Captive- Veiled Desires (6 page)

Amy grew quiet, her body loosening in his arms. “Depends on what you call first time.”

Her sudden somber expression clouded her once cheerful face and her eyes were now glazed by her memories. He knew then he had touched on an extremely delicate and sensitive part of her.

He lifted off her slowly. “Are you okay?”

She sat up, brushing her hair back off her face. “Yes, I’m fine.”

He withdrew to the end of the couch, giving her some space as he peered concernedly into her face. “Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”

“No.” She shook her head and filled her glass with wine to the brim.

He sat quietly, letting her mellow with her thoughts for a while. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No.”

She smacked her lips after another gulp of her wine and then threw her head back against the couch. “I got sexually abused when I was eight years old.”

He tensed. He touched her shoulder lightly, caressing her skin with the tips of his fingers. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, Amy.”

She palmed her face tiredly. “Is it okay if I did?”

He put an arm around her and drew her to him.

She didn’t need for him to tell her that she could. She put her arms around his waist, hugging him back. “It was a cousin. He was well in his early twenties and when my parents would leave him to babysit my brother and me, he’d take me into my room, pull down my panties and stroke my vagina with his penis. My brother never had a clue. My cousin was clever enough to get him occupied with a video game or the TV while he pretended to play house with me. It happened on three separate occasions before I finally found the guts to tell my mother.” She stopped, biting back the tears in her eyes. “She didn’t believe me. I didn’t know what hurt more. The abuse or that my mother continued to let my cousin live in the same house as I did.” She took a deep breath and withdrew from him. “Needlessly to say,
that
totally fucked me up. I was eight for god sakes and her non-reaction told me that nothing wrong had happened. He didn’t touch me after that, which was relieving, but the older I got, the more soiled and guilty I felt. I didn’t know why I carried the burden of the guilt. But the bastard and my parents sure did leave me feeling like a bitch.”

“I’m sorry,” he said.

His hands were still caressing her shoulder, which slightly relieved her that he hadn’t bolted on her- yet.

“No, I’m sorry,” she muttered. “We’ve only been dating five months. It’s too early for something as seriously fucked up as that.”

“It isn’t,” he whispered. “You know how I feel about you. And whatever’s happened doesn’t make any difference to my feelings for you. I’m glad that you decided to tell me. It kind of confirms that you trust me.”

She let out an awkward and nervous chuckle. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you ran after this. I have an uncanny knack for that. Driving men away.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” he said, his fingers running through her luscious brown hair. “Unless, of course you want me to.”

She lifted her head up to him and kissed him lightly on the lips.

He stared down at her as if he was studying her and then slowly kissed her again, gradually deepening it, running his tongue inside her.

She moaned, clutching onto his fair mane and pulled him down with her onto the couch.

He submitted willingly, his erection growing hard and stabbing into her core.

She tugged at his pants, eager to feel his warm, fleshly length. Her phone shrilled into the air with her annoying siren ringtone, interrupting them, breaking her journey down to his crotch.

“Leave it,” he groaned into her ear as she reached out for her phone.

“Let me just see who’s calling,” she rasped. “It might be important.”

She grabbed her cell as he tried to sway her back to him with his kisses. She made a quick glance at the flashing display and swore under her breath.

“Jake, I gotta take this.”

“What?” he said as she slapped him away.

She slid the reception icon and blurted a quick hello.

“Hello, can I speak to Miss Amy Jacobsen, please?” the man asked on the other end of the line.

She cleared her throat. “Yes, this is she.”

“Miss Jacobsen, my name is Travis Mulholland. I’m calling from the Office of Overseas Citizens Services in Washington. I believe you had an enquiry on the whereabouts of your friend, Nora Jennings.”

Her mouth ran dry. “Yes?”

“Is this a good time to talk to you?”

She stiffened, stepping away from the now curious Jake.  Her legs quivered beneath her. Her caller’s tone was all too serious and ominous.  She licked her lips, trying to prepare herself mentally for what he might have to say.  “Yes, of course… yes.”

HAPTER
4

“Miss Jacobsen, I understand you were concerned about your friend’s travel movements in India,” the man called Travis Mulholland said on the phone.

“That’s right.” She swallowed.

“Can I ask you how you’re related to Miss Jennings?”

“I’m her friend.”

“And why do you suspect she is missing?”

“Well, I haven’t heard from her for a week. And she promised she would email me at most every two days.”

“Miss Jacobsen, as much as I’d like to believe you, there is also the possibility that your friend may not have contacted you yet.”

“But you don’t understand,” she insisted fervently. “She promised me. She told me that she would. That and the fact she’s a photographer. And yet she hasn’t uploaded a new photograph to her database since a week ago. I would think that is very strange considering photography is what took her to Kashmir.”

She heard a brief rustle of static hover in the line.

“What database is this, Miss Jacobsen?”

She grew quiet. “Who am I speaking to again?” she asked cautiously.

“Travis Mulholland,” the man replied curtly. “Miss Jacobsen, what database were you referring to?”

She didn’t understand why she hesitated. Perhaps, it was the manner in which the man spoke to her. She didn’t like his officious tone. She was certain though that he annoyed her much too greatly.

“I’m telling you there is something wrong,” she barked into the phone. “Nora wouldn’t just lose contact with me like that. She isn’t the sort. And she knew how worried I would be.”

“Calm down, Miss Jacobsen.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down,” she yelled angrily. “My friend is missing. And all I’ve been doing with you fucking lot in that department is repeating myself since yesterday.”

“Miss Jacobsen, I understand that this can be a trying point in your life. We are here to help in any way we can to bring back your loved ones safely back home. For the present, I can assure you that there haven’t been any reports of any female American being arrested or hospitalized in India.”

“Mr Mulholland, with all due respect, if she was arrested or hospitalized that would make her
found
. Unfortunately, she’s still missing.”

She heard someone whisper in the background and she rolled her eyes. Was she talking to a fucking intern? Those voices had got to be from the trainee’s superior.

“Miss Jacobsen, do you have a letter of authority from Miss Jennings delegating you to act on her behalf in cases of emergencies such as this?”

The question took her by surprise. She had simply assumed that the office would be interested in the welfare of any American traveling in volatile territories.

“No,” she replied slowly. She closed her eyes, her heart growing heavy from the words that would follow it.

That annoying static hovered between them again. This time she noticed though it was longer than the first, making her more anxious than she already was.

“I’m sorry, Miss Jacobsen,” he started and she bit her lip. “But unless you have a letter of authority from Miss Jennings, I cannot disclose any details on Miss Jennings’ whereabouts. You will need to provide significant evidence that she would have given you authority to act on her behalf had she had the opportunity to do so.”

“And how do I go about doing that?” she remarked sarcastically. “That’s almost impossible to prove.”

“I’m sorry, Miss Jacobsen.”

The whispers started again and they aggravated her. “Give me your supervisor,” she demanded.

That blasted static!

“Miss Jacobsen, there is great possibility that your friend is safe and will contact you in due time. In the meanwhile, we will keep an eye out for any news of your friend,” he said.

“Is that all you will do?” Her jaw fell open in shock. “Aren’t you going to actively look for her?”

His supervisor muttered something in the background and she seethed. Why was he whispering like that? Why won’t he simply talk to her?

“Miss Jacobsen, are you aware that there is a travel advisory issued for Jammu and Kashmir?”

“What?” she blurted. “I thought that was over.”
Nora had said the kidnappings of those tourists occurred two decades ago. She had said Kashmir was much safer now.

“The US Department of State has extended its travel advisory for Jammu and Kashmir. Because Miss Jennings traveled to Kashmir in spite of the warning, there is little we can do under the circumstances.”

“You’ve got to be kidding-”

“Until then, Miss Jacobsen,” he continued, cutting her off. “We’ll just have to wait for any news regarding Miss Jennings. And should you happen to hear from her, please let us know immediately as well.”

She pulled in a deep breath, trying to control her temper. “And you will update me on anything you will find, right?”

“I’m sorry, that is something we still won’t be able to do until you provide us with a written consent from Miss Jennings.”

She grew quiet. She wanted to shout and scream at the man. But that wouldn’t help her at all. In her career as a nurse, she had long learned that it was patience and placidity that resolved even the toughest of situations. She could recall several occasions where relatives had screamed at her about a patient’s health. And many a times she had wished she could shout back at them. For Nora’s sake, she had to repose herself.

Her mind raced through any details she might have overlooked before Nora’s departure to India. Letter of authority to act? She couldn’t remember her saying anything about such a letter.

“Miss Jacobsen,” the man said, breaking through her thoughts. “Will there be anything else?”

“No, that is all,” she muttered mindlessly.

“Good luck, Miss Jacobsen. I do sincerely hope that your friend is well.”

“Wait,” she blurted quickly. “How can I contact you again if I do hear something from her?”

“Of course,” the man stammered.

His supervisor whispered something behind him and the man repeated it aloud. “You can contact me on this number.” He rattled out the case number and his contact details and Amy scrolled it quickly down on a notepad.

She disconnected the call and bit her lower lip in deep thought. Surely, there was something she could do to know if Nora was fine.

“What’s going on, Amy?” Jake asked, leaning forward concernedly.

She looked up at him, her eyes deeply lined with worry. “I think something’s wrong with Nora.”

“What do you mean?” He frowned. “Hasn’t she been keeping in touch with you?”

She shook her head and he put an arm around her, letting her lean into him. She gladly tucked her head into his chest, appreciating his protective presence.

“How long has it been since she last contacted you?” he asked.

“A week,” she muttered. “I’m so worried, Jake.”

He caressed her head. “There must be a good reason why she hasn’t. There is every possibility she is simply enjoying herself and hadn’t had the time to call or email. She hasn’t had a good holiday in a long time and this was her first trip overseas. Maybe, she has met someone? A man?”

She pulled back and looked up at him curiously. “Come to think of it, there was this picture of a man she had uploaded to her online database. It was one of her last photographs of Dal Lake.”

“You think he could possibly be someone she would be interested in?”

She cocked her head to the side, thinking deeply. “I don’t know. The picture wasn’t all that clear so I couldn’t tell by his face. He had a great profile though.  His clothes were ethnic and I think he could possibly have been a Kashmiri native.”

“Well, that could be it then. She must be in love and simply hadn’t had the time to contact you. Give her some space and I’m sure she will.”

She sighed. “Yeah, I suppose. That is what that guy from the Office of Overseas Citizen’s Services said.”

“And he could be right. They deal with these cases all the time. He should know.”

She nodded. “I panicked. But that is only because she’s more than just a best friend, Jake.”

“I know.” He wrapped her arms around her as he looked ardently into her face.

“And I’m so protective of her. I suppose it has something to do with my abuse, but I can’t imagine someone doing that to her.”

“She’s lucky to have someone like you looking out for her.”

“She’d do the same for me.”

He traced the edges of her face. “And that is why I think I’m falling in love with you.”

“You shouldn’t say something like that to a woman,” she mumbled, entranced by his eyes. “She might take it seriously and fall back in love with you too.”

“I was hoping she would,” he whispered as his lips came slowly down on hers.

She opened her mouth wider to let him in, his tongue teasing and taunting hers. She groaned, tingles rising up her spine, her core growing damp from his kisses.

He picked her up from the lounge, cupping her butt cheek as he tugged her against him so he could grind his erection against her damp sex. She leaped lightly onto him, winding her legs around his hips, his hard length chafing against her.

“Amy, are you sure you want to do this now?” he rasped.

“And why not?” she muttered, nibbling on the sides of his neck.

“Nora…”

She ran her hands through his fair hair. “You’re probably right. I could be obsessing over nothing. I’ll just wait for her to contact me and then I can happily rip her apart for not calling me any sooner.” She smiled. “I love you. I love that you can make me see sense. If it hadn’t been for you, I’d be still agonizing over it like I had been the entire week.”

He carried her to her bed, laid her gently on it and then straddled her. “You’re not alone anymore, Amy. Talk to me next time you have a problem.”

She traced her finger down his body to his stiff cock. “Do you intend to talk all night or are you going to do something about this?” She massaged the tip of his erection, straining against his pants.

He moaned, lifting up her tee-shirt to kiss her breasts. He kneaded them as his tongue circled her areola, his teeth nipping at her nipples. His hands ran down the length of her, caressing her bare skin at her waist, cupping her buttocks and then her crotch.

She writhed under him, filled with the need to have him inside her, pumping her.

He pulled off her tracks and then looked down at her as if he were studying her scarlet red thong.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Wondering what it is that I should do?”

She chuckled. “Have you forgotten how to do it?”

He grinned. “No, but I don’t want to make it seem so autonomous.”

“Trust me, it won’t,” she breathed, feeling his length through his pants.

“I could rip this beauty with my teeth or I could…” He didn’t finish, running his finger down her crease of her thong marking her slit.

She gasped. “I like that.”