by Lyn, K.
“I should have done what he said. If he makes me leave his house, where will I go?”
“We’ll work something out, but never do something just because someone wants you to.” Analeigh kept her head down as the driver opened the door. Embarrassed and frightened, she didn’t say a word on the way back to the movie set. “Here we are…home sweet home,” Nash announced as he opened the door.
Analeigh scurried inside like a frightened rabbit and ran to the bedroom. Nash locked the door behind him, checked his messages, and then slowly went to Analeigh. She was crying uncontrollably and he lifted her up and onto the bed and lay down beside her. Pulling her to him, he wrapped himself around her as if to shield her from all that she feared. Her long blonde hair curled loosely at the ends and he ran his fingers through its thickness as she cried away the pain inside of her. “It will get easier, I promise.” Analeigh was very quiet once she had cried herself out, and Nash thought she had gone to sleep. “Analeigh?” The young woman looked up to meet his eyes. “Michael is good to you, isn’t he?”
“I think so.”
Of course she would give an answer such as that. No one had treated her well, so how would she know the difference? Her lips were so close to his that he wanted to kiss her and love her like a woman deserved to be loved.
“You think so, eh?”
Analeigh giggled at Nash’s attempt to imitate the local dialect. Then she became serious. “Sometimes at night I hear them argue.”
“Who?”
“Michael and his wife, Carly.”
“What about?”
“I don’t know, but he’s always upset at her, it seems. He wanted her to do something that she didn’t want to do, but I don’t know what it was.”
“That’s the same reason you left, isn’t it?”
She looked down and nodded, “Yes.”
“What did he want you to do?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes he seemed restless when I was around. It was the way he looked at me, as if I wasn’t…”
Nash held her closer, kissed the top of her head, and spoke into the emptiness of the room. “As if you weren’t what, Analeigh?”
“Worthy of taking up space in his house.”
Nash closed his eyes as he slowly rubbed Analeigh’s back. He stared out the small window at the beautiful landscape of the region, wondering what he had gotten himself into. He sighed and looked into the beautiful blue eyes of Analeigh. “You are more than worthy of taking up space here with me.”
The sincerity of Nash’s words touched something deep inside of Analeigh and she slowly reached up and touched his cheek. “Thank you,” she said.
Nash looked for some sign that she wanted him to kiss her, but that sign only existed in his mind. It had become dark outside, and he felt the steady breathing of Analeigh as she fell asleep in his arms.
The alarm sounded like a freight train the following morning, and Nash forced himself from the warmth of the young woman in his arms. She didn’t hear a thing and he wrapped a blanket around her and turned on the water in the shower. Leaving a note for her, he left the trailer for what he knew would be an emotionally charged day on the set. It was mid morning when he noticed Analeigh standing at the edge of the set. He called for a break and sprinted toward her.
“I should go,” she said.
“No, Analeigh, you should stay. Didn’t you get my note?”
“Yes, but what about Michael?”
“You don’t owe him anything.”
“But I do owe him. He saved me from the streets.”
The director was calling him to return to the set and Nash was torn. If Analeigh was determined to leave, he couldn’t stop her.
“Let my driver take you into the city, but Analeigh, if you need me, call me.” He wrote down his number on a piece of paper and made her promise.
She had tears in her eyes as she left, but she didn’t look back. She couldn’t bear to see the look in Nash’s eyes.
The day seemed endless, and at the end of filming Nash returned to his empty trailer. He missed the young woman he barely knew and as night fell, he worried about her and the hold Michael seemed to have over her.
The following day, after little sleep during the night, he was a walking zombie. He was determined to know more about Analeigh’s life with Michael and his wife, and at the end of the day he made a trip into the city. The restaurant was busy as he looked around for some sign of Analeigh, but he didn’t see her anywhere.
“Nash, we’re so honored to have your movie-highness with us again.”
“Um, thanks. Is Analeigh around?”
“She’s busy tonight. Stop by tomorrow. She’ll be here.” Then Michael had another plan for Nash, a devious plan, and his voice softened. “You look like you could use a drink. We don’t serve the stuff here, but this place serves up the best of the best.” He handed Nash a card and watched as the movie star walked out the door. Laughing openly, Michael returned to the dirty dishes waiting for him in the kitchen.
Nash walked into the bar, which was extraordinarily quiet for a club, and ordered the drink he had needed for days. Then he ordered another. When he was halfway through his second drink, the bartender asked if he had been to one of the new steam rooms yet.
“No, I haven’t. This is my first visit,” Nash answered, a little confused.
“For you, it’s on the house tonight,” he offered.
Nash finished his drink and headed up the stairs to the steam room. Putting the key card into the lock, he opened the door to the room, where a very inviting whirlpool was shooting its jets and causing the water to bubble. The room was not seedy in the slightest. It was very ornately decorated and clean, with a sign that read, “No clothing allowed.” He thought it odd, but in his slightly inebriated state, he didn’t have a problem with it, either, but he began to think he was getting much more than a steam.
The water was warm as he lowered himself until he was seated in front of one of the jets. His stiff muscles responded to the heat of the pulsating jets as if they were being massaged by human hands. The roar of the jets and the bubbling water blocked out any intrusive sounds and were lulling him into a very relaxed state. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the side of the pool.
A voice came over the intercom offering Nash a woman to fulfill his fantasies. “Would you care to partake? Lana is fresh and new, like a shiny penny. You will be her first client.”
The voice made Nash horny and he didn’t hesitate to respond with a resounding, “yes.”
“You won’t see her through the dense steam, until her lips meet yours. Enjoy!”
Nash tried to see through the steam, hoping to get a glimpse of Lana, but the steam became thicker as he heard the door open. He heard the water splash as the woman lowered herself into the pool. “Lana? Come a little closer. Follow my voice. I’m over here.” He could hear the sloshing of the water and he reached out his arms. The steam was so thick it nearly choked him and it mumbled the sound of his voice. “Come on, baby. Give me what I need. Fulfill my fantasies.” He didn’t hear anything after that and he wondered where she had gone. Then he felt soft lips on his and he pulled the naked wet body to him. “Mmm, come on, baby. You’ve got more than that for me tonight.” He slid his hands down her back and onto her butt, but she pulled away.
“No, I can’t. Please don’t make me do it.”
Nash immediately withdrew his hands and Lana ran through the water until she stumbled and fell face down. “Are you okay?” He picked her up and laid her head back against his chest.
She was sobbing and Nash asked if she was hurt. “I’m okay.”
The words were all too familiar. He turned her around and wiped the tears from her face. The steam had lifted somewhat, as it was timed to do so, and Nash pulled her to him. “Analeigh, what are you doing? What the hell are you doing here?”
“Please don’t tell Michael that I failed. Please don’t tell him.”
“Michael put you up t
o this?”
“I owe him.”
“Do you want to do this…give yourself to different men night after night?”
“I have to do this.”
He let her go and floated back to the side. “Okay, Lana, then I expect the full treatment.”
Analeigh stood still in the water. Her head was down, as she felt the shame wash over her. She turned and hurried as fast as she could to get out of the water.
Nash was right behind her and helped her out, draped a towel around her, and kissed her lips. “There is nothing I would like better than to make love to you, but not like this. This isn’t what I want, and it isn’t what you want. I’m sorry, Analeigh, for the way I acted.”
“You didn’t do anything.” She was so fragile, sweet Analeigh, and Nash felt protective of her. “But this is what a lot of girls do here. Michael and his friends give them a place to stay, and in return…”
“Oh, Analeigh, let’s go home.”
“I can’t. Michael has promised the owner of the club.”
“Screw Michael! He doesn’t own you!”
Analeigh pulled away at the harsh tone of Nash’s voice.
“Come on, honey. I’ll sneak you out somehow.”
Opening the door to one of the steam rooms, Nash knew he was playing with fire. He paid a man an outrageous sum of money for his jeans and t-shirt, not knowing how the guy was going home without them, and snuck Analeigh into the men’s room to put them on. With her hair pulled up and shoved into Nash’s ball cap, Analeigh walked behind him down the stairs, through the lobby, and out the door. Grabbing her hand, he hurried her along until they had reached the safety of the limo.
“I can barely breathe. Why did we run?”
“I didn’t want to be there when the guy whose clothes I bought sobers up.”
Analeigh looked down at the oversized jeans she was wearing and giggled. “I look awful.”
“No, honey, you look beautiful.”
As he looked at her, Analeigh thought back to the whirlpool. They had been so close, and yet Nash didn’t force himself upon her. “Why didn’t you make me do it?”
He put his hand over his heart and said, “I’m a gentleman.” He took her hands and looked into her eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want you.”
It was after midnight when they arrived back at the trailer. So much had happened in the last day that neither of them knew where to begin.
“I think I’ll take a shower,” Analeigh said after they had stared at each other for an uncomfortably long time.
Nash closed his eyes and in his mind he could see Analeigh coming toward him in the steam bath, willing to offer herself to him because she thought she had to do it, and he wondered how many more like her there were. Michael was only one of many responsible for supplying the city’s club owners with prostitutes. He wondered who had started it and how much money they were making from one woman in one night. It was a cozy setup for club owners and owners of local establishments.
Nash walked past the open door of the bathroom and noticed the silhouette of the woman whose naked body he had touched earlier. She was breathtakingly beautiful and so very vulnerable. Determined to make up for his own harsh words, he stepped inside. Stripping off his shirt and stepping out of his jeans until he, too, was naked, he opened the shower door and took the wetted cloth from Analeigh’s hand. “Please, allow me,” he said as he knelt down on the shower floor and looked up at her. Her eyes were filled with tears and shame showed in her youthful eyes. Nash wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her belly. “I’m sorry, Analeigh.” A tear ran down her cheek as he stood. He kissed her parted lips and she opened her mouth to receive him. Nash was gentle, something she had never experienced before, as the prophet had taken her only to satisfy his own needs. As the water washed over them, Nash kissed Analeigh’s breasts, taking each hard nipple into his mouth as he held her close. He kissed along her inner thighs, smoothing his hands along her butt. When he kissed her mound, she pulled away, and Nash stood to his feet. “Let me love you,” he said. She nodded and he took her by the hand and led her to his bed.
Lifting her into his arms and laying her down, he lay over her, his hardness easing between her legs. He took his time, kissing her and caressing her, until he knew she was ready for him. Easing a finger inside of her, he caused her body to respond to its own pleasures and brought her to orgasm, the first she had ever experienced. “Nash,” she whispered as she opened her legs for him. He entered her slowly, allowing her time to adjust to his girth and length. She moaned softly as he made love to her, the first time a man had given himself to her instead of taking her for his own pleasure. She pulled him into her, wrapping her legs around him. She felt his seed enter her and afterward he lay with her instead of leaving immediately as the prophet had.
He kissed her and wrapped himself around her. “I love you, Analeigh.”
“How can you? I’m used.”
Nash leaned up on his elbows. “What happened before us doesn’t matter. It’s you and me now and that’s all that matters.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“But it happened.”
“I know it did, Analeigh, but it doesn’t make you less deserving of love.”
“Will you stay with me tonight?”
“Tonight and every night from now on if you will have me.”
The chilly night air surrounded them and Nash pulled a cover over them. He had an early morning, but now when he came home Analeigh would be waiting for him. Still, he wondered about Michael and what he was up to. Sooner or later, he would show up on the set and Nash would be waiting for him.
When Nash left the following morning, he made Analeigh promise to keep the door locked and to not answer the telephone.
“I doubt that anyone will call, but let it ring if it does.”
“I will.”
Nash loved acting, but he worried about Analeigh whenever he wasn’t with her. She was unaware of the evils that existed in the world, and he wondered if she was looking for answers to her own life in the performance of the actors as she helped him with his lines every evening.
By the end of the week, Nash was exhausted, and when he returned to the trailer, Analeigh had made a special dinner for the two of them.
“I don’t expect you to do that,” he protested.
“I want to do this.”
He pulled her onto his lap and kissed her.
“I made a pie,” she said proudly.
“Let’s save it for later,” he suggested, and led her to the bedroom.
When he touched her belly, she asked sincerely, “You don’t think I’m getting fat, do you?”
“Never.”
As he kissed his way down her body the way he did every night, he noticed that her breasts were a little fuller and her hips a little rounder, but she had been very thin when they met. “You’re perfect, Analeigh.”
As the week went by, Nash heard nothing from Michael and he began to let his guard down. He no longer made certain that the door was locked when he left for work, and most mornings Analeigh was still sound asleep when he left.
On one fateful day, a stranger’s lips met Analeigh’s and she moaned the name, ‘Nash’, welcoming him into his arms.
“Time to go, Lana,” the gruff voice stated firmly.
Analeigh opened her eyes to see Michael hovering over her and she opened her mouth to scream but a thick cloth was shoved into her mouth and tied tightly around her head.
“You owe me, bitch. On your feet!” Pulling a struggling Analeigh by the arm, Michael forced her into his car, looked around quickly, and told his wife to floor it.
When Nash returned home that night to a dark trailer, he assumed that Analeigh had gone to bed early. He quietly walked to the bedroom but found his bed empty. “Analeigh?” Fear gripped him as he searched the small home and the area immediately surrounding the trailer. “Analeigh!” The door had been unlocked but she had no car nor did she
know how to drive. Frantic, he called Michael’s restaurant.
“Michael?”
“Why yes, Nash. I’ve been expecting your call.”
“Where’s Analeigh?”
“She’s working.”
Nash slammed down the telephone and called his limo driver. “Where to this late at night?” Nash gave the address and poured himself a strong drink. Instructing the driver to wait, he stormed into Michael’s restaurant demanding that the waiter locate him.
“I’m sorry, sir, but he has not been in today.”
“That’s bullshit and you know it! I called earlier and spoke to him over the phone.”
The waiter shrugged his shoulders and turned his back to Nash. Patrons began to whisper and stare, and Nash stepped outside of the restaurant to control his temper. Once outside, he noticed that he had a voice message from an unknown caller. Curious, he clicked on the icon and listened. “Are you missing Analeigh? Tell your driver to come to Stanley Park. Time is of the essence, and by that I mean that Analeigh’s time is of the essence.”
Nash ran down the street like a crazy person to where the limo was parked. “Analeigh has been kidnapped! Stanley Park, and step on it.” The car began to move, but slowly. Nash repeated, “Step on it!” The car moved a little faster, but not much. Then it stopped. “Hey, what’s the deal? Is there an accident or something?”
The driver turned his head to look at Nash.
“Michael? What the fuck are you doing?”
“I’m taking you to the park.”
“Where’s Joe, my driver?”
“He’s in a safe place. Relax, we’ll get there.”
Nash looked around nervously, wondering what the twisted man had in mind. Nearly an hour later they finally arrived at the park and Nash’s hand was on the door. “Where is she?” Michael snapped on a screen that revealed Analeigh’s location. A woman and man were clearly having sex in a dark corner of the park, but their faces were unclear. “That’s not her.”
“Isn’t it? I would recognize that skinny scrawny body anywhere. Perhaps I should have fed her better.”