Descent (Inferno Book 1) Read online

  Colt crouched down, collected my “Number 3” card and held it out toward me between his thumb and index finger. Without taking the card from his offered hand, I glanced up at his face and felt an incredible pull towards this man; legend of Seven.

  “Are you Number 3?” he asked me.

  His voice was low, and I could detect confidence as well as a hint of frustration, or annoyance. Shit, was my presence that bothersome to him?

  “Yes, Sir. I, um. I’m Number 3. Or was Number 3,” I fumbled with my words.

  I had carefully reached out to take the card from his hand when he pulled it back toward his chest and smirked at me.

  “You’re still Number 3. I don’t see the Dom who selected you anywhere near you.”

  “Oh, um. He took me to a room, and he said he’d email me some questions this week and that he’d base his plan to fully initiate me when he had my responses.”

  His eyes danced around in mine with his eyebrows furrowed.

  “Do you know which Dom selected you?”

  “Ray, Sir.”

  The corners of his mouth turned upward a bit, but he hadn’t taken his eyes off me.

  “Did he play with you?”

  My cheeks grew warm, and my voice hitched in my throat. All I could do was nod and follow it with, “Sir.”

  “What kind of scene did you have?”

  He was kind of forward, I thought. But for some reason, words began to formulate and tumble out.

  “Classroom scene. I was the bad student, Sir.”

  He nodded, and his eyes slid down my body. He motioned for me to stand and I obliged his request. He motioned for me to turn away from him so that my back faced him.

  “Raise your skirt, lower your panties.”

  What?

  I was immensely embarrassed, yet did as he asked. He ran his hand over my raised, welted skin from Ray’s belt and exhaled a short laugh. It almost sounded like he wasn’t impressed with what Ray did. Truth of the matter, nor was I. My mouth was as dry as a desert, and I could feel the heat build between my legs. Colt gave my ass cheeks a playful pat and said, “Pull them up.”

  With a beet red face, I carefully sat back down on the soft cushions and returned my gaze to the floor.

  “Was he too rough?”

  My head completely forgot where I was, and a short burst of laughter flew from my mouth before I could catch it. I quickly looked up at him and apologized for my lack of manners. Colt continued to stare at me as though he was deep in thought about something.

  “Not, hard enough?” he asked cautiously and tilted his head to the side.

  “If I’m perfectly honest, no, Sir. It wasn’t hard enough.”

  I quickly looked back at the ground and decided to continue to let my mouth spew crap.

  “It’s not him, of course. It’s me. I’m broken, or something.”

  Colt reached over, took hold of my chin and pulled it toward him, so I was looking at him.

  “You’re not broken. At least not yet, Number 3. What’s your name?”

  “Leda, Sir.”

  “Pleasure to meet you, Leda. I’m Colt Grantham,” he said.

  “Master Dom of Seven,” I commented.

  There was a playful spark in his eye. He still held my chin with his tattooed hand.

  “I was here last weekend and saw your scene with the spreader bar and chains. That was incredible. I had seen that type of scene done before, but with fleece lined cuffs and straps that had stretch to them.”

  “Fleece lined cuffs are for weekenders; people who just toy with this lifestyle.”

  “I agree, Sir.”

  “People like…Ray,” Colt added.

  I detected that Colt wasn’t really fond of Ray or his tactics.

  “So, Leda. Are you a weekender? Just toying around and looking for a quick fix?”

  “No, Sir. I’m just looking for something rare and hard to find,” I sighed and looked back down at the floor.

  “What’s that?” he asked.

  “Something dark,” I said honestly.

  “Well, Leda, I think you may have found it.”

  His touch. There was something about his touch. The way he held my chin in his strong hand, sent a flurry of feelings through my body. His touch was like no other that I've ever experienced. It was almost energizing, yet dangerous.

  As I sat there with my chin captured between his thumb and index finger, I tried to think of what he meant; I wasn't broken, yet.

  He kept staring at me, but I broke eye contact when I noticed movement that was very close to us. Standing ten feet away was Chastity and Wade. Chastity looked worried, and Wade looked pissed off, his hands resting on his hips.

  Colt let go of my chin and leaned back in the cushion of the velvet couch. He placed his arm behind me on the top of the couch and stared back at Wade. What on earth?

  “May I help you, Wade?” Colt asked Wade calmly. “Did you and your girl have a reservation for this couch?”

  It was a moment before Wade replied and it seemed like he was willing himself to calm down.

  “Evening, Colt. We’re her ride,” Wade finally replied.

  Colt looked at Chastity and then to me.

  “Wade’s girl is your sponsor,” Colt deduced.

  Chastity and I both nodded and said “Yes, Sir,” at the same time, making Colt laugh. That laugh. Something was underlying in that laugh.

  “Well, what if she isn't done and ready to leave yet, Wade?” The tone of Colt’s voice was still even and calm, whereas Wade’s sounded like he was on the brink of losing control. Suddenly, Colt reached out and twirled a lock of my hair with his long finger. “I was just getting to know my new friend here.”

  Wade took a step forward and said, “She looks like she’s done.” Wade didn't even look at me but focused on Colt. I took that as my cue to stand.

  Foreboding would be the word that I would use to describe the look on Colt’s face, but he also looked slightly amused.

  “You better go, Leda. It's a long way back to the city,” Colt said as he stood and extended his hand, offering me my Number 3 card.

  Taking it from his hand, his fingers brushed mine and sent a wave of energy through my body. I thanked him and politely nodded my head slightly before walking toward Chastity. Why did she look so worried? It wasn't like he took me to a room, though I think I would have welcomed it.

  Wade walked in front of Chastity and me to the car. Behind me, I heard those polished shoes on the hardwood floor. They weren't fast paced, but rather slow and calculating, just as they were on the stage. I glanced over my shoulder slyly and saw Colt walking behind us with his hands in his pockets, watching us.

  As we descended the stairs from Seven, Wade’s pace picked up as we neared the car. He pulled open the door to the backseat and glared at me. I glanced back at the massive porch to Seven. Colt was standing there, leaning on a pillar, watching. Wade diverted his attention to where I was looking and was practically breathing fire when he looked at me again.

  “Get in the car, Leda.”

  I did as I was told and felt like I had done something terribly wrong this evening. I wanted to make it right. They were both quiet until we got out to the main road.

  “Did I embarrass you guys tonight? I'm sorry if I did. It wasn't my intention.”

  “Leeds, honey, no. You didn't do anything wrong,” Chastity said.

  “How was your scene with Ray? Ray is a great Dom. Very experienced, I think he will be a good Dom for you during the initiation process,” Wade suggested, his voice trying to return to normal.

  “Ray was nice, but I was hoping for a Dom with more of a heavy hand,” I said.

  The sound of hands squeezing a steering wheel made me gaze toward the front seat. Wade’s fingers gripped the steering wheel tighter as he glanced at Chastity. Chastity coughed and cleared her throat as if they were having another one of those silent conversations again. It was starting to piss me off.

  “I don't think you need
a heavy-handed Dom, Leeds,” Wade finally said, and I snapped.

  “I know what I want and need, and it's impossible to find. I'm not a child and can make decisions on my own, Wade!”

  “I know what happened to you as a child, Leeds! You do not need a heavy-handed Dom!”

  “Wade!” Chastity yelled.

  I was shocked and couldn't move or speak. I stared out of the window and fought off tears as an apology after apology seeped from Wade’s lips. As the dark mass of trees passed along the windows, I was lost.

  “I knew you’d try to move and make noise, just like you did the last time. Do you want me to tell your parents you’re not listening to Grandpa?”

  He shook me like a rag doll, and I tripped over my shoelaces before tumbling to a pile of dried leaves.

  “No, Grandpa. You don’t have to tell them. It just hurt.” I began crying.

  He walked closer and stroked my hair before he picked me up.

  “Leda, shhh. The sooner you stop crying, the sooner it will be over with. You know Grandpa doesn’t like it when you cry.”

  I wiped my eyes on the sleeve of my purple sweatshirt and nodded.

  “We’ll have ice cream sundaes afterward, Leda.”

  I took a deep breath and nodded. I did like ice cream.

  “That’s my girl. Now, I brought something to help keep you from moving much. It won’t hurt you but will help keep you in place. Ok?”

  He picked up some rope from the ground and showed it to me.

  “I won’t move, I promise.”

  “Ah-ah, Leda. You’ve promised that you wouldn’t move the last time. We’re going to try my rope this time. And if you’re a good girl, maybe next time we won’t use the rope. Deal?”

  I eyed the rope cautiously but eventually nodded as he walked toward me with it.

  Wade pulled the car into the driveway and shut the car off. I followed them to the door of their home, despite having my own key now.

  “Leeds, wanna have some ice cream and watch a movie?” Chastity asked as we walked inside.

  “Thank you, but I think I’m a little tired. I’ll take a raincheck though.”

  I just wanted out of their sight and to spend the rest of the evening alone. Chastity pulled me into a gentle hug and squeezed me.

  “I’m proud of you, Number 3. Ray will be good for you, honey. You’ll see,” Chastity said in a motherly tone as she let go of me.

  All I could do was force a smile and nod. I wished them a good night and headed to my room. As soon as the door clicked shut, the tears in my eyes began to build. I hated how I felt and was more pissed off that the tears were getting ready to fall. Dammit.

  A lump had formed in my throat, and I was angry. I was hurting and wanted the feeling to go away as soon as possible. Luckily, I knew exactly how to make the pain go away.

  Without hesitation, I knew what needed to be done to soothe this ache. I turned the faucet on, and while I waited for the water to heat, I quickly pulled my clothes off. I kept my mouth tightly shut so that the sounds of me crying wouldn’t be heard.

  “Hurry up and heat up, dammit,” I urged the water under my breath.

  I stood under the spray of the hot water and felt the anger begin to slowly recede. With my fingernails, I made a rapid back and forth motion on the inside of my thighs.

  “Mmph,” I whimpered.

  I watched as the blotches of red began spreading on my flesh. The scratch marks that I had just made on my thighs were now raised irritated welts, and some spots bled. I shut the water off and stared at what I had just done.

  It had been years since scratched myself like this while under the scalding water. I sniffed hard, hoping to clear up my runny nose. With shaking fingers, I ran my hand over the angry welts. The angry welts that I created. I wiped the condensation from the mirror that the shower created to clear up a spot. I turned so that my back was facing the mirror and I looked over my shoulder to see what Ray’s damage was.

  Damn. My ass wasn’t at all red from the session with Ray.

  As I looked at the red, puffy welts on my thighs, I realized that I was staring at what would be considered a relapse. Years, it had been since I’d scratched myself like this. I had made my thighs bleed in the shower.

  I pulled on some panties, a tank top and grabbed some Neosporin and Band-Aids and headed back to my bedroom. I plopped on the bed and began doctoring my wounds.

  I pulled on my soft pajama pants and crawled into bed, even though I was wide awake. Silently, tears fell from my eyes, soaking my pillow case. I pulled my legs up to a familiar, comforting position and tugged the sheet up over my body.

  The TV in Chastity and Wade’s room finally shut off, and I found myself hyper aware of their conversation.

  “Wade, I don't understand why you're so worried. All they were doing was talking.”

  “He was touching her, Chastity. Did you fail to see his hand on her jaw or twirling her hair? He shouldn't have been doing that when Ray selected her. I don't want Colt fucking around with Leda. He's dark.”

  “Remember, Wade, Leda likes the dark.”

  “Leda thinks she likes the dark. She's just been scene playing with Service Tops. She plays with one of them, they meet her needs and send her home. Not a ton going on there. Colt, is a different breed. A whole different monster.”

  “I think you hurt her with your comment about knowing what happened to her. That was something I shared with you, and I can't believe you threw that in her face, Wade.”

  “I apologized.”

  I gripped my sheet as they talked about me inches from my head. I felt just like I had when my parents found out. Feelings of helplessness and anger crept back into my mind.

  “James, how did this happen right under our noses? All these years your sick father has been hurting her! Did you see the marks he put on our daughter?” my mother screamed at him.

  I sat in my room listening to my parents arguing downstairs as they blamed one another for not having noticed.

  I had been careless. The day before I had come home from visiting my grandfather for the summer. This summer had been particularly violent, and my hips and sides were bruised from his hands. In the kitchen with my mother, I reached upward to pull a glass from the shelf, and she saw my bruised sides as my t-shirt raised up, revealing my summer excitement. She retrieved my father and made me show him my sides.

  I felt like an outcast that night…which is about how I was feeling now, too.

  7

  Colt

  Driving back into the city, I thought about Leda. To say she was gorgeous would be an understatement, but beauty itself wasn’t what captivated me about her.

  It was in her eyes. There was such longing in them. Her need to be disciplined, to be submissive, to be punished was palpable. As I’d traced my fingers over the raised welts on her skin, I felt her flesh come alive. I recalled the sadness in her eyes as she’d told me her scene had been a disappointment.

  Much like mine had been.

  As I pulled up to the valet, I walked into my building.

  “Mr. Grantham, good to see you’re back.”

  I mumbled a greeting and went up to my penthouse.

  Turning on the light switch, I tossed my keys onto the counter. This wasn’t the first time after a failed Initiate Night I wondered what my life would’ve been like had I not been born into Seven. After all, Seven had brought my parents together and ultimately, drove them apart.

  “Pack your things, Colt.” My mother was racing around our house frantically stuffing things into suitcases.

  “Why, Mom?” I asked not moving a muscle from the couch where I was deeply involved in playing the latest Nintendo game.

  “Because I said so, that’s why!” She snatched the controller from my hand clicking the game off.

  “Mom! I worked all day to get to that level!” I cried out in frustration. Now Josh was going to beat me. I would never hear the end of it.

  “I don’t care, Colt. We have to le
ave.”

  Sitting up, I glanced around the house. Everything was in disarray as my mother had been tearing through the house gathering all our belongings.

  Fear began to build within me as I slowly walked upstairs to my bedroom. My sister, Christina had already filled her two pink suitcases with her dolls and toys. As I passed my parents’ room, I noticed that only half the dresser drawers had been opened.

  All my father’s things remained in place.

  My stomach coiled tightly as I took my two blue suitcases and began to fill them with my Nintendo games and my clothes. I knew something was very wrong, but I refused to cry.

  “Colt! Christina! Are you both packed? Aunt Nita will be here to get us soon.” My mother dashed up the stairs her long brown hair falling out of the ponytail she’d tied it back in. Her blue tank top was covered with dust and grime.

  Holding my suitcases tightly, I finally dared to ask her.

  “Mom, where are we going?”

  She swallowed hard and took my sister and me in her arms.

  “Babies, we have to leave. We’re moving away.”

  “How far?” My little sister began to cry. She was such a baby.

  I fought back tears myself as I stared at her. I wasn’t a baby anymore. I was almost ten years old.

  Too old to cry, I thought.

  I stiffened up as my mother tried to hug me.

  “I don’t want to move, Mom. Josh and I are going to meet up to play basketball later at the park. He’ll be mad if I’m not there.”

  Her eyes misted with tears.

  “I’m sorry, Colt, but we’re moving in with Aunt Nita for a while.”

  Fury took the place of fear within me. I felt rage churning inside me.

  “I’m not going. I’m staying here with Dad.”

  She shook her head grabbing my hand.

  “No, you’re not. You’re coming with me, and that’s final.” She tugged me down the hallway as I dragged my suitcases behind me. My little sister, still sobbing, followed us holding her baby doll.