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  Lucien slapped her face. “Don’t stop.”

  Maybe if she moved faster, the nightmare would end sooner. She took him in her mouth and sucked. Lucien tensed, his entire body shuddering, and she realized a sudden sense of power at being able to cause him to lose his composure. His hands flexed in her hair and his breath came shaky and thick.

  “Sweet Jesus girl, I knew you had it in you.” He groaned.

  She slid her teeth along his length. He growled deep in his throat.

  Despite her disgust, she found fascinating the control she could have over a man. Had she gone mad? Is this it? Often, her mother had mentioned the power a woman held, but Rowan thought she had deluded herself into believing it, so that she could go on. That she could be right was something Rowan had never considered. She’d been far too occupied with being the victim.

  Pulling him into her mouth once more she moved rapidly, sucking and letting her teeth graze him. Lucien moved his hand from her hair and gripped the sheets. Rowan looked up to find that he was watching her, eyes glazed, his brow covered in sweat. She looked away, not wanting him to see the fascination in her eyes. He would think she was enjoying this.

  Suddenly, Lucien grew rigid and his body pulsed in her mouth.

  Rowan was unprepared for the hot, bitter liquid that flooded her mouth and tried to pull away. She gagged.

  Lucien gripped her hair once more to push her face against him until the last shudder wracked his body. When he released her, she spat on the floor and wiped her mouth. The taste of him made her retch, gagging on the bile that rose to her throat. Knowing he would punish her, Rowan swallowed against the urge to vomit.

  “Most women would simply swallow it, mademoiselle. It is rude to spit it out like it was some poison. Next time you will take it in as though it were your mama’s milk.”

  “You are vile. Disgusting and evil. I’ll be ill for days.”

  He rose and picked up his pants, chuckling at her words. “You can pretend all you like; I could tell you enjoyed that. You were in control and you like that, non?”

  “I hated it.”

  “You can deny it a thousand times. I am a man and I know when a woman enjoys herself. That is how you will pleasure me from now on, until I tire of it. You have a gift cherie, you should use it.”

  He tested the water in the tub and grimaced. “Sadly your bath will be cold. It will be good for you, revives the senses. I’d hate to see you receive your guests while aching for me.”

  Rowan turned away. Let him believe what he wanted. She would win in the end. This newfound power was too much to risk losing. If she kept him satisfied and believing that she was enjoying his attention, she could turn on him later. Men were so stupid, as Mama Gator had assured her many times.

  Rowan waited for Lucien to leave before getting into her cold bath. It may not be so long, not if Justine could pull through for her.

  CHAPTER 13

  After a frigid bath, Rowan had settled into her bed when the door opened. Henri entered his face grim.

  “Oh, hello, Henri. I suppose you’re about to tell me the bad news. Don’t worry. Lucien has already informed me of his decision. It’s all right. It took you a long time to come break the news to me, though. Makes a girl wonder at your dedication.”

  Henri stared at her with a frown. “You seem to be taking it well. I worry about you, Rowan. You’re not the girl I knew.”

  “Oh Henri, there are no girls in this place. I’m a woman now. You saw to that before I arrived.”

  Rowan didn’t know why she baited him. She wanted him to leave, but instead she needled him, realizing that she pushed away the only person who had shown her any kindness in the past weeks.

  “What I did was wrong, Rowan,” he said and looked away from her gaze before continuing. “I should have been gentle, more understanding when I took you. But I don’t regret doing it for one moment. It had to be done.”

  “Yes, that is what my father tells me every time as well.”

  “Stop doing that.”

  “What?”

  “Calling Lucien your father. It only angers him. He truly doesn’t believe it.” Henri glanced at the door as though he expected Lucien to materialize.

  “Are you scared of him, Henri? Of course you are. Anyone with something to lose is terrified of the Dumas family.”

  “You aren’t afraid of him too?”

  “I have nothing left to lose, so I would have to say no.”

  She could tell, by the way he crinkled his nose, that Henri didn’t believe her; he always did that when he thought something was silly or untrue.

  “He’s given me only an hour tonight. I didn’t think he’d let me through the doors again after I tried to buy you from him. He was very angry. But tonight he must have felt generous. I’ve even been invited to join him for a drink later.” Henri looked grave. As though it mattered there would be someone else to degrade her further.

  Rowan no longer cared. “And?”

  “Aren’t you going to fight at all? God... woman, you’re not a whore. I’m sorry I ever believed you could be. You should be cared for, safe outside of this ugliness.”

  “You helped to put me here and now I must stay until I can figure out a way to get rid of Lucien. Don’t worry about me. This is what I was meant to do after all.”

  “Don’t say that. You’re a Dumas. This is not what you were meant for. He is too blind to see that you’re exactly like him.”

  Rowan leapt off the bed and grabbed his shirt. He brought his hands up in defense, closing them over hers. “Don’t you ever say that again, Henri Fontaine, or your life will be the first to end.”

  “Rowan, I—”

  “I am nothing like him. Understood?”

  His hands left hers to trail up her arms. Rowan watched them until they disappeared to the curve of her neck.

  “I just want you to be safe. Do you believe me?”

  She closed her eyes as he trailed his fingers down her naked back. The heat in Henri’s gaze made her want to hide under the covers again.

  “I don’t believe anything you say. You don’t care about me. You want me and you want what I can give you. That’s no different than the rest of them.”

  Henri’s hands dropped to his side. His reply was cut off by Lucien charging through the door.

  “Well, I have been proven wrong. I must applaud you, Henri. You truly convinced me you didn’t care for her at all.” He clapped his hands as he spoke.

  “I don’t know what you mean.” Henri turned his back to Rowan, as though shielding her from Lucien’s gaze.

  “Oh come now boy,” Lucien said. “Give an old man some credit. I’ve been around, I’ve seen things. I know what is going on here. You’re infatuated and hope to be her Prince. Or is it a white knight? I never was into fairy tales.”

  “I want no such thing. You wouldn’t sell her to me, and that’s fine, but I don’t recall paying for your company as well as hers.”

  “You’re right, but what exactly did you pay to do with her? Whisper sweet promises into her ear?”

  “And what if I did? You get your money either way, so I can’t see the problem.”

  “I cannot have you filling her heart with false hope. It makes her uppity, and I’ve grown weary of such troublesome tendencies. So, unless you plan to take what she is trained to give, I must ask you to turn your attention to another girl. Perhaps you should try one that doesn’t make your heart ache so.”

  Rowan wanted to beg Lucien to leave Henri alone. If he forbade Henri from seeing her, she’d have no one. She didn’t like Henri most of the time, but he made it easy to believe she wasn’t alone.

  “We were just about to begin when you rudely interrupted,” Rowan lied.

  “Oh you were? Then you won’t mind if I stay. I must be sure you are learning something.”

  “I prefer to do this alone, if you don’t mind,” Henri said.

  Lucien raised a black eyebrow and smirked. “Oh but I do mind very much. Now R
owan, let’s show Henri what you’ve learned.”

  Rowan felt her cheeks warm at the memory of him in her mouth.

  “This is silly. I don’t need a coach and neither does she.” Henri crossed his arms over his chest.

  “You haven’t minded my presence before, Monsieur Fontaine. Why so shy now? Rowan is used to an audience, aren’t you ma petite?”

  “I don’t care either way.” Rowan tried to sound nonchalant, but her voice rising an octave betrayed her. It was bad enough he’d forced her into an act that degraded and shamed her, but to do it in front of Henri… she couldn’t.

  Lucien turned to Henri. “Oh but she lies. I have seen how she enjoys some things. Come girl, on your knees.”

  Henri turned to Rowan, his eyes pleading. She didn’t know if he was begging her to obey Lucien or not. She knelt before him, her gaze never leaving his.

  “Rowan I—”

  She shook her head.

  He sighed.

  Rowan unbuttoned his pants. He was already hard. Apparently, the audience wasn’t so distasteful he couldn’t perform.

  Lucien moved to a chair next to the window. He crossed his legs and smiled. “Wait until she has you in her mouth, you’ll see I’m right. This girl was made for pleasure.”

  Henri closed his eyes.

  He trembled as she touched his thigh, but she doubted it was in anticipation. He was scared of Lucien. Henri knew it was wrong to allow this to happen, but wanted it all the same, and he wouldn’t defy Lucien even if he didn’t.

  His weakness made her ill. How could she trust he would help her if he wouldn’t stand against the great Lucien Dumas? If he allowed this to happen, their fate was sealed.

  She looked at his erection and paused.

  “You don’t have to do it. I can leave. It’s okay,” Henri whispered. “I won’t force you ever again.”

  She did have to do it or Lucien would banish him. While he was a snake, Henri was the closest thing to a friend she had left. If she wanted out of this hell, Rowan needed him close. She lifted her gaze to his eyes, which glazed when she wrapped her fingers around him.

  “You want it as much as he does,” she whispered. “And you’ll have what you paid for. Besides, I won’t suffer because you’re a coward.”

  His reply vanished when she took him into her mouth to Lucien’s sharp intake of breath as she went to work. She risked a glance at Lucien. Rowan couldn’t wait to make him suffer.

  Henri’s hands in her hair drew her attention back to what she was doing. He clenched his fists and pushed her into him, as Lucien had done. She knew he was lost, that the power was hers now, just as Mama described. She felt degraded, used, but at the same time, a tiny spark of hope lit her heart. If she could hold them with such a simple task, however vile, what would happen if she used the rest of her body? How much control could she hold then?

  Henri trembled and then shuddered. At least this would be over quickly, unlike Lucien’s lesson. For all his boasting, Henri was no Romeo. As the bitter liquid filled her mouth once more, she turned and spat it on the floor.

  “Happy now?” she asked. Her eyes met Lucien’s.

  He smirked. “I don’t know. Henri?”

  Henri pulled his pants up and fastened the button, avoiding Rowan’s eyes. “Of course, I didn’t expect otherwise. Rowan knows what I like. Is that enough for you Lucien? Perhaps a little privacy the next time would be in order.”

  Lucien waved a large hand. “Perhaps. You may go now Henri, Rowan has other obligations this evening.”

  Without looking at her, Henri turned toward the door. He was ashamed, and so he should be. He was like every other man she’d known; his needs came before all else.

  “I hope you’ll come again. Lucien likes us to have regulars,” she murmured as his hand touched the knob.

  Henri stiffened, opened the door, and left without a glance.

  Rowan turned her gaze to Lucien.

  He stood and walked to where she knelt on the floor. Rowan didn’t move.

  “What a brave girl you are this evening. So bold and sassy, I think you are perhaps too sure of yourself.”

  “I did as you asked. You don’t want me fighting you, and now you don’t want me to do as you ask. How can I win?”

  He lifted her from the floor and nudged her toward the bed. “You don’t win. You are a loser, and you always will be. No matter how many men you please, or how many are lost in your unnatural eyes, you will lose.”

  “I see.”

  “No, you don’t see. Let me clear your vision, hmm? I own you. I will always own you. As long as I draw breath, you will not have one moment of happiness. I will see to it that you suffer each and every day.”

  “You already have, Monsieur.”

  “Not nearly enough. Until the day one of us dies, I will make sure your suffering only gets worse.”

  He pushed her onto the bed and lay on top of her. Rowan closed her eyes as his teeth raked down her neck. He bit down, drawing blood here and there, before licking it away. His hands were rough and cruel as he touched her.

  Anger, hot and violent, stirred in her belly.

  Then I shall have to find a way to kill you.

  CHAPTER 14

  Justine slipped into the room early the following morning. Without curtains to block the light, shafts of pink and orange lit the room, casting a pale glow over the floor and the walls. Rowan wasn’t sleeping. She had lain all night staring at the bare window until dawn brought her out of the darkness. She had to get out of there. Every time Lucien touched her, a small part of her soul died. Eventually there would be nothing but a shell.

  He proved she’d been a fool to allow herself to think she could control them. While she could arouse him, she couldn’t control Lucien—not with sex anyway. And she was no match for his depravity.

  “Rowan? Are you all right?” Justine’s whisper was timid.

  Rowan didn’t turn, keeping her back to the door. “I’m fine. What do you want?”

  “I have a plan. I have spoken to your Henri.”

  “Henri is nothing to me. Don’t trust him.”

  “No, he loves you. I can see it in his eyes. He worries about you.”

  Rowan turned to Justine. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she forced them back. She would not cry over any of them.

  Justine’s face paled. Rowan knew what she saw, what made the young girl cover her mouth in shock. Bruises marred her face and neck, with blood dried in thick scabs on her chest. After Lucien departed, Rowan had stared at herself in the blade of the little knife she’d hidden beneath the mattress; the knife that so far had proven useless.

  Shaking her head, Rowan sighed. “Henri wants me to himself, until he tires of me. He doesn’t love me. Men cannot feel love.”

  “What have they done to you?”

  “What they always do; nothing more. It’s worse than it looks. Really, don’t worry about me.”

  Justine glanced at the door before rushing to Rowan’s side. “But they will kill you, I’m sure of it. They’ll kill me too. I’ve heard things. Please, you must help me if not yourself. I cannot stay here much longer.”

  Rowan wanted to ignore the girl, but the fear in her large brown eyes twisted her heart. Although very little of the sweet child she used to be remained inside, there was enough left to cry for Justine’s fear.

  “Lucien told me I was to come up here tonight, to join you,” Justine said.

  Rowan’s heart quickened.

  Justine licked her lips, her small mouth trembling as she drew a shaky breath before continuing. “He said my ‘free ride’ was over and it was time I learned what happens when one of his girls is no longer useful.”

  “He is hateful,” Rowan said. “How I wish I could stick a knife in his black heart.”

  “We won’t get the chance this evening. We’ll have a guest. I don’t know who, but if I’m to be imprisoned here with you, I can bring something—a weapon perhaps. We can use it to get out.. Henri said he wou
ld wait down the lane for us. He’ll hide us both if he can.”

  Rowan wanted to believe her. Henri would only hide them if it didn’t compromise his own safety. Wouldn’t Lucien come after him first? How did they get out of the house if Lucien and Rosaline were still alive?

  “It won’t work,” she finally said. “We have to get down the stairs and through the big room. It’s full at night, isn’t it? We can’t simply walk past all of those people without someone stopping us.”

  Justine smiled and reached for Rowan’s hands. “That’s the beauty of it, we won’t leave tonight. We leave in the morning after everyone is locked down.”

  “Where will we hide until then?”

  “In here, with whomever they send up.”

  “This isn’t a very good plan, Justine. How long did you two work on this?”

  “Just a few moments. I saw Henri leave your room last night and he looked so disgusted, so ashamed, that I thought maybe he’d help us. I followed him. He stood outside smoking, and looked so very troubled.”

  “How do you know Henri?”

  “I’ve seen him often the past few weeks, standing in the same spot, staring up at your window. I know he cares for you, so I approached him, said I was your friend and we talked.”

  “First of all, Lucien would never leave you here with me until morning. He isn’t stupid. Second, he or Rosaline will likely be present. In my experience, they like to be on hand for punishments, and this feels very much like a punishment. I don’t know which of us they’re angry with, perhaps both. Are you sure no one knows you’ve talked to me? Did you tell anyone about our plans?”

  “No, but one of the others may have noticed I stay in here longer than necessary.”

  “He knows. Lucien is setting us up.”

  “Lucien won’t be a problem. He’s going away today. I heard him telling a man to make sure the boat is ready so he can leave for business, and then he told Rosaline he’d be back tomorrow. She will be the only one here to see to us. While that would have terrified me before, I’ve decided she isn’t much. Two of us could get rid of her easily, especially if we have a weapon.”

  “All right, we’ll try it. But—” Justine leapt up, cutting off Rowan’s words. She hugged her before backing away and clasping her hands to her chest. Rowan smelled cigar smoke in her blonde curls. Henri’s? She raised a hand and Justine’s smile vanished. “Wait, just wait a moment. First, we need more information. You must make sure Lucien has left. We can’t proceed until we are certain this isn’t some elaborate trick aimed at trapping me into worse punishment. I won’t show all of my cards just to find myself back in this room with that man inside of me.”