4

Lucien scarcely kept his grip from tightening over her bare arms, hating how soft and smooth her skin was under his fingertips.

He'd caught himself wondering how her skin would feel earlier, when he'd caressed her face and then taken her cunt with his fingers, but for some reason he hadn't expected her to feel like silk beneath his palms.

"Get your hands off of me," Harlow said, jerking in his hold.

But it was useless, and they both knew it. She gave up after a moment, glaring at him. She thought she hated him now, but she truly had no idea how far this would go.

What she felt now would pale in comparison to what he had planned for her in the upcoming months.

"That's no way to talk to your master, Harlow."

She shivered, and despite his intention to tighten his grip to the point of pain, he slid his palms up and down her arms, helping fend off the cool night air.

"I take it you were scheming to make a daring escape in the hopes you'd lose me, at what? A bus station? The airport?"

"No," she answered immediately. "I would never do something like that."

Lucien smirked, leaning down until his nose brushed hers. "What did I say would happen if you lied to me?"

"Can you prove I'm lying?" she asked haughtily, turning her head to the side so he was nuzzling her cheek. He nipped her in reprimand and she jumped, hissing out a startled breath.

Lucien stood to his full height. "For the sake of your little friends within the MC, you should hope not."

Her mouth popped open in shock. "If I was trying to leave, which I wasn't, how is it their problem? You bought me, remember? They have no responsibility over me anymore."

Ah, so she'd thought them safe from his wrath if she'd managed to make it out of Chicago.

Lucien shook his head. "I would have killed them just to prove a point."

"How about you leave them out of this?" she asked him, a bite in her voice that made his dick hard.

"Why would I do that? I can't expect your obedience if I don't have leverage over you, and your friend Raider seems like the perfect piece of meat to dangle over your head."

Harlow shoved at his shoulders, but he didn't even sway on his feet before she let out a small huff of frustration. She settled for poking him angrily in the chest, her nail leaving an indent in the material of his shirt.

He could honestly say no one had ever done that before, and the action startled him.

"I'm here, aren't I? I didn't run off. So leave Raider alone."

A flare of irritation filled him at how blatantly she was ready to defend someone who'd fed her to the wolves.

"You're only here because I caught you trying to flee within minutes of becoming my property, Harlow. If you try something like that again, I can't guarantee that I won't take your rebellion out on someone you care about."

Like that little prick she'd been clinging to for protection.

"Mr. Thorne," his driver called from the street, interrupting the exchange of wills between Lucien and his prey. "Your ride is here."

Lucien grabbed Harlow by the elbow, turning and steering her toward the vehicle. "Excellent, Stefan. To the penthouse, if you please."

"That sounds great," Harlow said cheerily, dragging her feet as he ushered her forward. "If you'll just unhand me, I'll leave you to it. I'm going home."

Lucien didn't even spare her a glance as he all but dragged her to the SUV, grabbing her around the waist and depositing her through the open door.

He followed in after her, unbuttoning his suit jacket as Stefan closed the door behind him.

"I said I was going home," Harlow spat, sitting up in her seat with a huff. They didn't acknowledge Stefan as he got behind the wheel, starting the vehicle up and taking off into the night.

"I agree. You are going home. To your new home."

Her mouth dropped open before she snapped it shut, her teeth clicking together in the silence.

"You're really doing all of this because of a watch? You do realize how unhinged that is, right?"

Lucien merely stared at her, refusing to answer.

Harlow huffed again, crossing her arms over her chest in irritation. "What do you want with me? Can you just tell me that?"

"I want a number of things," Lucien responded after a tense silence began to stretch between them. "I want to make you beg. To humiliate you. To own you. I want you screaming my name in pleasure and hating the fact that you are." I want to completely ruin you.

Harlow shivered, and this time it wasn't from the cold. "If you wanted sex, you could have just asked in the private room. I was willing enough before you pulled this stunt with Raider."

Lucien tilted his head. "Do you honestly think I would sacrifice fifty grand and a favor for a piece of pussy? No, Harlow. This isn't just about taking you any and every way that I want, although I'll enjoy doing that as well. This is about the lack of respect you, and by extension your associates, showed me tonight. And now I'll repay the favor and set an example for the next person that tries something so ridiculous."

Harlow's lips thinned.

"It's only an example if the MC cared about me, which clearly they don't if they discarded me so easily."

Lucien smiled. He liked seeing the small bit of hurt cross her face that she couldn't quite conceal, but for some reason he found himself reassuring her as opposed to basking in her pain.

"Men in this world know better than to hold affection for women unless they want to make them a target. But it was clear to see each man there cared about your wellbeing. Why do you think I resolved some of their debt in exchange for you? They wouldn't have agreed so willingly if I hadn't."

"If they cared about me then why didn't they tell you to fuck off?"

"Because I would have wiped out their club in a matter of days, if that. Do you think you're worth all of their lives, Harlow?"

She looked away from him and out the window as Stefan drove toward the penthouse.

"Do you often kidnap women from your allies?"

"Only the ones that need to be taught a lesson."