Page 35 of Bolted

“Riley.”

I sigh. This is going to be weird no matter what. “Listen, I’ve been thinking. I know I’ve been taking space and I appreciate you have been respectful of that.”

He looks down at the floor. His posture has changed. He seemed almost jovial minutes ago and now he looks like anger’s starting to rip through him.

“I just think we’ve both changed since we were young. I know when we got together it made sense, and now… well now I just think we’re different.”

“Different Riley?” Nate seethes. “You mean you took a job as some sex slave intern and now you’re too good for me?”

I shake my head, trying to stop his insults. It’s then that I notice that the room is starting to blur. I shake my head again, this time trying to say something.

“Na…” my speech slurs. Something’s wrong. I can’t seem to speak and the person in front of me has now become a blur. I think he stands and leans over me as if to hold me up, but I feel myself slump in the chair and the room goes black.

Chapter 38

Nate

How dare she show up to a sex club. Anger pours over me as I sling her over my shoulder and carry her out a door in the back of the room meant just for employees. A bouncer, Brandon, sees me in the hallway and starts over, asking if I need help.

“It’s fine, she’s my wife and she got a little too drunk tonight,” I wave him off laughing.

“Ok, let me know if you need me man,” he replies and walks away.

I make my way out to employee parking and shove Riley into the backseat of my car before slamming the door closed. I never expected for her to show up tonight. I’m sure her slut sister brought her here. I should be angry at her for acting like she is single when she is still my wife. I should be livid that she is out at a sex club trapezing around in a slinky dress showing so much skin.

All I could think at that moment when I saw her is how fate must have brought her to me tonight. The perfect concoction of a drug cocktail lay nestled in my pocket just waiting to be slipped into her drink. It was like it was made special just for her. I didn't want to be tied down to her when we were younger, but she’s grown on me over the years. She’s been the one constant in my life. Never changing. I need her to stay that way. I need to keep her forever the same.

“You can never leave me Riley,” I say over my shoulder as I scoot into the front seat and start the car. She doesn't respond of course but that’s ok, she will understand soon enough.

Chapter 39

Riley

I wake to darkness. Everything is black, and my mouth is dry and taped shut. Where the fuck am I? I try to think back, to remember what happened. I do a mental inventory, feeling if my body has been hurt. My hands are tied behind my back and it feels like I’m lying on a bed. It smells musty or something. I try to pull my legs up and realize they’re tied to something. Oh my god I’ve been drugged and kidnapped I realize. That or I met someone last night with a sick sense of humor. I can remember bits and pieces of my night. Corrine had taken me to that club and we saw Xavier. Oh shit, and Sebastian. But then what happened? I remember Sebastian realizing who I was before he stormed off but I cannot recall what happened after.

I’m turning the pieces over in my mind when I hear a noise. There’s someone else in this room with me. Footsteps approach me now and I fight against the bind on my wrists. I try to scream but it’s muffled by the tape.

Suddenly I feel someone next to me, as if a dark energy had just appeared out of thin air. They must be leaning against the edge of the bed because it shakes under me. Then I hear the sound of someone sniffing me, a long sniff, like they’re trying to inhale the scent of my fear. They touch my hair, pushing it off my face, and I continue struggling. Trying to move the blindfold enough to see what’s behind. Then I feel a large hand on my stomach. It’s pressing down firmly and it’s hot. I still. Oh god no.

The hand slides around my stomach, dragging my dress up and down with it. I remember Sebastian’s comment “No panties.” I have nothing on under my dress and my kidnapper is now sliding my dress up and I’m helpless to do anything about it.

I pull my body away from the person, but the hand comes firmly to my stomach again. “Please” I try to say. “Please let me go.” But it of course doesn’t sound like that at all.

The hand trails down and pulls my dress up. With my legs tied in place I’m completely exposed, I can’t do anything. The hand dips between my thighs then, almost caressing them. I hold my breath. I have experienced rape before. I realize now that Nate has raped me throughout our marriage. There were times I said no, when I was completely dry, or asleep.. And he’d shoved himself in me. I had thought later that it was dismissable. We were, after all, married.

The hand slides along my opening, up and down once. Then it stops. My dress is pulled back down, and I feel the figure retreat.

Chapter 40

Sebastian

It’s 11:00 AM Monday and I’ve stormed through our office at least ten times this morning. At this point every intern and assistant on my floor is staring at me like I’ve grown two heads.

“Where the fuck is my intern?!?” I bellow at one of the assistants as she hands me a coffee. She cringes away and looks around wildly at the other assistants. Another one hands me a folder full of case files and stutters “She, she text saying she was sick.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I rage.

A hand drops down on my shoulder, squeezing, and I turn, shrugging it off. I’m ready to flatten the prick who dares lay a hand on me. Thankfully I catch myself before pummeling Jonathan’s pretty face.

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