Page 36 of The Kingpin’s Bride

She rose slowly. Her legs shook. When she swayed I did not reach for her. I simply waited until she found her balance, then turned and walked. The leash went taut for half a second before she followed.

I led her into the kitchen.

The space was all clean marble and glass, the city grey beyond the windows. I pointed to the low stool I had placed beside the island the night before.

“Sit for me, please.”

She sat. The chains between her wrists clinked softly against the stone. I set a glass of water in front of her and nothing else. She did not touch it. Her hands stayed in her lap, fingers twisted together so tightly the knuckles had gone white.

I moved around the kitchen in silence. Coffee first, black, for myself. I prepared a saucer of milk and some sugar for her. Then eggs, toast, fruit, eggs. Simple.

I plated two portions and set one in front of her. The other I kept on my side of the island. I did not sit. I put the leash down on the counter. A peace offering.

She stared at the food like it might disappear if she blinked.

“Eat,” I said. “You must be hungry, right?”

“Yes.” The word was quiet. Flat. She picked up the fork and managed a small bite of egg. Then another. Her throat worked when she swallowed.

We ate in silence for several minutes. The only sounds were the soft scrape of cutlery and the occasional quiet clink of her chain. She kept her eyes on the food. I kept mine on the city beyond the glass.

When she had finished the plate I set my own fork down. She flinched at the sound.

I studied her for a moment. The way her shoulders stayed curled inward. The faint tremor in her fingers. The red marks the old collar had left beneath the new one. She looked exactly as broken as she had on that stage, only quieter now. Smaller. The public claiming had done its work. The Families would be satisfied. Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Still.I rewrapped the leash around my fist and finished my coffee in two swallows.

“When you are full, you will shower,” I said, tugging her closer to me. “There are clothes in the closet. Pick what you like, okay?After that we will discuss the rules of this house. Do you understand?”

She nodded once, eyes on her plate.

“Words, please.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

The single syllable was thin and scraped raw. It was enough. I smiled. “Good girl.”

I stayed where I was, leash in hand, and watched the grey morning light crawl across the marble while she finished the rest of the food in small, careful bites.

When the last of the food was gone, I set my empty plate aside and gave the leash a single, deliberate tug. She stood at once.

I led her down the short hallway to the bathroom that adjoined the master suite. The space was all black marble and frosted glass, deliberately stark. I turned the shower on, adjusted the temperature myself, then unclipped the leash from the collar and pointed.

“Test the water for me.”

She stepped under the spray without a word. Water slicked her dark hair flat against her back and ran in rivers. I watched the dried evidence of me wash away from her thighs and felt nothing I was willing to name. When she reached for the soap I caught her wrist.

“No, it’s okay. I got it.”

I took it from her, lathered my own hands, and washed her myself. Thorough. Every inch. I cleaned between her legs last, two fingers parting her still-swollen folds so the water could rinse what remained of the public claiming. She flinched once. I did not stop until she was clean enough to satisfy me.

When I finished I shut the water off, wrapped a towel around her, and clipped the leash back into place. I handed her the end this time.

“Clothes are on the bed. Dress for me,” I said. “Then come to the living room.”

I left her there and walked out. The sound of the leash sliding across marble followed me until the bathroom door closed.

In the living room the wall of photographs waited under the grey morning light. Her face looked back at me from every angle, stage lights, collar, that hollow expression she had worn for weeks.