Subjugated

By Jaid Black

Shannon Smith thinks her marriage to Hani bin Nasser is one of convenience, but her mysterious Saudi husband has other plans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaid Black
• Release date: May 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463451885

Jaid Black

Jaid Black is the founder and driving force of Ellora's Cave Publishing, the award-winning online source for erotic literature. She is also the founder and publisher of Lady Jaided, a sexy new magazine for women. Her novella "Hunter's Right" appears in the collection Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down, and her novel Deep, Dark & Dangerous is forthcoming from Pocket Books in March 2006. Vistit her on the web at www.jaidblack.com.

Book preview

Copyright © 2010 by Jaid Black.

Republished February 2017 & May 6, 2020.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Subjugated

By Jaid Black

Dedication

To Shannon, my treasured, loyal friend of ten years and running. To Martha, my beloved editor for almost as many years. And to my mother, Patty, the unsung heroine. This one’s for the Phenomenal Three…

Chapter One

Where are you going?

The question was spoken softly, but sent chills down her spine nevertheless. He had an unnerving way of speaking, a tone that both demanded and commanded respect. And those eyes…

More chills. She’d never seen eyes like his before. They were dark, almost black, and coldly austere. They watched her every move, calculating and assessing, as if homing in on her every thought and deed.

Where am I going?

Her teeth gritted as she considered telling him her life was none of his fucking business. But something inside her hesitated, a sixth sense that warned her it was in her best interest to just give him an answer. She’d have to lie, of course.

She couldn’t tell her husband that she was going on a date with another man.

Then again it was possible he wouldn’t care. Perhaps she was seeing warning signs in those grim black eyes that weren’t really there. Maybe he was feigning a polite interest in her comings and goings. The vows they’d spoken were, after all, a sham. Theirs was nothing more than a modern day marriage of convenience.

Shannon Smith, now Shannon bin Nasser since the rushed wedding ceremony almost one year ago, steadied herself before meeting his gaze. She thrust her shoulders back, her chin up, and ran a hand through her soft mane of wavy golden curls with a pretended nonchalance. She met his stare and her turquoise eyes widened just a bit, always unnerved by his stoic presence.

Damn him anyway. He was only twenty-six years old, a full decade younger than her, yet she’d never met anyone more formidable. Ever.

Physically, her young husband was quite tall at six feet four inches. His shoulders were broad, his physique sleekly muscled, and his arms vein-roped in that I-just-came-from-the-gym way. His jet black hair was cropped close to his head, his complexion bronzed olive in color.

He rarely spoke. In the eleven months they’d been married, they had never carried on a real conversation. She had tried…oh how she’d tried! But he’d ignored her, never giving her much material to work with. The result was the feeling that she was married to a stranger, and one whom she’d never felt terribly comfortable around.

Perhaps he thought she was too old, too American, too…who knew what. It didn’t matter really. In a few weeks he would be done with his degree and heading back home to the Middle East, halfway across the globe.

And she would be forgotten, as though she never was.

She frowned, for some reason not liking that thought. It would have been nice if they could have been friends, but the quietly intimidating giant currently staring her down had never seemed particularly interested in developing a friendship.

Shannon delicately cleared her throat and glanced down at the floor. Hani bin Nasser was not only physically and mentally intimidating, but with his chiseled face and straight nose was also a leading contender for the title of world’s sexiest man. On the few occasions they’d been out together since they’d spoken their I dos, she couldn’t help but notice all the gawking girls wanting his attention…and no doubt wondering how she’d gotten him.

Not that she wasn’t beautiful herself. On the contrary, Shannon was very aware that men had found her desirable since the day she’d hit