“Our daughter isn’t a tradable commodity!”
“I didn’t say she was. I was just speaking from experience. Everything has a price.”
Claire looked at her husband. “Nat didn’t have one. Nat wasn’t in debt or tending bar.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Tony said. “I mean that everyone and everything has a price. Take that painting hanging in the sitting room.”
“The Salvador Dali piece?”
Tony nodded. “What would you be willing to sell it for?”
Claire shook her head. “Nothing. You bought it for me while we were on our anniversary trip. It’s priceless.”
“So the price isn’t monetary. If I offered you Natalie back home with you for that painting, would you trade it?”
“In a heartbeat,” she said.
“See. You have a price.” Tony looked to Phil. “So money isn’t Smithers’s price; we need to find out what is. If you two are so sure that we shouldn’t bring her back home by force, we’ll figure out another way to get her home.”
“Maybe we won’t.”
Tony looked to Claire. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that Natalie is growing up—she’s grown up. So are our other children. Nate’s been living in London for the last year. Nichol is in New York. Natalie isn’t going to live here forever.”
“She’s not staying with him.”
“I want our children to be happy. Don’t you?”
“Of course,” he said.
“Maybe she’s happy with him. She obviously wasn’t happy at Harvard. We just need to understand.”
Tony shook his head. “We need to know what the hell happened. I need to see her.”
Phil nodded. “What about meeting the plane? I still think it’s best to let Taylor get the visual. If Natalie appears well, then perhaps not make contact.”
“I agree,” Claire said, “but if Taylor has any reason to worry—”
“If she does, she’s prepared to step in.”
Tony leaned back. “Where are they going in Vermont? What about his address? Surely he isn’t planning on disappearing into the mountains again.”
“Not technically. We have his address. He lives in the foothills of Mount Mansfield. The estate is large.”
Claire sighed. “Please let us know that she’s safe, first. I want to talk to her. I want to hold her and hug her.”
“We’re a step closer,” Phil said.
Claire looked at the clock in the corner of her computer screen. “Only eleven more hours.”
“It’s going to be a long day,” Tony agreed. “I say we have more coffee.”
Their gaze met as she grinned. “Do you want me to get it?”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head. “I wouldn’t want to put you out.”
Chapter 23
There are times when fear is good. It must keep its watchful place at the heart’s
controls. There is wisdom won from pain. ~ Aeschylus
To her relief, Natalie avoided Dexter’s cocktail on their flight. She would have behaved around the airport and airplane people even without the engagement ring. However, every time she looked down and saw the glistening stone—a family heirloom—she was reminded of the man she loved.
The man who made her heart beat faster.
The man she trusted with her life and her future.
While the plane descended through the pre-dusk sky, Natalie watched her new home state come into view through the small window. They weren’t landing at their house, but in a neighboring city. From the air, it didn’t look large. What she noticed the most was the color.
Had color always meant as much to her as it did now?
Nat wasn’t sure. She just knew that after living in black and white for months, colors were more vibrant than they’d ever been. It was another gift she’d received, learning to appreciate the things that never before seemed important.
“Tell me your thoughts,” Dexter said, squeezing her hand.
“It’s so green.”
He smiled as he leaned closer, peering past her to the window. “Yes. After being in the snow for so long, I suppose it is.”
Natalie started to say that she hadn’t been in the snow. She’d been inside. Leaving the villa for the plane was the first time she’d been outdoors in nearly four months. Her inside detention had been acceptable while she imagined herself within a snow globe. After all, there was nowhere to go in a snow globe. But now, she was seeing the world again. Even though the sun was setting, it would be there. Places to go. Things to see.
“Bug?”
“Yes?” she asked, her voice far away, like her thoughts.
“You’re overthinking; I can feel it. Talk to me.”
“When we get to your house—”
“Our home,” he interrupted.
She nodded. “When we get to our home, will you...will it...?” She wasn’t sure how to verbalize her question. It seemed immature to ask about something as simple as being allowed to go outdoors, and yet, that was now her life, the one she chose when she accepted Dexter as her king.
The plane touched down with barely a bounce.
“We’ll be in the car soon. What are you trying to ask?”
“It was okay to stay in the villa all day and night, because the outside was nothing but cold, but now...” She watched his eyes, wondering if he understood.
“Are you asking if you’ll be allowed to leave our home?”
Her pulse quickened at the verbalization. It sounded different in her thoughts. As she struggled with the tug between her heart and mind, she hoped that somehow she could help Dexter understand her dilemma. “I don’t want to leave. I just don’t want to be kept inside. It’s spring. The weather is warming...” She allowed her words to trail away, afraid if she presented too much of a case, it would be too hard on her heart if he said no.
Dexter hummed his understanding. “What do you think?”
Her insides pinched as she gave into her heart. “I think it’s up to you.”
“And?”
“And I trust you to make the right decision.”
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. Reaching for her seatbelt, he unsnapped it. “Let’s go. I know you’ve been raised with wealth, but I’m excited for you to see our home. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.”
Sensing his excitement, Natalie smiled. Her request would wait.
As the attendant opened the door, stairs descended.
In simply the amount of time it took the plane to land, the sky darkened to velvet black. Maybe it wasn’t totally dark; it was that they were surrounded by lights. The tarmac was a rush of activity. So many people. Nat reached for Dexter’s hand as she fought to breathe.
Too many people. What could she say or do?
People had never bothered her before, but now they overwhelmed her. Everything within her wanted to hide in Dexter’s arms or maybe run back to the plane. However, she was now his queen. A queen didn’t run away. With her chin held high she looked over her new kingdom.
As she and Dexter politely said goodbye to the pilot and attendants, they walked down the stairs, hand in hand. The Vermont air was fresh and cool—not as cold as Austria. It was springtime and she was back where there would be beautiful flowers and budding trees. Her mother had taught her an appreciation of nature.
A golf cart type of vehicle waited near the plane to take Natalie and Dexter to a garage where their car was also waiting. As they settled on the seat, she again wished for the security of walls. Being exposed, to the night as well as curious eyes, was overwhelming. Everything was too much.
Within a few minutes, they entered the hangars and garages. Again, there were so many workers. Instead of concentrating on her trepidation, she recalled Dexter’s words—what he’d said when he first told her they’d be coming back to the States.
He’d been right: Natalie could run here. Not with him beside her, but she could. She could tell someone what had reall
y happened—what went on behind closed doors. She could speak the language and communicate. The thought was like the blowing breeze, there and then gone.
Just because Natalie could run didn’t mean she wanted to. The blue-green eyes looking down lovingly at her, the way his leg touched hers, and the warmth of his hand over her thigh all confirmed what her heart knew: she wouldn’t tell anyone. She wouldn’t try to leave the man who owned her heart, body, and soul.
Dexter lifted her left hand and kissed her knuckles, beside the large shining diamond. “You’ve done very well, my bug.”
The moniker no longer bothered her. Instead, her blood warmed at his tone, radiating in a pink glow from her now-blushed cheeks. Before she could reply, the cart came to a stop.
A tall gentleman wearing a driver’s uniform and standing near the open door to a large black SUV spoke, “Mr. Smithers, welcome home.”
“Thank you, Jinx.” He motioned to Natalie. “Let me introduce my fiancée, Miss Rawlings.”
Natalie momentarily looked up to Dexter. He’d said her name as if it weren’t a name that could be recognized. And then she remembered her manners and moved her gaze to Jinx. “Hello.” She extended her hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rawlings.”
Nat considered correcting Jinx and telling him to call her Natalie—most of the Rawlings staff always had—but then Miss Rawlings was the name Dexter used. If she corrected Jinx, she’d be correcting Dexter.
“And you, also,” she simply replied.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash, or was it her imagination? Had someone taken their picture? Was this what it would be like to be back in the States? Had she been a missing person? Were people looking for her?
She instinctively turned her head away from the flash and toward Dexter.
Nat knew from experience what it was like to be sought after by paparazzi. It wasn’t unusual for the Rawlings family to become faux news, as if their outings were newsworthy events. That was the reason they traveled to the island. The seclusion and anonymity was refreshing.
“What is it?” Dexter asked.
Nat wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. I think I’m just exhausted.”
Releasing her hand, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. “Let’s go home.”
“Yes.” Her green eyes lit up. “Home. I like the sound of that.”
Dexter kissed her forehead as they got into the SUV.
There were other members of the staff to whom Natalie was introduced. She was the queen and always addressed as Miss Rawlings.
With each passing day, Nat adjusted to their change of scenery and to the estate in Vermont. Like Dexter’s home in Austria, this estate was secluded and luxurious. Her behavior on the flight and in public was rewarded with forward momentum in her liberties and freedoms.
It could have been different.
After about a week in Vermont, Dexter took Natalie’s hand and led her downstairs. “I want to show you something.”
At first she was excited. There were so many beautiful aspects of his home. When they’d first entered the lowest level, they’d found a beautifully furnished basement with a large room for entertaining, a theater room, and a gym complete with the best exercise equipment. However, as they went lower and farther into the depths of the basement, she had an overwhelming sense of déjà vu.
It was as he directed her to a room he’d left out of their first tour that her skin covered in perspiration and her stomach knotted. It was a room he’d had constructed especially for her. Like the place she’d awakened months ago, this room was hidden, its entrance camouflaged.
When her steps stuttered, he tugged her hand. “Don’t stop. I had this made for you. It’s another gift.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Why? Please...”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek, tasting her tears. “I wanted you to know that this is here. It’s here to remind you of my rules. It’s here if you need time to yourself to reflect or if I decide it’s where you should be.”
With her heart beating at triple time, she continued down the gray hallway and to the white wood door. It was an exact replica, all the way down to the musty air. She clung tightly to his hand. However, it was as the beep filled her ears and the large handleless door opened that she felt faint. He opened the inside door: white cement-block walls and a concrete floor. She looked up, but there was no window. “Dexter, I won’t disappoint you. I want to please you, but I can do that better with you. Please don’t make me go in there.”
“You’re not going alone. I’m with you.”
It had been over a month since she’d been locked in her room in Austria. Taking the few steps through the doorway was more difficult than their first trip through customs. This time she knew what could be awaiting her.
“Please...” Her pleas went unheard, or perhaps they were only in her mind, because as she looked up at the stark white cinder-block walls, the door shut and they were both inside.
Somehow over the last month, she’d found Dexter’s domination fun. It was. But as she slowly moved her gaze to the man before her, she didn’t see the one who knelt on one knee and proposed or the one with the sparkling gaze who was excited to show her new things. She was, instead, transported back to the one who hurt her, demeaned her, the one who left her for hours on her knees or worse, on her toes and hanging by her wrists.
“Dexter.” She stiffened her neck. “I know it’s here. May we please go back upstairs?”
Instead of acknowledging her speech, his eyes darkened as he commanded, “Take off your clothes.”
While the memories of her time in a similar room flooded her mind, she did as he bid.
She couldn’t not.
It was her job to do as her king said. First, she stepped out of her shoes. The cold concrete floor added to her chill.
There was staff around the house that required her clothing. However, alone in this room, they weren’t around the staff.
Next, Nat reached for the hem of her blouse and pulled it over her head. The friction of the material loosened her hair from its styled position. Her slacks were the next to go, down her legs. With the removal of each article of clothing, the cool air prickled her flesh, eliciting goose bumps until they piled one on top of the other and small hairs stood to attention. Dexter didn’t speak, yet his watchful eyes never left her body, a hauntingly familiar gleam reflecting the steady flash of the camera in the corner. He hadn’t tried to camouflage it.
Maybe that was worse?
Finally, with trembling fingers Natalie unlatched her bra and pulled down her panties.
Dexter didn’t command her with words, nevertheless, she assumed the position, moving her legs to shoulder distance apart, turning her palms outward, and raising her chin. His murmur of appreciation was the only sound besides the tap of his boots as he walked, one, two, and three circles around her.
“Do you need a day or two in here to help you remember?”
Her mind screamed for her to say no, to beg for his understanding. Yet her heart dictated her response. “If it’s your desire.”
After all, he hadn’t asked if she wanted to stay in the cell he’d had built. The answer to that question would be a resounding no. Dexter asked Nat if she needed...he was the one who determined her need. Nat’s core clenched as fear combined with awe at her fiancé’s power to control her entire life awakened her desire.
“Kneel.”
Without hesitation, Nat fell to her knees, her bent toes supporting her weight as she kept her hands palms up.
“Are you wet, my queen?”
She shouldn’t be. This was beyond their normal Dexter-time. This was the knowledge that he had planned for her misbehavior. Nonetheless she was. “Yes, my king.”
Dexter gathered her hair, removing the loose pins, and then divided her locks in thirds. Next, he tenderly braided the length. As his fingers plaited the strands, tears fell from her eyes. He hadn’t braided her hair sin
ce she was in the same kind of room back in the villa. He then re-secured the end with a ponytail tie from his pocket. “You’re beautiful on your knees.”
His words returned a small degree of the warmth the room had stolen.
Reaching for her chin, Dexter tipped her face upward until their gazes locked. “If you’d have misbehaved on our trip, I had this waiting.”
She didn’t speak.
“Now it’s here if we need it. Will we need it?”
Again, need. “That’s your decision.”
Still holding her chin, he orchestrated her movements. “You’re being a good girl. Will you do as I say?”
“Always.”
“Take me out.”
With her chin still held within his grasp, she couldn’t see what her hands were doing, yet she obeyed. With nimble fingers, she quickly reached for his waist, unbuckled his belt, unfastened the button, and lowered the zipper.
“Remove my belt.”
Her breathing slowed as she pulled the leather from the loops, her mind reeling with the possibility of his plans. Would he strike her? Would he restrain her? Her heart beat faster with each option.
“I’m going to fuck your mouth.”
Her tongue darted to her lips as her nipples painfully hardened.
“Hands behind your back. You’re going to take all of me.”
Her pussy flooded as he looped his belt behind her neck. Accepting his control, she leaned back into the leather, opened her lips, and lowered her tongue to the floor of her mouth. He held each end of the belt, creating a support for her neck as he unceremoniously thrust his hard cock past her lips and deep into her throat. Musk filled her senses as he continued to press forward while pulling her toward him.
She couldn’t breathe.
Tears overspilled her lids and cascaded down her cheeks as he pushed her limits. In and out. Stars burst behind her now-closed lids as her cells screamed for oxygen. Though her body wanted to fight, her mind slipped away as she floated in the sound of his voice. He praised her as he thrust, his voice deep and satisfied, his growls and groans keeping time to his rhythm. She was giving him pleasure—or he was taking it. The end result was the same. If the price was her pain or her life, she’d pay it.