Hours passed slowly. Ana spent the entire afternoon inside the master bedroom. A maid brought up a lunch tray, but Ana couldn’t eat.
Ana... the next command is not going to be this easy for you.
The memory of Damian’s warning made her stomach twist into a hard knot. She pushed the plate away untouched.
"Is he... is he finally going to ask me to do it?" She shook her head, pushing away dirty thoughts. "But he did say he didn’t want me to do cooking and cleaning... it means he wants me for... ugh I need to stop thinking!"
As the sun began to set, a firm knock came at the door.
The butler stood outside, his face completely expressionless. "Master Sterling is expecting you in his study, Miss Vance. Immediately."
Ana swallowed hard. She nodded, her heart hammering against her ribs as she followed him down the long hallway.
It’s time... I’ll have to face the devil now!
When the heavy doors of the study opened, the room felt instantly suffocating. Damian sat behind his massive desk.
His tie was gone... and his shirt sleeves were rolled up, showing the thick muscles of his forearms. He didn’t look up right away, letting the silence fill the room before the butler quietly closed the doors behind her.
"Step forward," Damian commanded. His voice was low and calm.
Ana forced her shaking legs to move, stopping a few feet away from the desk.
Damian finally raised his head. His dark eyes slowly travelled down her body, taking in her tense posture.
"I was informed just now ," he said, leaning back in his chair. "You didn’t eat your lunch."
Ana lifted her chin, trying to sound brave. "I had a large breakfast, Damian... and your... warning didn’t exactly give me an appetite. I wasn’t hungry."
"I don’t care if you were hungry or not," Damian countered flatly. He stood up, his towering frame instantly making the room feel smaller. He walked around the desk and stopped right in front of her. "I need a healthy slave, not a weak, starving girl who will pass out when I give an order. My commands are absolute, Anastasia. That includes when you eat."
"Damian I..." Before she could speak, his large hands gripped her waist. With an effortless lift, he set her down on the edge of the cool, polished desk.
Ana gasped, her hands instinctively grabbing his broad shoulders to steady herself. He was so close she could feel the heat radiating from his chest.
Damian knelt down on one knee between her legs and took hold of her ankle. His warm fingers felt huge against her pale skin.
He gently peeled off the medical tape, inspecting the soles of her feet. His calloused thumb swiped over the closing cuts, sending a sudden, intense shiver straight up her thighs.
"They are healing well," Damian murmured, his dark eyes snapping up to look at her flushed face. "Well enough for your next lesson."
He stood back up, looming over her. "A slave has no secrets from her Master, Ana. And a disobedient slave needs to learn a lesson." His eyes bored into hers, "Strip. Down to your underwear. Let me see exactly what you are trying to hide from me."
Ana’s eyes widened in panic. She grabbed his hands before he could touch her clothes. "No! Damian, please, it’s cold here..."
"I didn’t ask if you wanted to," he said, his voice dropping into a dangerous, dark growl. "Hands down, Anastasia. Now."
Her hands trembled violently as she slowly forced them to her sides, her knuckles clenching the cool edge of the desk. She could only watch helplessly, her breath coming in ragged gasps, as Damian began to unbutton the top.
He didn’t rush. He used his thumb and index finger to unclip each button with agonizing slowness.
He did the first button, and his cold knuckles deliberately grazed the hot skin of her neck, sending a violent shudder through her entire body. Ana bit her bottom lip slightly to stop from making any sound.
He did the second button. His heavy, warm hand brushed against the top of her chest, making her heart pound so hard it looked like it would burst through her skin. "Look at you, your heart is pounding so loudly in anticipation. It almost feels like you’re liking it."
"In... in your dreams..." She said, closing her eyes.
He undid the third button. He used his palm to slowly push the silk fabric aside, letting the cool air of the study wash over her exposed collarbones and the tops of her breasts, leaving her sitting there in nothing but her sheer lace bra.
Damian leaned forward until his chest was practically brushing her bare skin, his powerful presence entirely overwhelming. He dipped his head, his hot breath washing over the valley of her breasts, sending another wave of intense goosebumps across her skin.
He raised his head slowly, his eyes blazing with a dangerous, hungry fire. His focus dropped to her trembling lips and her flushed throat. With a slow, deliberate movement, he used the edge of his thumb to trace the highly sensitive line from her collarbone, down over her chest, to her stomach and closer between her legs.
A heavy, restless ache pooled deep in her stomach. Ana hated how much her body was reacting to his twisted punishment.
She was fighting a brutal internal war, wanting to bite his hand while simultaneously wanting to lean into his touch. She gasped out loud, a sound that was half-protest and half-pleasure.
Damian gave a cruel, lethal smirk at her reaction. He looked down at her dazed eyes, her wet lips, and her trembling thighs.
"Your punishment is simple, Ana," Damian whispered, his deep voice cutting through her thoughts. "Your body is practically begging for me right now. But you are strictly forbidden from touching yourself. You will carry this ache all the way to Manhattan."
He leaned in even closer, his lips brushing against her ear.
"If I find out you sought relief on your own... our contract is broken. The divorce is canceled, and we will be married the moment the jet lands. Do you understand me, my slave?"
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