Page 9 of Room One Hundred and Twenty Six: Denied

“My knees! Listen–”

His mouth took mine, sufficiently shutting me up. Fuck… me. All the sassy things I wanted to say died on my tongue. One that he was caressing roughly with his. He’d forced his way into my mouth, marking it with the tip of his tongue. I leaned in closer to him, completely under his spell. This stolen moment had me forgetting exactly what I couldn’t stand about Caesar. Instead, I could only focus on how good he tasted and how he controlled me with his mouth. His hands weren’t touching me, but my uninjured hand was fisting his shirt and trying to climb him like a tree. He slowed the kiss, and I was missing him already, though he hadn’t pulled away yet.

“Sam, you’d crawl for me, kneel, and do many other things you never would for any other man only because I asked. Those things aren’t to degrade you. Instead, they’d free you and allow me to take care of you in ways you’ve never understood. Baby girl, you’ll do it because you need to.” He kissed me once more and nodded to the stairwell. “Let’s get you settled into your room.”

Well, shit.

Not waiting for my response, he picked up my bag and began climbing the steps in the far corner. I followed, not having a single thing to say. What he’d said had me lost in thought. Was that his way of telling me exactly what he wanted from me? Or had I misunderstood that kiss? It could mean more than I needed it to be.

Caesar left me to organize my things how I wanted them to be. There were dressers and a walk-in closet to put my clothes in. There was no way that I’d fill any of this up from my one bag. Besides, I didn’t plan to be here that long. I wanted to explore, but my arm was sore, and I was tired. I sat on the bed and tried to breathe through the pain so I wouldn’t get sick.

“Knock knock.”

I looked up to see Tavi in the doorway. He was carrying a tray with food, soda, and water.

“Hey, you.” I smiled his way.

“Yeah, you don’t look so good. When’s the last time you had medication?” He sat down the tray on the dresser and sat beside me.

“Before I left the hospital. We’re waiting on the pharmacy to text me to get it filled.”

“Do you have the information? I’ll see if I can get an ETA on it. I know in the hospital they also gave you Motrin. Maybe we have some of that around until we can get what you need.”

I nodded. “That’ll take the edge off until then.” I gave him the location information, and he made a few calls. He found the Motrin and gave me that with the soda.

Next, he gave me the tray to eat from. Deli sandwich with lots of fixings. Tomato, onions, lettuce, pickles, mayo, cheese, and a pickle spear on the side. There were chips and mandarin orange slices, too. I ate happily, more than a little content that he’d gotten it right, adding my favorite fruit. Less than an hour later, someone delivered the medication. Relieved, I took it and a nap. Tavi left me alone to sleep, and I buried myself under the blanket to rest.

The badly smelling man was back, ready to finish the job. We struggled in the alleyway, and I hoped that somebody would come by and save me. His oxygen-deprived lips kept trying to kiss me while he rubbed his boney body against mine. My arms were weak, tired of fighting, and I screamed for help.

“Let me go!” I shouted.

“No, bitch. You’re going to give me some of that ass you’re packing. I don’t care if you scream. I like my women with some fight. After I fuck it out of you, you’ll beg for more. You want it. I see it in your eyes.”

No! No! No. But he was winning. I was naked in the alley, and he was going to take whatever he wanted.

“Sam!”

How’d he know my name? I continued to fight him, and he held my arms down.

“Sam, wake up!”

Wake up?

I opened my eyes to see Tavi above me. What was he doing here? I pushed at him, and when he moved back, I scrambled to sit up and into a ball against the headboard.

“Breathe.” He said calmly.

“What were you doing in here?” My eyes darted around the room nervously. I was here alone with these two men. What kind of message was I sending to them?

“You were screaming and had a nightmare. I tried to wake you from your sleep. You fought me. None of that is important right now. I just need you to worry about breathing.”

Fully dressed, Tavi wasn’t even aroused. I nodded, trusting him. I followed his breathing until I calmed down completely. Unfolding myself, I stretched out my legs and arm. Overwhelmed, I began crying so hard that my body shook. Tavi came over and pulled me into his arms. I leaned on him and let it all out.

Tavi rubbed my back, relaxing me in his hold. The dream, tussle in the alleyway, and losing control that I felt then and now weighed heavily on me. The twins were the only thing good or constant in the past few days. Suddenly, I felt ungrateful for everything that they’ve done for me. They didn’t have to do it, but they had. And even though they could have done inappropriate things to me, they hadn’t. Instead, they’d asked me to date them. A response I still hadn’t given them.

“Thank you. Tavi, I’m sorry I’m being such a pain.” I sniffed. “I’m not usually this needy and can take care of myself, but it’s–”

“Nice that somebody else is doing it for once?” He asked, cutting me off.

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