“Would you prefer eating with your fingers?” Ash made an attempt to grab the utensils, but I was too quick, snatching them out of his reach.
“No. They’re good.” Begrudgingly I added, “Thanks.”
The table was deathly quiet as we ate. What do you say to your kidnappers? It’s not like I’d understand their reasoning and they were hellbent that I was this Gabriella person. The question kept nagging at me… What were they going to do with me when they discovered I wasn’t her? The gig would be up sooner rather than later; either the real Gabriella would show up or someone who was more familiar with what she looked like would get one look at me and expose the truth. The idealistic part of me hoped they’d set me free when that happened, but the reality was that they may never let me go. I couldn’t allow myself to consider that possibility though.
Once done eating, Ash gathered the dirty dishes and began clearing the area.
“If you want a shower then you can.” Phoenix stated, standing and grabbing my arm, pulling me to my feet. I was going to reject the offer, but while looking down at my filthy shorts and tank, I noticed there were also still dirt stains on my arms and legs. I was slightly smelling of BO, as gross as it was for me to admit. Between the heat in that tiny room and my frazzled nerves I’d been sweating like a mad woman. There was a small pedestal sink in the little bathroom adjoining my room, but it was hardly a substitute for a real shower with nice-smelling soaps.
“Yeah, thanks.” I followed Phoenix from the kitchen as he led the way down the hallway. Straight ahead my cage loomed, awaiting my return. At least the shower would give me a few more minutes of freedom before I would be locked away again. Stopping a couple doors from my room, he opened the door and motioned for me to enter.
Stepping inside, I saw that the room was plain with a toilet, a white pedestal sink and a shallow tub with shower and white fabric shower curtain, which was pulled to the side.
Phoenix stepped in behind me, blocking the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest. Both muscular arms were adorned with black and gray tattoos with red splashed throughout – I think they called it trash polka. If I didn’t hate the man standing so arrogantly before me, I’d have admired the artwork. “You’ve got ten minutes. I’ll be standing here waiting for you.”
“You’re not going to watch me shower, are you?”
He nodded to the shower. “There’s a shower curtain. I can’t see you. Though if you’d let a slimebag piece of shit like Raven look at you naked I don’t know why you’d be shy around anyone, really.” The look he gave me was almost a sneer. “Setting standards aren’t your strong suit, are they?”
Anger welled up within me as I planted my hands on my hips to keep from assaulting him, but I couldn’t keep my tongue from dishing out a lashing. “I’m not this Gabriella person! I have no idea who this Raven person is either, but he can’t be any worse than two thugs who kidnap innocent women off the street! And where the fuck is my car? I swear to God, if you two morons left it on the side of the road to be vandalized and stolen…”
Instead of the expected angered response in return, a smile began to form on Phoenix’s lips. “You’ll do what exactly?”
Glaring at him, I didn’t speak for a moment. “I will make you both pay. Some way. Somehow. You’ll both regret it.”
“Noted. Now get in the shower before the window closes on the offer. You won’t get the offer again – I promise you that.”
I opened my mouth to shoot venom back at him but thought twice about it. There was no point really, aside from a little sliver of satisfaction, but considering he seemed to be enjoying our sparring, even that ounce of satisfaction didn’t amount to much.
With hesitation, I turned from him. Walking across the room, I stepped into the tub, pulling the shower curtain behind me to ensure there wasn’t even a chance of a break between the curtain and the wall. Tears of sadness and frustration sprang to my eyes, and deciding to give myself to another moment of weakness, I let the tears flow.
~*~ TT ~*~
Phoenix
She was a feisty one. I loved women with a little fighting spirit. She was definitely out of Raven’s league, that was for damned sure. How in the hell she managed to hook up with that sleaze was beyond me. Surely she had more options than just him? I gave my head a shake. Who knew what went through women’s heads sometimes, fucking mystery to me.
I watched as she pulled the curtain tight and a moment later her arm reached out from behind the curtain to drop her clothing to the side of the tub. Another couple minutes passed and the water was turned on. The sound of water hitting the sides of the tub echoed through the room. I really should have informed her that the shower blasted you with cold water for the first thirty seconds before the hot kicked in, but hearing her gasp of surprise was worth me being a bastard.
Chuckling to myself, I quietly left the bathroom – leaving the door open in case she got any bright ideas of trying to make a run for it buck naked – and entered my room next door to it. Going to the dresser I grabbed a pair of black cotton boxers and a t-shirt of mine for her to wear. It would be big on her, but it was the best I could offer her until her clothing was cleaned.
Re-entering the bathroom, I could faintly see her silhouette with the sun shining through the window on the other side of the curtain. My dick jerked alive in my jeans as I watched her move her hands over her body, scrubbing down every soft curve.
Leaning a shoulder against the door jamb I attempted to will my dick to go back down, but it was an impossible task. Hell, if Ash hadn’t been lurking about, I’d have been tempted to whip it out right then and there and jack off as she showered.
Once she was finished bathing, I might be due for a cold shower myself. These thoughts weren’t safe. But at the same time, would it really matter if I had a taste of her in the grand scheme of things? I could see myself in my mind’s eye walking across the bathroom floor, flinging the curtain open, falling to my knees and burying my face between her creamy legs. It was then that I got a brilliant idea, a little payback for the backtalk she gave me earlier. Quietly, I creeped across the bathroom floor and snatched up the clothing she’d placed on the floor then returned to my position at the open doorway. It wasn’t like she could put those dirty things back on anyhow.
The shower shut off and I saw the curtain move and her arm snake out, attempting to grab her clothes only to come up empty. Snatching her hand back, there was a long pause before she called out to me with annoyance and a hint of fear in her tone. “Where’s my clothes?”
Walking across the room, I grabbed the towel from the stack and placed it on the floor where her clothes had once been. She could have the towel, but if she wanted clothing, she’d have to ask me nicely for them.
Her hand slithered out again and grabbed the towel, promptly pulling it in behind the curtain. The towel was a little on the small side. On me it would fit around my waist, but didn’t quite touch my knees. If she wrapped it around herself it would barely cover the parts she wanted concealed.
“Thanks,” she called out. “Can I have my clothes back now?”
It was time to press the fact that I was the boss into her pretty little head. “Your clothes. No. They’re filthy and need to be washed, but I do have clothing for you.”
She peeked her head out from behind the curtain and her black eyes glared into mine for a moment before her gaze lowered, spotting the boxers and t-shirt in my hands. “Can you bring them over to me?”