Page 10 of Vicious

If it wasn’t for how many parties I’d served at with the catering company, I’d probably have been wide-eyed and gaping. The kitchen is the size of my bedroom at home. It’s lovely, too, with rich wood paneling and only the most modern appliances on the counters. It looks surprisingly homey, too, and I wonder how much time Chase spends in here.

“Do you cook?” I ask, not knowing what else to say.

“Sometimes.” Chase pushes me along. “I said I would give you the tour, but I was really just making small talk. Let’s go look at where you’ll be staying.”

I swallow hard as the foreboding threatens to make me stagger. I don’t want to know where he’ll be keeping me, but I can only assume it’ll be similar to one of the cell-like rooms at Ntimacy. If I’m lucky, there will be a bathroom. If I’m not…

I don’t want to live out my days chained to a bed with only a bucket for company.

Then again, Chase doesn’t seem like the type to deal with any sort of waste, and it’s not like he could get a housekeeper to do it unless they’re just as corrupt as he is.

Considering his wealth, though, he could probably find someone with ease.

He takes me down to the basement, which looks surprisingly normal, all things considered. There’s a rec room of sorts down here, with a TV and a leather couch and a coffee table.

We go past those to a door I almost hadn’t noticed because it was around a deceptive corner.

Chase uses an electronic key to open the door and pushes it open. “Here we go. Home sweet home… well, for you.”

I swallow hard, staring at the doorway. I don’t want to go inside. It feels so… final, like once I’m through that door, I’m never coming out again. He could forget me down here. I glance at Chase, letting out a shuddering breath, then peek through the doorway.

To my surprise, the room is almost as large as the rest of the basement. The lights are dim, but I can still make out the large, heavy-framed bed along the center of the far wall. There are hooks and pillars and all sorts of bondage devices on the walls. One shelf displays sex toys. In the corner there’s a glass wall, and I can see a toilet, sink, and shower on the other side.

It isn’t as bad as I thought it would be in terms of size and general appearance, but with all the equipment in there, I’m not eager to step inside. I give a quick shake of my head, for all that I know he won’t care what I want or what I think.

“Chase, please,” I say. “You don’t have to lock me away down here.”

“I don’t have to,” Chase agrees as he pushes me inside. “But I absolutely want to.” He closes the door behind us. “I’ve dreamed of having you all to myself. I picked out so many toys for you, sweet May.”

My heart drops as I stare bleakly at my surroundings and hear the electronic lock engaging behind us. I remind myself that it could be worse, but that doesn’t really mean much.

He gets behind me, grips my shoulders, and nuzzles the nape of my neck. My entire body goes rigid, and it’s all I can do not to pull away from him. “I could never decide which implement to start with. I want to make sure you get all the pain you desire, Ah-May.”

I grit my teeth, trying to ignore the pang that comes from the endearment I haven’t heard since my mother took off and left us behind. There’s wistfulness, and terror, because he’s talking about something I don’t ever let myself experience, something I don’t ever let myself even acknowledge. “Don’t. Call. Me. That.”

“No? What should I call you then?” Chase reaches around and begins unbuttoning the coat I’m wearing. “Pet? Darling? Kitten?”

“You can use my name. Just my name. Just May.” I grab his hand, trying to keep him from getting to the rest of the buttons. “Stop it.”

“Is that ‘Mei’ like in ‘beautiful’? I asked your father, but he said he didn’t know.” Chase keeps unbuttoning the jacket, completely ignoring my attempts to stop him.

My nerves are already threatening to get the best of me, and nausea makes it difficult to focus on what he’s saying.

“It’s May, like in English. M-a-y. Or is ‘Chase’ actually…” and my mind blanks, because my Chinese is so shaky that I wouldn’t be able to come up with a dumb name even if I wasn’t completely rattled.

Chase laughs and nips the side of my neck, making me have to bite my lip to stifle a yelp. “Huang Zhilong. Which isn’t a secret. I’m sure there are plenty of websites that will tell you all about me. But most people call me Chase.”

“Is that what I’m going to call you? Or do you want something stupid, like Master or Daddy or whatever?” I ask, trying to squirm away from him.

“I don’t really care what you call me. Mostly, I want to hear you scream for me.” Chase pulls the jacket from my shoulders and drops it to the floor.

In the second it takes him to get it off of me, I twist, stumbling a few feet away from him. I face him, pretending I’m not trembling, pretending I’m not terrified, as I stand there in a bikini and a pair of sneakers.

It’s especially difficult trying to find bravado when I look ridiculous, though at least the shoes fit better than the heels ever did.

Chase’s eyes rake over me. “I’ve imagined this scenario so many times. Admittedly, it was usually after you’d finally agreed to join me for dinner. I would have seduced you, and you’d finally give in to what we both know you want.”

I take another step back, my cheeks burning as he looks me up and down like I’m a particularly juicy side of beef. “What is your goddamn obsession with me, Chase?” I demand. “There are a thousand other women in New Bristol alone who would love to have you buy them jewelry and do… do… things with you. Why did you have to pick the one person who wants nothing to do with you?”

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