by E. M. Lilly
When she left the bathroom she noticed that her mother’s suitcase was gone. Before she could ask her mother about it, Alice Mignon volunteered that she had packed her suitcase and it was now in her car. “I decided to cut my trip short and head back to Des Moines this morning,” she said. “I want you to be able to spend as much time with that young man as you want, and not have to worry about keeping me entertained.”
“Mom, this isn’t necessary. Why don’t you stay the full time that you planned!”
Alice Mignon shook her head. “It’s better that I go back home today.”
“Well, I’ll come back home this weekend then.”
“No, dear. I want you to give this every chance to see if a romance blossoms. I badly want you to have what I had with your dad.” Alice Mignon’s smile turned into something sad and fragile as she wiped a tear from her eye. “Of course, I want you to have it for many more years than I had with your dad.”
Emily nodded as her own eyes were misting up also. She bit her lip to keep from crying. She didn’t want to cry and get her eyes even puffier and redder than they already were. Besides, she knew she wouldn’t be able to change her mother’s mind, and she also knew her mother was right. There was something between her and Ethan, and she needed to give it every chance possible before she headed back to New York.
It was a short drive back to the restaurant, and her rental car was still there and in one piece. Emily had told herself that she wasn’t going to have a tearful goodbye, but she couldn’t help herself. Once they started hugging, first her mom broke down crying, and then Emily did.
“I know you only just met him,” Alice Mignon said in a hushed whisper after her sobbing subsided. “But I wish things work out between the two of you. I wish so much that they do.”
Emily almost said the same, but fortunately stopped herself. She knew that if Jack heard her wish for something like that, he’d find a way to mess it up for her.
Chapter 16
Emily and Ethan both surprised each other that morning. In Ethan’s case it was by bringing Emily a dozen white roses, and admitting that his mom had sent the earlier roses to her motel suite.
“I didn’t even know she had done it,” Ethan said with a lopsided sheepish grin. “You know that I’m living at home now, and well, my mom went through my papers and found out that you were going to be staying here. She took it upon herself to send them to you without ever telling me. I should’ve come clean when you mentioned the roses yesterday, and told you that I didn’t know anything about them instead of playing along like I did.” He shrugged helplessly. “I guess I was too startled and embarrassed. But now I’m here to rectify the situation. Here are a dozen white roses, which I believe you’ll agree are far classier. And which I picked out and bought myself.”
“These are beautiful,” Emily said, and they were. She wanted to kiss him for his gesture, and even more so for proving how wrong Jack was about him. Ethan was even thoughtful enough to bring an empty vase for the roses, knowing that unless she threw out the other roses she wouldn’t have one in the motel suite to use.
Emily arranged the roses in the vase, added the proper amount of water, and placed the vase on the table next to the sofa so she’d be able to look at them all day. After that it was her turn to surprise Ethan. Actually, she was able to surprise him twice. First by telling him that her mother was heading back to Des Moines that morning, which caused him to raise an eyebrow, and second by showing him that she had bought a complete set for making loose tea: a tea pot, two tea cups, and two bins of loose tea. After lunch the other day, Emily had found a tea shop in downtown Eden Prairie before heading back to the motel, and the store’s salesperson had recommended a Darjeeling and a Gunpowder green tea. Ethan opened both tins, examined and smelled the tea, and told Emily that she had made excellent choices.
“Really superior teas,” he said.
“Okay, we’ve got everything we need now to make some kick-ass tea,” Emily said with a big grin breaking over her face.
“Almost. It’s too bad you didn’t pick up a digital tea scale so we can measure out the precise amount of tea leaves and brew the tea properly.”
For a ten count all Emily could do was stare at Ethan as if he were either joking or crazy while he looked back at her maintaining a straight face. Then he broke out laughing and held his palms up facing her in a sign of surrender.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding,” he said.
“Do those actually exist?” Emily asked.
“Believe it or not, they do.”
“Do you have one?”
His smile turned guilty. “Well, yes, but that’s only because I’m a bit of a fanatic. Let me get some tea brewing. I think at this point I’m able to judge the exact amount to use by sight. How about the Darjeeling?”
Emily had also taken the salesperson’s advice and had picked up a gallon of filtered spring water from a grocery store, and Ethan used that to fill the coffee pot that the motel provided so he could boil the water, then he proceeded to measure out the amount of tea to use with the same precision as if he were a jeweler preparing to cut a diamond. It took some doing, but soon the tea was ready and Ethan watched eagerly as Emily sampled hers. She had to admit it was much better than what she’d get from using teabags, and she told Ethan that he might’ve made a convert out of her. After they finished their tea they went to work. It was the same as the other day with Ethan leaning back in the armchair as if he were asleep while Emily went page by page through her notes. Whenever Emily prompted him concerning the changes she was recommending, Ethan insisted that he was mulling it over. Occasionally he’d crack a joke to make sure that Emily knew he was listening and that he hadn’t fallen asleep. At twelve, Emily asked if he wanted to break for lunch. Ethan showed a secretive smile and suggested they push on.
“Any particular reason?” Emily asked.
“An excellent one. But I’ll tell you later.”
After waking up hung over, Emily was running mostly on adrenaline, and after another two hours she was wiped out. Ethan seemed to sense that and he told her his idea then. That they should go on a picnic.
“We’re in the land of ten thousand lakes, and I know this one spot not too far from here that’s stunning. Let me go get everything we need, and I’ll be back in two hours.” He winked at her. “You can take a nap in the meantime.”
##
The area Ethan took Emily to was every bit as stunning as he had promised—a heavily wooded and isolated lake area that was about a half hour drive from the motel. Ethan set up a blanket so they could sit by the shore and look out over the water. He pointed out a small island across the lake and told her the name of it was Spirit Island. For a good half hour they just sat and enjoyed the sights and sounds of nature. When they started to get hungry Ethan unpacked a picnic basket he had brought that was filled with an assortment of cheeses, gluten-free crackers, grapes and dried meats, as well as a bottle of Chardonnay and sparkling water. Emily’s stomach did a small somersault at the idea of drinking more wine, so she stuck with the sparkling water while Ethan drank the Chardonnay. She felt relaxed and contented sitting on the blanket with Ethan and nibbling on the food he brought. When he moved in for a light kiss on her lips, she didn’t resist it. Soon the kissing got heavier, and then his hand was pushing against her breast. Emily was trying to think of a gentle and diplomatic way to slow things down when he started guiding her face to his lap. It was then that she realized that he had unzipped his pants and had taken his penis out and that it was fully aroused. She broke free of his grip and gaped at him, absolutely stunned that he would do that.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
He looked equally stunned, then got flustered and angry, his face turning beet red. He turned from her so he could get himself back into his pants and zip himself up.
“Well, that was humiliating,” he said.
“Why would you think that was an okay thing to do?”
“Why w
ould I?” he said, his voice surly and whiny. “What was this supposed to be, a date? What, with us living over a thousand miles apart? Any sane, normal person would’ve assumed this was nothing more than a hookup, especially with the signals you were sending me. But, never mind.”
Again, Emily was gaping at him as she could see the haughtiness that Jack had warned her about. As he stared back at her, his mouth twisted into a nasty sneer.
“Oh, and I finished mulling over your edit suggestions. All very interesting, but I think I’ll keep my book exactly as it is.”
“Why is that?” Emily asked, a coolness filling her head.
“Why?” Ethan’s sneer grew uglier. “You’ve got a cute ass on you, I’ll give you that, and at least you’re smart enough to realize how good my book is, I’ll give you that also. But come on, I went to Yale; I’m guessing you went to some state school. I think I’m a tad brighter than you, don’t you think? I think my judgment means a bit more than yours.”
“You’re right,” Emily said, her eyes narrowed to slits, her voice dripping ice water. “I went to Iowa State University. Yet here I am working as an editor for a major New York publisher, while you, a Yale graduate, are working for a supermarket.”
“From what I understand, you’re an associate editor. And I’m sure if I looked like you I would’ve gotten a job in publishing also. You wiggle your cute ass, perform some sexual favors for the senior editing staff, and there you go.”
Emily was too furious to sit there with him any longer. If she did she’d throw something at him, at the very least. She jumped from the blanket and walked off at a determined pace to get away from him so she could cool off. He made no effort to stop her.
After she had walked about a hundred yards, she took out her cell phone to see if she could hire a taxi to take her back to her motel. No cell phone signal. Just great. She was going to have to ride back with him. The thought of doing that made her skin crawl. And what made her more furious than anything else was how Jack had been right about all of it. Ethan was every bit the insufferable narcissist that Jack said he was.
Emily heard a car engine revving. It took several seconds for her to realize what that meant, and then she took off running, heading back to where the blanket had been. She got back just in time to see Ethan drive off. He had left her stranded there. She stood for a long moment not quite believing that he had actually done that. She kept telling herself that he was only being a sullen jerk throwing a tantrum and that any minute he’d turn around and pick her up. After that long moment had stretched into ten minutes, Emily accepted that he wasn’t coming back.
Emily almost summoned Jack then, but she didn’t want to have to tell him what had happened or have to admit how right he had been. Besides, Ethan had only driven a half hour to get to the lake. It couldn’t be more than fifteen miles to get back to her motel. If she started walking, at some point she’d either be able to pick up a cell phone signal or she’d find a store or be able to flag down another motorist. If she found herself in any danger she’d be able to summon Jack then. It never took more than a fraction of a second for him to appear once he was summoned.
Emily set off walking. After she came to the first fork in the road, she wasn’t exactly sure which way to go, but she knew they drove west to get to the lake, so she used the sun to head east. She had walked two miles when she heard the rumbling of motorcycles, and the noise was growing louder by the second. She came close to calling for Jack, but as she told herself, Jack was only a whisper away. That she just needed to stay calm. There was no reason to panic.
The motorcycles came up from behind her and quickly surrounded her. They weren’t really motorcycles as much as choppers, and the men driving them were large and brutish looking. The one who stopped less than a foot from her was larger than the others. Bald, horseshoe mustache, and thick arms that were covered with tattoos. Instead of a helmet he covered part of his bald head with a bandana.
He nodded to Emily. “Looks to me, Missy, like you’re lost,” he said in a relaxed drawl. Let me guess, you had a lover’s quarrel. Your boyfriend got pissed at something and not being the gentlemanly type left you here all by your lonesome.”
Choppers were in front and behind her. Another pulled up onto the other side of her. Even if she wanted to run she was boxed in and wouldn’t be able to. But, as she told herself, at any moment she could call for Jack, so there was no need to panic or get scared. Still, it was scary as hell.
She nodded glumly. “That’s about what happened,” she forced out, her voice little more than a squeak.
The biker laughed at that. “No need to be nervous, Missy,” he said in that same drawl. “We’re here to help any cute little damsel in distress. Hop on.”
Emily tried to smile. “No thank you. Motorcycles scare me to death.”
“That’s a shame,” the biker said, shaking his head sadly at her.
Before Emily realized what was happening, a biker from behind shoved a gag into her mouth, and then she was lifted and dumped onto the bald biker’s lap. Next her wrists and ankles were bound together. She desperately tried to call for Jack, but the gag kept her from getting any discernible words out. And trying to summon Jack with her thoughts, no matter how desperate they were, didn’t work.
Now was the time to panic.
Chapter 17
Emily was taken deep into the woods over mostly dirt roads. In her terror, the trip seemed to last for hours, but when they stopped at a desolate cabin the sun was still visible on the horizon so she knew it couldn’t have been more than a half hour since she was abducted.
The large biker with the horseshoe mustache who had taken her flung her over his shoulder as if she were little more than a sack of flour and carried her into the cabin. The other bikers followed behind, all of them joking and laughing loudly over how they were going to be spending their next few days. The inside of the cabin had a musty and dirty smell. Emily couldn’t see much with the way she was being carried, but she caught sight of crates stacked up against one of the walls and had the impression from the military labeling on them that these were guns stolen from an armory. She was carried into the cabin and dumped onto a lumpy cot so that she landed on her side.
Her blood felt like it had been replaced by ice water and her heart raced in her chest like a rabbit’s would when cornered by a pack of rabid wild dogs. She watched as the bikers passed around a vial of blue pills and joked and leered at her. One of them had broken out a case of beer and after they washed down these pills and swallowed down more of their beer they all moved closer to her, the expressions on their faces hardening with lust and violence. Emily panicked for a moment that she was going to pass out, but she fought to stay conscious. She needed to stay conscious.
All the bikers looked brutish, but a particularly ugly one with his face frozen in a hungry, wolfish stare reached down for Emily as if he was going to rip her clothes off. The large biker with the horseshoe mustache stopped him.
“Not yet,” he said. “It’s not time yet. It takes a little while for them pills to work and some of us ain’t ready yet. Won’t be fair if you wear her out before all of us are ready. Besides, I want to first have a talk with the little missy.”
The particularly ugly biker didn’t like that. “Grizz, I’m revving to go now. You can have your talk with her when I’m done. And shit, watching what I’m going to do to her might just get the rest of you in the mood all that much quicker.”
“Spud, what the fuck is the hurry? We got days to have our fun with her. Chill, okay?”
The ugly biker named Spud made a face as if he couldn’t care less about what Grizz was telling him, and he moved again toward Emily, but Grizz blocked him and pushed him back. For a moment it looked as if the two bikers were going to come to blows, but a flicker of fear showed in Spud’s eyes and he relented. Two of the other bikers who were laughing so hard their faces had turned red and looked like they might piss themselves, put their thick arms around Spud’s shoul
ders and edged him a few steps back. Grizz, who was grinning widely, turned back to Emily and sat down on the edge of the bed so he could lean down and study her more closely. He bent further down so their faces were less than a foot apart. His breath had a strong sour, rotten egg odor to it and the smell of it made Emily nauseous. It was far worse than any whiff she had ever caught from Winston’s breath.
“You sure are a tasty-looking thing,” Grizz noted in that same slow drawl that Emily had heard earlier, kind of like snake venom dripping. “I can’t blame my brother over there for being anxious to get started.”
Emily tried looking away from him, but he took hold of her chin and forced her to meet his eyes. “That type of attitude won’t do you any good, Missy,” he said, shaking his head sadly at her. “It’s a real shame you didn’t get on my bike when I offered you a ride. If you had, we could’ve had ourselves a little consensual party for a few days and you’d be leaving here afterward. Now, though, I just don’t know. It’s an awfully big woods out there to bury a little thing like you, but maybe if you act right, things still might work out okay.”
Emily didn’t want to let any of these bikers see her cry, but she couldn’t help it as a tear leaked from her left eye and crept down her cheek. Grizz used a thumb to smudge the tear against her skin, being rough about it.
“Missy, you don’t want to start crying now. Me, I’m what you call a gentle lover, but that ain’t true of some of my brothers. Spud for one, he gets off on making a lady cry. Ain’t that right, Spud?”