Seductive Truths (Seductive Trilogy) (7 page)

    
‘
Yes, I’m at Zoe’s but I’ll walk home.  The fresh air will do me good after the day I’ve had.  I’ll see you shortly,
’
and as an afterthought I quickly added,
‘
I love you
’
before hanging up.

     Grabbing a scrap piece of paper I wrote a brief note for Zoe then collecting my things I was up and out of the door.




     I wasn’t aware of anything around me.  Not what shops I passed or the type of people who walked by.  The only thought that passed my mind was William.  How much I had missed him, the
ways in which we could make up,
o
ur future.

     One more street and I would be home.  One more street and I would be safe in my fiancé’s arms.  Everything would return to normal and I could focus on my up and coming wedding. 

     It wasn’t far to go.  Five more minutes and I would have been home, but it was those last minutes that changed everything.

     Hands grappled me from behind, tipping me off balance.  I tried to lash out but my attacker was too strong.  I screamed but it was short lived when my mouth was covered by a rough
hand and a sharp prick pierced my neck.

     Suffocated.

     Dizzy.

     I clawed at the hands, tried grabbing onto a corner of a brick wall, my legs flared.  I attempted anything to enable my escape, but I was growing weak.  My body turned lethargic from the drug.

     I lost my footing and fell straight into my captor’s arms.  Solid warmth hit my back.  I felt the pounding of their ecstatic heartbeat.  Eyes became blurred and sound muffled.  My world was turning black.

     I was slipping away.

     Bit by bit.

     Helpless.

     Alone.

     As I looked up to the toxic night’s sky, the last visage I saw were two determined blue eyes towering over me before blacking out.    

     Many people wonder what it’s like to be unconscious.  Do you carry on dreaming of the world around you?  Is there a place you venture to and live another life?  Does God come to you in a blinding white light?  Can you hear or sense what is going on around you?

     There is nothing of the sort.  You do not dream of the life you led.  You are not exported to another life you make your own.  There is no blinding white light and some God to welcome you with open arms.  There is nothing.  You can’t hear, see, touch, taste or smell.  You’re nothing.  No longer are you the human being you knew.  You’re just a lifeless body, an empty shell.  You’re one step away from death.




     Back and forth, to and
fro
.  That was the motion I felt myself going through on the verge of semi-consciousness.  Swaying this way and that like a rolling tide, then with a sharp movement I came crashing down, colliding forcibly into something hard.  I moaned as the dull pain pounded my head.

     I couldn’t see, but heard.  Nothing made sense.  The only thing I could feel was the intense pain tingling throughout my body every time I was thrown against a solid object.  Another harsh jolt and I was knocked
back
unconscious.




     Warmth swam around me and I was lifted to freedom.  I was soaring through the air without a care in the world.  The higher I went the freer I felt.  But I saw nothing.

     The further I flew, the shadier it got and then I was covered in a blanket of darkness.  But I was maintaining flight.  Soared through the air and careened around corners, always guided by warmth.  To guide me where?  I had no idea.  When would this journey end?  Where would it take me?  All I
k
new was that I couldn’t control it.  I wasn’t the one in control anymore.  There was no going back, just forward.  Always forward.

     A nauseating dizziness overcame me when I felt a drop in gravity, landing me on cool ground.  The sensation was too much for me to handle and I passed out.




     I was woken up by a loud crashing noise which vibrated through my aching head.  My heart pounded and pulse raced.  I listened for further sound, but there was nothing, just an eerie silence. 

     I tried calling out but was choked by a filthy cloth bound tight around my mouth.  My body was racked with coughing fits.  Thankfully I was able to get it under control after a couple of steady breaths.

     In and out.

     Up and down.

     Steadily.

     Calming.

     Then there were footsteps echoing in the distance.  My head snapped in their direction but I couldn’t see.  I was blinded by something.  Some sort of dense material was cutting out any available light source. 

     The footsteps grew closer and I started to panic.  I attempted to scramble to my feet, but my legs wouldn’t move.  Rope dug into my ankles.  They were tied firmly in place.  That’s when I took note of my hands forced behind my back and they too were tied.  I was trapped and my pulse quickened with the thought.  My skin turned cold in fear.

    
How did I get into this mess?  What happened?  Where the fuck am I?  And why won’t the footsteps stop?

     Then silence.

     The tension made me want to scream. 

     Then a scent drifted my way.  A familiar, exotic, intoxicating aroma assaulted me.  I felt dizzy as the musky cologne seeped through my aching body and into my brain.  It revived me.

     Then they returned, slow and steady, getting louder and louder with each foot fall.   They stopped.  I heard slight shuffling of material adjusting to accommodate its new shape and sensed the person crouch down.  They were so close.  Their breath fanned my skin sending a shocking tingle down my spine to the tips of my toes.  Our heavy breathing started to mingle.

     In and out.

     Together.

     As one.

     My heart took control of my body.  Where it was once cold, I now found waves of heat coursing through me at an alarming rate.  I was terrified how my body was reacting, especially in such circumstances.  I was being scorched with just the whisper of hot air and heady cologne, with a faint smell of cigarette and whisky on their breath. 

    
The hot air moved to my ear and I flinched.   A deep, warm, and husky voice whispered,
‘
You
will
be mine.
’

     Fear trickles through me like rain.  My breathing is constricted.  I feel myself begin to hyperventilate.  I whimper for my release.  I wriggle in an attempt to get out of these ties.

    
‘
Stay still,
’
his scratchy voice whispers into my ear.  My body turns rigid. 
‘
You’re only making matters worse.  The more you struggle the further the string will cut into your skin.
’

     The softness of his tone manages to relax me.  My heart rate calms.  I swallow the tears forming in my throat.  My nose won’t stop sniffling.

    
‘
That’s it.
’

     He shifts closer and then I flinch at the touch of his surprisingly delicate fingers stroking my cheek.  A little sob of fear escapes me.

     
‘
Shhh, I won’t hurt you.  It’s not my purpose.
’

    
Then why am I here?  Where is here?

    
‘
You will be safe, as long as you do what I say and don’t fight me.
’

     Safe?  How can he call this safe?  I’m terrified out of my wits; safe doesn’t even fit in to this equation!
 

    
‘
Put up a fight and I won’t be
ac
countable for my actions.
’

     There it is
-
the spark of menace I’ve been waiting for. 

     A sense of dread provokes me to lash out with my feet and I manage to clip him, knocking him off balance as I hear his feet shuffle unsteadily.  But my legs don’t stop
flailing
around.  I blindly k
ick out, scream through the cho
king material, anything to be heard by a passer-by, but all I achieve is aggravating my captor.

    
‘
I told you not to fight me,
’
he snarls.

     He roughly grabs hold of my legs then straddles them, placing his body weight on top to keep me still.

    
This is it!  He’s going to rape me!  He’s going to destroy me.  I’m never going to be the same again!

    
‘
I knew you were feisty, but I think I’ve underestimated you.  It’s going to be harder than I thought.
’

     Knew I was feisty?  Knew?  Holy, Jesus, Christ, oh fucking hell!  This guy knows me.  He knows me!

     With this daunting thought sinking in, something finally snaps and I strike out in all directions, irrepressible dread taking control and I squirm underneath him, yelling for help.

    
‘
Stop moving.
’

    
Get off me, get off me.  Please, somebody help me!

    
‘
Lay still!
’

    
I want to go home!

    
‘
Alex!
’

    
I can’t die, I can’t die.  I won’t die.  Not here, not like this.

    
‘
I’m sorry.
’

     That voice.  Those words.  I’ve heard it be…

     My head jerks back violently and a sharp shooting twinge spreads through my brain and before I can think further on the cause, I pass out cold.




     I’m lying in the comfort of a soft bed. 

     My bed. 

     Mine and William’s. 

     The red duvet shields me from the morning chill.  Then I feel warm arms slink around my waist and velvety lips caress my neck where my pulse beats steadily to the rhythm of my heart.  I also smell the unmistakable earthy, fresh scent that is always there when I wake.  Lifting my head I turn towards the solid pressure pushing against my back and I get caught in a pair of deep, chocolate-y eyes filled with intense longing.  His smile widens as he watches me wake. 

     William. 

     I smile.

     Closing my eyes I lay my head back in the pillow and concentrate on the way his fingers dance over my skin, leaving a light tingle as they go.

     Every touch whispers
“
I love you
”
as he glides his hand down my naked flesh while his tongue plays havoc licking my pulsating neck.

     I moan, encouraging him to explore further, taking in each and every contour of my body.  Indulging in the deep sensations, I move my neck to the side and rest my head on his shoulder to allow his lips more expanse of skin to torment.

      But his touch turns possessive.  His hand sweeps down to the apex of my legs and roughly fondles my silk knickers, adding friction to my already sensitive clit. 

     The earthy smell is replaced with an intoxicating mix of tobacco and whiskey.  The hot breath that tickled my ear is no longer comforting and loving but raw with a fiery passion.

     My eyes snap open and I quiver in fear and lust, not knowing which is stronger.  I am unable to stop myself responding.  My hips move in time with his hand.  My blood riots through my veins.  A cry rings through the air as he bites down on the tender flesh at the base of my neck.  He has possession of my body.

     A cold shiver takes control of my limbs.  I look down and gasp.  I’m naked!  Then masculine hands snake their way towards my breasts.  His expert fingers pinch, roll and stroke each pink nipple to attention.  My breaths increase.  His body pressure intensifies as he leans towards my ear and whispers,
‘
You
will
be mine.
’

     I start.

     It was just a dream.

     The cold dampness from the ground numbs my body and draws my attention back to the situation I am in.

     I am lying on my side.  Hands and feet tied.  Blinded, gagged and with no means of escape.  My captor nowhere to be heard, but I know he is out there, somewhere.  It is only a matter of time before he returns to…to do goodness knows what.