the next fifteen minutes with his fist as if she was nothing more than a man off the street.
Afterwards, as she faded in and out of consciousness, he sat down on the floor beside her, rubbing his bruised and bloodied knuckles.
After a while, he spoke. ‘I didn’t enjoy using my fist on you. I don’t like inflicting that type of damage on something so beautiful.” Something? My property, she mentally supplied.
He got up and walked to the gift-wrapped box. To her surprise, he returned to her holding it. She was too hurt to do more than curl up into a protective ball at his approach, and she was right to do so because he didn’t offer her the gift, instead opening the box himself. He retrieved a riding crop, which he swished and cracked through the air.
‘I’d hoped that I wouldn’t have to use this with you.’ With? ‘But it works remarkably with my wife.’ Jonathan Hightower sighed, and she thought she saw true regret in his eyes. ‘It’s time for you to take your punishment, Jordan.’
If her eyes hadn’t already been swollen shut, they would have widened in surprise at his intent. What had just transpired had not been her punishment…
The whipping stick was used whenever she got out of line. It didn’t leave visible marks on her face or limbs the way his fists had, and she was required to keep it at her home where the vile thing sat on top of a highboy in the dining room. There were countless times she had wanted to throw it out, but she knew that to do so would be grounds for another punishment.
As the months progressed, Jordan realized that if Jonathan had never let his wife go, he might never let her go, either. She would have to run away. And that’s just what she did—until he had shown up at her door a few minutes ago.
He’d beaten her for just announcing that she was going to leave. What would he do to her for actually carrying out her plan?
Her body began to quake in fear. There was no escaping this man. He held the money for the most powerful people in the state. His influence wasn’t just nationwide, it was worldwide. If she was ever going to get away from him, she had to be smarter than she had been in her past attempts. Smarter than he thought he was.
But for now, there was really no choice. Jordan opened the door.
His eyes scanned her.
She stepped aside to allow him entrance. Before entering, he picked up the long, thin gift box with the giant, red bow tied at the end.
Although her legs threatened to buckle beneath her, she met his eyes, silently vowing that she would find a way, once and for all, to escape this vile man.
Chapter One
Paolo pressed the button for the lower level and then used the matte black key card to gain access to the restricted level.
Once the doors opened, gone was the rich décor. He was met with a cacophony of noise and activity as the many ship workers rushed to accomplish their last-minutes tasks before embarkation.
This space represented the reality of life on a cruise ship, the jumble of different languages, the snippets of music that called to his desire to move and dance.
The carpet leading down the narrow corridor was worn nearly bear in certain areas and the walls were scuffed with chipping paint. But it was clean. Even if carts and broken-down boxes were still propped outside of cabins because staff was still working out cabin assignments, everyone made sure that the space the crew called their own was always clean.
Embarkation day was the single-most important day on the ship’s itinerary. Much went into making a cruise appear effortless—but it took a great deal of work.
He should know. He was now the Head Superior Genie.
There was no time to grin in pride or pat himself on the back for his accomplishments of being the youngest Head Superior Butler in the Superior Ocean Cruise Lines fleet of ships. This was his first cruise in the leadership row. He still had yet to prove himself. After all, he had not been Captain Perkins’s first pick for the position.
That honor had been offered to his best friend, Gio, who had discovered a better course for his life and who wanted a chance to share that life with his lady love.
Gio referred the captain to him. Paolo was a hard worker, and everyone knew