Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Brian opens the back door of his car and sets my backpack on the seat before closing it and helping me into the front passenger seat. He silently reaches across to buckle me in.
When he’s settled behind the wheel a few seconds later, he turns to me. “Are you going to introduce me to your stuffie, Baby girl?” He points toward my kitten.
I tentatively hold her out. I feel vulnerable and scared. “This is Fluffy.”
He smiles and pats my kitten on the head. “Nice to meet you, Fluffy.” After he starts the car, he reaches for my hand and holds it loosely.
I feel less anxious when he’s touching me.
As we drive away, I turn my head to stare out the window. I’m leaving this cabin. I don’t know what Brian is going to be able to do to help me, but I have to trust him. It’s the best chance I have at ever escaping.
Brian squeezes my hand gently. “It’s going to be okay, Little one. I promise.”
Chapter Four
I’m quiet on the way to Noah’s apartment. I’ve known Brian for a long time. Even though he doesn’t live on the mainland, he visits on weekends sometimes, and I feel lucky when I get to see him, but how well do I really know him?
When he pulls into a parking spot and turns off the car, I start to panic. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t have told him so much about me. I should have gone home and forgotten I ever met someone as kind as Brian.
I wait for him to help me out of the car, mostly because I’m too nervous to move. He grabs my meager possessions and leads me into the apartment. As soon as he shuts the door and turns on the lights, I bite my lip.
I haven’t been inside a normal home owned by normal people for over ten years. Before my mother died, we had a normal home. I had friends who did, too. I went to their houses. We had sleepovers.
I’m standing in a large room that’s both a kitchen and a living room. Everything in this apartment is new and clean and bright. I’d forgotten how other people live.
“Come, Little one.” Brian sets my backpack on the coffee table and points toward the stairs. “The bedrooms are upstairs.”
I follow Brian upstairs and into a bedroom. It’s well lit like the downstairs. I’m not used to so much light. My father doesn’t like to waste electricity, so he only permits one lamp in the evening. When it’s dark, he tells me to go to bed.
Brian leads me over to the huge bed. I think it’s called king-sized. One of my friends’ parents had one when I was a kid. I gasp when Brian lifts me up and sits me on the edge of the bed. He guides me onto my back before removing my scuffed shoes.
I’m trembling. I’ve never been so scared. It suddenly occurs to me that he might want me to have sex with him. Is that why he brought me here? I panic and roll to the side, hoping to scramble off the bed, though I don’t know where I would go.
Brian sets a knee on the bed and wraps an arm around my waist to haul me back to the center. “Lacey?”
“Why did you bring me here?” I shout, trying to tug on his arm with my good hand.
“Calm down, Little one. I’m not going to hurt you.” He drops down onto a hip next to me, pulls my back against his front, and cradles me against him.
“Are you going to have sex with me?” I blurt out, still struggling.
He stiffens. “Lacey… No. That’s not going to happen. Not today.” He rolls me to my back and peers down at my face, cupping my cheek with his hand. “Let me tell you some things.”
I swallow. When I start squirming again, he tosses a leg over my thighs and stills me. I’m winded. My stomach hurts where my father kicked me two days ago. My butt hurts, my arm, my back… The list is long. I’m trying not to wince.
“I should have explained myself better before we left the club. I’m sorry, Little one. I’m going to do so now. I want you to listen.”
I whimper. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good girl.” He smiles and strokes my cheek. “First of all, yes, I’m attracted to you. I won’t lie about that. I’ve been watching you for a long time. Surely you knew that. I think you like me, too. You always squirm when I talk to you, and your cheeks get pink.” He’s teasing me.
I bite my lip.
He plucks my lip out from between my teeth. “And you bite your lip. Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to reach out and pull that pretty lip free of your teeth?”