Wishing Well(53)

I’d never cried before while sucking his cock, never hated him while I obeyed him. But now, I wanted to do was reach up and gouge his eyes out. He didn’t need to say another word to prove how easily he’d cornered me. I needed this job. I had nowhere else to go, and now he would give and take whatever he felt like.

His grip loosened on my hair just a touch, the blister of fire across my skull easing. “Once you’ve picked up the covered dish that will be set aside for you, you’ll need to take the elevator down to the basement using the key I’ve given you and the numerical code that’s taped to its side.”

Without warning his hips bucked and he shot his release down my throat. “Swallow, Penelope. You won’t like the results of angering me.”

Doing as he said, I could still taste him on my tongue when I asked, “What’s in the basement?”

He didn’t need to answer for me to know. Thoughts of émilie at the well flashed through my head, the vacant eyes of a man I’d met before staring at me in my thoughts. Is this what Vincent had done to émilie back then? What he was doing to me now?

My chest shuddered with a wrenching sob. What a stupid girl I’d been.

“My brother, Maurice. It seems his last caretaker has quit suddenly, and I need a new person to bring his meals to him.”

Terror tightened my muscles over every bone. Still kneeling on the ground, I couldn’t look up at Vincent while he fastened his pants. “Why are you doing this to me? I thought he was dangerous.”

“He is,” he answered softly, “which is why you need to follow my directions exactly.”

“And if I refuse?”

Pressing a finger beneath my chin, he tilted my head to force me to look at him. There wasn’t a hint of regret or concern on his beautiful face. “Then I regret to inform you your time at the Wishing Well is over.”

Tears slid down my cheeks, pain so pervasive in my heart that I thought it would split apart in my chest. Vincent tsked his tongue and shook his head. With a silky voice, he said, “You couldn’t have honestly believed I’d keep you forever, or that I would love you? How silly is that, Penelope? You were a dirty girl I pulled from the streets and gave a job. You have no say in what that job will continue being and if you refuse what I offer, I’ll replace you. It’s that simple.”

Why hadn’t I saved money? Why had I believed the fairy tale he’d given me? Why had I crawled into the spider’s web when he’d done nothing but crook his cruel finger to invite me?

It was as if the last several weeks had killed the girl I used to be. I become weak in the lap of luxury. And now, too afraid to return to what I’d been before he found me, I nodded my head. “What are the directions?”

Smiling, he answered, “Don’t make any sudden moves around him. Don’t scream or say anything. Don’t resist if he scares you. And if you want to walk out of the basement unscathed, just do whatever he wants.”

“Anything?” I breathed out.

He nodded his head. “I’ll triple your salary. And instead of scrubbing and polishing and running yourself ragged, you can spend your days relaxing when you’re not in my suite. You’ll be pampered for delivering three meals a day.”

The money was difficult to turn down. And in a month’s time I could save enough to get away, now that I knew my job here and my affair with Vincent weren’t reliable.

“Fine,” I answered as hatred rolled through me. But despite the ugly feeling, the betrayal, I only thought of the reward I would receive when Vincent took me to his suite again.

What the fuck was wrong with me?

Pushing to my feet, I pulled the shirt over my head and snatched the key from where I’d set it on the desk. I didn’t bother glancing back as I left his office and headed to the kitchens to find a silver domed dish as he’d said. My legs barely held me up as I made my way to the elevator, inserted the key and punched in the six digit code.

I wanted to vomit from the consuming fear, wanted to scream at the way I was letting Vincent use me.

Why hadn’t I seen this coming?

The elevator slid smoothly down to the basement floor, the polished doors opening to reveal an entry lobby with black walls, black floors, leather seating and crystal vases full of roses. Stepping through, I could barely see by the flickering light of the flame wall sconces.

My fear consumed me and I had to take a breath to keep from dropping the plate and running away.

“Hello?” I called out, not sure where to leave the meal, not sure about anything anymore.

A noise down a side hall drew my attention, the pathway lit only by flickering candlelight. I would have thought the scene to be romantic if I didn’t fear the monster lingering out of sight.

Maybe nothing would happen. The thought occurred to me that like all the games Vincent had played with me over the past few weeks, this was just another one, a test to see how truly obedient I could be. I must have been truly sick in the head when the thought of the reward that would come thrilled me.

Breathing out a heavy breath, I turned left to walk down the hall, pacing my steps as I peeked inside dark rooms waiting for something to jump out at me. Reaching the last door, I looked inside expecting to see a torture chamber or some kind of dungeon, but instead I found a brightly colored living room with yellow walls and brilliant, electric light. It was the tapping of fingers against a keyboard the drew my gaze to the right, the man sitting behind a computer staring back at me as surprised as I stared at him.