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Once the top is secure, we move onto the rope around her hips. Before he gets the chance, I snatch the rope from his hands with a growl and start lacing it around her thighs, making sure it’s not too close to her pretty pussy.

Bram just chuckles at my possessiveness before moving to check the tension on all the ropes now that they’re secure. Once I’ve finished with her hips and thighs, he checks them too, ignoring the glare I give him when his fingers edge closer to her cunt than I’d like.

“Okay, I can get two fingers underneath the rope, so there’s enough tension to support her weight without it being too painful or cutting off her circulation. Once we suspend her, the ropes around her chest and hips will take most of her weight, while the spreader bar will help distribute it,” he tells me, tugging on the ropes one last time to emphasise his point.

Before I can say anything, Harper rolls her head, letting out a soft groan. Her eyes are still closed, but it won’t be long until she wakes up. I need her to be fully awake for this, so I reach over and grab the bottle of water that I left on the side earlier.

“Hey, Harper. Open your eyes and take a sip of this,” I tell her as I move the bottle to her lips.

Her eyes flutter open, though they still appear heavy, and she has to blink several times to fight against the bright lights in the room. When I place the rim against her lips, she tilts her head back just enough for me to let the water trickle in, as she tries moving her hands.

“Don’t try to move, just drink,” I say, keeping my voice as impassive as I can. I don’t want to scare her too soon.

When I’m satisfied she’s had enough to clear her dry mouth, I move the bottle away, and Harper continues to blink rapidly, life coming back to her bright-blue eyes with each one. It takes a few minutes for the haze of the drug to clear enough for her to fully take in her situation, but when she does, her gaze narrows on me.

“What’s going on? Why can’t I move?” The words rush out as she looks around, taking in the ropes binding her naked body and the spreader bar hanging above her head, holding her arms upright.

When she catches sight of Bram leaning against the wall opposite, her gaze quickly flicks between her naked body and me, before going back to him.

“No more questions,” I snap. “I don’t want to use the ball gag, but if you speak once more, I will. Do you understand?”

Although her eyes narrow on me in a glare, she nods her head, not uttering a word, and I have to fight to hold back a smirk at how fucking well-trained she is now.

“I’m going to suspend you from the ceiling, but it won’t be too painful as the rope around your body will take most of the strain. As with everything we do, I expect you to follow my instructions, no questions asked. Do you understand?”

Her body is clearly tense, and her eyes are closely assessing me, no doubt trying to work out why I sound so cold and indifferent. But like the good girl she is, she nods for me.

I turn to Bram, motioning for him to begin, and he walks over to the pulley system, deliberately avoiding Harper’s gaze as she follows every step he takes. Her eyes grow wide with panic when her body begins to rise off the chair, her arms pulling taut as she’s lifted into the air by the ropes.

We leave it so she can only just keep the balls of her feet on the floor, so it can take some of her weight, but not much. Once Bram has secured the pulley in place, he once again checks the ropes on Harper’s body, making sure they will not injure her.

As he runs his fingers over her skin, a blush spreads across her cheeks, but her gaze remains fixed on mine, showing me she’s really confused by my friend’s involvement.

“We’re all good,” he announces as he takes a step back, running his gaze over her as pride blooms over his features.

“You know what to do next,” I tell him, which earns me a scowl, but I’m fucking grateful when he turns his back on me and leaves the room, not bothering to argue this time.

Harper seems to breathe a sigh of relief when it’s just the two of us, a small smile on her face as she gently pulls on her wrists and twists her body, testing the ropes to see if they have much give—they don’t, and she quickly discovers that.

“Please, may I ask a question?” she mutters.

I give her a curt nod as I move behind her, gathering the last things I’m going to need. “Sure.”

“What’s going on? I can hear the party on the other side of the door,” she replies, nodding her head towards where the dull thud of the music being played at the party is coming from.

“As my Prize, I expect you to do as you’re told at all times. If I give you an instruction, you will complete it without any questions or complaints. No matter how much things change between us, that role will stay the same, and it’s important for you to remember that.” It’s a bullshit answer, but I need her to be the perfect Prize while I’m doing this. If she challenges me, it will only make things worse.

“I get that,” she responds, though the uncertainty in her voice suggests otherwise. “I just wish I knew what you were going to do.”

“I’m doing what needs to be done,” I say firmly from beside her, and when she turns to look at me, her gaze lands on the array of items I have prepared.

Panic forces her eyes to widen as the colour drains from her already pale cheeks, making her cute-as-hell freckles stand out even more. Her bright-red lipstick is the only colour that remains, and I want nothing more than to see that smeared on my cock, but that’s not part of the plan.

Before she can say anything, the door to the room flings open, and as the noise from the party floods in, so do several Crow Pledges. They’re all rowdy, with a beer in their hands, and they rush into the room in a sea of noise.

My stomach sinks when I see Ryan, Tillie, and Sienna stride into the room, taking a seat right in front of us. Both girls look the most smug I’ve ever seen them, while Ryan seems almost angry, but I push them all from my mind as I turn my attention back to Harper.

Her beautiful blue eyes are filling with tears as her gaze flicks from the people in the room to her naked body, which is very much on display for all to see. Embarrassment floods her cheeks, and given the way she twists her body and pulls on her wrists, it’s clear she wishes she could use anything to cover herself up.