Prize

Zina POV

"Where are we going?" I shriek.

 It's dark back here, but I hear a door close behind us as we reach the dimly lit room with a black bed that I can't remember. 

My stomach clenches in both excitement and fear. "I paid for an hour of your time, Zina." 

His voice was a bit gruff and rough, it was a small change but I could pick it up easily.

"Red." I whispered against his shoulder.

"Hello my little mate."

He tosses me on the bed and stares down at me with a look of masked anger. "It's time to collect what I won."

His large hands grip my ankles and yank me toward him. 

I let out a yelp. I'm not afraid of Jared or his mate. I trust him, but right now…he seems unhinged. Angry at me for reasons I don't understand, and I can't quite tell if we're supposed to be in a scene or if he's being real. 

"Remind me, Zina," he asks as something soft wraps around my right ankle. When I try to pull my foot away, I realize it's a restraint. He's cuffing me to the bed.

"Who do you belong to?" He rasped against my skin.

"I belong to you but I don't know what I-" I screamed out when I felt his teeth against my thigh.

He yanks my other leg and wraps another soft, cushioned cuff around my ankle. My legs are spread, and my heart is starting to hammer in my chest.

"I heard your thoughts my sweet mate, you felt like you didn't deserve the money that was paid on you?" 

"What?" He's not making any sense, and I can't seem to shake my nervousness. Plus, the way I'm restrained and the anticipation for what's to come has my brain in a fog.

 He's so angry and being rougher than usual, and it's so hot and terrifying that my body doesn't know if it's scared or turned on. 

"You said that you're not worth the money paid for you."

"Um…yeah," I reply.

 He moves across the room and opens a drawer. I try to peer around him to see what he's taking out. When he turns back toward me, he has a strip of black silk in his fingers.

He stands at the foot of the bed and stares at me with that tense brow of his, gliding the silk through his fingers. "How much did I pay for this hour with you?" 

"Red, you can't really pay that—" 

"Lie down," he barks in a stern command. 

"I don't understand."

 He raises a brow, tilting his head at me. "Do you want me to stop, Zina? If you're scared, we can walk right out the door."

 "No…" I whisper. 

"Do you trust me?" "Yes."

"Then, lie down." 

His cold voice sends a chill down my spine, and I force my lungs to breathe as I recline on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

 Jared moves up toward my head and rips off my dress.

"I have been waiting to do that all night.* He growls against my skin.

He reaches behind me, fumbling with the clasp of my bra. It unhooks and he pulls it off, releasing my breasts. 

Then, he gathers my wrists together, tying them with the black silk. 

There's a subtle shake in my bones, but I do my best to hide it. And I realize now that if Jared is mad at me, he's going to do something to punish me. And strange as it is, that's what I want. 

I watch as he walks back to the drawer and pulls out another piece of silk. "You know how to stop all this right, you say your safe word."

"Yes sir."

But I won't need it, will I? He's not really going to hurt me.

 "Zina, tell me why you think I'm punishing you tonight." 

I take a breath, staring up at him. His features have softened, and I focus on the fabric in his hands, knowing that it's going to cover my eyes in a minute, and I need to prepare myself for it.

 "Because I…um," I stammer. It's because of the money, isn't it? "Because I cost you seventy-five thousand dollars?" 

He growls, stepping toward me. As he drapes the fabric over my eyes, he coldly replies, "No." The room goes black as he ties the silk at the back of my head, and my breathing picks up. 

Everything instantly becomes more intense, my legs wanting to fight against the restraints because I feel so exposed.

 When I feel his soft hands stroking my cheeks, I flinch. "You cost me so much money because you are worth it, Zina. I put you on that stage, hoping you would see that for yourself, but I could tell as I watched you up there that you still wouldn't believe it." 

What? This is about me believing I'm worth so much money? He can't be serious.

He strokes my head. "Relax." I have to force my chest to inhale. I just want him to touch me again.

I hear him doing something across the room—opening a drawer, moving things around, placing things on the bed. 

I can't tell what any of it is, but I'm overwhelmed with curiosity.

"Deep breath," he mumbles against my ear.

 Right as I inhale, something clamps down hard on my right nipple, and I let out a shriek, twisting and contorting, trying to move away from the pain, but it won't let up. 

It takes me a second to realize it's a nipple clamp. My chest is heaving as I accept the pain, letting it settle in. 

"How much did I pay, Zina?" My brain scrambles for an answer. "Seventy-five…" I breathe. "Do you think that was too much?"

"Yes." I sigh, knowing what's coming before I can even get the word out.

 When the second clamp tightens, I don't let out a shriek because it's not as surprising as the first, but it somehow hurts more. 

Warm, wet lips press against the flesh of my breasts, and I hum in response. "Do you understand why I'm angry?"

 "No," I reply. 

His hands draw deep lines down my sides, over my hips, digging under my panties. And I know what's coming before he does it. With a quick jerk, he tears apart my thong, ripping it easily in two. 

I'm lying naked, bound to the bed, and being punished. 

It's hot and terrifying, and I sort of don't want it to end. 

When his fingers touch me between my legs, I cry out. I'm so turned on already that one touch has me feeling ready to explode.

 "Because you are mine, Zina. And I don't appreciate it when anyone talks badly about something that is mine. Do you think I have bad taste?"

 "No…" I gasp. 

He runs his index finger between my folds, and I ache for more.

 Then he presses his finger inside me, as if he's playing with me, teasing me. "Do you think I'm stupid for paying so much for you?"

"No!" He circles my clit, and I struggle against the restraints. "Are you worth seventy-five grand, Zina?" 

I'm trying to lean into his touch, hungry for the pressure. But he eases up every time I get close to my climax. 

"Answer me," he urges. 

"No," I reply, knowing it's not what he wants to hear.

 And the second the word comes out of my mouth, he pulls away.

 I could have lied. I knew what the right answer was, but for some reason, I don't want to get out of this punishment. 

He disappears for a moment, and I hear him gathering more things, opening drawers and setting something down. 

Then I hear the unmistakable sound of him lighting a match. The odor of sulfur wafts to my nose. 

A second later, I hear him blow the match out.

 What does he need fire for? It's quiet for a moment, then I hear the sound of clothes rustling and his belt unbuckling.

 "I wish you could see what I see," he mutters, and I feel his weight on the bed next to me, "and I hate to punish you for always talking so badly about yourself, but I'm not going to lie, Zina. I'm going to enjoy this." 

His mouth lands against mine, our lips tangling as his tongue slips into my mouth. 

I hum against him, trying to deepen the kiss. My nipples are numb, and the pain has faded. But something about his kiss has made them ache again. 

"Deep breath," he whispers against his mouth, and I do as I'm told, inhaling a warm breath that smells like him.

 He has me relaxed and at ease, just as a burning hot pain lands against my chest, making me scream. 

"Shhh… Don't make me gag you, little mate," he mumbles against my mouth. "It hurts!" I scream, squirming away from the heat, but it's already starting to cool down.

Wax. He just dripped fucking candle wax on me!