Descent (Inferno Book 1) Page 11

  He pulled a branch off of a tree that was close, pulling from it smaller twig branches and leaves. He swung it through the air, scaring me.

  “Come here.”

  Colt’s voice brought me out of my daydream.

  “Leda.”

  “I didn’t directly cause all of these, Sir.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me.

  “Explain.”

  “What I meant was that I hadn’t done all of them to myself. Some, I’m ashamed to say, were caused by me. But my behavior caused the others, Sir.”

  “Someone put these on you.”

  Realizing that he hadn’t phrased it as a question, I just nodded. When he looked up at me, I quickly said, “Yes, Sir.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Um.” I blinked back tears, looking upward. “Um, for the ones you’re touching, I was nine or ten.”

  Colt’s finger continued to trace the scars. Some were raised while some were indentions on my skin. He was quiet now, which worried me.

  “Leda, who put these on you?”

  I took a deep breath and look him in the eyes. He wanted my darkness.

  “My grandfather.”

  Colt seemed to grow distant, or at least, what I thought was distant. He exhaled loudly, took my legs out of the cuffs and then moved behind me to release my wrists.

  Now what? Was he done with me? Now that he knew some of the dark edges that sit in my mind, how quickly would he dismiss me and move onto a better Initiate?

  “Get dressed.”

  Oh, pretty quickly, I think.

  “Yes, Sir.”

  He stood close, and I felt his eyes were on me. I couldn’t even look at him, I felt so embarrassed. After I pulled my top on, he handed me a bottle of water. I thanked him and held it in my hands. I was shaking too much to have dared opening it and attempted to drink it. He pulled the bottle from my hands, opened it and handed it to me.

  “Drink, Leda.”

  I drank the water as he buttoned his shirt and then returned the lid to the bottle. Colt ran his hand through his hair and then looked at his watch.

  “Would you like to go for a walk with me?”

  “Yes, Sir,” I said.

  I was somewhat stunned. He wasn’t dismissing me, at least not yet.

  We walked to the main room, and he led us to a door that went to the back of Seven. I stalled when he made the gesture to walk outside ahead of him. I slowly walked out to the dimly lit porch, but barely left enough room for him to walk outside and around me.

  “Come on, Leda.”

  He sidestepped me and walked to the stairs that would lead us to a path that appeared to take its travelers into the woods. I couldn’t.

  “Leda.”

  He abandoned the stairs and came back to stand in front of me. Colt took hold of my chin firmly and pulled it upward so I looked in his eyes.

  “What is it?”

  “I…I don’t like the woods.”

  Colt leaned down and kissed my forehead.

  “Are the woods a hard limit?”

  I glanced out into the darkness and then back at Colt.

  “No, Sir. Not a hard limit, but a soft limit.”

  Colt nodded and led me over to a bench on the porch.

  “No walk in the woods tonight, Leda. But I want to sit with you for a while.”

  I walked inside and went straight to my room, closing the door quietly as to not disturb Chastity and Wade. They had left the kitchen light on for me but appears they were already in their room for the evening.

  As I undressed in the bathroom, I smiled at the red marks Colt’s crop had left on my breasts and the inside of my legs. Most of the red blotchiness that had been on my thighs had now diminished.

  I pulled on some soft panties and a tank top before flopping into bed. I was exhausted. Mentally and physically. I couldn’t believe everything that I told him tonight. That wasn’t like me. It was stuff that I had kept behind a guarded wall. At least, I thought I had secured behind a wall. But Colt…God, how did he pull all of that out so easily?

  Wade had warned me. I thought I was doing a good job of paying attention to Colt and thinking before I responded, but he just stormed in. Wade said that Colt was really good at getting into heads.

  God, he was sexy.

  I let my mind drift back to the feel of his hand wrapped around my neck. I could feel myself dampen at the memory. The way he slapped my pussy and clit with the crop while he held my neck was beyond what I had ever imagined. I’ve had Service Tops hold my neck before, but what Colt did was different. He made me feel different.

  Nothing I had ever experienced with a Service Top even came close to what I had felt with Colt tonight.

  “Leeds, do you want to go shopping today since you have the day off?” Chastity asked me as I helped her put groceries away.

  “Thanks, but Colt invited me out for coffee.”

  “Colt Grantham asked you out for coffee?” Wade asked from the other room.

  I looked up at him when he walked into the kitchen with his hands on his hips. I don’t know what his problem with Colt is. Colt has been a breath of fresh air, but I felt like I was starting to suffocate in this house.

  “Wade, I’m sure coffee will be fine,” Chastity said while giving Wade one of those silent conversation glances.

  “Leeds, please watch what you say to him. He catalogs everything. Don’t give him anything else to use against you,” Wade said.

  “He’s not a monster!” I exclaimed.

  It was quiet in the kitchen while Wade and I stared at one another.

  “No, Leeds. He’s not a monster. He’s worse than a monster. He’s the devil.”

  I just shook my head. Wade was totally unreasonable.

  “His expectations are unrealistic, Leda. He’s never initiated a woman into Seven. He’s incapable. He breaks women, tends to their wounds and sends them on their way. Tell me, how long did he sit with you after your two scenes?” Wade asked.

  The first scene was like Wade said; he tended to my wounds and then left. But the second time he sat with me on the porch.

  “He sat with me for a while after our second scene.”

  “Probably because he fucking felt guilty for extracting so much from you. I don’t think he was prepared for the dark shit that lurks in your past—”

  “Wade!” Chastity tried to interrupt him, but he ignored her.

  “I warned you to be careful what you said to him. You gave him a gateway to manipulate you. And fuck, Leda, haven’t you had enough of that shit?”

  “He didn’t treat me like I was made of glass after he heard!” I yelled back.

  “Of course not. He had you tied to a fucking chair. He’s excellent at fucking with minds! I told you this!”

  “I’m not as feeble as you think, Wade,” I stood my ground.

  Wade walked closer and tilted my chin up so I’d look at him.

  “I never said you were feeble, Leeds. You have the bravest heart of anyone I know. But you also have the most delicate of souls. You’ve already endured one sadistic monster…don’t walk into the hands of another.”

  I tried to move away from Wade, but he held onto my chin, keeping me in front of him.

  “I won’t stand by quietly if he breaks you, Leda.”

  “He can’t break me! Why can’t anyone get that through their heads? You can’t break someone who is already broken!” I yelled.

  Wade pulled me into a hug and held his hand on the back of my head while I fought off tears.

  “Leeds, you’re not broken, sweetheart. But please don’t underestimate Colt.”

  An hour and a half later, I pulled up behind Colt’s Ferrari at the café he suggested. Not bothering to take the time to button my coat, I pulled it closed and hurried inside. The café was warm, inviting and smelled like coffee and baked goods.

  Sitting across from Colt, I got an eyeful of him. Colt looked sexy in his black tailored pants and blue button shirt. Every time he moved his le
ft arm, that watch would catch the light just right and throw a burst of light back in my eyes.

  “Your watch seems to catch the light often,” I lightly commented.

  He raised his eyebrows and looked down at it.

  “It’s not a watch, Leda. It’s a time piece. It’s very special to me.”

  I nodded, hoping he hadn’t thought that I had been making light of his watch—time piece. I wondered to myself at what price point does a watch become a time piece. Of course, for a man who drives a Ferrari, I suppose he only wears time pieces. But I could tell by the way he looked at it, that he was very fond of it. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t due to monetary reasons, but that it was rather sentimental reasons.

  While we talked, I kept glancing down at his tattoo to signify that he was a Dom of Seven. As Wade mentioned, Colt had never initiated a woman into Seven, so the extra tattoo mark was missing.

  The café was starting to get noisy, and Colt asked if I wanted to go for a walk while we continued to chat. I nodded, and we got our coffees to go before heading out to the sidewalk. In front of the café, Colt looked up at the sky. Storm clouds had been threatening all day, but hopefully, it’d hold off for our walk.

  “Button your coat, Leda. It’s cool out.”

  Colt took the paper coffee cup from my hand while I buttoned my coat. I felt his eyes on me as my hands moved quickly on the buttons.

  “Is that wool?” he asked.

  “My coat? I don’t know,” I said as I quickly glanced at the label by the interior breast pocket. “Yes, one hundred percent wool,” I happily announced, though he hadn’t seemed impressed.

  His coat looked really warm, and I reached out and rubbed my hand on the sleeve of his coat. I was surprised by the softness of his coat. It felt as soft as a sweater. A really nice sweater.

  “That’s very soft. Is it warm?” I asked, taking my coffee cup from his hands.

  “It is. It’s cashmere. It’s all of the warmth, without the bulk and weight. It’s perfect.”

  Our conversation had been light in the café, but once we got outside the topics grew darker.

  “Why is rope a hard limit, Leda,” Colt casually asked while we stood at the crosswalk.

  My stomach dropped, and I started feeling weak.

  “Did a scene go bad with some rope and a Service Top?” he asked when I hadn’t immediately spoken up.

  “No, Sir—”

  “Leda, it’s Colt. ‘Sir’ is reserved for Seven. Colt is my name and is what I want you to call me. I’m not training you to be a slave, understand?”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  “So, the rope?” he prompted again.

  “My grandfather…he tied me to trees and logs.” I paused long enough to force myself to slow down. “He tied me to keep me from moving much.”

  Colt’s pace slowed, and I could feel him looking at me, though I wouldn’t look up. I kept my eyes focused on the cement path in front of us. We walked the length of another city block before he spoke again.

  “How long did it go on, if you don’t mind my asking?”

  “A long time,” I said.

  I don’t think he cared for my vagueness, but he seemed to hold his tongue regarding the topic.

  “And when did it stop?”

  “High school. My parents found out just before my senior year started when I came home from my summer visit. They sent me there every summer. My mom saw the marks on my hips, and then hell broke loose.”

  “I imagine so.”

  I appreciated the fact that he hadn’t said something like, “I’m so sorry.” I had heard that from my parents, friends and my friends’ parents so much that it just pissed me off each time. I know it’s awkward, but it makes me more uncomfortable when someone spits out a phrase because they feel like they have to.

  Colt hadn’t done that though. It made me wonder if maybe he had something dark in his past too. Maybe that’s why I felt so protected and accepted when I’m around him.

  “When did you start hurting yourself?”

  “I was 12 or 13…7th or 8th grade. I had discovered it on accident. I was standing under the shower at my grandfather’s house, trying the get warm—I had always been chilled after our walks. I’m sure it was just my body freaking out. Anyhow, I kept adjusting the temperature and the hotter the water got, it made me feel better. It’s kind of hard to explain, but the pain from the hot water released other feelings I had. It made it easier to breathe, if that makes sense.”

  He was quiet again, and I began to worry some. I was doing exactly what Wade told me not to do. But Colt seemed genuinely interested; otherwise, I don’t think he’d ask.

  “How did you hurt yourself in other ways?”

  It was almost as if he knew, but was making me confirm it for him. He had seen my thighs during our scene; he knew.

  “Cutting.”

  “Where did your grandfather live?” he asked while we were in a crosswalk.

  “He had a house on a lake in Michigan. I’d go there every summer. I loved being with my grandmother. She was always so good to me. We’d play with my dolls in a dollhouse my grandfather built for me. That’s how it started, actually. My grandfather would take me out into the woods to help him pick out the wood for my dollhouse. Then we’d pick out wood for the furniture and so forth. There was always something to go out in the woods for.”

  “That’s why the woods are a soft limit,” Colt said, knowing that it was the reason. “Is the loss of sight a hard limit due to your grandfather?”

  “You remembered my limits?”

  I was somewhat surprised, though I’m not sure why. I think Wade had built up in my head that Colt only cared about himself in the immediate moment. Remembering my hard or soft limits outside of Seven didn’t seem to be a characteristic of a man who was as self-absorbed as Wade made him out to be.

  “Of course, I do, Leda. Blindfolds?”

  “Yes. His doing as well.”

  At the next crosswalk, I glanced at Colt. He seemed to be deep in thought, and his eyebrows were furrowed.

  The sky had darkened considerably since we started our walk and we began walking back to our cars that were parked in front of the café. Colt had been quiet for most of the walk back, and I felt like our conversation put us at a distance now.

  “Did you ever fight back, Leda?” Colt asked as he pulled the door to my car open.

  Fight back? I never had. He was my grandfather and old. Around the house, he was as kind and loving as my grandmother was. It was just on our walks that he wasn’t the same man.

  “No, I never fought back, Colt.”

  His warm eyes held my gaze for a few moments before he nodded at me. Colt had reached out, taking hold of the lapels of my coat and pulled it open. The icy air instantly chilled my exposed skin as he pulled his scarf off and gently took hold of my neck. With his other hand, he weaved the scarf behind my neck and bundled it in front of me.

  Oh, God.

  How was his hand so warm after we had been walking around in the cool air for so long? His dark eyes commanded the attention from my eyes as he tugged the scarf higher up on my neck. Colt’s strong fingers flexed under the scarf against my neck, and warmth spread through my body. No other man has ever made me feel like this. Colt knew what he was doing to me, and he smirked just before he released my neck. He then buttoned my coat up and gave me a smile.

  “I don’t want you to be cold, Leda.” He looked upward at the stormy sky. “How long should it take you to get home from here?”

  “About fifteen minutes.”

  “Okay. I want a text when you get home. It’s going to start raining soon, and the streets will get slick. I need to know you arrived safely.”

  I nodded. He cared if I got home safely.

  17

  Colt

  Breathless with excitement, I slammed the door to my office. I didn’t want anyone to disturb me. I couldn’t believe what was happening.

  Leda.

  She was
absolutely perfect. Everything she’d said struck a chord in me. She was so beautifully open, vulnerable, and earnestly seeking the pleasure in the pain I could give her.

  I spent the rest of the afternoon at my desk simply staring at a blank screen. My mind raced with the possibilities of what Leda’s disclosure meant to me.

  The First Circle.

  Blind Trust.

  As I was absorbed in thoughts of Leda, I hardly heard Erica open my door.

  “Mr. Grantham, are you all right? I’ve been calling you for nearly half an hour. Mr. James is here to see you.”

  I looked up at her blinking my eyes. Mr. James?

  “Oh yes, the James account. Of course, it nearly slipped my mind we had the meeting scheduled for today. Just tell him I need five minutes.” I scrambled to find the folder on my desk.

  Erica gave me a concerned look as she nodded and left the room.

  Shit. I had forgotten all about this damn meeting. The James account was one of the biggest investments we had been looking at. Several hundred million dollars were at stake, and here I was thinking about my new Initiate.

  Gathering a stack of folders, I darted into the men’s room to check my appearance. After running my hands through my hair, I was prepared to face Mr. James.

  Later, that night after several glasses of scotch I decided to text Leda.

  Leda,

  I’ve decided to extend a formal invitation for you to become my Initiate. I’d like to meet again briefly so that I may outline for you just what that entails. If you choose to accept, please meet me tomorrow evening 8 pm at Seven. Wear something sexy meaning a dress, no stockings or panties.

  Colt

  After I sent the text, I found myself actually nervous as to her reply. I’d never had a woman excite me this much without even having sex.

  Colt,

  I’d love that. I will see you tomorrow.

  Leda

  When Leda arrived, I was already primed and ready for her. I was sitting in my ‘Throne Room’ at Seven. The Throne Room was only available to the Master Dom, and it was just that: a room with a black Baroque throne chair. It was decorated in dark tones with paintings of Dante’s Inferno on the walls. Sconces imbued the room with sensual foreboding. This was my favorite room in the whole club. It had only ever been used by my great grandfather, grandfather, and father. All of their portraits had been painted and hung on the west wall of the room. I had yet to set for my own portrait.