Touched By A Marine (Book 1)

Chapter Three: Punishment

The smell of a Cuban cigar filled the backseat of the sedan as we drove down the block and turned a corner. Vladimir had the window rolled down just a crack as he exhaled a puff of dense smoke that made me sick to my stomach. I sat on the edge of my seat and next to the door as close as I could possibly get. Up ahead, the driver was instructed to put divider between him and us so he wouldn’t be able to hear what Vladimir had to say when he started to cuss me out about disobeying his orders and not returning to the safety of the club. This went on for a good twenty minutes until I felt the car come to a complete stop and looked out the window to see two armed men coming toward me, opening the door.

I walked two steps ahead when I felt Vladimir latch onto my arm and pull me inside the main lobby while the other slaves and their clients watched me get tossed to the floor in front of everybody. I could hear the faint whisperers coming from nearby and I knew that they were talking about me, some feared for my safety while others questioned what kind of punishment I would get this time. Vladimir took one last puff from his cigar and let it fall to the ground, stomping it with the heel of his leather shoe. He kneeled in front of me, grabbing me by throat and held me up with one hand. I feared at any second he was going to snap my neck like a twig but instead he just brought his face closer to mine.

“What am I going to do with you?” he said.

“Vladimir. Please.” I mumbled. “I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt me.”

“I don’t know about that, James. I mean, this is completely unacceptable. You go against my orders. You don’t return with your security guard. And I find you at a gay bar dancing with some perfectly random stranger, who, if I haven’t mentioned already could have killed you. And who was that guy I saw you with up on the roof? Brad, was it? Wait a minute. You’re infatuated with him aren’t you?”

“Now that’s a ridiculous theory.” I replied.

“Is it?” Vladimir turned to face the crowd of onlookers. “What say you? Should our star sex slave be punished?”

My heart pounded in my ears as I listened to the voices of the other slaves as they each gave their verdict without blinking. When the final voice was cast I exhaled slowly and closed my eyes. Now it was up to Vladimir to make the final decision on what my punishment would be for this evening. And I knew he wouldn’t go easy on me just because I was his star slave. I felt his hand on my neck start to loosen up as he sat me down on my own two feet and took a step back. Behind me, the door behind the stairs that lead into the dungeon burst open as Mirko entered the room with a grin on his face. Oh, please. God, no. I thought to myself. His hand landed on my shoulder as he gripped it tight causing me to wince in pain and look back at Vladimir.

“Maybe this time you’ll learn what it means to follow the rules around here. Take him away.”

“Please don’t do this, Vladimir. I beg you!”

He grabbed my face with his hand as he whispered slowly. “Consider this your final warning. The next time will be your life.”

“I hate you!” I yelled at him.

“Good. Use your anger. Let it fill you up. You know how much that turns me on.”

I kicked and screamed as I was dragged across the ground and down the cold stone steps leading into a private chamber with a cell door. A metal slap from a morgue turned torture table was bolted into the floor in the middle of the room. Leather restraints were tied around my wrists as I tried to break free but that would prove to be futile. A tray of instruments sat next to me containing a scalpel and a pair of scissors. As the cell door locked behind me I heard the soft chuckle of Mirko as he came around the table with his hand underneath his chin. The light that shined down upon me reflected off of his eyes and I could tell they burned with fire. This guy couldn’t wait to begin his latest torture trick on me and after all, I was the guinea pig.