Perfect Ruin (Unyielding #2)(36)

His thumb stroked back and forth. “Only willing, braveheart. No other way.”

I had no response and I knew he didn’t expect one. He released me when a girl was pushed down beside me. I kept my eyes on the floor, but caught a glimpse of her from the corner of my eye. I felt her gaze on me. Stupid. You were beaten if you dared to look at anything except the floor unless you were told to.

I’d seen her the day she arrived. She belonged to the fighter, Sculpt, and hadn’t been here long. I’d also heard her screams in the room beside mine after she foolishly spit in Raul’s face and called him a disgusting parasite. Alfonzo was giddy with excitement that the girl would be taken to Jacob. No one wanted to spend time with Jacob.

“Sculpt. Good fight.” Kai’s tone was controlled and cold. The mild amusement often attached to it was gone.

“Kai,” Sculpt said.

Kai’s leg brushed against me as he leaned to the right. “I have no interest in the fighting circuit, but I was rather impressed by your ability. And I lost a lot of money tonight.”

“Raul mentioned your name in passing,” Sculpt replied. “I’m curious, why is it that you’ve travelled all this way for a fight you’re not interested in?”

Kai reached toward me and grabbed my chin, raising my head. “Her. I was curious when Raul sent me the invitation to the fight. I declined, however. Raul must have known I would, and he is intelligent. He also knew if I refused to come, many other of my acquaintances wouldn’t either, so he offered me her. Alfonzo’s latest.”

From the corner of my eye, I noticed Sculpt’s slave put her hand over her mouth and her eyes widened. I remained impassive. Nothing bothered me anymore, not her reaction, not what would happen to her tonight. Every emotion was ripped out of me except one… that flicker of hope that sparked the moment Kai showed up.

Sculpt nudged his girl with his leg, and she lowered her hand from her mouth. “He is giving her to you? Raul doesn’t like to give anything away.”

Kai chuckled. “No, but I required a new girl, and Raul knew that. When I saw her picture, I had to have her.”

Kai grabbed me by the collar and jerked upward. It was meant to look aggressive, but his other hand had slipped down onto my hip so the pressure on my neck was minimal. He pulled me onto his lap, my back to his chest and then his hand reached around and played with my nipple, pinching and circling hard then soft. “He knows my type and this one is… is special.”

I remained in his lap while he chatted about the fight, but despite appearing relaxed, I felt the tension in him.

He fed me parts of his meal and let me sip his wine and ice-cold water. The usual sounds in the dining hall were the same as every night except louder and filled with excitement over the fight.

Kai kissed my ear and it appeared as if he were enjoying himself, but the tension pulsed in every muscle in his body. “Baby,” he whispered. His voice was so low that I had difficulty hearing him. “Raul is watching us.”

I lowered my chin in a subtle nod so he knew I heard him.

“She is stunning.” Kai nodded to Sculpt’s girl. His hand rested between my legs, not doing anything, merely cupping me like he’d done that night on my couch.

“Hmm.”

“Dinner appears to be over, and my understanding is Raul likes to play afterward. Care to indulge?”

This is what Raul’s parties were about and even though I’d only been to a few, I was experienced enough to know that the best chance of survival of what was to come, was to be obedient and quiet.

“Not really.”

Kai’s finger twitched. “Then why bother having her? My suggestion is tame, nothing to frighten your little slave. She does look like she wants to be swallowed up by the floor.” Kai reached over and stroked the side of the girl’s face. “Look at me.”

“I don’t share,” Sculpt said abruptly.

“Neither do I,” Kai said, and his hand dropped from her face to stroke my inner thigh. “But watching the women together. Two beauties… now that I would enjoy.”

I knew exactly what Kai was doing. He’d never f*ck me. Not now. Not when I was being forced to. But there had to be a show for Raul so he was using Sculpt’s girl as a scapegoat.

“No.” Sculpt raised his voice.

“No, what, gentlemen?” I stiffened at the sound of Raul’s voice and couldn’t help but lean further into Kai’s embrace.

He was right, Raul was obviously watching us.

Kai spoke, “I suggested a little play between the women. Sculpt has declined.”

“I never said that.”

“I had something else in mind for tonight,” Kai said.

He put his hands on my hips then shoved me off his lap. I landed hard on the floor and quickly righted myself and knelt beside Kai. I didn’t have any doubt about what he was doing. We were going to get out of this place and Kai was making certain it happened. He’d do whatever it took, and so would I.

A feminine hand reached out to me and my heart leapt and my eyes widened. Stupid girl. She was going to get us both beaten with Raul watching. I sidled up to Kai’s leg like I was taught to do and turned away from her.

“I’d be interested in hearing this,” Raul said. “Kai, Sculpt has been hiding this gem away for over a week now. I was beginning to think that she’d escaped him.” Kai laughed. “She was rather… disobedient when she arrived. I was anticipating Alfonzo having to train her as he did your new slave. But, she has been reined in. After being away from us for so long, I was thinking Sculpt had become soft.”