by Julia Sykes
He let out a low, satisfied rumble. “The view’s just as nice from the back.”
His hand cracked across my ass as I passed him. I jolted forward, practically leaping into the bathroom in three long strides. His laugh filtered through the door even after I closed it behind me. I took a deep breath as I leaned against it. How was I going to make it through the day without blushing every time he looked at me?
The solution was both simple and familiar: ignore it. I would throw myself into my work and forget the night of passion I had shared with Reed. The prospect of forgetting made me sick with regret, but it was my only option. I had a job to do, and I couldn’t do it properly if I wasn’t able to think of anything but my sexy partner. Catching The Mentor was more important than my newfound ecstasy at the hands of Reed Miller.
“Are you always this miserable in the morning?” Reed asked as we rode the elevator up to the office. His playful joy had turned to consternation in the wake of my obvious discontent.
“I didn’t get enough sleep last night,” I said before I realized the implications.
“Sorry about that.” Reed’s smile wasn’t remotely repentant.
I pursed my lips and made a careful study of the dirty carpet. I could practically feel his pleasure deflate.
“What’s wrong, Katie?”
“Nothing,” I lied.
“Katie-”
I strode out of the open elevator doors before he could issue a warning for my dishonesty. I had been honest with him the night before, and look where that had gotten me. Into a clusterfuck, that’s where.
“I’m going to check my emails,” I tossed back over my shoulder. I need a few minutes away from you.
He didn’t acknowledge my unspoken desire for him to give me some space. I decided to pretend he wasn’t hovering just behind me. He couldn’t turn his inner Dom on me in the middle of the office. Oh, god, I hoped he wouldn’t.
His presence was a disapproving menace at my back as I sat on the edge of my chair in front of my desk. My fingers trembled as I turned on my computer. Just before the monitor turned blue, I caught his angry reflection in the black screen.
I am in so much trouble. Ignoring Reed wasn’t going to work. I should have known better than that. What would I have to do to make him forget last night had ever happened? To at least get him to pretend like it had never happened?
I blew out a long breath. “Reed-” I wasn’t sure what I was going to say, but my thought processes were cut off by a sharp cry. My attention snapped back to my computer. It took two horrible seconds for what I was seeing to sink in. The image was rendered in black and green, as though the scene were being watched through night vision. A woman was restrained, tied to her bed. A man knelt between her knees. He brought his belt down across her thighs, and she screamed again.
“I knew you enjoyed pain, Kathy,” a distorted voice emanated from my computer. “You were made for me. Come and find me.”
A loud error noise made me jump, and the screen went black.
“Fuck.” Reed reached around me and started fiddling with the keyboard, but the computer didn’t respond. I stared at the blank screen, taking in my reflection. It looked so much paler in the light than it had in green and black. “We need to get someone from tech up here now. We have to trace this,” Reed said. The screen remained unresponsive, and the usual soft whir of the computer was absent. Distantly, I listened to Reed making a hurried phone call to the tech department. I edged away from him.
I closed my eyes, wishing that when I opened them everything would go away. But that was a childish wish.
“What’s going on?” Dex’s voice rumbled behind me.
I couldn’t even begin to find the words to describe the awfulness of what I had just seen. What was I going to say? “A video clip of Reed whipping me just showed up on my computer”?
“There are cameras in Katie’s apartment,” Reed practically snarled. “Parnell just sent a clip of her in her bedroom, and now the fucking computer’s crashed.”
“I heard screaming,” Dex said.
“I knew you enjoyed pain, Kathy.” I wanted to vomit. I had known it was wrong to want pain with sex, but Reed had made me forget that. He had made it seem natural, blissful.
“There was a voiceover,” Reed misdirected. “The same as before: ‘Come and find me.’ We have to go back to her apartment and-”
“Go back?” Dex asked sharply. “As in, you were just there?”
“I drove Katie to work this morning.” It wasn’t a lie, but Reed managed to sidestep the truth. At least he was trying to keep it secret. It wouldn’t stay secret for long once tech got their hands on my computer.
“You were made for me.”
“Katie?” Reed’s hand came down on my shoulder in a show of concern, but I jolted away from him with a little yelp.
His brow furrowed, and he reached for me again. I jumped to my feet and backed away as though retreating from a stalking predator. My back came into contact with something solid, and I whirled.
Dex caught my upper arms in his large hands, steadying me. His blue eyes were accusatory. I jerked out of his hold.
“I need some air,” I managed to say. Reed stepped forward to follow me, and I shot him a warning look. “Alone.”
His handsome features twisted into a grimace, and his outstretched hand clenched to a fist. He gave me a single, short nod. His disapproval was palpable, but he wasn’t going to push me. Not now.
I tried my best to draw in regular, even breaths as I strode back toward the elevator. I was seconds away from being blessedly alone in the small space when Dex slipped through the closing silver doors.
“What part of alone don’t you understand?” I snapped.
His gorgeous face was a thunderhead. “You slept with him.”
I blanched. Oh, god. This was the last thing I wanted to deal with right now. I pressed my palm to my forehead, as though I could shove all the horror out of my brain.
“I can’t do this right now, Dex.”
“All this time, I resisted. I thought you wouldn’t understand.”
“What are you talking about?” I snapped.
His fingers closed around my wrist, gently pulling my hand away from my face. I lifted my eyes to find his burning down into me with a fervor I had never seen before.
“I’m talking about you, Katie. I’m talking about the fucked up shit we see every day. You’re always so disgusted by sexual violence; I thought you would never understand what I wanted from you.”
My head started shaking of its own accord. “No. Dex-”
He gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger, stilling my physical sign of denial. “Yes. You’re going to listen to me, Sparrow. All this time, I haven’t touched you because I thought you couldn’t handle it. I thought if I went slow enough, you would realize you’re submissive. And now he’s come in and-”
“Dex! Stop. Please, stop.” I couldn’t handle this.
“No. I fucking love you, Katie. I’ve always loved you. You can’t-”
But whatever it was I couldn’t do was cut off by the sound of my hand cracking across his cheek. His grip on my face loosened with his shock, and I jerked away from him with a sob.
“I’m sorry,” I gasped out, horrified. It was too much all at once. My uncertainty at having slept with Reed, the disgusting realization that my stalker had witnessed the most intimate moments of my life, and now the revelation that I had just betrayed my best friend without realizing it… “God, Dex. I’m so sorry.” I was apologizing for so much more than hitting him.
The elevator doors slid open, and I flung myself out into the parking garage. I was grateful that Dex didn’t stop me. I ran to my car and locked myself inside. All I wanted to do was break down and cry out my painful emotions like Reed had shown me, but that wasn’t an option. If I stayed, he would come looking for me. Or Dex would. I wasn’t sure which was worse.
I harnessed my fear and anguish and shoved them down. Tears
spilled over my cheeks, but I managed to keep my vision clear enough to drive away from the two men who were tearing my heart apart. I pealed out of the parking garage and disappeared into the city.
I parked at my apartment and then took the subway to Michigan Avenue. I spent hours wandering aimlessly, as though I could leave my feelings behind if I just walked far enough. It was almost a relief when darkness began to fall. At least this hellish day would be over.
Then I remembered that I couldn’t go back to my apartment, and my anguish bubbled up all over again. I knew I would have to go back and face everything soon, but I wasn’t ready. Reed had called and texted dozens of times. Finally, I had texted him that I needed some time alone and switched my phone to silent mode. The quiet was merciful. I hadn’t gone this long without getting a call from work in years. If they really needed me, the phone had GPS tracking. I wasn’t going back to face the guys at the office short of being hauled in against my will. I was being stalked. Surely Frank wouldn’t begrudge me the day off.
And it wasn’t as though I was being stupid. I stayed in public areas, always within sight of other people. Even if I was being watched by Parnell, he couldn’t do anything to me in broad daylight.
But it wouldn’t be daylight for much longer. With a sigh, I realized it was time for me to get a hotel room. I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but at least I could hole up for the night and avoid reality for a few hours longer.
I cut through the Park District, making my way to the Palmer House. After the day I’d had, I could treat myself to four-star luxury. The woman at the check-in desk was generically friendly, and I went through the motions of handing over my credit card without wincing at the price. She told me my room number, and I slowly made my way to the elevators, wishing I had a change of clothes. Getting off my feet after walking all day would have to be comfort enough.
As soon as the door to my room clicked closed behind me, a large, hard body hit me from the side. Something sharp pierced my neck, and my shocked cry was smothered by a gloved hand. I tried to lash out, but the weight of the person behind me slammed me forward against the wall, stunning me. My muscles started to go strangely watery, and a black cloth slipped down over my eyes.
“Down you go, Kathy.” Fear stabbed through me at the low, gravelly words. My scream might have been loud enough to escape the hand against my mouth, but my voice was weak, and barely more than a whine escaped me. My entire body felt too light, as though I would float away if it weren’t for the man’s arms wrapped around me, easing me down to the plush carpet.
He positioned me on my back, and his weight settled over me. I tried to lift my arms to lash out at him, but they were too heavy.
Drugged, my mind registered with an almost detached horror.
His hands encircled my wrists, drawing my arms up over my head and securing them there so that I was stretched out beneath him. I couldn’t help but be reminded of how Reed had positioned me the night before, and I shuddered in revulsion. I tugged against his hold. It was a weak, pathetic gesture.
“Let me go.” My demand was low and garbled, almost unintelligible as I shoved the words past my too-thick tongue.
“Shhh, Kathy. You can’t fight me. You’ll learn that one day.” Gloved fingers brushed my cheek. “Although I’ll enjoy our time together until then.”
Through the nausea that swirled within me, I registered that there was something wrong with his voice. It was far too low and rough to be his natural speaking voice. And he reeked of too much cologne. The man was smart; he wasn’t giving me any clues to figure out his identity. With my hands secured and my eyes blindfolded, I had no means of learning more about him through sight or touch. If I ever made it out of this, I wouldn’t be able to ID him.
His nose skimmed along my jawline, as though he was sampling the smell of my fear. He groaned out his pleasure, and something hard jerked against my hip.
His cock.
I gagged and tried to pull free of his hold, but my muscles barely twitched. The edges of my mind were beginning to go hazy as the drug he had injected me with affected my thought processes. Only adrenaline kept me conscious.
“This is how I’ll keep you,” his hand tightened around my limp wrists. “Restrained, blind. You’ll look to me for everything; food, cleanliness, pleasure. You’ll come to love me.”
“You’re insane,” I managed two slurred, terrified words.
His dark laugh oozed over me. “Oh yes, pet. I’m insane. And you’re very brave. That makes me… happy.” He sighed the word, as though it both surprised and relieved him.
One hand skimmed down my side to find the hem of my shirt. The leather of his gloves was cool and slick across my bare skin as his touch glided up my stomach, snaking beneath my bra to find my breast. A small, unintelligible protest teased at the back of my throat. Cognizant thought gave way to primal panic, but my body was incapable of fight or flight.
“You haven’t learned yet, but you belong to me. You let him touch you. You’ll be punished for that.” His fingers closed around my nipple and twisted cruelly. A sound of pure fear choked up from my chest, and he chuckled against my neck. His cock jerked against my belly in lustful delight.
“But not yet,” he continued. “You’re going to come to me. I’ll even leave you a clue.” He squeezed my breast. “I could take you any time I wanted. I could take you right now. But that wouldn’t be any fun, would it?”
Something buzzed against my hip. My confused mind couldn’t work out what was happening. All I knew was terror and disgust and powerlessness.
“I have to go,” he told me regretfully. “But I’ll see you soon. Come and find me, my brave little pet.”
His heat dissipated, leaving me cold and immobilized and terrified.
Chapter 10
Get up! Run! His heat had left me, but that didn’t mean he was gone. Through the haze in my mind, I knew he was enjoying toying with me. This could just be a cruel game, a trick to make me think the threat was truly over. I had to get out of this room. It was too private. It could be hours before anyone found me.
Lethargy sapped my muscles, and although my arms twitched to push myself up, they remained uselessly stretched above my head.
“This is how I’ll keep you. Restrained, blind.”
Panic continued to swirl through the drugs. It was the only thing keeping me awake, but reality was becoming harder and harder to hold on to. I couldn’t remember what was happening to me; I only knew I was afraid.
I can’t see. I can’t see. It would be so much easier to just give in to that blackness and fall asleep.
“Katie!” There was a pounding noise, and a small cry of fear escaped me. “Katie!”
No! He hadn’t left. He was still here, waiting to torment me, to touch me… I gagged and managed to roll onto my side and push up on one elbow for leverage. I had to get away.
There was a loud bang, accompanied by the sound of splintering wood. Strong hands closed around my shoulders, and I went tumbling back down. Terror suffused my addled mind, consuming all my senses. Fear was the darkness before my eyes, the metallic taste at the back of my throat.
“Katie!” The hands shook me. Light seared my eyes when the cloth was lifted from them. It hurt, and my lids were so heavy. Temptation to fall into the waiting blackness almost overcame me. Coherent thought was beyond my capability, but I knew I couldn’t let myself go. I couldn’t make myself vulnerable to my attacker.
“Fuck!” He was holding a syringe, studying it. A strangled whine eased around my thick tongue. I couldn’t let him give me more drugs. But my muscles didn’t so much as ripple with my need to escape.
He tucked the syringe in his pocket, and his arms closed around me, lifting me up.
“I could take you any time I wanted. I could take you right now.”
“It’s okay, Katie. You’re going to be okay. I’m getting you to the hospital. Just stay awake for me.”
I blinked, forced my eyes to focus.
R
eed. Reed was carrying me.
My eyes closed without a thought, and I gave myself over to him. Instinct told me Reed meant safety. I didn’t have to fight anymore.
His arms tightened around me. “Damn it, Katie,” he almost growled. “Open your eyes.”
I couldn’t obey. With the threat gone, the adrenaline in my system had run its course. I would have been weakened and exhausted under normal circumstances. But with the drugs in my system, I was unable to resist the beguiling peace they offered. I was dimly aware of Reed’s curses as I gave in to the silent darkness.
I didn’t drink often, but I must have really gone for it the night before, because I had a wicked hangover. My head pounded, and my mouth was cotton-dry. My soft pillow felt like a stone against my tender skull. I let out a soft groan and struggled to recall what the hell I had done to myself.
“Katie,” my name was a hoarse utterance. He cleared his throat. “Here. Drink some water.”
A straw slipped between my chapped lips, and I greedily sucked in the blessedly cool liquid. After three long pulls, a wave of nausea rolled over me, and I turned my head away.
“You’ll be okay. The doctor said the discomfort will go away in a few hours. You just have to get hydrated.”
The doctor? The straw was back at my lips, but I opened my eyes rather than my mouth. I blinked against the pain of harsh, sterile light. Reed was hovering over me, his handsome features taut with concern.
“Drink,” he insisted in that dark voice of his. My lips parted, and I forced down more water. It made my stomach turn, but it was a relief to my parched tongue.
I looked past Reed and was shocked to find that I was lying in a hospital bed, with an IV stuck in my arm.
“What happened?” I croaked. I didn’t remember getting injured…
“You haven’t learned yet, but you belong to me.”
I retched and only barely managed to keep down the water I had just drunk as pieces of horrific memories coalesced in my mind. My stalker had found me. I had put myself in a vulnerable position for less than a minute, and he had been ready to act. It was stupid of me to stay out alone.