Page 6 of Checkmate
“For now, you will have a meal with me. I realize you must be hungry, and far be it from me to not keep you nourished.” He walks to a small table in the corner of the room. Two places are set with a wine glass filled with blood. I instantly smell it and remember how hungry I am. He gestures for me to follow him. “Come.”
I walk toward him, and as I do, he takes one of the wine glasses and places it on the floor.
Pointing at the floor, he says, “This is where you will eat. You will lick it up like a dog.”
I should have guessed. The glass is full to the rim, causing me to salivate.
“Oh, Serena, forgive me. I gave you the wrong one.” He picks it up and replaces it with the other wine glass from the table. This glass is only a quarter of the way full. It’s enough to keep me alive but not enough to satisfy me.
Starvation.
He sits down. “Enjoy your meal.” He laughs and takes small sips of his wine.
I lean over my glass and lick inside it as I was commanded. When I do, I realize it is Claus’s blood. I want to devour it, and I moan as I lap it up. And then I realize I need to slow down. Who knows when I will have my next meal? I fight back the desire to drink it all in and take small laps at the liquid. I take my time to make it last as long as I can. Hopefully my mind will think it has more food and cause my belly to become full.
Claus finishes his meal just as the servants arrive to clear the table. He turns toward my cage, and I look too. It’s been cleaned up a bit, and a small cot has been placed inside. At least I will have someplace to sleep other than the cold floor.
“When I can’t be with you, you will remain inside the cage. There are cameras on you, and you will be watched at all times. If you defy me in any way, including masturbation, you will be punished. Do you understand?”
I nod. “Yes, My King.” I notice Kai is still waiting for his next order and wonder why he has not been dismissed.
Just as this thought crosses my mind, Claus looks at him and says, “Kai, take Serena into my playroom and tie her up.” He raises his finger to his cheek. “Use the suspension cuffs.”
Kai takes me from Claus’s presence to this playroom. I don’t remember a playroom. This room was not here when I ruled, so I’m curious as to what it entails. He takes me to what once was my closet. My closet was not your average closet. It was huge, which always made me laugh because I always wore the same things over and over again. There was no need for a closet the size of a standard bedroom, but there had to be some place to hang the clothes that still had price tags on them.
When I step inside, I see Claus has made use of it in a different way. The room is intimidating to say the least. There are cuffs of all sorts hanging on the wall. To the left of them are whips and canes. A cross is mounted on the far wall with a couch several feet in front of it. In the center of the room is a bed, with several chains and restraints hanging from the ceiling. In the corner of the room is a long bar with cuffs leaning against a wall. And across from the bed is something I don’t recognize. It’s high with a sort of bench on it, but I’m not sure exactly what it is. I shrug. I’m sure I will find out soon.
Kai takes me to the side of the bed and pulls a set of cuffs from the ceiling. They are on a pulley, so they come down easily. He pulls them down in front of me and secures one of my hands into each one. The tension from the pulley raises my arms up and above my head. It stops and I can no longer stand flat, forcing me to rest my body weight on the balls of my feet. It’s not the most comfortable, but it could be worse.
Claus strolls into the room. “Leave us!” he commands.
Kai turns and leaves the room without a word.
Claus says nothing to me but removes his clothes. He makes me watch as his lean muscles contract with every movement. My mouth waters. Once he is completely naked, he turns toward me. “Like what you see?”
With a heavy, aroused breath. I reply, “Yes, My King.”
“Good,” he says, then turns and leaves the room. I expect him to be getting something and coming right back, but he doesn’t. The longer I wait, the more convinced I am that he is not coming back any time soon.
