Page 45 of Forbidden Desire
“No way,” Elodie snarled. “What kind of man attacks a woman? You’re nothing but a fucking coward.”
“Get her out of there and deal with her.” Rasmie’s hand settled on my ass, squeezing my cheeks possessively. “It seems both sisters need a lesson on obedience and propriety.”
“Maighstir, no,” I croaked, the latest strike furrowing my brow. “Please, no.”
It was awful enough being treated this way in front of Elodie, but I couldn’t even contemplate having to witness her endure similar. El was always so full of life, unaffected by social norms and expectations, one of the many aspects of her character I admired so much. How would she cope with physical rebukes? Would they change the wonderful wild woman I adored?
“Yes, Desiree.” He rained fresh swats across my backside, varying the strength and location of each blow until I was lost to the ferocity.
“Des!” Elodie shrieked. “Get up! Don’t let him do this to you!”
I heaved in a breath, conflicted by my raging emotions. I had to explain to her this was the best way of placating the men on the island—the only way—but there was no way I could find the words to admit I had often sought the sting of his palm, often enjoyed it. How could I confess such a shameful admission?
“You shall learn, little girl.” I could hear how unimpressed Rasmie was, my poor ass taking the brunt of his frustration. “You shall learn, just as your sister has, submission is a requirement of life on this island.”
“I don’t submit to you or to any man.”
I imagined Elodie’s furious face, having seen it myself on more than one occasion. I wanted to tell her it would be okay, that I would look after her, but strewn over Rasmie’s knees, I could hardly offer a convincing argument. The truth was I was a captive here—just as she was—not only to the island’s strange secrets and unyielding customs but to the desire that kept me rooted to Rasmie’s feet.
The man had ignited a flame inside me I couldn’t extinguish. Every time he took me in hand like this or stared into my eyes, I sensed its heat burning in my soul, dictating my compliance and softening my will. Whatever my yearning to flee, I was terrified to leave him. If I sailed away, back to my so-called life, the nagging fear would always remain—what if I never found another man who could melt my core with only the brush of his hand? How would I endure that loss? It was one thing to live without love, never knowing it, but quite another to walk away and leave it behind.
Panting over Rasmie, my quandary was clear. Even if Elodie could smuggle us away from the island, a part of my heart would stay here with him.
“Elodie.” Jeemie’s hiss cut through the uproar, and my head cleared just long enough to tune into his words. “That is enough.”
“Enough?” she countered as my spanking continued. “I haven’t even started.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Elodie
Rage consumed me, filling the places the aviary had numbed and bursting me from the trance-like hold Jeemie seemed to have over me. I hadn’t been thrilled with the plan to keep me locked up, to be naked and demeaned, but I had accepted it, in part out of concern for Desiree and because of the growing electricity between him and me. I was ashamed to admit the burgeoning sexual chemistry had lulled me, mollified whatever horror should have risen at the treatment, but this? This was something different.
I’d experienced a little of the interaction between Rasmie and Desiree when I’d first woken and had to confess the way she’d yielded to him had rankled. Des wasn’t the feistiest of the three of us but knew better than to give way just because a man expected her to. We’d all learned that lesson after Dad had abandoned us. It wasn’t one we were likely to forget.
Nothing had prepared me for what happened once the alleged trial was underway. The way Rasmie had tugged her down over his thighs and worse... the way she had allowed him to do so—I’d never seen anything like it. Watching the shitshow unravel, there was no choice but to verbalize my protests. If that meant removing the damned fruit, I had little to lose at this stage. Desiree was already in trouble, and whatever attraction I might have to the blue-eyed giant looming beside me was insufficient to justify this.
“Elodie.” He leaned closer to the cage, a look of exasperation etched into his handsome face. “That is enough.”
“Enough?” I wanted to laugh in his fucking face. If Jeemie thought this was too much, he was in for one hell of a shock. “I haven’t even started.”
Shaking his head, he untied the rope securing the door shut and yanked the wooden entrance open. “Out.”
Fighting back the urge to tell him to go fuck himself, I reasoned it made more sense to comply. I wanted out of the cage, which was the only way I could help my sister. Clambering out, I rose to my feet, ignoring the palm he offered.
“What are you doing, Elodie?” He ushered me back to the wall, blocking my view from the awful act taking place behind him, though his muscular body couldn’t obscure the dreadful sound of the regular thwacks still ringing out every few seconds.
“Not putting up with this.” I gestured to his brother. “Whatever the hell you call it.”
“We call it punishment.” His voice was calm, ignoring the raucous shouts from men in the crowd. “And it’s deserved. Desiree knows better, but she has to learn.”
“It’s bloody assault!” I tilted my head past his bulging bicep in time to see another hard slap to her ass. “How can she stand it? Why isn’t she getting up?”
“Because she likes it.” His words ricocheted in my brain.
“What?”
“She likes it.” His gaze seared into me, compelling my concentration back to him.