Arranged To Be|18+✔️

'17

I haven't seen Czar since we returned home.

It had been three days, and not once had he shown his face. I wasn't sure if he was busy handling security or simply avoiding me. Either way, it left me restless and irritated. To keep myself occupied, I finished moving my belongings into his bedroom like he instructed. He told me I had two days—no more. Now that the transition was done, I had nothing else to distract me.

Lonnie wasn't working due to the lockdown, and everyone else had their own roles. I was completely alone.

With a frustrated sigh, I grabbed my sketchbook from the nightstand and flopped onto the bed. If I was going to be stuck inside, I might as well be productive. I had a dinner scheduled with Darcey Couture next week to finalize the designs she wanted for her show. Part of me hoped Czar would let me go alone, but I doubted it. More than likely, he'd either send a guard or show up himself.

I stared at the half-finished sketches but couldn't focus. My pen dragged lazily across the page, uninspired. Eventually, I tossed the sketchbook aside and decided to find something to eat.

As I wandered down the hallway toward the kitchen, something unusual caught my attention.

The basement door was cracked open.

Czar had told me repeatedly that I wasn't allowed down there. "Non-negotiable," he had said. But it was never left open—not even slightly.

I paused.

There were voices coming from down the stairs. Deep ones. I couldn't make out the words, but I knew I shouldn't be hearing anything at all.

I knew I should turn around.

But I didn't.

Quietly, I descended the stairs, careful to place each footstep with silence. My heart pounded harder with each step. When I reached the bottom, I crouched behind the railing, holding my breath.

Czar stood in the middle of the basement, shirtless, dress pants hanging low on his hips. A belt was wrapped tightly around his fist. Beside him, Anderi leaned against a steel table, sleeves rolled to his elbows. Between them, tied to a chair, was a bloodied man—head hung low, sobbing.

"Please," the man cried, broken and shaking. "Let me go."

Czar let out a cold laugh. He lifted the belt and cracked it across the man's face. The sound echoed through the concrete room like a whip through the air. I flinched.

"Tell us who you work for," Anderi said calmly.

The man shook his head.

Without hesitation, Czar drove his foot into the man's gut, forcing a scream from his throat. It was brutal. Clinical. Detached.

I turned, unable to watch any longer. As I moved toward the stairs, my foot caught on a step, and the old wood creaked—loudly.

Shit.

Czar's head snapped in my direction.

So did Anderi's.

Panic overtook me, and I bolted up the stairs. My hands gripped the railing, pushing myself faster, but I could already hear heavy footsteps closing in.

I had just rounded the corner when a hand yanked my arm.

Czar.

His grip was iron.

"What did I tell you?!" he shouted as he spun me around.

I stumbled, heart thudding in my chest. "I—I didn't mean to. The door was open. I heard voices. I—"

"What did I tell you?" His voice dropped low.

I swallowed. "To never go in the basement."

He stared at me, unblinking. "Or what."

I hesitated. "Or I'd be punished."

His eyes darkened with something unreadable. "Good."

He dragged me by the arm, up the stairs, through the hall, and into the bedroom. I tried to pull away, to reason with him, but he wasn't hearing it.

"Czar, come on—"

He pushed me gently onto the bed, then leaned over me and strapped my wrists to the headboard with the same belt he'd used downstairs. I froze.

"What are you doing?" I said, thrashing slightly under his weight.

His eyes scanned my face. "Teaching you a lesson."

He hovered over me like a storm. Controlled. Dangerous. My breath quickened.

His hand slid down my body, then stopped at the waistband of my pants. He tugged them down slowly, deliberately, before dragging a hand over my underwear.

My body betrayed me. My back arched, a moan escaping before I could stop it.

He smirked, rubbing slow circles against me through the thin fabric. Teasing. Unrelenting. Never increasing the pace.

"What are you—"

"Shhh." His fingers pressed firmer.

My hips shifted, chasing the pressure. I was so close—my thighs began to tremble.

Then he stopped.

The sudden absence made my body jolt.

I gasped. "What?! No—"

Czar stood. Straightened his shirt cuffs.

"Maybe next time, you'll listen."

Then he left.

The door clicked behind him, leaving me tied to the bed.

Hot. Frustrated.

And completely undone.

*~*

Finally got around to updating I hope you enjoyed it. Don't forget to comment, vote, and share. Until next time my lovelies.