Captive to the Dark (7 page)

As for my kidnapper, the night we shared had been picked apart in my brain a million times over. With every memory I analyzed, I couldn’t control my body from reacting. The good in him was there. He’d held me when I was hurt. Rocked me when I’d broken down. Had I submitted, I had no doubt he would have stayed true to his word and left me be. Yet, his actions were not noble. I was revenge for his sister. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t my father. In his eyes, it was hurting the old man by extension. Little did he know, I doubted that it truly was worrying Victor. He was probably living every day like any other, and I was nothing more than a phone call reminding him of his sins.

The skin under the rope burned while I hopped back to the bed. For the last two hours I’d paced, as best as possible, waiting for someone to come. Boredom was taking my sanity. Twice, I’d fallen. It wasn’t as many times as the day before. My balance seemed to be improving. Three more weeks in this condition, I’d be bouncing the length of the room at the speed of light. If nothing else came out of this, I was sure to win a sack hopping race. I groaned, frustrated. Dammit, I needed something to do, or someone to talk to. My mind was slipping. Tears welled in my eyes while random thoughts drove me crazy.

The desk in the far corner caught my attention for the millionth time. My ass sprang from the mattress in some playful attempt to keep myself amused, and I made my way back in that direction. With my hands behind my back it was impossible to rummage around like I wanted, but I could look at the pictures more. They were the only connection to people I had in the lonely hours while I waited for someone to return.

A girl with dark hair posed in front of a tropical background. Her smile was perfect and her face reminded me of the girl next door. She wasn’t overly-gorgeous, but far from common. The grey eyes that stared back at me were identical to my captors. Their resemblance left off there. Nothing else about them matched. Different nose. Different facial structures. Were they full blooded siblings? Probably, but I wasn’t sure.

The door flew open and I jerked back, hitting the ground hard.
Him.
Cold eyes dismissed me as he continued to the closet, grabbing clothes. The white shirt he’d worn days ago was long gone. Now, a long sleeve black one covered his body, the tight fit showing off how wide his shoulders really were.

“I’ll release the ropes long enough for you to take a shower. Then, they go back on.”

Hell, I wasn’t going to argue. I needed a shower like I needed a window to the outside world. Unfortunately, metal shutters covered these, leaving me disconnected from the scenery surrounding us.

As I hopped to the bathroom, more excited than I should have been, I didn’t miss the way his face softened. Who was he aside from a man trying to retrieve his sister? Desperate to get her any way he could, even going as far as taking the daughter of the bastard who was responsible?

“Hold out your hands.” The stoic expression once again showed me my place. I really was no one to him. A pawn in the game he was playing.

Sighing, I lifted them behind me. He was quick to take them off, avoiding my skin as much as possible. The moment I was free, warm tingling rushed down to the tips of my fingers. My shoulder positively ached at the rotation of my arms. A small sound escaped at the heaviness that weighed me down. His mouth twisted and he crouched, pulling at the material of my long dress until it slid down, exposing my full breasts. With no bra, I was completely topless. Uncertainty had me breathing in deep. I’d never liked my body. My breasts were too big and my waist was too thin against my wide hips and thighs.

“Don’t look away from me until I finish.” The dress eased to my hips and slowly down until it pooled around the ropes at my ankles. A knife appeared as he removed his hand from his pocket. The acceleration of my heart wasn’t from fear, but arousal. Knife play. I’d only dreamed about that. Never once had I been brave enough to test it out with a stranger. But here he was, doing exactly what I’d fantasized about a million times.

The blade traced up my thigh until it disappeared under the lace of my panties. My body swayed a little at the flick of his wrist. The side fell open and he made a path over the lower part of my stomach until he skipped over my panties and made it to my other thigh. The point circled around into what looked to be a figure eight, barely touching, yet enough for me to feel the blunt tip.

“Please.” My lids were heavy and I hadn’t realized I’d said the word out loud until I noticed how narrowed his eyes were. What was he thinking? I wanted to ask. I was dying to know.

Lace fell from my other hip, but the knife didn’t disappear. Fascination flickered and he moved the tip back down to the front of my thigh. A gasp and moan came from me as he pushed the point into my skin. Crimson pooled over the blade, only to be replaced by his lips. Suction over the sensitive area had me reaching for his hair, but his hand grasped onto my wrists before I could connect. Teeth bit down hard and the cry came out involuntarily. My sound seemed to snap him back to reality. He stood and clenched his jaw. “Tonight, you’re going to say you belong to me.”

His fingers gripped tightly around my arm and pulled me to the large shower. My legs were unused to walking and I found myself tripping all over the rope while being dragged along. Water roared loudly at the hard pressure pounding against the black tiles. My reflection had my hand coming to the bruising on my face. I looked horrible. My hair was knotted and frizzy. A pale hue covered my skin like film, dulling me out.

“In.” He let go and nudged me, but my feet planted.

“What’s your first name?”

I was lifted and placed under the water like a child. The act made me latch onto his arm and pull as hard as I could so he’d get wet in the process. It’d serve him right for being such a brute. When I saw the look in his eyes, I quickly discovered it’d had the opposite effect of what I’d intended. A smile came to his face and he stepped inside, shoes and all.

“Is this what you wanted? All you had to do was ask.” Hands gripped my thighs and he lifted, pinning me against the cold tile wall. I opened my mouth to suck in air and he took advantage, plunging his tongue inside to sweep against mine. The kiss was crushing, yet gentle. The perfect pressure to get my blood flowing to dangerous levels. “Say it.” His palm cupped the bruised side of my face and he pushed his full lips into mine again. “Tell me what I want to hear.”

“Let me down.” I wiggled, pissed that he just wouldn’t give up.

  Water poured over us while he pushed into me harder. The thick length of his cock was level with my pussy and I subconsciously moved against it. How would it feel to have him deep within me? In the one place I’d never let anyone go before? I knew it’d hurt the first time, and I was more than okay with that. But then what? My gift would be gone. Forever. I’d cherished it for so long. Why him? Well, I knew why. Not only did he affect me like no other man had, but it was wrong, so therefore, right. 

“What’s your name? Tell me.”

“Tell me you’re mine.”

“No. I can’t do that.”

A growl came from him. “Why not?

“Because we both know it’s not true.” What he’d told my father came back and I suddenly realized how stupid it’d been to want him. After the thirty days, if he didn’t get his sister back, I was being sold into the life of a sex slave. How had I blocked that part out? “Let me go.” Earnestly, I began to fight. The name of my kidnapper was suddenly not important anymore. Escape was.

“Calm down.” My arms were pinned behind me, crushed against my ass and the tile. “Tell me. What were you thinking?”

The steam made it hard to breathe. My breasts rose and fell as I tried to read him. Would he do it? Would he really unleash me to the evil men who paid to torture and maim women?

“Talk to me, dammit.” His fingers wrapped into my long bangs and he held my face level with his.

“You’re going to sell me if you don’t get what you want.”

The air electrified around us as I waited for his response. It took forever, but he eased me to the ground and began taking off his clothes. The shirt stuck to him as he pulled it over his head. My eyes immediately went to his side. A large pink and white stargazer lily stood out against his tanned skin. I’d never seen a flower on a man before. It threw me off for a moment. Then, I remembered his sister. Lily.

“I may be an asshole, but I’m not completely heartless. You won’t be sold to the traffickers, but you won’t be going home either.”

“What?” I watched his shirt drop, his jeans and shoes following. The size of his cock, not even hard, had my eyes widening. I looked away fast before my attention got stuck there. “I said you were mine, and I wasn’t lying. If I don’t get my sister back, you’ll never leave. You’ll be my captive until I decide otherwise. But don’t bet on that happening. I won’t give your father the satisfaction of knowing you’re free. And don’t think he’ll come after you. The evidence I have would put us both behind bars for a very long time. He won’t risk it. Not even for you.”

“You sound so sure of yourself. He wouldn’t let me stay kidnapped. He just wouldn’t. Word will get out that I’m missing eventually, and it would ruin his political career. He cares more about that than anything else.”

Water poured over his head and he reached up, running his fingers through his hair. “You’re already presumed dead to the outside world, Mary. It’s all over the news. Boating accident. They’ve been searching the water for your body for days. We both know they’re not going to find one. No one will ever know. Your father is pretty much covering his tracks in case he can’t pull through with our deal. If they find Lily, your story will likely be you surfaced in some small town, amnesia from hitting your head. If not, you’ll remain with me and stay my personal slave.”

My legs gave out and I collapsed to the floor. I wasn’t going to be sold, but I wouldn’t be free either. I’d be his. For real. And not in a good way. Just a constant reminder of the sister he wanted to find. Proof of his hate for Victor.

A smell similar to his cologne drifted through the enclosed space, but I didn’t look up to see him washing. I stared, ahead, in a daze.
Escape.
It was the only option I had. To do that, I needed him to trust me. I needed out of the ropes and out of his room. That also meant I’d have to comply with his orders. Break my hold by giving him what he wanted. Ownership. It was only a word, but to me it was more.
Just lie. It’s the key to your freedom. Tell him whatever he wants and play along. You’ll be out of here in no time.

Trust. To gain his, I’d have to open myself up. I could do it. After all, I knew how to dissociate myself. I’d been doing it for years. There were no tears when I talked about the rape to my therapist. Just numbness and the flowing of words. I’d do that with everything concerning this man.

I looked up. Drops of water splashed my face causing me to squint. He was watching. Waiting to see how I’d react. “He’ll find her,” I assured. “I won’t be here for long. As for Victor’s reaction to the situation, I’m not surprised on the route he took. He always was great at hiding secrets and making things go his way. This will just be another one.”

“You said, Victor. You call him that?”

I shrugged and stood. “I do now.”

“Never before?”

I stood and moved around him to get in the water. “No. But he’s not my father regardless of how this turns out. The moment he admitted to the sex trafficking, he lost me. After all, he’s no better than the man that raped me when I was thirteen. He’s allowing girls and women to get hurt. I won’t be a part of it.”

“Raped? I never came across that while I was researching you.” His face darkened as he looked at me. I ignored him while I reached for the bottle of soap and began lathering my hair.

“Nor will you. I told you, my father is great at burying secrets. The man that hurt me, he was,” I held up my hands doing the quotation mark sign, “taken care of. Whatever that means. I never saw him again and was told to forget it ever happened.”

The room grew silent and I could tell he was lost in thought. Slowly, his head shook. “He took your innocence from you and your father told you to forget about it?”

“No.”

Confusion filled his face.

“I still have my virginity. He didn’t rape me there.”

“Oh.” He seem to take in my words. “You’re still a virgin? But Jordan. You were about to let him fuck you. I can’t believe you almost gave your virginity to that piece of shit.”

The soap ran down my chest and I saw him lower his gaze to my breasts. He tightened his jaw and met my stare.

“No.” I made sure the shampoo was out and stepped forward. “I was going to let him hurt me because I like the pain. It helps release something in me. Then, I was going to let him fuck my ass. As for my virginity, that is mine.” I slowed down, stressing my words. “All mine. No one else’s. I choose who I give it to, and I made it perfectly clear to him that he wouldn’t be that person.”

The tension building in me grew by the second. I wanted him to know he couldn’t have my gift unless I chose him. For some reason, I didn’t see him trying to rape me. My captor could have taken me against my will the very first night, or any other since I’d been here. He hadn’t. The threats probably should have scared me, but for some reason I couldn’t see him going that far.

“Your virginity is safe, for now. Your ass is not. I’m moving back in my room tonight and you’re going to do as you’re told. All we have is time. I don’t care how long it takes. You will be mine, in all ways, eventually.”

I lathered my body with soap, trying to make sense of his words. “You act like I’m not leaving in a few weeks. I told you he’d find your sister, and he will.”

“You have more confidence than I do.” The shower door opened and he got out, grabbing a towel. I took my time, dreading the ropes that I knew would soon follow. Surprise grew after ten minutes went by and he didn’t rush me. My thoughts were all too consuming, and I let them continue while I turned off the water and pulled back the door. There was no fighting this if I wanted to get free. I dried off and followed him into the room, still in a daze. The ropes were in his hands. It was time.