Page 1 of Prelude to Madness

Eric

“Wakey, wakey, rise and shine, princess. His Highness is waiting for you.” A gruff voice woke me.

How long had it been since I’d nodded off? Not long enough if my sore eyes were anything to go by. I tried to open them, blinking slowly at the stickiness gluing them together.

I had barely enough room to move in the cramped cage I’d slept in. My back and legs ached, and I longed to stretch out and release the kinks and knots that had formed in my muscles.

“Fuck off and leave me alone,” I grumbled. God, if only I were back in my bed with the soft pillows and crisp white sheets. Instead, I was locked away in this fucking cage. A cage I had no hope of escaping from.

My prison was bare, save a thin sheet and a pot to piss in, and I gagged at the nauseating stench of stale urine. I’d been here two weeks and still hadn’t got used to it.

How the fuck had I ended up here? I racked my brain, but the last thing I remembered was sipping a dry martini in a cocktail bar with a handsome young man who had promised me the best night of my life.

Dickhead here had believed him.

What?

It had been a while since I’d got laid, and a good fuck seemed a good way to spend the night. Well, an hour or two anyway.

I’d been playing the piano at the bar, a side gig to collect a few pounds towards my rent. Being a full-time composer didn’t pay the bills, but I knew nothing else. Composing music had been my passion since I was a child. I’d spend days writing, barely eating, barely sleeping, and for what?

Not enough, that was what, but I wouldn’t give it up. It was my life.

I was desperate. It was a month from Christmas, and if it hadn’t been for that stupid fucking bet with my best friend, Hugo, I’d have been tucked up at home with my cat and a cup of warm Horlicks.

Instead, I was here. I wondered who was feeding Shadow, my cat. Was anyone feeding him? A surge of panic hit me. I hoped to god Hugo was feeding the cat.

But what was the bet?

To get laid before Christmas. That was it. It appeared simple enough, and I’d almost won too. A measly hundred quid. It wouldn’t have paid much but might have stopped my phone from being cut off, and it had been far too long since I’d felt the hard, warm body of a man next to mine.

Rick?

“Come on, princess. We have a surprise for you today.” Keys jingled, and the padlock rattled as it opened.

I crawled out of the cage, stood, and straightened, every bone cracking. I rolled my shoulders, tensing, then releasing each muscle.

Fuck, that felt good.

I shuffled after my captor, shackles chafing my wrists and ankles. I struggled to keep up and almost fell in my attempt.

Jeers and shouts accompanied me from the other cages. Six more occupants, most in a worse condition than I was.

Rick?

We finally reached our destination, and he led me into a bathroom. I stopped, gazing around at the opulent gold fittings, the deep sunken bath, and a shower cubicle with multiple shower heads. Steam rose from the bath, and the scent of roses filled the air.

It had been two weeks since my last shower, and I’d fantasised about how it would feel standing beneath blessed hot water, being able to wash away the dirt and grime ingrained into my pores.

“Strip, princess.” The leather crop he carried met with my arse. Shit, that hurt.

How the fuck did he expect me to do that, still bound like a criminal? I’d been wearing these restraints since I first woke in this hellhole, and dried scabs covered my wrists and ankles.

I held my hands out to him and shook them.

He sighed and searched the huge bunch of keys. Cursing, he found the right one and opened the cuffs. They clattered to the floor.

I groaned with relief. So much better. I glanced down. Fresh sores had erupted where they’d rubbed, chafing my pale, thin skin.

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