The Rose Garden smells like perfume and sex.
Leena walks through the main floor, her heels clicking against the hardwood.
The lounge is busy tonight.
Men in suits sit on velvet couches, drinks in hand, watching the girls work the room.
One of them—a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and a wedding ring—whistles as Leena passes.
"Hey, sweetheart," he calls out. "How much for you?"
The Madam appears from behind the bar, her expression sharp.
"She's not for sale," the Madam says quickly.
The man laughs. "Everything's for sale here, isn't it?"
The Madam's smile is tight. "Not her."
Leena doesn't even glance at him.
She keeps walking, her eyes fixed on the door at the back of the room.
The door that leads to the basement.
She pushes it open and descends the stairs.
The air grows cooler.
The smell changes.
Sweat. Alcohol. Something darker.
At the bottom of the stairs, the basement opens into two sections.
On the left, rows of wine racks and liquor shelves.
On the right, a heavy steel door with a padlock.
Leena pulls a key from her pocket and unlocks it.
The door swings open.
Inside is the dungeon.
***
Rider is chained to the wall.
His wrists are cuffed above his head, the metal biting into his skin.
His ankles are shackled to a metal bar bolted to the floor.
He's naked.
The bandage over his bullet wound is stained yellow and brown.
His body is covered in bruises—purple and green, spreading across his ribs, his thighs, his chest.
There are scratches on his back. Deep ones.
And dried cum on his stomach, his thighs, his face.
He looks feeble.
Broken.
When Leena steps inside, he lifts his head slowly.
His eyes are bloodshot.
His lips are cracked.
"Leena," he croaks.
She closes the door behind her and leans against it, her arms crossed.
"Rider."
He swallows hard, his throat working. "Why are you doing this to me?"
Leena tilts her head. "You really have to ask?"
"I treated you like a queen," Rider says, his voice desperate. "I gave you everything. I—"
"You treated me like your whores," Leena interrupts, her voice cold. "You slotted me out for your benefit. You never loved me. You used me."
Rider's jaw clenches. "That's not—"
"Now it's your turn," Leena says.
She pushes off the door and walks toward him, her heels echoing in the small room.
Rider's eyes follow her, wide and panicked.
"It can all end," Leena says. "Right now. If you just sign over your shares."
Rider's breath hitches.
"Leena, please—"
"Sign the contract," Leena says. "And this stops."
Rider hesitates.
His eyes flick to the door, then back to her.
"I can't," he says. "Those shares—they're all I have left. If I sign them over, I'm—"
"You're what?" Leena asks. "Powerless? Vulnerable? Alone?"
She leans in close, her lips near his ear.
"Welcome to my world," she whispers.
Rider's chest heaves.
"Leena, please. I'm sorry. I'm—"
"Sorry doesn't change what you did," Leena says, pulling back. "Sorry doesn't give me back the nineteen months you stole from me."
She turns toward the door.
"Wait," Rider says quickly. "Wait, where are you going?"
"To bring in the next man," Leena says without looking back.
"No!" Rider shouts, his voice cracking. "No, please! I'll do it! I'll sign it! Just—just please, no more men. Please."
Leena stops.
She turns slowly, a smile spreading across her face.
"Say it again," she says.
Rider's eyes are wet. "I'll sign it. I'll sign whatever you want. Just—just make it stop."
Leena reaches into her bag and pulls out a folded contract.
She tosses it onto the floor in front of him, along with a pen.
"Sign it," she says.
Rider's hands are shaking as he picks up the pen.
He scrawls his signature at the bottom of the contract, his handwriting barely legible.
When he's done, he drops the pen and looks up at her.
"There," he says. "It's done. Now let me go."
Leena picks up the contract and folds it carefully, slipping it back into her bag.
"I'll let you go," she says. "When you've been trained enough."
Rider's face goes pale. "What? No, you said—"
"I said it would stop," Leena says. "And it will. Eventually."
She walks toward the door.
"Leena!" Rider shouts, his voice raw. "Leena, come back! You can't—"
The door slams shut.
His voice is muffled now, distant.
Leena locks the door and climbs the stairs, her smile never fading.
***
The Madam is waiting for her at the top of the stairs.
"There's a man at the front door," the Madam says. "He's adamant about only meeting with you."
Leena's smile widens.
"Perfect," she says.
She walks through the lounge, past the men and the girls, and opens the front door.
David is standing on the porch, his hands in his pockets.
Next to him is another man—thin, nervous, with a patchy beard and darting eyes.
"David," Leena says warmly. "You came."
David nod, his eyes never meeting hers.
Leena's eyes flick to the other man. "And you brought him."
"I didn't need to kidnap him," David says. "He came of his own violation."
The thin man shifts uncomfortably. "You said you had money."
Leena's smile is bright. "I do. Come in."
She steps aside, holding the door open.
David and the thin man step inside.
Leena closes the door behind them and turns to the Madam.
"Get the money from my office," she says. "Two thousand. Cash."
The Madam hesitates, then nods and disappears down the hallway.
Leena gestures toward one of the private rooms. "This way."
She leads David and the thin man down a narrow hallway and into a small room.
The room is decorated like a bedroom—a king-sized bed with red silk sheets, a velvet couch, a small table with a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket.
Leena closes the door behind them and turns to the thin man.
"Do you have the drugs?" she asks.
The thin man reaches into his jacket and pulls out a small glass bottle.
Inside are ten heart-shaped pills.
Leena's eyes light up.
She reaches for the bottle, but the thin man pulls it back.
"Money first," he says.
Leena's smile doesn't falter. "The money's coming."
"You don't get nothing until I see it," the thin man says. His voice is shaking. "I don't know you. I don't know if this is a setup. I don't—"
"You're safe," Leena says softly.
She steps closer, her hand resting lightly on his arm.
"I promise," she says. "You're safe here."
The thin man swallows hard, his eyes flicking to David.
David doesn't say anything.
The Madam returns, holding a black duffel bag.
She hands it to Leena.
Leena unzips it and shows the thin man the stacks of cash inside.
"Two thousand," she says. "Count it if you want."
The thin man takes the bag and counts quickly, his hands trembling.
When he's satisfied, he hands Leena the bottle of pills.
"Pleasure doing business," he says.
He turns toward the door.
Leena picks up the bottle of champagne from the table.
She swings it hard.
The bottle shatters against the back of the thin man's head.
He drops to the floor, unconscious.
David's eyes go wide. "What the fuck—"
The Madam gasps, her hand flying to her mouth.
Leena sets down the broken bottle and wipes her hands on her skirt.
"Tie him up," she says to the Madam. "Make sure he can't get out."
The Madam stares at her. "I didn't sign up for this."
Leena's expression hardens. "Do what I said. And the money is all yours."
The Madam hesitates.
Then she nods leaving the room to get something to tie him up with.
Leena turns to David.
He's staring at her, his face pale.
"Leena," he says. "What the hell are you doing?"
Leena steps closer, her hand resting on his chest.
"He's necessary," she says softly. "I need the drugs he supplies. For my plan. For what I'm building. For us."
David pulls back. "For us? Leena, you just—"
"I know what I did," Leena says.
David shakes his head. "This is too far. You've taken it too far."
He tries to move past her, toward the door.
Leena grabs his arm.
"David, wait—"
He pulls free, and in the process, his elbow catches her shoulder.
Leena stumbles backward, hitting the floor.
David freezes.
"Shit," he says. "I didn't mean—"
He kneels beside her, his hands hovering over her.
"Are you okay? I didn't—"
Leena grabs his wrist and pulls him down.
He falls forward, and she spins him beneath her, straddling his waist.
Her hands pin his wrists to the floor.
She smiles.
"Gotcha," she says.
David's breath catches.
Leena leans down and kisses him.
It's long. Possessive. Her tongue sliding against his, her teeth catching his lower lip.
When she pulls back, her eyes are locked on his.
"I love you," she says.
David's heart skips a beat.
"Leena—"
"I knew from our first night," she says. "I knew you'd be my knight. Isn't that why you came tonight? To be my knight. To do what I asked."
David's jaw tightens. "Leena, I—"
"Even though Sarah is at home waiting for you," Leena says. "You're here. With me. Because deep down, you know we belong together."
David's chest heaves.
"Tell me you don't feel the same," Leena says.
David opens his mouth.
But no words come out.
Leena smiles.
"I need you," she says. "I need you more than Sarah does."
She sits up, her hands moving to the buttons of her shirt.
She unbuttons it slowly, one button at a time.
Then she looks down at him.
"Unhook my bra," she says.
David hesitates.
His mind flashes to Sarah.
Her face. Her voice. Her tears.
But his hands move anyway.
He reaches up and unhooks Leena's bra.
She pulls it off, freeing her breasts.
David's breath catches.
Leena leans down and unbuttons his shirt, her fingers moving slowly, deliberately.
She pulls it off and tosses it aside.
Then she unbuttons his pants.
He lifts his hips, and she pulls them down, along with his boxers.
She stands and strips off her skirt, her panties.
They're both naked now.
Leena gestures to the bed. "Lay down."
David hesitates.
This is wrong. Sarah's at home. Sarah's waiting. Sarah—
But his feet move.
He climbs onto the bed and lies back, his heart hammering.
Leena walks to the table and picks up the bottle of pills.
She opens it and takes out two heart-shaped tablets.
Pink. Innocent-looking.
She puts one in her mouth and swallows.
Then she climbs onto the bed, straddling David's waist.
She leans down and kisses him, her tongue sliding the second pill into his mouth.
David tastes it—bitter, chemical—and swallows reflexively.
"What—" he starts.
"Shh," Leena whispers. "Just feel."
Within seconds, David's body changes.
His cock hardens.
Not gradually.
All at once.
Harder than it's ever been.
It throbs, aching, desperate, almost painful.
His skin feels hot. Feverish.
Every nerve ending lights up.
What the fuck did she give me?
David tries to sit up, but Leena pushes him back down.
"Relax," she says.
But David can't relax.
His vision blurs at the edges.
The room tilts.
His thoughts scatter like birds startled from a tree.
Sarah. I need to—I should—
But the thought dissolves before he can finish it.
Leena shifts her hips, rubbing her ass crack against his cock.
David groans, his back arching involuntarily.
The sensation is overwhelming.
Too much.
Every touch magnified a hundredfold.
"Stop," he says, but his voice is weak. "Please, just—"
Leena leans down and kisses his nipples, her tongue circling them.
Her hand trails down his chest, her nails scratching lightly.
David's entire body convulses.
It feels like electricity.
Like fire.
This isn't normal. This isn't—
"Please," David begs. "Just put it in. Please."
David's cock throbs harder.
He can feel his pulse in it.
Pounding. Desperate.
Leena kisses his neck, her teeth grazing his skin.
Did I just say that?
Did I just beg her?
She leaves a hickey. Then another.
David's hands grip the sheets.
His body feels like it's on fire.
His thoughts are fragmenting.
But the drug is stronger.
It's drowning everything.
Leena's body feels hot against his.
Wet.
The drug is working on her too.
Her skin is hypersensitive.
Every touch sends shockwaves through her.
She hovers her vagina over David's cock, teasing him.
And then she hears it.
Rider's voice.
You're my bitch.
My plaything.
Leena's breath catches.
She closes her eyes, but the voice doesn't stop.
My cumslut.
You liked it, didn't you?
Leena's hands tighten on David's chest.
No. No, I didn't. I didn't like it.
But the voice is louder now.
You begged for it.
You spread your legs for me.
You came on my cock like the whore you are.
Leena's vision blurs.
Everything intensifies.
The pleasure.
The fear.
The memories.
She can feel Rider's hands on her.
His breath on her neck.
His cock inside her.
No. That's not real. That's not—
But it feels real.
More real than David beneath her.
More real than the bed, the room, the present moment.
Leena's body trembles.
She's dissociating.
Slipping away.
I'm not there. I'm not with him. I'm here. I'm in control.
But she doesn't feel in control.
She feels like she's drowning.
Like she's back in his grasps.
Collared.
Used.
Unloved.
No.
Leena's hand wraps around David's throat.
"Who do you belong to?" she asks, her voice sharp.
David's eyes are glazed. "You."
Say it again. Make it real. Make me believe it.
"Say it again," Leena demands.
"I belong to you," David says.
Leena's grip tightens.
"Say I'm your Queen."
"You're my Queen," David says.
Yes. Yes. I'm a Queen. Not a whore. Not his bitch. A Queen.
Leena drops down onto his cock.
They both cry out, their bodies arching.
Leena almost climaxes immediately.
The sensation is overwhelming.
Rider's voice gets louder.
Her body is on fire.
Every nerve ending screaming.
It feels like she's being split open.
Like she's being consumed.
You're nothing.
You're just a whore.
My whore.
Leena's hips move faster.
You'll always be mine.
Desperate.
Frantic.
She's trying to outrun the voice.
Trying to drown it out.
But it's everywhere.
In her head.
In her body.
In the way she moves.
Am I just repeating the cycle?
Am I doing to David what Rider did to me?
Am I broken beyond repair?
Leena's breath comes in gasps.
Her vision blurs.
She can't tell if she's crying or if it's just sweat.
"Say it again," she demands, her voice breaking.
"You're my Queen," David says, his voice distant.
But it's not enough.
Rider's voice is still there.
You're mine.
You'll always be mine.
No matter how many men you fuck, you're still my bitch.
Leena leans down, her lips near David's ear.
"Good boy," she whispers.
She kisses him hard, her tongue sliding against his.
David's hands grip her hips, pulling her down harder.
Beneath her, David is fragmenting too.
His thoughts are a jumbled mess.
His cock is throbbing.
His hands are pulling Leena down harder.
His hips are thrusting up into her.
This is wrong. This is so fucking wrong.
But it feels so good.
Too good.
The drug makes every sensation unbearable.
Leena's body is tight around him.
Hot.
Wet.
Perfect.
I should stop. I should push her off. I should—
But he doesn't.
He can't.
His willpower has disolved.
His moral framework is crumbling.
All that's left is Leena.
Her body.
Her voice.
Her control.
"You're my Queen," David says again, and this time he means it.
This time it's not coerced.
It's willing.
He's surrendering.
I don't care anymore. I don't care about Sarah. I don't care about right or wrong. I just want this.
David's hands move to Leena's breasts, squeezing.
His hips thrust harder.
He's not resisting anymore.
He's participating.
Complicit.
Guilty.
And he doesn't care.
Leena feels it.
The shift.
David's surrender.
And it helps.
Just a little.
Rider's voice fades.
Just a fraction.
"Say it again," Leena demands, her voice desperate.
"You're my Queen," David says, his voice breaking. "You're my Queen."
Leena's nails dig into his chest, drawing blood.
She rides him harder, faster.
Desperate.
She's losing control.
Her inhibitions are gone.
All that's left is the need to drown out Rider's voice.
To prove she's not his anymore.
To prove she's in control.
I'm not a whore. I'm a Queen. I'm a Queen. I'm a Queen.
But Rider's voice is still there.
Quieter now.
But still there.
Leena's body trembles.
She's on the edge.
The pleasure is unbearable.
Too much.
Too intense.
She can't think.
Can't breathe.
All she can do is move.
Ride.
Fuck.
Survive.
"I love you," David says. "My Queen."
And finally—finally—Rider's voice disappears.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough that Leena can breathe.
Enough that she can feel David beneath her instead of Rider's ghost.
Enough that she can believe, just for a moment, that she's free.
Leena's body convulses.
She climaxes hard, her vision whiting out.
David follows seconds later, his cock pulsing inside her.
They collapse together, their bodies slick with sweat.
Leena's breath comes in ragged gasps.
Her mind is still hazy.
The drug is still working.
But Rider's voice is gone.
For now.
David's arms wrap around her.
"I'm yours," he whispers.
And Leena closes her eyes.
I'm a Queen.
Not a whore.
A Queen.