Prince of Darkness vs Prom Queen

"Ran where?"

"Wherever. You're gone. That's what matters. Laci, I'm not about to enlighten you in regards to my background. Let's just say it's been interesting and colorful, and I can do a lot of things. Donovan didn't check you out, but I did. I know you're mostly on your own. You came to town right after you graduated and you don't have any close relatives or friends, so as far as Harding is concerned, you could be anywhere. I went to your place and packed up all your personal belongings. I even found that hiding place behind the loose piece of tile in your bathroom where you had some cash hidden." He shrugged at her look of shock. "I'm good at what I do. I also cleaned out your savings and checking accounts." This time she looked angry. "Trust, remember?" he reminded her. "It's all here, honey. Every dime, every dollar, every knick-knack, every sweater, every pair of your pretty, little silk panties." He smiled when she blushed. "It's all here. Trust, okay? The point is...as far as Harding is concerned, you're gone. You cleared out your life and you ran. Now how about that soup?"

The days were passing. Maybe it was weeks or months. Laci wasn't really sure how long she had been sick or how long she had been on Kalake. It was a beautiful island, a paradise, with no telephones or internet. Or so it seemed. Victor didn't appear to have any difficulty staying in contact with the Prince of Darkness, but if there was a hotline to hell somewhere on the island, Laci wasn't able to find it.

It was hard for her to trust Victor. He had been a participant in what she experienced at the hands of Donovan Corbett, but since she had been awake, he had been only kind and considerate. And very vigilant. She had free run of the house and the island, but he always seemed to be watching. Was he expecting her to make a swim for it? Where in the world was the island of Kaleke? Walking along the beach, in one place she thought she was able to see some land in the very far distance, but it was too far to see clearly. Everywhere else, all she saw was endless ocean. Laci decided if she had to be alone in such a remote location, at least it was with Victor. She wasn't sure what she would have done if she had awakened and discovered herself alone with Donovan.

As soon as she was feeling well enough, Victor took her on a complete tour of the island. Kalake wasn't very large, probably no more than a mile from one end to the other. The outer perimeter was beach, with powdery white sand and clear turquoise water. The house appeared to be almost at the center of the island and was encircled with tropical forest-like growth of palm trees, willowy grasses, and wild orchids. It was picturesque and serene, and was driving Laci crazy with boredom.

She had too much time to think, and wasn't sure what to believe. Was the story Victor told her true? He hadn't lied about her possessions and the small amount of money she had managed to save. Everything was on the island with her, just as he said. Still, she felt very much like a prisoner, although she had to concede, there were worse prisons. Did Frank Harding really expect her to be a sex slave? She knew the man was vile and disgusting, but she'd never have agreed to be a participant in whatever he might have been planning. The thought made her shudder. Had the Prince of Darkness actually been her savior, or was he planning some other fate for her? She and Victor talked about many things, yet he was very careful not to give her too much information. She had no idea how long she would be staying on the island or if she would be permitted to leave, or what would happen to her if and when she did leave.

Victor had also taken her on a tour of the house. All the rooms were bright, and opened to the outside, but she had followed him around with some trepidation, expecting him to open a door leading to a room containing an ice chest and other implements of punishment. To her surprise, the only thing she saw in the entire house that made her uneasy was a large, malicious looking whip, hanging coiled on the wall of the library. As if he could read her mind, Victor told her it was a movie prop Donovan had received as a gift, and had never been used for what she was thinking. She wasn't sure she believed him. She wasn't sure what to believe about anything.

All she knew was what Victor told her, and that wasn't much. Was she Donovan Corbett's guest or a prisoner of the Prince of Darkness? When she was being honest with herself, she had to admit he hadn't really hurt her. Much. Yes, her ass had been sore. She had been in pain when Victor left her locked in the cell, and even when she had been slightly delirious with fever, she could still recall not being able to relax comfortably. She also remembered when he struck her with the leather strap, but the worst had been the ice chest. That, and her fear. The freezing cold water he sprayed on her that made her skin burn and freeze to the padded table was horrible. The chilling way he looked at her and the tone of his voice had almost been worse. If she never saw him again, it would be too soon, yet Victor spoke about him every day and she knew it was only a matter of time until he came to the island. The thought made her shiver almost as much as the ice chest had, still she was curious about him.

The night seemed especially dark, and that made Victor extra alert and vigilant. He had checked on Laci a short while before and she had been sleeping peacefully. Well, maybe not peacefully. He wasn't sure she had slept peacefully since she had been in his care, but at least, she was asleep. He hadn't told her everything. If he had, she wouldn't be sleeping at all.

Donovan said Harding had gone ballistic when he discovered Laci had vanished. He sent a car for her, as he did with all his other trainees, and when the car arrived, Donovan called him demanding to know what kind of game he was playing. Donovan said a car had already arrived to pick her up at least two hours earlier. He had escorted her to the vehicle, personally, and, made certain she was strapped in, no pun intended. He accused Harding of trying to get out of paying for Donovan Corbett's services. When Harding discovered her empty apartment, he had been livid and determined to find her and teach her a lesson. The bitch wasn't going to outsmart Frank Harding.

Victor also knew Donovan had been in contact with a number of individuals who were more than a little pissed at Harding. The man made enemies wherever he went, and Donovan Corbett knew who those enemies were. The Prince of Darkness was no fool. He'd kept dossiers on his clients for years and knew just about everything there was to know from their shoe size to which closet they were hiding their skeletons. Frank Harding had enough skeletons for one hell of a Halloween party, and suddenly there were quite a few people after him. It was only a matter of time until he got everything he deserved.

The sound was faint at first, then got progressively louder. It sounded like a boat. Donovan usually chartered a helicopter to fly onto the island. Victor was more than a little concerned, especially since he hadn't heard from Donovan for several days. The Prom Queen probably would have been surprised to know how often the Prince of Darkness called to check on her. Victor was surprised, and there wasn't much that surprised him, but Donovan Corbett's concern for Laci Grace's well-being hit Victor's scale somewhere between astonishment and baffled shock. When he heard someone approaching the house, Victor grabbed his gun and pointed it at the door. The door started to open.

"Put the damned gun down, Victor. It's just me."

"Donovan, why the hell didn't you tell me you were coming? Afraid she'd get her weapons ready?"

"She has weapons?" Donovan actually looked concerned. "To be honest, that might be a good thing. Harding is on the loose, he's even more deranged than we thought, and he's determined to find her. He set fire to the house and the training facility. I'm guessing he thought I was hiding her there. It's pretty much a smoldering pile of rubble. The security cameras caught him, but by the time they got someone out there, the place was an inferno. He had enough fuel to power an entire convoy of tanks. If it wasn't for that old coal chute, I'd be smoldering right along with everything else."

"Quite the resume...sadist, arsonist, probable murderer....only thing left on the list is Prom King. She's asleep, so you're probably safe until she wakes up and finds out you're here."

Donovan quietly opened the bedroom door a few inches and peered in at Laci. He whispered to Victor, "What's that she's sleeping with?"

"Stuffed unicorn."

He sighed. Of course it was. He had been close when he thought she slept with a teddy bear, but this was Laci Grace. A unicorn. The symbol of purity which could only be captured by a virgin. Of course Laci Grace slept with a stuffed unicorn that had a pink satin horn. Teddy bears were for amateurs.

Chapter 5 -- An Eye for an Eye

Laci was up early the next morning. She and Victor had settled into a routine and whoever was in the kitchen first got the coffee started. She insisted on helping prepare every meal, although he was sure she wanted make sure she knew exactly what was going in her food. She wasn't giving her trust easily.

She glanced up at the sound from the doorway. Donovan was watching her. Color drained from her face, and her blue eyes were huge and frightened as she dashed out the open door and headed towards the beach. He started to follow.

"Don't chase her." Victor had followed him to the kitchen. "She can't go anywhere, and you'll just make it harder. She didn't know you were here. I told you to let me prepare her."

"She didn't have to run off like a frightened virgin. I thought you told her I was trying to help her?"

"That doesn't mean she forgot what you did before you were trying to help her, and she's not a virgin, so be careful what you say, or Harding may not be the only one trying to incinerate you."

Donovan settled onto a chair. "How do you know she's not a virgin?"

"We've been stuck for weeks on this god-forsaken island of yours. We had to do something."

The Prince of Darkness had never looked darker. "You've been fucking her?"

"Jealous?" Victor chuckled, not afraid of the dark anger. "One more comment like that and I'll incinerate you myself. No, I haven't been fucking her. I've been talking to her. Her life has been surprising, not what I would have expected. I've actually enjoyed babysitting and spending time with her. She hasn't had the life of a Prom Queen, but she deserves the tiara."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Figure it out, Donovan. I'll go try to find her."

It took quite some time before he saw Victor heading back to the house with Laci at his side. Even from a distance, Donovan could see she was reluctant. For the rest of the day, she seemed never to be more than a few steps away from Victor. She wasn't exactly running away, but she was keeping her distance. If he walked into a room she was in, she walked out. Whenever she was about to enter a room, she stopped to check and make sure he wasn't already there. She walked along the beach, looking over her shoulder. She jumped at every sound. She didn't stay in one place long enough for him to say a word to her. She wasn't eating, sitting at the table, picking at her food for a few minutes, then excusing herself.

It took two days before he accidentally managed to corner her in the library. His usual arrogance prevailed. "Laci, I want you to listen to me?"

"Why?" She didn't sound afraid; she sounded defiant and angry. "Why should I listen to you? Did you listen to me that night when I tried to explain? Did you even give me the chance to talk?"

"Victor told you what happened."

"Victor explained Frank Harding is a sick monster who lied to both of us. That doesn't excuse you from callously treating me like an object, not listening to a word I said. I never did anything to you, but you had no hesitation in hurting me physically and emotionally, for no reason except money. Do you have any idea how it feels to be sprayed with ice water and have your skin frozen to leather? Do you have any idea what it feels like to watch someone enjoying your own pain? What you did was reprehensible."

She was right and he knew she was right, but his arrogance wouldn't let him admit it. "I didn't do anything to you that I haven't done to dozens of other individuals. The difference is they were willing to have me do it to them. It had nothing to do with enjoying someone else's pain. That's what Harding does. He enjoys watching people suffer. For me, it was a business transaction and nothing more."

"Sure, Mr. Corbett. Keep telling yourself that."

"So you're just going to stay angry? Are you planning to hold it against me for the rest of our lives?"

Her look showed both annoyance and complete disdain. "This may come as a surprise, but I wasn't planning on being stuck with you for the rest of my life."

Everything about him, his presence, his posture, the tone of his voice was intended to be masterful and intimidating. "Don't you have that ass-backwards? I thought I was the one stuck with you, and considering how much I've done for you, your lack of gratitude tells me I didn't paddle you enough. Perhaps Harding's disciplinary methods would have improved your manners."

"Don't try to frighten me, and don't pretend your altruistic concern for my welfare doesn't have anything to do with saving your own ass-backwards self. Shall we go through the list of your own misdeeds? Not including your rudeness, arrogance, complete lack of sensitivity, disregard for me as a fellow human being, and the way you humiliated me, there' s forcible use of drugs, robbery, sexual assault, assault with multiple weapons, unlawful detainment, kidnapping...all felonies. I have a brain, Mr. Corbett. I didn't major in Prom Queen."

Why wasn't she intimidated? Other than Victor, everyone was intimidated by Donovan Corbett. His eye caught sight of the whip hanging on his wall. Fine. She might think she was smart, but he was going to prove he was smarter and she was no better than he was. "And would you like to settle the score? Would it make you feel better to beat the shit out of me, Miss Grace?" His dark eyes glared at her.

Her big, cornflower, blue eyes glared back. "Infinitely, Mr.Corbett."

Good. She had fallen directly into his trap. Frank Harding was right about one thing. She did think she was better than everyone else. Let her take a few swipes at him. Let her enjoy his pain and discomfort. He could take it, then he'd throw it right back in her face. He'd prove she was no better than he was. He unhooked the whip from the wall and placed it on the desk. Leaning forward, his hands tightly gripped the edges of his own desk, and he steeled himself. "Go ahead, Miss Grace. Whenever you're ready."

"Victor was a witness to my undeserved punishment and humiliation."

Donovan glared at her again. "Victor!" It only took a few silent moments for him to appear in the doorway, Victor's expression indicating he was trying to assess the situation in front of him. "Victor, Miss Grace seems to think she'll feel better about things if she lashes me a few times with the whip. She pointed out you were a witness to her punishment. Would you object to being a witness again?"

Victor looked from one to the other. Laci's gaze was cold and determined. Donovan's smirk seemed to be as arrogant as always, as if saying 'Let the Prom Queen have her fun.' Victor shook his head in disbelief. "If that's what you want."

Donovan resumed his position, gripping the edges of the desk. "Go ahead, Miss Grace."

"I was naked."

He turned and gaped at her. "What the hell........You can't honestly expect me to....."

"This was your suggestion, Mr. Corbett," she reminded him.

The Prom Queen was becoming a giant pain in his ass, and that precise discomfort appeared to be what she was intending for him to feel. Okay. Let her have her fun. All the better to prove his point. He could take it. She'd lash him a few times and she'd enjoy getting her revenge. He'd be sore for a few days, but have the supreme pleasure of pointing out how much she'd enjoyed his suffering.

With a resigned and annoyed grumble, he glared at Victor, glared darkly at Laci, and started to undress. Why the hell was he doing this? Why the hell was she? She probably thought she was embarrassing him. The Prom Queen wasn't actually going to stand there and watch him undress, was she?

He slowly took off his clothes, one piece at a time, keeping his eyes on her, expecting her to stop him. She didn't. Within a matter of minutes, he was standing naked in front of her and she had watched him the entire time, hardly blinking an eye. He turned again towards his desk.

"I was restrained. I was strapped to that table. I couldn't move."

Donovan stared at her, incredulously. "Well, there is no table," he said spitefully. "Sorry for the inconvenience."

"I could tie his arms to the door jam," Victor offered. "I can use the curtain cords."

"I suppose you could," she answered.

"I suppose you could also be looking for another job," Donovan snarled at him. He turned to Laci. "Hasn't this gone far enough?"

She just looked back, coldly, with almost no expression. What had happened to her? He should have hired her to run his damned training facility. Either the woman was a natural dominant, or she'd spent too much time in the ice chest. The lovely and innocent looking Prom Queen, who slept with her arms wrapped around a stuffed unicorn, had turned into an Ice Queen.

He tried again. "Is this really necessary?" When she didn't respond, Donovan glowered at her, then at Victor. He took his time walking to the open door, and held his arms up. Within seconds, his wrists were tightly bound, but he couldn't miss Victor's knowing glance. It very clearly told Donovan he should start learning when to keep his mouth closed. If Donovan wasn't so angry, he might have paid more attention. "Now are you satisfied, Miss Grace? Are you finally ready to settle the score? How many lashes are you going to need to make yourself feel better?"

"I don't know." For the first time, she looked a little unsure. "Victor? How many total minutes did he force me to stay in the freezer?"

Victor was also looking unsure. "About twenty minutes the first time, about ten each for the other times."

She started calculating. "So that's forty minutes, plus forty strokes of that horrible paddle, plus the three times he hit me with the leather strap, makes eighty-three. Perhaps I should just round it to an even hundred."

Even Victor looked shocked. "Laci, I know you're mad, but don't you think a hundred lashes with a bullwhip is overdoing it?"

Stunned into silence, for the first time, Donovan actually felt fear. A hundred lashes? What the hell was she thinking? Did she hate him that much? What the hell had he been thinking to allow himself to be put in this position? He tried pulling at his bonds, but they were holding tightly. He was at her mercy, naked, completely exposed, and the Prom Queen was going to flog him with a bullwhip. He couldn't order her not to do it, not after the way he'd goaded her. He doubted she'd even listen. All he could do was hope Victor had enough sense to stop her.

She walked up to him, looking him straight in the eye. Tied helplessly, all he could do was look back. "You still don't get it, do you, Mr. Corbett? It's all a big game to you. It's all about settling the score. I didn't tell you to remove your clothes. You did that all on your own. I didn't insist you be restrained. You made that decision for yourself. I didn't even demand Victor's presence. You invited him in here. I may not know much about the choices you make and the way you live your life, but I do know a few things. You masquerade as a dominant and trainer, but you're no better than Frank Harding. You never even gave me a safe word. Everything you did today was done of your own free will. You took that away from me. You took away my free will when you couldn't be bothered to listen to what I was trying to tell you. You never gave me a choice. I was just a business transaction."