NEARLY Trilogy

by Ashley, Devon

  I hated that he eagerly rocked my body with his. I hated that he rolled me down on the chaise so his lips could take their sweet time caressing every part of my neck, breasts and hips. I hated that he even kissed my hydrangea tattoo just inside my left hip bone, which was one of Nick’s favorite spots. I hated that it wasn’t dark enough to cry. And I hated that he forced me to stare into his eyes while he rocked inside me. But even more, I hated that eventually, my traitorous body didn’t have to fake the sounds of satisfaction that came out of me while he did it all.

  A scratching, sweeping noise caught my attention, forcing my crusty eyelids open for just a second. It was too dark to see anything, so I gave up trying to lift my head, which felt heavy anyway. It all seemed déjà vu, like I had done this repeatedly, but it was so hazy. My entire upper body flinched when my eyelids lit up bright orange, making me pinch them even harder. I tried to swallow but my mouth and throat were so dry it seemed impossible.

  Footsteps shuffled. Hands fumbled with my left hand.

  Why couldn’t I fucking move?!

  “You sure you don’t want to sell him?” a man asked.

  “We’ve been over this,” a second male voice answered with a clipped tone.

  My hand ached, then burned with fiery pain as something was ripped out and away from it. I screamed internally but merely whimpered aloud. “I don’t know why you have him. Such a waste, really.” Hands moved to my side and I felt another rip of pain against my skin. This time I got an actual howl out, but I still couldn’t move to fight the person off. My eyes didn’t even want to lift open again, barely managing a blurry peek.

  Something yellowish swished beside me. Was that a fucking urine bag?

  “He has a purpose here.”

  “Whatever you say,” the first man replied, sounding bored. Band-Aids were placed on both my spots. “You know the drill. Lots of fluids and easy on the food.”

  “Mmm-hmm,” murmured the second, unimpressed.

  “And I’ll expect to see you both at my house in two weeks.”

  “I know, Friggs, I know.”

  The men left the room, their low conversation continuing and fading to nothing. I think I fell asleep again, so I had no idea how much time passed before I heard the footsteps again. Minutes? Hours? But my skin still felt raw where they touched me. The scent of ammonia wafted through my nose, suddenly singeing my nasal passage. My eyes shot open, my mind firing to life. My good arm felt the need to wave the toxic air away, but it was yanked back long before it had the chance to get there.

  What the hell?

  My eyes were blurry and only partially open, fighting against the brightness they hadn’t adapted to yet.

  “The drugs are still in your system, so you’re going to be drowsy for a while. Drink the water beside you. I’ll be back to check up on you later.” I was too tired to respond, but my head jerked when he slapped my face. “Hey,” he said firmly. “I know you’re lucid enough to understand me right now. Know that I’ll be watching you. And if I see you even contemplate removing your bindings, I’ll be in here smashing your feet with a sledgehammer before you can even blink.”

  The man was gone before I could get a good look at him. It felt like forever before my eyes adjusted to the light and braved a scan about the room. I was lying on the floor, on top of some rug, which was weird considering there was a bed beside me. From this vantage point, I had no idea if it was occupied. I couldn’t see much else, tucked away in the far corner like this. But the bed lacked a skirt, so I could see the floor all around the room, which was almost bare of furniture. A large flat screen hung on the far wall, and an unoccupied arm chair and ottoman pointed my way across the room from me, right next to what I assumed was the bathroom.

  My head lolled to the side and I spotted the glass of water. My right arm seemed locked in place above my head, but my left had been given some slack by the chain that connected to some type of strap around my wrist. I struggled to lean sideways, my side stinging from where they stuck me. When that didn’t work, I rolled to my right side, scooting awkwardly with my hip until I was able to sit up, my back leaning against the wall. I painfully reached for the water and slowly drank it until it was all gone. I wanted more. Setting the cup down, there was nothing left to do.

  The water helped. My haziness was fading but I still felt weak and hung over, like I hadn’t slept off the drug yet. And I was guessing by the abrupt way that man woke me, it was exactly how he wanted me. Awake but not really functioning. I yanked on my left binding, testing its strength. It had way more than I did right now. I tried not to focus in on it too long, afraid the guy actually meant what he threatened.

  I rubbed my aching head. Where the fuck was I? What happened? The last thing I remembered was…

  My eyes shot wide and my body jerked forward against the bind that held my right side down. Megan! Where the fuck was Megan?!

  “Megan!” I screamed out. Pausing momentarily to listen for a reply, I screamed her name again. Several seconds later, the chain on my left hand began to shorten, until it was trapped against the floor like my right. The door slid sideways and a dark-haired man walked in before it shut behind him, sealing us in together.

  He was several inches shorter than me, but still tall enough and strong enough to overpower Megan.

  “I know you can’t tell because it’s all between the walls, but this room is soundproof. So by all means, shout away.” As he sat down on the edge of the ottoman to lean over and face me, I wanted nothing more than to break free and wipe that fucking smirk off his face. “On second thought, don’t scream. It’s annoying. Even Natalie knows not to bother.”

  Natalie?! “Where is she?” I asked firmly, heat flushing the back of my neck, my face. This was the asshole who kept coming for her, who kept raping her. He was the reason she couldn’t sleep, why she found it hard to even let me touch her most of the time.

  “She’s asleep. We had quite the night.”

  “Don’t you fucking touch her! I swear to God I will rip you the fuck apart.”

  He laughed. And why not? I was pinned down tighter than a pig on a spigot. Until I broke free, they were empty threats and he knew it. He absently scratched at his arm, simply replying, “While you’re a guest in my home, I have a few rules for you.”

  Guest? Is that what Megan was in his demented eyes, too?

  “First off, if you disobey me in any way, I’m not going to punish you. I’m just going to beat the shit out of Natalie.”

  My eyes strained as they widened. Barely audible, I asked, “What?”

  “I rarely keep men in my house because they can be tough to control without the use of drugs. Given the situation, you’ll be stubborn and determined, so you’ll let me beat you to an inch of your life just to spite me. Because you can take it. Natalie on the other hand, one good slap brings her to her knees. But if you’re the reason I’m hitting her, I won’t stop at just one.”

  It scared me how very serious he was. So much it silenced the words I was screaming inside my head.

  “Did I get your attention?”

  “Yes,” I reluctantly forced myself to say.

  “Good. Then let me tell you how this is going to go. When I’m not in the room, I’ll sometimes slacken your restraints enough to allow you free reign. When I do, you’ll be able to shower, use the restroom or sleep on the bed. Do not get it in your thick head that you can get out. The window is unbreakable and not even kicking through the drywall will get you anywhere, because when I had the walls opened to make them soundproof, I had metal sheeting put in place that’s impossible to pass. The door is steel as well. Any escape attempts will only piss me off and Natalie will be the one who suffers for it.

  “Do you understand?”

  I had been biting down on my lower lip so hard I tasted blood in my mouth. “Yes.”

  “See? We can all get along so long as we all behave.”

  “Behave? You’re raping Megan. And you want me to just sit here and let you
do it!”

  He chuckled and pulled his phone out of his back pocket. I had no idea what he was up to, and I suddenly worried my outburst might’ve just cost Megan. But a few seconds later the TV came to life, and unfortunately, it wasn’t a bad reality program he was showing me, but a video of him and Megan.

  My jaw tightened so much it strained and locked. Fire swelled in my chest as my breaths became slow and deep, the air coming to life as I inhaled and exhaled through my nose. The bastard had her on his lap in some long armchair, wearing some type of slutty red outfit. I could tell by the way she looked down and wrapped her arms around herself how uncomfortable she was.

  I had no idea what they were saying, but when he reached out and forced her to kiss, I had to turn away. “Turn it off.”

  He ignored me. “Does that look like a girl I had to force myself on?”

  “It’s still rape.”

  “You’ll find our definitions of certain words vary greatly in this house.”

  I couldn’t even answer that. I wanted to scream and yell and call him out for being the sick, fucking rapist that he was, but I feared anything I said to aggravate him would only hurt Megan in the long run. Instead, I was forced to watch him smile as he continued to watch the show. Fucking bastard knew it was annoying me too, because his creepy grin increased when he activated the sound and I was forced to hear the interaction going on between them.

  A few moments later I heard noises coming off Megan that I wished I could scrub free from my ears.

  “She’s quite the little moaner, isn’t she?” he baited, twisting to catch my reaction.

  I tried not to look, knowing it would only kill me inside, but my eyes drifted back to the screen. The only red that remained was around her waist, and I didn’t need the movement to confirm what her sounds had already told me – that he’d already forced his way inside her. My eyes darted away again. God, it was one of the positions I loved to put her in when we fooled around.

  Heat raged inside my chest and I had to lock my jaw to keep my thoughts of ripping him to shreds from going verbal. Bitterly, I replied, “You know she’s faking every bit of that, don’t you?”

  “Well, of course she’s faking it,” he mocked, looking at me like I was the one who was daft. “What intrigues me is that she’s playing a completely different game than last time.”

  You mean the last time you were raping her? I wanted to say. But I didn’t because I really just wanted him to shut the fuck up.

  “Last time I had her, she completely held off on me until the bitter end. It wasn’t until I was literally dragging her downstairs to be sold at auction to some fat, ugly Russian that she begged me to fuck her. I got to lie back and watch as she spread open that fine little pussy, then pounded herself against me, desperate to prove she was worth keeping around.”

  Grunting, my body automatically threw itself forward, wanting to rip his fucking head off, but the lack of line slammed me right back. All I could do was curse and slam my head against the wall in frustration. I’d never been a violent person, but right now I wanted to take his fucking cock and twist it until it broke off his damn body. That crazy Lorena Bobbit woman had the right idea.

  He laughed at my reaction, mocking me further with, “Going somewhere?”

  I banged my head again, biting down on my tongue, trying not to participate in his fucking game.

  More interested in the sex tape than me, he turned his attention back. “So it’s odd that she’s so complacent this time around. She has a plan brewing in that pretty little head of hers, and it involves trying to convince me she’s trying to accept this life and give me everything I want. Problem is, I don’t want easy. I want that sassy little fighter that made me earn every little touch that I took.” Turning his head just far enough to lock our eyes, he vilely added, “I prefer the moment of ecstasy when I get to take what she fights so hard to protect. But it’s alright. Since she’s in the mood to be so giving, I’ll play along for a bit. It’s not like she can keep that up forever.”

  His phone beeped and he turned his attention to it. “Speaking of the little slut, she’s finally waking up. Time to make her earn her room and board again.”

  “What do you want?” I shouted, drawing his curious stare. “Just leave her alone and we’ll give you whatever you want!”

  “The only thing you two have to offer I’m already taking.” My heart sank as he made his way toward the door. He already hurt her while I was passed out, but to know he was about to do it again while I was strapped down in the same house, so close yet so far away…it ripped my insides apart. I struggled uselessly against my restraints. It was all I could do. Any verbal assault and he’d intentionally damage her even more.

  “You seem a little upset. Think I’ll wait until I’m done fucking her before I release you. But don’t worry,” he added, applying his thumb to the door so it would slide open, “I’ll leave the show on repeat to keep you company.”

  I think I was whimpering before I even really awoke, because it was the first sound I heard as my eyes began to blink open. Then I cried again, because I remembered where I was and what I had done the night before. I let him have me. I let him wrap his arms tightly around me as we slept. The only good part of this morning was that he wasn’t still in bed with me.

  I sat up and looked around. The main door was closed of course, and so was the bathroom door. He had closed that before we went to bed. Apparently, I wasn’t allowed in there unless he gave me permission. Even if I had to pee during the night, I had to wake him up so he could grant me access. Guess he was afraid I’d strangle him during the night with a tie or something. Which wasn’t a bad idea – but I knew nothing about knots, and I sure as hell didn’t have the strength to hold it tight once he woke up and fought me off. He’d proven in the past that he could knock me out with just one powerful hit.

  But maybe one of those drawers would pull out all the way… Definitely something to consider if the right moment presented itself. But either way, I still had the problem of not being strong enough to lift his hand high enough to reach the thumb pad, and no weapon available to separate it from his body.

  I rolled my head to the side, wallowing over that last thought. I was lying on my stomach, thankful I still had the chemise. He never fully took it off last night, so I was able to slip the straps back on when he finished with me. And what the hell was he doing? He spent a solid week last time tormenting me before he forced me to give in, and when I did, he wasn’t kind about it. It wasn’t enough that I had to give myself to him, but he did everything he could to make it as humiliating as possible for me.

  And then last night, he was the complete opposite. It was sickening. He was tender and… God, just thinking about it… Why the hell was I thinking about it? Why make myself more miserable trying to decipher his fucked up code? What the hell did I care how he behaved? It was fucking rape either way.

  All I could do was lie in bed. I wasn’t strapped down, but there was nowhere to go or anything to do. I contemplated going across the room and taking a crack at that book he was reading last night, but when I sat up to look, that and his glasses were gone. I threw my head back onto the pillow and continued lying there for God knows how long.

  By no means did I want him to come back in here, but at the same time, I hated being alone with my thoughts and nothing but them to focus on. He said I’d been out several days. That meant Nick had told my family already, and they were grieving my loss for a third time. Even Jesse probably got worried and inquired when I missed our training session. And Maggie. I was sure she probably tried calling, too. I hoped Nick was fielding my calls for me, letting the few people who I’d befriended know I wouldn’t be around anymore. Better the truth then make them worry indefinitely.

  The door shifted open and I opted not to acknowledge it, keeping my face flat against the pillow looking the opposite direction. It slid back closed again. I heard soft rustling, and soon after, the sheet covering me slowly slipped farther
down my body, most likely ending up in a heap at his feet. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for the touch that was destined to happen now. I felt the bed dip as he smoothly climbed up and over me. His lips were too gentle as they nibbled their way up my leg, beginning with my ankle.

  This wasn’t supposed to be happening!

  He was supposed to be cruel, selfish, vulgar. I prepared myself to be used by a fucking monster, not this. This was something Nick would do, and I had to continually remind myself that despite the tingles erupting below my belly, those lips weren’t Nick’s. I opened my eyes. I didn’t want to watch, but I needed that constant reminder that the man pretending to be loving as he softly bit his way intimately up my body didn’t deserve the kind of reactions he was invoking.

  Fingers pushed my slip higher and kisses rained down on my cheeks. He nudged my legs apart, and suddenly I was straddling his body instead of the other way around, my knees bending from the awkwardness. He pressed against my back, his hands tracing up and down my sides across the mesh that still protected my skin. My hair was brushed away from my neck. Hot lips and tongue sucked the newly exposed skin as fingers began playing with me down below.

  I gasped in shock. My legs were pinned open, unable to do anything but quiver as his fingers pushed inside me. Every muscle down there contracted and locked. My whole body jerked but his weight kept me pinned down in place. Fuck if my traitorous body didn’t whimper in a way that aroused him. And damn if his violation wasn’t getting me wet regardless.

  I folded the pillow over my face and tried to muffle my groan. More than likely he thought I was trying to hide some sort of pleasurable reaction, but really, I was internally angry that my body never failed to be easy for him. Both of his hands disappeared. He spooned me from above, his body pressing completely against mine, and his hands gripped my wrists and held them off to the side as he rubbed his stiffened dick against the crease of my lower back.

  Shit. He was already naked, and probably had been since before he even touched me. After rocking against me for a minute, air cooled my backside as he lifted away. I braved a look. He was sitting behind me, heels to his ass, looking down as he stroked his shaft. Without moving an inch, he looked to me with dark, hooded eyes. One side of his smile turned upward in a disturbing way.