Book 2, Chapter 17: The Mainland

**Madison**

The following eight days went by relatively quickly. I learned Damien was serious when he said he wanted me to live in his room. He practically manhandled me and caged me with his beastly body the whole night.

The only redeeming quality is that his bed is way too comfortable. It should be a crime to own a bed that soft. In fact, I stayed in bed the whole day while Damien left the underwater abode after breakfast and returned for dinner the following day.

After dinner the second night, I tried to return to my room once he fell asleep, but Damien changed the locks on the door. Of course, he woke up and rubbed it in my face, so I was forced to sleep in his bed. On the third day, I tried to sleep on the sofa when Damien had gone back to his office to finish late-night work, only for the jerk to cradle me in his arms and tuck me into his bed.

By the fourth night, I just gave up. He has spent the last week in and out of the house. Most of the day, I am left alone with the staff and my thoughts, which is far more dangerous. I’m already planning my next set of pranks; I need to convince Marissa to buy a few things online without Damien’s knowledge.

My primary source of entertainment is Marissa; she’s fantastic. Maria is a pain in the ass. Luckily, she stays out of the way, but I see her always glaring at me. The other day, I caught her in my closet trying on some luxury jewelry Damien bequeathed to me. That was a fun discussion. My closet was filled with all sorts of designer clothes. It rivaled my closet at home, and I am not ashamed to admit that I was spoiled rotten regarding articles of clothing.

I have spent a lot of time hanging out in the kitchen. I’ve even shown Marissa a few culinary tricks thanks to my mom’s incredible culinary skills, which she insisted we all learn from utero. I must admit that I was secretly excited to see Damien’s face when Marissa brought out my mother’s famous mashed potato burgers that I had made one night. His eyes lit up, and I am sure I saw him fight back tears. He also inhaled those burgers and moaned a few times. Not even my brothers know the secret ingredient to my mom’s burgers.

Damien and I’s relationship was certainly interesting. You could probably see the sexual tension clogging the air. Damien was all too strategic, knowing precisely what to do to drive me up the walls. He always left lingering kisses on my skin when he was around but never on my lips. He enjoyed caressing my thighs where his fingers would get so close to my inner sanctum, but not quite. He insisted on holding my hand when we walked together and loved to make me squirm when he insisted on me sitting in his lap. At least with that last one, I could also make him a little uncomfortable. He would spoon me every night where his hands would wrap me up in their warm embrace, and his fingers were just mere centimeters from my aching pebbled nipples because, of course, he would insist on me wearing the most scandalous negligée. I think he secretly likes taking long, cold showers…

Last night, Damien instructed Marissa to pack our bags. We were finally leaving this bubble. While in bed, Damien told me we were going to his home on the mainland. He had several big meetings to attend and a few issues to solve. He didn’t know how long he would be gone, so he gave into his conscience and decided to bring me along for the ride.

I didn’t expect him to lead me to the downstairs vaulted door, which opened into a garage… full of fucking submarines! There were nine boats, all docked flawlessly in rows and of different sizes. And not like the classic battleship submarines, more like underwater mini yachts from those Spy Kid movies.

The yacht we boarded was shaped like a reinforced steel blimp with a glass rooftop. Several comfortable sitting areas were towards the bow (front), and the control panels were towards the stern (back). There were twenty guards on board, all leisurely sitting around. Damien took me to the very tip of the bow, where a loveseat sofa was in front of a large glass panel. He pulled me against him, so I sat in his lap and curled against his chest. He played with my hair and rubbed my thighs while he gave various instructions to the men. The lights dimmed as the motor revved. Blinking lights and sirens sounded in the garage before the boat descended. Within minutes, the entire ship was submerged in dark waters. Outer lights clicked on so the whole of the underwater metal cavern could be seen. The submarine slowly pushed forward and navigated through an ample open space before going through an open door and into the deep blue sea. The light from the sun beamed through the waters and illuminated the light blue canvas I had become accustomed to.

The ship stalled momentarily as you could hear the engine speed up and the propellers begin their wind up. In a breath, we shot through the waters at break-neck speeds not far from the surface.
I could see schools of fish swimming in the distance, but I couldn’t enjoy the scenery as we would zoom past them like a bullet train. We cut through the water like breathing air for forty-five minutes before we slowed down and eventually stopped at a vast rock wall. I wish I could say I was surprised when part of the rock wall opened up into a large cavern, but I wasn’t considering how the man to who this secret chamber belonged also had an underwater house and a fucking submarine, to begin with. Of course, he’d have an underwater cave. Note my sarcasm.

We traveled through this cave for another twenty minutes before we entered another set of steel doors and then ascended to the surface, only to be at another identical docking station. Several more miniature submarines were already docked when we exited the vessel, no doubt for the guards or staff.

Damien ushered me through another large vaulted door and then into an elevator. What surprised me was that the elevator eventually opened into a penthouse-style office. The entire floor had floor-to-ceiling glass windows. They gave panoramic views of a gorgeous port city, and we were undoubtedly in one of the tallest buildings in the very center of the town. You could see a beautiful sea bordering the coastline.

“Welcome to Albania, Zemra Ime,” Damien said calmly as he wrapped one arm around my waist and the other around my chest, holding my shoulder. He then pulled me into his chest and dropped a kiss on the crown of my head. I bristled at his affection and tried to pick my jaw off the floor.

“Albania?” I whispered.

“Yes, butterfly. And if you look way out into the horizon, just there,” he said, pointing into the deep blue ocean, “you can make out some oil rigs where our sea home is. That all belongs to us, as does most of this city. With how my sales have been going, I’m on par with your family in both worlds.” Damien couldn’t hide the cheeky smirk from his face.

“Hey boss, looks like…” a deep voice sounded behind us but cut off when he saw us at the window. The voice belonged to Luke. Upon seeing me, he grinned like the Cheshire cat; “Well, hello, my lady! I would have thought he would have kept you under lock and key for much longer. Have kept you under lock and key for much longer.”

“She’s been a good girl. She needs to be familiar with all our homes and the business soon anyway. Might as well start now.” Damien told Luke. He was talking to him like I wasn’t even in the room. “Besides, Aunt Margo called, and they got wind of her, so now several events are coming up that I need for her to attend. She will skin me alive if I don’t bring her. I kept her on the rigs to keep her safe until necessary. You, of all people, know that only a handful of people know where the bubble is. I cannot invite just anyone there, and you know how ruthless the family can be if I do not get ahead of this. I plan to announce her as our Queen.”

“Excuse me? Who the fuck said anything about me being your Queen?” I found myself yelling out before I had time to process what was being said. Damien and Luke just looked at me like I had just devoured a bowl of chili with my face.

“Oh, Zemra Ime,” Damien said softly, shaking his head slightly before leaning down to whisper in my ear, “ What makes you think you have a say?”

I spun in his arms and smiled, batting my eyelashes. I crooked my fingers, asking him to meet me at my height, and he obliged. “What makes you think I won’t shove a cactus up your ass without lube?” I smiled once more, kissed his cheek, and took the opportunity while he was stunned to wiggle out of his grasp before returning to the scenery. Luke was trying to stifle a laugh behind his fist.

Damien must have recovered from my threat since he cleared his throat, and Luke stopped chuckling. “Right, yeah…” Luke said, clearing his own throat. “A bad storm is forecasted for tonight and the next two days. I’ve already called the cars for you, and the house is ready for your arrival.”

“Thanks, Buddy,“ Damien said, clapping his friend on the back. “Come, Madison. Time to go to our home.”

An hour later and up a freaking small mountain stood our “home,” or should I say palace?

And, of course, the most illogical thought popped into my head: Time to start planning on breaking out.