Page 234 of His Flash Mate
“Check her shoulder,” Hestian said.
Marta didn’t stop her gentle inspection until the big guy spoke again.Then she reached for the buttons on my top without meeting my gaze.
I glanced at Hestian and the other guy.Both watched avidly.
My stomach soured, and I hated how helpless I was to stop her from going to the next button.But I didn’t let my rising panic show as I wondered how far she would go.
I didn’t care if they saw my bra.Modesty wasn’t really a concern of mine.But it had to be on my terms.My body, my choice.
What I really cared about was what came after.Would they stop at looking?
When she reached my bra, she rolled me to my side as far as the cuffs would allow, and pulled my top down enough to see my mark.
“Use a pair of scissors to cut her top there,” Hestian said.“We’ll need to check that frequently.”
My insides grew cold.
He not only knew what the mark was, but that it could change.And cutting my shirt to make checking it easier proved that he meant to keep me long enough to see it change.
I listened to the snip of fabric.Then Marta eased me onto my back.
“Marta will feed, water, and bathe you while you’re with us, as long as you behave.”Hestian indicated the ceiling camera in the corner of the room.“If you cause problems, Javier will take over.He won’t be as gentle.Do you understand?”
I nodded and hated Hestian’s pleased smile.
“Very good.I know you have a lot to consider.I’ll leave you for now and check back later.If you need anything, just speak to the camera.Javier will understand.”
Knowing someone would always be watching increased my fear.My gaze tracked Marta as she followed them out.How long would it be until I started acting like her?
Subtly, I tested the cuffs.They didn’t dig into my skin but didn’t have any give either.If not for the camera, I would have tried forcing a hand out, but I wasn’t stupid.How long would it take for Javier to swoop in when he realized what I was doing?Would I have enough time to get the other hand free?To untie my legs?Then what?
My gaze swept the room.Two windows on each side of the bed.Three doors.One was the exit they’d used.One led to a dark bathroom.And the other was a closet.I could see ball gowns in it.To tempt me or leftover from the previous deceased wife?Did it matter?
The windows explained the cuffs and tied feet.They likely also meant Javier was very close by too.
I looked around the room again for a clock to see how long I’d been out, but there wasn’t one.Had enough time passed for my bodyguard to realize something was wrong?If I were lucky, a whole team of people was already coordinating how to get me out of here.
And if I wasn’t that lucky, the safest option for now was to do nothing.I didn’t need to pretend I was considering his option.He already knew I wasn’t interested.This was a waiting game for him.He was waiting for my mark to fade.Waiting for me to give up like Marta.Waiting for me to be so defeated that I said yes.
Stay smart and stay alive, Soph.
I closed my eyes.
Konni, my big, overprotective, needy dragon, would find me.He’d come in here and bitch slap Hestian so hard for touching what was his that Hestian’s head would dislocate up his ass.
Smiling slightly, I focused on my breathing and waited.
Waiting was boring as fuck.
I thought about the latest batch of projects I’d reviewed and came up with some great solutions.When I ran out of work stuff to think about, I played a word game in my head.How many words that start with the letter A could I think of?
While thinking of D, particularly Konni’s, I drifted off.
The sound of the door opening pulled me out of my light doze, and I opened my eyes to see Marta coming in with a tray of food and something to drink.
Without a clock, it was hard to say how much time passed again, but it was enough that I was parched.I tried to sit up, leveraging my weight against the cuffs.She hurried to set down the tray and helped me.
Once I was sitting up, she held up the water.Regardless of the wisdom of drinking something from someone who was holding me hostage, cuffed to a bed, I nodded.
