Captive (Billionaire's Blood Slave 1) (The Billionaire's Blood Slave)

Alice had never been so terrified, and her interview hadn’t even begun.

The elevator she rode was taking what seemed like forever, and moved with the quiet hum of a ship in fog. Everywhere she looked she saw her own face in the mirrored doors, walls, even floor. The sight wasn’t reassuring at all. Her tangle of pale gold hair wanted to wave back around her face, even after an hour of straightening. A wayward curl even clung to the red arc of her lips, which she nervously brushed away.
Her cheeks were flushed to a brilliant rose and her eyes were bright with fear. This was the interview of her life, but even the neat pencil skirt and perfectly applied makeup could not make her feel like a woman.
When she looked in the mirror she saw a scared little girl, straight out of college.

And it didn’t help to know that Gabriel Knight was waiting for her up there, one of the richest men in the world. His mysterious habits were legendary, and he had a reputation for cruelty to juniors that displeased him. He rarely hit the social scene, but in the course of her research for this job Alice had seen pictures. She wished she hadn’t. He couldn’t have been older than thirty, and even in those the little social pages photos with the bad flash she could tell he was gorgeous.

Just what I need
, she pouted, infuriated at herself and the world,
a gorgeous, dangerous billionaire judging me.
At that moment she would have given anything to be at home hiding under a blanket and watching reruns of Mork and Mindy. So what if she stayed a jobless? It couldn’t be worse than this.

The elevator chimed. Her heart stopped, just for a second.

After a deep breath, Alice wobbled on her new heels out of the elevator, stamping gracelessly out onto the marble floor of Knight Holdings’ top-floor office. She was more of a sneakers and jeans girl, if truth be told, but she had a business degree and the best grades of her year.
You can do this.
She told herself.
This is what you worked for.
For a second, she was ready for anything this corporate monster could throw her way.

Her fears came tumbling back the instant she glanced around the office. The place was steel and marble, a gleaming palace of industry. Angular black furniture stood on a bare marble floor,
un-softened
by any decoration. Everything shone, forensically clean. The ceiling was a vast distance away and lit with cold, white bulbs, shining steel fixtures.

In the center of this steel cathedral stood a towering desk, and behind it sat a secretary as clean and perfectly angled at the furniture.

This is what he’s used to. It’s like a graveyard.
Alice fought an urge to turn tail and run.

Behind the desk, vast windows showed a glimmering view of her city at night, like field of stars spread across the plain. She’d lived here her whole life, but she’d never seen the lights like this before. This was the view of hawks, bats, and the uber-rich.

The secretary glanced up. “Miss Doherty?”

“Y…yes.” Alice hugged her bag to her chest, blushing furiously.

“Mr. Knight is expecting you. Please go right in.”

“Um, thank you.” Should she say something else? Too late now - she was already clicking her way to the huge oak and steel door indicated. Halfway there her feet fell on something smooth and soft. She looked down at a rug the colour of fresh blood, patterned with gold filigree.
It absorbed her steps in complete silence.
The door was closed tight; a huge old oak slab that looked like it had been taken from some completely different building. Now that she was close she could see that intricate carvings covered most of its surface. Her hand went to the steel handle and rested there, but inexorably Alice found herself staring at the carving instead of pushing it open.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, showing delicate people and animals in a lush paradise. Buildings rose in the distance, strangely shaped and tiered, topped with icons too small to see. In the foreground, a beautifully detailed lion stared out at her, with one paw resting on the body of a felled doe.

Her hand jerked, and Alice couldn’t help gasping as the door jolted open. She was staring directly at his face, into eyes as black as death. Gabriel Knight smiled at her.

“You must be the young prodigy, Miss Doherty.” He paused, taking a second to absorb her. Alice could only freeze under that black gaze, like a rabbit under a hawk’s shadow.

“Come in,” he said, at last, and turned away abruptly, striding away into his. His voice was a dark rasp, emotionless. “Sit,” he waved vaguely.

Just looking at him was making her unbearably nervous. He was just as gorgeous as he’d looked in the photos, with neatly trimmed black hair framing a sharply angled face. He wore an immaculate suit that had probably cost more than her car, a fabric so rich and dark it seemed to suck the light out of the air. He was tall too, which hadn’t been so obvious from the photos. His every move was quick and deliberate, imbued with predatory grace. Watching him she felt like she had watching the tiger at the zoo as a child. Only now, there was no glass to protect her.

Alice sat, opposite his desk in the hard modern chair he’d indicated. She was glad to be off her feet, actually – the shoes weren’t made for walking. Too late she realised she hadn’t said anything yet, and blushed furiously.
I should have shaken his hand!
But now she was sitting, as ordered, and he was pacing behind his desk, a dark silhouette against another huge window.

“Pleased to meet you, sir.” She stammered, “Really, I’m very glad for the chance to -”

“Yes, I imagine you are.” He turned to face her, eyes narrowed. Suddenly her heart was pounding.

For a long moment he watched her, before smiling slightly. “You blush a lot, for a business major.”

“I’m pale,” she blurted, lamely.

“That's nothing to brag about. Don’t you ever leave the house?” He was fiddling with his cuff, straightening the fold microscopically. A vague smile floated on his lips.

“Of course not,” The fear was burning away in her rising temper. “I got that Yale degree sitting on my butt eating Cheetos and watching Friendship is Magic.”

Those black eyes fixed on her, and he laughed, sharply. Alice flinched.

“Come here.” He ordered, and something in his voice made her obey, approaching hesitantly until she stood an arm length from him behind the desk. This close, his beauty was even more incredible for how little it changed. His skin was flawless, glowing in the dim light. He was just as pale as her, she realised – paler. Set in that cool, beautiful face his eyes were two pools of infinite shadow.

“How far would you go for this job?” Knight asked, quietly, smiling. His eyes wandered, down her face to the exposed sliver of breast at the neck of her blouse. His tone was teasing, but there was a black note in his voice that frightened her.

“Not… as far as you’re insinuating. Look, Mr. Knight, it was good to meet you but I think I’ll just see myself out –“

His hands shot out as he stepped close to her, catching her arms. Now he was
so close
, close enough that she felt his breath on her face. She could barely meet those liquid dark eyes when she looked up at him. His gaze burned into her.

“Don’t go.” His hands slid warm down her arms, then back around her waist. “Excuse my little jokes, Miss Doherty. The job would have been yours anyway. You’re the most qualified applicant.” His breath caught, his lips parted slightly as he watched her. The perfect arcs of his brows draw down. “The resume doesn’t say that you blush like that.”

The hands crept slowly, easily down her back, while Alice shivered, an objection frozen on her lips.
What’s
wrong
with me?
She knew she should be disgusted, but instead a flush of desire filled her, and the heat only grew stronger as he drew closer, exploring her back with exquisite slowness. His scent filled her head, a rich mix of musk and something as clean and fresh as rain on the woods -intoxicating.

“Please,” Alice stammered, and then stopped.
Please what?
She didn’t know whether she meant please stop or please keep going.

Knight only wrapped his arms around her, crushed her against his chest. He reached up to cup her chin, tipped her head back. Alice felt as small as a child in this man’s arms, and wasn’t sure she could have pulled away even if she wanted to. His hard body pressed against her through his expensive suit. His cock was already throbbing, rammed up against her flesh through his pants. He stooped over her until she felt his breath on her cheek, and then he kissed her, hungrily, desperately. His tongue flashed hot and wet into her mouth. Burning hands slipped down over her buttocks, cupped them briefly. He found a grip and lifted her easily, as if she weighed nothing, lowered her again onto the hard edge of his desk. The steel rim bit uncomfortably into her thighs through her tight skirt. It was worse when he slammed her down onto it, so loudly that she was sure the secretary would hear. A low moan slipped out of her. As he kissed her, Knights hands were slowly slipping up under her skirt, caressing the soft flesh of her thighs. The strange heat of his hands against her skin was mesmerizing, almost too hot to bear. She held her breath while his fingers played over her body, dipped deeper into the sweet cleft between her thighs. When those fingertips brush over her sex through the thin cotton of her panties she gasped, and he grinned against her neck.

He was drawn to the soft skin at her throat, kissing obsessively until the skin burned red-hot, raking it with his teeth. Soon he yanked cotton panties aside, and a single, probing finger slipped into the wet pool between her nether lips, teasing them open.

“So wet,” He breathed.

Without warning he shoved her down hard onto the desk and slid two fingers inside her. She squealed, until his free hand came up to cover her mouth. Inside her he twisted the fingers, and Alice could do nothing but freeze helpless beneath him, bent backwards over the cool metal desk while he violated her with his hands and his mouth. Every sound she made was muffled to a dim wail by his hand crushed over her lips. Slowly, as his fingers slicked in an out of her body, her whimpering turned to moans of grudging pleasure.

“You like it, don’t you?” Knight grinned.

The fingers flicked at her clit, dragging out bursts of heat that flooded her body. Another finger slipped inside, stretching her so that she sobbed into the hand over her face. He worked them hard into her wetness, moaning quietly with desire.

Knight crushed her body into the desk with casual strength as his fingers drew the pleasure from her flinching slit. It would have hurt more if she hadn’t been so shamefully wet.  The liquid proof of her arousal was already slicking insides of her thighs with sticky dampness. His tongue ran deliciously over the underside of her neck. The pleasure welled up in her, almost peaking...

Abruptly he yanked the fingers out. Alice moaned in surprise and disappointment, unconsciously lifting her aching slit towards him. She needed to feel that fullness again – her tortured sex seemed suddenly cold and empty without his fingers fucking her.

Knight only looked at her with those cold black eyes, wondering. His hand massaged her cheek where it was clamped down over her mouth.

“Eager, aren’t you?”

Oh god.
Alice didn’t know what to say. She only whimpered, writhing under his touch. She was blushing in shame at her own reaction.

He reached down and yanked his fly open, just enough that his towering erection could slip free. His cock curved viciously, and felt hard as steel when it butted up against her aching clit. His hands shoved her skirt up around her waist. Her slit peeked out to the side of her panties, pink and glistening wet.