Caught In The Shadow [Jenlisa]

Chapter Thirty-Three -

Jennie

- www –

I opened my eyes and stared into the semi-darkness, unwilling to move in the event Lisa planned to torture me further upon my waking. My sleep had been awkward. My wrists were shackled to a tightly-laced leather corset. It was difficult to breathe or lift my arms more than a few inches in front of me. I was also made to sleep on the floor – it was padded with bedding, but not anywhere near as comfortable as a bed.

I thought about the morning. After Lisa had made her somewhat violent use of my mouth, which strangely enough had me both wanting and hating her, she denied me the measure of solace she'd up until now always given me after such ordeals – affection. I had to admit, it really hurt my feelings. Despite everything she'd put me through, she'd never made me feel cheap. Even in the beginning, when she'd been even more of a calloused bastard, she'd managed to allay my fear and anxiety when she was done with me – I feared those days were gone.

Not since I told her I loved her.

Playing the day over in my mind did little to urge me into waking, but I couldn't sleep anymore. Not only had I slept most of the day, but my stomach begged for something to eat. Then, as if on cue, the door opened and Lisa strode into the room. My heart instantly sped up and skipped a beat as I took in the sight of her in a formal suit, wearing a black coat with it. Her thick and gorgeous blond hair flaunted with waves in the tip. The intensity of her brown eyes at once felt like both a punch to the stomach and a soft, hungering caress.

She seemed endlessly calm as she approached me. I remembered myself and looked away. She knelt next to me. I let out a sigh I didn't realize I'd held when she reached out and traced my chin with her long smooth fingers. She cupped my chin and tingles spread throughout my body. I shivered in spite of myself. She turned my face toward hers, and I could no longer resist looking into her eyes.

"Did you sleep well, Kitten?" she asked so softly, I ached.

"Yes, Master," I whispered.

"Good. It's time to go downstairs and introduce you to the rest of the guests."

My stomach twisted, though at this point it had less to do with my hunger and more with my anxiety. I said nothing, and didn't resist when she helped me to my feet. As I stood only inches away from her, her smell once again surrounded me. For a moment, I couldn't help but close my eyes and imagine a situation different than this one – one where I could just be myself, and she would adore me for it. She smoothed my hair back, unraveling the snags formed in my sleep and working them through quickly and deftly.

"There," she said, more to herself, than to me, "that looks a lot better."

An awkward silence fell between us. I kept my eyes focused on the cleanly pressed shirt in front of me. She sighed, and I couldn't help but notice it was the kind of sigh someone let out when they were preparing themselves to do something difficult. I knew it had to do with Jiyong, somehow, but I couldn't ask her. I couldn't accept my fate just yet. I had to hope the Lisa I had grown to love was thriving inside the version of Lisa in front of me. Hope was all I had left.

With no further ado, she turned me around and swept the bulk of my hair over my left shoulder. My entire body shivered. I heard her pull something from her pocket. I tensed when I felt the smooth band of leather circle my throat.

"It's not the same collar you wore before. I like this one much better. It's softer, and it won't dig into you," she whispered.

Were my hands free I might have reached up to touch the loop attached to the front, but they weren't free – like me, they were bound by circumstance.