Survival

by J Marie

  Rolling onto my back, I did several different types of sit-ups, and relished in the burn as my abs contracted and pulsed under my skin. It was time to end their little spring break and bring them back out into the open. After about a half an hour of that, I shadowboxed for a while, throwing all kinds of combinations and a few kicks here and there.

  I wished I had some music to go with my workout; maybe that was something I could ask for later if Darren would allow it. So I improvised and sang “Break Stuff” by Limp Bizkit in my head and a little out loud to myself. They were one of my favorite bands as they allowed me to channel my rage and aggression perfectly to my workout. I imagined Darren as my punching bag, and it drove my motivation to fight him and kill him even further. Eventually, I would break his fucking face.

  Giving myself a two-minute break, I stopped and stretched my limbs again. I was sweating like crazy, and it felt so good to finally give my body what it had been craving. I loved to work out; I practically lived for it. I enjoyed the more challenging workouts, too. Kickboxing, rock climbing, martial arts, volleyball, advanced yoga—I loved that stuff. The more challenging and competitive, the better.

  I decided to engage in some good strength training and planted my hands on the floor before springing my lower body up into a full handstand. I breathed through the strain in my arms as all the muscles in my body contracted to hold me up. My record was forty-two seconds, and maybe now that I had all this time, I could beat it for once. I was only about twelve seconds in when I heard a knock at the door.

  Irritated and not wanting to break my concentration, I yelled, “Come in!” as I continued to hold my position. I didn’t give a shit who it was or what they wanted. I knew everyone could see what I was doing anyway and there was no way in hell it was one o’clock already.

  I heard the door open and that same security guy I had seen in the foyer walked into my room, holding a silver tray and a big bottle of water. Once he set it down on the dresser next to him, he stopped to regard me.

  “How long have you been holding it?” he asked me.

  “Twenty-two seconds,” I said quickly, trying to stay focused as my limbs began to shake and sweat dripped from my forehead.

  “Well, someone wants to talk to you,” he said, holding up a phone. “He’s on speaker.”

  “Jaden,” said Darren’s serious voice on the other line.

  “What,” I said with a little more attitude than I had meant, but I was fucking busy right now.

  “I know what you're doing,” he said angrily. “And you better knock it the fuck off.”

  “The fuck are you talking about,” I said, trying to keep focus, but my body was starting to waver.

  “You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing?”

  “You said I could work out.”

  “Yes, I said you could work out, not train.”

  I let out a small laugh. “So I am a threat to you, after all.”

  “Don't flatter yourself," he retorted. "You're training because you think you have a shot at escaping me. This is the kind of thinking that warrants punishment, Jaden, and I won't have it.”

  Shit, he was on to me already.

  Just play dumb, Jaden.

  “No idea what you're talking about. This is how I work out, and I am this close to beating my record, so can we be done here, already?”

  Yeah, that little bit of attitude was probably a bad idea, but I hated being interrupted when I was trying to focus on something. Fuck, thirty-five seconds.

  Darren was silent for a second, and I thought he was going to hang up, but then my wrists were suddenly pulled together and I was completely thrown off balance. Luckily, I tucked into myself as I fell and rolled down before landing on the carpet with a grunt.

  “What the fuck!” I shouted at the phone, pissed that Darren had screwed up my focus. “Thanks for fucking up my concentration, asshole!”

  “One more unwarranted word and I will set off your collar. Do you understand me, Jaden?” he seethed from the other line.

  I hesitated for a moment, afraid if I spoke, he might activate it anyway, but I knew he wanted a verbal answer.

  “Yes,” I said tentatively, my wrists tight against my chest. I really didn’t want to relive the pain of yesterday.

  “I don’t give a shit what you’re concentrating on. When I address you, I expect all of your attention, not half of it. And if you want to continue to avoid that shock from your collar, I suggest you keep your smart mouth in check before you open it. I won’t tolerate that kind of disrespect from you, little girl.”

  My mouth stretched into a tight line.

  Bitch, call me little one more time and I’ll show you just how little your brain is.

  “I also hope next time you'll think twice before lying to me again. I told you before that I will know if you are, and I can only tell you how lucky you are that I am not there right now.”

  I heard someone say something to Darren on his side of the phone. Someone must have come into his office. “Hang on!” he shouted to whoever it was.

  “Just so you know, Scott has been authorized to use force if he has to, so don’t push him. I don’t want to have to come home any earlier than I already am.” He hung up before I had a chance to reply.

  I sat there on the floor and glanced over at Scott, who only glared back at me before pocketing his phone and heading back out into the hallway.

  Asshole.

  I remained on the floor and waited several minutes for Darren to release my hands and ankles. When it never came, I finally decided, fine, I would show him I still wasn't completely immobile. I pressed the back of my hands flat against the top of my head and pushed off the floor with my feet, essentially somersaulting to the bathroom to clean myself up.

  In mid-somersault and about three feet from the bathroom door, my hands and ankles were released from the force that held them together and I stood up as I rolled out of the somersault. I turned back to the bedroom for only a second to glare into the room and then headed into the bathroom, my workout effectively ruined.

  Remembering my hair was going to need to be wet anyway if I was going to get it cut, I took another shower and figured I would just reapply my makeup anyway. By the time I was done, it was 12:30 and I hurried over to the table to eat my lunch. It was a simple salad with lots of veggies and Italian dressing. Not much for carbs, but it would have to do. After I finished the salad and downed the bottle of water, I hunted down the simplest dress I could find. I found one that was a bright ocean blue with a flowing skater skirt, slipped that on, and changed my thong and bra again. Ten minutes had passed and I heard another knock at the door.

  Right on time.

  I walked over to the door, not bothering to put shoes back on and slowly opened it, afraid it might just be Scott again. When I did, there were two much older women standing in front of me, with Scott standing right fucking behind them, a nasty warning glare on his face.

  The first lady had a wild pixie cut with bright burgundy red hair, red lipstick, and looked to be in her mid-fifties.

  “Hello,” she said with a smile and a very thick Russian accent. I was sure that was the extent of her English. The other woman had long brown hair, was probably in her late thirties, and honestly looked a little nervous if not very timid. I nodded and smiled at both of them and opened the door wide for them to enter. They smiled and came into the room, immediately setting up at the table in the corner of the room.

  Scott followed in after them, but only just entered the room before addressing me.

  “I don’t have time to sit here and babysit you through this, so follow the rules and they won’t end up dead,” he scowled, nodding over at the women as they began to set up shop. “Got it?”

  “Yeah,” I said, turning away bitterly and leaving him at the door. I heard him shut it behind him.

  The older women laid down a thin tarp-like sheet under one of the chairs and gestured for me to sit. I obliged her, and she quickly started to
brush my still damp hair. I suddenly decided to try something I knew couldn't be too suspicious to Darren. I just wanted to be polite, right? I turned to the woman brushing my hair, and she stopped to look at me.

  I placed my hand on my chest and said my name. Then I pointed at her and waited to see if she would respond. She let out an exhale through her nose and gave me a tiny smile.

  “Irina,” she finally spoke.

  I smiled brightly and nodded, letting her continue brushing and spraying my damp hair with water. I turned to the other one and did the same thing. She was not so inclined to respond, but eventually she did.

  “Anya,” she whispered without looking at me.

  These women were obviously scared, and I supposed they had good reason to be. Darren must be paying them well to be here, but I could tell they knew something wasn’t right about my situation.

  Once Anya was finished setting up, she held her hands out to accept mine and put them in the bowl of warm water in front of me. She let my fingers soak while Irina sectioned out my hair and started snipping. Good. Chop it off. Less hair for Darren to pull.

  Once Anya finished pushing back my cuticles and buffing my nail beds, she pulled out the acrylic nails from her bag. Surprised, I instantly pulled my hands back and started shaking my head. I did not want fake nails. I hated them for their annoyance, and I knew I would surely break them. I thought they would just polish them and be done with it. Anya looked over at Irina nervously, unsure of what to do with my protest. Irina came around to me and smiled, clasping her hands together, unsure of how to respond.

  “Ehhh ...” she started, “no choice.” She smiled at me as if she had no idea what she just said.

  That motherfucker! Well, fine, if he wanted to give me claws that I didn't give a shit about breaking, then that would be his stupid-ass mistake. He was just making it easier for me to rip his goddamn throat out.

  “Fine,” I said and gave my hands back to Anya.

  Both women continued their work, and by the time they were done, my hair was about an inch shorter, perfectly layered and styled, and my nails now had fake flawless French tips. Even my toes displayed a perfect French tip. Thankfully, the nails weren't super long so I might be able to manage with them.

  By the time they left, escorted out by Scott, it was two o'clock, and it took everything I had to let them walk out of my room without a single plea for help. I thought about maybe slipping them a note, hoping maybe someone they knew could read English, but it wasn’t worth the risk of Darren finding out and killing them.

  With the women now gone, I only had an hour before Darren would be home. I redid my makeup, which took me forever since I now had an extra set of bullshit on my nails to deal with.

  Feeling the anxiety in my blood, I decided I wanted to feel that wonderful ocean breeze in my hair and headed for the balcony. As I opened the beautiful French doors, I stopped myself just before the threshold. Did my perimeter include the balcony? I really hoped it did as I slowly put one foot in front of the other, waiting for the warning shock. It never came. Breathing a sigh of relief, I walked out and rested my arms on the white stone railing. It truly was a beautiful sight as I found myself at ease just taking it all in.

  I found solace in the rays of the sun that peeked through the fluffy white clouds, warming my skin. The numerous amount of green trees bent to the wind of the ocean, and I actually had a small twinge of excitement as I noticed a few palm trees out in the distance. I had a perfect view of the beach, and I honestly thought about how nice it would be to feel the salty water splash against my skin. Maybe one day Darren would let me go swimming if I earned it.

  After a while, the door to my bedroom finally opened and I turned quickly to find Darren walking toward me. My stomach instantly tightened with hatred and I didn’t even bother to hide the scowl on my face as my eyes locked on his big moving body; the one that exhibited more grace and agility than a man of his size should be able to. He moved like a shadow – a very beautiful, confident shadow. Ugh.

  “Daddy's home.” He smiled wickedly as he sauntered toward me.

  Eww.

  “Did you really just say that?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest, my stomach now revolted by his sick jokes.

  He chuckled as he came closer, looking quite amused. “Did you behave yourself while I was gone?”

  “Obviously,” I said, holding up my hands and spreading my fingers for him to see. “Though I don't know why you bothered with these. You've essentially just given me claws and they're only going to get broken.”

  Darren's eyes darkened as he leaned against the doorframe of the balcony. “Jaden, not a single nail is to be broken. Do you understand me? If you find yourself in a situation that may cause one to break, then I suggest you remove yourself from that situation.”

  I gave him a look as if he’d lost his mind.

  “That would technically be everything I do.”

  “Exactly.”

  He gave me a wide devilish grin, and it just made me want to slap it right off his stupid smug face. Goddamn him; he knew just what to do to keep me tame. It was as if I had been muzzled, for fuck's sake.

  “Well, aren’t you clever,” I scowled, folding my arms back over my chest.

  “Now, you’re catching on,” he said, taking another step in my direction. I felt myself begin to seize up, but then felt better when I noticed the faint marks on his face from my attacks. It warmed me to the core knowing I could still make the man bleed.

  My body became rigid with tension as Darren closed the distance between us, his long arm stretching out to stroke my freshly cut and styled hair. He released a long slow breath as he stared down at me, that possessive glimmer in his dark eyes that made me want to gouge them out. I still might.

  “You’re so beautiful,” he said softly. “Do you know that?”

  I didn’t know what to say as I looked up at him with uncertainty. I didn’t care to accept any of his compliments; though, I suppose anything nice coming from him was better than his dominance.

  He gazed down at me with the softest smile, his eyes wide with what almost seemed like adoration, and for some reason, my insides began to melt a little. It made me too uncomfortable, so I glanced away to break whatever connection he was trying to force. But then his large warm hand gently gripped my chin and brought my eyes back to his.

  “Don’t look away,” he spoke softly, his thumb tracing along my jawline as his eyes drove right into my soul.

  I felt the exposure of my vulnerability, and I didn’t like it. I wanted this to end. I gently placed my palm on his forearm, the same arm that held my chin in place, and almost pleaded with my eyes for him to let me go. His smile seemed to soften even more as his hand released my chin but then slid over my cheek and into my hair. Wrapping his fingers in my tresses, he slowly pulled me in for a gentle but firm kiss on my lips.

  His lips were soft, warm … welcoming. My body bending with his while my hands found themselves pressed against his chest, trying to maintain some distance. Yet the feel of this kiss almost had me wanting more. Butterflies swarmed like a flaming tornado in my stomach as Darren moaned into my mouth, his tongue dipping in while his other hand gripped my hip and pulled me in closer.

  I nearly whimpered from his touch, the mixture of fear and heat swirling in my belly, and I didn’t like it. His body heat warmed me, the hard muscle under my hands enticing, and his lips sent me into a world I knew I should fear because if I wasn’t careful … I might lose track of my yellow brick road.

  When he finally released me, my heart was pounding, my blood was rushing, and I could feel the heat blooming in my core. Fuck. I tried to conceal his effect on me by focusing on his response. It was clear from the hardened length in his pants that he very much enjoyed that. But I seriously hoped he wouldn’t act on it.

  Finally breaking the connection I so desperately wanted gone, Darren released a heavy breath and looked up ahead of me at the perfect scene behind me.

 
; “Do you like the view?” he asked me.

  I turned around to take another look, but I found it very difficult to concentrate when his big arms came down to rest his hands on the railing, trapping me once again. His body enveloped me, and it made me feel uneasy. Darren was so much bigger than anyone I had ever known, which made his presence that much more threatening. I felt like a caged animal being toyed with by a menacing predator. I shook that thought from my head. If anyone was in danger in this situation, it was Darren because I was the snake in the grass waiting for the right moment to strike. I would still have the element of surprise.

  “I asked you a question, Jaden,” he said darkly.

  I shook myself from my train of thought and tried to focus on anything but killing him right now. “It’s great,” I said quickly. “But I thought you were going to give me a tour.” I needed to learn the layout of the house.

  “Yes, I did say that.”

  “And you say you're a man of your word,” I prodded. He chuckled as I called him out. He knew I was right.

  “That I am. Come on,” he said, taking my hand.

  As we got to the bedroom door, I froze and Darren noticed my hesitation.

  “What about the range?” I asked quickly as anger started to spread across his face from my sudden defiance.

  “It was lengthened the moment I entered the house.”

  “Oh,” I said, surprised a little.

  “Jaden, as long as I’m home, the range will cover the entire house, but that doesn’t mean you’re allowed to roam it. Not until I can trust you to follow my rules.”

  Right. Every privilege had to be earned, didn’t it?

  “Noted,” I said with a nod. He then pulled me from my room and commenced the tour.

  Chapter Ten

  Reality

  Darren showed me all around the mansion, keeping my hand in his the entire time. Even when I pulled to get a better look at something, he refused to let go or even let me walk any farther away from him. I felt like a dog on a leash.