The Velvet Collar

by C. P. Mandara

  Using my voice was not going to be an option. On the upside, I still had the use of my hands and feet, so I hammered on the door which led back to Escape as loudly as I could. For the best part of ten minutes I slammed my palms into the thick wooden door, and I didn't draw any attention to myself whatsoever. Either there was nobody nearby, or it was so noisy no one could hear me. The door might have been soundproofed, too.

  Telling myself not to panic any more than I was already, I tried to think this through rationally. Someone would find me eventually. All I needed to do was stay put and try and stay calm. The trouble was I knew Mark would be going crazy. The longer I was holed up here the more he would worry, and he'd have everyone in London scouring the streets for me before long.

  Sighing, I decided to try the other door out to the parking lot. I knew there were a few security guys out there because I'd watched them try to storm Kyle before he took off like a bat out of hell. They'd probably all scarpered by now, but it was worth a go. Preparing to hammer on the door once again like a demented demon, I braced myself and gave it a go. My hands stung like fire by now, but if it got me out of this room, then I was more than willing to pay the price.

  Another five minutes went by, and I didn't hear a peep. Just about ready to give up and call it a day, I had the shock of my life when the door began to open. It was one of the security crew who'd heard my banging just as he'd completed his sweep of the parking lot. When he burst in we both looked rather startled, and I jumped back with a squeal of shock. It took us a few seconds to get a hold on the situation.

  "Are you Jennifer Matthews?" I nodded feverishly. Pointing to my gag, and turning around so he could see the lock on the back of my head, he nodded in understanding. "There's a pair of bolt cutters in the cupboard. They'll cut through that. Gimme a min." True to his word, he grabbed a key ring around his waist and opened a cupboard on the far wall. Rattling around for a bit, he eventually got a pair of cutters out and went around the back of my head.

  "Ma'am, I'm going to try my best and not get any of your hair stuck in this, but I can't promise, okay?" More nodding. Right now I didn't care if he cut most of it off, as long as he got rid of the thing. Thankfully, with one sharp click, the gag was gone.

  Pulling it out of my mouth as if it were on fire, I said, "Yes, I'm Jennifer Matthews. Can you get me through that door? My husband will be frantic, and I need to get back to him ASAP."

  "Sure thing, Ma'am. I'll be right behind you."

  He unlocked the door for me, and that was it, I was off. Running as if the devil himself were after me, I lost the poor security guy in seconds. Not caring who I had to push past in order to reach my goal, I stumbled my way towards the front desk, often almost headfirst.

  When I finally reached the reception of Escape, Mark was nowhere to be seen. What now? All I wanted was a friendly face, and I needed one ASAP. I wasn't above yelling, either.

  "I need to speak to Mark Matthews. Is anyone out there?" There was no immediate response, so I cranked the volume of my voice up to painfully high and ear-shatteringly nasty. "Please let there be someone out..." I didn't get any further. Mark was rushing towards me like a bullet, and the reception desk flew open like it had wings. Before I knew what was happening, he'd picked me up and crushed me to him in a death grip, and even though I could barely breathe it felt damn good. For the next minute or so, all I did was bury my face into Mark's neck and count my blessings. Life was extraordinarily precious, and even more so when you thought you were about to be tortured and tormented by a completely deranged nutter. It was a narrow escape, but I'd made it - just.

  We left for home as soon as we could bring ourselves to untangle our limbs. The embrace had been a long, life-affirming nod to each other, but both of us needed more - much more.

  Thankfully Mark was way ahead of me, and the car had already been brought around the front of Escape just as the thought entered my head.

  "How do you do that?" I looked up at my husband questioningly as we left for the night, receiving numerous hugs from well-wishers and a fierce squeeze from both Dominic and Johanna who had nearly been sent mad with worry.

  "Read your mind?" Mark had his arm locked in mine as he marched me smartly to the car. I had a feeling I wouldn't be allowed out of his sight in the near future, but it was a price I was willing to pay. Kyle had nearly scared me witless.

  "Yes."

  "Easy. I have supernatural powers. I'm also the most amazing guy in bed this side of the Milky Way. Just so you know." He waggled his eyebrows at me.

  I bit my lip to stop myself laughing as he helped me into the car. While I knew he was trying to lighten the mood, making sure I didn't dwell too heavily on the events of this evening, I couldn't help but think back to what had just happened. It had been close - far too close. It was going to leave an unpleasant taste in my mouth for some time to come. Still, I should probably play along with him. It wouldn't do any good to let Kyle run rampant in my head, and the man had done enough damage already.

  "How far away is the Milky Way? Just in case I need to test the theory?" Turning towards him, I gave him my most innocent look.

  "You, young lady, will never, ever be testing that theory, and the Milky Way is two point five billion light years away, so unless you want to die enroute, I wouldn't recommend it."

  "Maybe Zystrom will have to have a side-line in aerospace engineering. If you put your head around the problem, I sure you could get me there quicker than that."

  "Don't count on it." Mark grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "You are never getting away from me, Mrs Matthews. Divorce will not be an option, and I will follow you like a bloodhound wherever you go."

  "I think there are laws against that kind of thing," I said.

  "If there are I'll be sure to change them." He probably would, too. "Anyway, do you want to talk about what happened? I'll understand if you don't right now, but at some point we'll need to go over it, just to see if there's anything we can use against him. The sooner that man is apprehended and put behind bars, the better. I can't bear to think of him anywhere near you." The feeling was mutual. I never wanted to set eyes on that man again.

  "If I talk, what's it worth?" Since I might as well get this mess over with, I didn't see any reason in putting it off, but it made sense to see if there was anything in it for me.

  "My, my, what a greedy girl you are, Mrs Matthews. What do you want?" Mark stared at me over the wheel, and the black silk of his bowtie shone under the streetlights, as did the matching material on his lapels. I wanted to rip it all off and devour him then and there, but I'd learnt long ago that sex in a car was awkward, not to mention a little dangerous. Hmm. What did I want? Sex, as soon as I could get my hands on it, that was for certain. Not the kinky variety this evening. I was too desperate to wait to be tied up or spanked. All I wanted was rough, gritty, pin-me-down-and-make-me-like-it sex. Although...

  "How about some female domination, darling? After all I've been through, the least you can do is let me take charge for the evening." I injected just the right note of whining into my voice, making it sound like a plea. There was a good chance this could work if I played my cards right.

  "Over my dead body. We said you had to behave for a week. It has not been anywhere near a week yet. You have to earn that privilege." Although his voice was gentle, there was a thread of steel through his voice that indicated there was no point arguing. On the plus side, I was still in the running for my night of fun, as long as I obeyed my husband's every word. How hard could that be?

  "I'll settle for some of the rough stuff, then. Can you work with that?" I blew him a kiss before placing my hand on his crotch - and what a very firm and hard crotch it was.

  "I think I can work with that, Mrs Matthews. By the way, if you decide to torment me on the way home, I'll get my own back in the bedroom. It's only fair, darling." His eyes twinkled with mischief, and I knew he meant what he said. The trouble was, I had never been one to back away from a challenge.


  "Promises, promises," I whispered, stroking the tips of my fingers down his straining length.

  "Talk." His voice was gruff, sexy and full of sin. Smiling to myself, my inner kitten purred. I was going to enjoy this.

  "Fine. Where should I start?" I knew exactly where to start, but I wanted to hear him bark something sarcastic at me. That turned me on, too.

  "I find the beginning is always a good place, Mrs Matthews, so stop stalling."

  Squeezing his cock gently beneath my fingertips, I heard him suck in a breath before he turned towards me and gave me the evil glare. Fine. My sordid tale was about to begin.

  Kyle managed to get me out of the ladies toilet without the merest whisper of a protest by posting an A4 sized sheet of paper under my cubicle door. It read Open the door silently and don't say a word, or I'll kill your husband. Yes, there was a chance it could have been a hoax, but when I saw who'd signed it I knew there was no point taking that risk. Then a shoe came underneath my door letting me know he meant business, as well as a flash of a knife.

  All sorts of things went screaming through my head at that point, most of which were concerned with getting my ass out of there, but nothing sprang to mind. I was in a small cubicle, I wasn't likely to get past him, and if I did, there was every chance he'd stab either me or Johanna. If that wasn't bad enough, there was a chance he had my husband stashed away somewhere, and I wouldn't risk his life for anything, although he'd probably kill me for that sentiment later. Judging from the look Mark was now giving me, I figured our late night sex session was going to be intense. Oh well.

  Anyway, the message got me out of the cubicle with very little fuss, and as soon as I set foot outside, Kyle pressed a black ball against my lips and pushed it with bruising intensity. I had no choice but to open up for him, and as soon as I did he yanked my head back and fastened the buckle. When I heard the snap of a padlock shortly after, I knew I was in trouble.

  "If you move an inch out of line, or try to escape, I will call the man who is currently holding Mark and tell him to kill the bastard. All it takes is one misstep, Petal, and you'll be one of the youngest widows on the planet. You think about that." He took his cell phone out of his right breast pocket, to show he meant business, and then replaced it. Next thing I know, he's dragging me out of the ladies and Johanna is none the wiser. What do I do now? What can I do? The answer is nothing - not until I know for sure that he doesn't have my husband. In the back of my head, I'm almost positive that he hasn't managed to get his hands on Mark, but who's going to play Russian Roulette with that kind of information? Let's say I get it wrong, and he makes that call; Kyle is just the type of sick bastard who would get his kicks doing something like that.

  Herding me around Escape like a stupid sheep, I could feel Kyle getting off on his power trip. Every time he looked my way he had this smug grin on his face that made my insides shrivel up and die. Knowing what the man was capable of made my abduction ten times worse. Stumbling blindly along, seeing nothing because my body was completely overtaken by fear, I was surprised when he ducked into one of the little side streets and pushed me down some steps into a darkened room. Able to ask no questions, I just stared morosely around me, trying my best to figure out what might come next.

  "Is this the girl?" A man came out of the gloom and stared at Kyle. He was tall, with dark wavy hair curling at his temples, and he was big. When I mean big, I mean he had muscles rippling in all the right places, most of which were covered in tattoos.

  "This is the girl," Kyle confirmed.

  "You want me to measure her up, now?" Big Guy looked me up and down, and his lip curled in disgust. If I hadn't felt small enough already, he'd just reduced me to dust underneath his shoe.

  "No, I want you to dance the can-can." Kyle gave the man a withering look. "Of course I fucking want you to measure her up. That is why we're here, right?" Big Guy didn't look at all put out as Kyle's ranting continued. Ignoring him for the most part, he went to a drawer at the back of the room and rummaged around in it, finally withdrawing a tape measure.

  "Bring her over here then. Let's get this over with." Big Guy crooked his finger, indicating that I should walk to him, but not wanting to go anywhere near the thug, I stayed put and pretended not to have seen a thing.

  "Get your ass over there before I pull my phone out of my pocket and order the world's quickest execution." Kyle shoved his booted foot up my ass, and I went stumbling forward. Angering him further would be a bad idea, and what kind of damage could a man do with a tape measure, anyway? I might as well get this over with.

  "Legs shoulder-width apart, arms out," Big Guy barked. Obeying orders, I wondered what nastiness Kyle had planned, and whether Mark and I would get out of this mess alive. As the tape measure snaked around me, my limbs began to tremble in fright. Trying to control a body going into meltdown was impossible, but Big Guy didn't care a whit about my distress, continually barking at me to stand still. This just made me jumpier.

  When he'd finished writing all his measurements down, Big Guy turned to Kyle and asked, "How soon do you need it?"

  Kyle shrugged in response. "As soon as possible. How quickly can you get it to me?"

  Big Guy chewed his lip as he thought about it. In a week, I should think. Shouldn't take much longer."

  "Make it twenty-four hours, and I'll give you a whopping fat bonus cheque." Kyle held out his hand and waited to see if Big Guy would take him up on the offer. He did.

  "There might be a sleepless night involved, but I'll hold you to your word on that." They both shook hands vigorously before Big Guy disappeared out back. The room then plummeted around thirty degrees, as I wondered what Kyle was going to do next.

  "Do you want to know what I've got planned for you?" Kyle's eyes lit up like fireworks, and it was clear the bastard was enjoying himself. In response, I shook my head. All I would do was panic, so he might as well keep it a surprise for later.

  "Too bad, because I'm going to tell you anyway." He grabbed my chin and brought my face towards his, forcing me to look at him. His fingers dug in sharply, squeezing my cheeks painfully tightly as his eyes bored into mine. "I'm having a little chair made for you, Petal. One with many different restraints, which will let me do numerous nasty things to you, while you have no option but to sit there and take it. If I'm not careful, it might even kill you. There's nothing I enjoy more than watching people suffer. I think I get that from dear old Dad." His grip tightened as he drew me closer to him. "I'm going to enjoy playing with you, Petal." Wincing as his words cut straight through me, I tried to wriggle out of his grip, but his hold on me was far too tight. "Yes, I think I'm going to really enjoy myself this time. Dad's given me a lot of cash to make sure the job's done properly, so we're really gonna have some fun, you and I. You won't believe some of the things I have in store for you, girlie."

  While Kyle was busy telling me about the nice things I had to look forward to, my face had gone paper-white and I was hardly breathing. My heartbeat felt like a drum inside my chest, and I have never wanted to run so badly in my entire life. The only thing that held me there was the phone inside Kyle's right breast pocket. Maybe if I made a grab for it, I could get help somehow. My fingers twitched beside my waist. All I'd have to do was reach up, ease it out of his pocket, and then smash it. With any luck, he wouldn't know the number off by heart, and it might give me a few hours to try and find where he had stashed my husband. As my hand reached up impulsively Kyle smashed it back down again with his fist, as if he'd been expecting it.

  "I wouldn't, Petal. Even without the phone, all it takes is a nod from me to one of the guys, and you'll be known as the black widow for the rest of your life. I'd only need to kill a couple more of your partners, and no one will go near you. Sound like fun?" I shook my head and lowered my bruised hand. He smiled. "Glad to see you're not completely stupid."

  He grabbed hold of my shoulder and steered me towards the door, opening it just a crack so he could see outside. Pulling his phone out
of his pocket he dialled a number and pressed it to his ear. "Is the coast clear? Good. How's our man doing? Well, if he gives you any trouble, you put a bullet in his head. Yeah." I whimpered at that, and Kyle tugged me sharply, warning me to shut up. "All right, gotta go. Speak later."

  Tossing a cape at me, he barked, "Put that on and make sure the hood's up over your head." When I'd complied, he pulled a beret out of his pocket and shoved it over his own. With that, we were off.

  Kyle's arm guided me through the throng of people outside, and he smiled broadly at anyone who crossed his path. Most of the people we saw weren't interested in us; they had better things to do. This was a big night for everyone here, and if they weren't walking with purpose they were laughing and chatting with their friends. Hardly anyone spared us a glance, although I tried my best to catch the eye of anyone that cared to look in my direction. Before long we'd parted ways with the main crowd and were heading around the back of the Atrium. Guessing that Kyle had an exit plan in mind, I waited to see how he intended to get us out of there. All the fire doors would be alarmed, and though he could just walk out of the front door, there was a chance he would be spotted.

  An announcement then sounded through the hall, asking that I approach the front desk. For a second I felt elated. It was Mark's voice! Kyle didn't have him after all, the lying bastard. Screaming through my gag I tugged at Kyle's arm to get away, but his hold had tightened into a death grip. At least my disappearance had been noticed, and they were looking for me. There was no way Kyle could use the front door now. My optimism was quickly quashed when Kyle held out a keycard and pressed the handle of the fire door. It immediately opened for him. No alarm, no bleeping, not a single sound could be heard. Either someone on the inside had switched it off, or the keycard had overridden it. Either way, we were heading outside, and that was bad.