Chapter Seven: The rules of submission

Bronte’s POV

Jake’s name flashed on my screen again. “Seen you looking different lately. Want to talk.”

I stared at it, my thumb going round over the 'reply' button, but then a shadow fell over my hand.

Rufus’s face appeared in my vision, blocking out the light from my phone. He didn't say anything, but the way his arm rested on the back of the couch beside me spoke volumes.

"You're going to answer him, aren't you?" he asked. His voice was casual, but his grip on my arm tightened just enough to make me wince.

"Maybe," I said, my voice sounding small to my own ears. "I just need to clear my head."

"Clear your head?" Rufus laughed, a short, sharp sound. He leaned in, his breath hot against my ear.

"You're running back to him, Bronte. I can see it in your eyes."

"I'm not running!" I snapped, pulling my arm away.

"I'm just…"

"Just what? Thinking about what it would be like to be fucked by someone else? Someone who doesn't know your body the way I do?" Rufus cut me off, his face inches from mine.

"Remember what we did yesterday. Remember who owns you now."

The memory hit me like a blow. The laundry room. The way he had pushed me against the cold metal of the machine.

The way he had looked at me when he came inside me. It made my knees weak, and my stomach twisted into knots of both pleasure and fear.

He stood up and walked to the kitchen, but I knew he wasn't done. He was testing me.

I looked down at my phone. Jake wanted to talk. I needed to talk to him, just to remind myself what a normal life looked like. But I knew Rufus wouldn't like it.

"Fine," I whispered. "I'll talk to him."

Rufus stopped in the doorway. He didn't turn around. "Good. But don't forget who you belong to."

He walked out of the room, leaving me alone with the silence and the weight of his words. I stared at my phone for a long moment, then typed out a quick reply.

“Meet me at the coffee shop downtown in an hour.”

I didn't wait for a reply.

I stood up and walked to the bedroom to change. I put on a sundress that showed just a little too much skin, the kind Rufus liked.

I did my hair and makeup, trying to look perfect, like a girl going on a first date. But I knew it was a lie. I wasn't going on a date. I was going to meet my ex to escape my stepdaddy.

I arrived at the coffee shop ten minutes early. I sat in a corner booth, sipping my latte and watching the door.

My heart was pounding. I was betraying Rufus. I was cheating on him with my ex. I felt like a hypocrite. But the thought of seeing Jake made my body react in a way that made me feel alive again.

Jake arrived ten minutes later. He looked different. He was dressed in a suit, looking sharp and serious. He took a seat across from me, his eyes scanning me up and down.

"Bronte," he said, his voice low and serious. "You look amazing. You look... transformed."

I forced a smile. "Thanks. Just been busy with school."

"Busy?" Jake raised an eyebrow. "Busy doing what? Why haven't I seen you around? Mom mentioned something about a wedding, but I didn't think it was this."

My stomach dropped. Mom had told him? They were still in touch? I had assumed they were out of my life now that Rufus was in the picture. "We... we're all good. It's just been a lot."

"Just a lot?" Jake pressed. "You look like you're in love. Or terrified. Which one is it?"

I didn't know what to say. How could I explain to him that I was in love with my stepfather? How could I explain that I was addicted to the way he looked at me? The way he controlled me?

"I'm not in love," I said, lying through my coffee. "I'm just... struggling."

"Struggling?" Jake leaned in. "With what? With me? Because I've been waiting for you to reach out."

"Jake, please," I said. "I can't talk about this here. Let's go somewhere more private."

Jake stood up. "Okay. Let's go to my place. I have a car outside."

We walked out of the coffee shop and got into Jake's car. The interior was clean, and smelled like expensive perfume. I felt a wave of nausea as I got in. I was going to cheat on Rufus. I was going to betray him in the one place he couldn't see me.

Jake started the car and drove out of the city. The city lights blurred past the window as we moved further away from the house. I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He looked so normal, so predictable.

He was everything Rufus wasn't. But I knew that normalcy was an illusion. I knew that Rufus was the one who owned me.

We arrived at Jake's apartment complex. He led me up to his floor. The apartment was spacious and modern. There was a large window overlooking the city. Jake poured us drinks and sat on the couch. He looked at me, his eyes intense.

"Okay, Bronte," he said. "Tell me what's going on."

I didn't know where to start. I wanted to tell him about Rufus, but I was scared. I was scared that if I told him, he would judge me. I was scared that he would laugh at me.

"I can't talk about this here," I said again. "I'm sorry."

"Then go somewhere else," Jake said. "I can drive you anywhere."

I looked at him, surprised. "You would do that for me?"

Jake smiled. "I would do anything for you. You're my girl. I've never stopped loving you."

My heart fluttered. This was the old Bronte. The Bronte who loved Jake. The Bronte who thought Jake was her future. But I couldn't go back to that. I was changed. I was with Rufus now. I was his. I had to remind myself that.

"I need to go back home," I said. "I need to see Rufus."

Jake looked at me, his expression unreadable. "Do you love him?"

I hesitated. I loved Rufus. I loved the way he touched me, the way he looked at me, the way he controlled me. I loved the fear and the pleasure. I loved the secret. But I couldn't say that out loud.

"I don't know," I lied. "I'm just confused."

Jake stood up. "Okay. If that's what you want. But I'm not giving up on you. I'll wait for you."

Jake drove me back to the house. When we pulled up to the driveway, I saw Rufus standing on the porch. He was wearing a suit, looking as sharp and dangerous as ever.

He looked at me as I got out of the car, and his eyes bore into mine. He knew. He knew I had been with Jake. He knew I had betrayed him.

Rufus didn't say a word. He just walked over to the driver's side window of Jake's car and tapped on it. Jake rolled it down, his face pale.

"Get out of the car, Bronte," Rufus said, his voice dangerously calm.

I scrambled out, my heart pounding. I looked at Jake, his eyes wide with confusion and fear.

"Who the hell are you?" Jake asked, getting out of the car.

"I'm her stepfather," Rufus said, a cold smile on his face. "And you're done here."

Jake looked at me, his eyes pleading. "Bronte, what's going on?"

I couldn't speak. I just shook my head, tears welling in my eyes.

Rufus grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the house. "Get inside."

He pushed me into the house and slammed the door behind us. The house was dark and silent. Mom was out for the night, at some book club meeting she'd mentioned. We were alone.

Rufus led me to the living room. He didn't turn on the lights. The only illumination came from the streetlights outside, casting long shadows across the room.

"Strip," he commanded.

I looked at him, my eyes wide. "What?" Rufus has become completely different.

"Strip now."

My hands trembled as I fumbled with the buttons on my sundress. I let it fall to the floor, standing before him in just my bra and panties.

"Everything," he said.

I unhooked my bra and slid my panties down my legs. I stood there, naked and unhelpful, the cool air raising shock on my skin.

Rufus walked around me, his eyes roaming over my body. He stopped in front of me and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"You went to see him," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You let him touch you."

"No," I whispered. "We just talked."

"Don't lie to me," he growled, his grip tightening on my chin. "I can smell him on you."

I closed my eyes, a single tear rolling down my cheek. I was caught and there was no way out.

"On your knees," he commanded.

I sank to the floor, the rough carpet scraping against my skin.

"You need to be reminded who you belong to," he said.

His voice on a low growl. He began to unfasten his belt, the leather whispering through the loops. I squeezed my eyes shut.

But the sound I expected never came.

Instead, I heard the soft chime of his phone. A notification.

Rufus paused. The buckle stopped halfway. He slowly pulled his phone from his pocket.

The screen's light shawn on his face, he looked down, and a slow smile spread across his lips. It wasn't a smile of anger or lust. It was one of satisfaction and victory.

"Interesting," he murmured, to himself. He tilted the screen, angling it just enough for me to catch a glimpse.

It was a security app, six small, black and white camera feeds filled the display. One showed the front porch. another showed the driveway and the living room where we were now.

My blood went cold, he watched the house.

He showed me an apartment, It was a familiar, spacious apartment with a large window overlooking the city lights.

It was Jake's apartment. And the angle was from a high shelf, looking down at the couch where Jake and I had just been sitting.

He hadn't just known I was with Jake, he had watched us.

"Oh, god," I breathed, the words barely a whisper. "You... you recorded us?"

Rufus finally looked down at me, his eyes were with a cold scary light. He pocketed his phone and finished pulling his belt free from its loops, folding it deliberately in his hands.

"Recorded?" he chuckled, a dark, humorless sound.

"Baby, that's not the point. The point is that your ex has a very promising career in finance. And it would be a shame if his new boss found out he was taking company girls to his apartment on company time."

He looped the belt around his knuckles, and hs voice dropped to a whisper.

"The point is, I own him now, too."