by Hamel, B. B.
“Call and use them.”
“I don’t… I don’t know the number. And I don’t know what I’d say. Oh, hey Richard, sorry I didn’t show up, some mobster is keeping me prisoner, also I got shot? I’m not sure that’ll play very well.”
“Just tell him that there was a family emergency and you’re okay, but you can’t come in for a little bit. Tell him you’re using your ten vacation days, apologize profusely, say you’re totally fine though and you’ll check in again in a few days.”
I bit my lip and shook my head. “You’re insane. Why would I do that?”
“Because you want to keep this job, right? You want to be a Competitive Whatever Analyst.”
“Competitive Intelligence,” I said. “Are you sure?”
“Try,” he said. “Can’t hurt.”
“I need my phone.”
He stood up, walked over to bookshelf sat against the wall, and pulled out a book. He reached behind it, fished around a little and pulled out my phone. He walked back over and tossed it to me.
I caught it and powered it up. Sure enough, I had a bunch of missed calls, texts, and emails.
“Call your boss, leave a message,” he said. “Don’t do anything else.” He stared at me, watching the screen. “Go on.”
I stared at him for a long moment, my heart beating fast. But he was right, I had nothing to lose, and if anything this would be bad for him. It might actually make Richard come looking for me, or maybe report me missing to the police, unless someone had done that already.
“Fine,” I said, as I pulled up Richard’s number and called it.
I let it ring and it went to voicemail. I knew he wouldn’t be in his office. He’s out the door every day at five without fail.
“Hi Richard,” I said. “It’s Colleen. I hope everything’s okay at the office. I know I disappeared, and I’m so, so sorry that happened. I had a family emergency that took me out of state, and I’m still dealing with it. Everything’s okay, I’ll be fine, but I have to take ten days vacation. Really sorry about that, but I promise I’ll check in again in a few days. Hope you’re okay.”
I hung up the phone. I was tempted to type a quick text to my best friend Tracy, but Steven stooped down and snatched the phone from me.
“There,” he said. “Better than nothing.”
He turned the phone off and slipped it into his pocket.
“I don’t get why you let me do that,” I said.
“Maybe I’m not the monster you think I am.”
“You definitely are,” I said. “And you don’t do anything without a reason.”
He gave me a little grin. “That’s true,” he said. “I really don’t.”
I shook my head and pushed back the anger that threatened to spill over me. “I want to go to bed,” I said.
“Go ahead,” he said. “You know where it is.”
I sat forward on the edge of the couch. I was tempted to get the hell away from him… but the thought of being locked in that room all night again kept me from moving. I stayed there and glared at him before falling back against the couch and crossing my arms.
He laughed and sat next to me.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I think your job will be fine. And if it’s not, I’ll find you something better. I know people in law firms all over the city.”
“I don’t want some mafia job,” I said.
“You couldn’t handle one,” he said with a laugh. “No, I’d get you a real job at a nice place. Set you up, get you taken care of. When this is over, I promise, you can find anything you want.”
I gave him a look and shook my head. “You’re crazy.”
He smiled and leaned toward me. “Maybe,” he said. “But I don’t lie to you.”
“I don’t trust you,” I said. “I don’t trust anything you say.”
“You will.” He leaned back again and sighed. “As much as you hate to admit it, my Colleen, I’m taking good care of you, and I’ll keep on making sure you’re happy.”
I couldn’t find any words to express how I felt. It was a mixture of anger, revulsion and a strange desire pulsing up from my core. He was a handsome man, muscular and intense, and I felt drawn toward him in ways I couldn’t explain. But I hated him just as much, hated how he kept me locked up, hated how he rushed into the bathroom, pulled me from the water, and looked at my body.
Or maybe I didn’t hate that part.
Maybe I couldn’t stop thinking about that because I liked the way he stared at my breasts, at my lips, at my dripping wet hair.
I crossed my arms and stared at the TV, willing myself to stay calm and to ignore the hulking monster sitting next to me on the couch.
We didn’t talk for a while. He got up and got a beer at some point, but didn’t offer me anything. He sat down and kicked his feet up, content to watch whatever I put on, and never once complained.
I wanted to scream at him to go away. But it felt nice to have some company after being locked away in that room. I knew I’d have to go back up eventually and he’d snap that padlock closed again, but I wanted to push it for as long as I could.
It was strange how normal things could start to feel, like we were together in a nightly routine. We sat in front of the TV, and I started to think of him as just another person instead of the monster that locked me up and stole me away from my life.
That’s the scary part of it all, how quickly he could stop being a nightmare, and start just being a man.
I stood up abruptly after a couple hours. I couldn’t take it anymore. The tension was driving me insane.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
He looked at me with a frown. “Watching The Big Bang Theory, I thought,” he said. “Although this show is really bad. It’s like the most insulting parody of a nerd possible.”
“What?” I asked. “No, I don’t want your hot take on this stupid show. I mean, what are we doing? We’re just sitting here on the couch.”
“Looks like it,” he said.
“Why aren’t you locking me up?”
He tilted his head and a little smile came to his lips. “Do you want me to lock you up?” he asked. “Maybe I can tie you to the bed. Would you like that?”
“No,” I said, glaring at him. “I just mean, why are you letting me stay down here?”
He shrugged. “You were good today. You didn’t make trouble, you did what I asked. You deserve a little break.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment to steady myself. When I opened them again, he was smiling at me, his handsome lips parted ever so slightly.
“I’m not some… some dog you get to reward for being obedient.”
“That’s not how I think of you,” he said.
“Then why are you treating me like one?”
He frowned a little and picked up his beer. He took a long pull from the bottle then put his arms along the back of the couch.
“Would you rather I just locked you up?” he asked. “Left you to rot in that room? Maybe I could just slip your meal under the door.”
“Honestly, I almost wish you would. Being nice to me is worse.”
He frowned. “I don’t think that’s true.”
“You’re making me forget what you are.”
He leaned forward and put his beer back down on the coffee table. He leaned his elbows on his knees and stared up into my eyes.
“And what’s that?” he asked.
“You’re a monster,” I said. “You’re a killer. You’re an asshole. I don’t want anything to do with this… this reward.”
“Then go to your room,” he said, his voice cold and hard. “Go ahead, go slam the door, crawl into bed, cover yourself with the sheets. But when you wake up tomorrow, I’ll still be here, and you’ll still be mine.”
I felt rage run down my spine and I wanted to scream at him. I took a step toward him but he never broke his gaze and didn’t react at all. I stood there, glaring at him, wishing I could do something that would
really hurt him.
So I turned away and stormed upstairs.
I slammed the door shut. I made sure he heard it.
And then I crawled into bed and told myself I wouldn’t come back out until he forced me to.
7
Steven
That night, after she threw her little tantrum, I called up one of my soldiers and had him swing by the house. He was a young guy name Dino, skinny guy with jet black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore a pair of baggy jeans, basketball sneakers, and a button-down shirt. I met him out on my front stoop, but didn’t invite him in.
“Hey boss,” he said, looking around the block. He’d never been to my house before and I could tell it made him nervous. He was new to the crew, and he was still in the process of proving himself.
Tonight would be a good test.
“Hey Dino,” I said. “Thanks for coming out.”
“Yeah, yeah, sure, boss, sure. What, uh, what can I do for you?”
I leaned back against the door and crossed my arms. “You still got that girlfriend?” I asked.
He looked surprised. “You mean, Theresa?” he asked. “Yeah, sure I’m still with Theresa.”
“She’s the one with expensive taste, right?”
He let out a laugh. “Yeah, boss. How’d you know?”
“Heard you talking with Simon a few weeks back,” I said. “Listen, I need you to do me a favor. Call up your girl and tell her the two of you need to go shopping.”
He looked confused. “All right, sure, boss,” he said. “For what, though?”
“Women’s clothes,” I said. “Bras, underwear, dresses, shirts and shit. Get a full wardrobe.” I reached into my jacket pocket and took out a fat roll of hundreds and handed them over. His eyes bulged out of his skull. “That’s ten grand,” I said, and took out another roll. “And that’s another ten.”
“Yeah, okay, boss,” he said. “Twenty grand on women’s clothes, got it.”
“I’m not sure what size she is, but she’s small, so get her some small shit. Tell Theresa to get some stuff in multiples sizes so she can choose. Whatever she doesn’t pick, you get to keep, so don’t be cheap.”
His eyes lit up. “Yeah, okay, boss,” he said.
“And I want fucking receipts. You hear me? Receipts for every single penny you spend. If you don’t fuck this up or steal from me, there’ll be a bonus in it for you.”
“Sure, sure, I won’t let you down. Theresa, she got real good taste. Too good, to be honest.”
I grinned at him. “Good luck Dino. Don’t fuck up.”
He nodded and backed off the stoop then walked away toward a black sedan parked against the curb. I turned and headed back inside, shutting the door behind me.
* * *
I let Colleen sulk in her room until noon. That was plenty of time for Dino and Theresa to show up with bags and bags from designer stores. They dumped their haul out. Theresa had big, crunchy curly hair, dark lipstick, a black tight shirt and black jeans.
“She’s gonna love this stuff,” Theresa said.
“Just make it look nice then get out,” I said. “Dino, receipts.”
He handed me the receipts plus a small stack of bills and some change. “It’s all there,” he said.
“Good. Be gone before I come back down.” I turned and walked to the stairs then slowly headed up. I could hear Dino and Theresa whispering to each other, fighting about how to set the clothes up, as I walked to Colleen’s door.
I waited a minute before knocking. I had to knock four times before she finally answered.
“Go away,” Colleen called out.
“I got a surprise for you,” I said. “I’m coming in, so make sure you’re decent. Or not, I don’t really care.”
I unlocked the padlock and opened her door. She was sitting in bed, legs crossed under her, an angry look on her face.
“Get up,” I said.
“Go away.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“This little defiance act is going to get annoying,” I said. “Get your ass up and come downstairs.”
“You’re going to have to make me,” she said.
“I will,” I said, stepping into the room. “And you know I will. But I thought about what you said last night, and I want things to be different between us. So get your ass up and come see what I got for you. Then we can talk a little.”
I turned away and walked to the door. She didn’t say anything, but when I turned back and looked at her, she tilted her head and gave me a strange, appraising look.
I smiled to myself and left her there with the door open. I headed back downstairs just as Dino and Theresa ran to the front door. I shook my head as Theresa grinned at me and winked, then shut the door behind her.
I stared at the clothes they’d spread out on the couch, on the coffee table, on the kitchen table. They’d grouped it by size from what I could tell, although I didn’t look too closely. It was a lot of shit, at least nineteen thousand dollars worth of it, but probably more considering the small stack Dino gave me in change.
There was a noise at the top of the steps and I turned as Colleen came down. I thought she might fight me harder, but I was relieved I didn’t have to go up there and drag her down. As much as I like a good fight, this will all be better if she just listens and plays along a little bit.
I didn’t want her here as much as she didn’t want to be here. I knew she didn’t realize that, and probably wouldn’t believe me if I said it, but things would be a lot easier for us both if she just went home.
But I knew I couldn’t do that. She was still in danger and way too enmeshed in what was going on for me to just cut her loose.
She came down the steps wearing black gym shorts and a big white t-shirt. She stopped and stared at the clothes spread out all over my house, and I gestured at them.
“You wanted some clothes,” I said. “And now, you got some.”
“Holy shit,” she said. “Steven.”
“It’s everything you’d need. I think there are a few sizes here to pick from.”
She came down and started to sift through the stuff. “It’s all designer,” she said.
“Nothing but the best.” I smiled a little at her reaction. “You like it?”
“This stuff is way nicer than I ever had,” she said. “You could’ve just gone to Target.”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, I wouldn’t do that,” I said. “Go ahead and look through it, pick the stuff you want. If you need different sizes, we can get you different sizes. But at least the underwear should be good.”
She went through the stuff and I left her to it for a little while. I made some coffee then leaned against the counter and watched her. She picked up a shirt, made a little surprised noise, dropped it like it was on fire.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“That shirt cost five hundred dollars.”
I frowned and tilted my head. “Is that a lot?”
“Are you joking?”
I grinned at her. “Of course I am. But like I said, you’re getting nothing but the best.”
“Why did you do all this?” he asked. “This must’ve cost a small fortune.”
I waved that away. “Not as much as you’d think,” I said. “And I’ve been thinking about your little tantrum last night.”
She glared at me. God, the girl had a temper.
“That wasn’t a tantrum,” she said.
“Right, whatever.”
I sipped my coffee then walked over and picked up a pair of black lacy panties. I held them up and looked at her for a second, picturing her wearing nothing else, and she continued to glare at me but her cheeks turned red.
I let the panties drop back down on the table.
“Well, are you going to tell me what all this is?”
“It’s a reward,” I said. “Like watching TV last night was a reward. The thing is, my little Colleen, I want to treat you good. I want you to understand how good things can be if you j
ust play along.”
“I already told you,” she said, her voice a dangerous growl. “I’m not a dog you can bribe into good behavior.”
“No,” I said. “But you are a person and people want comforts. I can provide you with comforts, luxuries, much more. Whatever you want, really. I can spoil you, Colleen.”
Her eyes drifted to the expensive clothes. There were beautiful dresses, tops, jeans, shorts, slacks, bras and panties, and even a few lingerie sets mixed in there. I smiled a little bit and appreciated Dino’s girl for a second.
“That’s still bribing me,” she said.
“So take the bribe. You think you’re any better than half the politicians in this city?” I laughed a little and shook my head. “Take the clothes, Colleen. Wear them, feel good in them. And know that I can do a lot more if I want.”
She bit her lip and picked up a dress. She held it up to herself and looked down at it for a long moment. She smoothed her hands over the front, and in that moment, I realized something.
She’d never had nice things. It became so clear to me, and I suddenly understood why she hated the idea of me treating her good. She’d never had someone give her nice things, spend money on her lavishly, take care of her the way I can. I’m sure her father did fine with what he had, but if he really did leave the Club, there was no way her family had very much money.
“What do you think of that?” I asked her, my voice low.
She looked up and shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said.
“The dress, I mean. Do you like it?”
She hesitated. “I really do.”
“Try it on,” I said. I pulled out a chair, moved a few pairs of jeans off it, and sat down. “Go ahead, try it on.”
“Right now?” she asked. “Right here?”
I shrugged. “Sure. Grab some underwear and try it on.”
She hesitated then sifted through the underwear pile until she found a simple black bra and a pair of navy blue panties with little gold stars on them. She clutched the dress and the underwear against her for a second.
“I’m going upstairs,” she said.
“If you need to, but you can strip down right here if you want.”