Tied Up With Love. Holly Martin

get in the van.’

      Kirsty did as she was told, flashing Izzy an enormous grin as she got in. Kyle stepped forward and blindfolded Kirsty and proceeded to tie her hands together. Ethan stepped back into the van and the brief look he gave Izzy was dark.

      The door closed and for a short moment, the darkness blinded her, but as her eyes became accustomed to the limited light, she realised he was standing almost directly in front of her, staring at her. She looked up at him as he held onto the metal rail above her head. As the van careened around several corners Ethan was solid, unmoveable, where Izzy needed the side of the van for support, not least because her legs felt like jelly right now.

      In the background, she was vaguely aware that Kyle was explaining to Kirsty what would happen once they reached the house, that she had been won in a card game by some billionaire called Nick O’Shea. Kirsty was obviously humming with need and she let out a tiny moan at the name of her husband.

      Oakwood House came into view and Izzy had a better look at it this time. It was large, maybe six or seven bedrooms. It looked like a quiet, unassuming country house set in its own grounds. Little did the people of this town know what went on behind closed doors.

      As the van came to a halt, Ethan was already stepping out. He picked Kirsty up with ease, carefully sliding her over his shoulder. Without a word, he turned and strode into the house. Izzy quickly followed him down the stairs into the basement where the day before she had been tied up. What a lot had changed in the last twenty-four hours.

      ‘Is this her?’ a deep voice said as Ethan reached the bottom of the stairs. Kirsty whimpered again with excitement at the sound of her husband’s voice.

      ‘This is your prize sir, she put up quite a fight,’ Ethan said, and as he moved into the basement Izzy got her first look at the husband. Based on her experience with the husband the day before, she expected all the husbands to be sad, aging, nerdy types desperate for a last saucy fling – but Nick was stunning. Wearing only jeans, he was tall, muscular with a mass of dark, wavy hair and piercing green eyes. He was holding a glass of red wine in his hands, swirling it around casually as he played the role of the winning billionaire.

      ‘Take the blindfold off, I want to see what I’ve won.’

      Ethan slid Kirsty down to stand between him and Nick, pulled the blindfold off her head and turned her round to face her husband.

      Nick whistled appreciatively. ‘Wow, I… didn’t expect her to be so beautiful. Your boyfriend was a fool for putting you as collateral in our card game. You’re mine now and I don’t intend to ever let you go.’

      Nick trailed a finger down her cheek and Kirsty quivered.

      ‘Please don’t hurt me. I’ll do whatever you want, whatever you need, just don’t hurt me.’

      ‘I want you naked on the bed, now.’

      Ethan turned and snagged Izzy’s arm, pulling her back up the stairs. Although Izzy had no intention of being there when the heat was turned on, she couldn’t help one last look back as Kirsty was slowly undoing the buttons on her shirt and Nick was staring at her hungrily.

      As they reached the top of the stairs, Ethan closed the door and stared at Izzy.

      ‘Well, one successful kidnapping. What did you think?’

      Izzy pulled at the neck of her hoodie, feeling the sweat prickling her back. There was only one word to describe what had just happened. ‘That was hot.’

      Ethan stared down at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. His laugh was loud, infectious and heartfelt and it caused Izzy to laugh too.

      ‘Come on, I’ll show you around.’

      He walked into a room opposite the basement door into what looked like a very plush office, a huge desk commanded the attention in the middle of the room, and a big leather office chair stood behind it. There was a computer, a sofa in the corner and the walls were lined with several official looking certificates.

      ‘For the boss and secretary fetish,’ Ethan explained. ‘Not one of my favourites but there is some demand for it.’

      ‘This is part of your package?’

      Ethan nodded. ‘It’s all fake.’ He picked up the computer screen with one hand. ‘It’s a prop, just in case they want to sweep the stuff off the desk dramatically.’

      ‘The certificates, the papers in the trays?’

      ‘Fake. Come on, I’ll show you the kitchen.’

      He walked out and Izzy stared at the room in shock. The room was perfect, exactly what an office of a rich, successful businessman should look like. There was so much more to this kidnapping business than met the eye.

      She followed Ethan down the corridor into a huge kitchen. There was a big black marble breakfast bar in the middle of the room and Izzy was getting the sense that these large flat surfaces were designed for one thing only. There was also a massive dining table and large floor to ceiling windows that opened onto a beautiful garden.

      ‘This is a real working kitchen, it was part of the original house but has been completely redecorated since then. There are some couples who have food fetishes. Or get hungry after sex. As part of the package we ask them if they want any food provided, at an extra cost of course. Most people will just order a pizza after they’ve finished but some like strawberries to be left in the fridge, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, champagne, that sort of thing.’

      ‘And then there’s the dining table or breakfast bar if they’re still feeling horny?’

      Ethan smiled. ‘You’re catching on.’

      He pushed a door open into a lounge that had a long black leather sofa and a huge widescreen TV. He didn’t pause long in here, Izzy guessed it was pretty self-explanatory. Moments later they were back in the hall again.

      ‘I’ll show you upstairs.’

      Izzy followed him up the oak lined staircase, the bannister was a beautiful twisted wooden creation that swept up the stairs but all she could focus on was the tight, gorgeous arse in the black jeans ahead of her.

      ‘This is the suite. It used to be four bedrooms and we had it converted into a lounge area, bedroom and en-suite bathroom. There are two other bedrooms up here but generally our clients will use the suite. It’s very plush and adds credence to any of the billionaire stories that our clients like to act out.’ She followed him into a foyer area that had a black table with a startling array of welcome flowers in the middle. There was an ivory tiled floor and white walls with stunning pieces of modern art adding vibrant splashes of colour to the room.

      ‘This part is the bedroom.’ Ethan pushed open the door and Izzy saw a giant, tall four poster bed and what looked like a very sleek bathroom through another door beyond the bedroom. Izzy walked in and looked around. It was stunning, resembling something from a very exclusive hotel, with a trace of historical romance too. There was a large painting above the headboard. It was a couple, entwined in a passionate embrace, but their limbs and bodies merged together as one. She took a step towards it, marvelling at the sheer lust and fire that was cleverly depicted in the artist’s strokes.

      Suddenly from behind them was the sound of giggling.

      ‘Nick I want you to ravish me. Remember that time in Milan, I want you to take me like that,’ Kirsty said, her voice drifting closer.

      ‘Damn it,’ Ethan hissed, grabbing Izzy’s arm and dragging her into the nearby walk-in closet, he quickly closed the door behind them just as Nick burst into the room carrying Kirsty dressed now in just her underwear. Izzy stared at them in shock through the tiny crack in the door. There was no way she wanted to be in here whilst they were doing… whatever it was they were going to do.

      There was no room in the closet, Izzy was suddenly painfully aware of that. Ethan was standing right behind her, his breath warming the back of her neck, his heat burning her. The smell of him was dark, tropical, heady. As she shifted back