Pride and Audacity Part 10— “Handle that woman!”

“What are you doing to my friend? Get your hands off her!” Jessica’s frenzied shout echoed along the corridor walls as she ran toward her friend.

Before Victoria had time to react, arms like bands of steel wrapped around her body and scooped her up in one swift lift.

Rashid ignored her struggles, pausing long enough to bark a command toward his companion. “Handle that woman.”

Victoria stared over Rashid’s shoulder in horrified silence as Califar intercepted Jessica. Using both hands and feet, she fought to free herself from the man’s hold without success. The last thing Victoria heard before the double doors closed off her world was Jessica’s shouted promise.

“I’ll find you!”

Jessica’s predicament and her own helplessness drained Victoria of what little fight she had left. She ceased pushing against the man who held her high against his chest while his purposeful stride echoed in the deserted corridors. Before she could gather the presence of mind to wonder at his destination, she was tossed into the back seat of an imposing white limousine.

* * *

Califar exerted enough strength to match the woman’s formidable force as she scratched, bit, and kicked in an effort to break his hold on her. He pressed his hand over her mouth to silence the screams piercing his eardrums.

It would be easier to suffocate her and be done with it. The thought was enticing but in the corner of his mind, he admired the loyalty she showed to her friend, understanding her need to fight.

He tightened his hand against her mouth, not cutting her air off completely, but enough to make her realize he meant his next words. “Stop, you can only cause hurt to yourself with your useless resistance. You cannot help your friend. She is with her husband where she belongs.” He controlled the tone of his voice despite the strain on his emotions.

The wiggling woman with her satiny skin and heavenly smell kicked his heart rate to the maximum. Worse, was the undeniable arousal she triggered in the rest of his body. He should be disgusted not stimulated. Resentment out-weighed his restraint and he shook her until she ceased to struggle.

Becoming still, at last, she lifted her head regally and stared down her haughty nose at him. Since he towered over her by several inches, such an impression testified to the depth of her self-assurance. He spread his feet, bracing for what he could see brewing in her eyes.

“How dare you! Where is Victoria? You will not get away with kidnapping an American citizen. I demand to know where you’ve taken her.” She glared at him through fiery, reproachful eyes.

“Your demands are of little importance and your threats of no consequence. You are but a foolish woman.”

He barely reacted in time to avoid the balled fist she swung in the direction of his jaw. Shock waves of incredulity moved through him. Did she want to physically challenge him? Never had he encountered such a female.Her attempt to do him harm was easily handled, but her persistence was not. The woman was unwise and reckless.

Yanking her body to his, he clasped her chin in one hand and held her in place. “Listen well, woman, for I will say this only once. The Princess is no longer your concern. Do not interfere. Do not follow or try to contact her.”

Her glare targeted him like an arrow. “I will find her. I will not stop. Now get your hands off me!” Her green eyes flashed their ultimatum.

His own blood heated in response to her resistance. He rubbed his thumb across her stubborn bottom lip, parting it enough to allow his thumb to press against her clenched teeth. No woman had ever aroused his passions as this one. Why this spitting, viperous female should do so was an aggravation. The slick surface of her gritted teeth ignited a strong need in him to breach their barrier. Stunning desire put a sharp edge to his declaration. “If you defy me and step into my world…you will pay the consequences.”

“Don’t threaten me. I don’t need your permission for anything. I do as I please.”

Her resilience stirred his admiration. The supreme confidence in her expression defied the captivity of her body. She delivered the assertion with a toss of her head; much like a blooded mare would do when rebuffing the attentions of one of Prince Rashid’s Arabian studs.

Without hesitation he claimed her mouth, accepting no resistance. He controlled the kiss, softening, and strengthening the pressure. First devouring and then soothing her sweet lips until her movements became sensual and her moans yielding.

Lifting his mouth from hers took all his willpower.

“If I see your face on Ahalamin’s soil, I will consider this a challenge. One which I will accept and you will lose. You are warned.” His calm statement, edged with finality and a foreboding promise, merely hinted at the contradicting rage of emotions driving him forward.

He swooped to claim her mouth once more. She smelled of open places, endless skies, and tasted like forever.

Forever…as chilling as a desert night, the word vanquished his fervor. Parting their lips, he pushed her slightly away from his body, holding her by the arms until her trembling legs supported her full weight. Her bereft eyes rose to his, questioning and studying him in silence. He slid two fingers down her cheek and over her quivering lips.

He hated the battle his mind and body waged. One wanted to stay and claim this strong, desirable woman. The other mocked his weakness. Without a word, he removed his hand, pivoted, and walked away.

* * *

Victoria half sat, half lay on the limousine’s passenger seat. The car’s tinted windows shut out all but the brightest lights, plunging her and the devil beside her into deep shadow. She wanted to straighten herself but the entangling robe imprisoned her better than a rope.

The prospect of drawing his attention gave her reason to stay still. How did one deal with a psychopath, a silver bullet, a stake through the heart? Not possessing either, her wits would have to suffice.

She waited and watched him, slowing her breathing to quiet its sound. His familiar spicy scent now mingled with the pungent odor of a hot, angry male. One who had just carried her down two flights of stairs and through a block of hallways. His scent was no longer exotic, but earthy, raw, dangerous.

The only parts of him clearly visible were his tightly gripped hands where they rested on top of his legs. She was sure that whatever caused them to tremble wasn’t fear. He hadn’t stirred or spoken since the car sped away from the Civic Center. An involuntary gasp escaped her throat when he moved forward and switched on the dome light. Angling his head, he gave her a pitiless glare. Then, locking her eyes with his piercing stare, he reached to activate the privacy window. The glass partition rose and so did her panic.

The silent authority in his eyes held hers captive. Just like the glow bugs she used to collect as a child. The ones she sealed in one of her mother’s crystal vases and set on her bedside table, leaving them to expend their last flash of brilliance in captivity. She had never thought the childish act cruel…until now.

He moved again, this time in her direction. She strained to get one arm free from the robe and looked in every direction for something she could use to defend herself. Nothing appeared. Exhausted, she lay sweating, trembling, and near tears. Through all her struggles he had simply waited. Now, he reached for her. This, she thought, will be tomorrow’s headline. ‘Victoria Ballard strangled on her wedding night!’

Rashid grabbed both sides of her robe and yanked upwards, successfully untangling her body. Then his hands slid under each of her arms, lifting and positioning her against the back of the leather seat. The sound of tinkling bells caused his eyes to widen with renewed disgust. His solid chest rose and fell in a short, hard rhythm. Leaning closer still, he invaded the last inch of space between them. When he ran the tip of his finger down her cheek and pushed a lock of hair from her face, her senses somersaulted as if she’d just propelled off a mountain backward. There was no up, down, or point of reference to stabilize her emotions, not until he spoke to her again, his voice deep and raspy.

“Though you may deserve otherwise, I have no intention of strangling you on our wedding night.”

How did he know what she had been thinking?

The ring tone on his cell phone almost splintered her sanity. Sliding back across the seat, he easily dismissed her and spoke with whoever was on the phone in complete calmness. Not one unsteady syllable passed his lips. For that, she both envied and despised him.

He ended his conversation at the same time the car came to a quick stop. Ignoring her, he vacated the limousine. Dreading his return, she pressed further back against the solid support of her own door. In her next breath, the wall at her back gave way. She would have fallen except for a pair of saving hands. Catching her, he placed her on her feet and then wrapped the fingers of one hand around her arm.

To an onlooker, the gesture would appear courteous. An onlooker, however, could never be subjugated by the emphatic firmness of his touch. His sharp instructions to the two men who accompanied him reminded her of just how good he was at giving orders. The two tipped their bodies in a deferential bow and hurried away to do his bidding. She waited for him to start throwing orders at her next.

Surprisingly, he stood like a statue in solitary silence, staring across what she realized was a private airfield. What was he thinking? His rigid profile gave no clues. He was a riddle, puzzle, mystery. She had never been good at solving any of those things. In fact, she hated them. They always defeated her best efforts to master them.No nightmare had ever equaled the wild twist of this horrendous day. Could things get any worse? The hand still holding her arm gave her the answer. A woman alone, manacled to a stranger, a foreigner, a husband…Everything could get much worse.

The ignition and roar of jet engines confirmed her conclusion. To the right of them stood a private jet much like her father’s. The tarmac lights revealed an insignia she didn’t recognize. The loading ramp stood positioned in front of its open-door ready to accept passengers.

Sick with fear, she stepped away from the direction of the plane. The movement gained Rashid’s attention. Turning to face her, he took both her hands in his. “Look at me, Victoria.”

Surprised by his gentle tone, she did as he asked.

“I realize you are upset and frightened,” he said, looking down on her with an expression devoid of anger. “The events of this day have forever changed the course of both our lives. You are now my wife. Nothing will change this. Accept your position, and I will do all I can to make your life pleasurable and complete.” His lips curved in a beguiling smile.

Victoria bit her lower lip until the pain removed some of the brain-fog cause by his seducing words. For the first time, she sensed another side to the complicated stranger in front of her, a more temperate, kinder man. His benevolence was a powerful magnetic force.

Her exhausted shoulders slumped. If she had known him under normal circumstances, possibly, she could have liked him a little. An opportunity he’d forfeited by trickery and manipulation. She could only be his possession, never his equal. Reaching deeply for the rage she had let slip away, she jutted her chin forward and with a defiant stare issued her own ultimatum.

“The deserts of your country will shiver under blankets of snow before I’ll follow you. In addition, I make you this promise, Prince Davar. If you don’t release me immediately, I’ll do everything in my power to make your life a living nightmare.”

He fettered both her wrists with one powerful hand, lifting them until they were directly in front of her face. “You can no more break my will than you can free your hands. You have but one option and that is to accept your position. This choice, only, is yours.”

She laughed in mockery. “How big of you to give me a choice.”

Victoria yanked her hands in an attempt to break his hold, but to no avail. She always seemed to be on the wrong end of his obsession with obedience. Forced into a situation of compliance or defeat, she made herself a vow. Someday, she’d make him suffer the same crushing humiliation he’d imposed on her. Mollified by the prospect of his defeat, she decided to humor him a little longer.

“Do you intend to drag me to the plane, or am I allowed to move under my own power,” she asked, managing to make him the object of her scorn.

He released her hands and swung his arms wide open, ridiculing her puny efforts to humiliate him.

How she would love to reduce him to a pile of ashes and then toss them into the first dumpster she could find, or better yet, she would flush them down the nearest toilet.

“You must know this situation is despicable.” She threw up her hands in disgust. “Only a worthless degenerate would have to buy himself a wife. I loathe you.”

The hateful man didn’t even blink.

“Walk or be dragged. Which do you prefer?” An expression of pained tolerance accompanied the question.

Acting on crazed instinct, she did the only thing which came to mind. Kicking out with all her strength, she connected with Rashid’s leg. An outraged groan slipped through his lips as he jerked backward and grabbed his injured limb. Seeing her opportunity, she ran toward the nearest building. Her toes throbbed. The man really was made of steel. Her useless satin slippers afforded little protection from the hard gray concrete and the bells around her ankles mocked her every stride with their incessant tinkling.

Checking to see if Rashid was in pursuit, she chanced to look around. Elated, she saw he still nursed what she hoped was a broken leg.

Her lungs lost all air as she slammed into a solid object and ricocheted backward. The pain of landing forcefully on her bottom filled her eyes with tears. Mortified, she glanced up to see what obstacle she’d encountered. Califar stood like a frozen statue, his expression one of incredulous astonishment.

A wet chill seeped through her robe. With miles of dry concrete on both sides, she had managed to land in the middle of an oily puddle. Unadulterated rage burned in her chest and spewed from her throat in a piercing scream of disbelief. Spatters of slimy dank sludge clung to her face as she repeatedly beat her small fists against the pavement.

To be continued…

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