by Lexi Ward
“So, any minute now. I’ll be sure I’m out of your way for the night,” he added.
“I don’t want you to feel unwelcome in your own home!” she objected.
“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” he smiled up at her. “This is your home too now, Margaret. I want you to feel like it is at least.”
His words sent her heart racing the same way it always seemed to do when she was around him. “That’s very sweet of you.”
She wanted to continue talking to him, but she couldn’t think of what to say. The air in the room was filled with nervous, uncomfortable tension. She wasn’t sure if it was coming from her or from him. He looked a little out of sorts. He kept shifting his weight around in his chair and stealing occasional glances in her direction.
When the buzzer rang through the room, it caused her to jump a little. Joshua got to his feet and walked across the room. “I’ll see you at 11:00,” he said to her as he disappeared down the hall.
She heard Henry answer the intercom, and just a few moments later the elevator opened and Michael appeared. “Whoa!” he exclaimed as he stepped out, looking around the room.
She laughed a little as she walked towards him. “It’s pretty impressive, huh?”
“You can say that again!” His eyes were wide, as if they were trying to absorb everything he saw. He scanned the room three or four times before looking at her. “You look nice,” he said to her smiling.
“Thank you,” she said. She didn’t blush the way she did when Joshua looked at her. She didn’t feel her heart quicken or her hands start to shake. “You do, too,” she replied. He did look nice. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a red button up that made his dark blond hair almost seem to have a strawberry color to it.
“Mr. McGuire said to show you two to the cinema,” Henry said in his usual dry manner.
“Thank you, Henry,” she said turning to him. He led them down a different hall than usual. It was tucked away next to the elevator, and she had never actually noticed it before. Maybe because all of her attention was on the hall that led to her room, Joshua’s room, and the room with the metal door.
This new hall only had one door at the very end of it. When they walked through it, she was left as impressed as Michael. It looked like they had actually walked into a miniature movie theater. There were six rows of theater chairs, an enormous screen, and even a small concession area in the back. “This is awesome!” Michael yelled out as he ran into the room. His actions reminded her of those of a child. She tried to push that thought out of her head, though. She was determined to have a good night.
“I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything, but my shift ends at 10:00, so after that you’re on your own,” Henry said as he left them alone.
“So, how does this work?” Michael asked, spinning around to look at her.
“What?” she asked confused.
He plopped himself down in one of the seats as he continued speaking. “You are working here. Do you get to live here as well?”
She laughed a little as she walked over to sit next to him. “Yes,” she answered. “I live here.”
“That’s so dope!” he yelled excitedly.
“I suppose you could say that,” she answered quickly, not letting her true reaction to his outburst come through.
“And what do you do exactly, to get put up in a kick-ass place like this?”
The way he talked continued to turn her off. It was so superficial and almost juvenile. “Well, I basically serve as Mr. McGuire’s personal assistant,” she replied. She didn’t want to go into the details of what that entailed, however.
“Well, I’m glad we didn’t go out in the end,” he said chuckling.
“Why is that?”
“Because! Why would I pay to take you out when we have this whole place to hang out in?”
She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him, taken aback by his statement. “Well, it was very nice of Joshua to let us use this place for the night,” she agreed, but apprehensively.
“I’d say so!” Michael continued to speak loudly. “I mean, waiting tables is enough for me to get by, but I have to keep a pretty tight budget.”
“Have you gotten any acting jobs recently?” she asked him.
“A few things, but nothing major. A part in some stupid way way way off Broadway musical, and a spot in a local commercial.”
“That’s great!” she said jealous of his success. As minimal as it was, it was still better than what she had gotten.
“It’s a start, I suppose,” he shrugged. “Why don’t we pick a movie?”
As they flipped through the selection of movies, she couldn’t help but let her mind wander back to Joshua. What was he doing at that moment? Was he thinking about her? No! That’s ridiculous. Why would be he thinking about her? She tried to keep her attention on Michael, but every time he opened his mouth, she found him more and more immature. Compared to Joshua he was completely unrefined and brazen.
After they had made their choice, they took their seats in the front row. She snuggled up in the chair next to Michael and let him put his arm around her. She kept trying to slyly check her watch, waiting for 11:00 so she could escape to see Joshua again. She didn’t even notice what movie they were watching, but from time to time Michael would burst out laughing, so she did the same.
As the time got closer and closer, it became harder and harder for her to focus on what was going on around her. She kept her eyes fixed on her watch instead of the screen. When a loud explosion from the movie startled her, she looked up quickly. She hadn’t realized how close Michael had gotten. He was leaning to the side, his face only inches from hers. His left arm was still around her shoulders, but his right hand had somehow ended up on her leg.
She giggled nervously as she tried to adjust herself, hoping to pull away from him slightly. He kept his arm tightly around her, though, not letting her move. He turned to look at her, his green eyes glaring into hers. “What’s wrong?” he asked her. Something about the tone of his voice let her know that he was only feigning concern.
“It’s just getting a little hot,” she said still trying to wiggle free of his hold.
“I don’t think so,” he said as he leaned in closer to her. “But we can get it really steamy in here if that’s what you want.”
“No,” she said quickly, reaching up to push him away. “I don’t think…” She couldn’t finish her sentence, because as she spoke he wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her face towards him, pressing his lips against hers.
She let out a muffled yell, but he didn’t stop. He moved his hand from her leg to her chest, grabbing at her greedily. She pushed against his chest as forcefully as she could, but she couldn’t move him. He shoved his hand down her top, sending a feeling of disgust running through her.
He pulled away from her quickly, leaving his hand on her chest, and keeping her pinned back against the chair. He reached down with his free hand to begin undoing his jeans. “Come on, Maggie,” he said in a deviant voice. “You know you want this.”
“No!” she yelled out, but before her screams could be fully articulated he reached out and cupped his hand over her mouth. “Don’t yell,” he ordered her. “It’ll be quicker if you don’t yell.” With is pants undone and shoved down to his thighs he leaned back in to press his lips to hers, more to stifle her yells for help than to kiss her. He reached his hand down and slid it slowly up her skirt.
She felt like the room was closing in around her. She couldn’t breathe, and her heart felt like it was pounding so hard that it would explode out of her chest any moment.
Suddenly, something happened. Something came bursting into the room. She wasn’t sure what it was, but it was dark and covered in hair. The beast looked like a gorilla! Michael turned to look at it, his eyes large with fear. The beast rushed over to them, ripping Michael away from her. She tried to scream, but nothing came out. As she watched the animal throw Michael back against a wall and th
en lunge forward to attack the room began to spin faster and faster around her, until all of the sudden everything went black.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
When she regained consciousness, Margaret wasn’t sure where she was. She kept her eyes shut tightly, afraid to open them. She was lying on the ground. She must have fallen forward when she blacked out. The images of the night flashed through her mind.
She was with Michael. They were watching a movie, and then he tried to rape her. That much she was sure of. But what happened next was too strange to be true. She remembered a gorilla. A gorilla? That couldn’t be right. It couldn’t have been. But something did come in the room; something did save her.
She reached her hands up and ran them through her hair, taking a deep breath before opening her eyes. When she did, she looked around the room. Everything seemed to be in order. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. She tried to push herself up to her feet, but as she did she saw him.
In the far corner of the room was a gorilla. It was large—larger than any gorilla she had seen before. It was huddled into a ball, but its eyes were fixed on her.
She ducked back down quickly, trying to hide, but it was too late. She heard the animal begin to move towards her. Under the seats, she could see its massive hands and feet getting closer. When it got to the front row, standing only ten feet away from her, it stopped.
She began to feel dizzy, and she was afraid she would pass out again. She forced herself to take deep breaths. If she lost consciousness there’s no telling what the animal might do to her. She had to stay alert. Maybe she could at least attempt to defend herself. The gorilla stared at her but didn’t move.
The look on its face seemed like one of sadness. It tilted its head to the side and took one hesitant step forward. As it did she backed herself up, trying to keep the distance between them. It took another step, and she scooted back again. After only a few shuffles backward she felt herself hit the wall. She was trapped! The animal continued coming towards her, though.
When it reached her, it sat down abruptly. When it leaned forward she wanted to scream, but before she could, he rested his head gently on her chest and looked up at her.
The eyes! There was something about his eyes that seemed familiar to her. She looked at them closely, and as she did she felt her hands stop shaking and her breathing become steadier. They were the same dark blue eyes that she had looked into for the last month. It was Joshua!
CHAPTER TWELVE
“I don’t understand,” she said more to herself than to him. “How… How is it possible?”
They were no longer in the theater. They were in his room. When he transitioned back to his human form, the scene was so intense that it caused Margaret to pass out again. She tried to replay the images in her mind. In one instant she was sitting in the corner of the cinema, with a gorilla resting his head on her lap. And then, almost in a flash, the animal began to shake violently and right before her eyes, transformed into the man she had come to have feelings for secretly.
He had carried her back to his room, where he dressed quickly and waited for her to come to. When she did, she was lying on his bed, and he was sitting next to her, running his hands through her hair.
“I don’t know why it happens,” he said to her remorsefully.
“How long?” she asked softly.
“My entire life,” he answered slowly, letting the words wash over her. “For as long as I can remember, at least.”
“Is that why I have to chain you up every night?” she said, finally putting all the pieces together.
“Yes. The shifts—they’re becoming more intense, more frequent. I can’t control it,” he admitted.
“Does it happen every night?” she asked.
“You already know the answer to that.”
“So, the mornings that I come in and you’re… you’re naked?”
“Yes. Those are the nights that I shift.”
“But that’s almost every other day!”
“It didn’t use to happen so often. In the past, I could even control it. I could decide when I changed. But now, it seems like the beast inside me is controlling me, not the other way around.”
“That’s what you meant when you were talking about being mentally strong,” she said as everything fell more and more into place.
“Yes,” he admitted. “It’s something I wish I could take hold of. But sometimes I just feel so filled with rage and anger that it consumes me.” He stood to his feet quickly, covering his face with his hands. He let out a soft groan, almost like saying the words was causing him to feel the rage right then. “It’s ruining my life, Margaret!” he exclaimed loudly.
She pushed herself up and rushed over to his side. “What do you mean?” she asked, putting her arm around him, trying to comfort him.
“Everyone thinks I’m losing it!” he continued to speak emphatically. “I had to sell my company! I couldn’t risk going into work every day. The high-stress and constant fights with clients were starting to make it too dangerous.” He turned to face her. His face softened slightly as he looked down at her. “I’ve had to lock myself away here. I haven’t left my home in years,” he said in almost a whisper. “They’re written articles on me, I’ve seen them. ‘Billionaire loses his mind and his company’ was probably the worst of the headlines.”
She took him by the hand and led him back to the bed. “Is it really that bad?” she asked.
“Last night was the worst,” he said quietly. “Your date…”
“Michael,” she said under her breath. “What happened to him?”
“I can’t tell you.” He turned away from her as he spoke.
She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek, forcing him to look at her again. “Tell me, Joshua.”
“I killed him, Margaret.” As he said the words a cold shiver ran up her spine. “I don’t know what came over me. But I saw him on top of you like that, and I just… I just lost it! I had to protect you. I had to save you somehow.”
The mixture of emotions she felt left her speechless. She was grateful for his actions, but at the same time the realization that he killed someone was still heavy on her heart.
“I understand if you want to leave. If you don’t feel safe here anymore,” he said reaching his hand out and running it along her chin.
“I’m not afraid of you,” she said looking him deep in the eyes. She couldn’t ever be afraid of him. She knew him. He was kind, and gentlemanly, and sophisticated. He didn’t scare her—her made her feel safe.
“Maybe you should be,” he whispered as he leaned in closer.
She didn’t answer. She just wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled his face to hers. As they kissed passionately, her body began to ache for him. She ran her hands down his back, feeling his strong, defined muscles. He pulled away slightly and lifted the shirt off over his head. She slowly removed her dress, her whole body trembling with anticipation. When they came together again, they collapsed into the bed in a rush of passion.
He delicately kissed her body, moving from her neck to her chest, then to her stomach, sending a tingle down her spine. With each gentle peck, her body surged with desire. She ran her fingers through his hair, her hands shaking.
When he looked up at her, his eyes were filled with a spark of excitement. She pulled him back up to her, and as he kissed her neck, she nibbled at his ear. His hands ran up and down her body, feeling her soft skin under his fingertips. She pushed him up off of her and onto his back. She positioned herself on top of him, letting the sensation of being with him fill her completely. She let out a soft cry of pleasure as he reached up and pulled her down on top of him. He pulled at her hair, and she sank her teeth into his neck. Their bodies moved as one, the experience becoming more intense and passionate as they let themselves become lost in the moment.
There was no regret. There was no holding back. She gave herself to him completely. His strong arms and muscular frame enveloped her, making her feel compl
etely safe. The feeling of being with him left her overwhelmed with passion and comfort. She didn’t want the experience to end. She wanted to be with him forever, to always have his body close to hers. Everything about being with him was absolutely perfect and left her wanting more.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
When she woke up the next morning, she felt like her life had somehow changed. Something inside her had been released. She didn’t feel like the shy, awkward girl who came to the city with nothing. She felt renewed, strong, and confident. But when she rolled over to wrap her arm around Joshua and pull him close, all those feelings left at once. He was gone.
She sat up quickly, searching the room. He was nowhere to be seen. A sinking feeling began to form in the pit of her stomach as she dressed and slipped out into the hall to look for him. She found him where she knew she would—in the sitting room. “You left,” she said softly as she walked up behind him.