by Anna Lewis
“It isn’t a problem,” I said quickly. “I can afford it.”
I didn’t even care; I would pay anything to get her back to me.
***
The good news was that Rick managed to decipher the CCTV footage enough to work out what the number plate was. The bad news was that it had led nowhere. We couldn’t work anything out about it, which meant that whoever we were dealing with was a mastermind criminal. Someone who knew exactly how to hide their tracks, which left me even more frustrated than before.
Rick was on the case, and I was trying to be confident about that, but it felt like it was taking far too long. I had no idea what Chantelle was going through, if she was okay or not, and that was sending me wild.
I’d become obsessed by the mystery, thinking only of Chantelle, and eventually it started to dawn on me that it was for a reason. We might have only had that one night together, but I’d been pursuing her for months, getting to know her more and more every single day.
It was obvious, I wasn’t sure how I’d managed to miss it before.
I was in love with her.
The woman that I loved was in serious danger, and it felt like there was nothing I could do about it.
“Fuck!” I yelled out in frustration. How was it possible that the first person I’d ever truly been in love with was gone? I’d finally gotten her to agree to date and to open up to me, and now she had vanished, stolen away from me!
Whoever had done that to us was going to pay – that was for sure. I wouldn’t rest until they did. They took her from me, and now I was mad. I was angrier than I’d ever been before and I didn’t know what to do with myself. I couldn’t even take my anger out anywhere, on anyone, which made it even harder to cope with.
What on earth was I going to do?
***
Chantelle
The days slowly became weeks, and it seemed like no one was looking for me. I was having to accept that I was on my own in all of this, and that it was up to me to get out of here. If I wanted to live, if I really wanted to escape this, then it was on my shoulders. I couldn’t sit back and wait for something to happen, I was going to have to deal with it on my own.
It was a tough pill to swallow, but one that wasn’t as bad as what I was going through in that damn basement.
The one good thing was that it seemed like my captor was becoming increasingly confident in the fact that no one was looking for me because he started to leave my hands and feet untied after meal times, instead of tying them up again as he had at first. I didn’t comment on it, I just let it slide, hoping that one day it would lead to my advantage.
I didn’t make my move right away because I was scared that it was a trap, and that it would lead to me getting hurt, but after a while I felt confident enough to peek out of my blindfold, only for a split second.
As I did it, I expected a blow to the head. I even winced, waiting for it to come, but it never did. So I looked again, for a little longer. And again, and eventually I became confident enough to tear it from my head.
I glanced around, drinking in my surroundings, finding exactly what I was expecting. It was a dark and damp basement, filled with rubbish and abandoned items. There were no knives or guns in obvious view, which was a good thing, but I needed to get out of there right away before anything bad happened to me. I felt like any day now I could end up dead.
After that, with a racing heart and a dry mouth, I ran up to the door that had kept me locked in for such a long time, but just as I was about to break free, I quickly found everything fading all over again…
“What the fuck?” The voice shrieked as my body hit the ground once more. “Do you actually think that you’re going to get out of here alive? What is your problem?”
“What do you want?” I begged as my vision went in and out. “Why won’t you just let me go? You can’t want anything from me. This is pointless.”
“Oh you have no idea,” the voice sneered. “You really don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?” I insisted, pleading now. I knew nothing, didn’t he see that?
“You’ll find out soon enough,”
And then I felt my body being turned over and I finally saw the face that had been keeping me trapped for all this time.
“Oh my God!” I screamed loudly, unable to believe what I was looking at. It didn’t make any sense whatsoever…
***
Aaron
It was actually like something from a movie, a ransom note made from cut up newspaper. I actually couldn’t believe it when it fell through my door.
‘Give me what I want and you can have her back.’
It gave me hope – communication at last; that had to be a good sign. Sure, it was crazy, but I needed that. It was something to grasp onto, something to hold dear to me. She had to be still alive for this note to make sense, or there would be no point, which finally negated my biggest fear.
She wasn’t dead – that was what I’d been afraid of and I was so glad to find out that she was alive.
Although it also meant that this was more to do with me than her, which meant that whatever imprisonment or torture she was being put through was because of me. That probably meant that she wouldn’t want anything to do with me after all this. Why would she? Surely she would blame me for what had happened to her.
But that wasn’t the biggest problem here. If she didn’t want me, I would have to cope with that, as long as she was alive. I just needed her to be safe. If I focused on that end goal, then I had something realistic to concentrate on.
I wanted to respond to the note right away, but I made the mistake of going through the right channels first. The police were insisted that I did not respond to it, that I would only make things worse if I did anything about it, but I wasn’t going to have that. They told me that they would deal with it ‘the right way’, but I wasn’t falling for that. They hadn’t done anything for me so far, and I wasn’t going to rely on them now. I needed more, I needed something more set in stone that I could rely on.
I instantly called Rick and sent him the details. “Set up a meeting,” I told him sharply. “I want this done now, whatever it takes. I need this to end now.”
“Are you sure boss?” There was a bemused tone to his voice, but he knew that I was serious – I’d made that very clear over the last few weeks that I would do whatever it took to get Chantelle back. “What did the police say?”
“Fuck the police,” I practically growled. “I don’t want this done on their terms and in their time. This is a time sensitive issue, and I don’t want anything bad to happen to her while I’m waiting for things to happen the right way.” There was a break in my voice – one that shut Rick up with his concern right away.
“Okay, I’ll arrange it.”
When he was gone, I slumped back onto my sofa, just thinking. I knew that there was nothing I could do now, and I just had to wait.
I remembered her face, her lips, her cute hair… everything, and I wished more than ever that she was by my side once more. How the hell was I supposed to cope without her here? I needed her in my life and I couldn’t have her taken away by anyone. It wasn’t fair.
I tried to imagine her safe, but no longer with me, but I couldn’t get that picture to form. It might have been my end goal, but I couldn’t actually imagine that happening. I needed her to be my girlfriend, my wife, my everything. That was the only future I wanted for us.
That is, if I ever got to see her again.
***
Chantelle
It wasn’t Jon.
After all that, after I was so convinced that he’d come back around to get revenge on me for everything that had happened, I was wrong. I couldn’t believe that it wasn’t him, but the evidence was standing very clearly right in front of me.
The person that I found myself faced with was a female face – and one that I knew very well.
“Shelley?” I asked, staring Jon’s cousin in the face. “What the hell is this? Wh
at is going on here? Why? What…?” I scooted backwards, moving my aching body backwards despite it screaming out at me.
“It’s you,” she shrieked with a manic look in her eyes. Had that always been there? “You’re ruining everything.”
“What?” I gasped, unsure as to what she was talking about. “Ruining what?” I tried to rack my brain, to work out exactly what it was that I was supposed to have done wrong, but I was coming up with nothing.
Was she that mad because I’d run out on her cousin?
“Me and Jon,” she stated simply, as if it was totally obvious.
“You and… your cousin?” I was confused now, and I was pretty sure that was plastered all over my face. “Are you like… together?” I couldn’t help but shudder at the weird, twisted mind game that I was so clearly involved in. None of it made any sense, and I didn’t know what to think about any of it.
“He isn’t my cousin,” she laughed nastily. “He’s my lover. He always has been.”
Of course.
I remembered being introduced to her one night when I walked into a bar with my friends – in the early days of our relationship when I’d been allowed to do things like that – and I’d seen them sitting there laughing and talking. He’d told me then that she was his cousin, and I’d never doubted that. I’d never bothered to give Shelley much thought, even on the occasions that I’d seen her afterwards.
I just trusted Jon, and by the time I no longer trusted him, she wasn’t even a feature in my mind – only my own safety was.
Now, she was on some crazy one-woman mission to ruin my life. I couldn’t believe how crazy this world was. Why was all of this happening to me?
“Why?” I whispered sadly.
“He is obsessed with you,” she sniped at me. “He still loves you and I want him to be mine. Only mine. You’re ‘the one who got away’ and he can’t stop thinking about you.”
“What are you talking about?” I shrieked, feeling incredibly pissed off now. “I don’t want him anyway. Does he know that I’m here?”
“Of course not,” she hissed, but I could spot the guilty look that crossed her face which led me to believe that maybe he did – what a lowlife! How could he just leave me here with this psycho? “But don’t worry. I’ve contacted your new lover. He’s going to pay for you, to set you free, and then me and Jon can get the hell out of here, far away from you.”
“Aaron?” I asked, my heart pounding. If Aaron was on the case, I felt sure I would be freed in no time. I finally felt a sense of relief that flooded through me, as my future didn’t seem quite so dark after all, which was why I allowed her to walk from the room without any more questions.
Fatigue started to come for me, and I lay my weary head down. It was like my brain had finally cleared with the possibility that I might be freed, and I actually managed to switch off for a decent night’s sleep.
***
All of a sudden, I wasn’t in the damp basement anymore, I was back in Aaron’s home which was the only place that I wanted to be in the entire world.
I knew that I was dreaming, but I didn’t even care. This felt perfect, and I glanced up to smile at him with happiness coursing through my veins.
You’re my hero, I thought, looking into his eyes. You’ll be here for me soon enough.
With that, my entire body felt on fire with desire. I wanted him – dream or reality – I wanted him once more, just in case we never got the opportunity again. I didn’t like thinking such dark thoughts, but they were there all the same. I needed to be smart about all of this after all.
Suddenly a burst of bravery overtook and I pulled him closer to me, no longer wanting that distance there. I needed him, and now that he was here with me, I was going to claim him as my own so I pressed my lips up against his with a deep and fiery desire.
That thick, muscular body pressed up against me and I lost the ability to control myself. He was so gorgeous, so hot and I grasped at him hungrily.
“Oh God,” I groaned, “I need you. I can’t wait to have you, you’re so amazing.”
He wrapped me up in his arms, and I felt safe and sexy all at once. All the danger that I was actually in melted from my mind as I became increasingly convinced that he was already on his way to get me. Nothing else mattered because this dream could become a reality soon enough, and that was all that I needed.
After a few moments, his hands began to work their way over my body, working every one of my curves, sending bolts of desire racing right through me. It was like I was reliving that one special night all over again, and that felt perfect.
He pulled back from kissing me, just long enough to tug my dress up over my head, shaking my hair out as it went. As soon as he dropped the garment, his eyes fixed back on me, making me feel so sexy and desired. Ever since Jon and his abuse, I’d always wanted to hide away, to keep my appearance hidden from the world, but now I wanted Aaron to keep on looking and never stop. I loved the way that I felt with his eyes upon me – it was a sensation that I didn’t think I would ever get bored of.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered into my ear, giving me the strength that I needed to carry on. I knew that even when I was awake his words would get me through this. Whatever Shelley’s plan was, however deeply involved Jon was, it didn’t matter. Aaron would keep me strong. Even if it was only the thought of him.
Back in my fantasy, Aaron began to tug at my underwear, wanting them off my body, but I quickly gripped his hand in mine to stop him. “No, not yet,” I whispered, shooting him a seductive smile, one that I hoped he would like. “I have something that I want to do first.” I was enjoying being this version of myself, and I wanted to take it one step further. I wanted to act out how I would behave if I ever did get to see him again.
He looked at me, a little bewildered by words, but as I slid slowly down his body, and hit the floor with a soft thud, he started to see where I was going with this.
“Oh God, are you serious?” he asked me, as his body moved backwards until he could grip onto the table behind him. Once he was ready for me, I unbuckled his trousers, pulling that thick erection free and gazing upon it for a few seconds. I ran my hands over it, in the same way I did the morning after our magical night, and his head lolled to one side in ecstasy which caused me to burst into a big smile. I loved that I could make him feel amazing, I really wanted that. I couldn’t believe that a nobody like me could seduce a man like Aaron.
“Oh fuck,” he groaned, as I moved my lips closer to him. I needed a taste of him, I needed to feel him between my lips, and nothing was going to stop me from doing that. I just hoped that I didn’t wake up first…
I didn’t break eye contact, not even for a second, as I placed one chaste kiss on his length. Then I took him in my mouth, flicking my tongue all over him, and from the way his thighs tensed up and his body began to shake, he was loving it.
Eventually he pulled back, and he silently tucked his hands under my armpits and he tugged me upright.
“Wow,” he panted against my lips, kissing me on and off. “You really are amazing.”
I jumped up onto him, wrapping my legs around him to give him a glimpse of how turned on I was. I wanted him to know what he was doing to my body, for him to feel how hot and wet I was.
We kissed hard and fast as he sat me on the top of his dining table. He stood in between my legs, allowing me to feel his thick, throbbing cock which I was growing increasingly desperate for. If I thought that I needed it before I was wrong, now I think I would have died if I didn’t have him inside me!
He lay me backwards across the table and he unhooked my bra, revealing my breasts for him. Once I was exposed, he explored my nipples with his fingers, then his tongue claimed them. As I gasped out in pleasure, and I arched my back against him he whispered once more into my ear.
“I never want to let you go,” he said. Even though I knew that this was just a manifestation of what I wanted him to say, it was nice to hear all the same. I hoped that
he felt as strongly as I did, which meant that we could finally be together once all of this was over. “I want you here with me every day.”
“Me too,” I gasped. “I always want to be with you.” And I really meant that. I really wanted my every day to be with this man, even after we’d only spent one real night together. We’d had all the buildup for the many weeks before in the café day after day, and I felt like I’d really gotten to know him during that time.
He was the right one for me. But he was just so far away.
Eventually his fingers trailed down, and he began teasing the outline of my underwear again. I didn’t stop him this time, I panted, I gasped and I encouraged him to go further. I needed him, I wanted him so damn badly and I hoped that he could see that.
I gripped onto his strong shoulders, gasping into his mouth, as my body craved him. I sat upright, moving him into a standing position and I angled myself towards him.
“I need you.” I eventually panted loudly. “Stop teasing me. Please.”
Luckily, because he was in my imagination, he acted right away giving me exactly what I wanted. There was no more messing about, no more teasing. He simply slid my panties to one side, and he moved a finger deep inside of me. I made a guttural sound, and that encouraged him to explore my insides with even more fingers, driving me wild.
Eventually his movements became quicker, harder, more powerful, and I screamed out in an ecstasy that felt like it would never end.
As it became clear that I couldn’t take it anymore, our clothes shed in a blur, and after only a few moments he was back between my legs, kissing me passionately. He started to move towards me, thrusting in and out which drove me insane.
“Oh fuck,” I cried out, as he took me hard and fast, making me feel every single wonderful inch of him. It felt so amazing to have him inside of me, sending me to the brink of desire over and over again. It took me away from the torture I was currently in, which was exactly what I needed.