow his gaze to drift down my body in open assessment.

  I shivered and tried to look away.

  Most times, I went unnoticed. Why was tonight any different? Why would he give me a second glance, much less a look that fairly sizzled and smoked with carnal promise?

  My employer, a man with a paunchy belly and flat, sullen eyes, motioned for me to make myself scarce and I moved to do so, but his voice, smooth as fine brandy interceded.

  “Stay.”

  That one word caused my breath to hitch and my heart to thunder. What did he want with me?

  Just as surprised, Leonard stopped and sent a look to his most influential patron, saying, “She’s just the bookkeeper. If you want a girl who can suck the chrome from a ball hitch, I can arrange it, but her? She’s just a number cruncher.”

  His mouth curved in a subtle manner but otherwise remained silent. I looked nervously between the two men, not quite sure what was happening but I felt distinctly at a disadvantage. I tried to make my way to the door. Whatever was happening didn’t involve me. I cursed the day I took this job but I’d been desperate and times were hard in a down economy. At the time, taking a job at the local gentleman’s club had seemed an acceptable risk when Leonard had assured me that I’d never work the floor like his exotic beauties.

  What Leonard didn’t say was that I didn’t have what it took to work the floor. I was neither exceedingly beautiful in face or form but rather average from my shoulder length brown hair to my dark brown eyes. I was, as my father had often disparaged, depressingly ordinary.

  “Sit.”

  I opened my mouth at the command, silently chafing at the way his assured authority had me slowly sinking into my chair in spite of my belief that whatever was about to unfold, I wanted no part of.

  His gaze left mine to rest on Leonard. “Did you acquire what I seek?” he asked, his casual pose reminding me of a dangerous animal coiled behind a façade of seemingly safe brush.

  “Of course, Mr. Villanti,” Leonard said, flicking his gaze to me with uncertainty. I couldn’t blame him. Leonard seemed out of his depth for his sharp cunning and most uncomfortable with the fact that I was witnessing this exchange. He knocked against the wall behind him and the door opened. Four women — none of whom I recognized from the floor — filed in, all naked except for the spindly heels on their feet. I looked away, my cheeks burning. “All four of these women fit your criteria. Beautiful, perfect bodies, and young. But they’re also experienced, which is something I assumed you would prefer given your appetites.” He snapped his fingers and all four turned dutifully to present their backsides for Mr. Villanti’s open perusal but his attention had returned to me, his fathomless gaze causing fear — and something I couldn’t name — to ripple down my spine and pool in my belly. I swallowed and returned my stare to my feet, hoping and praying that this strange, uncomfortable encounter ended soon and when it did, I hoped I still had a job. I was barely making my bills at the end of each month. As crappy as this job was, at least it was a paycheck and I didn’t want to lose it. Otherwise I would’ve split the moment Mr. Villanti had entered the room and focused that laser stare on me.

  “What’s your name?” he asked me.

  My lips seamed shut and I refused to answer. Maybe I thought if I remained silent he would lose interest and quickly move on. I was wrong.

  “Mr. Villanti asked you a question, girl,” Leonard said abruptly, startling me when he kicked the leg of my chair. “Answer him.”

  “H-hannah,” I answered, shooting a quick scowl Leonard’s way before remembering myself. That quick show of fire only served to increase Mr. Villanti’s interest.

  “Hannah,” he repeated, slowly savoring my name on his tongue. I suppressed a shudder at the odd thrill it gave me. “I wonder, Hannah…what are you have hiding beneath that shapeless, ugly outfit? Are your tits small and perfectly round or large enough to overflow a man’s hand and mouth?”

  The urge to cover myself warred with my desire to tell him to piss off but I did neither. I couldn’t. I was strangely drawn to this man and I didn’t understand the why or how of it but it was undeniable. The knowledge only served to increase my misery at the situation. Mr. Villanti didn’t want someone like me. Why would he? Not when he was given a virtual smorgasbord of gorgeous women to choose from.

  “I—I’m the bookkeeper, Mr. Villanti,” I said faltering as I shot a pleading glance at Leonard to help me but I received nothing but silence from my boss. If anything, he seemed curious as to how this would all end. “If you’ll just let me leave you to your b-business,” I could barely say the word without stumbling with embarrassment. It was clear he was looking for a whore, something I was the furthest thing from. “I won’t say anything…I promise.”

  Mr. Villanti didn’t seem to hear my pleas. He skewered me with his stare, as if seeking my secrets and turning out my hidden desires without my assistance needed. It was unnerving to feel as if you’d been peeled like an onion with so little effort. I should’ve stayed in bed this morning. I should’ve pulled the covers over my head and played hooky.

  But I never did that. I was a good girl. I was a good employee.

  I was…terrified.

  “If I may…” Leonard tried interjecting but Mr. Villanti ignored his attempt with a flick of his wrist, dismissing the naked beauties without a further glance. All his attention was on me. He rose from his chair and moved toward me. I gripped the armrest, almost trying to sink into the chair and disappear but there was no escaping. Soon he was in my space, crowding me with his solid body and keen gaze. The drift of his expensive cologne teased at my nose and made me think of things I really had no experience with and I couldn’t help the burn in my cheeks. Damn my penchant for blushing. Never in my life had I ever lamented that simple biological process as much as I did right that moment.

  “I want to see what’s beneath this sack,” he murmured dangerously, coming in support his weight on either side of me. His breath smelled of cinnamon and whiskey, a combination that I would come to associate with him and I shuddered at the implication in his eyes.

  “You don’t want me,” I said, surprised my voice sounded strong and sure when inside I was a shaking mess. “I’m not your type.”

  “You, my sweet Hannah, don’t know my type,” he corrected me softly, the rebuke for all of its gentleness felt like a slap in warning.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked, sliding my tongue along my dry lips. “I don’t understand. I’m just the bookkeeper. Do you get off on being unnecessarily cruel by taunting me like this? I’m no one’s plaything and I don’t appreciate being treated as one.”

  My show of bravery impressed him. “You have fire. I like that. To a point.” To Leonard, h
e said, “I want her.” Then straightened and walked briskly away as if he hadn’t just made an audacious statement, one that filled my heart with fear and just a hint of dark excitement. What did he mean?

  “Excuse me?” I managed to sputter when I’d found my voice.

  But my opinion in the matter didn’t seem to register because Leonard simply sighed and shook his head as if more baffled than I in the choice and nodded, saying, “I’ll make the arrangements.”

  “You’ll do no such thing,” I protested, shooting to my feet, moving for the door. I was getting off this crazy train before it completely derailed. But I was deterred by the giant, hulking mass of Leonard’s personal bodyguard, Os, as he moved into place in front of the door. I stared up at the massive Norwegian and swallowed, knowing there was no way I was going to move that man any more than I could push a bear out of my way. “What the hell is going on? This is America. You can’t just purchase people like you would a head of lettuce. I have rights!” My voice had taken on a hysterical pitch and suddenly Leonard’s hand cracked against my mouth and I stumbled back, my hand going to my bleeding lip as tears sprung to my eyes. Mr. Villanti stopped and glared at Leonard, his gaze narrowing to the point of icicle shards and Leonard paled.

  “Do not touch what belongs to me if you value your life,” Mr. Villanti said in a cool, clear voice that left little to the imagination. To me, he said, “Come. Or take your chances with this man.” His stare flicked to Leonard who now regarded me with something akin to repulsion and I knew I was well and truly fucked. My choices had just dwindled to one. I shakily gathered my purse and with one final glance at the life I was leaving behind, I followed Mr. Villanti out of the dim back office and into the awaiting Towncar with the man that alternately scared and thrilled me.

  It was several minutes before he spoke, handing me his monogrammed handkerchief from his interior jacket pocket. “I detest dealing with men such as Leonard but he has a certain usefulness when it comes to filling certain needs.”

  I pressed the handkerchief to my lip and winced at the sudden spike of pain. I would have a fat lip by the time the bleeding stopped. “Listen, I’m really not the kind of person you’re looking for. I promise you that I am not. I’m probably the last person who anyone would think—“

  “I know more about you than you think,” he answered, shocking me. He cast a short look my way before continuing. “I know that you live alone. Your mother died when you were young and your father died only recently. You started college but dropped out when your father died to get a job to pay for the bills he kindly left behind thanks to a raging gambling addiction. You’re behind on your car payment and you have exactly $28 in your bank account, which is barely enough to pay for your outstanding library fees. You spend most evenings curled up with a book — likely one of the many you can’t seem to return but can’t afford to buy — and you haven’t been on a date in a very long time. Does that about cover it?”

  I gaped. “Who the hell are you?” How’d he know all this? Worse than feeling terribly exposed, I felt trapped in a movie plot but it was all frighteningly real and surreal at the same time. “I want out of this car right now.”

  He smiled. “I want you out of those clothes.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” I vowed.

  At that he laughed. “I can be terribly persuasive.”

  “I’m not for sale,” I said, lifting my chin, doing my best to seem unafraid or bullied when in fact I felt both.

  He graced me with an indulgent expression. “Everyone has a price, sweet Hannah. Even you.”

  I shuddered, knowing deep in my heart that it was likely true but it pained me to realize that a person’s integrity could be so easily bought and sold if the price was right. I wanted to believe that I was different. Hadn’t I preserved my virginity in the hopes that the right man would come along who would deserve such a gift? I swallowed, shooting an uncertain glance at Mr. Villanti, hating that the sight of him caused a ripple of awareness through my entire body. No, I told myself sharply. I hadn’t saved myself only to sell my soul for a few pieces of silver.

  Unbidden, the reminder that I was teetering on the edge of financial ruin thanks to my father came to poke at my rigid defenses and I found myself wondering if I could entertain a certain type of offer.

  “Let’s say, for sake of argument, I was curious,” I said, wincing at the words falling from my mouth. If my mother could see me…Oh, don’t go there, I warned myself. I refused to meet his gaze, my humiliation was too complete. “What would you want from me?”

  “Everything,” he answered in a low throaty tone that rumbled along my nerve endings and ignited something deep inside.

  I risked a short glance his way. “I don’t know what you mean…”

  “I want to own you, body and soul.”

  “That’s impossible,” I balked. “I’m a person, not a Pomeranian.”

  He barked a laugh and I shivered at the dark promise lurking behind the laughter. “I think a collar would suit you well.”

  In a flash I could see myself succumbing to his every whim, giving him everything of myself and worse, begging for more. He had something about him that demanded submission without having to lift a finger. It was powerful and heady, something I absolutely had no way of defending against.

  “I don’t think I can do this,” I murmured, shaking. “It doesn’t matter how much money you offer me, I can’t be the person you want me to be. I’m…just not cut out for that sort of thing. I’m not wild and uninhibited like those girls at the club. I’m a romantic at heart and honestly, you’re the opposite of what I’d imagined when I—“I blushed, unsure why I was blurting out my secrets but his gaze compelled me to do things I wouldn’t otherwise.

  “When you what?” he prompted.

  I squeezed my eyes shut. “When I imagined losing my virginity,” I admitted in a painful rush.

  But my admission seemed to cause his breath to quicken and I couldn’t imagine why. How could he still want me after I’d admitted to being a virgin? I wasn’t even worldly in the ways of most girls my age. At twenty, I’d never even masturbated. Just saying the word made me blush and want to run the other way. It wasn’t that I didn’t have feelings of a certain sort, but I’d never been free to explore those urges since I’d never held onto a boyfriend long enough to experiment. I felt terribly pathetic.

  “And why is that?” he asked.

  “Because I always thought the man I would lose my virginity to would be…gentle and small with soft hands, maybe someone who was more like me.”

  “Then perhaps you’d like to fuck a woman,” he said with a sardonic arch of his brow. “A man with soft gentle hands? Is not a man at all.”

  I forgot my earlier embarrassment and scowled. “That’s not true. I’ve known plenty of men with soft hands,” I lied. I’d only imagined the feel of one man’s hands and he’d been the librarian at my local library. Truth was, I’d bashfully imagined that perhaps he’d be the one but I hadn’t been able to attract his attention, no matter how many library books I’d checked out. But his hands were small and I found that oddly non-threatening.

  Unlike Mr. Villanti’s hands, which were big and strong with supple fingers that I could imagine leaving possessive grip marks on my white skin. I hitched a short breath and looked away, too ashamed of my own thoughts to meet his gaze.

  “I will be gentle when I fuck you, if that’s what you desire for your first time but make no mistake, I will also take your body in every way. In every place.”

  I gasped, barely able to breathe past the wild thundering of my heart. Was it fear or desire that had me fluttering like a leaf in the wind, barely able to contain my own reaction to his blunt promise?

  “I haven’t agreed to whatever you think you’re offering,” I managed to say, my body warming in places I’d rather not say.

  “You will,” he said simply.

  And he was right.

  Lord help me, he was right.

>   ***

  “Here is what I propose — one year in my possession and in turn, I will give you $1 million when I release you.”

  “What?” I cried, unable to believe my ears. “Are you kidding me?”

  “Some close to me have accused that I have no sense of humor,” he remarked dryly as he began to loosen his expensive, tailor-made shirt and jerked it free from sculpted shoulders, revealing muscular abs that would’ve made a lesser woman drool. I could only guess at his age being somewhere in his late thirties but his body was of a man in his virile twenties. There wasn’t an ounce of extra padding around his lean, hard body, unlike myself, who couldn’t seem to lose that damn freshman fifteen I’d put on during my first year of college.

  He’d bade me to follow him to his bedroom, which frankly had made me quake but I was in a daze when we’d arrived at his palatial mansion and I’d been a bit starstruck by his obvious wealth. However, his crude proposal had snapped me in the face as sharply as Leonard’s hand. “No,” I said, shaking my head. “I…”

  “Come, let’s stop with the foolish and childish refusals,” he said abruptly. “One year of your time at which point you will be rewarded handsomely for your service. How much would your soft-handed fantasy lover offer for your supposed gift of virginity?” he scoffed.

  “Why me?” I cried, stung by his open arrogance that I ought to be thankful for his interest. “You had four women who would’ve given their eye teeth for this deal that I’m clearly not suited for? Is it because you’re so rich you’ve tired of perfection? Well, I’m not some kind of plaything that you can toy with just because you want something new and different from your usual fare. I’m a person, damn it!”

  With that he crossed the room and I wouldn’t have imagined he could corner me so quickly and neatly but before I could run, I was trapped between his arms and the wall, afraid to move for the hungry and dangerous look in his blue eyes. I cried out in shock when his right hand brutally cupped my pubic mound, pressing me against the wall with his firm and unforgiving touch. “I want this pussy — this untouched and unsullied cunt — and what does it matter the why of it? I’ve watched you for weeks and I’ve dreamed of fucking you raw in every place imaginable. Yes, that’s right. Open your eyes, Hannah. Look at me when I tell you how I want to fuck your pussy, your mouth, and your ass. I want to be the first to ever enter that body, the first to leave a mark that no man can ever replace. My cock will be your first into your warm and welcoming body and I’ve decided my wait will end tonight.”