Sold To The Sheik Read Free Page B

shiver to rock my spine, only I wasn’t entirely sure if the motion was prompted by fear or something else far more insidious.
    “Tonight, you will wear my collar. It will be heavy with crusted jewels so that with each movement you will feel the weight of my power over you. It will be tight, reminding you that I hold your life in my hands and if it pleases me, I could squeeze the air from your throat. And, you will wear nothing but my collar until it pleases me otherwise.”
    Suddenly, the diaphanous, thin covering was preferable to his alternative. I clutched at my breasts, trying to cover them from his greedy stare, but it was pointless. His stare seemed powerful enough to burn through the cloth with ease. I felt stripped bare already. A slow, warm trickle spread between my legs, horrifying me. I clenched my knees together, but the squeezing only intensified the low pulsing that refused to stop. I glared at him, hating that somehow he’d made my body react this way when I plainly hated him and everything he stood for.
    When I remained silent but curled in a tight ball, he said in a measured tone that sent a warning shiver down my spine. “However,” he paused, regarding me with a calculated stare as if working out a math problem in his head. “In the past I have been known to brand unruly pets. It’s painful and not my preferred method but you will find I am a firm Master and one not to be trifled with. I will give you the choice. Brand or collar?”
    I caught the worried stares of the girls as they awaited my answer. Their concern for me dulled the razor’s edge of reckless abandonment taking control of my mouth and I answered in a barely audible whisper, “Collar.”
    He smiled, pleased. “I look forward to seeing you in nothing but jewels, my lovely girl. And tonight…” his eyes seemed to darken even further until I was certain he was a demon and not simply a depraved man with more money than God as he said, “I will pluck the cherry I paid good money to take.”
    I bit my lip to keep it from trembling.
    “Take her,” he directed and the big servant pulled me none too gently from the bed. I kicked and thrashed but ultimately, it did little to stop or deter him. I felt like a rag doll being dragged by a gorilla. I sent one last pleading look at the girls before the door shut behind me.
    Seconds later, the sound of high-pitched giggles and breathy sighs followed me as I was pulled down the long hallway.
     
    Night had fallen on the foreign land and all around me strange sounds reminded me that I was far from home. The scent of jasmine teased my nose as it drifted from the gardens below and although it was a pleasant smell, nothing could rouse me from my current state of mind.
    My fingers plucked at the hateful circlet of jewels scraping against my neck as the cool breeze danced across my exposed skin. Omar was as good as his word; I’d been fitted for my collar and then stripped before returning me to this room alone. I’d thought to wrap myself in a silken sheet but my move had been anticipated and every shred of free cloth had been removed. The room was starkly bare aside from the massive bed and the heavy ornate furnishings. I shivered but not because of a chill. The wild beat of my heart kept time with the rush of adrenalin that tingled in my limbs when I dared to think of what was to come and my breath caught in my throat when I jumped at each foreign noise in the gathering darkness.
    It seemed a lifetime ago that I’d been a headstrong, confident young woman on the brink of what I’d thought was going to be a grand adventure. A sob felt trapped in my chest when I let my thoughts wander too closely to the edge of what had been. Would I never return home? Were my parents frantic with worry? I couldn’t stand the thought of my loved ones in pain. Tears glistened on my cheek but I didn’t bother wiping them away. If he wanted my virginity, then he could have my tears as well. It was a package