Just Me - M J Marlow (reading strategies book .txt) 📗

that I was awake and came to take my vital signs. Then she picked up the receiver. “She’s awake, sir,” she said simply as she raised the head of the bed so I was sitting up. “How are you feeling today, Mrs. Layton?” “I’m not…” It was so hard to talk. “Hurts to talk.” “It will get better,” the Nurse smiled as he got out a comb and ran it through my thick hair. “You’ve had heart surgery and it will be a while before you’ve fully recovered.” She smiled as the door opened. “Here’s your handsome husband. He’ll make you feel better.” I looked up and saw Layton standing there. I shook my head as he came towards me. It was not right! I wasn’t supposed to be his wife. I belonged with Joseph. Layton sent the nurse out and he sat down on the bed gently. He picked up my hand and kissed me on the palm, smiling. “I was so worried, precious,” he said as he made certain I saw the wedding and engagement rings on my finger. “The surgery was very rough on you.” He put his fingers on my lips. “Don’t try to talk, my sweet Kerrigan. Let me tell you what has happened.” I nodded and even that was an effort. “Some men who thought they were doing me a favor abducted you from the hospital where you had your surgery. They sold you to me.” “How long…” “Have we been here?” he asked. I nodded and closed my eyes. “Two days,” he told me and saw the tears start. “I had a close personal friend of mine perform the wedding ceremony the night after we arrived here.” He stroked my hair. “I could not bear the thought of being without you, Kerrigan.” “Maggie,” I forced out, glaring at him as coldly as I could through the exhaustion. “No, darling,” Layton shook his head. “Your name is Kerrigan and that is how you shall be addressed.” He nodded to a man who was hovering in the door. “We can lose the IV and monitor now. Your doctors say you are healing well and we can start to work on returning you to normal activities.” “Why?” I looked at him in confusion. “I want Joseph.” “You only think you did,” Layton shook his head, “because he was your first love.” He stroked my hair as I winced. “Careful, you lout! I will not have my wife hurt.” “Sorry, Mr. Layton,” the man paled. He met my eyes and I could see his fear. “Mrs. Layton.” He removed the leads that connected me to the monitor and checked the incision sight. “They were able to do the repair with minimal invasion. You should be feeling more like yourself in a month or so.” He looked over at Layton. “I’ll be going now, sir. Enjoy your honeymoon.” He saw me go white and left the room without another comment. Layton helped me to my feet and supported me as he took me out on the balcony outside of the bedroom. It was enclosed in glass so that I could not get out. Beyond the glass I could see an unfamiliar city. “Where are we?” I asked him without taking my eyes off the view. “In our penthouse in the Savoy in London,” Layton told me. “We’ll stay here a few months until you are stronger and then we’ll join my mother at the penthouse.” He moved his hand to stroke my hair and I pulled away. “She’s looking forward to meeting you, darling.” “You want her to know how much I hate you?” I snapped at him as I sank down on the lounge shaking from the exertion. Layton went to the table nearby and poured out a glass of juice. He held it to me and I sipped at it. But I was still weak and the walk had tired me out. I held the glass out to him and he set it back on the table. “We’ll do a little more every day,” he told me as he joined me on the lounge and stroked my cheek, “until you can walk on your own. The doctors all agree that you need to get back to normal activity.” He frowned as I refused to look at him. “I’ll leave you here to rest. Nurse Barrett will come help you back to bed in an hour or so and I will join you for lunch.” “Go away,” I said as I looked out at the beautifully landscaped gardens below. He turned my head and kissed me and I whimpered. “I hate you.” “You’ll get over it,” Layton smiled and ran his fingers along my lips. “You’re my wife now, Kerrigan, and you will learn to accept me.” “Go away!” I sobbed and pulled away from him. “I don’t want you! I want Joseph!” “If you ever mention his name to me again, my darling wife,” Layton hissed as he pulled me to him, “I will send my men to arrange a little accident for him.” He saw that he had my attention. “He’ll be all alone on his patrol and the tire will blow just as he’s going around a curve.” He saw me go pale. “I see you understand now.” He lowered me back down gently. “I plan on treating you quite well, Kerrigan. You will have everything you could ever want or need as my wife…” “Except a man I love,” I sobbed. I was in distress now. “Please Mr. Layton…” “Nathaniel,” he interjected sternly. “Nathaniel,” I sobbed as I obeyed what was obviously an order. “You have to let me go. I don’t want to be your wife.” “It doesn’t matter,” Layton replied. “You are my wife and I have no intention of letting you go.” He pulled out his cell phone to make a call. “She is a bit reluctant to settle in,” he said simply. “Put a team on Sheriff North and have them take photos that illustrate to my pretty wife just how easy it would be for that conscientious young man to suffer an ‘accident’.” He hung up smiling down at me; knowing only one thing remained for his triumph to be complete. He made the call now. “Kellogg,” he said coldly as the man answered. “This is Layton. I just wanted you to know Kerrigan is doing quite well. The men who stole her from the hospital sold her to me.” He laughed at James’ comment. “They would never have gone after her if you had not brought her to the club, Kellogg. You know that, don’t you?” “You are a bastard,” I said softly as he hung up. “You’ll never know just how much,” Layton smiled at me. He sat down again and pulled me close. “We are supposed to return slowly to normal activity. Let’s start with what I will expect from you in bed.” “Don’t touch me!” I cried in distress and tried to pull free of his hold. He leaned down and kissed me and I felt ill. He had no right to do this to me! I did not want him touching me. “Please stop!” “Why, precious?” Layton said softly as he undid the belt on my robe and pulled it aside. His hand moved to stroke and caress me and I was sobbing in horror. “You’re mine now, Kerrigan. I will enjoy what is mine.” His eyes were warm as he touched me. “You are so beautiful, my love, and I shall be the first and only man to have you in his bed.” He did not stop until I was whimpering for a whole other reason than fear. He looked into my eyes and saw what he was looking for. When he took my lips I could feel myself falling into his snare and I could not fight it. I found my arms going up around his neck and my hands pushed him in for a deeper kiss. He took advantage of my surrender and carried me back to the bed where he slowly and gently began to fashion the chains he would use to hold me to him. “You see, my precious,” he smiled once he had finished, “marriage to me will not be without its pleasures.” He could see the pain in my eyes and called the nurse after he pulled the robe closed around my shivering body. “My wife pushed herself a bit too hard this time. Have the doctor come check her. If he says she is well, you will have her moved to the master bedroom.” I watched him go and knew I was lost. He was never going to let me leave him and if I tried, he would have his men murder Joseph. I loved Joseph far too much to let that happen. He would find another woman to love and go on to have a life without me. I could be content if I knew he was alive. The doctor returned and checked me over and I was helped into a wheelchair and taken to the master bedroom. Layton smiled as I joined him. He pulled back the covers and picked me up in his arms. “Tomorrow,” he said as he set me down and pulled the blankets up around me, “we will start to work on becoming the team I know we can become, my precious one.” He kissed me on the forehead. “For now, rest. We have a lifetime to learn to enjoy each other.” I did not argue. I closed my eyes and let myself drift off. There was peace to be found in sleep and I needed it desperately. I might be a wife to this man, but I knew the truth. I was his property not his partner. Layton would never love me as a man should love his wife. Joseph’s life depended on me accepting slavery in exchange. The weeks passed and four months went by as I became accustomed to my strange marriage. Layton was gentle with me in bed as he taught me how he wanted to have sex with me. He bought me little gifts and the penthouse was filled with fresh flowers from the bouquets he brought home every night. When the doctor assured him that I was finally strong enough to leave the penthouse, he was quite happy to accompany me to the dress salon where the owner took great delight in having me measured and then sat with us as she discussed style, color, etc. with Layton. “Don’t you have an opinion, Mrs. Layton?” the woman asked me as I remained quiet. “Whatever pleases my husband,” I said softly. I looked at Layton and saw him eyeing me worriedly. “Honestly,” I said as I laid my hand on his. “I’ve never really given much thought to such things before.” “You should, Mrs. Layton,” the woman chided me. “You are a very beautiful young woman.” She patted my hand. “I’m certain once you see how well you look in your lovely new garments your interest will be piqued.” We finished up with the salon and Layton decided on treating me. He said we were going to see a show and have dinner. I had the oddest feeling that there was more to it than that, but he didn’t say anything until we were back at our suite in the hotel. “You’ve been a very dutiful wife, Kerrigan,” he said as he held me while I was looking out at the city from the bedroom windows. “Cheryl Troughton is in London right now with her friends, Liliana and Nora,” Layton smiled at me gently. “They’re doing a photo shoot at Piccadilly Square. Would you like to go?” He saw my eyes light up. His hand moved down under my underwear and I responded to his touch as he had trained me to over the months. “There are worse things than to have a life