Inside the lavish bathroom, encased entirely in pitch-black marble...
I stood under the rainfall shower, letting the scalding hot water cascade over my shivering frame. I grabbed a loofah and began to scrub my skin... scrubbing repeatedly.
Targeting those dark, possessive kiss marks. I scrubbed until my skin was raw and burning red.
I scrubbed until I was bleeding...
Dirty... So disgusting...
I mouthed the insults to my own pathetic reflection in the steam-fogged mirror. My tears blended with the heavy streams of water.
Once I finished, I stepped out, wrapping myself in a fresh bathrobe. With trembling hands, I opened the black paper bag Ren had thrown at me.
Inside lay the uniform he had meticulously chosen for me.
A pair of tailored black slacks, a crisp white cotton dress shirt... And a tiny velvet jewelry box.
I pulled the clothes on, my fingers fumbling with the buttons.
The dress shirt featured a distinctly high collar...
High enough to conceal the dark bruises marring my neck and collarbones.
Ren had calculated everything.
He clearly had no intention of letting anyone else lay eyes on these marks. They were exclusively for his viewing pleasure.
Once fully dressed, my eyes drifted back to the small velvet box.
I picked it up, my heart hammering against my ribs with a sickening premonition.
Click!
The lid popped open.
Resting motionlessly upon the black sponge was not a designer tie clip, nor a luxury watch.
It was a 'choker'.
To call it a necklace would be an understatement. To Ren, it was unequivocally a collar.
It was a thin, pitch-black leather band.
Suspended from the center was a tiny, glinting silver pendant shaped like a 'padlock'.
It was beautifully crafted...
Undeniably luxurious...
But the implication behind it was so clear that the blood drained from my face.
A collar...
He genuinely viewed me as nothing more than a pet. A disobedient dog that required a collar to broadcast ownership to the world. A warning to ensure no one else dared approach.
I stood frozen in place for a long time.
Staring down at that piece of leather, a suffocating lump formed in my throat.
The final shred of human dignity I clung to...
Was ruthlessly stomped into the dirt.
"You're dawdling."
The dressing room door swung open.
Ren stepped inside, clad in an impeccably tailored, three-piece bespoke suit.
The heavy scent of his cologne commanded the air.
He saw me standing there, paralyzed with the open box in my hand. Without a word, he closed the distance and snatched it directly from my grasp.
"Do you not know how to put it on?"
He asked, his tone icy.
Before lifting the leather choker from its velvet casing.
"Turn around."
"Ren... I..." I attempted to protest. "Wearing this to a corporate office... it will look completely inappropriate..."
"Turn - around."
He enunciated every syllable. His voice dropped into a register so dark that a chill swept down my spine.
I clamped my lips shut.
Swallowing down the rest of my argument, I rigidly turned my back to him.
The freezing chill of the leather band made contact with the sensitive skin of my throat.
Ren's hot, steady breath ghosted across the nape of my neck, sending a shiver through my body.
Click!
The sharp sound of the metal clasp snapping shut echoed in my ears. It sounded exactly like the heavy lock of a prison cell, sealing away my freedom for all of eternity.
"A perfect fit."
Ren gripped my shoulders, turning me to face him.
His long fingers traced the freezing silver padlock resting over my Adam's apple.
He smiled.
It was an unsettling smile, overflowing with dark satisfaction.
"The key... remains with me."
He lightly patted my cheek twice.
"Never forget exactly who holds your miserable life in the palm of their hand."
"Let us go... Mr. Secretary."
He silenced me with a single look. Before turning on his heel and striding out of the room.
I slowly raised a trembling hand, my fingertips grazing the cold metal of the padlock. The icy temperature of the silver seemed to seep directly into my veins.
I took a deep, steadying breath.
I wiped away the tears threatening to spill and forced my leaden legs to follow him.
Walking out into a much larger cage.
A cage they called the 'outside world'.
Inside the expansive cabin of the limousine, lined entirely with pristine black leather...
A suffocating silence dominated the space.
The only sounds were the faint hum of the climate control system...
And the soft classical music playing in the background is ostensibly to create a relaxing atmosphere.
It did nothing to soothe my fraying nerves.
I sat rigidly, pressing myself against the car door. Trying to maintain distance between us.
Desperately trying to maintain the maximum amount of distance between myself and Ren.
Ren sat comfortably on the opposite side, his long legs elegantly crossed.
His dark eyes were glued to the screen of a sleek tablet. His sharp features were completely serious and strictly professional.
It was as if the feral beast from last night and the calculating billionaire before me were two different entities.
I cast my gaze out the tinted window, watching the scenery blur past. Towering skyscrapers... bustling crowds of people and the vibrant, boundless blue sky.
The world out there seemed so incredibly vast, practically overflowing with endless freedom.
It was a stark, agonizing contrast to my own world.
A world that had shrunk, now encompassing nothing more than the terrifying gravitational pull of the man sitting across from me.
Without realizing it, my hand drifted up, my fingers once again seeking the cold metal of the padlock at my throat.
The freezing touch against my skin served as a brutal, grounding reminder of exactly who I was... and what I had become.
"Does it feel restrictive?"
Ren suddenly spoke, his voice slicing through the quiet. He hadn't even lifted his eyes from his screen.
I jumped slightly. My hand dropped back to my lap.
"N... No, sir."
"Hmph..."
He let out a low, amused sound from the back of his throat, the corner of his mouth ticking upward into a smirk.
He set the tablet aside and shifted his predatory gaze to me.
"You had better get used to it. Because from this second forward..."
"You will wear that collar every single second you are in my presence. Including while we are at the company."
"But... what will the other employees think?" I argued, my voice small.
"Who would dare look?"
For a fleeting second, a territorial fire blazed within his eyes.
"This is my domain. Those are my rules. Anyone who dares to criticize what belongs to me..."
"...has absolutely no right to exist in my building."
His words reeked of absolute power.
It forced me to swallow dryly, a lump forming in my throat.
He wasn't merely a CEO. He was a god ruling over his own private empire.