I will not get naked and lie on his bed.
I am not a whore for his pleasure.
While hugging my arms around my body, I look around the room, and wonder how I can get myself out of this.
When I didn’t even put myself in this scenario in the first place.
Fucking Dillan did.
Does he plan for me to fuck him?
Because I won’t.
But then again, will he rape me?
I look back up to see dark eyes watching my every move. He leans against the wall his hands in front of him.
“I can see why he didn’t want you.” His words are wrapped in a brash tone that slithers all over me, making me feel even more meaningless than I could think possible in this moment. He steps closer to me, and I look up to see he has slid on jeans, which now sit low on his toned hips. I didn’t even know hips could be toned.
“Are you always this stupid?”
“I’m not stupid.”
He huffs at my words. “Exactly what a stupid person would say. Stay here and don’t fucking move. I have a guard at the door who isn’t afraid to knock you out again if you disobey.” He steps farther into my space, snaps his teeth, and smirks as he hovers over me. “Under-fucking-stood?”
My head nods on its own accord, because, right now, he is one of the scariest people I have been around on this planet. And I’ve dealt with my fair share of monsters in my life. His looks deceive you—they reel you in. And even though his words are cruel, it’s his eyes that let me know he isn’t joking. That he would do some of the worst things imaginable to me if I pushed him even a sliver of an inch.
And I don’t even know why.
“Shower. You fucking stink.” He turns, grabs a shirt, and throws it on over his head and without stopping he walks out the door, then slams it as he leaves. The whole room shakes under the weight of the door, and I wonder for a second if the door hinges will hold.
My hands fall to my sides as I start to consider how I got trapped with a man like this and how I’ll get out of here. Maybe if I talk to him, be nice, he’ll let me go.
I don’t even know why I’m here.
What has Dillan done?
Walking back to my shoes, I search around for my bag. When I find it, I sigh in relief and open it, searching for my phone. When my hand comes out empty, the tears I’ve been holding back finally fall.
He’s taken my phone—the one that holds all my work. Everything I do is on that phone.
I may not be in the business world like Dillan is, but the few clients I do have, I love. And I’m starting to make a decent wage being an online assistant to them.
How am I meant to work if I don’t have my phone?
My head lowers to my hands as my body lets go and drops to the floor. I try to wipe away the tears, but they aren’t stopping. Why aren’t they stopping?
“Miss.” I hold my breath as I look up. Standing in front of me is a boy—no, maybe he is a man, but he’s definitely on the younger side. He holds his hands clasped together in front of him and offers me a shy smile. “I brought you some food.” He nods to the bed, and I see a tray sitting there with all kinds of food neatly displayed. “We weren’t sure what you liked,” he finishes and turns to leave.
“Stop,” I say, quickly getting back to my feet as I swipe at my tear-stained face. “Where am I?”
“I’m not permitted to answer any questions. I’m sorry.” He walks out with an oddly sympathetic expression and shuts the door carefully behind him with a click.
The smell of the food hits me, and my stomach begins to grumble. I didn’t eat before we went out, and now, I wish I had. I step to the window and pull the curtains back. Outside there’s a large in-ground pool and a white gazebo, all surrounded by a lush green yard. I knew I was in the house of someone who has money—I mean, the marble flooring alone tells me that—but now as I look outside as the sun is starting to rise, I see it all so clearly. Squinting, I realize we are also near the beach because I can see the water from here.
My thoughts return to what he said before he left me here, Shower. You fucking stink.
He told me to shower.
I’m not sure I want to make him mad. My plan is to get on his good side, then get him to let me go. And more than anything I need to get my phone back.
It’s the only plan I can think of right now.
Turning back to the tray, there’s a selection of fruit, croissants, and pastries all lined up in neat rows. I pick up a chocolate croissant hoping it’s not poisoned, and with each delicious bite I take, I move to the bathroom he walked out of before.
How did I get here?
My feet pause at the bathroom as my head runs rampant with thoughts.
I don’t even know his name.
Am I meant to know his name?
I read books, it’s what I do. But they’re fiction books, not real life. I prefer to get lost in a world that isn’t my own. It becomes a nice escape. It’s why most of my clients are authors, actually some of my favorites, which I never fail to read when they release a new book.
Shit.
I can’t lose my job.
I can’t go back to the person I was before.
Pushing open the bathroom door, there’s a towel and a set of clothes sitting on the counter. I run my fingers over the fabric and feel the silk beneath them. It’s not a man’s outfit, of that, I am sure. It’s a woman’s dress, but is it there for me? It can’t be. Can it?
I almost choke when I see the shower. I’ve seen double showers before, I’ve even been in one, but I’ve never seen a waterfall version in my life. Stepping in, I turn the water on and smile as I watch the water leave the showerhead. Putting the rest of the croissant in my mouth, I tear off my dress and drop it at my feet before I step in and have the hot water spraying my body. It’s like a massage I never asked for but greatly appreciate. Putting my head under the spray, I wipe at my face, washing off the makeup left over from last night.
“So, you can listen?”
Oh, my god! I jump at his voice, my hands falling to my chest to cover myself. Keeping my back to him, I look over my shoulder and use my hands to cover as much of myself as humanly possible.
His eyes look hollow, like he has no care in the world, as he stares at me with not an ounce of shame. It’s like looking into the pitch-black sky on an overcast evening. I cough to bring his attention up from roaming my naked body, to which he only gives a slight smirk before he pushes off the counter and strides over to the shower. It has no doors, and I try to turn my body to maintain some sort of modesty, to which he only shakes his head.
“You have nothing I haven’t seen before.”
“That may be the case, but it doesn’t mean I want you to see mine,” I bite back at him.
He makes no move to leave.
“Have you eaten?” His voice is dark but alluring all at once. However, beneath it, I have a feeling there’s nothing but emptiness.
“I had a croissant.”
He nods, closes his eyes, and tilts his head down to the floor at my feet. I sigh heavily, which brings his attention back to me.
“You’ll eat with me. Get dressed.” Then he leaves.
Quickly dropping my hands, I reach for the towel, wrapping it around my body before I step out. When I glance in the mirror, I see the black mascara is still smudged, giving me panda eyes. I wipe at it with the towel and decide to put on my dress from last night, but then my eyes land on the new one on the counter.