Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97944 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 490(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Squeezing a dollop of body wash onto a loofah, he hands it to me. “Wash now.”
A ripple of unease races up my spine at his eyes lingering on my exposed flesh. The thought of him touching me… I turn toward the wall, slowly brushing the sponge up and down my arms. The loofah is like sandpaper over my belly. My hands shake, and I drop it.
“It’s okay. Let me get—”
“I’m ready to get out,” I whisper.
“Yes, of course.” He grabs the towel without question, and I shut my mind down and walk out, allowing him to cover me. “I have a surprise for you.”
Despair pumps through my veins. “What kind of surprise?” I ask. He stares at me, his easy-going smile in place. A facade. Because a monster is hiding underneath.
“You’ll see. Let’s get you dressed.”
I swallow my nerves and walk, ready to run or fight at any moment. He allows me to dress in sweatpants and a tank top, then walks us down the hall to another room. The closer we get, the more my fear intensifies. This doesn’t seem right. A single terrifying thought starts to play on repeat in my mind. He’s not going to kill me. He’s going to rape me. Fuck! I can’t catch my breath. Calm down, Mindy. I need to think clearly, but my heart hammers inside my chest. “Where are you taking me?” I ask, unable to conceal the panic in my voice.
“It’s a surprise.”
My feet halt, locking in place. My body stops short of the door he opens. “Vince, please.”
“Shh, love. You’re going to enjoy this.” I try to resist when he puts his hand on my lower back. I can’t go in there. Whatever it is, my intuition tells me it’s not good. “Come on…” My feet refuse to budge, and fear paralyzes me. If I enter that room, I’m probably as good as dead. I quickly turn and grab him. “Please, you don’t have to do this. I like you. Please. We can work something out. I don’t—
“Inside, Minds.” He says it with such ease. As if this is all normal. “Now.” My protests are silenced by his shove. I stumble inside, the scent of roses assaulting my senses. I’m not sure what I expected. A kill room. Plastic padded walls lined with sharp knives. This is far from it. My lips part. “Wh—What is this?”
“This is where we first met.”
I turn to him. “What?”
“I was worried you wouldn’t remember. It was a long time ago. But I plan on changing that.”
I turn back to the room, wrapping my arms around myself. Dread mixed with recognition flows through me. It’s identical to a set at the studio. “I—I don’t understand.”
He waves his hand at me. “It’s okay. I expected that. I don’t think you even saw me the first time.” He walks into the room and stands next to me. “You were just starting out. You were so nervous, I could smell it on you.”
“What?”
“The studio. I was on set for your first film.”
I struggle to wrap my mind around his comment. “I still don’t understand.”
He turns away, moving over to the dresser and picking up a single red rose. “I can’t say I’m not a bit disappointed you don’t remember. I thought I did quite well with all the clues.” He faces me, twirling the rose in his hand. “They had you in this deep wine corset, your lips a ruby red. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
My eyes flicker to the flower, and chills race up my arm. “I almost didn’t take the job that day. My father demanded I attend a silly work party at his company.” His knuckles become white, crushing the stem between his fingers. He drops the rose and continues. “As fate had it…” he looks at me with a sadistic smile, “I took a call from your boss instead. He was having tech issues. Stupid fucker didn’t even know how to connect his Wi-Fi router. When I showed up, there you were. Like a temptress. I should have made you mine then. But I waited. I waited and watched. Learned everything about you. I wouldn’t have you turn away from me because we didn’t share the same interests.”
He walks to the bed, dragging a finger down the sheets. “I fantasized so many times about being in that bed with you. Me doing those things. Touching you. Smelling you. God…” He wipes his hands down his face. “And now…” His eyes find mine. Any color left has drained from my face. “Now, I do—”
I race toward the door, but he’s faster, slamming it shut. I claw at his arms, but he restrains me. “Let me go!” I scream and kick him. “Let me fucking go!”
He spins me around, shoving me against the door. Gripping the back of my hair, he yanks me toward him, and I wince at the pain radiating from my scalp. “That’s not how you will speak to me. Do you understand?” His smile is gone. His eyes, now blazing with anger, hold my gaze until they lower to my lips. My stomach convulses at the thought of him kissing me. But just as fast, his smile returns, and he releases me. “I have something for you.” He leaves me and grabs a garment bag hanging from the bedpost. “Does this ring a bell?” He unzips the bag and drags his fingers down the corset, rubbing the lace between his thumb and index finger. “I knew it then. The way you smiled at me… we’d crossed paths for a reason. We were meant to be together.”