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Brianna
Brianna awoke with a start. She’d been having a nightmare. As she kept her eyes closed, trying to calm her racing heart, all she could remember was she’d been in trouble. She needed help desperately. As the fuzziness faded, unwanted details started to flood back.
An unidentified man had chased her into a large, dark room. Once there, she’d been relieved to see Markus on the other side, but no matter how hard she tried to move toward him, he kept moving away from her. She had tried calling out to him, but it was like he couldn’t see or hear her. She was invisible to him. When Markus started passionately kissing a scantily clad woman, she’d jolted awake.
Bri stretched and both her arms and legs hit metal. The sickening realization dawned that her nightmare was real. She was curled up on a thin mat lining the bottom of a three-foot by three-foot metal cage, not big enough to stand, sit, or even stretch out. Unwanted memories flooded back, reminding her she was in the backstage dungeon of The Punishment Pit. Even worse, guilt for the reason why she was there crashed over her.
Stay calm.
There were no windows, making it impossible to tell what time of day it was. She could only guess it was either very late or really early, as the club was eerily quiet.
Hot anger at being left to sleep in a cage like an animal, a possession, burned inside until the events of the previous day couldn’t be ignored. Her betrayal, her overwhelming guilt, Markus’s deep anger, the heartbreaking pain in his eyes, his wanting a divorce, his abandonment of her, the humiliation of her punishment…
She vaguely remembered Derek carrying her backstage not long after Lukus had whipped her to her shameful orgasm on stage in front of everyone in the club. He’d forcibly shoved her into the cage, ignoring her as she’d begged to be allowed to call Tiffany. She’d waited what seemed like hours for Lukus to come check on her, but he never did. Finally, she’d fallen asleep.
Brianna gave in to the urge to cry. Bitter sobs wracked her sore body as she curled into a tight ball, shivering as cool air brushed over her naked body. Bri rolled slightly, attempting to see if there might have been a blanket or sheet in the cage to shelter her from the chill. The second she rolled onto her back a sharp pain struck from her shoulders down to the back of her knees. All of the welts from Jake and her punishment at the hands of Lukus were still alive and well.
Time crawled by as she lay curled up in agony, unable to sleep. She was thirsty, a little hungry, and had to pee. The last time she’d gone to the bathroom was at Hugo’s, and that seemed like a lifetime ago. She tried to feel sorry for herself, but each time she did, she thought of the pain in Markus’s eyes and reminded herself that she deserved to be uncomfortable.
She couldn’t stop thinking of her husband, at home in their bed right now. Was he curled up next to another woman as he said he would be? Did he pick up someone and take her home to their bed to fuck as revenge? The thought of her husband with another woman caused her more pain than the severe whipping she’d received the night before at the hands of Master Lukus. She took a minute to pray he hadn’t meant what he said, and that he’d just been trying to hurt her like she’d hurt him.
I have to stay strong and find a way to convince him how sorry I am.
In the dark of the small cage, alone and afraid, Brianna swore she would spend the rest of her life making this up to Markus. She’d never allow another man to touch her again, and since she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life alone, she just had to figure out how to make things right between them.
Unable to find a blanket in the dungeon’s dim light, Brianna curled back up into a ball in an attempt to get warm, surrendering to sleep again and the vivid nightmares it brought.
* * *
Brianna’s bladder was about to burst by the time she finally saw Lukus emerging from across the backstage area. She hated how calm he looked. He'd obviously had a shower; his dark hair was still damp. He’d skipped shaving and the rough, dark stubble on his handsome face gave him a dangerous, bad-boy look that caused her core to wake up and take note. She told herself that it was fear causing her body to react, but if she was honest, she had to admit she was drawn to Lukus’s power, his strength.
Wake up Brianna! He’s the enemy.
She didn’t wait for him to get closer before she let him have it. “God damn you, Lukus! I can’t believe you actually put me in a cage and left me here, naked and freezing, as if I’m a dog. I know Markus is angry with me, but I won’t believe he actually condones you treating me like this.”
He’d arrived next to her cage and squatted down to eye level with his reluctant captive. “Nice to see you this morning too, Brianna. If you wanted the deluxe accommodations, you should have kept your legs crossed. Whores who cheat on their husbands don’t have much in the way of standing around here, sweetheart.”
She hated how casual he sounded, especially when she was trying to keep from panicking. “What would have happened if the building caught on fire? I could have been trapped… killed. It’s not safe to keep me locked up and unattended like this.”
Lukus laughed out loud, catching her off guard. Until now, she hadn’t seen him smile, let alone laugh. She hated how his face lit up. She was pretty sure she saw a hint of a dimple in his chin, making him suddenly seem younger and less menacing.
She wasn't fooled.
His voice was annoyingly warm when he replied. “I think the only fire you should be worried about, little girl, is the fire that’s going to light up your ass during your next punishment session.”
He wasn’t moving to open the cage and Brianna was getting impatient. “You need to open the door and let me out.Now. I really have to go to the bathroom.”
He watched her intently before answering, all traces of humor now gone. “Let’s get this straight right now. I don’thaveto do anything and that includes opening this door. I know you didn’t have time to review the membership contract you signed, but if you had, you’d know you’re little more than a puppet. And I, my dear, am the puppet master. The sooner you accept that, the better off you’ll be.”
“I’m not some simpering submissive here to bow at your feet. You can’t treat me like this.”
“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” He stood and moved away from her.
Brianna panicked. “Wait! Lukus. Where are you going? I told you. I really need to go to the bathroom.”
His dark green eyes were intense as they took her in. “Is that any way to ask your Master permission?”
She hated the slight smirk she saw playing on his lips, but she knew she needed to play nice. “Please,” she said through gritted teeth.
