Ellie woke up slowly and stretched, wondering why her muscles hurt so much. Then her eyes shot open as she looked at her surroundings, finding herself laying on top of the bed naked, and Mark laying asleep next to her, sprawled on his back and equally naked. Her face heated as she looked at his nude body, remembering what he had done to her only a few hours ago and she found herself embarrassed at her own abandoned response. It was getting dark outside, and she sat up slowly, surprised by the fact that they had slept virtually the whole day away after that mornings lovemaking. She felt the heat on her face again as she thought about that, and her eyes lingered on his huge body for a few seconds. He had been surprisingly gentle, and she wondered why.
Her stomach growled loudly as she sat there and the hunger pang that followed actually hurt, making her gasp. Careful not to wake the slumbering giant, she got up off the bed, wincing as she felt a new soreness, but she ignored it and found her night-gown and robe, slipping them on and tiptoeing across the room to the door. By luck it was unlocked and she gave another quick glance back, seeing him still deeply asleep, her posture relaxing slightly as she crept out of the room and made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She would get something to eat whilst he was asleep, she thought, and hopefully he'd never know.
Her heart was thumping loudly as she went about disobeying his rules, knowing this sort of rebellion was unusual for her, but she was starving now and she desperately needed a drink too. When she got to the kitchen she opened the door and peeked around it, jumping when she saw Lizzy and Carl sitting at the big kitchen table drinking coffee. They looked up a she opened the door and Lizzy smiled when she saw her nervousness. "Come in, darlin', don't just stand out there," she said, gesturing for Ellie to enter the room and then pulling a chair out for her when she did so. "How would you like some supper?"
Ellie heard her stomach rumble again. "Yes, I would like that, please...but...he said..."
"Oh I don't take no notice of what he says," Lizzy cut in, chuckling as she went about getting cold cuts out of the refrigerator, salad and bread quickly following onto the counter.
"Yes, but what if he..." Ellie began again, twisting her hands nervously in her lap.
"He?" Carl said, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "He's your husband now, shouldn't you call him by his name?"
"I wouldn't feel....he hasn't said I could," she said slowly, faltering over the words. She knew his name, but he had never actually introduced himself to her. It was a strange situation to be in.
"Well of course you can!" Lizzy said, sounding slightly annoyed. "My God, that boy has changed over the years, I can tell you. I should have put him over my knee a few times when he was younger then maybe he'd be a better person now!"
Ellie was amazed at the way this woman spoke about the man who she was now married to. She didn't seem even the slightest bit afraid of him. She smiled hesitantly when Lizzy put a huge sandwich in front of her, getting a big grin in return, and she relaxed enough to start eating. After the first mouthful her appetite took over and she ate it as if it was the last meal she would ever have. Lizzy and Carl watched her the whole time, exchanging amused glances when she finished it and sat back, not even one crumb left on her plate.
"Better?" Lizzy asked her, smiling warmly.
"Yes, thank you. I didn't know how long he'd make me wait until I could eat," she explained.
"You can have another one if you like?" the older woman offered and Ellie looked over at the food that was still out. It was very tempting, especially if he still intended to stop her food.
"I could probably eat one," she admitted and then jumped sharply when his voice came from behind her.
"I bet you could, you're not going to however," he said, his voice deep and angry. "Who the hell gave you permission to leave the room?"
"I...I didn't...you were asleep.." she stammered, her eyes getting huge as he towered over her chair and reached out a hand to grab her shoulder, pulling her out of her seat with one swift movement. He was dressed in jeans with a thick belt around his waist, but no shirt.
"So you just thought you'd come down here and disregard what I said to you? And do you remember what I said about talking back to me?" he asked, his nostrils flaring, reminding her of a bull about to charge.
"Well, yes...."
"If I could take that food out of you that you've already eaten, I would," he hissed at her leaning down so his face was level with hers and holding her still when she would have backed away. "Now you'll pay for disobeying me. Get yourself back upstairs while I have a word with these two." He pushed her towards the door and folded his arms over his chest, watching through narrowed eyes as she scampered off.
Ellie felt her breath hitch in her throat as she made her way quickly up the stairs, scared to death as she thought of what he was going to do. Everything had seemed to be better once she had told him her story, and then he had made love to her and treated her so gently. But obviously it was an illusion and she realised she had let her guard down far too soon. She stopped halfway up as panic started to get the better of her and she thought more clearly of what he could do to her. She could hear him bellowing in the kitchen, although the words he was using were indistinct, and she could also hear Lizzy saying something back. Her eyes went helplessly to the front door and she measured the distance between it and the stairs. She could make it out of here before he even came out of the kitchen, she thought, her heart beating her to death as she thought of escape. Where she would go didn't even enter into the equation and she acted before she could think about it any more, running lightly down the stairs and across the hall.
Everything would probably have been fine if she hadn't caught her foot in the huge rug that covered the floor. She went flying with a startled gasp, groaning sharply as she hit the floor and the breath was knocked out of her lungs. The sound of the kitchen door crashing open sounded unnaturally loud in the echoing house, and she looked up through watering eyes as Mark came out of the room and started towards her, his brows drawn down over his green eyes. She briefly found herself trapped in that jade prison, but she shook herself out of it and rolled over onto her hands and knees, doing her best to get up as fast as she could and get away from him. Of course it was a hopeless attempt, as he was twice as big and immensely stronger than she was, and he caught her around the waist before she had taken more than three steps, his arm closing tightly around her and hauling her off the floor. She fought with him violently, thinking that whatever she did now it couldn't get any worse.
Mark stared down at the woman he held and pursed his lips, wondering why he had thought her so docile. All she had done so far was fight him and so far he hadn't done anything to punish her for her behaviour, especially after he saw the scars on her back. But now he was just angry enough to disregard that, and her continued struggling made him more so.
"Be still, woman," he growled, lifting her struggling body and throwing her over one huge shoulder where he had more control over her movements. He used one big arm to clamp her legs against his torso and then with the other he gave her a hard slap on her nicely rounded backside, smiling grimly when she gave a yelp and stopped struggling briefly.
Ellie felt her lips start to tremble as he carried her back upstairs and she saw Lizzy shake her head sadly as she watched them go, eventually turning and going back into the kitchen and closing the door softly behind her. She didn't have much time to worry about what he was going to do as his long, muscular legs ate up the distance to the room in no time at all, and she soon found herself being put down on the edge of the bed.
"Where the hell did you think you were going?" he barked at her as he stood facing her with his bulging arms crossed over his broad chest. She tried to answer and found her mouth too dry, so she just stared at the floor, not knowing what to do. He grabbed her chin and raised her face so he could look at her, squeezing until she raised her eyes. "You are now my property, do you understand that? You belong in this house, and nowhere else!"
She started shaking at his words, her life mapped out bleakly before her once again. A possession, nothing more. She stared at him blankly and waited for his punishment, whatever that may be.
"Nothing to say?" he growled, seemingly furious at her silence. "You are never going to run from here again, and I'll teach you what happens when you even try!" Ellie shrank back from him as he reached for her, but there was nowhere she could go and he pulled her across his lap as he sat down, his huge hands ripping her night-gown and robe to shreds as he bared her to his eyes.
As soon as she was naked he lifted his hand and brought it down on her smooth derriere, the slap cracking on the soft pale skin and making it turn instantly red, but he didn't stop or slow down. His hand lifted again and again and Ellie found herself crying helplessly, humiliated at the spanking and unable to believe how painful it was, when she was used to so much worse. But he had big hands and he was using enough force to make her body shudder with each downward strike. She lost count of the blows eventually and just hung there sobbing, her hands clutching his leg unconsciously as she tried to get through the pain.
Mark looked down at the twin globes of flesh he was paddling and finally stopped, resting his hand over them and feeling the heat pouring from her skin. Well, she wouldn't be doing that anytime soon, he thought, then shrugged off the faint feeling of guilt that was creeping up on him again. He had no time for that emotion. Her soft sobs were getting to him, though, and he had to harden his heart against them. He pulled her up and laid her on the bed, standing up and unbuckling his belt.
Ellie's eyes became huge as she saw what he was doing and she rolled away from him, trying to get off the other side of the bed. She wouldn't survive a beating from a belt, she just knew it, and she wanted desperately to get away. But his big hand shot out and grabbed her ankle, dragging her back across the bed and holding her there, while his other hand undid his jeans and slid them down his long legs. She was confused when he dropped the belt on the floor, but as his clothes slid off his body her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. He was fully aroused and by the way he was looking at her, he had every intention of using it.
She didn't get a chance to say anything as he came down on top of her and covered her mouth with his, the kiss so deep and unyielding that she could barely respond to it, and it scared her more than a beating would have. He was showing absolutely no tenderness and she tasted blood as the kiss became brutal.
It was worse somehow, she realised, to know what his lovemaking could be like, and then to get this instead. She lay there like a statue as he touched her and caressed her, every move meant for his own pleasure. When one of his legs pushed hers open she didn't protest, knowing she couldn't stop him and that what she thought meant absolutely nothing to him. Tears filled her eyes again and trickled slowly down into the pillow, but she made not one noise as he enjoyed her body.
Mark noticed her lack of response and wasn't surprised by it, his actions so rough that even a practised streetwalker would have had trouble pretending to enjoy it, and it was that thought that made him slow down and start really making love to her. He drew a response from her unwilling body with ease, his lips running over her breasts and stomach to nip and suck on every inch of her skin, until she was writhing underneath him. By the time he slid two fingers inside her she was already wet and ready for him, but still she tensed and he looked at her sharply, his anger resurfacing. This had been a favourite trick of his ex-wife, leading him on and then stopping him when he was desperate for her. Well, this wife wouldn't be doing the same thing, he thought. He raised himself up and used one hand to guide his hot, hard flesh, probing once before he thrust forward and plunged inside her.
Ellie gave a soundless cry and arched her back as she felt him enter her, her flesh so sore from their previous lovemaking that it hurt unbearably when he filled her. He didn't stop, didn't even register her reaction, the tightness of her passage spurred him on and he drove furiously towards his own release. It only took a few minutes, but it felt like forever for the girl who lay underneath him, her most private areas feeling bruised and battered, torn from the rough handling. When he finally went still above her and groaned, she almost wept with relief, knowing it would soon be over and she could retreat inside her mind, a trick she had learned some years ago.
Mark shuddered above her as he poured his seed inside her body. He let out a deep breath as he pulled out of her and threw himself onto the bed, his eyes closing as he calmed down. He was aware of Ellie slowly moving next to him, but he didn't bother looking.
She slowly closed her legs and winced as her thighs met, wondering briefly if she was bleeding. But she couldn't go in the bathroom without alerting him, and she didn't want any more attentions from him, so she rolled onto her side and curled up in a ball, feeling the pain receding with each passing second. The thought briefly crossed her mind that she wouldn't be able to survive this, that she would die at his hands and no-one would ever know.
