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CLARA
On our way to my place from the airport, Grigory is quiet and commanding, the very air around him buzzing with latent power. He doesn’t say much but keeps giving me these intrusive looks like something is about to happen.
His promise from this morning hovers in my mind, making my blood swoosh and my entire system hum.
When we get out of the cab and he steers me toward my apartment, I’m like putty in his firm grip around my arm—pliable and ready to succumb to whatever he has in store for me.
Only two minutes in the hall pass before I get my first order.
“Take off your clothes and go stand in the middle of the room. Arms behind your back, facing the windows.”
“Yes, Grigory,” I say, eager to obey. It only takes me a minute to get into position, and my entire body prickles as chilly air fans my skin, anticipation running hot in my veins.
When Grigory takes a seat in the brown swivel chair, watching me with an inscrutable expression, I start fidgeting. My eyes dart to the ground, and I keep them glued to the floor for several minutes, not daring to face him.
It’s not until he rises from the chair that I finally let my gaze drift up to meet his. The air lodges in my throat when I see his expression. It’s no longer just stern. It’s hungry. Honing in on his meal.
“Are you afraid, Clara?” he asks.
“Why... Wha—” I stammer. “Should I be?”
He doesn’t say a word more but starts closing in, one dangerous step at a time.
Fear spikes in my veins, and my reaction is automatic as I take a step back. And one more. I keep going, stepping over the threshold, into the hall, keeping my gaze on the mighty predator.
My heart is pounding between the narrow walls of my chest like I’m facing an intruder, my entire body preparing for fight or flight. There’s no rationalizing or telling myself I trust this man. My body has disconnected from my brain, and his ominous gazehas sowed doubt in my mind. It doesn’t matter what I know, just what I see.
Pure, unadulterated danger.
I consider flight as I pass the bathroom. The door is half ajar. If I dart forward now, I can make it—lock myself in.
But then my back hits the front door, and Grigory is already by the bathroom. There’s nothing I can do. I squeeze myself into the door like it could somehow swallow me up and keep me safe.
Grigory’s nose twitches with something feral. He knows, as well as I do, that he has me cornered.
I stare up at him as he stops right in front of me, his heat radiating through the inch of space between us, skittering across my naked skin.
With a burst of movement, he slams his hands onto the door on each side of my head, caging me in. I jolt from the force and slink down, becoming even smaller.
Seconds stretch into unbearable long moments as I watch his nostrils flare and his jaw tic. He relishes his power, soaking up my helplessness.
Keeping his eyes fixed on me, he moves one hand down, slowly and purposefully. Something is about to happen. I feel it in my bones. My eyes flit to the hand like it’s a snake that will bite the moment I look away.
His hand disappears into his pocket, and my eyes widen as I wait for it to reappear.
First, I see his knuckles, the large width of the back of his hand, then his strong pianist fingers, and finally something black. Leather. A thin strap. With a buckle.
I gulp, not daring to guess what it is.
When the red rubber ball appears, I let out a whimper. My eyes dart back to his as he slowly lifts the thing. I beg him with abrupt shakes of my head and tiny mewls.
Butthere’s no reprieve to be found in the depth of Grigory’s stare. There’s only power. All-encompassing, ruthless power.
“Open your mouth,” he says, his pupils widening with sadistic anticipation.
“Please,” I beg, trying not to look at the red ball hovering in my peripheral vision. But my plea comes out as a weak sound that holds no ground in the face of his mighty presence.
“Open your mouth,” he repeats, enunciating each word slowly. He holds the gag in front of me, forcing me to face the dreaded humiliation. The red ball dangles in the air between us, begging to be noticed, taunting me with its bright color.
